I nodded. “Oggie says there’s hardly a Loa, good or evil, who wouldn’t try to influence me if they knew about our abilities… Isabelle’s abilities, I mean.”
Ashley squinted. “You’ve changed, little sis.”
I shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t have corrected yourself before, but you just emphasized those abilities belong to Isabelle.”
“I’ve developed a few abilities of my own,” I said. “This Voodoo stuff, it seems second nature to me. Natural. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting used to the idea that she and I are really separate people, different souls.”
“So what are these abilities? You said that you can actually travel to Guinee?”
I grinned and extended my hand, focusing my will. “Beli…” I felt the hilt of my soul blade form in my hand after speaking the dragon’s name. The streetlights around us glistened off the blade as it formed.
“Killer!” Ashley exclaimed. “That’s a badass blade!”
“Check this out.” I swung the blade through the air, piecing the veil between our world and Guinee.
Ashley belted out a hoot. “That’s amazing! I can literally see a whole other world in there…”
I nodded, grinning widely. “Oggie says that he’s never seen a recruit with this ability. My blade is forged from a combination of elementals, like a dragon. Dragons, he says, were the ancient gatekeepers between realms. I guess I’ve managed to tap into that power. Not even a Loa can open portals like this.”
Ashley’s grin turned stern. “I think you should close the gate.”
I released my soul blade, and it immediately vanished into the ether. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Ashley said, shaking her head. “It’s that Shaman’s intuition. I’m getting a sense of foreboding… but I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Well, considering the fact that you just saw Kalfu’s veve on our property…”
“I think that has something to do with it… it’s all connected, somehow. If you make these gates, are you sure that something else can’t come through?”
“I really don’t know. I mean, it’s possible I guess. But as soon as I drop the blade, my gates dissipate with it.”
“I think I should go with you.”
I shook my head. “Oggie would never allow it. No one is allowed at the Academy who hasn’t been sponsored.”
“Can’t you sneak me in?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t know how.” And I didn’t. I couldn’t even bring her into Vilokan if she didn’t have a Loa’s aspect, or unless she was accompanied by Père Antoine.
“Then let’s go now. You and me.”
Again, I shook my head. “These gates, we can’t control where or when they form. Without someone from College Aida-Wedo, someone who can bind the gate in place, we’d risk never being able to get back to this time and place.”
Ashley reached into something resembling a fanny pack. I had to admit, while I knew they were making something of a comeback, the way she sported it gave the accessory a bit of flair. It accentuated her hips well. I made a mental note of that—I’d have to try one myself. Though, the one she had appeared as though it had been handmade, likely by someone on the reservation.
“If I can’t go with you”—Ashley tossed me a small item, which I instinctively raised my hand to catch—“take this with you.”
I looked at the item. It was something of a small totem, a bird—possibly an eagle—carved into the top. It was only about four or five inches long and about the diameter of my thumb. I traced my finger along the delicate carvings. “What is it?”
“Think of it as a good luck charm.” Ashley grinned. “If you are in need, touch it with your magica… with Isabelle’s magica.”
“In need in what way? Like, if I have to go pee in the netherworld but can’t find a decent place to squat?”
Ashely curled her lip. “Not exactly. I’m thinking more of a desperate need. Something life or death.”
“But what does it do?”
“That depends what you need,” Ashley said. “It should bring you good fortune.”
“Cryptic, but okay,” I said, sticking the totem into my pocket.
Ashley grinned. “At the very least, it should give you some confidence.”
I didn’t exactly need a good luck charm, and based on Ashley’s shrouded explanation about what this little trinket was supposed to do, I suspected that was all it was worth. Growing up, the Shaman Roger had constantly given us little trinkets, hung little items around our house. He’d done a lot of things that he swore would help protect us in our home. Sometimes just believing that something is there, even something small, keeping the baddies at bay, can do wonders. Of course, I was all grown up now. I didn’t put much stock in these things. Still, if Ashley insisted it would help, it certainly couldn’t hurt.
“Thanks, sis,” I said.
Ashely nodded and gave me a hug. “Just be careful. I can’t help but think that this Kalfu creature is working something behind the scenes, something connected to what happened to us. If his sigil in our slave quarters means anything—”
“It means that someone has or intends to attempt to summon him. That’s all I can say that the veve suggests.”
“But why there, at that location?” Ashley asked.
I shrugged. “Probably because he knows it would freak us out. He did see your memories.”
Ashley gave a quick nod. “Let’s hope that’s all it is. And that whoever did it wasn’t successful.”
“I have a hunch who it might have been… the same classmate who is trying to raise Baron Samedi.”
“Sounds like a real asshole.”
“You have no idea… but if it is him, it would make sense. Somehow he learned about us, about Isabelle and Messalina. And we know at least one person has summoned him recently.”
“The boy that night had apparently done it by accident.”
“Mikah… yeah. I’m still not entirely sure how he fudged that one up, but summonings are a bit tricky, even for second-years.”
“And you think your first-year classmate could pull it off?”
I shrugged. “Nico comes from a long line of vodouisants. I’m sure he has some knowledge he’s gained through the years, a few tricks he hasn’t learned in school. All I know is somehow he learned things about us… and if he reached out to Kalfu, well, that would explain it. The Loa basically knows all your memories.”
Ashley nodded. “Just be careful. You know as well as I do that jumping in to tackle a supernatural problem on little more than a hypothesis…”
I chucked. “Yeah, well I’m not going to put too much stock in garlic this time.”
Ashley grinned. When we’d taken down the vampire, we’d relied on some lore that suggested garlic could hurt vampires. We discovered the lore is only true to a point—vampires don’t like garlic. They think it stinks, they find it repulsive. But it doesn’t hurt them. Not really. We’d put too much stock in the lore, and we didn’t know what else to try—other than allowing Isabelle to take over, which she did. The vampire didn’t have a chance. Of course, it put me out of commission for a while. But it was better than becoming a meal.
“I’ll try to keep an open mind,” I said, grinning. “Worst case scenario, I let Isabelle save the day.”
Nice to be your Plan B…
I cringed. That wasn’t what I meant. Okay… maybe it was. But I hadn’t thought how treating her that way might be mildly annoying. After all, she was more powerful than me, even with my dragon blade. And it wasn’t like I wouldn’t let her handle this if I thought we had any chance of seeing it through. The truth was, a part of me wanted to be the hero myself. I wanted to defeat Nico’s plan, I wanted to be the one who handled the Baron problem, the one who vanquished Kalfu forever. I had to free myself from my fears, not rely on someone else—even Isabelle—to do it for me. If I did that, if I didn’t face these fears head-on and win… well, I sensed they�
��d always be with me, they’d always haunt me.
Chapter Twenty
“Where have you been?” Pauli asked as I sneaked back into bed. “Shit is afoot!”
“You stepped in shit?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No! Shit with Nico…”
I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”
“That summoning shit you said he was planning… I think he’s doing it right now.”
“Shit!” I said, jumping from my bunk.
“That’s what I said. It’s afoot!”
Ellie glared at me from behind her book. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” I said. “Just a project I’m working on with my Loa. Do you know where Nico went?”
Ellie shrugged and rolled her eyes. “Who cares.”
“I thought you liked him?”
Ellie shook her head, smirking. “My Loa has given me a new perspective on men.”
“I’m sure she has,” I said, turning toward the door.
“Wait,” Ellie said. “I think you should know something…”
“What is it?” I huffed.
“I heard Nico talking to Sauron. He said something about an exorcism, mentioned your name. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, only get you to come after him in the gymnasium. But I don’t think he’s right. If you were possessed, I’d know it.”
I cringed. More evidence that Nico had been consulting with Kalfu—how else would he know about Isabelle? “You’d know it?” I asked.
“A side effect of my aspect. If any Loa had mounted you, I’d sense it.”
I took a deep breath. At least she could only sense a Loa’s possession… she wouldn’t be able to detect Isabelle. “Well why didn’t you correct him?”
“I tried,” Ellie said. “But he thinks my aspect is… unreliable. He doesn’t trust that I’ve mastered it yet. Kind of insulting, if you ask me. He says he has proof, though.”
I bit my upper lip. “Trust me, I’m not mounted right now. I haven’t been at all, except for acquiring my aspect.”
Ellie nodded. “I know.”
“Do you know if he took anything with him?”
“Only that doll he’s been working on in class.”
I nodded. Of course he did. He was going to attempt this summoning tonight. He was going to use Messalina’s powers. Our plan couldn’t wait until morning. I had to stop Nico now… somehow.
“Can you do me a favor?” I said, turning to Ellie.
“I guess,” Ellie replied, setting her book down.
“Can you get Oggie for me? Let him know that Nico is doing his ritual right now!”
“But I can’t get to his quarters…”
Ellie had a point. Each Loa lived in a wing belonging solely to their college—it was where Mikah lived, too. I’d end up there next year, if I chose to stay on campus. It was one reason I’d hardly seen the other Loa since I arrived—and it was also one reason Ellie wouldn’t be able to get to Oggie. At least, not directly.
“Then ask Erzulie to tell him,” I said. “They’re married after all.”
“I can do that.” Ellie nodded.
“Ask her to have him meet me in the gymnasium. I have to stop Nico now…”
“But that’s what he wants you to do,” Pauli protested.
I brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face. “It might be a trap, but I don’t have a choice. He can’t be allowed to complete the summoning.”
* * * * *
Let me take the reins, Isabelle said as we approached the gymnasium doors. A red glow emanated from around them. Nico had already begun… I wasn’t sure what the red glow meant, but I knew it couldn’t be good.
I shook my head. I couldn’t let Isabelle take over. Not until I knew what we were dealing with. Not until I was sure I could keep my emotions in check. Something too shocking, even something that takes me the slightest bit off guard and rattles my emotions, would leave me back in the driver’s seat, debilitated by a migraine.
“Are you sure you’re ready to go in there?” Pauli asked.
I took a deep breath. “You’ve got my back, right?”
Pauli nodded. “Unicorn power is on your side, honey.”
“Don’t forget the rainbows.” I grinned.
Pauli winked. “You’ve figured me out already. Say the word and I’ll ride my rainbow out of there more quickly than a redneck caught in the middle of a pride parade.”
“That’s fast!” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“I joke when I’m nervous,” Pauli said.
I shrugged. In truth, Nico didn’t scare me that much. So long as he hadn’t managed to summon the Baron already, there wasn’t too much to fear. I mean, I’d faced worse than Nico. He was just a half-rate Hougan in training with a bad attitude. Nothing I couldn’t handle.
I pressed the bar on the gymnasium door, throwing it open. “Nico! You have to stop!”
Nico stood there, not three feet in front of me. His arms were folded.
“Thanks for coming,” Nico said.
I looked around. I was standing in some kind of circle, and Kalfu’s veve was drawn on the floor in ash.
“What the hell are you doing, Nico?”
“Drawing the demon out of you, bitch.”
I cocked my head. “What are you even talking about?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Mikah already tried to summon him once. You think I couldn’t figure out what happened? Kalfu found a host…”
“That’s not true!” I shouted.
“You can’t leave the circle,” Nico said. “So don’t even try. It will bind you here until the exorcism is finished.”
I ran headlong toward Nico. My body struck something as I hit the edge of the circle. It was like I’d run into a glass wall or something.
“Nico, you don’t know what you’re doing! At least let Pauli out of here!”
“Yeah,” Pauli said. “Let Pauli go!”
Pauli extended his fingers and shot a rainbow toward the invisible barrier that held us in. The rainbow ricocheted off the barrier. I ducked as it shot past my head.
“Poor Annabelle’s Paulsy,” Nico said, tracing fake tears down his cheeks with his fingers. “Your aspect won’t help you escape.”
“Are you making fun of people with Bell’s palsy? Not cool!” Pauli snapped his fingers. “Making fun of medical conditions is not PC!”
“Not like it’s a serious condition,” Nico said. “People get over it.”
“Still, not cool!” Pauli shouted.
“Sorry, bud, can’t let you out. It would break the circle. But you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. That is, so long as Kalfu doesn’t have a problem with you.”
“I’m not possessed by Kalfu!” I screamed.
Nico paced around the circle, Sauron standing a few feet behind him in the shadows. “Why don’t you tell us what you saw, Sauron?”
“She was talking to someone else… someone in her mind. But no one was there.”
I sighed. “When did you see that?”
“First day at the Academy… I told Nico. We knew right away you were either possessed or crazy.”
“I thought you were just a bit mental at first,” Nico said. “But I’ve been watching you. You’re cool and calculated. You’ve got your Loa wrapped around your little finger.”
I huffed. “Oggie is not wrapped around my finger. Not even a little.”
“I had to admit that it was strange when he declined to sponsor me and turned to some… unknown. A white girl from a slave-holding family. I knew something was at work, something insidious. Someone had deceived him.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
Just let me take over.
I shook my head.
“He’s talking to you right now, isn’t he?” Nico grinned. “I can see it in your eyes. Something is distracting you. He’s trying to tell you how you can break the binding.”
“No, that’s not it,” I said.
&n
bsp; “Whatever,” Nico said, lifting up the Voodoo doll he’d made in class.
“Don’t use that!” I shouted.
“The Caplata whose essence this contains… she’s the same one who bound Baron Samedi. Her power can be used to bind Kalfu, too.”
“You don’t get it!” I shouted. “I’m not possessed by Kalfu. I came here so I could learn how to stop him, so I could prevent him from coming after me.”
“Something that someone mounted by Kalfu would say…”
“And how do you know about Messalina, anyway?” I asked.
“You mean, how did I learn that you were a part of banishing my college’s Loa?”
“Exactly. How would you know all of that unless you were the one who’s been communing with Kalfu?”
Nico narrowed his eyes, trying to penetrate my mind with his stare.
“Kalfu possessed my sister, for only a second. He took her memories. There’s no other way you would know.”
Nico shrugged. “Papa Legba told me.”
“He what?” I asked, my voice rising a good octave or two. “He asked me to help you summon Baron Samedi!”
“That was brilliant! I didn’t think the old Loa had it in him.” Nico was grinning widely.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“He knew you’d do anything to stop Baron Samedi, after what happened to your family. He knew you’d come here to stop me, just as I needed to lure you here to exorcise you.”
“I don’t need a fucking exorcism!” I shouted.
Nico shrugged. “It’s really kind of a euphemism, I admit. I mean, I’m not going to exorcise Kalfu out of you. I don’t have the power for that. I’m going to exorcise you… straight into the land of the dead.”
“Exorcise me?”
“Banish you, more like it,” Nico said. “College Samedi… that’s what we do.”
“You don’t need Messalina for that!”
“I need to call Kalfu out of you so that she can bind you, like she did the Baron.”
That’s not what her magic did! Isabelle was practically screaming in my ears. Messalina cast a spell to sacrifice herself, to break the bargain, but her magic is what summoned the Baron to begin with. If he summons Kalfu…
Voodoo Academy Page 14
