Page 12 of Sin of the Saints

“Is it true…?” Her voice is hesitant.

I shut the book and examine her. She seems frightened and lost, glancing at the camera in the corner of the ceiling with terror. It’s like she’s caught between the need to know more and her hatred towards me.

I motion for her with my eyes to follow me, rise from the bed and go to the bathroom.

“Yes,” I groan and sit on the edge of the bath.

“But… that can’t be,” her eyes widen.

“Libretto is a traitor, he’s not who you think he is,” I repeat aloud what I’d written in blood on the wall. “And I can prove it.”

“In what respect?” Her gaze flashes over her shoulder, as though someone might ambush her from behind.

“Libretto carries within him the reincarnation of Ashmedai,the Lord of Lust.He may be a demon, but he’s a traitor. Heseeks to rule Hell himself. He steals souls intended for Satan. He’s building up his power to avenge the sins of his forefathers, and of…” I fall silent. I don’t think I can admit the rest out loud.

“But what does that mean about everything we’ve been taught? He’s been at the head of the Council forever.”

“You remember our first day in Dr. Abano’s class? He said something that continued to haunt me: ‘Be critical and try to understand what was cut out, what isn’t told and why.’ If the writings of the saints have been edited, isn’t it possible that our own texts were similarly edited? I did some research…”

“Did you find anything?” She cut me off, her expression suffused with curiosity.

“From our texts? Not much.” Valentina seems disappointed by my answer. “But Lilith’s memories have told me the full truth.”

“Lilith, is she…?” Valentina points at me, as though afraid to ask the question aloud.

“Yes, she’s within me, but she alsoisme.” I put my hand on my heart, and I sense her. “I don’t know how it’s even possible. I thought I’d be nothing more than a vessel until the moment of her awakening, just like the rest of the Marked, but she was the missing piece I’ve been searching for my whole life. Everything made sense to me at the moment of her awakening. I understood then why I felt like I’d been carrying a heavy burden, and I never knew where it came from.”

“Does she…” She clears her throat. “Do you wish to harm us?”

“No, her war isn’t with you or with the creators, not even with Libretto. It’s with Ashmedai. Lilith continues to reincarnate into the lands of Adam because her past has been so stained that she’s seeking her redemption. If it even exists.”

“Who is he to you? Why did he target you?”

I turn my gaze away from her questioning eyes. “It doesn’t matter now. But we have to stop him. If he gets his way, it won’t just endanger humans, but both Creators and their armies.”

“If you’re speaking the truth, why haven’t the Creators intervened?”

“I don’t know, but I think that if they’ve chosen to stand aside, Libretto has an important part to play in both their plans. It’s not like the Devil can take him back, because he won’t obey the call.”

“Just like you,” she examines me.

“Just like me,” I confirm, hoping she won’t ever learn the truth. “Why did you come here, Valentina?”

“When I returned the jug Libretto sent to you, the one you didn’t bother to feed from, one of the servants stole a drop of blood and went mad. Before I realized what was happening, he was dragged off to the castle dungeons.”

“That’s not unusual, he broke one of the laws of our world. Demons are forbidden from drinking the blood of their kind.”

“Right, but that’s not what shocked me, even though it should have. Before he was carted off, he said something that troubled me.”

“Which was?”

Valentina looks over her shoulder again, on guard. “He said: ‘God will avenge the blood of his firstborn, and Ashmedai will avenge the loss of his beloved at the hands of Satan’.”

Damn, Ashmedai would surely lose his mind if the truth came to light. “When did this happen? Do the guards know you overheard what the servant said?”

“It was just a minute ago, I came here straight away to figure out what he meant—”

I interrupt her, grab her arm and drag her into my room.

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