not to offend his host. The handshake was quick and firm — barely polite. His grasp was dry and Sam could detect traces of calluses. Father Rainey was not a stranger to physical work. Sam pondered this briefly. Perhaps Father Rainey liked to chop firewood? Perhaps, like he and Hikari, the priest was a warrior? Ingrained habits forced Sam to lower his gaze quickly but before he did, he noticed that Father Rainey was unwilling or unable to make eye contact with him.
The truth of the visit crashed in on him suddenly. The priest did not want to be here, which meant Hikari had asked him to visit as a favour. That favour must have had something to do with Sam.
The four settled themselves around the dinner table. Father Rainey, whether due to Hikari’s manipulations or poor luck, was sitting opposite him.
“Father,” said Hikari, “would you do the honours and bless this meal?”
The priest nodded, his jaw set. He made the sign of the cross. Sam, Hikari and Aimi bowed their heads.
“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The priest then switched to Latin, a language that Sam was becoming reasonably fluent in thanks to Hikari’s tutelage. “Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.”
A normal food benediction. The father spoke in a strong, deep voice, like stones rubbing against each other. A voice used to public speaking. Sam was about to lift his head when the priest suddenly spoke again. He switched to English.
“And give us the strength to overcome the coming trials. Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
This was highly unusual. A simple food blessing did not require this. Somehow, Sam knew that this blessing was directed at him. The priest knew who he was.
And what he was.
Hikari was staring at Father Rainey. Sam had never seen Hikari angry before but something about the set of his shoulders told him that Hikari was furious now. The priest matched Hikari’s stare for a moment and then looked away, embarrassed.
The meal was conducted in uncomfortable silence. First the miso soup, then sashimi. Sam always looked forward to sashimi — it was probably his favourite meal. Hikari’s knife skills were excellent and he was able to slice each piece of raw fish into wafer thin slices. Tonight though, Sam found himself unable to enjoy it with this man sitting opposite him at the table.
Even Aimi was uncharacteristically quiet and not full of her usual energy and good humour as she, Hikari and Sam cleared the dishes. Aimi insisted on doing the drying up. Sam could see she was worried. Suffering from his usual awkwardness, he didn’t know what to say her.
With a gesture, Hikari led the three males into the lounge. When they were settled on the couch, Father Rainey finally looked Sam in the eye.
“Take off your cap.”
Sam looked at Hikari who nodded. He did what he was told and watched as the priest’s eyes widened at the sight of his horns.
“So, it’s true then.”
Father Rainey stood and moved closer to Sam so he could examine the small black horns protruding from Sam’s unruly dark hair. He reached out a hand to touch them, had second thoughts and instead reached under his collar. He brought out a string of rosary beads. Attached to the end of them was a cross.
“Touch it.”
Sam dared not. He knew what would happen. When he was five, he’d made the mistake of touching the cross around Hikari’s neck. It was not an experience he wished to repeat. For the second time, he looked across at Hikari. Once again, with a resigned nod and obvious pain, Hikari gave his consent.
Sam reached out hesitantly. He noticed with some embarrassment that his hand was shaking. Regardless, he touched the cross. Instantly, pain shot through his body. It was as if some one had stuck a thousand burning hot needles into his body. The searing pain made him want to cry out. He did not. Would not. Instead, he held on.
“Let go, my son.” Hikari was sitting forward on the couch, Sam’s pain mirrored in his eyes.
He did, sagging with relief. The pain subsided quickly. He looked up and glared at the priest. The man nodded as if satisfied. There was a satchel on the floor next to the couch; Father Rainey reached into it and pulled out a leather bound bible, similar to the one possessed by Hikari.
“I am sorry, Sam,” said the priest, sounding anything but sorry, “but there is one last test.” He held the bible out to him.
Sam touched it. He was ready for the pain but this time, it was more intense than the cross. It took all his will power not to make a sound, and he gritted his teeth as the pain lashed him. He could feel blisters forming on the tips of his fingers, smoke rising from the contact points.
Aimi rushed into the lounge. “Leave him alone!”
She lunged for the book and suddenly, the pain was gone. The bible thudded onto the carpet, the last wisps of smoke wafting into the air, smelling vaguely of sulphur. The priest nodded again, picked up his bible and put it back in his satchel. He sat back down on the couch and considered the boy in front of him.
Aimi quivered by Sam, eyes wide in anguish. She bent down to examine the blisters on his fingertips.
“I’ll go get something for this,” she said. With a last backwards glare at the priest, she left the room.
“Both tests were necessary, I’m afraid,” said Father Rainey. “I had to be sure, you understand.”
Sam stared at the priest but said nothing. Hatred burned in his chest. It was only the presence of Hikari that stopped him tearing out the man’s throat.
“Years ago, when Hikari told me about you, I did not want to believe. In fact, I have gone to some lengths to keep my distance so that I would not be confronted with something I was not prepared for. Now that I can see it with my own eyes, I cannot deny the truth of it. You are what Hikari told me you were. A demon. A half-breed perhaps, but a demon nonetheless.”
Sam knew what he was. Even though, to be called such by a stranger — a priest, no less — hurt him more than he cared to admit.
Father Rainey sighed and ran his hand through his thick black hair as Aimi returned to apply salve to Sam’s injured hand. The priest waited patiently until she had finished. Sam could tell the priest wanted her to leave but Aimi stubbornly refused to move. She sat next to Sam on the couch, holding his injured hand.
Father Rainey looked to Hikari. Sam’s master shrugged and spread his arms wide. “Aimi already knows the truth, Tobias. She can stay.”
When it was obvious that Aimi had no intention of leaving, Father Rainey sighed again and continued.
“I have been putting this moment off. It is time for you to know the truth of your existence. Hikari asked me to come here today and speak to you. Your master and I have been friends for years — since Japan in fact, where I spent two years. After your mother was … seduced … by a demon and your subsequent birth, Hikari and I have been conducting extensive research. Your birth heralds a time that has long been prophesized by the Bible. I refer, of course, to the Rapture.”
Despite his anger, Sam nodded. He knew of the Rapture. Hikari had spoken of it before but Sam was keen to hear about it from a different perspective.
“The Rapture is, as you probably know, a time when the Lord Jesus will return to Earth. All worthy believers, dead and alive, will rise up in the sky to meet him. The innocent, such as young children, will also ascend to heaven to be with our saviour.
“The timing of this event has been subject to much debate. Most Christians, regardless of denomination, believe that Christ will return at some point and lead the devout to salvation. Of course, no-one knows when this will occur. Until now.
“Some years ago, I had a vision. In this vision, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before me and told me that the Rapture was almost upon us. She told me that it will occur well within my own life time and that we must prepare ourselves for what follows. My faith is strong, but I am not proud enough to assume that I was the only one chosen to see this vision. In fact, I would have doubted it had not Hikari had the same vision on exactly the same night.
“What follows the Rapture has also been debated. Some believe that there will be seven years of hell on
