The cathedral walls on St. Louis Street trembled violently as a loud rumble echoed through the air. The few citizens who were out and about in this early hour instinctively tilted their heads toward the building before quickly returning to their daily routines, blissfully unaware of the fuss brewing inside. Nami faced the floor yet again after another unsuccessful attempt to take down the priest. He nearly shattered her bones after he slammed her on the marble floor. The tiles cracked beneath her. She got up in time to avoid being stomped by the man’s heavy foot. He was as large as a wardrobe. Despite her enhanced strength, Nami struggled to land a single hit that would be met with more than a chuckle. She grabbed one of the few chairs that remained intact to use as both a weapon and a shield. Her dark hair obscured her vision, swinging with each effort to dodge an upcoming attack. It would have taken a single strike. One stab of her dagger to end the fight and purge the evil spirit, but alas, she had lost it somewhere during the brawl, due to her clumsiness. It was no wonder she got penalized so often for being a hindrance.
She threw the chair at her opponent for distraction before breaking into a sprint, running as fast as her legs allowed her while simultaneously looking for her weapon. Cold sweat dripped down every pore the longer she searched, fearing the dreadful outcome had she never found such an important piece of armament.
As she ran in circles, avoiding the numerous objects thrown at her, she saw it at last. The exorcist knife shone in the distance between shattered stained glass and a pile of rubble. Before she could reach it, she felt a large hand getting a hold of her ankle, tightening its grip the more she tried to kick it away. Her dark violet eyes filled with hopelessness. She couldn’t afford to let her master down. Not again. She desperately tried to hold on to anything to keep herself from being dragged and inevitably plummeted to her death.
A single gunshot set her free from this trap, splattering the creature’s brains across her long, silk dress. He was here at last.
“What are you waiting for? Grab your dagger and get rid of it!” A male voice shouted imperatively.
Nami plunged the blade into the spirit’s chest, watching as it twisted backwards with a harrowing scream. The body stooped to the ground with a heavy thud. She did not have the time to catch her breath before another one emerged. And then another one. They had taken over the bodies of a mother and a young child. Their skin had almost completely rotted to the bone. Nami had no issue taking them down with a swing of her blade, now that it was in her possession. They were considerably slower and weaker than her previous enemy.
She dropped to one knee, exhausted from the fight, clenching the fabric of her dress as she felt the burn in her chest. Her hair was damp from all the sweat streaming down. The smeared makeup around her gaunt features gave her a ghoulish appearance. She could see her reflection in the marble, causing her to be riddled with shame as she looked back up to where her master stood.
Two pale hands snatched her from behind, holding a piece of broken glass to her neck. She couldn’t react, standing perfectly still as the edges pressed onto her skin.
“Get your filthy hands off of her,” her master called, cold and stern.
He was a man in his mid-twenties, holding a .38 caliber revolver at eye level. He was dressed formally, wearing a neat white linen shirt and black slacks. Around his upper body rested a leather holster; one slot for his gun and one for the exorcist knife. His raven hair was partly tied back in a knot with a few strands reaching his furrowed eyebrows. He had a face with an androgynous beauty to it, though one could hardly mistake him for a woman, given his strong build.
“One step and I’ll slit that pretty little neck of hers!” The spirit snarled, drawing the edge of the glass closer.
“Let her go unharmed, and I won’t trouble you,” the man proclaimed calmly. “What are pests like you doing here anyway? In broad daylight? Have you no shame in showing your ugly faces around living people?”
“What does a brat like you know, about us?”
“A lot, actually. Killing your kind is one of the first things I learned as a young magician. Now let my partner go,” the creature didn’t waver for a second, pressing the shard hard enough to draw blood. “Or don’t. It’s all the same to me. Go on. Slit her throat. See what happens.”
The edge flickered in the faint sunlight coming from above as the creature tore into the poor woman’s flesh in one swift move. A fountain of blood gushed from the open wound. Nami stooped to the ground, whimpering. Every breath, every slight semblance of sound coming from her vocal cords became excruciating. With one hand, she was pressing the hole in her neck to prevent further blood loss, while the other was desperately scrambling for her dagger. The spirit leaped to stop her, but two gunshots to the chest put an end to his foolish attempt, giving enough time for Nami to grab the blade and stab him in the guts repeatedly. Over and over and over again.
“That’s enough,” her partner said quietly, putting his gun down. His request was ignored as more droplets of blood splattered around. “Stop it, Nami!”
“Yes, master,” the woman stood up as if her strings were pulled, bowing her reddened face, abashed.
“Come closer, let me take a look at your neck.”
“I’m sorry, master…”
“Instead of apologizing, try to do better next time. You’re cumbersome. Your movements are too slow. There were only four of them, and you could barely finish the first one. At this rate, how am I supposed to leave you alone on a mission?”
“How long do we need to do this?”
“For as long as we have to,” he finished bandaging her up with the gauze he kept in his pocket for moments like these, which in the past few weeks proved to be many.
The front gates swung open, revealing a set of tall shadows entering the cathedral along with a waft of cold air.
“You must be Michael,” said the man in a linen shirt without averting his gaze from Nami, whose stare was locked on to the two strangers. “I’m Andrzej. Glad you two could make it on time.”
“What in the Lord’s name happened here?”
“I believe you’re no stranger to the fact that there’s been an increase in evil spirits lately. They’re spreading like cockroaches,” Andrzej fixed his cuffs as he spoke, preserving the importance of keeping a neat appearance. “There aren’t enough exorcists to handle their growing number, so I suppose the Order was desperate enough to contact me to pick up the slack. Are you guys so bad at your job that I have to take time off from mine, so this city wouldn’t crumble to the ground?”
Michael was immediately taken aback by the man, sensing unease from the indifference in his eyes down to the metallic rasp in his deep voice. He noticed several tiny scars and burn marks around his wrists and neck peeking from beneath the clean fabric.
“You’re not saying anything,” Andrzej continued, flicking a cigarette.” I asked you to come here for a reason. Take a look at this,” he signaled to his partner. “Nami, bring all the corpses here.”
She obliged. The jinn and the exorcist watched as her skeletal physique effortlessly picked up and dragged the bodies, even the large one, lying faceless on the shattered floor.
“Is she alright?” Michael questioned, seeing the fresh blood dripping down her neck and onto the Y-shaped stitched-up mark on her chest.
“She’s fine. Just got her throat slit, that’s all. I might have to look it up once we get back home.”
“She got her throat slit?!”
“Relax, she’s an undead. They don’t die that easily. See the stitches around her upper arms? I grafted the muscle fibers of different creatures onto her to enhance her strength. Too bad I can’t do the same with her brain,” he puffed another cloud of smoke, his face suddenly washed with relief as if the noise in his head was cleared. His finger pointed at the bodies. “Notice the stitches on their chest? The process of bringing someone back from the dead involves a surgical incision and embedding of a soul crystal in the middle of their sternum. What does that tell you?”
“They’ve all been resurrected.”
“Indeed, and by a rookie necromancer at that. How do I know? It is very important when you summon a person’s soul not to invite an evil spirit into their body by accident. We’ve all done it. It’s practically inevitable when you’re still wet behind the ears. When that happens, it’s our duty to kill the spirit instantly, so it doesn’t cause harm to living beings.”
“Do you think there is a valid reason to leave them as is?” Michael leaned in to take a closer look.
“Other than cause chaos, I doubt it,” the edges of the necromancer’s lips twisted into a slight grin. “That’s where you come in. See, usually I would charge people money to resurrect their loved ones. Ten thousand to be exact. But with you, I’d like to strike a deal instead. Your friend has told me about your talent when it comes to deduction, and I would very much like to take advantage of it to find out who’s behind this mess. Do that, and I’ll be at your service.”
Michael considered his offer with his usual unwavering skepticism.
“And what is it to you? Why do you care?”
“Everyone who tarnishes our reputation is an enemy, and therefore must be eradicated,” Andrzej took a short pause to light another cigarette. “And by that I don’t mean sentenced to death. I’m quite against killing, in fact, with the sole exception being evil spirits and any other vermin possessed by a destructive nature, of course. I have my own methods of dealing with wrongdoers,” he puffed another cloud. “Besides, I have plenty on my plate as it is to waste my time exorcising evil spirits. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“Take your time,” there was a note of disappointment in his tone. “Before you make up your mind, may I ask who the patient is?”
“She’s standing right here,” the exorcist pointed at Maria’s body. The jinn possessing her answered with a grin.
“She looks pretty alive to me,” Andrzej raised an eyebrow, both baffled and amused.
Michael turned to his partner. “Take off your glasses.” Two smoldering black holes appeared before the necromancer, causing him to drop his cigarette in disbelief before he immediately lit another one.
“What is that thing? Don’t tell me…”
“It’s a jinn. Right now, it’s using my dead wife’s body as its holiday house. Do you suppose you’d be able to snatch her soul back under our rather unique circumstances?”
“No problem at all. I’ve dealt with weirder cases.”
Nami stood there silent, clenching her thin arm nervously with her nails drawn to her skin. Her expression, as usual, exuded no semblance of emotion. The necromancer seemed to be the only one to detect that something was bothering her.
“M-master, I don’t think we should be working with those people,” her voice was close to a whisper. “Jinn are known as tricksters. What if they betray us along the way?”
Her master shot her with a glare, and she darted her eyes to the crack on the floor to avoid looking at him.
“Well, she does raise a valid point.” Andrzej crossed his arms.
“Don’t worry about them. Their power is bound by the golden rings. They are practically harmless,” Michael tried to reassure them. “They won’t do anything unless I tell them otherwise.”
“Them? Is it a he or a she?”
“Well…”
“We don’t conform to your binary standards. You may refer to me as ‘it,” said the jinn.
“Does it have a name?” Andrzej asked.
“My name is…”
“Don’t say it!” Michael raised his hands with a growing concern in his eyes, recounting the last time it tried to introduce itself. “Please don’t say it.” He turned around. “Just call them ‘
‘Jinn’, please.”
“As you wish,” said the necromancer with a shrug. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to exchange a few words with my assistant. I hope you’ll make up your mind by the time we’re back.”
***
The corridor was colored in the motley light coming from the stained glass. It was a shame that some of it was destroyed during the fight, along with a number of statues and other small ornaments. Nami wondered how much time it would take for the place to get renovated and whether or not she would have to pay out of pocket to cover some of the damages. The thought promptly vanished from her brain the moment she felt the sharp sting of a slap across her cheek, leaving a pulsating red mark.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me ‘master’ in front of other people?” Andrzej scolded her, forcing her chin up so she would look him in his piercing eyes. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the mess you made here. I won’t simply let you get away with a few lashes once we return home, Nami. You really messed up this time. If you want to keep working for me, you’ll need to get your act together.”
“I’m sorry, Andrzej…”
“We’re alone now. Why are you calling me by my first name?”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“You keep saying that, but if you truly meant it, you would actually put the effort into preventing it from happening. Are you really not capable of doing a single thing right? Perhaps I’ve made the wrong choice to offer you a position as my servant.”
“No, master,” her heart skipped a beat. “I promise you, I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Good,” he released her. “I’m growing tired of having to discipline you.”
“I still think we shouldn’t be working with those two, master. I have a bad feeling about them. Especially that thing. You’ve warned me before about demons.”
“Jinn aren’t demons, Nami. I don’t know what they are. My teacher has only told me they are beings of chaos. Whatever that means.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted, fearing her weakness might anger him again.
“What are you scared of? You have me by your side. I made a promise to you, and I intend to keep it.”
“Just like you promised me not to make those types of deals anymore?” Nami noticed the way he clenched his jaw when she finished her sentence, sending her a signal that it wasn’t a good idea to mention it. She stared at the floor, flinching in expectation of being reprimanded.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Have you been following me around again? I thought I’d told you already, it’s none of your business what I do in my free time,” his tone was heavy with spite. Andrzej stepped closer, raising his arm to slap her once more. “You damned stalker!”
Right before he could strike, a firm grip snatched him by the wrist, forcing him to turn around.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Asked Michael through his teeth, trying not to raise his voice out of civility. The jinn stood beside him, observing them as if it were watching a spectacle. The chilling grin was ever-present on its face. “I guess the rumors are true. You truly are as despicable as they come.”
“Kurde,” the necromancer cursed through a half smile. It was as if, for a moment, the mask he wore fell from his face, revealing his full wickedness. “So, that bastard spilled the beans after all? I told him to keep his mouth shut.”
“He didn’t need to say anything. I did my own research.”
“And what did you find?” Michael couldn’t stand the smugness in his tone.
“It’s a hefty price you charge for your resurrections. Not many people can afford to pay for it, am I right?”
“Bringing someone from the dead isn’t a walk in the park, wujek. How much do you think hospitals charge for a surgery?”
“I had a call with one of your previous clients, whose number I found through our mutual pall. She’s a young woman named Annalise, but you probably don’t remember. You give each of them a different name while they are with you. I suppose it makes it easier not to think of them as real people.”
“I sleep with them. So what? If they are desperate enough to sell their bodies, what does it concern you?” Andrzej attempted to free his arm by yanking it, but Michael wouldn’t budge, wrapping his fingers even tighter to the point it nearly cut his blood flow.
“Desperate,” said the exorcist, his voice dropping by a decibel. “Is precisely the word for it. If it were only sex you were after, I would have let it slide. What that woman described you did to her made my stomach turn. She was detached enough not to spare me the details. How you tied her up, used razors to cut her skin, strangled her, beat her, raped her. You derive sexual pleasure from causing pain, and by the numerous self-inflicted scars upon your skin, I can tell you not only like doing it to others but also to yourself.” He loosened his grip around Andrzej’s arm at last with a visible disdain in his movement. “You’re abhorrent.”
“And yet you’re still here. Asking for my help,” the necromancer added jauntily.
“You don’t even possess the decency to deny it. Consider our arrangement revoked. I’ll find someone else to do the job for me.”
Andrzej couldn’t help but laugh. He crossed his arms, staring at the two with a mocking grin.
“Sure. Good luck with that. Why don’t you go back there and take a good look at those pathetic displays of necromancy to see for yourself if you can trust the craftsmanship of a rookie? They’ll leave your poor wife worse than they found her. You’re better off preparing for a funeral if you ask me.”
“I’d rather not work with a sick sadomasochist like you. I’ll take my chances.”
“Don’t come crying to me when she gets turned into a decaying mess,” Andrzej warned him, but the jinn and Michael had already walked out of the cathedral.
