Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
A rune system that scans one’s energy print against the database locks the entrance to the military complex. I borrow some energy from the pin and run it through my body to recycle it and make sure the runes won’t detect any foreign energy. When I’m done, my energy signature swirls around my hand and I press it against the doorframe.
A loud click resounds, and the doors open.
Stepping inside, I note that this complex is different than the one I operate in.
The walls are a stark white, bare of any adornment. At the front, two soldiers are standing in front of two large doors, who immediately look me up and down suspiciously.
“Minerva An’yan here to see the General Leotar,” I state confidently as I march up to them.
“The general is busy and not open to the public.”
“I am a soldier under General Molokai An’yan, and I’ve been working in Anthropa for the past few months. I have information about demon activity in Anthropa that will interest the general.”
One of the soldiers gives me a bored look, but the other takes a step back and closes his eyes.
“The general will see you,” he replies. He must have gotten approval via a mental link.
With a nod, I wait for them to open the doors and stride inside.
A long staircase leads to a lower level. On my way, I encounter more soldiers who ask me for my identity before letting me pass through another set of doors, and then I go down another staircase.
After I repeat the process three times, I finally arrive to the level where the general’s quarters are.
A soldier greets me.
“This way. The general will allow you ten minutes of his precious time. Make sure to state your purpose clearly,” he advises.
I bite back a rude remark since it does not bode well for me to get into conflict with his soldiers before seeing the general. Still, the stringent rules are yet another reminder that this branch of the military does things differently.
The soldier scans his energy signature against another set of doors. As they open, he doesn’t follow me inside, merely inclining his head for me to go in.
There is a large pool in the middle of the room, the water a deep red. The walls in this room are a dark gray, and evenly spaced around the room are statues of the fourteen Primordials.
As I pass by the pool, there are two velvet sofas and a table, and to my surprise, I notice a female lying on one of them, only a red satin sheet covering her naked body. She doesn’t seem surprised to see me as she pops a bite of food in her mouth. She gives me a smile, undulating her body as if she were unashamed of her nakedness.
I gulp down.
That is…something. A bad something.
Although I am aware there are males in Aperion who engage in affairs with courtesans and other lowly females, I’ve never seen someone be so forward about it—particularly a general who should be setting an example.
In the second half of the room, the walls are covered in bookshelves, and in the middle, there is a study with golden carvings of historical Aperite events. Behind the desk, there is another set of locked doors.
Yet the most surprising thing is that the general is not here.
I half turn to question the female when the doors open and the general strides forward. I only get a brief peek inside the other chamber and spot a large bed, which would suggest those are the general’s private rooms.
None of the generals in my branch of the army have personal rooms within the military base. As far as I know, not even Commander Azerius, but that’s most likely because everyone would be too uncomfortable to be around him at all times.
The general stops when he sees me, his eyes narrowed to two slits.
He’s wearing a black satin pair of trousers and a half buttoned shirt.
“Miss An’yan, was it?” he asks in a bored voice.
“Yes, General.”
“I heard you had something to say to me?”
“Yes, I?—”
He makes a motion to stop me. He walks around the study, grabs a glass, and pours himself a drink. He asks me if I would like one, too, and since it’s not polite to decline, I nod.
He hands me a glass, then waits.
I stare down at the blue liquid and the smell of alcohol drifts up my nostrils: Aperite tringos , a strong but expensive Aperite alcoholic beverage. I’ve had it before, but I can’t say I liked it. Now, with his eyes focused on me, I force a sip.
“You were saying?” he continues, a sly smile spreading on his face.
“We’ve been conducting a mission in Anthropa and?—”
He stops me again.
“Last I heard, you were about to be married? To Theron of House of Pyros?”
“Yes, but?—”
“An engaged female is not supposed to be gallivanting around, and she is especially not supposed to be around other males. What does your betrothed say about this?”
“We are not married yet, and I am a soldier. My duty is foremost to Aperion.”
“Huh.” He clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Was your duty foremost to Aperion when you interfered with the Moirai?”
I blink. “What?”
He lets out a dry chuckle. “The rumors have been going around, Miss An’yan. You’ve certainly been doing everything in your power to brand yourself unmarriagable.”
“No, that’s…” I mean yes, technically, he is right. But the way he’s saying it doesn’t sit right with me.
“Is that why you’re here?” he asks as he takes a step closer.
“No. I have a legitimate concern. I came across a greed demon in Anthropa and?—”
“You think I would not know if there was a greed demon in Anthropa?” He raises a brow. “Now tell me why you’re really here.”
I frown.
“Blissa, leave us,” he commands.
The female scrambles off the sofa, tying the sheet around her body before scurrying out of the room.
My eyes widen.
“What is going on? I only came here to let you know about the greed demon and ask you act swiftly. I don’t like any of your implications.”
“Miss An’yan… Minerva.” He smiles, a seedy smile that makes my insides recoil. “Let us do away with the pretense. Everyone in Aperion knows you’re not keen on marrying Theron, especially after you humiliated him publicly.”
I take a step back as he advances toward me.
“I think I was mistaken in coming here,” I murmur as I slowly retreat.
“Stop!” he bellows. His energy seeps out and I find my body unable to move. He comes closer, his smile widening. “I also happen to know what your punishment was for messing with fate. You’re powerless, aren’t you?”
“General Leotar, please release me and I will be on my way,” I say through clenched teeth. I hate the way I’m so powerless against him now, even more so as I see how happy he is to see me so helpless.
“I have a proposition for you. Why don’t you become my female?”
“W-what?”
“Of course I am not any more thrilled about your disobedience than Theron would be, and I find that you’re not exactly”—he pauses as he rakes his gaze over my body—“my type. But I suppose you will do. An alliance with your family will serve me just fine.”
“Uhm, no, thank you,” I say, staring at him in shock.
He tilts his head to the side. “You don’t have to agree. If I take your maidenhead, you will have to marry me.”
A sliver of fear goes through me at his pronouncement. By the Source, how did I end up in this situation when I just wanted to do the right thing? And how is such a debauched person a general? The mere fact that he’s threatening to violate me goes against the rule of conduct, and I will gladly inform Commander Azerius of the fact.
After I get away from Leotar first.
I force my limbs to move, at least so I can grab onto the pin and syphon some energy. But he’s far too strong.
“I said no,” I grind out. “Release me, now, or next it will be your head that falls for even insinuating that.”
He looks me in the eye for a moment before he throws his head back and laughs.
“And who’s going to believe you, Minerva? You who’s already broken rule after rule? You who’s run away from her betrothed?”
Pure rage flows through me at his words, but not only at him, at myself too. Because he is right. I did break the rules. Yet I know that Commander Azerius is a fair man. If I tell him…
I squeeze my eyes shut—the only part of my body I can move. To tell him, I’ll have to make it out of here first. With my virtue intact.
“You’re wrong,” I tell him in an even voice. Despite the fact that I am seething, I need to keep my wits about me.
“Am I now?” He smirks.
“Oh, yes. So very wrong.”
He stops in front of me, his hand reaching out to touch me. My first instinct is to flinch, but I’m frozen to the spot as he touches my cheek.
“You won’t be able to take my maidenhead,” I say as I look him straight in the eye. “It’s already gone.”
Shock briefly flitters across his features before he schools them.
“You’re a poor liar.”
“Not lying,” I counter. “If you know so much, then you should also know I’ve been living on Anthropa for the past few months, among humans.” He stares at me intently, so I add, “Human males.”
“You lie ,” he accuses.
“Do I? You might want to marry me for some political gain, but you would likely have to accept that you will never know if your firstborn is yours.”
“You whore,” he thunders, his mouth drawn up in a sneer. “I think I will find out for myself if you’re lying or not,” he adds in a cruel voice. Before I can react, he grabs my belt and rips it from my body.
“Stop!” I yell, panic unlike any other coursing through me. “I said stop!”
A sneer paints his face as he grabs onto the top of my bodice. The material tears, a loud noise that permeates the air, though it barely registers through the gaze of fear that’s taken over me.
I’m so helpless I cannot do anything but watch as he pulls at my dress until the top of my breasts is laid bare. The cold of the air hits my skin, making me both shiver and internally recoil from his touch.
Seconds trickle by as I realize the enormity of what is about to happen. He’s going to taint me with his touch and I can only stand by and witness my own defilement.
One more pull of the material and my entire chest will be completely naked.
He reaches for me, and I summon all the strength I can muster to fight against his power.
A series of loud bangs reverberate outside the main room. Shortly, the doors open as soldiers yell, “Demon!”
Leotar stops right before he’s about to touch me, his expression one of disbelief.
“What?” he barks out.
“He’s… he’s…” the soldier stammers.
Yet before he can enunciate clearly what he wanted to say, a shrilly wail of pain echoes through the room.
A heavy, almost intoxicating presence fills the space.
“Impossible,” Leotar mutters.
I cannot see behind me, yet as Leotar shoves me to the side and out of the way, his control over my body ceases.
I stumble to the ground, breathing hard from the excess adrenaline running through my veins. Lifting my gaze up, I watch, almost dazedly, as a dark figure shrouded in a dark gray smoke enters the room. Only the shape of his body is visible, tall, lean, and muscular. Black tendrils flicker around his body.
“You… it cannot be,” Leotar gasps. “The Sons of Tenebreis are locked in Tartareia!”
The dark figure makes a clicking sound that resembles a chuckle before one dark tendril shoots out, wrapping itself around Leotar’s midriff.
I watch in shock as the general tries to gather his power and strike the dark figure, but instead of being hit, he merely absorbs each blow.
Laughter echoes in the hall, followed by a semi-distorted voice, “Die.”
The tendril tightens around the general’s body until it snaps it into two.
W-what?
I wait for the general to regenerate or come back to life. This should be a trifling wound for someone of his caliber.
Nothing happens.
He is…lifeless.
In all my life, I’ve never seen something like this. Such raw power that he is able to kill an Aperite general without expending any effort.
I shrink back, reaching for my pin but knowing that if a level nine general stood no chance, then I stand even less so.
The shadowy male stops in front of the severed parts of the general’s body. Waving his hand over the body, he pulls forth a shimmery mist that sways in the air before forming a sphere.
He palms the ball and advances in the room, and I prepare myself for the attack. At least death is more welcome than being defiled. The seconds trickle down as he moves lithely toward me, and all I can think of is the fact that I don’t want to die. I’ve barely lived, despite my advanced age, and if I’m honest with myself, the most I’ve truly lived has been in the last few months, with Mine.
Mine… how is he going to return home without me? He will be in danger if he’s discovered in Aperion. But if he does make it back… An image flashes in my mind, of him, in the future, long after I’m gone, with some faceless female.
No!
I tighten my fists, ready to fight. I’m not about to allow Mine to live on without me. He decided to court me. He is mine, and he can only be mine.
Fear morphs into anger as I struggle to my feet, assuming a fighting stance. I borrow all the energy I can from the pin and summon my armor.
“You have my thanks for killing that bastard, but I’m not dying today,” I grind out as I wait for his tendrils to strike.
He stops a few feet away from me, the dark shadows of his body swirling in darker hues.
“Come on!” I shout, materializing my ice sword.
With a small movement of his hand, he makes my sword disappear.
I blink in shock.
He comes closer.
So close, he’s almost touching me, the blurred edges of his shadows caressing my body.
The same semi-distorted voice then speaks, “Yours, for when you will need it the most.”
I frown at his cryptic words, but I don’t get to question him before he pushes the ball of energy in my chest.
I wheeze and cough as the potent energy burns my insides, spreading around before seemingly disappearing. One moment, my body brims with power, the next it’s all gone.
“What did you do?” I ask in a low whisper.
“You will know. When the time is right, you will need it.”
I wait for him to say more or finally strike at me.
But just as he utters the last word, the shadows coil onto themselves before slowly evaporating from sight.
Alone in the room, I stare at the space he just vacated, slowly getting myself under control.
The general is dead. The other soldiers must be dead, too, or they would have come rushing in. Everyone at the base must be dead.
By the Source, that demon or whatever he was killed an entire military base with barely any effort. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Yet the mere fact that I’m here, still alive, is bound to raise eyebrows.
A ragged breath slips past my lips. Another one follows until my lungs work properly again and until my limbs stop trembling.
I must get out of here. I must…
Looking around me, my gaze connects with the walls full of books. I came here searching for help. If no one is going to help me, then at least I should help myself. Knowing time is of the essence, I grab the cloth covering off the sofa and lay it on the ground. There’s only a little energy left in the pin, and I must ration it wisely to ensure we can still get back to Anthropa.
With a twist of my wrist, I pull forward all the books that have anything to do with greed demons in them and lay them in the middle of the cloth. There are, however, too many, so I limit myself to ten.
After carefully tying the corners of the cloth together, I swing the makeshift bag over my back and teleport myself out of the building and back to Mine.
“We must leave, right now,” I tell him the moment I spot him. I don’t give him time to ask what happened as I simply grab his hand and teleport us away from the scene of the crime.
Since I’m running low on energy, I need to choose a nearby location, so I settle for one of my family’s properties on the outskirts of Polemos. It’s a small cabin that my grandmother used to retreat to when she wanted to be away from the perils and anxiety of politics.
The area is protected by wards, and only someone with An’yan blood can enter the grounds. That should at least offer some protection in case anyone might come looking.
We land in the middle of the drawing room.
Letting go of Mine’s hand, I place the makeshift bag on the floor and stoop down to sift through the titles.
A frown creases my forehead as I realize something is amiss. Mine, usually chatty and animated, has not uttered a single word since we arrived here. My unease grows when a loud thud echoes through the room, causing me to jump to my feet.
“Mine!” My heart races as I see him lying on the floor, his skin unnaturally pale and his body unmoving. Panic rises in my chest as I kneel down beside him, cradling his head in my lap and gently touching his flushed cheeks.
“You’re burning up! What’s wrong with you?” I ask frantically, searching for any sign of injury or illness.
He groans in discomfort, his face contorting in pain. His lips part to speak, but the words that come out are slurred and garbled, full of distress and confusion.
“Will…be…fine.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “No, you won’t. We’re in Aperion, Mine. There is no human doctor around.”
“Need to…rest. Will be…fine.” He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
“What’s wrong with you? Did that demon do something to you? Did he hurt you?” I ask frantically.
“What…demon?” He frowns, looking confused.
I shake my head. “Never mind. Just tell me how to help.”
He forces a feeble smile, but I can see the pain etched onto his features.
“You cannot,” he says through gritted teeth, his breaths becoming more shallow. “I must have…overtaxed myself.”
“But this isn’t normal!” I protest, my entire body trembling at the thought that something might happen to him.
His hand covers mine, trying to reassure me. “Remember my childhood illness,” he starts slowly. I nod. “I was never cured. When I am weak…the symptoms reappear.”
My panic grows as I realize the gravity of the situation. That illness almost killed him, didn’t it?
“But…” I start to argue before he cuts me off with a sudden turn to the side. His body heaves as a dark substance spills out of his mouth, staining his lips and clothes.
He continues to retch and vomit more blood. I pat him lightly on the back, my heart lodged in my throat as I watch helplessly as he suffers.
It feels as though an eternity passes before he stops.
The floor is covered in the dark red of his blood, his clothes equally stained.
There is. So. Much. Blood.
“Mine?” I whisper, needing to make sure he’s still conscious.
“I’m…fine…” He lets out a dry cough.
“Tell me how I can help. Please,” I beg.
With a loud, labored breath, he strains to sit up, the muscles in his arms quivering from the exertion. Slowly, he turns toward me and attempts to muster a weak smile.
My hand flies to my mouth, a gasp of shock escaping my lips at the sight before me.
“Mine…you…” I choke out.
He blinks, and in that moment, I can see his eyes widening in realization. His hand trembles as it reaches up to touch his right cheek.
An angry gash runs across his cheekbone, trailing down to his chin and disappearing under the collar of his tunic. It looks as if his skin has been violently torn apart, with thick, dark blood seeping out from the wound.
The hand touching his face, too, begins to lacerate until blood drips from the injury. More blood rushes to the surface down his body, staining and sticking to the material of his tunic.
His entire right side has been split open and is violently bleeding.
What in the Source is going on?