Exorcism

The priest introduced himself as Xavier Pearse. He was a follower of Rhis, the god of light. At least, that was the symbol he wore on his robes. Rowen recognized it from all the times she had gone to the temple with her parents. Her father had been a firm believer in Rhis, while her mother had only been a casual follower. They used to joke that he would have found his way into the priesthood if he had not met her mother in college.

There was a strange pain deep in her soul when she thought of her parents. Her vision went blurry for a moment as she blinked it away.

~Do demons believe in a god?~

Rowen asked as she lay in the hospital bed, watching the priest prepare for the exorcism.

~No. We believe in personal strength above all. Gods are for humans and of humans.~

~Of humans?~

The priest was making his way to her bed, holy water in one hand and holy symbol of Rhis in the other; a sun pendant.

~Centuries ago, when I was first summoned, I fought in a war between two kingdoms that no longer exist. With me fought a rather exuberant young woman with curly black hair by the name of Ver'rae.~

Rowen had heard that name before but could not place it.

~The name is familiar.~

~Yes, well, years later, when I was summoned here for the second time, I discovered that Ver'rae was worshipped as a goddess of war. It suited her personality but imparted the belief that the gods were all human once.~

The priest stood at the end of her bed praying. He had tried to talk to her, to engage her somehow, but she had ignored him. Her conversation with her other half was far more interesting.

~You should be paying attention to what he's doing. Whether or not you believe in his god, or any god, knowing how an exorcism works is arcana knowledge.~

Rowen frowned. Her change in expression caught the attention of everyone in the room. She could argue against its words, but her arcana knowledge was severely lacking. Though she did not believe the ritual of exorcism would grant her anything useful.

"I call on Rhis and ask that you fill me with light so that I might rid this child of the demon sitting within her."

Rowen listened to the priest for a moment before turning her attention back to the demon.

~Do you think I'm barred from ever going into a temple of Rhis?~

~Most likely, he is one of the few gods who openly hates demons. Were you a believer before?~

Rowen sighed and closed her eyes. The sight of the priest annoyed her, and his tone of voice felt like nails on a chalkboard.

~My parents were. My father almost became a priest. I've gone to the temple twice a week since I was born but could never understand what they felt. I never had the heart to tell them that I did not believe.~

~Is this mood you are in because you were thinking of your parents?~

~Yes… This priest is so annoying, and whatever he's doing is accomplishing nothing but boring me.~

Its laughter filled her mind. ~Do something about it, then. There are few out there who are stronger than you are now, and none of them are in this room. Let that knowledge empower you. Do not stay your tongue.~

Do not stay my tongue, huh? There was a lot she wanted to say, or do for that matter.

"Are you finished yet? You're annoying me and interrupting my rest."

The priest's eyes noticeably widened, and he turned to the detective standing to the side. Rowen felt that the detective would have intimidated her before she had gone through hell. Now he was simply there.

"The exorcism isn't strong enough. The demon is powerful enough that we will have to try harsher methods."

Rowen was unsure what those 'harsher methods' were, but she doubted they would make a difference.

~They won't. Our souls are bound together, and there is nothing that can separate them without death.~

"No, we're done here. I humored you for the exorcism, but my patience does not go beyond that.

"Besides, the nice officer there promised she would protect me. I have a feeling those 'harsher methods' would endanger my life, and that would be bad for the officer."

The priest and detective both turned to look at Officer Mullins who had turned a few shades paler. The detective stepped forward and pulled the officer aside. He was trying for privacy, but Rowen could hear everything.

"You made a deal with a demon?"

"No, I'm not stupid. Besides, you said demons who possess are powerless."

The detective narrowed his eyes, eyebrows lowered.

"That's still true, but this may not be a simple possession after all. What did you talk with them about yesterday?"

"I gave the usual spiel that we're supposed to tell victims." Officer Mullins bit her lip and looked down at the floor before looking back up at the detective.

"She said 'deal' after I spoke."

"What did you say back?"

"Nothing."

"Damn it, Mullins. Silence is the same as saying 'yes' as far as demons are concerned."

Rowen turned her attention away from the two cops and looked at the priest.

"It says that there is nothing you can do to separate us."

The priest smiled, trying to look friendly but coming off more condescendingly.

"Demons tend to lie about everything. But, we will do everything we can to help you."

He was getting on her nerves. She felt it was wrong how they were acting like the demon was the bad guy and humans the good guys.

Rowen laughed, and it held the undertone of demonic power.

"And humans never lie? Congratulations, you've just pissed me off. Why don't you jump out the damn window."

Rowen waved her hand half-heartedly as she spoke.

A blank look came over his face; it was as if there was no life there. He turned toward the large window. There was a curse shouted to the side, and the detective raced to stop the priest who was, at that moment, trying to open the window.

"You can't do that."

"Do what?"

Rowen turned to Mullins as she walked over to the bed. She knew what the officer was talking about but was in a mood.

"Make someone kill themself just because you don't like what they say or do."

Rowen snorted, "I merely made a suggestion. If I'd actually told him to kill himself, your boyfriend wouldn't be able to stop him."

Which was what the detective was doing at the moment. He had restrained the priest and had started to pull him away from the window.

"You still can't make someone kill themself; that's not fucking right."

Officer Mullins looked upset, and her tone of voice was tense. Rowen turned her attention to the detective when he walked back in.

"You cannot go around killing people. There are laws against that. If that isn't enough, then know that there are people strong enough to kill you if you try to harm the innocent."

Detective Austin's voice was tinged with anger, the tone stern.

Rowen rolled her eyes. She did not care either way. She could recognize, at least at the back of her mind, that she was essentially throwing a tantrum. But, she did not care. She did not care if they did send someone strong enough to kill her, though the demon might.

"Fine. You like making deals? Make a deal with me; don't kill anyone."

"I'm not stupid enough to agree with that. I will refrain from killing unless I'm attacked first, but only if I get something good in return."

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, "What do you want?"

"No more priests, no more attempting to separate us. It's useless to try, but I get the feeling you'll still waste my time. And I get to live with Officer Mullins until I decide to leave."

"Deal."

"Don't I get a say?"

Mullins looked between the two of them, hands on her hips.

"Afraid not, Officer Mullins. Go home, get some rest. Your partner will be here to relieve you any minute.

"You will come directly back here when you come on shift after you've checked in at the station first."

"Yes, sir."

Rowen waved at the officer, who then let out a string of curses under her breath as she walked away.

"You're a Sync, aren't you?"

Detective Austin asked long after Officer Mullins was gone.

~What is that?~

~It is, indeed, what we are, though demons are a little more poetic with the name we chose; Soulmates. Because of the way our souls are bound, we cannot exist separately anymore.~

"Yes."

"If you can keep from causing too much trouble, I can see to it that you have a chance at a normal life. As normal as you can."

She had no plans for them at the moment, so she was not completely opposed.

~You should work with the detective on this. It will benefit us both if you continue your education. You need to learn it, and I need a refresher. Use the resources within your reach.~

She could almost see its smirk and felt herself mimicking it.

"Won't it be dangerous for me to go back to school?"

He shook his head, "Not if you go to a different school. I can make a couple of phone calls and get you into Gailuri Magic Academy."

That caught her attention. Even the most mundane knew about the Gailuri Magic Academy. If you had any magic skill or wanted to become a Summoner, that was the place to go. She did not need the demon to tell her that this was a good option.

"I suppose I could behave myself."

"Does it agree as well?"

Rowen chuckled, and it had the echo of a deep growling voice, "What one says, we both say. What one does, we both do. You need not worry, human."

Rowen felt a rush of joy at the hesitation that flashed in the detective's eyes when they spoke.