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"Come in, please," he says in a kind voice. "I've been hoping you would find your way here."
"Why?" I ask with suspicion. "I don't even know who you are."
"But I know aboutyou," he says with a smile. He looks creepy, as if he has been preserved in the stuff they use to embalm corpses. But he doesn't seem threatening.
"Well then." I chuckle as I take a step inside to show him what I really look like. "If that's true, then I am sure you don't think I'm the kind of person you want attending a service in your church." I raced out of my apartment so quickly that I didn't bother to put on my gloves, glasses, or even a jacket. So here I stand with my crow-like features on full display for this holy man to see.
"You are mistaken," he says as he walks toward me. "And that is why I'm glad you came. I hope I can shed some light on a few things for you."
When he reaches me, I try not to get distracted by his appearance. His eyes are milky and his body looks like a skeleton only just clinging on to its skin.
"We are not always what we appear to be," he says, and I'm not sure if he is referring to my appearance or his own.
"I want you to help me get rid of the dark magic that has sunken its teeth into me."
"Why?" he asks.
I'm shocked by his response. If he is a man of God, anything rooted in darkness should be repulsive to him.
"Because dark magic is evil," I answer, wondering why I have to explain that to him. "And ever since I used it to save someone that I cared about, it won't let me go. It has changed my appearance, and now I feel as though it is corrupting my very soul."
"And who told you that dark magic was evil?"
Anotherstrange question that shouldn't need explaining, especially not to a priest.
"Everyone knows it is."
"See now, that's where you're wrong," the priest says as he takes a seat in one of the pews and taps his hand on the smooth wood for me to join him. "Just because most people think something, doesn't make it true. Weeds and mold grow faster and greater in quantity when there are more of them together—doyouwant to be a weed?"
"Of course not, but I hardly see how that relates to what I am saying," I protest.
"You need to think for yourself," he answers. "And you need to stop being afraid."
"I'm not afraid," I retort stubbornly.
"You are. You are afraid of change, and you are afraid of what others think. You are afraid that you aren't strong enough to be in charge of such powerful magic, Elspeth, but youare."
I stare at him in awe, and I feel a whole wave of questions wash over me.
"Dark magic saved the man you love, did it not?" he asks.
"Yes, but at a cost."
"Perhaps not."
Now I know that he must be nuts because surely he can see that I've been physically altered by dark magic.
"Dark magic isn'tevil," he continues. "And it's not the cause of your problems."
"Then what is?"
"You need to believe in your strength. Only then can you balance the dark magic with the light. I can teach you how, if you want me to."
I nod, and without a moment to waste, we begin.
I'm not sure how he manages to do it—maybe time inside this cathedral stands still—but within a few hours I have gained a lifetime's worth knowledge from the priest. Thanks to him, I no longer feel consumed by the dark magic. I've finally tapped into my inner strength, and I feel completely in control of my magic and myself for the first time ever. I'm empowered and excited, and I can't wait to show Lucian and the coven witches that instead of the dark magic ruling over me,Ican now rule over it.
Just as I am about to thank the priest for what he has done and all that he has shown me, the doors to the church burst open and I turn around to see Lucian standing there with Gregory and Renna at his side. Blair, Sybil, and Isla are with him, too.
