Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

from the glass at Rafferty's touch, dissipating in the air. Corin blinked at the sudden brightness.
    Rafferty turned sharply on his heel, striding across the small room to the door. He paused with his hand on the knob, looking over his shoulder at Corin. "Don't touch the apple."
    Corin nodded, vaguely unsettled, and then Rafferty was gone, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. Corin stared after him, his mind buzzing. Nothing made sense, and he had the feeling that it was only going to get worse.
    ****
    Corin didn't sleep well again that night, too keyed up with thoughts of his impending doom. It also didn't help that at some point around dinner, he'd realized that Rafferty had pulled his spirit energy out—like the demons did, at night, when no one else was awake. He'd spent a few hours fretting about whether they could drain him completely before finally falling into a fitful sleep.
    He wasn't sure whether the demons had shown up; his dreams had been too chaotic for him to tell whether he was dreaming or awake the entire night. It certainly felt like he hadn't slept a wink, and even Alan had commented on how terrible Corin looked.
    Corin made himself eat another spoonful of the tasteless porridge that was being served for breakfast. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he wasn't stupid enough to think skipping a meal would do anything other than make him feel worse. He glanced towards the door to the dining hall again, wondering when Rafferty would show with the head priest to pull more of them out.
    He wouldn't be able to talk to Rafferty, not with another priest around, and Corin definitely didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Drawing attention to himself might cause another priest to see whatever it was that Rafferty saw that made him realize Corin had a lot of spirit energy.
    If Rafferty wasn't leading him on, that was. Corin had no idea what to believe. Rafferty seemed sincere, seemed like he was telling the truth about the sacrifice. What if it wasn't true? What if he was working with the demons instead, trying to break them free? What if he wanted Corin's energy for his own purposes instead of to block the demons?
    Corin didn't know, and he didn't know how to figure out if Rafferty was lying or not. If he went to another priest and Rafferty had been telling the truth, then Corin would probably be killed sooner rather than later. If he didn't, and Rafferty had been lying… Well, who knew what would happen then. Besides Rafferty, that was.
    As though summoned by his thoughts, Rafferty chose that moment to appear in the doorway. Corin hastily jerked his gaze away, back to his bowl of porridge and cup of tea. His cheeks had to be red, and Corin hoped no one noticed because he didn't have an explanation for that.
    Rafferty listed off seven names—Corin's omitted, as he'd promised. Corin frowned, wondering why they'd picked more people that day. Corin glanced at the doorway again, somewhat startled to meet Rafferty's gaze. He looked as tired as Corin felt; his face was cheerless and listless. Even his robe was mussed and wrinkled, as though he'd slept in it and had only just woken.
    Looking away, Corin forced himself to eat more quickly. If Rafferty and the high priest—Tennyson, Corin recalled from his conversation with Rafferty the previous day—were there, then it wouldn't be long before the priest in charge of them came to hand out assignments.
    Corin ended up assigned to clearing off the roof again. The priest who ordered him up there didn't say what for, as he had last time, but why else would he be cleaning the roof if not for a ceremony? At least the task left him unsupervised and alone, which would let him take it nice and slow and maybe even catch a nap in a sunlit corner. It wouldn't be particularly comfortable considering the roof wasn't especially padded, but it was better than nothing.
    The roof was accessible from four points throughout the monastery. A narrow set of stairs wound upwards through the monastery to each access. Corin climbed up slowly, taking his time and trying not to speculate what kind of ceremony the priests would be conducting on the roof within the next few days. It was an exercise in futility, especially as his mind had already decided that it was going to be the ceremony where he'd be sacrificed to beat back the demons.
    What would they do with his body? What had they done with the bodies of previous sacrifices? Maybe they were eaten whole by the demons.