by S. E. Akers
I was still shaking off the stinky-foot smell when I accidently ran into something in front of the next booth. I jumped back and watched the statue of a hooded figure come wobbling to a stop. Its face was disturbing, to say the least. It didn’t have one, not one with skin anyway. It was carved to look like a skull. I stepped closer for a better look.
I hope it’s just carved, I thought quietly as I noticed the accuracy of its scale and details. I scanned the rest of the vendor’s stock. Hundreds of this same figure wearing a hooded cloak and bearing a skeleton for a body were sitting all around — in every shape and size.
A middle-aged Latin man wearing a white tunic with a red scarf tied around his waist positioned himself in front of me. I flashed him a smile, but it didn’t get returned. I turned my gaze away, needing to shrug off his scowl. A festive sign hanging under his counter caught my eye. It read:
Noches de Brujas
Cinco de Marcha
I did make out the first word, “night”, and the last line meant the fifth of March. That was three days ago. Whatever event it was advertising had already passed, but something about it still piqued my curiosity. I took a stab at asking the sullen man what “brujas” meant. Even inquiring in his native tongue, the man snarled and ignored my question.
I spotted my cab driver heading out of the cantina. I didn’t want him to think I’d split so I yelled to him that I was coming. On my way over to the taxi, a little boy grabbed my arm and stopped me in the middle of the street.
“Witch,” he said innocently.
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused.
“Brujas…They are witches,” the little boy replied kindly and then ran straight off. A sinking feeling came over me as I climbed back inside the cab. The sound of the door slamming fired like a warning shot.
Son of a bitch… I’m on a voodoo vacation from Hell.
We were now officially on the last leg of our journey — me, a pouch containing who knows what, and a twitchy cab driver that looked like he was ready to ditch me the first chance he got. The driver turned onto a road that winded alongside the lake. Night had officially fallen. There wasn’t a single star in the sky. The murky peaks cresting on the dark water made me give my new lucky stone an extra hard squeeze. I needed every ounce of fortune it held to ensure this deal was over and done with hitch-free.
He turned onto a secluded dirt road that led into the jungle and up a steep mountain. We bumped along the rugged path for several grueling miles. Just when I’d thought I couldn’t take the suspense any longer, he slowed to a stop in front of a lone stone column beside the road. He pointed to a series of rocky, step-like stones that forged a trail into the dense jungle landscape and up a shadowy steep hill.
“Si, Senorita,” the driver said anxiously as he twisted in his seat. “Get out!”
His English improved real quick. I stared at the chain of stones and followed them up the hillside as far as my eyes could see. I’d seen too many horror movies with this same start. With my purse securely draped around my body, I cracked the door and edged it open slowly. A chilly bite in the air reminded me to grab my jacket out of the backseat. Part of me didn’t want to close the door, but the other part knew I had to get rid of this curse.
I couldn’t help but let out an ironic laugh. Too bad Katie’s not here to see how big my balls are now.
I quickly turned back to the cab driver. He hadn’t even put the vehicle officially in “park”. I didn’t have to read his mind. I whispered an order for him to “stay put”. Magically, he turned off the engine and stared out the front windshield.
Good, I thought as I turned towards the craggy trail and whipped on my jacket. Hopefully this won’t take long. A peculiar and pungent smell hit my nostrils. I pulled the collar towards my nose. Oh no, I realized, as the stifling aroma of roses and woodsy amber registered in my brain. Kara’s perfume. I have HER jacket. I hadn’t been paying attention and grabbed the wrong one. I coughed and waved my hand in front of my face. That’s just great. After the way she ripped my shirt, who knows what mine will look like when I get back to the room.
After a much-needed deep breath and a tight hold on my lucky malachite, I illuminated my golden topaz and used it to guide my apprehensive body up the rocky steps. Up I climbed, ankles twisting and shoulders pushing large limbs out of my way. There was too much vegetation blocking my path, but I carried on, smacking leaves and cussing in my head (mostly about this “bound duty” I was on, but a few choice words regarding Tanner’s “questionable” evening activities managed to work their way in).
I stopped to check my watch. The minutes were ticking away like a time bomb, but I couldn’t have cared less about that right now. I was just glad it wasn’t glowing.
Before long, I reached a plateau and spotted a soft light flickering up ahead. I picked up my pace. Low and behold, there sat a hacienda tucked away in the brush, out here in the middle of nowhere. A huge wall wrapped around the sprawling, earthy stucco and terracotta tile-roofed estate. Far be it for a gal from West Virginia to question where somebody plants a house-seat. I was just relieved to find a conventional domicile and not the fiery gates of Hell.
The speed of my gait quickened and my breaths grew deeper as I ventured down the stone-covered walk. I kept my eyes on the two flaming torches that flanked an oversized, heavily-carved wooden door.
There wasn’t a doorbell, a knocker, or even a ceremonial rope to pull. Considering the lengths I’d gone to get here, I guessed I wanted to hear some “victory bells”. Whatever. I raised my fist and gave the thick, massive door several hard bangs.
Now, all I have to do is wait. That was the unsettling part. Who the heck is going to open this King-Kong mother of a door?
I didn’t have to wait long for my answer. A woman dressed in a basic, brown uniform pulled it open within a few seconds. Her customary appearance may have alleviated some of my apprehension, but her agitated expression and mile-a-minute Spanish inquisition threw me for a loop. She waved her hands repeatedly, shooing me away, and started to close the door. I stuck my foot out to block it from slamming shut. There’s no two ways about it — I’m ending this daggone curse!
“Hi…um, Hola,” I corrected as I shifted my weight. Making an A in Spanish and being proficient in it were two totally separate things. Struggling for the translation, I simply said, “Paquete”, and held up the pouch.
The housekeeper’s brow furrowed as she eyed the small sack. I handed it to her cautiously, like I was feeding a stray. The subtle nagging whispers in my head came to a halt immediately. It was gone. No more curse. The tense muscles in my face stretched into a smile. I could have done a happy-dance right then and there. From out of the corner of my eye, I spied her untying the cords. Nothing could have prepared me for what she pulled out of the pouch. My eyes glazed uncontrollably as I listlessly shoved the malachite into the pocket of my jacket.
The stone from my dream… The one Helio gave Padimae. The same vibrant gem that radiated a warm spectrum of red, orange, and yellow hues. In one quick sweep, the housekeeper slammed the massive wooden door in my face. I stood there, anxious and full of questions.
Why didn’t they tell me what was in the pouch? As much as that had me stumped, I was even more intrigued by the obvious one in front of me. Who the heck is on the other side of this door that’s the “real” recipient of that thing? ‘Cause it sure ain’t the maid…
I glanced down at my watch and then eyed the towering privacy wall. I did score a little extra time…and the cab driver isn’t going anywhere. I closed my eyes and lowered my head. NO, I chastised myself. I have to get back…before Tanner finds out I went AWOL. I opened my eyes, literarily. Forged in the tiles on the front stoop was one of the symbols from my dream — the one that symbolized “earth”. My brow arched in accordance with my head’s curious and assertive rise.
I suppose it couldn’t hurt to take a quick peek.
Invisibly, I crept along the perimeter of the stucco wall. It seemed to
surround the entire compound. I scaled a large tree and climbed onto a long branch that extended over the other side. I jumped down and panned the courtyard straightaway, trying to figure out where to go from here. A door slamming alerted my ears. The maid stepped around the corner and called out for someone. Silently, I watched and waited in the shadows, concealed under my golden veil. I heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from behind me. I turned, just as a peculiar, tribal-looking man breezed by, barely missing me. I held my breath. I had to. The red-painted marks on his dark skin were creepy, almost savage, but the cluster of stones pierced around his mouth that led up the sides of his nose and outlined his eyes were spine-chilling all on their own. His red and yellow feathery headdress didn’t help ease my fright either. The tribal-looking man wasn’t wearing a shirt, but instead, he was clad in layers of beads and wore a long wrap-like skirt. The only thing this guy was missing was a daggone bone jammed through his nose.
The housekeeper handed him the pouch. His eyes ignited when the sparkly stone landed in the palm of his hand. Swiftly, he waved her away and turned around, headed back the way he had come.
Without making a sound, I inched out of his path and over towards some bushes. He stopped abruptly and then jerked back around. Warily, he edged closer with a suspicious prowl. I think my heart even stopped beating. The painted and pierced grisly man stood just a couple of feet from me, vehemently eyeing the bushes. He was even scarier this close. When his mouth cracked open, I noticed all his blackened teeth had been filed into sharp points. That’s just sick… After a forceful deep breath, he stroked one of the roses blooming between us. Without delay, he snarled and stormed out of the courtyard.
I grabbed my chest. Did he sense me? I glanced down at my gris-gris. I seriously hoped that ending the curse didn’t also mean my purse was no longer spelled. That wasn’t part of the deal!
From out of nowhere, the sound of pounding drums boomed in the air. I followed the steady, rhythmic beat through a stone covered archway, where the gruesome-faced tribal man had disappeared. The eerie hum of chanting voices grew louder with each step I took.
After a short walk through a simple maze of large stones, I found myself on a rocky terrace behind the main house that overlooked a grassy open courtyard. Several robed-figures, all camouflaged in hoods, stood around a domelike structure on the lawn. Now I know where all the bangin’ and chantin’ is coming from. My mind flashed with a creepy thought. Please let there be faces under those robes instead of bones, I prayed silently to the starless night sky.
The man with the painted and pierced face called out something, and then not a second later, another robed-individual emerged from the shadows. The jet-black cloak this figure was wearing made them look far more intimidating than the others.
Probably this kooky cult’s leader, I assumed. The man with the painted-face waved the stone in front of the dark-hooded figure. Though I couldn’t distinguish a face, two streaks of blue-green light started swirling right about where a pair of eyes should be. My body tensed up when I heard a deep voice rattling off a wicked laugh.
Crap…
I knew I was invisible, but I crouched behind the rocks that lined the terrace wall anyway. The painted and pierced man held onto the stone as he motioned for two of the chanting cloaked-figures to approach the mysterious-looking dome. They positioned themselves, one on each side, and then lifted it up in the air. Immediately, the chanting and drum banging stopped. I flinched when a blinding streak of fire shot out from what looked to be a flat, metal circle left on the ground and watched the flames soar high into the pitch-black sky.
“You see. The prophecy speaks the truth,” the painted and pierced man claimed to the hooded-figure in black. He held the mysterious stone up in the air. “The prize you search for… It comes to you. Fate brings the stone for you to claim.” The dark hooded-figure reached for the sparkly stone but stopped just shy of touching it.
“So mote it be,” a male voice under the dark cloak announced passionately. All of a sudden, the rest of the hooded-figures surrounding the fire started chanting and banging on their drums again. The painted and pierced man strutted over to the flames and lifted the stone up to his crooked, fang-like mouth. He whispered something to it and then pitched the sparkly stone into the fire. He started waving his hands theatrically and began screaming what sounded like complete gibberish. The harrowing “thumping” vibrations escalated zealously until they reached a climax. Something was about to happen.
All of a sudden, the flames surging out of the metal disc began to part miraculously. Something seemed to be making its way out of the center of them. Not a second later, a graceful stream of shimmering light was taking form before my eyes. Its hue was the most tranquil shade of yellow I’d ever seen, like the first stream of sunlight on a warm summer morning. Just watching it rise out of the flames stirred every one of my emotions, straight to the depths of my soul.
Cautiously, I rose for a better view. The hooded-figure in black stood in front of the flames with his arms stretched out like he was still waiting for some phenomenal event, yearning for something even more spectacular. The awesome streaks of light started to dance and swirl through the air. They trailed out of the fire and stretched in all directions like they were in search of something. One of the glistening shoots eventually spiraled its way close to where I was hiding. Unable to restrain myself, I reached out to touch it with my hand, just like I did when I had the vision months ago. My entire body simmered with a warm, soothing sensation as one of its glowing tips gently caressed my fingers. It was tender, but mind-blowing and powerful. Absolutely incredible. Then like a shot, the streak began to shimmer violently.
“NOW!” the man in the dark cloak screamed. The painted and pierced cohort started waving his arms dramatically. The shimmering light started to recoil. The way the grisly tribal man was motioning his hands, he seemed to be controlling the magical glowing essence and manipulating it to follow his command. He directed it towards the hooded-man in the black cloak. It formed a glittery, human-like presence as it hovered in the air. I could even see a face taking shape. Helio. The dark hooded-figure approached the shimmering cloud fearlessly.
“It’s time for a new era, Helio. One where I will reign,” the man in the dark cloak vowed. Just as the he tried to seize the shimmering cloud, it flinched away from him and turned. Then like a speeding bullet, it shot away from him and coursed a fiery trail headed my way.
It came at me so fast I didn’t have time to react. The force of the collision threw me back and up against the house behind me. Stone debris crumbled all around as I dropped to the ground. I shook off the initial blow and searched in all directions. The mystical shimmering mass was nowhere to be found.
The hooded-figure in the dark cloak roared to the painted and pierced faced man, “What happened? WHAT HAPPENED, VALISCO?!?” With an angry jerk, the figure whisked off his black robes. It was definitely a man, a fierce Latin man whose skin stretched across his rippling muscles so snug it looked as shiny as a sheet of glass. His brown eyes fired with electric streaks of blue-green light. “WHERE DID HE GO?!?” he demanded.
Valisco picked up a long staff that donned a black skull on its tip. The white stones lodged in its eyes began to glow as he swept it through the air. “There is someone else here,” Valisco growled with certainty. His scowl hardened so tight, I thought the paint on his face was going to crack off and his stone studs would start popping off like BB pellets at any second. With one harrowing sweep, he pointed up to the balcony. “Somewhere…UP THERE!”
“BRING THEM TO ME!” the leader screamed to the cloaked-figures around him.
Not again, I groaned and took off like the wind. “Simple” bound duty — MY ASS!
I was through the stone maze and across the courtyard within seconds. Their approach hastened my pace as I clambered back up the tree. I jumped down and landed on the other side of the wall, just as I saw the glow of their torches. Without a second to lose, I made a m
ad dash for the crumbly stone steps.
I sure hope that cabbie can drive even faster, I prayed as I smacked a path to the bottom. About halfway down, I twisted my ankle and took a good tumble the rest of the way. The stone column at the bottom broke my fall. Lucky me. I threw open the door and dove into the backseat.
I leaned up and yelled, “DRIVE! Really fast!” The light from my glowing watch grabbed my attention immediately. “VAMONOS!” I yelled. No sooner than I’d pulled back to look at it, I heard the sound of breaking glass. The front side-window had been shattered to pieces and we were still parked. I kicked the back of his seat, “Why aren’t you MOVING?” My mouth about hit the floor when I got a good look at the driver. He couldn’t hear me, let alone be compelled — not with that long arrow now lodged in his head. It had pierced his skull clean through, ear to daggone ear. The golden aura around me illuminated the tip of the arrowhead. It wasn’t metal, but a perfect, pointy triangle of turquoise instead.
Oh shit, I thought, familiar with the stone’s magical aim and tracking abilities. It must have gotten him instead when I leaned back. Not a second later, the sound of more glass breaking rattled my ears. I’d felt something hit my shoulder. Another arrow was lying in the floorboard. The good news: It didn’t pierce my skin. The bad news: These little bastards would lead those creeps to my exact location — invisible or not.
