by K.N. Lee
I was glad for that. Dealing with everything else going on tonight was proving difficult enough. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the kids being used as tools for this necromancy. It could have been enough to tip my sanity and even if I wasn’t familiar with them, I thanked the Marassa twins for recognizing it.
“So now what?” I asked, my voice dripping with fear.
“Now it’s Camille’s turn. She will summon Filomèz, and you will speak with the spirit through Camille.”
“Will the possession hurt Camille?”
“Filomèz rarely takes occupancy in her host. I’ve never actually seen it. Camille has been used only a few times, but she has never complained of any discomfort.”
He motioned for me to climb down, and I awkwardly complied. I hated climbing trees, even as a child. Why had I even climbed it to begin with?
Because he asked me to. Annoyed at myself for being such a girl, I rolled my eyes. I didn’t miss the smug grin on Samuel’s face when he reached the ground. He enjoyed the power he had over me just as much as I hated it.
After putting on a pair of white gloves, we joined hands with the others in the circle. Camille took her place in the center where the children had been. She set a broomstick down to her right, the bouquet I had made was placed to her left, and she again bent to her knees.
“I ask who this is, Loa. They told me it’s Mambo Filomèz. Filomèz, beautiful woman, where are you going? Filomèz, beautiful woman, where are you going? I’m going to the waterfall to sign my name.”
The prayer-song was being recited from all directions, even from my own mouth. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew the words and they rolled off of my tongue without any effort at all. I was unexplainably anticipating the light now shining from the top of Camille’s head.
She opened her eyes and beams of light shot from them, illuminating the darkness with a blinding brightness. She blinked, and the glow faded back to blue until it was gone again, but the halo above her still remained.
Without moving her gaze from me, she reached for the broom and swept a path between the two of us, seeming to glide on her knees without taking a single step. When her face was only inches from my own, she stopped. She floated backward, but her smile instantly set my heart into a peaceful trance.
Camille’s corpse set down the broom and picked up the flowers, plucking the petals by the handful and throwing them in my direction. They floated down around me only to swirl back up again in a tornado that enveloped my body in a sea of color. I closed my eyes and breathed in the lovely smell of summer, opening them again when cool hands landed on my face.
11
She gently caressed my face with her knuckles as I studied her features. Her face hadn’t changed much, and her hair was still long and the color of organic golden honey. I understood now why Camille was the host of choice for Filomèz’s manifestation, and the familiarity in their similarities offered me some comfort. Her eyes were kind and gentle, and a friendly smile never once hinted at giving way to anything less welcoming.
The salty smell of the ocean left her skin and saturated the air. It reminded me of home. Filomèz never came off her knees, and I was reminded by the odor she was of the sea and couldn’t walk. As short as I was I didn’t really have to look down much to examine her, but it suddenly occurred to me it would be considered rude to stand while she knelt in front of me. The last thing I wanted anyone to think was that I was arrogant, so I quickly dropped down to show my respect.
“Mambo Filomèz…” I started to apologize for the flagrant oversight. “Forgive me. Your presence was expected but I was not prepared.”
“A minor misstep. It is not significant.” Her voice was slightly deeper than Camille’s, and even the simplest of words gave evidence to the wisdom she held. She spoke with a confidence that could only be earned through experience and without demanding it, she commanded respect.
“Thank you for understanding.” I lowered my head in submission.
“Come, we have much to talk about.” Still floating, Filomèz draped her arm over my shoulder and directed me toward the forest. “Samuel, join us,” she added over her shoulder.
“Yes, of course, Mambo.” He bowed his head.
Once we were out of view from the others, we sat in our own exclusive circle and joined hands. When our flesh married, both of their thoughts joined my own, and from that point on telepathic communication was the only way we spoke to each other.
“I’m glad you have come,” Filomèz began. “I have been trying to reach you for some time. You’re as stubborn as your mother.”
I blushed at the prod, though I wasn’t sure which mother she was referring to. My adoptive mother was the most headstrong woman I had ever met, but I had been told the same of Marie as well.
“I’m sorry that I kept you waiting, but I honestly didn’t even begin to put the pieces together until—”
“Until I sent you the dream. And until you found out you were misplaced.”
“Well, yes.” I winced at the term misplaced. It was exactly how I had felt my entire life, and it was a painful way to live.
“I sent you many others. But you were not nearly as receptive to them as you were this one. I assumed after the passing of your parents that your emotional state would be inviting.” She looked to Samuel. “I also thought he might get your attention.”
My cheeks flushed instantly. Her method had worked. I could recall some pretty strange dreams when I was a child, ones that would cause me to wake up screaming. My parents called them night terrors, but deep down I always knew they were something more. This dream, the one with Samuel, I found myself wanting to have when I went to bed at night. Needing to see his face so badly, I was going to sleep early just to feel his presence.
He squeezed my hand, and it snapped me back to the moment we were in.
“Why did you need me to come back?”
Her brow creased, and her lips fell into a frown, the first sign of anything less than the bliss I had witnessed from her.
“Eliza, there is much about your family that haunts the bayou. Some of your relatives have a dark essence, and it has poisoned the people of our community. Their greed and hunger for power has caused hardship for our kind and played an important part in the collapse of Voodoo in this region.”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to expect from her, but it was certainly not this. For a brief moment, I let guilt enter my heart, as if my ancestors’ trespasses were my own. I only let the thought settle before a new worry filled my mind. Was she referring to the fact that I was the product of a keeper and healer breeding? Was I going to be punished for what they had done? For what I was?
“You have nothing to be afraid of,” she assured me when she read my fear. “The Spirits have no doubt of your goodness. You will not be held accountable for the actions of others.”
“Then what is it you need from me?” I believed her, and my body relaxed.
“We need your light, Eliza. Our culture is dying. The true spirit of Voodoo is being replaced by parlor tricks and false prophets. You’re the most powerful healer in existence. Only you can begin to restore us to the glory that we once held.”
“I don’t even know how to use my abilities. How can I do anything at all?”
“You will learn. And when you have mastered the art of being a priestess you will hold the authority over the entire Louisiana community. I will instruct your aunt to show you the ways, but I warn you: don’t let her hinder your potential. She will try.”
“Why would she want to do that?”
She looked uncomfortably at Samuel, who stiffened.
“There are some things you will need to discover on your own, Eliza,” Filomèz stated. “But I have faith Samuel will not allow her to take advantage of your ignorance.”
“I will stay close, Mambo,” he confirmed. “She will not be held back.”
“Your powers will only advance so much,” she continued. “Your proficiency will be limited. You�
�re only the start of a whole new revolution.”
“Why am I so powerful?” I didn’t enjoy the importance of my expected role. It was a heavy burden and a lot to take in.
“Your parents broke a cardinal rule.” She smiled, and I knew she was referring to the fact that my father was my mother’s keeper.
“But even their blood must have been diluted over time. Aunt Vivian said there was a lot of intermingling with traditional humans.”
“And that is why your powers are so limited. But when you have a child with your keeper…” Her eyes narrowed on Samuel and she didn’t finish.
His brows shot up. I imagine my face looked as shocked as his. Was she suggesting he and I were supposed to come together?
“But”—Samuel closed his eyes and tried to concentrate—“you just said it was against the rules. And I have always been taught the same thing.”
She laughed. “It is against the rules. And that particular rule was made because of Eliza’s family to begin with. They were hell-bent on creating an all-powerful race capable of contending with the Spirits themselves. We had to put a stop to it. Marie Laveau was as strong as we could allow a mortal to be without intervening.”
I was desperate. She’d just dangled a little bit of hope in front of me that I could be with this man, and now she was snatching it away again. It wasn’t fair, and I was growing impatient.
“Forgive me, Mambo Filomèz,” I snapped. “But you’re speaking in circles. Could you please make this a little easier to understand?”
She released my hand, and I instantly regretted losing my temper. Filomèz reached again to my face with Camille’s slender fingers and brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of my eye.
“You’re a strong young woman,” she spoke aloud. “No doubt even if you were not gifted, you would have been a woman of power. Your mother was a beautiful soul too. This task was placed on her many years ago, you know. It was I who told her to begin the process of our resurrection. She was in love with her keeper, as well. It made it all the more wonderful to watch our plan come to life.”
“My mother was killed because of me, wasn’t she?”
“You shouldn’t think of that now.” Waving a hand, she deflected the question. “You’re being asked to make an exception to the rule because you can be trusted not to exploit the opportunity. Both of you.”
I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact with Samuel, but I could sense him watching me and it stirred my stomach. I wasn’t sure how to assimilate all that was happening. Only yesterday, I was told I was forbidden to be with the one man I ever wanted, and now I was told it was my destiny to have him. To make a child with him. I didn’t enjoy being told who I had to be with any more than I like being told who I couldn’t be with.
But I had to force myself to stop looking at it with such selfish eyes. There were a lot of other people who were depending on me for this. An entire community needed it from me. I knew in the end I could never let them down. It wasn’t in my nature to walk away from anyone who needed me.
“Vivian will not allow it to be so,” Samuel reminded us.
“You shouldn’t be concerned about her,” Filomèz demanded. “I have already begun weaving her fate into her slumber. She knows that her end is coming.”
“Wait, her end?” I wondered aloud.
This was my aunt, and no matter what she had done or even was planning to do, I wasn’t going to let any harm come to her. I had an instinctive need to protect my kin. My audience picked up on it quickly enough and they both shook their heads furiously, denying their intention to do so.
“What I mean to say is her end as matriarch. You’ll, of course, take her place. You’re the more powerful healer, or you will be once you have learned the skills.”
It made sense, but I couldn’t help be curious about how Aunt Vivian would take to being asked to train her twenty-four-year-old niece, just to have her throne taken away for it.
“I can’t say I know my aunt as well as the rest of you, but I can’t imagine her just lying down and accepting this. Especially not if she is as vindictive as you have implied her to be.”
“She will,” Filomèz insisted. “She is a traditional woman. When the Spirits instruct her, she will comply.”
I rubbed my temples, which were beginning to ache from all the unanswered questions.
“Even if she does take over as the Queen,” Samuel began, “Vivian will not allow Eliza and me to come together. She has been taught it’s wrong, and she knows I have feelings for Eliza. She will say it’s only an excuse to get our way.”
This was the first time Samuel had admitted out loud that he held affection for me, and I would’ve been lying if I said I was anything less than exhilarated by it. Renewed by his few words, I had the urge the rush home right now and tell Aunt Vivian I would stay. That I wanted to learn everything she could teach me just so I could have this man at my side. I would have his child tomorrow if it meant we would hold each other forever.
“Her initiation will provide the solution for that.” She spoke quicker, getting testy from all the doubt Samuel and I were throwing her direction. “Damballah is to be summoned during your induction ritual.”
“That can be done?” Samuel gasped.
“Of course it can! But only a mambo can do it.”
“Then why hasn’t Vivian?”
“There are several reasons. Most importantly, Vivian is not the rightful mambo. She only obtained the position because Eliza was missing. And besides, there hasn’t been a healer in decades who was powerful enough to do it properly, including Vivian. But Eliza, you’re a true healer and are capable of many things your aunt wishes she could be.”
“Who is Damballah?” The name had been mentioned in the dream I had, and clearly they were speaking about somebody of great importance.
Filomèz curled Camille’s lips into a serene smile. “Damballah is the leader of all the Spirits. He has a direct connection to Bondye, the one whom you call God.”
“You want me to summon God’s right hand man?” The request was staggering. I didn’t know if I should cling to the expectation or run away from it. “What on earth would I say to him?”
“You won’t need to say anything to him. He is going to reveal your fate to the other followers, including your aunt Vivian.”
“But I thought you have already shown it to her?”
“I can only place the suggestions into her dreams, the interpretation is her own. This way, there is no room for her mold your destiny to benefit her. She’ll be told directly what is to be, and will not be entitled to question it. We will make it clear to her and the others you’re to be with Samuel.”
The light above her head was beginning to dim and flicker, and even I understood it meant her time to leave was approaching. Taking my hand, she begged me with her eyes to have faith and to trust in her words, and I tried my hardest to put on a mask of confidence. The truth was, I knew Aunt Vivian wouldn’t let this rest, no matter what she or Damballah said.
Camille’s return to her normal self was much more peaceful than the poor old man Legba had inhabited. Once the halo had gone out, she simply closed her eyes, slowed her breathing, and slouched her shoulders long enough to regain her balance. Her eyes looked foggy and confused for her first few moments, but she blinked them away and regained her chipper charisma in no time at all.
“Wow! What a rush!” She giggled. “So, what did she say?”
Looking to Samuel, I waited for him to tell, but he was silent. His tight expression warned me not to say anything, and I actually agreed with this idea. The less anybody knew the less information could get passed around, and the less of a chance it had of getting back to Aunt Vivian.
“Um…” I had to say something, she wasn’t going to let it go, I know I wouldn’t. “She said that everything will be revealed at my initiation ceremony.”
Camille stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “Oh come on! You guys can tell me.”
&nb
sp; “There isn’t much to tell, Camille,” I lied. “I’m supposed to summon Damballah and he is going to tell everybody what they need to know.”
“Really? That’s all?” Her voice dripped with disappointment.
“Drop it, Camille,” Samuel snapped. “The others are still waiting for us. It’s getting late. We need to send everybody home.”
I had completely forgotten the other people involved in the ceremony were still just on the other side of the brush. They would want an explanation as much as Camille and I really wasn’t up for giving anybody one.
“I’ll take care of them.” Standing over me, Samuel offered his hand to help me stand. And this time, he didn’t take it away.
As I slid my palm into his, I bit my lip and watched him closely. It only took a moment before the rush came over us both. Jerking my arm hard to bring me to my feet, he pulled my body up against his. The electricity that filled the air around us resembled tiny fireworks exploding with each breath we took in unison, and the waves of pleasurable warmth that moved from his skin onto mine were almost unbearable.
Resting his temple against mine, he lowered his lips to kiss me, stopping just as his mouth came so close I could just barely taste him.
I groaned at the tease and tangled my fingers in his hair to close the distance. He pulled away.
She is watching us.
I Heard him think it as he released me. In the moment I had managed to make myself forget Camille was still with us, and when I looked up at her, she was grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey, don’t let me stop you.” She snickered and raised her hands defensively.
Rolling his eyes at her, Samuel turned to clear the crowd that was still gathered. Camille followed him, and I did too, from a distance. I needed a moment to collect myself.
Whatever Samuel said to everybody, it worked. Before leaving for home, they all approached me to thank me profusely for agreeing to help them. Marcus was the only one who wasn’t buying what Samuel was selling, and he pulled me aside to ask about it. Before he could get a private word in, Samuel was by my side, standing over me like a protector. Marcus took the hint and decided to escort Camille home.
