Page 323 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

He hadn’t seemed any different than usual. I’ve already witnessed how his illness behaved and last night he seemed healthy. Except…

His new scars. There were fresh marks on his flesh. While they weren’t bleeding, they were red-pinkish in color, suggesting he’d gotten them fairly recently. But how? When? Why did he not tell me about it?

And to think I might have added more stress to his already weak constitution when I argued with him and left him…

A pang of hurt reverberates in my body.

Oh, Mine. Why didn’t you tell me if something was wrong? Or was this part of your secretive plan, too? Something you couldn’t yet divulge?

Luckily for me, all souls are treated equally in the House of Psyche regardless of their species. It’s only when they movefrom the House of Psyche to the House of Moirai and they get assigned a new fate that their species is determined.

Getting to my feet, I’m wobbly at first, devoid of any will to live on as I once more see his lifeless form.

But this pain is ephemeral. It will all be fine once I get his soul back. We’ll be together again and all will be well.

I chant that to myself until I’m fully convinced of it.

Staring at him, I’m both wary to leave him alone like this and restless to erase the image of him dead from my mind. But I will only achieve the latter once I get him back. Until then…

What is going to happen to his body? I can’t very well leave it here to decompose. His mother will come back next Saturday. By that time, he will already start to rot.

It might only be an empty carcass now, but his face is still the face of the man I love.

I should find a way to let his family know so they can treat his remains with the respect they deserve.

As I ponder how to get in touch with his family, a succession of noises draws my attention.

There is a continuous rattling of a door handle somewhere downstairs, followed by a voice that calls out, “Valerion!”

His mother. She’s…here? Now?

What are the odds? I think wryly to myself. But I cannot waste time wondering about that when I can go about my mission.

With a heavy heart, I lay a kiss on his cold lips and murmur a binding vow.

“I vow to the Source that I will get you back, or I will die trying.”

Back in Aperion,I note that only a day has passed since I’ve been gone. The palace is quiet as I make my way toward the library to consult some books on how to gain access to the House of Psyche. Since it seems to be midday here, I don’t expect to run into any one of importance. My father has meetings at this time and my mother usually has her beauty afternoon sleep.

I barely reach the door to the library when my senses become high on alert.

“You!” my mother shrieks at me when she sees me.

I turn and frown.

“What have you done, stupid girl?”

I blink in confusion. “What?”

She charges toward me, her energy shimmering around her. Instinctively, my shields go up to protect myself from an incoming attack.

“How could you do this? How?” she shouts, and the ground under my feet trembles from her anger.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“No idea? You have no idea? You’ve ruined us! All of us!”

“Wait a moment. What happened?”

---