Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

said, glancing at Corin. His face was shadowed in the fading light from the window, but his gaze was strong. "They planned to force me into the sacrifice, to get me using the demon magic so they could convert me to using it and protecting them. Between that and the way the binding was failing, I knew I didn't have time to wait for reinforcements."
    "You had to use me," Corin said, and that made a certain amount of sense. He had the energy, and Rafferty hadn't had the time to wait for another source. "Why lie?"
    "It was simpler," Rafferty said, shaking his head. "Maybe I should have told you everything, but you didn't even believe in demons when I approached you."
    Corin flushed, remembering his skepticism when Rafferty had talked to him in the little writing room. It seemed like months had passed since then, not mere days. "Right," Corin said awkwardly. "Sorry."
    Rafferty snorted. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry I had to drag you into this."
    "I don't mind," Corin said quietly, shrugging. "I liked the… non-demon parts of it."
    "Really?" Rafferty asked. He stood, and Corin watched him curiously as he fumbled around on the top of the bureau. He eventually managed to light a candle, sending flickering light across the room. He sat down heavily, turning back to Corin. "I initially thought you'd make a good priest, but I wasn't going to suggest it after everything you've done here."
    "A priest?" Corin asked, his eyes widening. "Why?"
    "It's an offer they make to anyone who has a lot of spirit energy," Rafferty said, shrugging. "I didn't think you'd be interested after everything the priests put you through here. If you are interested in using your spirit energy, there's no better place to learn."
    "Oh," Corin said, not able to think of a better reply than that. "How many priests use the demons?"
    "I can't say," Rafferty said, frowning. "More than should, but we're trying to find them all and banish the demons. It's difficult because the higher-level users can hide it easily since the demons are hidden in their bodies. Then there are the remote monasteries like this one, which can become completely corrupted."
    "You can't just feel them?" Corin asked, wondering if the uneasy, nauseous feeling he felt was all in his head.
    "Feel them?" Rafferty repeated, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"
    "When they get close," Corin said, shrugging. "I always feel it, like they're pulling my energy to the surface? I could feel it whenever he got too close and even when he wasn't."
    "Oh," Rafferty said, looking surprised. He hesitated and then asked, "Can you see the energy, too?"
    "See it? The glow, you mean?" Corin asked, wondering what that meant. "But the circle and… glyphs?" Corin paused at the unfamiliar word. "They were made of it, right?"
    "I painted them down," Rafferty said, and the way he was staring at Corin was discomfiting. "You can really see energy?"
    "I guess?" Corin said, shifting nervously where he sat. "Why?"
    "It's rare," Rafferty said. "Really, really rare."
    "Oh," Corin said, ducking his head a little. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. "What does that mean?"
    "Not much," Rafferty said. He smiled faintly, turning to look at the priest on the floor. "Did you see him glow?"
    "I don't know," Corin said. "I never saw anything glow before that first day when you told me about everything and made the windows dark. Then the roof glowed and the apple glowed and the priest in the dining hall glowed. They were all different colors."
    "You didn't believe in it before," Rafferty said, as though that explained it. "You wouldn't have seen it until you believed it was there."
    "Okay," Corin accepted, because weirder things had happened. "What happens now?"
    "Um," Rafferty said, his brow furrowing in thought. "I sent a missive a week ago requesting assistance. That should show up in a few days. They'll help sort everything out and take care of arresting the priests here who don't flee. I'll probably send everyone home since there's no point in keeping everyone here when there are no priests to serve."
    "Even me?" Corin asked, quietly. He wasn't sure what he wanted. Home sounded good. He missed his family and wanted to see his sisters. There would be no demons, no priests, no one wanting to kill him. There would also be no Rafferty, and no chance to learn more about his spirit energy, and both of those were stupid, stupid reasons to want to stay.
    "I should report you," Rafferty said and then hastily