Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

inch of Corin's skin, and he was willing to bet the darkness in the stairwell wasn't because the sun was going down. It was pitch black by the time Corin reached the floor where Rafferty's room was, and Corin desperately hoped Rafferty was there because he was sure he wasn't going back down if Rafferty wasn't.
    Sprinting down the corridor towards Rafferty's room, Corin's heavy breathing was loud in his ears. It was dark here, too. Candles were lit, but much more sparsely than they had been the previous night. The candles went out as Corin ran by them, but he didn't dare pause, hoping he was remembering the corridors and rooms correctly. He turned sharply down the hallway he thought was correct, slowing as he ran out of breath.
    The door to Rafferty's room was glowing, and Corin stumbled to a stop, staring wide-eyed at the green glow. Green wasn't the color of Rafferty's magic, and the marks on the door had a decidedly unpleasant aura to them. Corin glanced back, panic flaring when he saw the corridor behind him was completely, utterly dark. No candles remained lit, and there was no light visible from the windows at the end of the hall. The sun wasn't down yet; there should still have been light.
    Corin grabbed the doorknob to Rafferty's room, trying it before he remembered that Rafferty locked it and the strange glow on the door had to mean something. It turned easily under his hand, though, with a shock shooting through him not unlike the one that had shot through him when he'd picked up the apple in the library. Pushing the door open, Corin all but fell into the room and then slammed the door behind him as though it would keep the demons out.
    Rafferty surged to his feet from where he'd been sitting on the bed, almost tripping over the rug that he'd rolled out of the way. The pattern on the floor, glowing faintly white, was much more elaborate than it had been that morning. He all but sprinted across the room to Corin, grabbing him by the shoulders.
    "Are you all right?" Rafferty demanded, and Corin shook his head, not sure he could speak yet. His breath was still coming fast and hard, but Rafferty's touch was soothing, warm and burning away the fear and cold and queasiness that the priest's touch had inspired.
    "It's tonight," Corin finally managed to say, not liking the strain in his voice, and Rafferty nodded, squeezing Corin's shoulders before letting him go. "I hit a priest and ran up here."
    "I'm sorry," Rafferty said, looking away from Corin. "I would have come, but they locked me in to keep me from interfering."
    "Not your fault," Corin said, running a hand through his hair and glancing at the circle on the floor. His heartbeat kicked up a notch, but it wasn't panic or fear. "Can—is it ready?"
    Rafferty nodded, stepping back and letting Corin see the circle. "I'd say you don't have to—"
    "It's fine," Corin said quietly, glancing at the door. "I want to. Even if they weren't going to kill me, I would."
    Rafferty looked startled at that, but then he ducked his head. "I'm sorry you don't have the choice." He stepped away from Corin before Corin could reply, turning towards the door. He pressed his hand against it and began chanting slowly. The door slowly faded away, turning into more wall, until it looked as though there had never been an opening there to begin with.
    "That will keep everyone out," Rafferty said, as though Corin needed that explanation. "If at any point you want me to stop—"
    "Stop it," Corin snapped, fed up with Rafferty's sudden hesitation. "I'm doing this, and you don't need to coddle me about it. What are my other choices? Stop and be sacrificed? Stop and let Moori be sacrificed next year? I wasn't lying, either, when I said I'd do it even if they weren't trying to kill me tonight. No one else deserves to die."
    "It might get unpleasant," Rafferty said, biting his lip briefly before looking at the circle. "I've never done this before, and I don't know what exactly will happen."
    "Okay," Corin said, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Don't stop it, even if I say to."
    "Are you sure?" Rafferty asked, and Corin didn't yell at him more only because he looked so miserable asking.
    "Positive," Corin said. He didn't have a choice, and that helped his resolve. He also trusted Rafferty. Rafferty's touch never felt wrong or made him uneasy. The priests' did, and their magic seemed so wrong, unlike Rafferty's, and that had to mean something.
    "Stand there," Rafferty said, gesturing to the blank