Araton

by Brenda Trim

  “We will investigate the scene where she woke up while you take her home,” Ayil said.

  “I woke up southeast from here,” she told them. “I didn’t have anything to tell me the exact location, but it was that direction.” She pointed the way she came from.

  “What do you think it could be?” She blurted before any of them could take off into the sky.

  Araton paused with his wings now on full display. They were far enough from the house that they couldn’t be seen by the old man that had helped her. “I’m not certain. I saw hints of darkness when you killed the thief, but I do not feel any malevolence in you now. I think we need to ask a magic user for help figuring this out so this doesn’t keep happening to you.”

  “Are you thinking the Rowan sisters?” Abraxos asked.

  “Pema and Isis are still in Khoth,” Ayil said.

  “Then we go to Marie Leveau,” Araton told them. “Right now you guys gather what information you can, and I will take her home.”

  “Marie Leveau? Like the Voodoo Queen?” She asked.

  “That’s the one. She will have a spell or potion or talisman that will tell us if you have been infected,” Araton explained.

  She nodded. “Just promise you will kill me if we discover the demons took me over. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “It’s not going to come to that,” Araton promised.

  Lia let it go for now and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held tight when he took off from the ground. She knew he made her invisible which was good. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and allowed the tears to fall. She might not make it out of this one alive. She wasn’t going to live if she was evil now.

  Chapter 12

  Araton cursed as he and his brothers were forced to land. They’d flown out to the location Zander had told them about when they hit the invisible wall. He was hoping to be able to fly directly to the front door, but the Voodoo Queen was having none of that.

  “Look,” Ayil blurted as he pointed at tiny, winged faeries flying around what looked like an enchanted willow. The creatures were from the Unseelie court. Araton knew the powerful female had alliances with many creatures throughout the realm.

  It shouldn’t surprise him that she had an agreement with the Unseelie. They were often thought of as the dark and evil side of the Fae, while the Seelie were seen as the light and good. Araton had seen enough to know that was total bullshit. Yes, Cyril, the Unseelie King was a complete fucking jackass that was trying to take over Khoth.

  Araton had seen the Seelie Queen a couple times but had never had any dealings with her. The few Fae he’d interacted with proved that they were all capricious, self-centered creatures.

  “Her house is that way,” Araton said as he pointed in the direction they needed to travel. “What in God is that smell? It smells worse than rotting demon.”

  “That Eau de Swamp Ass,” Abraxos chuckled as they continued at a fast clip. Araton patted his pockets for the stones and salt Zander had given them.

  He couldn’t stop thinking of the scene his brothers described to him. There was no sign in the swamp that Lia had driven or even walked there. Her retreating footsteps were the only things visible. None of it made sense. How and why had she gotten there?

  The three of them stopped at an old abandoned dock that was barely afloat in the murky swamp. The mist and fog were as thick as pea soup near the water’s edge.

  Araton recalled Zander telling him one scratch or bite from a Wendigo and they could become flesh-eating zombies. None of them were certain angels could be turned into flesh eating parasites, but he wasn’t taking any chances. That was only the first obstacle. After passing the Wendigo they’d encounter Wraiths. They could not be destroyed and could devour them in the blink of an eye.

  The bayou had a sound all its own that made Araton’s jaw clench with anger that the sexy human with a heart of gold and spine of steel had been dumped in the middle of a blood sacrifice. If he forgot what happened to her, he could almost appreciate it as the crickets chirped and frogs croaked while crocodiles rippled through the water.

  When he first arrived at the house to pick up a distraught Lia he’d fallen in love with the scene. The house was surrounded by trees where moss and lichen waged a battle that created a beautiful tableau with dappled sunlight filtering through the boughs. Here he saw more lichen and moss along with mud. Not as appealing as the house had been.

  The knee-high grasses tangled around his legs. Araton growled as they finally made it to the old dock. It looked like it was ready to collapse, but Araton wasn’t worried about that. He contemplated if they could fly across to the house he saw in the distance.

  Lifting into the air he realized he could hover a few inches above the water but no higher. “Let’s fly and avoid the boat,” he suggested to his brothers.

  Zeke’s mate had given someone a crystal to call the boat to them, but that seemed like far too much work.

  “Sounds good to me,” Ayil agreed.

  They took to the air a second later and hadn’t made it more than three feet when movement on the banks caught Araton’s attention. “We have company. Looks like they’re the Wendigo we were warned about. I think we’re immune to their bite or scratch, but let’s not take any chances.”

  The sound of flames crackling in the night air prompted Araton to call his weapon to his hand. The orange glow was comforting in the dark night. The crackle added to the cacophony of the night.

  Clouds cleared and the moonlight highlighted the zombie-like creatures’ glowing, yellow-brown eyes. Araton’s stomach rolled when he noticed the green slime dripping from their fangs. A quick glance told Araton there were easily fifteen or more of these creatures. Their sheer number was evidenced as the grass and water sizzled and popped where their slime hit.

  Clothing hung in tatters on their bodies and through tears in their shirts, scales of a vibrant orange were visible. There were also green pustules that oozed from large sores that covered what he could see of their bodies.

  “God that’s vile,” Abraxos complained. Araton had to agree. The smell of decaying flesh nearly made him toss his dinner.

  “What did they say about these things?” Ayil asked.

  “Aside from the fact that they might turn you into a flesh-eating zombie, don’t be fooled be their sluggish movements,” Araton explained. Zander told them that their lumbering gait was designed to lull victims into false complacency.

  Long brown claws flared and nearly locked around his ankle. The sound of heavy door hinges groaning in the wind startled him and made him flinch. Thankfully, he’d pulled up his legs while he was trying to figure out where the noise came from. It was their version of a growl.

  “That’s more annoying than it is scary,” he complained as he swung his weapon and sliced the head from its shoulders. The creature caught fire at the same time the water sizzled as blood hit. The stench was enough to peel paint off walls.

  “These are some ugly mother-fuckers. They hit every branch on the way down and landed in a pile of feces,” Abraxos added.

  That seemed to kick them into gear and the rest moved swiftly, sending the crocs, toads and other swamp critters scurrying for safety. Water rippled and splashed against the Wendigo. Araton thought it’d clean the fuckers but it didn’t touch the disease clinging to them. Claws reached for them while Araton let loose a battle cry that hopefully reached Marie’s ears. That female had pretty tight security. He was surprised she managed to make any alliances. You had to be pretty fucking determined to get through this shit and not turn tail to run.

  Araton swung his sword, easily decapitating the first to reach them. His brothers were right there with him in this fight. He expected the flaming sword to deter at least some of them. Most beings were afraid of their weapons of Light. It was a painful way to die. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to faze them at all.

  There seemed to be an unrelenting wave of the fuckers as he swung his sword. It was difficult to fly
up or over to avoid the blood splatter. The only good thing was their flames seemed to incinerate most of the cast off.

  “Abraxos,” he called out as he saw one of them almost to his brother’s legs. Without needing to look, he swung his weapon behind him knowing his inattention would be taken advantage of. The scream was music to his ears. A quick glance over told him he managed to kill another one.

  Abraxos turned and sliced into the one at his feet. Ayil was in front of their brother. He saw the hit coming and couldn’t move fast enough. Claws embedded into Ayil’s lower wing. His brother’s scream was loud enough he worried it reached Ayil’s mate, Kennex. The female would geld Araton if he let anything happen to Ayil.

  Araton ducked as Abraxos swung his weapon, sending an orange, pus-filled arm flying. The limb flopped around the sizzling water while Araton reached Ayil’s side.

  “Fuck,” Ayil bitched and nearly fell into the water. “I need to land before I fall into that cesspool.”

  Araton was about to tell his brother to continue but a sudden sharp burn lanced up through his leg. Looking down he saw that he’d gotten too close to the water and the detached arm had clawed him. “Dammit. Watch the severed limb carries their poison. It got me.”

  “Go on Ayil,” Abraxos ordered. “We will finish the last few and meet you on the end of the dock.”

  “Don’t get too close to the house or you will incite the Wraith,” Araton reminded him.

  The demon that created these flesh-eating beings was devious. Being infected by a dead limb no longer attached to a body was the epitome of dedicated. How the hell did Marie Laveau control them? They were single-minded creatures that he couldn’t see following instructions. Perhaps she really was the Goddess of Voodoo.

  Araton renewed his efforts to eliminate the rest of the Wendigo. He slashed and slayed, leaving a smoldering pile in the bubbling water. Abraxos stayed close to his side while Ayil flew to the dock not far away.

  When there were only a few left, Araton shoved his sword through the abdomen of one of the beasts and sent his energy through the sword. He felt his vitality draining into his weapon and was worried for a second he should have sliced fast. He wanted to see if he could eliminate them faster.

  A second before he was going to remove his weapon and slash through the body, light flared and the being exploded. Araton put on a burst of speed and raced away from the gore.

  His leg felt like lead, but he managed to stay in the air and reach Ayil a second later. “Salt,” he announced as he reached into his pocket and pulled the satchel out.

  “This shit isn’t healing,” Ayil told him when he poured some into his hand. “Somehow I don’t think Kennex will want to sleep with a flesh eating angel.”

  “She’d love you no matter what you become,” Araton told his brother suddenly wondering what that was like. Before meeting Natalia he’d never given it a second thought. Now, he found himself wanting that. With Lia. First, he had to ensure they all survived in one piece and that she was going to be okay.

  Araton bent down and slapped his palm over the wound on his brother’s wing. Ayil arched his back and shouted. The area had turned black and was rotting from the inside out. It was a good fucking thing he took the salt.

  Abraxos took the salt from him and repeated the process on Araton’s lower leg. He managed not to scream, but his clenched his jaw tight enough to crack teeth. Pain wracked him for what seemed like an eternity.

  The only thing that brought him a measure of comfort for those long seconds was thinking about the kiss he and Lia had shared. Soon, Araton felt the barbs of black magic from the Wendigo venom leave his blood and the fire began to cool.

  Araton looked up and noticed the Wraith watching them. “Zander gave us these magic stones. When I throw them we will need to move fast. We only have seconds to get to the door.”

  “Got it,” Ayil replied as he extended his wing testing the injury. It seemed to move just fine. Araton pulled his arm back and let the stones go while yelling the spell he’d been taught.

  The sudden shriek told Araton that the wraith was blinded. But there was no mistaking the creature’s anger. Araton watched as the rocks hit their mark. Less than a second later, an eerie silence descended over the bayou. He didn’t even hear the sounds of the animals and bugs anymore.

  Araton moved at supernatural speed toward the house that looked like it was one windstorm away from falling into the disease riddled swamp. Abraxos’s knuckles were rapping on the door within a millisecond while Araton was reaching for the handle to barge into the place.

  “There’s no reason to piss of the deadly female. If she’s got these creatures out here there’s no telling what she’s capable of,” Abraxos warned.

  “I don’t give a fuck. We need to get in there and get answers now,” Araton replied. It was impossible to calm his need. Every second that passed was one that Lia was in danger. He knew whatever was happening to her was related to what happened at the LaLaurie Mansion. Both the night he met her and the next day.

  Just as he was going to push his way inside, the door creaked open. The entry way was empty as he and his brothers entered. Where was the powerful female? The door slammed shut the second they had crossed the threshold.

  He watched as hundreds of black candles flared to life illuminating the place better than a fluorescent light. From the outside, the cottage appeared much smaller. He should have suspected there was a dimensional spell at work. No way could the female live in a home the size of his bathroom. She’d need space to brew her potions. He’d seen the setup at the Rowan sisters house. They had jars upon jars of ingredients throughout their kitchen.

  Marie’s home was one massive open area that was more cluttered than her shop on Bourbon Street. He laughed when he saw shrunken heads and dolls on one set of shelves. His nose started itching within minutes of being in room. It had to be the cloying sweet incense that permeated the air.

  Abraxos touched a jar and chuckled. “She’s got chicken feet and eyeballs. Seems cliché to me.” There were also skulls of some kind. Nearby he thought he saw the embryos of various species.

  Araton looked around for the powerful female and thought she could be standing right there but it would be hard to tell from all the antique bookshelves and sideboards with miniature skeletons and masks. The shear amount and variety of magical paraphernalia that surrounded them was astounding.

  He looked for stairs or doors but found none. He didn’t even see any hallways and the only place to sit was a velvet-covered armchair set before a blazing fireplace. Abraxos bumped into some jars, making Araton turn his head. If he broke something they might be killed, and their wings harvested.

  “Watch it, asshole,” Araton warned.

  “Yeah. Dat is hard to git,” said a female. Araton spun around again and noticed the regal female sitting in the maroon chair. She wore a tignon of vibrant gold and an elaborate headdress that was adorned with numerous rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. Most of her hair was stuffed under a wrap, but Araton saw a few black strands falling out.

  Her creamy café-au-lait skin glowed right before a pulse of her power exploded out of her and nearly knocked Araton off his feet. Marie adjusted the luxurious gold and red shawl around her shoulders and smiled at Abraxos who never showed a sign of being affected by the blast.

  “Ah. It’s lovely to meet you, Marie. I’m Abraxos and these are my brothers,” his brother crooned and picked up her small hand in one of his. Bending, Abraxos kissed the back of it then he shot her a smile that usually had females dragging him to their beds.

  “Forgive our intrusion, but we have a matter of utmost importance and we need your assistance,” Abraxos continued.

  “Dere’s always a life and death mattah with you warriors,” she retorted in a heavy Cajun accent. There was no denying her message. She was telling them she had no patience for matters that didn’t have anything to do with her and they were in her territory and she tolerated their presence but would ta
ke them out if necessary.

  “With all due respect, this will affect you if Lucifer isn’t stopped,” Araton barked at the female.

  Abraxos held up his hand. “What my brother is trying to say is that demons have been conducting countless rituals to free Lucifer from the confines of Hell. Rumor has it that he has possessed someone on Earth and is not long from being released of the spells that bind him to the Underworld. We were at one such location and black shadows separated from the walls of the house and surged into a human colleague.”

  “Where did dis happen?”

  “It was at the LaLaurie Mansion,” Araton added as he tried hard to reign in his temper. “All of our attempts to cleanse the space have failed.”

  “You clearly don’ know da depth of dark dat is in da place. If there is anywhere dat will be powerful enough to release Lucifer from da chains dat bind him ‘tis dat house. What will you give me for da potion to clean da space?”

  “We will give you a city that is free of the worst fallen angel in existence,” Araton growled at her. “If he is able to become corporeal, he will destroy you and all of your people.”

  “I’m no’ witout powers angel. I can protect my own. But your God’s human pets cannot.”

  Abraxos glared daggers at Araton before smiling at Marie. “What would be fair for your assistance?”

  “Dere are many ghosts trapped in dat house. I can’t help dem cross over. You help dem and give me some of your red feathers and I will give you what you need.”

  “Deal,” Abraxos blurted and reached over his shoulder to tug several feathers from his wings. Holding them up, he said, “What do we need?”

  Marie got up in a swish of fabric and walked to the kitchen area. She grabbed at least a dozen different jars and a large mortar and pestle. Adding pinches of this and that, she focused on her work as she spoke. “Spread dis around da house with a concentration over any sigils at da site of da ritual. Den you have your angels call up da spirits at da same time. When dey cross over you light the sigils on fire. You must do dis on da full moon.”