Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

Sacrifice of body and energy, perhaps. Corin shook his head, trying to dislodge the unpleasant thoughts as he reached the top of the stairs. Shoving open the door, Corin stepped outside into the sunlight.
    There were clouds in the sky, scattered, white and fluffy. It was chilly, the last remnants of winter clinging to the breeze that scattered Corin's hair across his face. Shoving it out of his eyes, Corin stepped out onto the roof and pulled the access door shut behind him. It was a strange roof—most roofs were slanted to let rain and snow slide off them instead of building up. This roof was flat, likely because it was needed for ceremony space.
    It required more upkeep, but it wasn't like the priests cared since they weren't the ones sweeping away snow or leaves. There was a low wall around the edges of the roof, barely reaching up to Corin's knee. It was slotted every foot or so to give rain and melted snow someplace to go. The roof itself was made up of interlocking octagon-shaped tiles. Corin didn't understand how that worked without leaking, but he also didn't care, so long as it worked.
    The roof didn't look so terrible, Corin thought, rolling his eyes. There were a few dead leaves here and there, but not so much that it warranted another sweeping. He shouldn't have been surprised. The priests were always giving them tasks that didn't actually need to be done. No wonder no one questioned that a handful of them were being made to clean the same room over and over again.
    Maybe that was why they kept making Corin and the others redo tasks that hadn't yet been undone. To make it seem less strange when they tested everyone in the same way. Or maybe to keep them all busy, Corin conceded. There were more servants than the priests or monastery warranted, but letting them have a day off now and again—sermon days didn't count—wouldn't teach them humility and austerity.
    Half-heartedly pushing a few leaves towards the edge of the roof with his broom, Corin paused when he caught sight of something glowing. Frowning, Corin circled around the glowing spot on the roof. One of the octagon-shaped tiles was emitting a faint green light, only barely visible when he shadowed it with the broom.
    Corin swept over the tile a few times with the broom, but the tile still glowed. It didn't do anything else, and Corin stared at it, perplexed. It hadn't done that the last time he'd been up there. He was sure of that; it had been cloudy that day. A glowing tile would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
    Letting the broom fall to the rooftop, Corin circled around the tile so that it was in his shadow and he could see the faint glow again. Curious, he inched closer. The tile continued to glow and continued to do nothing. Giving into his curiosity, Corin knelt on the rooftop, keeping a very small distance between the tile and himself. Was this like Rafferty's magic when he'd turned the glass dark? Corin hesitated and then reached out and tentatively touched the glowing tile.
    Nothing happened. Corin sighed, sitting back. What had he expected? For it to reach out and bite him? He desperately needed to get more sleep before he got any more stupid. Maybe he should take a nap before he started cleaning off the roof. That sounded like a good idea. The towers on each end of the monastery provided nice quiet corners out of the wind that were ideal for taking a nap.
    Corin pushed himself to his feet slowly, yawning. A cloud passed over the sun, slowly blocking out the sunlight, and Corin made a face, glancing up at the sky and willing the cloud to move quickly so he could have the sun back. Looking back down at the roof, Corin froze, his eyes widening.
    More than the single tile were aglow. It was one of a handful that glowed at the center of a circle of glowing tiles—a circle that Corin was standing in the middle of. Scrambling back, Corin removed himself from the circle as quickly as he could. He didn't know what the circle was for, but circles and ceremonies and demons didn't make for a good combination.
    The minute he was out of the circle, the tiles all stopped glowing. Corin took a ragged breath, staring at the rooftop for a long moment. He was going crazy. Corin debated a moment and then took a step forward. The tiles slowly started to glow again, and Corin hastily took a step back.
    Something else to ask Rafferty about, Corin decided, wondering when he'd get the chance. He didn't cross paths with Rafferty normally. He mostly saw