“Not good,” Sapphire whispers.
“Not good?” The man in all black walks toward us with a Bible in one hand and rosary in the other. “Only sinners are nervous in front of a high priest.”
An aching fever suddenly tumbles over me. Chills. A throbbing sore throat. Head splitting wide open. It’s the kind of fever that heats up my eyeballs, singeing the inside of my lids.
Sapphire moans softly, placing a hand over her throat.
Sickness.
Infection.
Vrath.
He’s close. He’s close but hidden. He wants us to get caught.
“Let’s go.” I grab Sapphire by the wrist, turning to put as much distance between us and this institution as possible.
“I can’t let you leave with that girl, kind sir,” the high priest calls.
Several orderlies emerge from behind trees, approaching us in no hurry at all. They saw us coming. We must have been spotted in our ballroom attire. Vrath must have tipped someone off.
“And why is that, Father?” I ask, my voice slightly altered by the swollen tonsils in my throat.
The high priest leans against the iron gate, casually, hanging his hands over the railing and pursing his lips.
“Refusing to sustain the standard weight and follow the guidelines of the Lady-Doll Regimen is a federal offense. Isn’t that why you’re on the run?” The high priest taps his Bible against his fingertips. “And I hear you suffer from delusions, my dear boy. Delusions are given to those who are too weak to fend off the devil.”
“What kind of delusions do I suffer from?” My stomach jolts with nausea. I can hardly swallow without a sudden need to gag.
How does this work? The high priest and the other orderlies aren’t affected by Vrath? Shouldn’t they be if he’s close enough to infect us with his presence? Can he control it? Can he influence who gets hit first?
“You believe you’re a descendant of the Demechnef name. Niklaus Demechnef.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “The name flows nicely for a ruler of a nation. I’ll give you that.”
Fuck, Vrath told them my goddamned name?!
“That is not my name,” I say, low and deadly.
“Do not lie to a high priest, dear boy. God allows us to see only truth. And I could see it in your delirious gaze that you truly believe that is who you are.” The high priest scratches at his blond and gray beard, giving me a look of pity.
“Hmm.” I stare at him through hot, watery eyes. “Fuck you. We’re leaving.”
I reach for Sapphire’s waist as I’m being bear-hugged from behind. Multiple arms are around me. Multiple hands are fighting me into submission. And this wouldn’t normally be a problem. For me or Sapphire.
But this fever has knitted itself into my lungs and bit into my bones. All I want to do is sleep in a warm bed. Not just warm, but hot. A thick blanket with a hot pan of coals. And a fireplace. I’m so cold.
The last words I hear are a prayer from the high priest.
My hand slips from Sapphire’s waist.
35. Lady-Doll Correctional Rehabilitation
Sapphire
My name is Sapphire S. Valdawell.
If I die in here, know that this time isn’t where I have originated from. Know that I am from a time where you don’t need to starve yourself because men told you to. You don’t need to bathe in oils and rose water in order to be beautiful.
Men will fuck anything.
