Page 299 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“The Allies have invaded much of Germany. It is only a matter of time before it surrenders.”

“I suppose so. Though there is something odd about this war…” I muse aloud.

“Odd?” Rità frowns.

“You may speak freely, Minnie. My mother knows about my particular abilities.”

“She does? And she believes you?” I lean in to whisper. From what I have gleaned from my time in Anthropa, very few humans are accepting of the supernatural. Most of them pretend it’s only a fanciful notion or that the people who believe in it must be mad.

He nods. “She’s actually an academic on the topic of the occult.”

“She…is? You never mentioned.”

That’s odd. Shouldn’t he have said something about it at some point? We’ve been dealing with facets of the occult since we met, and there were numerous times when we would have needed more information. Someone with her background could have helped us.

He shrugs and gives me a silent smile. “It must have slipped my mind.”

I blink and furrow my brows. That’s not something to slip one’s mind, is it?

“Then there are people who study the supernatural in your world?” I ask.

“Something like that.” He chuckles.

“That’s how you knew about the museum, then?”

“Yes.”

“Does she know about Aperion, too?”

“She can hear you, you know. You can ask her yourself.”

I sneak a glance at his mother and she’s regarding me with a pleasant smile.

“Did you tell her about me?”

“Of course not,” he quickly adds in the same low voice. “I would never do that without your approval.”

“Good. You’re a good male.” I pat him on the back affectionately.

“You may tell her however much you want, but I can assure you she is trustworthy.”

“She’s your mother. Of course I would never think to doubt her.”

That makes him smile. He grabs my hand and lays a kiss on my knuckles.

“If I may ask,” his mother begins, “what is it about this war that you think is odd?”

“I am not sure yet, but when we were at that prisoner camp, I detected some strong runes. Demonic in origin.”

His mother stops eating, slowly laying her cutlery down.

“Demonic, you say?”

I nod. “I did not recognize them, and I have not yet had the chance to look further into what that could mean. But I think it might have to do with the rumors that those Germans are running extermination camps. I am not sure how much you know about demons, but most of them feed on souls and?—”

Rità stops me. “I am aware. There are a few covens of witches that have declared themselves demon hunters, though without much success over the years.”

I nod. “Depending on the type of demon, they can be very hard to kill. Especially if they are a Son of Tenebreis, natural-born demons,” I mutter, disdain dripping from my words.

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