Chapter 596: On the Knife’s Edge
The inquisitors turned from the pulverized remains of my elemental spirit, their eyes locking onto me with predatory hunger. I stumbled back, gasping for breath, until my back hit a cold, unforgiving stone wall.
Allana advanced, spinning her spear gracefully in her hand. "I heard the Empire had you dancing on a string," she sneered, "but to think their little tricks left you this desperate?"
I pushed myself off the wall, retreating further down the street. They pursued slowly, matching my pace. Of them all, the high inquisitor wore the cockiest grin.
When Lord Evlon summoned me for the task force, I thought I’d have some fun, but this...?" She shook her head, clicking her tongue with exaggerated disdain. "This is just pathetic. You’re so useless, I’m surprised you managed to cling to the Sun Hero’s coattails for as long as you did. If it were me, I’d have sold you to the Circle the moment I laid eyes on you."
I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat. "You knew?"
"Knew what?" she purred, tilting her head, that infuriating grin still plastered on her face. "That you were sold to the Circle to be disposed of? After how much they bid to claim you, I’m surprised they didn’t do a better job."
Of course they’d known. They’d overseen me from the moment their leader had collared me with the Soul Binder. It was only natural they’d be behind the church’s ploy to make me disappear.
"Why?" I whispered, the words torn from my throat. "Why would you do that? How could you deal with those monsters?"
"Monsters? How can a human be a monster in a world where demons exist?" Her grin faded. "Have you truly become so blind you forget how many have perished by their hands? The Circle may practice unsavory means, but they are nothing compared to horrors of true monsters."
"Demons hunt and kill, but the Circle..." I choked, a sob building in my throat. "He raped her over and over because I wouldn’t beg him to break me. And then, when he got bored, he...he..."
I poured every drop of mana into my staff, burning through almost half of it to pierce the crystal enchantment. The crystal star floating atop the haft ignited, and warmth blossomed in my soul, filling the hollow void that had haunted me since I woke up alone in the city.