I nodded. “I think it cut a portal into Guinee.”
“It makes sense… your blade was forged by three elementals who together formed a dragon. Dragons were the original guardians of the veil. The gatekeepers, if you will, before there were any gatekeepers.”
I shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if we should try and go through the gateway or not.”
“From what Mikah said, the gateway you cut seemed to open into the garden groves. That’s fortunate. But unless you can learn to control where and, in a sense, when these gateways open, using them could be risky.”
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“Guinee exists outside the fabrics of time and space.”
“So there’s no time, there?”
“There is time there… in a sense. But the timeline in Guinee is not tied to this one.”
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“It means that if you go there, if you can’t control exactly where and when you’re forging these gates, you won’t be able to control the time on Earth you return.”
“So you’re saying I could end up in the past?” I asked.
“The past… the future… you could find yourself in a nest with dinosaur eggs or just as easily find yourself on Earth billions of years later, after the death of the sun itself.”
“Well, that would suck.”
“Not for long. You probably wouldn’t survive on that Earth long enough to even escape back to Guinee.”
“So my blade is crazy powerful, but it’s basically useless.”
“I’m not saying that,” Oggie said, pinching at the stubble on his chin. “It could be incredibly useful, if we can figure out how to control it. The dragons knew how to navigate the veil, how to pass from one timeline to the next.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said.
“I realize that time travel is a bit of a mind fuck,” Oggie said.
“It’s not that… but think about it. If the dragons could navigate the timelines so well, how did they ever disappear? Wouldn’t they see it coming, from having traveled into the future, and then went back to make sure that it didn’t happen?”
“Unless they wanted to disappear,” Oggie said. “And dragons were the guardians of the timeline. Their very purpose was to ensure that it not be altered, that man not travel to and fro and mess with Bondye’s plans.”
“Bondye?”
“It’s what we call God, in Voodoo. Other people have different names for him, or her, or whatever.”
“I take it you don’t know much about this Bondye?”
“None of us do,” Oggie said as he sighed. “Only Dumballah ever met him.”
“This Dumballah is another Loa?”
Oggie nodded. “He was the only one of us who was there when Bondye created the Earth. But he’s also incredibly difficult to find. I haven’t seen him in centuries. Even then, I couldn’t really talk to him. He spoke… but it’s like when he talked, he was on some other plane. Dumballah is either a complete idiot, or he’s so wise that he’s beyond what our feeble minds can even begin to comprehend. And I sincerely doubt he’s an idiot. In fact, there’s only one human I’ve ever known to have summoned him effectively.”
“Marie Laveau?” I asked.
“Indeed,” Oggie said as he grabbed a cool washcloth from a bucket beneath his desk, rung it out, and pressed it to my forehead. “How’s that headache?”
I wasn’t sure if I found his attentions and care insanely attractive… or patronizing. It was a bit of both.
“It’s improving,” I said. “Much better, thanks.”
“Good,” Oggie said. “Tomorrow we’ll try to summon the blade while you remain in charge. Only this time, I want to be there. We’ll attempt it in our morning session.”
“Isn’t it dangerous?” I asked. “I mean, if I’m opening these portals, what if something else finds its way through and I can’t stop it?”
“That’s why I want to be there,” Oggie said. “It’s also why it’s urgent that you learn to master the blade. Think of it this way. If you can open a portal to Guinee, then it might be used to vanquish any unsavory spirits or Loa from Earth.”
“But if I have that power,” I said as I thought through the consequences of this ability out loud, “won’t all the Loa, even the good ones, see me as a potential threat?”
Oggie bit his thumbnail, as if he was pondering the thought. “You’re right. It’s a risk.”
“So I should probably keep my soul blade well sheathed in the ether?”
Oggie nodded. “We need to try and figure out what else you might be able to do with this blade. Three elementals in one… it’s unprecedented. But typically when more than one elemental forge to form a blade, there is an ability that results from the combination of elements, but with enough focus, the abilities associated with each element should be available, too.”
“And what do these elementals do? Like, what abilities usually come with earth, fire, and wind?”
“With earth comes great strength,” Oggie said, grinning widely. “It’s precisely how Mikah was able to carry you here so easily.”
“That makes sense,” I said, even less intrigued than I had been by what kind of physique might be hidden beneath his plaids and corduroys. Clearly, his strength didn’t come from any kind of exercise.
“The powers of fire and wind are more predictable. A fire-infused blade will burn as it cuts, which if channeled properly can cauterize any wound it makes. It also allows one to manipulate fire, more generally. It’s the element I use most frequently.”
“When your testicles get cold?” I asked.
Oggie grinned. “I’ve been using that line for centuries.”
“Still waiting for laughs?”
“I suppose. I find it hilarious. Someone else will, eventually.”
“And what about air?” I asked.
“An air-infused blade comes with extra force. A single swipe of the blade can knock out an army by the sheer force it generates.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s impressive.”
“But I’ve yet to have an initiate with an air-infused soul blade who managed to maximize the blade’s ability. It’s the most difficult element to master, mostly because air itself is difficult to perceive. Focusing on air… most people find that challenging.”
“Isn’t there a water elemental, too?” I asked.
Oggie nodded. “That particular element, however, does not tend to manifest with my aspect. There is another Loa whose aspect is tied to that ability.”
“I’m guessing this Loa is not affiliated with the Academy?”
“Not directly,” Oggie said. “Though he supports our efforts. He simply refuses to bestow his aspect as liberally as Academy practice requires. I’m sure you’ll learn all about it in your History of the Loa course.”
I sighed. “These classes…”
“What, they’re boring?”
“You don’t even know!” I exclaimed. “Not that the information isn’t fascinating… in fact, I do find it fascinating.”
“What do you find so fascinating?” Oggie asked.
“It takes a lot of skill to take such interesting topics and make them dull. I mean, these Hougans and Mambos… do they have the aspect of some Loa who governs boredom? I can’t think of any other explanation. It’s supernatural how boring they are.”
Oggie slapped his knee, laughing. It was a cliché gesture… so cliché that I found it endearing. “They are awful, aren’t they?”
14
“GIRL, WHAT DID you do?” Pauli asked, his expression uncharacteristically stern, his voice hushed.
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I tossed my backpack under my bunk. Then I saw it. A small envelope resting on my pillow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t accompanied by chocolate mints and bath-towel animals.
My surname was written on it in an ornate script: “Miss Mulledy”
“What, do you think I’m in trouble? This looks like
an invitation or something.”
“An invitation to the principal’s office, honey!”
I shrugged. I’d expected that Papa Legba would want to meet with me at some point.
“Doesn’t he meet with all students eventually?” I asked.
“Hell if I know, I started here same day as you. But if that was the case, wouldn’t everyone get an invitation? He’d post a schedule or something. You wouldn’t be the only one.”
I grinned as Pauli continued whispering with such aggression that he might as well have been shouting. I looked across the dormitory and was greeted by a shit-eating grin splitting Nico’s pompous face.
“Everyone can hear you, Pauli.”
“I know,” he said, continuing to speak in the same manner. “But this way of talking emphasizes the seriousness of what’s at stake!”
“You really should have majored in theater performance,” I said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Pauli asked, sounding indignant. “He’s gay, must be a theater major…”
I shook my head. “Relax. It has nothing to do with you being gay. It’s because you’re so dramatic.”
Pauli’s face relaxed, as if he had just dismounted his high horse. “Well maybe you have a point. It certainly would be more fitting than snakes.”
“But maybe not more fitting than rainbows… just saying.”
“See, there you go stereotyping again!” Pauli said, inflecting his voice in such a way that made it clear he was feigning indigence over my comment.
I grinned, noticing that Nico had put on his headphones, a strategy I’d already seen him use more than once to drown out Pauli. For once, I couldn’t exactly blame him. I love Pauli, but he’s a nonstop chatterbox, and having to share one open dormitory with him would be annoying to almost anyone who belongs to the human population. Ellie, however, didn’t seem to mind. She was buried in one of her romance novels—at least that’s what I assumed it was due to the fact that her book featured a bare-chested man on its cover…
“Where’s Sauron?” I asked Pauli, noticing she was the only one absent.
“Probably taking a shit. Hell if I know where she is.”
“Just wondered, dude,” I said, reclining on my bed and opening the envelope I’d received. I retrieved what looked, in fact, to be a typical sort of invitation. It was a plain white piece of card stock, trimmed in golden flake and folded in half.
I opened it up and read it to myself:
Miss Mulledy,
I think it’s time we become better acquainted. Please meet me in my office upon receipt.
Cordially,
Papa Legba
“Well, looks like he wants to meet me right away.”
Pauli’s eyes widened as he bit his thumbnail. “It can’t wait… you must be in some serious shit.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know that,” I said. In truth, I suspected he’d somehow found out about today’s actions in the gymnasium. Certainly, Oggie wouldn’t have told him. I don’t think Mikah would have either. Were there cameras in there? I didn’t see any. But tech these days is so small, a camera could be hidden almost anywhere. Not to mention, magic is real.
I stood up to leave, almost chuckling on account of the grim expression that had settled into Pauli’s face as he watched me leave the dormitory. It was like he thought I was on my way to my own execution or something.
“Isabelle, you there?” I whispered, as I made my way down the hall.
Mmmhmm…
“Headache is gone. You can start talking.”
What is there to say?
“You feel guilty, don’t you… for kissing Mikah.”
More like a hypocrite.
She had a point. She’d often complained if I kissed boys, or did anything more than that, without her consent. She had to feel it, so I kind of understood.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “A bit gross, I admit… and he’s not my type.”
Which is why I shouldn’t have done it.
“Because you admit he’s gross?”
No… because I’ll never be able to be with him anyway.
I took a deep breath. Isabelle had never really articulated any resentment regarding our situation. But I had to admit, she had a point. The girl deserves to find love as much as anyone else, but sharing a body—one that I’m in control of most of the time—didn’t really afford her much of a chance.
I took a deep breath.
“If we can just figure out how to treat these headaches, maybe I can allow you to take the reins more often. You know, give you a chance to date.”
You’d always be there… always experiencing it with me. It would never be just me.
“Look, I’m a big girl… I can handle it. I’ll just try to tune it out. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to go to sleep. I mean, you can sleep sometimes when I’m awake.”
That’s not what I’m talking about…
“Then what do you mean?”
If I have a boyfriend, even if you let me take control, you’ll feel everything. It will be like you’re kissing my boyfriend…
“You’re jealous?” I asked. “That’s why you’re worried?”
Isabelle didn’t respond immediately. I suspected she was trying to sort out the legitimacy of her own feelings.
Yeah… I guess I am.
I’d never thought about it that way. Perhaps because I’d never had any genuine feelings for a boy. A lot of primal attractions, some mild infatuation, at times. But I’d never really been in love. And as little time as we’d actually spent with Mikah, I was pretty sure she wasn’t either.
“Isabelle, we barely know him. You can’t possibly be in love with him.”
What do you know about love? Isabelle asked.
I don’t think she meant it to sound as biting as it did. She had a point, but I really didn’t want to hear it.
“Enough to know that you aren’t going to be in love with someone after a chance encounter while he was half-possessed by a Loa, and a few training sessions in the gym.”
You don’t believe in love at first sight?
“No… I don’t. I believe in instant infatuation. I believe that a lot of girls mistake that for love. But no. Love at first sight is rom-com bullshit that doesn’t happen in the real world.”
I don’t believe you. I think you just don’t love others because you don’t think you’re worth loving.
What the fuck, Isabelle? I could almost feel the steam escape my ears and nostrils in response to her comment. I would have snapped at her if it wasn’t for the fact that her words only stung because they were true. I just didn’t want to hear it… and certainly not from the girl stuck in my head who actually thinks that Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are real-world soul mates.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I said, sighing.
Of course not. Sorry…
I started up the spiral staircase heading to Papa Legba’s office. It provided a fine opportunity to change the subject.
“Any idea what he might want with me?” I asked.
No clue… hopefully he didn’t hear about the portal we made.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I admitted as I climbed the stairs, gripping the cold rail as tightly as possible. I could feel the whole staircase move a little as I went up it. I’m sure it was safe. It looked like it had been there for ages and was certainly well-traveled. Still, it felt like the whole staircase was going to crash to the ground at any moment. It’s not a debilitating fear, by any means, but I’ve never handled heights particularly well. If I didn’t have much anxiety about being summoned to see the headmaster already, the staircase saw to it that I did by the time I knocked on his door.
I don’t know what I’d expected. I sort of thought he’d have a secretary or something. Instead, the man who opened the door looked more like a farmer than an administrative assistant. He certainly didn’t strike me as the “headmaster” sort. He was a black man, his skin wrinkled and leathery, lik
e a man who’d spent his life working under the sun. He wore a straw hat, a red plaid shirt, and denim overalls. He held a small stick in one hand. It looked as though it had recently been taken from the woods, though he was clearly purposing it as a kind of walking stick. He smelled of the fields, which… is just a kind way of saying that he carried on his person the odor of cow shit. Manure, though, doesn’t have an especially repulsive smell… not like human poop. Not a pleasant smell, but tolerable enough.
“Welcome, Miss Mulledy,” the man said, his voice soft and calming.
“You’re Papa Legba?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“You’re surprised by my appearance,” Legba said.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted, chuckling a bit. “I imagined you more like a bearded wizard.”
Papa Legba smiled widely, displaying a set of crooked teeth. It wasn’t an attractive smile by any means, but there was something endearing about it. “That’s a stereotype most students share. At least in the last twenty years or so, since those books came out.”
Papa Legba stepped aside as if to invite me in. His office, if you could call it that, was as quaint as his appearance. The floors were made from weathered wood. Three wooden doors lined the back wall, each of them padlocked shut. Like the door I’d walked though, two of them were made of old wood, probably oak. The one in the middle, though, was made of a dark metal. Iron, perhaps.
Papa Legba had no desk. Instead, two rocking chairs sat in the middle of the room. He sat in one and gestured toward the other, bidding me to sit.
“Be at ease, Miss Mulledy, you are not in any sort of trouble. It is customary that I meet with all new students, at least once during their initial term.”
I nodded. “Though my classmates have not received invitations.”
“Some of them I’ve met already, though not as students. I know their families well, and meeting them as headmaster is not at all urgent.”
“Nico and Sauron?” I asked.
Legba nodded. “Their ancestors were in our school’s very first class, and I’ve had the privilege to mentor each generation.”
“No wonder they act like they own this place.”
Gates of Eden: Starter Library Page 61
