Page 188 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

Alone in the room, I stare at the space he just vacated, slowly getting myself under control.

The general is dead. The other soldiers must be dead, too, or they would have come rushing in. Everyone at the base must be dead.

By the Source, that demon or whatever he was killed an entire military base with barely any effort. I’veneverseen anything like this before. Yet the mere fact that I’m here, still alive, is bound to raise eyebrows.

A ragged breath slips past my lips. Another one follows until my lungs work properly again and until my limbs stop trembling.

I must get out of here. I must…

Looking around me, my gaze connects with the walls full of books. I came here searching for help. If no one is going to help me, then at least I should help myself. Knowing time is of the essence, I grab the cloth covering off the sofa and lay it on the ground. There’s only a little energy left in the pin, and I must ration it wisely to ensure we can still get back to Anthropa.

With a twist of my wrist, I pull forward all the books that have anything to do with greed demons in them and lay them in the middle of the cloth. There are, however, too many, so I limit myself to ten.

After carefully tying the corners of the cloth together, I swing the makeshift bag over my back and teleport myself out of the building and back to Mine.

“We must leave, right now,” I tell him the moment I spot him. I don’t give him time to ask what happened as I simply grab his hand and teleport us away from the scene of the crime.

Since I’m running low on energy, I need to choose a nearby location, so I settle for one of my family’s properties on the outskirts of Polemos. It’s a small cabin that my grandmother used to retreat to when she wanted to be away from the perils and anxiety of politics.

The area is protected by wards, and only someone with An’yan blood can enter the grounds. That should at least offer some protection in case anyone might come looking.

We land in the middle of the drawing room.

Letting go of Mine’s hand, I place the makeshift bag on the floor and stoop down to sift through the titles.

A frown creases my forehead as I realize something is amiss. Mine, usually chatty and animated, has not uttered a single word since we arrived here. My unease grows when a loud thud echoes through the room, causing me to jump to my feet.

“Mine!” My heart races as I see him lying on the floor, his skin unnaturally pale and his body unmoving. Panic rises in my chest as I kneel down beside him, cradling his head in my lap and gently touching his flushed cheeks.

“You’re burning up! What’s wrong with you?” I ask frantically, searching for any sign of injury or illness.

He groans in discomfort, his face contorting in pain. His lips part to speak, but the words that come out are slurred and garbled, full of distress and confusion.

“Will…be…fine.”

My heart thuds in my chest. “No, you won’t. We’re in Aperion, Mine. There is no human doctor around.”

“Need to…rest. Will be…fine.” He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

“What’s wrong with you? Did that demon do something to you? Did he hurt you?” I ask frantically.

“What…demon?” He frowns, looking confused.

I shake my head. “Never mind. Just tell me how to help.”

He forces a feeble smile, but I can see the pain etched onto his features.

“You cannot,” he says through gritted teeth, his breaths becoming more shallow. “I must have…overtaxed myself.”

“But this isn’t normal!” I protest, my entire body trembling at the thought that something might happen to him.

His hand covers mine, trying to reassure me. “Remember my childhood illness,” he starts slowly. I nod. “I was never cured. When I am weak…the symptoms reappear.”

My panic grows as I realize the gravity of the situation. That illness almost killed him, didn’t it?

“But…” I start to argue before he cuts me off with a sudden turn to the side. His body heaves as a dark substance spills out of his mouth, staining his lips and clothes.

He continues to retch and vomit more blood. I pat him lightly on the back, my heart lodged in my throat as I watch helplessly as he suffers.

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