Wednesday night, downtown pizzeria

Diego was late. It was not his habit, but he had been held up at the office. Melinda was still not back, and he was so worried that he had made a mistake filling out some files the day before. Hence the extra work. His colleagues had teased him about his distraction, but he hadn't explained what was going on.

He couldn't bring himself to do it, even to get his wife back. If the police started pressuring the Church of the Covenant without solid evidence, it would start a civil war. And with the magical powers involved, dozens would die. The targeted attack Rafael proposed seemed the best option, even though acting outside the law made him extremely uncomfortable.

When he entered the pizzeria, everyone else was already there. Even Jay. That said a lot about his tardiness, but no one commented when he sat down. Rafael must have already explained the situation because everyone was lost in thought, and a heavy silence reigned around the table, broken only by the sounds coming from the kitchen.

There was the hard core of the Association. Rafael and Jay, of course. Ilona and Tiffany, who had just started whispering in their corner, Jazz, Orphelia, and the brothers Hippolyte and Borka Omarov. Diego was twice as old as the others, and felt out of place. It had been a long time since he had set foot in this kind of establishment, which tended to target a student clientele.

Their youth was not a problem for him, but their lack of experience was. He had seen too many freshly graduated police officers make serious mistakes in the field, putting the whole team in danger. On the other hand, he was the only one without magical powers, so maybe he was the one who lacked experience, and was likely to drag the others down.

Diego looked in Rafael's direction, then asked:

"How much did you tell them?"

"I just described the situation for now. I was waiting for you for the rest."

"You don't mind if I summarize things?"

Rafael shook his head, and everyone turned to Diego. His status as a police detective, and his role in rescuing Tiffany, meant that he was held in some respect, even if he wasn't spirit-bound.

"Well, we are gathered here to decide what to do about the cult group of the Church of the Covenant. Father Gregory Cordier, who killed Leonard Duprat, and who also tried to kill Rafael, is a member. Dino Calderón, who almost killed Tiffany, is also a member. They probably have plans to destroy the Association, but they also target civilians. They kidnapped my wife Melinda!"

The others nodded, the only new thing was apparently the information about his wife. Tiffany had brought her hand to her mouth, and seemed sad for him. Diego didn't want to dwell on the subject, so he continued:

"Unfortunately, the police can't intervene. First of all, we don't have enough evidence. It's a good thing that Tiffany's injuries are all gone, but that means we can't file a complaint. Second, the police aren't trained to deal with magic, and the discovery of its existence would disrupt society so much that it will be impossible to get justice."

"That's why I proposed that we intervene," Rafael continued, "Not all of you are directly involved in this conflict, so I'll understand if you want to keep your distance, but, as far as I'm concerned, I won't remain passive in the face of the attack we've suffered."

"I'm with him, of course," Jay added. "I'm going to kill Dino for what he did to Tiff!"

Beside him, Tiffany looked at him with concern, but made no attempt to dissuade him. She stammered:

"I'll help you however I can."

Jay turned his head sharply, looking at Rafael.

"I want her to stay back."

"Ah!" cried Ilona. "That's not for you to decide. Tiffany is not a fragile little girl who needs to be protected. She knows how to defend herself!"

"It's okay Ilona, don't worry," said Tiffany, embarrassed to be the center of attention. "I'd rather be in the back tending to the injured anyway."

"Hmph, if you say so," Ilona replied. "I'm in too, obviously. Sounds like fun."

That made Diego cringe. It would be anything but fun. What was going on with this girl, did she have a post-traumatic syndrome related to the loss of her eye or something? He looked at Rafael with concern. Typically the kind of ticking time bomb he didn't want to have with him during the assault on the convent.

"We can't leave Tiffany alone," Jay remarked. "Could you stay with her, Jazz?"

Jazz nodded. "No problem. It's not much, but I have first aid training..."

"You'll be well equipped," Rafael reassured him. "The Alchemist gave me serenity and healing ointments. The more important is that we all come through this unscathed."

He continued, looking at Ophelia and the Omarov brothers. "And you, are you in?"

Orphelia nodded immediately, "I'm not one to run away from danger, especially after what you've done for me."

"We're coming too," added Hippolyte. "I can't believe what Dino did, he owes us some explanations!"

Rafael smiled broadly at his companions. "Perfect, so we'll attack the convent on Friday night. That gives us two days to finish our preparations. I'll be in charge of opening a breach in the convent's perimeter, then I'll take care of the priest. Ilona and Orphelia will go to St. Catherine's Church to destroy the anchor of his spirit, that should give me the advantage-"

"What, I won't be at the convent with you?" cried Ilona, rising from her chair.

"This mission is crucial for me to win the fight against the priest," Rafael replied without batting an eye.

Ilona didn't hear it that way. "It's because of what happened at the Bodega, right? I told you it wouldn't happen again!"

Tiffany tugged on her friend's sleeve to calm her down. All eyes were on her. Understanding that she had gone too far, Ilona sat down and grumbled, her eyes shining with fury. Rafael sighed, then explained:

"Yes, it's because of what happened at the Bodega. To destroy the church will require enormous firepower, and only you can be trusted with that task."

"Ah," said Ilona, confused. "All right then."

Diego wasn't comfortable with the idea, but anything was better than giving the priest and his acolytes free rein, and surely no one would be around on a Friday night. At least, not as long as Ilona remained within the limits of the church. From what he understood, she was capable of reducing the whole neighborhood to ashes.

Rafael continued, "Jay will take care of Dino, and Diego will go look for his wife, Melinda. Hippolyte and Borka, you will accompany him. He has no magical powers, so, if you run into a shaman from the Church of the Covenant, it will be up to you to handle it."

The Omarov brothers nodded seriously. Diego was reassured that he would not be alone, but he did not intend to let them fight without him. A bullet from a gun, or the discharge of a taser, could take a shaman down if the timing was right, and he would be ready.

"As for the details, I'll let you see for yourself," Rafael said, "In any case, good preparation is essential. So let's fill our stomach well!"

"For that as for the rest, you can count on me," Jay replied with a smile.

The waiter was just walking towards them with their order. It was time to get some strength, they would need it soon.

***

Rafael was nervously playing with his phone. He had settled down at a table in the corner of the bar, so as not to be disturbed, but it couldn't help with his own disturbing thoughts. Now that he knew the priest was still in the loop, he saw enemies everywhere. He even wondered if Alek's disappearance had not been organized by the Church of the Covenant...

What worried him most was that there might be a second infiltrator among the members of the Association. Another Dino. If so, the assault on the convent could be a disaster. He couldn't let that happen.

But the price to pay is so heavy...

Orphelia entered the bar. She looked around the room, then came and sat down next to him. She didn't ask why he had arranged this secret meeting, and he didn't say anything either. A short time later, Jazz and the Omarov brothers also arrived. Impatient, Borka asked:

"Why did you ask us to come here, couldn't you have talked to us at the pizzeria?"

Rafael silently shook his head. He gathered his will, then blurted:

"I want to form a group inside the Association so that the incident with Dino doesn't happen again. Its members would be responsible for gathering information about the newbies, and bringing to heel those who would behave problematically."

"Why aren't Jay, Ilona and Tiffany here?" asked Jazz.

He didn't waste any time.

"I'm too close to them," Rafael said. "I want the most unbiased people possible so I can't be accused of being a tyrant or anything like that. I ask you because I trust you."

I disgust myself, I shouldn't be lying to them like that.

"I agree with you," Orphelia says. "We can't take the chance. I'm happy with the way you took me in, but it was a little irresponsible..."

"That's true, even if it's sad to say," Rafael nodded.

"Spying on people doesn't really appeal to me," Borka said in turn. "And, frankly, I don't think I would be any good at it, but I'm here if you need some muscle against some plotters."

"Me too," Hippolyte agreed.

"It's just a security measure," Rafael justified himself, "To enforce the Association's rules. You know they ensure maximum freedom for everyone."

Jazz, for his part, wrinkled his nose. "Humph, it's probably necessary to control our members, but it's not for me. Sorry, I'll pass."

"Are you sure?" asked Rafael. He couldn't force him, but Jazz knew almost all their secrets. He was dangerous. That said, he probably had nothing to hide if he didn't want to be part of the group.

"Certainly," he said, rising from the chair. "I'll leave you to it, it's time to go dancing."

Jazz bounced out of the bar, to an inner melody that only he knew the tune to. Rafael sometimes wondered why he had joined the Association. Only dance seemed to matter to him. He shrugged his shoulders. Somehow, they were all weirdos with their spirits...

He looked at the three remaining shamans: Orphelia, Hippolyte, and Borka. They had just ordered beers, and were laughing about how nobody should buy Corona anymore. Rafael felt a little guilty, but, after all, he was doing this to protect them. Them, and the others.

He leaned conspiratorially toward the trio, and said:

"Now that we are among ourselves, I can tell you one of my secrets."

"What's that?" asked Hippolyte, looking interested.

"I can implant seeds in people's bodies, it allows me to communicate with them in a summary way, with a kind of Morse code. If I implant one in you, you will also be able to communicate with each other."

"Does it hurt?" asked Hippolyte, who was more sensitive than his looks suggested.

"No, not at all," Rafael reassured him, "It's completely painless. The seed feeds on some of your spiritual energy, and connects you to the other seeds, that's all. I think it's important for the group to have a quick, hidden way to communicate."

"Okay," said Borka. "It'll also come in handy during the assault on the convent."

Rafael nodded. "Exactly. I can implant them now, giving you a few days to familiarize yourself with their use."

The trio agreed, and Rafael pulled three mistletoe seeds from his pocket. He implanted them one by one by simply placing his hand on the other shamans arms. From the outside, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen, and the waiter who brought them their beers didn't notice. Yet five minutes later, Rafael's parasitic seeds were in place.

"It's easy to use them," he said. "All you have to do is push your spiritual energy inside to make them vibrate, while thinking about the person you want to contact. The frequency of the vibrations will help decode your message. Nothing too complex, obviously, but it'll do just fine."

"There's just one more question," Orphelia said as she put her glass back on the table after taking a large sip.

"What's that?" asked Borka.

"How shall we call ourselves," she said with a smile. "I suggest the Enforcers. Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

"I like it," said Rafael.

"Me too," said Hippolyte.

"Let's go with the Enforcers," confirmed Borka. "A toast to the birth of the best shaman group ever!"