Page 166 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

I gently extricate myself from his embrace and take a moment to look around. He keeps a firm grip on my arm as if afraid to let go.

A bustling crowd of people surrounds us, all engaged in their daily activities. The air is filled with the sounds of chatter and laughter, creating a lively atmosphere. In front of us, a line has formed outside of a shop, with people eagerly waiting for it to open.

“This is… Aperion?” He raises an eyebrow skeptically. I can tell he’s not impressed with the seemingly mundane surroundings.

The buildings here are much shorter than the ones in London, only three stories high at most. But they are made from a unique grey brick that gives them mystical properties. Only those invited inside can enter, making each business feel exclusive and secretive. Well, that, and it also serves to keep conflict to a minimum, though there is one exception. The military can come and go fromanybuilding in Aperion.

“We’re in a small town at the edge of the Capital of Polemos. I suppose it’s not too glamorous,” I add pensively.

“These people are gods?” He points to the bustling streets. The sound of laughter and conversation fills the air, mixed with the clanging of pots and pans and the calls of street vendors. In the distance, we can hear the faint sound of music coming from a nearby street performance.

I shake my head. “Only about ten percent of the population of Aperion is descended from deities. The remaining ninety percent are called s’Aperiotes and while they havesomespiritual energy, it’s minimal and does not translate into any abilities. There is, of course, the rare case in which a s’Aperiote has an unusual spiritual energy,” I explain.

“I suppose I was expecting something different.”

“Aperion has a very strict hierarchy. At the bottom are the s’Aperites, often treated as second-class citizens due to their lack of abilities. Power is everything and the hierarchy is determined by who holds the most of it. Sitting atop this pyramid are the Supremes, followed by the monarchs of each Royal House, then the nobility, military leaders, and minor deities. These upper classes all possess abilities and our laws prohibit those with abilities from mating with s’Aperites, although accidents do happen, and that is how you get the rare s’Aperite withabilities. But that is only possible among the minor deities since conception only occurs if both parents’ levels of spiritual energy are similar,” I continue.

“The only advantage s’Aperites have is that they are not really bound by our strict mores. They can mate among themselves without outside interference, though they do require the permission of the Higher Office of their Commune before they are allowed to marry. Although they have more freedom, they still have to answer to Aperite laws. That means that they have a certain…dislike for deities. So let’s not advertise who I am to anyone around, all right?”

Mine is staring at me.

“Your world is strange.”

I shrug. “Your world is strange to me, too.”

“Where to now, then?”

“We must make our way to the Capital on foot,” I declare, my voice echoing off the surrounding buildings.

His eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “On foot? How far is that?”

I nod firmly. “Yes, it’s just over there,” I respond, pointing west and gesturing toward a cluster of tall structures piercing the sky in the distance.

His mouth falls open in shock. “There?” he repeats incredulously.

I give a curt nod. “Yes, it shouldn’t take us more than a day,” I state matter-of-factly.

He stammers, struggling to process the information. “A day? Did you just say a day? On foot?”

I raise an eyebrow at his reaction. “You’re a military man, Mine. Act like it,” I scold before striding forward.

“Wait a minute. Surely you have some sort of transportation? A car or something?” he protests, scrambling to keep up with my pace.

I sigh and shake my head. “We do have access to vehicles, but using one would risk drawing attention to ourselves as only elites are allowed to ride in them. Horses would cost us money we don’t have. So walking is our only option.”

“Minnie! This is ridiculous,” he complains loudly.

My patience wears thin and I turn sharply toward him, hands on hips and giving him a stern look. “If you’re going to continue whining, perhaps I should have left you behind after all.”

He lets out a string of curse words under his breath.

I narrow my eyes at him. “And if you think walking on foot will be too difficult for you, I’ll find you another portal and you can head back to Anthropa.”

Suddenly, he grabs my hand and starts marching forward with determination. “Don’t you worry, Minnie. Walking is one of my specialties,” he declares confidently.

Humans, I shake my head in annoyance.

As we stroll through the bustling streets, I can sense the eyes of the locals following us with curious glances. It takes me a moment to realize it’s because of our attire. My simple cotton gown, dyed a deep emerald green and adorned with delicate embroidery on the bodice, instantly gives away that I am not from here. Mine, too, clad in high-waisted trousers and a perfectly tailored shirt, also stands out as someone not from this region.

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