Page 202 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“He is…perhaps one of the worst cases. He’s been placed in isolation and I fear something might have broken in his mind. He’s not himself anymore.”

“Isolation? When was that?”

“A short while after the altercation. He was uttering some insane things and telling people they should fight to the death.”

“And that altercation was…?”

“Five days ago,” he answers.

“And has anything more happened after?”

“More?” He raises a brow.

“Any other acts of violence or unusual behaviors.”

“Not that I know of,” he answers, scratching the back of his head.

If Holloway was put in isolation, perhaps that explains the overall air of normalcy around the base—sans the injured men. That also means the greed demon has not devoured enough sinful energy to become corporeal or jump hosts.

A smile pulls at my lips.

This could prove easier than I thought.

“Who has been in charge of Holloway, Doctor?”

“We have nurses on rotation going to him. No one wants to, though, as they all complain about his language and behavior.”

“I can do it.”

“I was thinking you’d help in the infirmary…”

“I can take care of Holloway so other nurses won’t have to. That way they can focus on the infirmary.”

“I suppose that helps as well. But are you sure? He is not a pleasant fellow.”

“Of course. Leave it up to me.”

“All right. Let me give you a short summary of the medicines he’s supposed to take and I’ll show you to his cabin. He’s tied to the bed, so he cannot hurt you. A soldier will be outside should he need to relieve himself, so you will not have to deal with him without his constraints.”

The doctor gives me the list of medicines and tells me they should be administered three times a day, after which he leads me to where Holloway—and his demon—have been sequestered.

“Shout if you need anything, miss,” the soldier on guard tells me.

I nod.

He opens the door for me and I step inside with my tray of medicine.

The entire cabin has been emptied of any belongings. There is only a small lamp close to the door that barely illuminates the room.

The bed is in the middle, and Holloway is strapped to the metal hinges by his hands, feed and midriff.

His eyes are blank, almost as if there is a white film covering them.

I step closer, but he doesn’t seem to take notice of my presence.

The demon, however, now almost as tall as the ceiling, stands next to him, fuming in anger. A part of him is still attached to Holloway, so he cannot move unless his host does.

The moment the demon detects me, he forces Holloway to spout obscenities at me. When that doesn’t scare me or make me react, the demon gets increasingly mad.

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