by Alexie Aaron
“Fat chance.”
“You can bring hubby. He would probably come in very handy.”
“He’s too expensive. You can’t afford him,” Mia said.
“I’m not paying either of you.”
“Then you can fu… Hello, Mark,” Mia said, spotting him. “Is practice over?”
“It is for me. Would you mind if I sat with you? It’s humiliating when you get told to hit the showers halfway through.”
“Kid, it just means the coach has already evaluated you. He’s just clearing the field so he can check out the quarterbacks,” Whit said.
“Mister, you’re being kind. Thank you,” Mark said.
“Oh, Mark, this is Whitney Martin. Whit, this is a good friend of the family Mark Leighton.”
“Leighton? Now why have I heard that name before?”
“My family owns the Leighton VA facility.”
“Nope. It will come to me.”
“Are you related to Ted?” Mark asked.
“No. There are a lot of Martins around in these parts,” Whit answered. “I’m an old friend of Mia’s from school.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“If you will excuse me, I’m going to go down and see if I can give the coach some pointers,” Whit said. “Mia, I’m serious. I think you should reconsider coming with me.”
Mia didn’t say anything. She watched until Whit was conversing with the coach before she spoke, “Mark, remember the pirate map we worked out together?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it seems that Sabine, Patrick, and Mason are in the Caribbean right now checking things out. Problem is, it’s led them to an island that would be better left undisturbed. Whitney works for the Feds, and he seems to think that there are several dozen missing people that may have visited that island before vanishing. To top it off, Angelo Michaels wanted me to go and protect Sabine.”
“I take it, you don’t want to go.”
“No. But I’m not sure if it’s just because two arrogant imbeciles all but ordered me to go. Is this only reason that I’m not going? What if she’s in trouble, and my rebellious nature is getting in the way of me seeing straight?”
“What if Ted asked you to go?”
“I’d go.”
“What if Michael asked you?”
“I’d go.”
“Ah, it’s because you don’t trust this guy or Angelo,” Mark reasoned.
“You’re one smart kid, Leighton.”
Mark smiled widely. “I’m glad you think so, Mia. But I think maybe you should talk to someone more comfortable in the Caribbean before you decide.”
“So, Dieter has told you about the judge?” Mia confirmed.
“Yes.”
“Problem is, I’m not sure I can trust him either,” Mia said.
“Would these three entities work in concert with the others?” Mark asked.
“No, I’m sure, in two of the cases, they hate each other.”
“So, look at them as three independent sources of information. Two of them, so far, feel you would be a valuable asset in the Caribbean. If the third confirms it, then…”
“I’ll go,” Mia said, getting up. “I’m going to see if I can have a brief chat. If I don’t return before the end of the practice, call Ted. He’ll pick you up and, hopefully, send out a search party for me.”
“I will,” Mark promised and watched Mia descend the steps before she descended into Purgatory.
Chapter Four
Instead of the beach Mia was used to being brought to, Roumain had chosen the pool of sorrows. Mia looked around and saw Guillaume Bouché sitting under one of the large palm trees.
“He should be told of Sabine’s situation,” Judge Roumain said from behind Mia.
She turned and looked up into the handsome visage. The deep brown eyes held hers in their liquid pool. The first time she had looked into them, she saw herself naked rising from a pool of water that she assumed was the pool of sorrows. Today, she just saw her reflection in the tall black man’s eyes.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I could use your advice. But, first, I want to thank you for saving my life.”
“I didn’t save your life. He-who-walks-through-time did,” the elegantly attired Haitian king of Purgatory proclaimed.
“He did it with your help. Please accept my thanks and esteem.”
“Careful, Mia, you are stirring things in me…”
“Nonsense, you’re flattering me again,” she dismissed. “What can you tell me of Lucifer’s Lip?”
“You’ve seen it. Maybe even kissed it?”
“I didn’t kiss him. I hugged him… twice, but it was an impulse not well thought out.”
“I will not waste my voice. You don’t need another lecture on your impulsive nature.”
“Thank you.”
“Why are you here?”
“Advice. I came for your advice, your counsel.”
“Go on.”
“Sabine called me from Lucifer’s Lip island. She was concerned with the effects she was experiencing from waves of negative vibes being generated on the isle. I told her how to protect herself, but I doubt she’ll follow through. She asked me to alert Angelo to her situation, which I did.”
“I take it from your body language, you didn’t enjoy the call.”
“No. Angelo, for obvious reasons, isn’t my favorite birdman.”
“I hear your new favorite is Victor.”
“Don’t believe what you hear. If I had to have a favorite, it would be my grandfather, because he’s my grandfather.”
Roumain’s laughter echoed across the wide expanse of desert surrounding the pool. “Angelo did defend you at the hearing.”
“I defended myself,” Mia corrected. “Not that he wouldn’t have if I wasn’t so pigheaded.”
“A wise woman doesn’t depend upon the mirror to know herself,” Roumain said. “Please go on.”
“He thought I should go down and check on Sabine when I suggested he contact his people to do so.”
“It’s unusual for Angelo to be stubborn. It must be the humans he hangs around with.”
“Touché.”
“Surely, a bad call from Sabine, and another from Angelo, would not be enough to send you scurrying to me.”
Mia winced at the scurrying comment.
“Whitney Martin hunted me down after his agency picked up the satellite calls from Sabine to myself. He’s been asked to look in on a missing person’s case originating from the same area. He thought I should travel with him, gratis, to check on Sabine.”
“Alone with Whitney?”
“He suggested I bring Ted. I told him Ted was too expensive. He said he wasn’t going to pay us. I declined.”
“Seems to me you made up your mind. Why are you here then?”
“Mark Leighton.”
“The would-be angel hunter?”
“The won’t-be angel hunter,” Mia corrected. “He said that this is your area of expertise and that maybe I should ask you to weigh in on the situation.”
“Do you mind, Mia, if I read you first?”
“No. I’ll open up my mind,” Mia said, expecting Roumain to read her from where he stood.
Instead, he pulled her close to him and put his forehead to hers.
When he was through, he released Mia and she fainted. Roumain smiled, scooped her up, walked to the palm tree, and told Guillaume Bouché to take a hike. Roumain gently laid her on the soft grass of the oasis and caressed her cheek until she woke.
Mia looked up into Roumain’s eyes and studied him before she asked, “Should I be worried?”
“About Sabine, yes.”
“No, about what you just did to me?”
“Maybe. I’ll not lie to you. I did take advantage, but not of your body. It’s been too long since I walked the corridors of your mind house. I saw for myself that you’ve been behaving in an admirable manner. Boring.”
Mia smiled. “I’m pretty boring t
hese days.”
“You took such a chance with the Sentinel Woods demon.”
“It wasn’t me who killed it. So, there’s no use sending me to demon court.”
“I didn’t send you to the court. You volunteered. The idiot you are.”
“Yes. Let’s not humiliate me further. What did you do to me?” Mia asked again.
“I examined you to see what other time bombs Elizabeth installed in your head.”
“The tumor wasn’t from Elizabeth. It was from the imbalance, according to… Shit.”
Roumain smiled.
“That’s why you’ve been so staid and distant.”
“I don’t like him.”
“So he said.” Mia looked at Roumain. “It’s not like I told Raphael to send you here. And I didn’t ask him to…”
“Heal you and then insert part of Lazar deep into you.”
“Yikes! You make it sound so dirty.”
Roumain looked at Mia. His face was cold.
“K. You’ve got to tell me. Is it because I agreed that you do a good job here? Damn, I can’t give a compliment anymore.”
Roumain looked at Mia sideways before speaking, “I’ve decided that I don’t want you anymore.”
“Great! I’ll throw a party for myself when I leave here,” Mia assured him.
“You don’t have to be so happy about it,” he complained.
“You’re afraid of the Crone magic, aren’t you?” Mia said. “Or is it the sword? I assure you, Altair has it once more. I would never use it against you.”
“Are you trying to get me back?” Roumain asked, his voice low and sexy.
“No. I just don’t want you worried about some fool thing you think I’m going to do next.”
“You’ve come a long way since Beverly tried to sell you to Angelo Michaels.”
“That’s when we first met,” Mia said. “You saved me then.”
“But you still ended up with bird wings. Although, I’ve heard they are only second to one.”
“I admit they are too much for me. But if they help me to defend my family, then I’ll wear them with pride.”
Roumain smiled. “I’m glad you came to see me, Mia.”
“You could have fooled me with your reception.”
“Look at it from my point of view. I heard rumors Victor had outfitted you with wings again, you’ve been with Raphael, Altair has given you a God-killer sword, and you show up here unannounced. I was worried you had turned assassin again.”
“Ouch, I can see your point, but it doesn’t take away the sharpness of your words,” Mia said, putting her hand on her chest. She got up and prepared herself to go. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you. I won’t come unannounced again,” she promised.
“Talk to Guillaume Bouché about the island. I believe he was one of the only ones to escape it. He will tell you all he knows,” Roumain said.
“But not you?”
“Mia, there are rules that even I must abide.”
“But you don’t normally.”
“I’m not normally in the presence of a Raphael-altered being.”
“So, once again, fate plays with me, and I end up the loser,” Mia said, turning her back on the judge. “Where can I find Guillaume?”
“He’s just the other side of the hill,” Roumain said.
Mia turned around. “Thank you for all you have done for me. I will not forget your kindness, like I have your interferences.”
Roumain watched her trudge up the hill. He saw the waves of sorrow drain off her and run down the hill to mix with the tears that filled the pool. Yet, he had to stop himself from being moved by them. Little Mia Cooper had changed again. This time, he couldn’t trust her. He’d seen what she’d become inside, and it frightened him.
Roumain’s wife walked out of the pool and up to his side. “Your little pet has disappointed you,” Violine said, caressing his arm.
“You’re getting my clothes wet, woman.”
“She is ripe. Take her now. Implant your child within her. The baby will bathe in Crone magic and grow into a powerful sorceress. She may quite possibly rival me.”
“Look where that got you,” Roumain said, lifting Violine’s chin. “Are you sure you don’t want revenge for Mia killing you?”
“I’m not sure. Killing me, freed me, yet still I miss being alive.”
“I have two very desirable women within reach. Yet one or both may probably be the end of me. I’m not sure if I haven’t slipped into my own private hell,” Roumain said and walked away, leaving Violine to frolic in the pool alone.
Mia’s aunt Beverly was tied to Guillaume Bouché by the Cooper curse. Guillaume had loved Beverly, but not enough for him to be consumed also by the curse. Death had stopped the obsessive love he had for the powerful sensitive, but it also kept him here, pondering his fate. In life, he was a magician, wizard if you will. He learned to control all Mother Nature had to offer. He used it to entertain people and to make life comfortable for himself. He needed little: a bottle of good rum, a soft yielding woman, and a comfortable space in which to enjoy all she had to offer him.
Guillaume saw the woman rumored to be Judge Roumain’s earthly fascination and Beverly’s niece. Although, he could now see there was no direct relation between Bev and Mia. The time he spent in contemplation had cleared his mind, and he could see that the only thing that tied his former lover and the woman before him was that they were raised by a powerful witch. Bev’s adoptive mother and Mia’s paternal grandmother.
“I find it fascinating, girl, that you walk freely when you readily reject the bed of the king,” Guillaume said, patting the ground beside him.
Mia dropped down beside the thin man and pulled her knees to her chest. She hid her face from the astute magician.
“Come now, girl, I can feel your tears. But I sense you don’t cry because you’ll miss his caressing voice. You cry because you’re being misjudged by a judge.”
Mia sniffed and looked over at Guillaume. “I can see why all those women fell for you. You’re funny.”
Guillaume smiled. “I’m funny and sexy.”
“There’s that.”
“Careful, I don’t want to end up in hell,” he warned. “Tell me, why have you come once again to see me?”
“Roumain said you escaped Lucifer’s Lip.”
The man’s face lit up. “I did. Not many of us have. I may be the only one come to think of it? No, quite recently there was a boy, but Roumain sent him to hell after being eaten by a shark. This boy refused to see that he couldn’t use his immature anger to influence anyone here. Roumain said, ‘If you’re going to act like a troll, then you shall be one,’ and poof he was gone.”
“How can you know all this?”
“Purgatory is an interesting place. The living world is overlaid again and again. This film of all times helps us to atone for what we’ve done. It is torture for some, an aid to others. Me, I get to see my lovers again.”
“I’ve come looking for advice. Your daughter, Sabine, is on a boat anchored off Lucifer’s Lip.”
“She is in danger then,” Guillaume said. “It’s a false sense of security that the water brings. There is a life that reaches out from beneath the island to do the bidding of the demon-with-no-name who resides within it.”
“What kind of life?”
“Kraken or a relative of one. It has hundreds of tentacles. It pulls you under the sand, or through the water, into caves where you’re tossed on a pile of rotting bodies until your mind can be consumed by the demon. After, your remains are eaten by this kraken.”
“How did you escape?”
“I had the use of what Mother Nature had given me. She sent a pod of dolphins to guard me as I swam to safety. They confused the tentacles and fought the sharks. I was a very lucky young man to survive my ill-fated adventure. Finally, a large turtle carried me to the shipping lanes where a boat picked me up.”
“But if you know about the caves, it seems to me that you we
re pulled into them. How did you escape the danger in the caves?” Mia asked.
“The demon was looking for a host so he could leave the island. I was considered because of my strength but rejected because of my magic. The demon couldn’t bond with me. I’m too oily for anything to stick to.”
“Strange use of words,” Mia said.
“You would understand had you been raised in my village,” Guillaume said.
Mia waited for him to explain, but he did not continue in that vein.
“Magic, island magic, can be used to escape the threat. You have to be tricky. Use things that have been given to you or you have taken. The knowledge is within you. The problem is, will you be strong enough to use it?”
A great shadow fell across them both. Mia felt an unwelcoming chill. She looked over her shoulder at Roumain.
“Mia, it’s time for you to leave. I’ll have to put you on the role of parolees if you stay any longer,” Roumain said, walking up to them.
“Thank you for speaking to me,” she said to Guillaume.
“Save my daughter if you can,” he said, clasping her hand.
Mia felt a surge of energy move from him into her. She wasn’t sure what just happened but knew it was something not to be discussed with Roumain.
“I’ll leave as soon as I can,” she promised.
Guillaume watched Mia disappear with the wave of Roumain’s hand. He also observed a momentary weakness in the King of Purgatory’s aura.
“Are you alright, old friend?” Guillaume asked Roumain.
“She’s been through a great deal. I can’t save her,” Roumain said sadly.
“Mia’s heart is weeping. You could have saved her that,” Guillaume accused.
“How can her heart weep for me?” he asked, surprised.
“Just like I can love many women, Mia loves too. She may not take you into her bed, but you are in her heart just the same.”
“It’s too crowded there for my tastes,” Roumain said.
“Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?” Guillaume asked.
Roumain turned and looked at the man. “Why are you still here? Move on!” Roumain ordered.
“Alas, I cannot. The one that binds you here has also demanded that I atone. It’s hard to atone for things that have brought me so much pleasure.”
