This story is based on magic, witchcraft, and supernatural events. This story does not have any sex encounters, but does involve issues of same-sex relationships. If you do not wish to read any subject matter of the supernatural, sexual issues between people of the same sex, or it is illegal for you to obtain this material, please do not read this. The author retains all rights to this work.
If you wish to contact me you may do so at the email address sockingsaw@hotmail.com Please make sure to use the heading Shadow Priest (this will help with the filter process). Enjoy this story.
The Shadow Priest: Coffers of the Damned
Tablet One: The Ridge
A light rain was falling on the ridge as John Carr sat on the edge overlooking the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was actually rare for rain to fall in this area of the state at this time of year, but several strange conditions had made the weather unpredictable. He heard footsteps disturbing the rocks behind him.
?You really should not be here Victor.? John spoke without looking over his shoulder. ?It is dangerous.?
?Sir.? Victor Marquez stopped. He was dressed in a black suit with white pinstripes on it. He was tall and skinny, almost six and a half feet tall. He had an umbrella to keep the rain off his suit and his finally cropped jet black hair. He had brown eyes that looked black in the backlight of the city. He was handsome and John found him to be irresistible. Victor knew it. ?I do apologize and know the risk, but there is a phone call for you.? He held up the office cell phone. ?They said it was urgent and would not take no for an answer.?
John sighed and reached for the cell phone.
?Yes?? He listened for a second to the other person. ?I understand.? He closed the phone and held it back to Victor. ?Take it back. He is here.?
Victor who had been standing erect and still started to visible shake and look around the surrounding area. It was black and he could not see anything. The clouds dropping the tiny rain droplets hide the stars and moon. He knew better then to turn on the small flashlight he kept with him. He bowed and slowly moved towards the lift he had rose up.
A growl came from the forest as the lift took Victor back to the base of the ridge. John sat silently looking at the city without paying attention to the noise.
?Who was that?? The growl turned into a rough voice that rumbled with thunder. ?He had no place here!?
?Calm down Godfrey.? John smiled. Territorial bastard. ?He is my servant.? That was a lie, but John did not want to prolong his conversation more than he had to. He did not like dealing with Godfrey, but he was the only one that could get the information he required. ?Do you have the information on the Coffers??
Godfrey growled from the shadows. ?From what we have gathered the Coffers are a product of a Djinn. There is some medium that is passing among the mortals that grants them a wish. You can imagine what kinds of wishes are being granted by people during this economic hardship.?
?A Djinn?? John turned his head slightly towards the voice but not enough to turn fully around. ?Mortals getting a hand on this medium should never have happened. Someone is going through much trouble to assure this.? He turned back to the city. ?The rain is about to subside.?
Another growl came from the shadows and then silence. The rain as John had predicted soon came to a stop. He breathed deeply to know that the situation was over and he would no longer need to bother Godfrey or his people again or at least for the immediate future.
Tablet Two: Home
?A Djinn?? Victor paused as he poured a cup of coffee for John and himself. ?Are you sure??
?Godfrey was certain of it.? John was sitting in his house on the east side of town. Ironically it was not far from the base of the ridge. ?There is very little that he and his people are unable to find out if given the right motivation.?
John had changed out of his clothes he was wearing on the ridge and had on a crimson night robe. Victor finished pouring the coffee and put in the right amount of sugar and cream. He turned around to deliver the cup to John. John was a handsome man in his own right. He was 5?9?? but not skinny or fat. He had enough on him that he could fill out a pair of clothes very nicely. He did not work out, but had arms and legs that were thick and hard. Victor admired him from the distance but knew he would never have a chance with him. Sure John had a thing for Victor, but the situation made it impossible for them to ever take their relationship to the next level.
John took a drink of the coffee and looked at the fire place. ?I just wished I could figure out how something like a Djinn medium could be released on the public without anyone knowing.?
Victor got his own cup and sat down in the wing chair opposite John?s.
?It is possible that this was the work of a dweller.? Victor sipped his coffee slowly and eyed John on his reaction.
A dweller was an outside creature that had chosen to live among the mortals. Most had notified the Shadow Priests in the city they decided to live in, but every once in a while some refused to notify the shadow priest.
?One that did not register?? John laughed a bit. He saw the shrug that Victor gave and sighed. ?Yes, yes. You are right my friend as usual. I am sure it is a dweller wanting to make hell for the mortals.?
The phone rang. Victor reached to pick it up but John waved him away and picked it up himself.
?Carr.? He stated into the mouthpiece.
?John, this is Sam.? The voice on the other phone said with a sad desperation in his voice. ?We have another one. There is another coffer here.?
?I will be there in 10.? John got the address from the man on the phone and put the receiver back on the phone. ?There has been another death. And a Coffer. This one is on the south side.
Tablet Three: South Side
The black BMW pulled up in front of the south side apartment building. It was run down and looked to be a haven for the down trodden of life. John opened his door and got out of the passenger side of the vehicle. It had started to rain lightly again.
?This rain is getting as bad as it does in Seattle.? Victor got out from behind the wheel holding an umbrella so as to get his black pin stripe suit wet. ?How many inches in the past month??
?According to the news we now have received over 15 inches of rain.? John knew what Victor was getting at. Someone must have gotten the Djinn medium and wanted rain. Thank god he did not want torrential rain. John thought to himself. At least he was not stupid.
Even though the rain was well needed in the deserts of New Mexico there were problems that erupted when too much fell. Primarily the floods that happened after too much rain fell on the mountains to the east of Albuquerque.
They walked up to the front door where an officer standing guard opened the door for them.
?They are in apartment 2B.? The guard said as both John and Victor walked through the door. The guard closed the door slowly and ignored them.
They climbed the narrow stairs to the second floor. As John looked around he noticed that he was correct in his assumptions. The down trodden lived here. The only haven they knew from a cold world where a Djinn would be very happen to prey on the unsuspecting.
They got to the apartment door, which stood ajar, and John could see Detective Sam White standing in the center of the room looking at the other workers collect evidence.
?Sam!? John walked in smiling. ?We must stop meeting like this!?
Sam sighed and he felt a cold shiver run down his back. For some reason every time he had a job with John he could not help but feel a little unnerved with him. There was something strange about him. Hell he was strange.
Sam had meet John 5 years earlier when he first became a detective. His predecessor had all the cases that seemed unusual and it feel to him. As the captain put it, ?no one else could do the job, because they all know what the job entails.? After a few days of investigation he discovered that those in his particular category never lasted more than a year. They all disappeared or died with no warning. After his first year he had learned what got to them: John Carr.
?Mr. Carr.? Sam tilted his head. ?As I stated we have another one. Male, late 20s, and apparent death is natural as far as we can tell right now.? He walked over to a desk and picked up a large chest that was open and showed a pile of gold coins. ?The reason we know it is not is this thing.?
John watched Sam walk towards the desk to pick up the Coffer he had already spotted when he first came in. Sam was attractive in his own way. Not as attractive as he found Victor, but there was an element to him. He was only 5?4??, and stocky. He had thick arms and legs, and had a bit of a stomach on him. That was okay because from the bulge on the front of his pants he could tell he was big. That would never happen however, just as Victor would never happen.
John walked over and picked up one of the gold pieces. ?Same as all the others. Fake.?
?This one is real.? Victor pointed to the coin in the victim?s hand. This man was handsome just like all the other. He had short black hair, with deep eyes, which always seemed wide open with fright or some other elated emotion. Victor bent over and snatched the coin out of his hand.
?Careful!? Sam yelled across the room. ?That is evidence.?
?Evidence that will show no more than the others did.? John said in response. He knew that the coin was a gold coin. No finger prints or serial number just a generic coin. ?We now know what we are looking for Sam.?
?What?? Sam was shocked that after 20 deaths he finally knew something.
?It is a Djinn.? John smiled as Sam had to think a moment for a bit.
?What is a Djinn?? Sam asked as he realized he never came across that name before.
?A Djinn,? Victor started as he deposited the gold coin in a plastic bag and handed to another officer collecting evidence, ?is a creature from the Arab world. In your vernacular you would call them Genies. Gift givers that pray on the helpless and week.? He pointed to the man lying on the floor. ?This one wanted money, so the Djinn gave it to him. The problem is that when you get a wish granted by a Djinn something must be given of equal value to the Djinn.?
?Usually the value is that of something close to you.? John continued the thought as he walked around the body. ?Typically the Djinn will take another family member that has a large estate or insurance policy that would go to the wisher. That is their form of humor. However, I would wager that we are dealing with a different Djinn. This one wants the person that makes the wish. Or I should say something IN the person.? He knelt by the man on the floor and placed his hand on his head.
Sam looked at John as he touched the man?s forehead. He knew nothing should touch the body until the corner arrived, but John never followed the rules. In fact John did not exist as far as the rest of the department went. So nothing was ever said, and no one asked.
?Same as the other victims.? John stood up and took a cloth from Victor. ?But now that I know what we are looking for we can make a plan to capture and contain this beast.?
John stepped over the body and headed for the door.
?Wait!? Sam called out and ran to catch up with him. ?You said that he wanted something inside the individual. What did he take? Nothing is missing.?
?His greed Mr. White.? John chuckled. ?This Djinn is greedy.?
Tablet Four: Home
Once home again, John slipped back into his robe. Victor was once again preparing coffee. It was 4:50 AM.
?I wonder if there are more deaths and we just don?t know about it.? John sat looking at the fire place. He had been quiet the entire drive back and this was the first thing he said since leaving the apartment complex.
?I could ask Mr. White to run a look for other deaths that match the 20 victims so far.? Victor handed John his coffee and sat down in the chair opposite him again. Victor could not help but feel a pang of sexual energy as he watched the man slowly sip his tea and look into the fireplace.
?You know it does no good.? John shook his head. ?You know just as well as I do those feelings will never happen no matter how much either of us wants it too.?
Victor felt his face blush as he had not realized he was looking so intensely at John. ?I apologize.? He sipped his coffee.
?No reason to apologize.? John sat at the fire. He could not help but wonder what could have happen if he had met Victor 10 years earlier while still in college. He had only met Victor 2 days before he was to become the new Shadow Priest in the region, and it was too late to change his mind. Victor was a man he could see himself with, but rules were rules. A Shadow Priest could not become romantic with anyone else. It would jeopardize both their lives. Of course Victor fell in love with him the same and refused to leave John?s side. He decided that if John could not have romantic escapades he would not either. So for the past 8 years Victor had been his companion and assistant. Victor was a real asset as he could go places John would find it hard to hide. ?You have the right.? He grinned and put his cup down. ?I think it is time for me to retire.?
?I will be there in a bit; there are some things I wish to do.? Victor stood as John walked out. He found himself staring once again at John, and sighed. ?Not fair. There HAS to be a way.?
Tablet Five: Eight Years Ago
John walked up behind Victor and patted him on the butt.
?Hey good looking.? He eased up behind him and put his arm around him. ?What is a guy like you walking alone??
Victor laughed as he placed his arm around John and they walked across campus.
?I am on my way to class what are you doing?? His smile turned down and looked away as he realized this was not a good day. ?I thought the ceremony was today.?
?It is but it is tonight.? He squeezed Victor harder. ?I thought we could hang out until the ceremony.?
The ceremony that would turn him into a Shadow Priest. That was how it was explained to him anyway. Victor never fully understood the connotations involved, but apparently it was a big deal. His family had served in this position for the past 300 years. Apparently a Shadow Priest prevented the supernatural world from taking over the mortal world. They had meet a few days before at the gay bar downtown. They had connected immediately. Victor never realized he could fall hard for a guy that fast.
After they first meet they never left each other unless absolutely necessary. Eventually the evening turned to day, and then evening. They had made love countless time. He was happy that he never thought sadness could come into his life. And it did come back to his life just not how he imagined it. John was sad too. John had told Victor that he had not intended to fall in love that he was just out for the last few nights of his freedom.
?Freedom?? Victor picked himself up on his shoulder and placed a hand on John?s bare chest. ?You are stuck or in danger? Slaves have not been around for a long time.?
?Only a slave to you.? John lay on his back allowing the blanket to fall off his nude body. Victor could not help himself he looked up and down this gorgeous mans body. A few hairs on his chest and then a small patch that looked like a nest for his now limp cock. Hard the thing was almost 10 inches long, but soft was only 4 inches. His legs were slightly hairy but they were tree tucks compared to Victor?s skinny legs.
John patted the hand on his chest and looked longingly into Victor?s eyes. ?If I tell you, you can NEVER tell another person.?
?I promise.? Victor sat up this time and looked scared and intrigued by this statement. ?What is it??
?If anyone knew I was telling you this your life would be in danger.? John pushed himself up and sat cross legged on the bed facing Victor. ?My family is a family that has been charged with protecting the mortal world from things you only find in fairy tales and myth.? He waited for Victor to smile and act like he was joking, but Victor just looked at him intently.
?Okay.? Was all that came from his lips. He was waiting for the rest of the story.
?I have been in line to assume the role of a protector in this region of the world. I am the third son of the third son.? He looked around the room as if scared something may jump out at him. ?In our family you are chosen to be the next protector if you are the same number of descendent. Usually I would not be anywhere near the top as typically the first born of the first born will take on this role. My dad?s oldest brother took the position when he was only 12. That meant he would not have an ?heir? to the position.?
John stopped for a bit and looked at Victor to make sure he understood. ?Next in line was his sister; however she never had any girls, only boys. Therefore none in her family could take the position.?
?Let me guess.? Victor interjected. ?Since your dad was the third child that meant you were next in line since you have two older siblings/?
?Correct.? John smiled slightly but then frowned. ?I am only 24 years old and I have not yet taken a mate.? He looked at Victor and grinned. ?You of course could technically count, but you cannot bear children therefore you do not count in that manner. Plus it is too late.?
?Too late?? Victor had a look of shock on his face. ?What does that mean??
?It means that in 24 hours I will become the next protector, what is called a Shadow Priest.? John stood and put his robe on. ?Once I become a Shadow Priest, we are not able to have romantic ties to the mortal world. Powers given can only bring harm if we were to do so. We would rip apart our partners in the blink of an eye.?
The information sat on Victor like an elephant. He could not breathe as he realized what John was saying. Even though they had just met he would never be able to actually make a life with John. John was about to become off limits.
?So that means I will never see you again?? Victor?s eyes started to fill with tears. He had only known John for a little over 24 hours, but he had fallen for him. He knew this was his soul mate, and he could never touch him again.
?No.? John leaned against the dresser and looked in the mirror. ?I want to be with you, but we would never be able to do anything again. That is something I cannot force upon you.?
?I want to!? Victor jumped up and gave John a hug. ?I want to be with you no matter what. I want to learn everything you have to teach me, and I want to be with you. Even if we cannot do anything.?
?I am allowed to bring my mate with me to the ceremony and you can become part of it.? John turned around. ?You will then be entrusted with my protection and I will be entrusted to protect you.?
?I want to.? Victor smiled as he realized that even without the physical aspect of the relationship they could be together. ?I want to do this. What do I have to do??
John reached into the top drawer of his dresser and pulled out a leather book that was about half an inch think.?Read this.? John handed the book to Victor. ?It will tell you some of the aspects of your new job with me. What you can expect.? He kissed Victor lightly on the lips and then held his face as he looked deep into his eyes. ?If, after you read this, you wish to not continue on this path, you may change your mind.?
Victor looked at the book and there was a strange picture on the front. A circle with an eye in the center and in the center of the eye was an arrow pointing down and some character drawings he could not make out around the eye. ?I will. I promise I will!?
?Good I will leave you to read that. I have some things to get ready for the ceremony. I will come and visit you later.? He kissed Victor again, squeezed his butt and walked out.
Tablet Five: The Book
Victor pulled open the drawer on his night stand. He was in his room with only the dresser light on. John was asleep across the hall, or doing something else. He reached into the dresser and pulled out the old leather back book with the strange eye on it. He had kept the book as it was full of useful knowledge. It always seemed to have what he needed in it, even though he had read the book several times since meeting John.
He opened the book to a page he had read over and over again attempting to find something he may have missed from the original reading. This page dealt with the warning to anyone who would attempt to have relationships with the Shadow Priest once the ceremony was complete.
More so shall the person of the Shadow Priests consort not be engaged in any activity. For the activity shall then endanger both the person and the Shadow Priest. Energies shall devour, and shall lay waste to all in accordance with the law.
Victor had never assumed to question the validity of what the book stated, but he could not shake that this was more of a riddle then it was of clear dictation. As he thumbed through the book he could not help but feel that he was missing something. Something about the way the words were written that did not make sense to him.
He closed the book and tossed it back into the drawer and was ready to slam it shut until he noticed that the leather binding had ripped on the back side. He pulled the book out and examined the rip.
While the book was made of leather and the leather covering of the book was old, but the paper inside always seemed newer then the outside. That was the key. The book itself was new, however the cover was old, as if they had taken the cover of another book to make this newer book look more ancient. He held the book in his hands for a long time thinking about the implications. The text on the inside is a translation of another text! He thought excitedly to himself. This was a breakthrough he had been looking for. If the text was mistranslated even in the slightest, that meant maybe he could have a sexual relationship with John.
He placed the book back inside the drawer and closed it slowly. He would have to ask John about his suspicions when he awoke. There was also the question about what the lettering said around the eye. He was sure that had something to do with the old text as well. He would get to the bottom of this, and he would once again find himself in the arms of his once great love.
Tablet Six: Home
It was almost 10 A.M. before Victor arose to face the day. His late night had made it hard to get up earlier, and he knew that John would still be asleep until at least noon. He looked at the clock above the fireplace. It had just finished dinging ten times.
Victor made his way to the kitchen to find something to snack on, and found that the maid had left a box of donuts for them to enjoy for the day. The maid always seemed to know when they had stayed up late and would leave a box of donuts instead of eggs, bacon, and toast.
?Awake are you?? John said from across the breakfast bar in the kitchen. ?I expected you up hours ago!?
This was odd as John usually slept in late when he stayed up as late as he had. He was sipping on coffee and eating a donut.
?I assumed you would be the late riser today.? Victor sagged in the chair and reached for a donut from the box. ?Sleep well??
?Most delightfully.? John grinned. ?It rained almost all night and I slept like a log! This rain has made sleeping so much easier. I do not know why I never moved to a wetter climate.?
Victor placed the book he was holding in his hand and shoved it across the table to John.
?Tell me what you know about that book.?
John picked up the book and looked at the cover. He took another bite of his donut before answering the question. ?This book has been the guide book to every consort of the Shadow Priest in my family. It gives the rules and the guidelines??
?I mean the age of the book.? Victor cut him off. He had no want to play games with words this morning.
?Oh.? John looked at the book, flipped some of the pages and placed it on the bar. ?Looks to be about 200 years old from the look of things.?
?Wrong!? Victor jumped up and grabbed the book from John?s hands ?This book looks old, but only the cover. Why is the cover old but the pages are newer??
?Ahh.? John looked at the book and then at Victor. ?It was translated about 200 years ago from Demonic to English due to the lack of trained Demonic Shadow Priest. This is one of the may copied made from the original held back in the family library in Phoenix.?
?Who made the copy?? Victor was getting excited. It would be possible to make sure that the translation was correct. People always made mistakes and never asked twice about it.
?No clue. It was originally translated back in England. I would assume by a monk there. But today we have no way of knowing who or what. We always just copied the new form.? He placed the book on the table. ?The cover is actually an original from the copy in Phoenix.?
?Do you know Demonic??
?No. I never learned it. No one in my family knows this dead language.? The lips on his face turned into a sly twist. ?You could always find a demon to do it for you, but they tend to want something in return. Typically they want your life.?
This was excellent news. There HAD to be something translated wrong in the original text. He just had to get his hands on the original document and someone that could read the dead language. He would deal with this problem later.
?I have been in contact with our good detective. He said that our request was stupid, but would get us what we asked for by the end of the day.? Victor changed the subject to the more important work of finding the Djinn medium.
?I have done some thinking and dug in some old books I have on the Djinn. I am not sure we are looking for a medium in this case. I think we are looking for the Djinn itself.? John was reading the paper in front of him of the current events. The government was still trying to avoid a financial collapse due to bad budgeting and large sums of debt. ?I think we are dealing with what Christians call the Seven Deadly Sins or more accurately the Seven Deadly Djinns.?
?Lust, envy, greed, sloth, gluttony, pride, and wrath??
?Yes. I think we are looking at Greed here as that is what is killing these individuals. Victims want money, therefore greed gives them what they want. The problem is that greed will kill you if you do not watch it.? He wiped his mouth. ?I would not be surprised to find other deaths that are unexplained, but we will not find much evidence to support my theory.?
?We might find lust, as there is usually a trail for that.?
?Problem with lust is that a man kills his neighbor for sleeping with his wife. Is that a Djinn or is that just a man acting in the heat of the moment? A man has sex with 10 women tonight, is that a Djinn or just an over active sex drive??
?I see what you mean.? Victor drummed the desk. ?I guess we should just wait and see what the good detective digs up for us.?
?I am sure he will dig up some ghosts that we will have a hard time getting rid of.?
Tablet Seven: Downtown Police Department
Sam White stared at the computer screen. Searching for cases was easy. What was difficult was finding specific cases with specific aspects to them. In this case any death that appeared to be caused naturally but had some mystery around it. I wish we had all that technology they show on television shows, he thought again, would make this ten times easier.
He had pulled thee cases so far that seemed to meet the criteria. He was hoping for one more before he headed over to John Carr?s house. John Carr. I really despise that man. He had learned to live longer than any other man in his position. He figured out too never let John Carr drag him too deep into a case. That is where death waited for him. He just entered it enough to look like he was involved but stayed far away from any of the details. The less he knew the happier he was.
The only time he came close to dying was when he was trying to avoid the situation. John Carr and his partner Victor Marquez had been chasing what they called a Drun. A large insect type creature that looked like an ant, but was the size of a small house. He had informed John where the thing was, and left it at that. Little did he know the thing had followed him to his house and was going to make a meal out of him. Lucky for him, John had stopped by his house just to make sure that the thing did not follow him home. Sense then he would never go near a suspected scene again.
Sam clicked his mouse on the print icon and several papers started to come out of the printer. He had four, and that was enough. If they wanted more they would have to do the rest of the hunting.
?Shara,? he looked over at the receptionist, ?I am heading over to Carr?s. I need to drop this paper work off.?
The receptionist smiled as Sam walked out the door. She looked at the files on her desk and realized that they needed to be signed by Sam that evening. She shrugged and got up and placed them on his desk. As she stepped away she looked at the screen he had been working on. She gasped as she looked at the picture.
Tablet Eight: The Park
Sam White pulled up in front of John Carr?s massive house that sat on the east side of town, nestled right under the Sandia Mountains. Standing on the porch was John Carr in tan pants, a button up tan shirt, and sandals. Sam had to fight the urge as he realized how sexy the man really was. He took a moment to get his emotions in check and to allow the bulge in his pants to go down. This was not the first time he had erotic thoughts of John.
Standing off to the side was Victor Marquez. The man always had the same style of suit on: Black with white pinstripes. He never had anything else on. In the several years he had known Victor, he had never seen him with anything else on. In his hand was a folded up umbrella.
He noticed John was saying something to Victor and made him smile. Damn bastard was probably talking about him again. He reached for the door handle and pushed the door open. The sun had come out for a little bit, but was starting to head behind the clouds again. This rain and weather was great for the environment but not much good for people?s moods.
?John.? He nodded as he walked up the four steps to the porch. ?I have some folders that you might like to look at.? He put the folders up to offer them to John. Victor interjected and grabbed the folders from him.
?We shall look at those later.? John smiled and started to head down the steps. ?We were just on our way to the park across the street. Would you like to join us??
Victor handed Sam an umbrella that was leaning against the railing. ?It might rain.?
Sam grabbed the umbrella and looked around. He had never been on a personal outing with either man, but the prospect of spending time with John made his crotch twitch. ?Um, okay.? In the back of his mind he thought to himself not to go along. This was the only thing that had kept him safe for the past 8 years.
Sam walked slowly after John where Victor stepped into place next to him.
?Why do you never go on social outings with us?? Victor asked as John walked briskly ahead of them, as if he was anticipating some grand at the park.
?I do not know.? Sam answered quietly. He did not want to let it be known that he had a thing for John. It was a love-hate feeling he had.
?It is clear you desire him.? Victor laughed as he watching Sam?s eyes widen.
?I do not!? Sam declared loud enough for John to stop walking and turn around.
?You do too.? John answered back and kept moving.
?How the hell does he know what we are talking about?? Sam stopped short and looked at John.
?He can hear many things.? Victor laughed. ?I had to learn a long time ago not to say anything within sight of John if you did not want him to know what you were saying.?
?So why did you bring this up??
?Do not worry.? Victor again laughed a little harder. ?John is the one that brought it up to me on the porch while you were sitting in the car. He figured you were either contemplating getting out of the car or waiting for your erection to go down.?
?I?? Sam blushed and just looked down at the ground.
?Do not worry.? Victor said again. ?I look at him the same way. I looked at him the same way before he became a Shadow Priest, and I still look at him the same way.? Victor looked at the ground a bit and stopped. ?A forbidden fruit that I shall never touch again.?
Sam never understood what the term Shadow Priest meant, and he never really bothered to ask why. All he knew was that is involved monsters and creatures, and he really had no reason to investigate either one. Every time he got called to take over a case, he knew that it was something strange and to get John Carr quickly.
?Why is he taking a stroll in the park today?? Sam watched as he moved to a park bench and sat down.
?He is meeting with the head of a Slomia family.? Sam pointed to some children playing on some swings. There were no adults around.
?Slomia?? Sam looked at the children playing.
?They are actually kin to Gnomes, but they can grow to different heights. That is a family of them there.? The children played and swung around on the equipment. One of the children, a girl that was around 4 years old, leaped from the bars of the jungle gym and landed on her feet. She walked over to John who was sitting on a bench. ?They wish to be moved to a smaller town. They do not feel safe here anymore.?
The girl had sat down and started a conversation with John.
?Why is that?? Sam asked but Victor had started to walk off toward a group of trees. Sam moved quickly to catch up to him. ?Why is that?? He asked again.
?No idea.? Victor stopped at a tree and just stared at the rest of the park. ?There have been several dwellers, or supernatural people, that wish to leave the city. We have no idea. It may be related to these Coffers, but I suspect there is something bigger going on.?
?Can?t John just ask them why??
?He does, but they always say they just have a feeling that something is going on and do not feel safe in the city anymore.?
Sam was standing next to Victor and was leaning against the tree. It was calm and peaceful here. The sounds of the city were far and distant, and the problem of death seemed to be a world away. He watched the children, now knowing they were Slomia, playing on the equipment. It was nice to see someone have so much fun in a world of sadness.
As he was watching them he noticed a van was parked in the parking lot with a middle aged man sitting in the front. He was not doing anything but watching the Slomia play. He recognized the signs immediately.
?You noticed him too?? Victor asked as he realized the body next to him had tensed.
?Just have to wait for him to make his move.? Sam had eagle eyed the van.
?I wouldn?t worry about it. He has picked the wrong group of ?children? to attack. Just wait and see.? Sam watched the children play.
Eventually one by one the children had noticed the van as well. They jumped off the play equipment and formed a line facing the van. Sam?s jaw dropped. One of the children started to run towards the van.
?What is he doing?? Sam asked as he started to walk towards the van. Victor grabbed his arm and held him back.
?Watch.?
The kid ran up to the van and started talking to the man behind the wheel. The man got out from behind the driver?s seat and knelt down to talk to the Slomia. As they watched the man stood up and walked around to the back of his van. While he was doing this the Slomia turned around, gave a grin to the others standing there, and followed the man to the back of the car.
?We have to do something!? Sam was in a panic. ?I do not care if they are little children or they are Slomia adults??
He stopped talking as the back doors flung open and the little child jumped out and ran to the play equipment. Almost as if nothing happened the children went back to playing on the set as if nothing had happened.
?Let us take a look.? Victor grabbed Sam?s hand and dragged him to the van.
When they got to the van, Sam opened the back doors to find nothing in the back. The man was not in the van, or anywhere else in the immediate vicinity. Sam was at shock for what was happening.
?Where is he??
?Well, do you want the truth, or do you want something that will make you feel good at night?? Victor laughed as he closed the van up.
?I am not sure.? Sam swallowed hard. He had a feeling he did not want the truth. ?Give me the truth.?
?The Slomia ate him.? Victor grinned. ?If you want a version that will make you sleep better, the man realized he had done wrong and the man let the kid go, and he ran off and will never been seen again as he had to change his name and address .?
Sam again swallowed hard as he watched the children play. The Slomia were not as cute as they were before.
?Ate him??
?Yes.? Victor started to walk back towards John who was done with his meeting by now. ?They knew what he wanted, and knew he had probably attacked other children before. So they decided that he needed to be taken care of. Slomia are big on honor and justice.?
?But if he did something to another child, we will never know!? Sam was upset again. ?That is not justice!?
?If he was caught and let us say he had molested four children. How much jail time would he have gotten?? Victor stopped at looked dead on. ?He would have been out and running around probably attempting to do it all over again. Trust me where he is now is a better punishment then man can ever give him.?
As they walked up to the bench John was on, he smiled. ?I see you found out what our little ones can do.?
Sam nodded and sat down on the bench opposite John. ?I do not agree with it, but Victor assures me it is a much better punishment.?
?Oh much. He is now going to be in that kids stomach for the next 200 years. Slowly, and painfully digesting.? John laughed. ?I am done with the business at hand. They wished to move to a smaller town and I granted them the move. They felt that something was coming as all the others have said but could not say more.?
Victor passed the files that Sam had given earlier to John. He slowly flipped through them one by one.
?Yes. I do believe we are dealing with a Djinn family. I think these were killed by the Djinn of Wrath.?
?How can you tell?? Sam asked looking at him as if he had gone off his rocker.
?Well one, all of these was women.? He pushed the files back towards Victor. ?All of these the women?s husband had cheated on her with another person. He ended up dead, and she shortly after. This was classified as a homicide-suicide case.?
?That does not mean there is something supernatural in the case.? Sam was not impressed.
?The case of death for both the husband and wife were undeterminable. I would wager that it was magic that did it. Since it has been too long, we will not be able to verify the story. All I can say is that all death cases need to be reviewed by us.?
Sam shook his head. ?How many of these Djinn are we dealing with??
?Seven.? Victor interjected. ?Each time someone had a wish, and they are able to get a hold of the Djinn?s medium they can make their wish a reality. When the wish has taken effect, and whatever the wish was, the person who made that wish will then die. That is why they are called the Seven Deadly Sins.?
?This is insane.? Sam put his head in his hands. ?Are you telling me that some of the Christian doctrine is true with regard to supernatural events??
?Yes.? Both Victor and John said at the same time.
?We just have to find the medium that the Djinn use, and put it in a safe place.? John looked at the sky. ?I think this rain is the effects of someone?s wish, however, I am not sure which Djinn he would have gone too. This is not a malevolent wish.?
?I will go back to the office and see what else I can find. It may take me some time but I will have it.? Sam got up and walked back to his squad car.
?I think he has not fully appreciated his position in life.? John turned to Victor. ?But I know he wants me. And I am sure if he can?t have me, he will go for you.?
Tablet Nine: The Study
?I think I have found a link to our greed Djinn.? Victor walked into the room wearing no shirt and a pair of loose black pajama pants. His chest was bare with no sign of hair. Even though he was skinny his abdominal muscles were toned and fine. John growled as he saw what he wanted but nothing could come of it.
?Why do you punish me?? John turned his attention back to the fire place and to his wine. ?I do not think I deserve that kind of punishment.?
Victor laughed. ?You have that damn fire going, it is hot in here, and I want to be as cool as I can be!? He handed the file he had just received from Sam. ?I think we have a clue as to where we might find this Djinn.?
John flipped through the printouts which depicted past spending habits of the individuals killed.
?They all went to The Lounge on Central.? John eyed Victor. ?This means they may all be gay.?
?I would assume the same.? Victor made a flipping motion with his hands. ?Keep going. There is more.?
John continued in the stack of papers, and noticed that the husbands of the women that had been cheating on them both had gone to The Lounge at some time.
?Husbands where having gay affairs?? John looked quizzical for a moment. ?That makes no sense. If the club is where these Djinn are finding their victims, why would the wives be the ones making the wish??
?We assumed it was the wife making the wish.? Victor walked over to get his own drink. ?We assumed that from the police files. What if they are wrong? What if they wanted to get rid of their wives??
John tapped the pages in his lap as he theorized what may be going on. John looked at the bookcase on the far end of the room. He raised a finger and started to draw a picture in the air. As his finger moved light trailed behind to light up a circle with a box in the center. John then drew the number 112 in the center of the square and acted like he was pushing a button.
?Show off.? Victor slugged down the rest of his drink. As John pushed on the symbol he had drawn a book appeared floating in air, which John grabbed before gravity could take hold. John rarely used magic unless he had too, or in situations where he did not feel like getting up.
?I just did not feel like exerting myself to get this book.? John flipped through the pages. ?I had a hunch and decided to find out if I was correct.?
?I could have gotten the book since I am standing right here next to it.? Victor walked to his normal chair and sat down. ?What is it??
?I am wondering if these Djinn are part of the same group that terrorized Europe during the 12th and 14th centuries.? John flipped through the pages looking for his clues.
?You mean the ones that felt that all sin should be eradicated?? Victor thought for a second. ?I thought they had been disbanded in the late 16th century??
?Disbanded but not destroyed.? John stopped on a page and read silently. After a while he handed the book to Victor. ?I think someone has reawaked these Djinn, and they feel they must continue the crusade they started.?
On the page that John had opened too showed a painted of seven men. Each of them had their hands clasped in front of them with their right hand showing a ring. The painting was in enough detail that Victor could make out the symbol on each of the hands.
?Are those papal rings?? Victor looked up at John.
?Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.? John said with a grin as he downed the last of his drink.
Tablet Ten: End Game
John opened the basement door and started to head down the stairs. Victor was right behind him with the book in hand.
?These are the original Djinn created by someone within the Church.? John flipped a switch that showed a vast underground room lined with large drawers. In the center was a slab of stone which John knelt before. ?From best I can guess they were created to help assist with the Spanish Inquisition, and the seeking out of heretics. Witch, warlocks, adulterers, and anyone else that the Church wished to vanquish.?
John pulled out some chalk and started to draw a large circle on the tablet. Victor stood back and watched as he always was interested in watching John work his magic. His magic was based on shadows. Using shadows he was able to pull things though reality. He worked best at night, but sometimes he could do things in the day if shadows were in the right place. That is why they called him the Shadow Priest.
John drew a triangle inside the circle and then inside that he drew another circle. Finally in the center he drew a picture of the ring, surrounded by strange words that John never explained.
?I am going to pull a ring here.? John turned to look at Victor. ?What ever they are attached will come here as well. I am not sure if they will be mortal or Djinn, but be prepared.?
Victor nodded and laid the book on the table. He positioned himself so that his feet were lined up with his shoulders and his hand position in a clasping position in front of him. He closed his eyes and concentrated.
John traced the path he had drawn with his finger and as he did so the lines glowed. As he worked his way to the center of the diagram the outer circle started to rotate. By the time he had the ring traced with his finger the entire piece seemed to move. Everything was counter to what it was touching. The triangle moved counter to the circle, the smaller circle moved counter to the triangle, and the ring seemed to lift itself off the diagram all together.
John stood up and he reached into the circle grabbing the ring as he did so. The ground seemed to be pulled up with the drawing. Eventually the ground took the form of a human who was screaming. That was the signal for Victor.
?Nie De Re!? Victor shouted as he opened his eyes and a light flew from his finger tips. The light collided with the human figure that had appeared and the screaming stopped. John had the beings hand in his and he was grasping at the ring. The light that flew from his finger tips were now dancing around the body of the individual and held the person in status.
?Excellent.? John pulled the ring off the human figure. As soon as the ring was extracted the body disappeared. ?Seems the Djinn were attached to the ring so to speak.?
?Where is he now?? Victor asked as he panted to catch his breath. He had only done that spell on a mortal, but using it against a being of magic was exhausting.
?You did well my friend!? John patted him on the back. I do not think anyone but you could have bound that being the way you did.? John placed the ring on the table behind Victor and sat down to look at it. ?The fiend is inside the ring now. It has been ripped from this world.?
?What about the others?? Victor sat down and pulled out a bottle of water from under the table. ?I mean there are seven of them.?
?They will be here.? John looked around the room. ?That scream would have notified them to my little theft.? John looked at the ring and spun it around on the table. ?Just do not think of anything you REALLY want. If they sense that they may be able to tempt you into wishing for something. That is where their real power lies.?
Victor swallowed hard. I want you! I want you and have always wanted it! That was his fear; his wish was not his fear. If the Djinn could sense a wish, what is to prevent him too not accidently fall for one of the Djinn tricks?
The air in the basement turned noticeably colder, and John started to laugh at Victor.
?I think your nipples are tingling that they are almost here!?
Victor looked down at his bare chest and frowned. ?Damn.?
On the far side of the room a small cloud started to form, and quickly grew in size as 3 humanoid beings formed. Each of them was six feet tall, and bald. They were all muscular and fit, and on each of their right hands was the same ring as their fallen brother. The thing that John noticed first off was their dark black eyes that seemed to penetrate the soul.
?What mortals dare to meddle in the sacred work?? the center one bellowed, and sent shivers down Victors spin. His voice commanded respect and he could tell that he was the leader. ?You fools have no idea what you deal with!?
?On the contrary,? John walked around the desk he was at without even flinching. He had the other ring in his hand and was flipping it in his hand. Victor knew he was baiting the Djinn to action, even though they had no true power. ?I know exactly what I am doing.?
The other two Djinn acted like they were going to attack but the center one just grinned.
?So you are the famous Shadow Priest?? He walked slowly towards John, but John just smiled back and kept flipping the ring. ?You are weaker then we were lead to believe.?
John stopped and placed the ring in the pocket of his robe.
?I see no reason to be afraid of you Djinn. You have no power but that to mend the mind to your needs.? He raised his hand in front of the Djinn who stopped abruptly. ?I see no reason why I should not dispose of you right here and now.?
?You could but then you wouldn?t know what has happened here.? The Djinn backed off slowly, and the other two backed up even more. ?You could dispose of me and my friends, but you would never know who awoke us and sent us to continue the work.?
John placed his outstretched hand on his chin and thought for a while. It would be just as easy to banish these three, but the prospect of getting information from the main Djinn was too much to pass up.
?Alright.? John finally put his hand down. ?I will not banish you IF you can provide me with what is going on. Why have you returned??
The Djinn grinned as he realized he had his opening. He placed his arms in front of his chest. ?As you wi??
Before the Djinn could finish his word, John flicked his hand up and the Djinn melted before his eyes. The ring bounced across the floor towards John who picked it up.
?Now would either of you two wish to finish his sentence?? John looked at the remaining two. He deposited the new ring in his pocket. ?I would be careful in what I would say in your position.?
The other Djinns swallowed hard. It was apparent they were not expecting this turn of events.
?We know only that the master revived us.? They both said in unison. ?The master that forged these rings long ago in the dark times.?
John seemed caught off guard. His mouth was open and he was at a loss of words.
?John?? Victor walked slowly up behind John and placed his hand on his arm. ?John??
?Master?? John slowly said the word as if it was something unpleasant or painful to utter.
?Yes,? they both uttered at the same time. ?We know not where he is, but he has instructed us to continue the work that was begun.?
?Where are the other three?? John seemed to get his determination back. ?I will grant you freedom but I must know where they are!?
?Freedom is not what we need.? They both said in unison which Victor guessed made them stronger. ?We are forever bound to those shackles that were forged so long ago in the dark time. We will only be free when the great work is done.?
John raised his hand again and both disappeared in a puff of smoke and the rings dropped to the floor.
?They are not here.? John picked up the other two rings and walked over to one of the cabinets in the wall. He pulled out a drawer and pulled out a large envelope. He dropped the two rings he picked up into the bag, fished out the other two rings out of his pocket and placed them in the envelope. ?Seal it.?
He turned to walk up the stairs and Victor went to the drawer and closed it, and locked it with a key he held in his pocket. Once that was done he followed John up the stairs.
John was standing by a window looking out over the city landscape.
?The master is alive.? John?s eyes looked as if they were in a different time in a different place. He turned his head towards Victor. ?I think it is time we make a visit to the family.?