Thicker Than Water [18+]

Chapter 9: Cursed

The sound of windchimes woke me up from my restful sleep, demanding my immediate attention. My body felt heavy as I tried to get up from the bed. Turned out that heaviness was Mr. Sterling's arm settled over my side. He was still sound asleep as he spooned me. I blushed as I remembered that we had spent the night together yet again. Two of the five requirements for a contract were complete. We had to talk about this.

But first, the crystal ball.

Carefully and quietly, I wiggled out of Mr. Sterling's hold, put on a robe, and headed out of the bedroom to answer the call. Once my crystal ball was out from its bookshelf, I unlocked it only to meet Sage Master Oria, the youngest out of the sage masters but still quite old. Speaking with her was always less than pleasant as she was more explicit about her dislike for me. I steeled myself as I prepared for her critical lecture.

"Hema Azuris! You were late in vanquishing the demon from your latest assignment! What happened?!" She practically screamed, her shrill voice causing a slight headache already. How did she know that the mission was late? I thought I completed it in time.

"There was a. . . miscalculation on my part that delayed the exorcism. During the time that he was free, he did not harm any humans or spread his sin. He was too injured to do so. I was able to exorcize him last night once I tracked him down again." I explained calmly and carefully, caring not to get into the details.

But, details were exactly what Sage Master Oria wanted. "Oh? Do tell me what your miscalculation was!"

I knew what she was implying from the suspicious tone she carried. I lowered my head and bit my tongue. "I was struck by his magic. It incapacitated me long enough for an escape."

"What?! If this is true then you should be dead already! Demon Borgrig's sin magic of lust should have consumed you! Unless. . . You had sexual relations with someone!" She gasped, her mouth agape with horror.

"Sage Master Oria, my sexual relations were purely for medical purposes until I can find a permanent cure. We-"

She cut me off, shouting even louder than before. "You succumbed to the sin of lust! You involved a human in this! You have turned! The prophecy-"

"No! I am not starting to fulfill the prophecy! I never have! Sage Master Oria, this was just an unfortunate accident. The human that has become involved is a respectable man. He has no intention of exploiting me or our kind!" My own voice began to rise in volume, my tone becoming slightly desperate.

"How many times? How many times have you had sex that fulfills the familiar contract?!" She pressed further, determined to absolutely grill me and potentially revoke my priestess status.

However, I couldn't lie to her. It was against my moral code and an uncovered lie would just make me seem even more suspicious. ". . . Two times."

"TWO TIMES?! You are on very thin ice, Blood Water! You know the standards and expectations you have to adhere to if you want to continue serving your planet! And yet, you have made a decision that betrays those standards. Even if this was just a mistake, you should have cared to suffer the consequences honorably and independently!"

"But, Sage Master Oria, that would have resulted in-"

"Death, yes. You should have died alone. It would have been better for all of us since your demise would end the prophecy. Yet, here we are, dealing with your mess. Expect your missions to be less for a long time. Expect all eyes to be on you for a long time as well. You have one more chance to prove yourself to us. One more screw-up and your time as a priestess will end. You will go back to serving as a nurse on our planet if you are lucky enough to even receive that honor. Hoci abras Sizuno ethera, Blood Water." She concluded, her dry desert eyes seeming especially deprived of mercy.