Jay was having hot flashes, he could almost feel the sweat beading on the surface of his skin. Damn cook! Rohan had spilled the beans and now he was screwed. He would have just needed half a day, he would have put the money back in the safe first thing in the morning. No one would have known. How was he going to get out of this situation now?

His father Ranjit's eyes shone with a bad glow. He approached Jay huffing like a buffalo, "What have you been doing all night? Having a good time, eh? Give me your bag, bastard!"

Jay avoided his father's outstretched hand and found himself leaning against the wall. Where was his mother? He hoped she was asleep, or had gone to a friend's house. He couldn't stand it when she witnessed one of these beatings. Shit! He thought he'd found his way out, but he was back where he started.

"All the money is here," Jay said, handing the bag to his father. "I swear I was going to put it back."

Ranjit yanked the bag open. He looked inside, then back at Jay.

"That's too much," he yelled. "You stole someone else!"

The bag fell and the money scattered on the floor. Ranjit was already in contact with Jay. He grabbed him by the neck, slammed him against the wall, and squeezed with a growl:

"If the police come in here, you little brat, I'll cut you to pieces!"

Jay couldn't breathe. The skin on his face was turning red and he was having trouble thinking. Tiffany's face appeared before his eyes, the vision of his angel smiling at him. She's my lucky charm, he thought as so many times before. It's thanks to her that I have my power, and she even agreed to go on a date with me...

I can't let my dad send me to the hospital. I would miss the date!

Jay's hand went down to his pocket. Blindly, he grabbed the shamanic token and immediately found the thread that connected him to his father. Where he touched him, at his throat, a flick of magic would be enough to absorb his luck. Jay had barely thought about it and it was already done. Luck was pouring into him as if a dam had broken. The feeling was ecstatic, almost making him forget his need for oxygen.

Suddenly, his father released him and staggered back. Jay took a deep gulp of air, too deep, coughed a few times, and almost choked on his own. His throat hurt! He finally managed to catch his breath, and the black spots in front of his eyes dissipated. Jay stood there blinking for a moment, trying to process the situation. His father lay on the ground, a large lump over one of his ears, and blood dripping from his nose.

"Dad?" he called in vain.

Deepali, Jay's mother, emerged from the hallway in her nightgown. "Ya Rab, what have you done Jay? You killed him! I knew this would happen one day..."

"He fell on his own, mom." Jay realized as he said this that his mother would not believe him.

He approached his father with hesitant steps and knelt down beside him. Ranjit didn't move. He didn't even seem to be breathing. Jay put his hand on the side of his father's neck to find the carotid artery. Nothing. He pressed a little harder and finally managed to feel a faint pulse.

"He's alive," he said to his mother. "You should call an ambulance."

Deepali rushed to her phone while Jay stayed at his father's side. He hadn't told his mother the truth, he knew it was because of him that his father was in this state. He had sucked him dry. He didn't dare touch his token anymore for fear of feeling all the luck he had stolen. The worst part was that he didn't regret it, his father had gotten what he deserved. His mother was sobbing into the phone but his eyes weren't even wet.

Am I a monster?

 

***

 

December 31, 3:08 a.m., not far from the church.

Rafael was waiting for his friend. It was dark and there was no one in the streets, but Rafael was still afraid that someone would see him. He had arrived early, as usual. This had allowed him to renew his shamanic search to verify that Leonard was still there, and even to try to pinpoint his exact location. His uncle was probably in the back of the church. He had relaxed his connection to save his spiritual energy, and, now, he was getting impatient.

Can't Jay be on time for once? I hope he's not still sleeping...

Another thing that frustrated him was that the dryad was less responsive than during the day, and the fatigue of the surrounding plants was spreading to him. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open, let alone using his magical powers.

A figure appeared at the end of the street, it was Jay running up. He stopped next to Rafael with a gasp. "Sorry man, I got here as fast as I could."

"You look like shit," Rafael remarked, "Did you just get out of a club or what?"

Jay shook his head. "No. I was in the hospital, my dad had an accident."

"What happened," Rafael asked, raising his eyebrows.

"He tripped over an empty bottle, and got a concussion when he fell. Bad luck."

Rafael calmed down, hard to blame Jay for being late this time. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes," Jay replied, "he just has to stay under observation in the hospital for a few days. My mother is with him."

"Good," Rafael said, once again focused on their mission. "I brought flashlights, a crowbar, secateurs, a first aid kit, and pepper sprays. What do you have?"

Jay opened his mouth, but no sound came out. "Uh, I didn't really have time to gather any equipment. I did get a spirit's blessing though, look!"

To say the least, Rafael wasn't impressed with the token Jay was proudly showing him. What had gotten into him? It hadn't even been a day since he'd first told him about the spirits. He knew his friend was reckless, but this was beyond the pale. Was he not aware of the risks?

"You shouldn't have done this alone," Rafael criticized, "It's dangerous to make a connection with a spirit, you don't know what you're doing..."

"Neither do you," Jay interrupted him impatiently. "You didn't even know about the existence of spirits a week ago, so shut the hell up!"

Rafael gritted his teeth in anger. He was late, and on top of that, he was cursing him? Preposterous! What pissed him off the most was that his friend was probably right. He had been rash in binding his dryad, and receiving a blessing via an object was probably much safer...

"Okay," he said, suppressing his irritation. "Let's focus on Leonard. There's a door behind the church, let's go."

The night was cold and silent. Lit only by starlight, the two friends walked around the church. As Rafael had said, there was a wooden and wrought iron door that led to the sacristy. It was locked, of course.

"How are we going to get in?" asked Jay. It's too sturdy. We won't get anywhere with your crowbar."

"I thought of that," Rafael replied with a smile. "Let me do it!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a hazelnut. He and the dryad had practiced during the afternoon, he was now much more confident in using his magic. Rafael planted the hazelnut in the ground and summoned his spirit. It was lethargic, and its energy harder to manipulate than ever.

I guess the middle of a winter night is not the best time for a plant spirit...

Rafael did not let himself be discouraged. He bent his will, then imposed it on the dryad. He took control of its spiritual energy, and injected it into the hazelnut to force the plant to grow. The rhyzome settled in the earth, then a branch went straight towards the lock, and into it.

There, it grew until it filled exactly the keyhole. Two other small branches made a handle. Then, Rafael only had to use the secateurs to cut the wood and create an improvised key. But, when he released his control over the dryad and the spiritual energy, a wave of nausea swept through him. His head was spinning, and he felt like throwing up.

"Are you all right?" worried Jay.

Rafael leaned against the wall. "I don't think my powers work well at night," he admitted.

"With a bit of luck, we won't need them anymore," his friend replied.

Jay stepped forward and turned the hazelwood key in the lock. The door opened easily with a discreet click. Jay entered. Rafael forced himself upright to follow his friend. He was a little angry that he had to use his spirit's magic in this way, but he had no choice. It was to save his uncle!

They took the flashlights out of Rafael's bag, then began to explore the room. The sacristy was a jumble of objects of all kinds: a desk, shelves, stacked chairs, piles of linens and sheets, vases, large crosses, a huge number of candles, and even a confessional that took up one side of the room.

"Leonard doesn't seem to be here," Rafael said after a moment. "Maybe somewhere else in the church, in the bell tower for example?"

"Hey man, have you ever been in one of those?" asked Jay, pointing to the confessional.

"We're not here to..." began Rafael, but too late, his friend had already gone inside. The blackout curtains made it impossible to see what Jay was doing. Rafael was about to call him out of there when his head suddenly popped up from the confessional.

"I found Leonard," Jay said. "He's in a secret cubbyhole in the back."

What?

Rafael rushed inside and there was indeed a fifty centimeter wide space between the confessional and the wall. Leonard was there. Tied up. Gagged. Covered in bloody wounds and candle wax. He seemed unconscious.

Oh my God, Rafael thought inappropriately considering the building he was in.

With Jay's help, he freed his uncle from his restraints and pulled him out of the cubbyhole. The maneuver woke Leonard up and he struggled weakly, dazzled by the light of the flashlights.

"It's me uncle," whispered Rafael, "I'm going to get you out of here!"

"Rafael?" asked Leonard in a haunted voice. "What are you doing here? You need to leave or he'll subject you to the ordeal too!"

"Don't worry. It's night, the priest went home."

"No," Leonard said in a panic as he tried to get up. "He never sleeps, he's praying in the church!"

Rafael abruptly raised his head and probed the darkness around them with his flashlight. Jay imitated him on his side. No one, maybe the priest hadn't heard them, or maybe his uncle was psyching out from his long confinement? What should they do? Run away as fast as possible, or explore the church pre-emptively?

He turned his head to Jay for advice when his friend dropped the casino token he was playing with. Jay immediately bent down to retrieve it and a loud noise echoed in the sacristy. The priest had just appeared near Jay, where there had been nothing before. He had a dagger crucifix in his hand and tried to strike Jay with it but mistakenly hit the confessional. The priest dropped his weapon which bounced on the stone floor near Rafael.

A trickle of cold sweat ran down his back; he had just looked there. Had the priest made himself invisible to attack Jay? His friend had had a hell of a chance! If he hadn't bent down to pick up his token, the priest would have skewered him like a chicken.

Rafael sent the dagger crucifix sliding under the desk, then grabbed a pepper spray from his bag. By the time he did this, the priest had regained his balance and was looking at them with eyes full of hatred. He shouted:

"You are possessed by demons, how dare you enter the house of God?"

"Don't come any closer," cried Rafael, brandishing the pepper spray. "We have notified the police. Let us go, you have no choice!"

"For you to spread darkness over the world?" the priest asked. "I will not let you corrupt this city as you have corrupted Babylon. Be purified!"

With that, the priest raised his arms to heaven, and his body began to emit a divine light in all directions. A light so intense it burned the skin. Jay pulled Leonard behind the stack of chairs to protect them, but the pain pinned Rafael in place before he could find shelter. The priest was shouting things in Latin which Rafael didn't understand. He couldn't see anything anymore, and all he could feel was his skin sizzling from the intensity of the attack.

Am I going to die here?

Rafael tried to crawl on the ground, but he couldn't see where he was going. He just managed to bump into a shelf. He still had his pepper spray in hand and tried to use it in the direction of the brightest light, but without success. The pain twisted every nerve in his body, he wanted to scream but his lips were so dry they were stuck. All hope seemed lost.

It was then that something woke up in Rafael. The dryad had come out of its lethargy and manifested itself beside him. The spiritual energy inside his body was invigorated and strengthened. A sensation came to him from his spirit, not in words, but evocative enough for him to understand: Light?

Rafael felt the surface of his skin change, the tissues became firmer, the cells more complex. At some point, the light stopped hurting him. Instead, his skin welcomed it with gratitude. He felt stimulated in a way he had never felt before. Energy flowed through his veins. He felt strong.

Rafael stood up.

I have synthesized chlorophyll, he realized.

The priest was still standing with his arms outstretched, as if he were a cross himself. The words of his adjuration escaped from his mouth in a ferocious song, a prayer seeking to exorcise them by annihilation. Rafael couldn't see him, but he could now feel exactly where the light was coming from. He grabbed the bag on his back, took out another pepper spray, and emptied it at face level in the direction of the priest. His movements were quick, precise and powerful. The light disappeared immediately and the priest collapsed screaming.

They found themselves in the dark again. Spots of afterglow floated before Rafael's eyes, and he was unable to find his way around the room. He wondered how Jay and Leonard had fared. He wanted to join them, but the priest had stopped yelling, and he didn't dare speak for fear of giving away his position.

After what seemed like an eternity, his sight returned. He could make out the shapes of the furniture in the room. Nothing was moving. He reached for the flashlight he had dropped earlier and turned it on, inspecting the sacristy with bated breath.

"Is he gone?" asked Jay, concerned.

"I think so," Rafael replied, "How are you doing?"

"Leonard passed out again, but we were lucky. A sheet fell off the chairs and covered us. What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Rafael said. "I think... I think the priest must be bonded to a spirit. That's why he has powers."

"How is that possible? Does he also know runes like your old shaman?"

"Maybe," Rafael replied, but he doubted that was the case. He had a hunch that it must be possible to create a bond without them. It had to have consequences of course, maybe that was why the priest had lost his mind? He needed to talk to Alek about this.

He had only just realized that the greatest danger to him and his loved ones was not the ancient spirits, nor the government agencies, but the other shamans that were popping up left and right. To think that others like the priest could be walking down the street without anyone knowing about it gave him the creeps. He needed to find a way to spot them, and to defend himself if necessary.

"Now what do we do?" asked Jay.

"We call the police, and an ambulance for Leonard," said Rafael, "And whatever you do, don't tell anyone about our magical powers or those of the priest."

The last thing we need is for them to lock us up in an asylum or a military laboratory.