The Devil's Elixir [antikvár]

I *Durango,Viceroyalty of New Spain [Present-Day Mexico)1741Alvaro de Padilla was overcome by dread as his visions dissipated and focus returned to his tired eyes.The Jesuit priest wondered what world he was emerging into, the uncertainty of it both terrifying and, oddly, exhilarating. He could hear his throat straining against his ragged breaths and feel his strained heart pounding in his temples, and he tried to calm himself. Then his surroundings slowly took shape again and placated his spirits. He could feel the straw of the mat under his fingers, confirming to him that he was back from his journey.He felt something odd on his cheeks and reached up to touch them, only to realize they were moist with tears. Then he realized his back was also wet, as if he'd been lying not on a dry bed, but in a puddle of water. He wondered why that was. He thought perhaps he had drenched the back of his cassock with sweat, but then he realized his thighs and his legs were also soaked, and he wasn't sure it was sweat anymore.He couldn't make sense of what had just happened to him.He tried to sit up, but felt all the strength had been drained out of