The Confessional

The Inquisitor’s Cell was a grim place, filled with instruments of penance. A cat o' nine tails hung on the wall. A prayer bench with jagged stones for kneeling sat in the corner.

Elian sat on the cot, shirtless. His back was a map of scars—old white lines from the lash, fresh red weals from where he had punished himself this morning.

Malphas sat behind him. The demon had a bowl of warm water and a sponge.

"You really must stop this," Malphas said softly, dabbing at a fresh cut on Elian’s shoulder. "It ruins the skin."

"I deserve it," Elian muttered.

"Why?" Malphas asked. He dropped the sponge and dipped his fingers into a pot of salve. He rubbed the ointment into Elian’s scars. His touch was firm, possessive. "Because you did your job? Because you followed the law?"

"Because I loved her," Elian said, his voice breaking. "And I killed her."

"Love is complicated," Malphas said. He moved his hands to Elian’s neck, massaging the tension there. "I loved the Morningstar once. We all did. And when he fell, we followed him down into the pit. Was that stupid? Or was it devotion?"

Elian leaned back into the touch. He shouldn't. This was a demon. This was the enemy of mankind. But Malphas was the only thing in this frozen hell that offered warmth.

"Does it stop?" Elian asked. "The noise in my head?"

"Only when you stop judging yourself," Malphas whispered. His breath ghosted over Elian’s skin. "God judges you because He needs you to be small. I don't judge you, Elian. I see the killer in you, and I think he is magnificent."

Malphas moved around to face him. He took Elian’s face in his hands.

"Forgiveness isn't magic, Elian. It’s just forgetting to care. It’s realizing that sheep are born to be eaten, and wolves are born to eat. Which are you?"

Elian looked into the black void of Malphas’s eyes. He felt a pull, a gravity that terrified and thrilled him.

"I don't know," Elian whispered.

Malphas leaned in and kissed Elian’s forehead, a mockery of a benediction.

"We have one more night to find out."