Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

Rafferty from a distance. Rafferty might seek him out, or he might not, considering the way they'd left things the previous day. No, Rafferty would probably only come to get him once everything was ready for his spell casting .
    Rubbing a hand across his face, Corin eyed the broom. He'd left it in the center of the circle of glowing tiles. He was too awake to sleep now, but was he willing to venture into the circle to fetch the broom and get to work clearing the rooftop? It was that or return to the supply closet and fetch another. He'd have to sweep off that section of the roof at some point, anyway.
    Corin glanced up at the sky again, noting that the cloud blocking the sun was nearly past. He'd wait until the sun came out again. If he couldn't see the glowing tiles, they weren't there, right? At least they didn't seem harmful, but Corin couldn't shake the idea that the glowing tiles were a prelude to his potential sacrifice, no matter how innocuous the glowing tiles seemed.
    He cleared the roof relatively quickly then retreated to the farthest tower on the roof, even though it wasn't in the sunlight and would get cold quickly. Tucking himself into the corner where the tower met the roof, Corin closed his eyes and did his best to ignore the chill seeping through the stone behind him.
    Corin woke suddenly with a fright, flailing wildly. He landed a solid blow to the shadow hovering above him, subsiding when the shadow yelped in pain. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, Corin stared wide-eyed at Rafferty. The sun was much lower in the sky, Corin noticed. He'd slept clear through the afternoon and almost into the evening, and he shuddered, wondering what would have happened if he'd been out and about after night fell.
    He was getting as superstitious and paranoid as the rest of the servants, Corin thought and then remembered it was for good reason.
    "Sorry," Corin mumbled as Rafferty stepped back, holding one hand to the shoulder where Corin had thumped him.
    "It's fine," Rafferty said, though he still looked faintly surprised Corin had hit him. "Are you all right? You seemed to be having a nightmare."
    Corin frowned, trying to remember, but the only thing he could recall was waking up and hitting Rafferty. "I don't remember."
    Rafferty nodded, his brow furrowing pensively. "Come on, we need to get inside."
    Corin took the hand Rafferty offered, stumbling to his feet awkwardly. He ached from sleeping sitting up. He was also very, very cold. Hunching his shoulders against the breeze—even colder now than it had been earlier—Corin snatched up the broom and followed Rafferty towards the nearest door to the monastery.
    "Why are you here?" Corin asked and cringed because that sounded terrible, like he didn't want to see Rafferty. "I mean, how did you know I was up there?"
    "Armin mentioned you were working on the roof, and I noticed you weren't at dinner," Rafferty said, his voice echoing oddly in the stairwell. "It's not safe out at night."
    "Is it safe inside at night?" Corin asked sourly, wondering if there was any difference.
    "Safer," Rafferty said, shrugging one shoulder. The stairs were dimly lit through small windows along the stairwell, and Rafferty was only a shadowy form in front of Corin. "You missed dinner, but there's nothing to be done about that now."
    Corin didn't reply to that; there was nothing to say. If it was past dinner, then he needed to go to his room for the night. After sleeping all afternoon, there was no way he was going to sleep, which meant he was going to lie awake in the pitch black, listening to Alan and Mavir sleep and waiting for the demons to show up and pull out more of his energy.
    "I had questions," Corin blurted out as they reached the first landing. The stairs took a sharp turn left, and Rafferty paused, glancing down the stairs before turning to Corin.
    "About…" Rafferty began but trailed off, not completing his sentence. His eyes narrowed, but not at Corin, and he abruptly started down the stairs again. "Follow me."
    Corin glanced over his shoulder, but there was nothing there. He didn't even feel like he did when the shadows were around. Rafferty was taking the stairs much more quickly, and Corin hastened to catch up to him. About halfway down the tower, Rafferty stopped abruptly and opened a door, revealing a hallway. It was lit, unlike the lower levels where Corin's room was. Candles were set in holders every six feet or so, supplementing the dim twilight that