Page 38 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“As General Molokai said. We cannot overlook this or it would send the wrong message to other deities, which in turn would mess even more with the order of things. You must be punished in accordance with your sin.”

“And what is my punishment going to be?”

Groyo waves the silk canvas away. It dissolves into a myriad of fine particles until there’s nothing left of it.

“One hundred and five days,” he states. “You will need to repay the House of Moirai for the one hundred and five days you stole from the human who wrongly died.”

“But how?” I whisper.

“You will be stripped of your powers for one hundred and five days. General Molokai will ensure the punishment is meted out.”

My eyes widen.

W-what?

Stripped of my powers.

I quickly glance at Kai. He’s not even looking at me as he nods.

“But I’m on a mission. I can’t?—”

“You are hereby relieved of your duties, Minerva. You may return to Aperion until the end of your sentence. Or if you should choose to stay in Anthropa, though I do not recommend it, youwill not be given an allowance or any protection from me or my soldiers.”

I blink, shocked.

“I trust you will handle this, General Molokai?”

My brother inclines his head.

Groyo nods and flashes himself out of the building, leaving me alone with my brother.

“You can’t be serious about this, Kai. You can’t strip me of my powers…”

“It is your punishment.”

“But—”

“No buts. You broke the rules, you must pay for it.”

Opening his palm, he releases a burst of energy that surrounds my entire body. An opaque film settles atop my skin, inhibiting my powers.

“One hundred and five days. At the end of your sentence, the shield will evaporate on its own.”

“How am I supposed to fight demonswithoutmy powers?” I cry out in frustration.

“You are not. You have been relieved of your duties, as I have mentioned,” he adds tersely.

“You can’t do that! You know how much this mission means to me.”

“You should have thought about that before you broke the rules. I would advise you to take your punishment in stride and head home.”

“Head home? Absolutely not!”

Does he not realize what will happen once I get home? I’ve already left when I shouldn’t have. The moment they catch me, our parents are going to lock me up until the wedding, and without my powers, I won’t have any way to escape.

“That is your prerogative. Should you find yourself in trouble here, however, no one will be able to help you.”

He turns his back to me, ready to leave.

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