8
No, thank you. Politely declined,” I said, and without another word, I fled. I needed some time to process all this.
Later that evening, there was a knock on my door. It was Julian
“Sister, your actions today were highly improper. You are a woman, after all. Sister Elara was right. As a woman…‘
I cut him off, a headache blooming behind my eyes. “What do you want to say?”
He was silent for a few seconds before speaking. “Sister… do you have any more of those sachets?”
“No.” slammed the door in his face.
They were all mad. Was the magic of the Crimson Cabai really that powerful?
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, I snuck out of the tavern with my small pack. I needed to lie low
As I climbed over the wall, I saw Elara standing there.
“I love Kael,” she said.
I nodded, indifferent. “That’s fine. I used to, too. Good luck.”
She smiled. “But he is in love with you now.”
a
while.
2
w
W
**
**
The sun was rising quickly. I didn’t want to get tangled up with her. If I was discovered, I’d never get away. The four men staying at the tavern were all far more powe-
nul than me.
“Go south,” she said suddenly, just as I was about to leave. “There is someone waiting for you there.”
I didn’t know why she said it, but I changed my direction from east to south. I was curious to see who was waiting for me.
9
I found him when I was looking for a room at an inn.
As I entered, everyone inside turned to look at me. They were all soldiers in armor, surrounding a man in silver
A powerful aura radiated from him, but he was not a mage.
The moment I saw him, my dormant heart gave a little flutter.
Sometimes, I really hated my own weakness.
I sighed and walked over to him. “You’re dying.
The soldiers around him immediately drew their swords and pointed them at me.
I wasn’t lying. He was a monal, but he was overflowing with raw magic. A mortal body cannot contain such immense power. He was about to be torn apart by it.
“I can save him,” I said. The man’s eyes fluttered open. They were breathtaking, a pair of icy blue orbs.
“Haw?”
Perform the rite with me.”
I said it without a hint of shame, in a room full of men.
- General you can’t! She must be a charlatan! She’s just after your body!”
“Perform the rite with me.”
I said it without a hint of shame, in a room full of men.
“General, you can’t! She must be a charlatan! She’s just after your body!”
10:39
I was, in fact, after his body, but I was no charlatan. The arts of the Crimson Cabal were designed to draw power from others and make it my own. His body couldn’t handle the magic he possessed. If he were to join with me in the rite, I could convert his excess power into my own.
In the world of magic, a man like him was the perfect vessel.
I looked into his eyes and said earnestly, “I’m not lying.”
He pressed the edge of a longsword to my throat, his voice as cold as ice. “You are of the Crimson Cabal.”
I thought for a moment. I had practiced their arts, but I still didn’t know the proprietress’s true identity. So I didn’t know if I was officially a member.
A man with his condition
have been targeted by many.
Just as I was about to speak, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
