It was said that the Sineater employed strange methods. But Pheras would not let that deter him. After months of searching, he stood at the door of a small hut in a dark forest clearing. Clouds shrouded the moon, leaving him in shadow as he took a settling breath. With a final nod, he rapped his gloved knuckles against the door.

“Can I help you?”

Pheras flinched. The voice came from behind him, soft yet firm, with an almost musical lilt. He took another deep breath and turned towards it. “I’m looking for the Sineater.”

“Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You would be the…” The man tilted his head, his gaze shifting towards the cloudy sky. “The fifth person to find me. I didn’t think it would prove to be so difficult. Or maybe people just aren’t in need of my services these days. Ah, well that would explain a lot. So, what manner of trouble have you gotten yourself into?” 

The Sineater was a small man.

Pheras blinked as the thought filled his head. He was already taller than the average man himself, so most everyone seemed short to Pheras. But the man standing before him barely came up to his chest. His lean figure was wrapped in a dark cloak, the fabric starkly contrasting his pale skin and hair. His blue eyes shone even in the darkness, as if lit by some unseen magic, as they scanned Pheras’ body from head to toe and back again.

 Pheras cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“So you’ve said.” A small smile curled the edges of the man’s full lips. He stepped forward, the pale skin of his legs flashing in the shadows. “I’ve only tea at the moment. I hope that will suffice.”

The Sineater strode past Pheras and pushed open the door to the hut. A gust of warm air blew out as the Sineater walked in, carrying the aroma of spices and flowers and something else that Pheras couldn’t quite name.

After a moment, Pheras shook himself and stepped through the open door, carefully bending nearly in half to clear the top of the threshold. “Tea would be nice, thank you.”

“Good. Now, have a…” The Sineater looked around the modestly furnished hut. “Would it be rude to offer you my bed? I’m afraid the chairs might be a bit uncomfortable for a man of your… stature.”

Pheras bit back a smile. “That’s fine. I’m sure you weren’t expecting a half-giant to darken your doorstep.”

“But one could hope,” the Sineater said. He mumbled something else that Pheras couldn’t catch. 

He busied himself with the tea, hanging a kettle on the crane in the lit hearth. Pheras gently stepped across the room and lowered himself on the edge of the neatly made bed. It was spacious enough for three people of the Sineater’s size. Though, given the man’s pronouncement about him being the fifth person to visit the place, Pheras found the size of the bed rather odd.

“Now, then,” the Sineater said, his lilting voice carrying across the room. “What would you like me to do for you?”

Pheras stilled on the bed, his gaze dropping to his gloved hands. After a moment, he blew out a breath and lifted his head. “Would it be possible for you to remove a curse?”

The Sineater tilted his head. “It depends. What kind of curse is it?”

“I turn to stone every day, and…” Pheras grimaced as memories flooded his mind. “I am forbidden from touching any living being.”

“Ah.” The Sineater nodded sagely, his gaze flitting across Pheras’ body. “For how long?”

“It’ll be two-hundred and fifty-three years come winter.”

The Sineater scoffed, his bright blue eyes wide. “The things you must have seen…”

Pheras realized his error too late, and averted his gaze as his face reddened. In his attempts to track the man down, many had suggested that he wait a few more years. It was common knowledge that Sineaters died young, the burdens they took on taking a mental and physical toll that their bodies could only withstand for so long. And yet here he was, coming to a dying man and asking him to essentially take away the thing that made him immortal. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to–”

“Oh, shush.” The Sineater waved away his apology. “There’s nothing for you to feel sorry about. Now, who cursed you?”

The question wiped away thoughts of age and brought up a fresh wave of familiar rage. “Cardinal Aguila.”

“And I’m assuming he’s dead now.”

Pheras jerked at the deadpan tone of the question. “Yes. He died a few years after he cursed me.”

“Ah, of course it’s not that easy.” The Sineater shrugged. “Can’t kill a dead man. And the only necromancer I know stopped talking to me years ago.”

Pheras couldn’t tell if the man was serious or not. He cleared his throat. “Is there no other way to lift a curse?”

“There is.” The Sineater walked over and held out a steaming cup of herbal tea. “But it may be a bit uncomfortable for you.”

Careful to avoid the man’s fingers, Pheras took the cup. “What do you mean?”

“In order to take your curse, I’ll half to activate it.”

Pheras froze, the tea cup nearly slipping from his hand. He tightened his grip, his gloves stretching over his knuckles. “You can’t.”

“I can.”

“No,” Pheras said, shaking his head. “I mean, you would be in danger. That’s why I made sure to come as quickly in the night as I could. I don’t just turn into stone. I…” 

The Sineater took a step forward, his hands clasped behind his back. A smile played on his lips. “You what?”

Pheras frowned. “I turned into a monster.”

The man beamed, the sight nearly bright enough to make Pheras squint. “Is that so?”

“Is that something to be happy about?” Anger started to rise, and Pheras took a sip of tea in an effort to tamp it down. He’d been told that the current Sineater was strange. But he hadn’t realized that the man would be so flippant about his situation. Then again, he couldn’t fault a stranger for not being as affected as he was. He had lived with this curse for over two centuries. It was a given that he would be a bit sensitive about it. Taking a deep breath, Pheras worked to keep his voice even. “I should go. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

Setting the teacup on the bedside table, Pheras stood and walked towards the door. He kept his shoulders square and his head as high as he could without hitting anything. But disappointment fell over him instantly. This had been his only hope, the only way he could find to lift the curse. If not a Sineater, then there was no hope for him. No way for him to let go of the past. No path for him to walk so that he could step into the light again.

“I did say it would be uncomfortable for you.”

The words lit a fuse in Pheras, and anger briefly overtook the sadness weighing him down. “It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s–”

He spun around, only to stop mid-sentence.

The Sineater stood naked in the middle of the room, his cloak in a heap around his feet. His pale skin and hair glowed in the firelight, and the tip of his fully erect cock glistened with pre-cum.

Pheras groaned before he could catch himself, the sound echoing through the hut. “What are you doing?”

Stalking towards him, the Sineater grinned. “You want me to take your curse, yes?”

“I… Sorry?”

“Did you think it would be quick and painless?” The man came to a stop inches away from Pheras, forcing the bigger man to take a step back to avoid contact. But the Sineater only stepped closer, driving Pheras back until his shoulders smacked into the frame of the door. “Did you think it would be free?”

“I… I didn’t know what to bring,” Pheras whined, unable to look away from the man. “I thought you would tell me what you wanted as payment.”

“What I want…” The Sineater’s hand shot out faster than Pheras could react. He grabbed Pheras’ cock through his worn trousers. “For starters, I want you naked.”

Pheras stared wide-eyed at the man. “You don’t mean?”

“Must I spell it out for you?” The Sineater deftly untied the laces of Pheras’ trousers, letting them fall around his ankles. His eyes glittered as he stared at Pheras’ half-erect cock. After a moment, he licked his lips and looked up. “To take your curse, I’m going to take you.”