Valor: The Custos Saga

by Jessica Tastet

  “’fraid not.” Landon sighed. “He’s been the leader of the Dark Soldiers for about twenty-six years now. He’s the worst in the last hundred or so years. I’m afraid he’s killed many family members of our residents. Roxy’s father, Serena’s mother, the list goes on.”

  “Can’t he be arrested for murder or something?”

  “Oh, your abilities don’t leave evidence as lay people would put it.” Landon smiled. “No, I’m afraid historically, it takes someone more powerful to come along and kill the other. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone who qualifies at the present.”

  “Do you think it was him tonight?”

  Landon studied her, and Angelica stilled. Even without abilities, it felt like he could see inside her. “What do you think?”

  “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I mean coming after the things you told me, I guess I shouldn’t feel like that…” Angelica stopped and gathered herself before she continued rambling. “Are there other things besides humans out there?”

  He laughed, a hearty chuckle, and Angelica waited.

  “You know.” Landon straightened his shoulders, leaning back into his chair. “People have been here for years and have never asked the questions you’ve asked in just a few days.”

  Angelica’s breathing ceased, unsure if he’d confirmed her question or acknowledged she was crazy.

  The humor left his face. “I apologize, but actually your answer is yes. Many of the myths are true, but they do not cross paths with the Custos line. They abide by their own laws, so although they exist, it would not have been some supernatural creature.”

  Angelica released a deep breath. It wasn’t relief that filled her though, more of a heightened sense of fear. If he was human, then why was the drumming heartbeat so strange? She wouldn’t even begin to think about what Landon had just said about supernatural creatures tonight. Her head might explode.

  “What made you think it wasn’t human?”

  “I could hear this heartbeat, the sound of a ritual drum. Slow and steady.”

  “You’ve never done this before?”

  “Never.”

  “Interesting.” Landon wrote a long, loopy note on the notepaper in front of him. “Something more for me to look up.”

  “Would it…” Angelica paused. “Would it be okay if I helped? I don’t like not knowing what‘s going on here.”

  Landon stood, his chair creaking at the release. “That’s certainly a good idea, but I believe I’m finally ready to go to sleep. So perhaps later on today would be more suitable.” Landon paused. “You know, what you do need to do is train. I’m afraid being near the Vindica is dangerous.”

  “I know how to use my abilities.” The words chocked out more defensively than she intended.

  “Using your abilities against an untrained person is quite different than using them in an engagement with someone who is trained. Just something to consider. Mark is our best fight trainer here. I’m sure he’d appreciate a fresh pupil.”

  “I’ll consider it.” Angelica nodded. “You know though, I think Gabney needs to be trained in some basics. It’s dangerous for her as well.”

  “Touché.” Landon nodded. “You two can become pupils together.”

  Angelica watched him swing a bookcase open to reveal a small elevator.

  He winked at her. “When I designed this room, I enjoyed myself with the hiding spaces. Please shut the door behind you and leave the light on.”

  Angelica watched him disappear behind a thin door before exiting the library. Eccentric came to mind, but he was growing on her. Thoughts of leaving New Orleans occurred less and less, and tonight’s incident didn’t leave her feeling certain with the change of direction of her thoughts.

  Nineteen

  The soft murmur of voices crept through the tombs like fog. Cain stepped further into the shadows and waited. St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, normally closed to the public after three o’clock, played host to a certain group of people tonight who were tapping into the energy of the dead.

  Cain was not part of this group.

  The voices emerged from the shadows of the barred gate and the shapes of three large individuals took shape.

  “I don’t like it none.” A loud voice boomed through the silence. “I don’t like it none at all.”

  “Uh, um… the dead telling us to run isn’t a good sign, Cherie.”

  Madame Lulu’s deep alto voice soothed like warm honey. “We are made of stronger stuff than that. The dead only said it was going to be bad, not that it was impossible. We must have faith.”

  She straightened her large bosom up and looked around, peering into the dark. Cain released a shallow breath. She’d sensed him.

  “Let’s meet and discuss this tomorrow. The dawn will bring a new view of the day.”

  The other two nodded and trudged off to an old, rust orange truck.

  Madame Lulu stood watching the engine turn and then waved as they pulled onto the street.

  “Why have you come?”

  Cain stepped out of the shadows and toward her. Madame Lulu’s turban made her head rise above his own. She was a heavy-set woman with a belt cinching her hourglass waist. In all her softness and curves, fear still struck him within her presence.

  Cain nodded. “There has been a development. I think there is another player.”

  Madame Lulu’s whites of her eyes stared through him. The shadows made it difficult to see the tight set of her lips that he knew was there. “Didn’t I ask you to keep this away from my people?”

  “You and I both know we come from the same people.”

  Approaching her, those cocoa eyes studied him a moment, and he couldn’t deny that there was a certain amount of fear mingling in his resolve. The woman had power, a power he didn’t understand, and anyone with intelligence feared her abilities. Even Reximortum didn’t meddle in her affairs, which was all the more reason to have her on Cain’s side.

  “Maybe.” Her large bosom heaved upward and then fell. “But what we decided to do with our abilities has made all the difference.”

  Cain nodded his agreement. The Anihi branch of the Custos, although small, didn’t spend their time fighting and killing each other off. They hid in the shadows of the Vindica, blending with humans as Voodoo practitioners, although their practices were vastly different. Madame Lulu acted as a leader of the Anihi, similar to their Vindica council but much more powerful. If a person had heard of Madame Lulu, they were aware of her ability to see the future. Her reputation typically preceded her.

  “I have seen what you will face.” Her strong voice faltered for a moment.

  A tremor rose from his feet. “Is it human?”

  Silence swallowed them as she simply stared at him. The anxiety tore through him. Madame Lulu was scared, something he’d never known her to be.

  “We aren’t human,” Madame Lulu heaved, “but we have humanity. This abomination has no humanity.”

  “What is it then?”

  Madame Lulu’s turban shook side to side. “Don’t know. He’s not human in the way we are though. When I get glimpses of him in my visions, it’s a darkness, a lurking shadow.”

  “I think he’s working for my father.”

  “That’s not all.” Madame Lulu stepped closer, her eyes scanning the area.

  Cain’s heart lurched forward and then stopped as he waited.

  “This creature isn’t alone. There are others. The others are more familiar.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I believe they are Custos.”

  “So they are like us?”

  Cain felt a sense of relief. He could handle Custos.

  “If I wouldn’t know better, I’d say they were pure.”

  Nonsense, Cain thought. Custos had been gone for over four hundred years and very rare even then. He must be dealing with a purer bloodline of Custos than the Vindica. Occasionally, it had occurred due to interbreeding between families. Genetics hadn’t been something he
understood the details, but he’d received the gist of the lecture in training.

  But he’d seen that man at his father’s house, and he’d felt something strange there. He’d felt the possibility. Yet, he couldn’t believe it to be true for so many reasons.

  “Does this change the outcome you saw?”

  Madame Lulu turned toward an old Chevrolet. “Nothing is decided young man. The paths are all laid out. Each decision we make leads us to our destiny.”

  “But Simone said….”

  “My granddaughter should learn to keep things to herself for her own safety.” Madame Lulu’s voice was curt. She heaved a deep breath out through her wide nose before speaking in a much calmer voice. “But having said that, I believe you can succeed at what you wish.”

  Relief. He hadn’t realized how much he’d put into her assurance of his success until it flooded through him.

  “But I worry about the cost.”

  “What cost?”

  “That remains to be seen.” Madame Lulu opened the car door. “Don’t get my granddaughter involved, Cain. I warn you.”

  “How do I find out what this creature is?”

  Madame Lulu paused. “Allow Simone to see for you, but leave her behind the scenes where she is safe.”

  “I plan to, Ma’am.”

  Madame Lulu disappeared into the car.

  Cain began the long walk back to Charters Street.

  Simone would be able to help. He needed to know what he was up against as this new threat distressed him. He’d need to be stronger than his opponent, so identifying him was of the utmost importance. His independence and freedom depended on it.

  Twenty

  “I can’t believe you’ve been here for nearly a week and you haven’t tried beignets yet,” Gabney continued on. “You are going to love them.”

  Angelica only smiled this time. Gabney had mentioned this fact five times in the last ten minutes. After a good night’s sleep, Gabney’s energy had returned and her incessant chatter was exhausting Angelica beyond the three hours of sleep she’d managed.

  “My dad has come down for every birthday since I’ve been in New Orleans. Tradition says we go to Café Du Monde the morning after.”

  Angelica followed Gabney down the staircase. “And why couldn’t he make it down this year?”

  Gabney shrugged. “Something about some pressing research that couldn’t wait. He’s supposed to visit soon though.”

  As they approached the bottom of the staircase, a small man emerged from the sitting area doorway. Thin wire glasses framed his grey eyes, which were brightened by the splash of gray hair circling his ears, not to mention a spot on top.

  “Dad!”

  Gabney flew down the stairs and at her father. She towered a good six inches above the gentleman in khaki slacks and a white button shirt. She must look like her mom because Angelica didn’t see any resemblance between the two.

  Gabney pulled back. “How are you here?”

  He frowned, a crease forming on each side of his mouth. “I had a call last night from Uncle John, so I caught the early flight out this morning.”

  “I’m so happy that you are here.”

  “I can see that.” He smiled and glanced up at Angelica as she reached the bottom of the staircase. “And you must be Angelica, the one I need to thank for saving my Gabney.”

  Angelica smiled and clasped the out reached hand. He had cold hands. “Nice to meet you.”

  “We were on our way to get beignets like birthday tradition calls for.”

  Griffen entered from the back hallway and Gabney turned her smile on him.

  “Are we now?” Griffen walked up to Mr. White and shook his hand. “Nice to see you again, Sir.”

  “Likewise,” Mr. White responded. “How about I get to know Angelica and hear all about last night as we cover ourselves in powdered sugar.”

  “Griffen, will you come with us?” Gabney’s warm eyes searched his. Excitement had made her bold. Angelica hid her smile and looked away from the two. Watching the two dance around their attraction felt like something she should be doing from behind a curtain.

  Griffen nodded. “Of course.”

  The walk to Café Du Monde on the river was a short one as it wasn’t but a few blocks from Landon House. Gabney chatted the whole way about everything from her psychology professor to her grad school applications. Her father stood much more reserved in his questions, allowing Gabney to fill the air. Griffen followed behind Gabney, listening to every word.

  Distracted by every passerby, Angelica trailed behind, weaving in and out of the conversation, catching bits here and bits there. Her attention was absorbed by the guy with the grey hoodie leaning against the building and the silver haired tourist with a camera hanging from his neck. She listened for that strange heartbeat within every chest they passed, including a fellow who tried to read their palms.

  She wanted to know the cause of that sound and she dreaded knowing at the same time.

  In a crowded corner table over warm fried dough and mounds of fluffy powdered sugar, Gabney recalled the details of last night’s incident, and Angelica again searched the faces of the café’s patrons for that quickened heartbeat.

  “It sounds like,” Mr. White wiped his mouth, “that you two need to be more careful in the future. You got lucky this time.”

  Griffen nodded. “I agree. We are all in danger right now.”

  “I don’t think it was human,” Angelica said, joining the conversation and leaving the tourists’ minds alone.

  “Oh?” Mr. White said.

  “I could hear its heartbeat.” Angelica shrugged. “It wasn’t a human heart beat.”

  “Is that even possible?” Griffen asked. His tone indicated that Gabney’s dad would know the answer. Wasn’t he a doctor or something like that? Angelica vaguely recalled that information among Gabney’s incessant chatter. Maybe he did know the answer.

  Mr. White‘s head tilted to one side. “A few Vindica members in the last two hundred years were supposed to have the ability to do this. It’s all legend, of course, since they are gone and the VRA can’t investigate it or prove it.”

  Angelica asked, “What’s the VRA?”

  Gabney grinned with a spot of powdered sugar on her cheek. “It’s my dad’s special project.”

  Griffen nodded. “Stands for Vindica Research Agency. They have done a wonderful job in the last five years at filling in the gaps.”

  “What does it do exactly?” Angelica asked, looking towards Mr. White.

  He fiddled with the napkin dispenser. “At the agency we are tracing the genetics of the Vindica and connecting the family tree so to speak.”

  “How do you reach back through time when so many are dead?”

  “There are ways that I can show you while I’m down if you like. I will be working from our New Orleans lab for a week or so.”

  “Sure, I’d love to see it.”

  Griffen nodded. “It’s fascinating stuff. Even Gabney is on the tree.”

  Gabney blushed. “Only because of my family. I don’t belong there.”

  “Most families have had the same issue,” Mr. White responded. “Even I, a healer, only have the ability to know what is wrong with someone. I must use my medical training to save my patients.”

  Gabney said, “Angelica’s abilities are amazing though. It hasn’t happened to her branch of the family tree for sure.”

  Mr. White nodded. “Perhaps we can see where she falls on that tree.”

  Angelica looked into his eyes. They weren’t threatening or sinister. He wasn’t trying to make her uncomfortable. It was the idea of where she’d fall in that family tree that was causing this nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was Lily on that family tree? If she was, then they would discover her secret.

  Twenty One

  Cain slipped into the shop without allowing the bell to jingle. Today his stealth was for a different reason. Simone’s father was in a back storeroom where he worked on
the books twice a month.

  Simone smiled at a customer as she handed the elderly woman her purchases. Cain watched her make small talk with the woman, enjoying the ease of Simone’s smile, the rise of her shoulders, and the flow of her banter.

  Cain waited until the woman had left the shop and the little bell signaled her departure before he stepped out from behind the display.

  Her lips fell into that straight line as her eyebrows straightened. Damn. She was still sexy when she was angry. “What are you doing ‘ere? My father ‘es in the back.”

  Cain nodded, waiting for her to approach him, which took her only moments to sweep toward him with her skirt swooshing against her quick movements.

  “You know I wouldn’t have come if I could have helped it.”

  She nodded and then melted into his arms. His blood heated, and he stroked her back.

  “I don’t know who he is, but I saw him.”

  Cain sighed. “What can you tell me?”

  She pulled back. “I don’t think e’s human. Something strange about ‘em. He’s old, way too old, but doesn’t look it. Every reading is blurred, but ‘e changes things. I don’t like it.”

  He pulled her closer. “How can I be certain?”

  “You must find the girl who is part of the Vindica, but doesn’t associate. She lives near a Bayou, and though she is not stronger than me, she shares the blood, so there is a connection.”

  “Will she be able to tell me who he is?”

  Simone shook her head. “She will help you find the book. You must find it before this man or your plans will be ruined.”

  He leaned down and inhaled the scent of lavender and closed his eyes. “You’re coming with me when I have the book.”

  She laughed, a deep throat laugh. “Do you promise?”

  “Simone,” a deep, booming voice echoed from the back of the store. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry, Sir. I was just leaving.” Cain bowed his head as Simone stepped away.

  “Yes, you are. I told you, your kind is not welcome here.” He looked toward Simone. “I told you to leave this man alone. Go to the back and retrieve the new vials.”