by G A Chase
“You must see that ultimately your plan would drain the deep waters. What happens then?”
I’ll rule over every human being. But Colin didn’t dare let his ultimate desire get the better of him. Some truths Samedi didn’t need to know. “There will always be people who will choose death. Some lives aren’t worth living. But instead of a boundless ocean, the reservoir of human spirits might become more like a lake. Would that really be so bad?”
“The deep waters are what connect all of the souls of the living. Without them, each of you would be truly alone.”
You fool, we’re all already alone. “We all have to make our own way through life. If the deep waters really connect us, then why are we so divided? Seems to me your idea of human existence doesn’t work so well.”
Baron Samedi conjured a clear glass filled with water covered by a thin layer of oil. “For most of human existence, this has been the balance between the living and the dead. Individuals were such a small percentage of the whole human spirit that each was able to connect directly to the water below.” He waved his hand over the glass. Though the overall amount remained the same, the percentage of oil increased to a point where only the bottom of the layer of it was in contact with the diminished amount of water. “The population on earth has been growing exponentially. Your science states that seven percent of all humans who ever walked the earth are alive today. Now figure in how much of that deep water is continually reused—what you would call reincarnation. Too many living with not enough dead means some individuals have trouble accessing the love they need.”
Don’t preach to me about love! “Have you considered that if we were all out here together in life instead of depending on our ancestors to smooth the way, maybe we’d figure out our existence on our own? We would get along just fine without your meddling from the afterlife. Who are you to decide when someone’s time is over? Given the option, there are a number of people I’d have liked to see hang around longer.” He involuntarily touched his cheek. The memory of Serephine’s kiss threatened to make him lose control of his emotions.
“And you would set yourself up as God—deciding whose life should continue and whose should not? Papa Ghede’s answer was to treat everyone the same—all people die regardless of their deeds—but even he knew the decision to return a spirit to the deep waters was more than one being could handle. Guinee may not be the ideal purgatory, but it serves the purpose of deepening the interface between the living and the dead. Your plan would drain our realm.”
Now we have it. You’d lose all your power over humanity. “Who set you up as judge and jury of people’s souls? You condemn people. I would save them.”
“But for what purpose? Your personal history doesn’t inspire confidence that you’d make a benevolent ruler.”
Colin hoped the satisfaction he felt wasn’t betrayed by the smile he felt tugging at his cheeks. “If we’re down to considering my credentials, you must at least admit my plan has merit. Humanity has a right to decide its own destiny.”
“You don’t represent humanity. If people reproduce faster than the deep waters can be replenished, that is out of our hands. The loas of the dead don’t have a say in how fast people die. Just within your lifetime, the number of people wandering the earth has more than doubled. You say people will figure out how to get along, but even given the current gradual pace of the unbalancing of the living and the dead, your proposition would appear to be failing. If you put a sudden stop to death, how long before civilization degenerated into chaos?”
Colin balled his fist under the desk. “We don’t need some outside rulers dictating our reality like we’re their pet dogs.”
Baron Samedi removed his top hat, pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the white-painted skull from his black face. “I’m not an alien creature. Like all the loas—and Papa Ghede himself—we were people just like you. We dictate nothing. Our mission is to maintain the structure of human existence. What each person experiences, in terms of our mutual connection, is added to the deep waters on their death. What they discover and create in life becomes a part of the human experience. For humanity to evolve, there must be death. Choosing who lives and who dies deprives the future of growth. Besides, human bodies grow old, get injured, and fail. Simply putting a soul back into a dead body won’t resurrect the person. It will only prolong the agony of their passing.”
Colin sat back in his chair. “I never said I wanted to return them to that failed attempt at a dimension. Between the old dead swamp witch, her granddaughter, and Kendell’s gang, I’m living in the perfect solution. The projected human puppets they’ve used to fill my world will no longer be soulless zombies. And with my control of this realm, people will no longer need to worry about the human frailties you’ve just described. All I need is the ability to rescue their souls from your purgatory.”
45
Kendell had never fully appreciated how boring life could be with nothing to do and no one be with. The puppies were her salvation. Though not the best conversationalists, they were beings for her to talk to. “I never realized how bad this hell must have been for Colin. He spent years with little more than I have in this box.”
Doughnut Hole laid his head on her knee.
“True, he could touch things. But you know what I’m saying. There was nothing for him to do. I might have chosen death if I’d been stuck in that reality with little hope of escape.”
She focused her energy and tried again to pick up the box on the lowest shelf. Again, her hand passed right through. “This is so frustrating. If I could just move the box closer to the door and use it to block it open once Colin returns, you pups could get out and attack him.”
Doughnut Hole barked at her once then turned to his sisters. At first, Kendell thought the dogs just needed a little play time, but when they formed a doggy chain up her body to the shelf, she wondered if they had something else in mind.
To her shock, the little black dog nudged the box off the shelf and onto the floor with his wet nose.
“Of course. You were born in this hell, so you’re not just spirits. That’s why you could cross over but Cheesecake couldn’t.” She ruffled the curly hair on his head. “You’re such a good dog. Now, see if you can move the box over to the door.” She hoped the pups’ ability to interact with the objects in the vault would also mean they wouldn’t pass out when the door between dimensions was opened.
But instead of pushing the box along the ground, the dogs circled it and started sniffing at the top as if there were doggy treats inside.
Cupcake lay on her belly and pawed at the catch.
“It’s locked,” Kendell said. “Luther wouldn’t just close the box with a simple latch. I know you’re magical creatures and all, but you’re not going to pick that lock with your claw.”
Cupcake growled softly but didn’t turn away from her study of the small treasure chest.
A familiar bark from inside the box made Kendell jump from the floor.
“Cheesecake? What the hell’s going on?” Each beat of her heart came on so strongly she feared her spirit would burst. My girl can’t be trapped in that box!
“Don’t freak out, Kendell.” At least Myles’s voice proved her beloved dog wasn’t alone.
“I don’t understand. What’s happened to my dog? Where are you?”
“Cheesecake is just fine. We’re using those cufflinks you talked about as walkie-talkies. Once Luther had control of the World Trade Center, one of his first tasks was dismantling the time machine Colin had built. Since Colin used his cufflink as his connection to the one he gave you, Luther put it in the vault with the rest of his stuff. And even though we couldn’t reach you—and the cufflink we put in the voodoo totem is still in that hell dimension—Cheesecake and I are able to access it while in this psychic trance. The totem is still physically in Delphine’s shop. Fortunately, the store is an interdimensional embassy. Apparently, though, we had to wait until the puppies turned on the power to th
e cufflink on your end before we could connect.”
Kendell wasn’t sure she cared how they did it. “I’m just so glad to hear your voice, both of you. I’m in some metal box. I assume it’s one of Luther’s vaults. Beyond that, I have no idea what’s going on. My hand just goes through all of the objects in here, but the puppies can interact with them. Colin’s after your cane.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not there, kicking his teeth in for abducting you. I can’t get there without the cane, and bringing it there seems like something you’d object to. Sanguine did a pretty good imitation of you in describing why I shouldn’t do something stupid.”
Kendell laughed for the first time since being soulnapped. “Like building a bridge to me with your spirit wasn’t dangerous?”
“Oh, it wasn’t just me. The band is lending me their essences as well. The bigger problem is that your soul is on that side of your gate and your body is here in life, which means the door is wide open. I wasn’t just trying to send you puppy support. Me and the band are jamming the passage with our souls so Colin can’t just walk out of hell.”
Kendell could imagine Myles and the band lying comatose on the floor of Delphine’s shop. “And laying your souls down in front of our enemy was the best plan you could come up with?”
“My plan was to bust into hell and beat Colin over the head with my cane until he told me where you were, but Sanguine convinced me that wouldn’t be the brightest move. As for blocking an open gate between dimensions—if you’ve got a better idea, I’m listening.”
Kendell pulled the pups close as substitutes for Myles. “I suppose you’re right. I keep wondering why he didn’t just move through the gate as soon as he abducted me. He must have known it was open.”
“We’ve been a little busy on this side to question his motives beyond wanting the cane. I just assumed he wanted to fight on his home turf. Here in life, he’d be facing me, the band, the dogs—the list of adversaries is long. There in hell, I wouldn’t have much backup other than Sanguine.”
Kendell had to consider the possibility that Colin was just playing with them—again. “The voodoo loas of the dead have always been very clear that a soul must pass through all seven gates in order. And for a time, Colin as Baron Malveaux was the guardian of the seventh gate. You don’t suppose he knows something we don’t?”
“Like maybe if he just walks through the seventh gate without first going through the six in order, his body and soul would be shredded to bits as if he’d been tossed into a wood chipper? Because if that’s the case, I’ll pull the band out of this connection right now and start waving the cane in his face through your gate.”
Though Kendell shared Myles’s desire to be rid of the devil, Colin, in full possession of his faculties, was far too clever to fall for such an obvious ploy. “Whatever he’s up to, it doesn’t appear to involve returning to the land of the living—at least not as his next move.”
“Now you’re going to tell me to let go of your soul so I can get back to work thwarting whatever devious plan he’s got going.”
She smiled at knowing him so well. “Then you’ll tell me there’s no way you’re leaving me in this jail. We both know how this discussion ends. We can’t just rely on Sanguine finding me, and you hiding from Colin won’t get me any closer to being freed. Since he hasn’t tried getting through the gate, there’s not much point in you stuffing it with your souls. I just wish I could give you some idea of where I’m being held captive. I can’t hear anything outside of this box.”
“Makes sense. That vault isn’t a part of either the hell dimension or this life. I’d go check with Luther, but Sanguine was headed that way when I built this psychic bridge.”
Kendell hated the prospect of losing her connection to Myles. “Do you think it’d be okay if the puppies stayed with me?”
“I don’t imagine they’ll be willing to leave. I love you, Kendell, and I won’t rest until you’re free.”
* * *
Myles felt as if his muscles hadn’t been used in a week. He found it hard to sit up from the hardwood floor. “I wonder if this is what it feels like to grow old. Because if it does, I’m going to stop ribbing my parents at Thanksgiving.”
The band wasn’t moving any faster. “Where’s my dog?” Polly asked.
“The puppies stayed with Kendell,” Myles said. “Cheesecake couldn’t make the transition as she isn’t from hell.”
The elder dog sniffed at Kendell’s body and whined.
Lynn only managed to sit up on her elbows. “What about Kendell? Did she learn anything useful about her cage?”
Myles wished he had more to tell them after once again using their spirits. “She’s scared but okay. Colin hasn’t returned to her, so whatever he’s up to doesn’t involve trying to seduce her. The vault must be in hell for him to have opened it, but as it’s from Luther’s building, it’s not really anywhere.”
“So we could find it as easily as Sanguine could?” Polly asked.
Myles suspected the search would be pointless. At least it’ll give everyone something to do. “Anything beats just sitting around, waiting for Colin to make his next move. Sanguine was going to check in with Saint Louis Cathedral about the fail-safe before heading to the World Trade Center, so there’s not much point in retracing her steps.”
Polly looked around the small room. “Using Kendell’s gate would be like being on hold with a utility company. So it’s not likely that Sanguine would try to contact us here, but how do we pick which gate to watch?”
Myles finally got to his feet. “Sanguine has never been the most punctual or predictable. This time, if we want to talk to her, we would need to contact her, and that means a long drive out to the swamp.”
Minerva pulled her keys from her canvas bag. “Good thing I brought my VW, but that will only get us to the bayou outlet. We’ll need some way to get through the swamp, and from what I recall, that’s not so easy.”
Myles didn’t really want to make the trip just to hear what he probably already knew. “If anyone has an alternative idea, I’d be really amenable to anything that moves us along faster.”
Scraper leaned against wall. “Has anyone considered how he moved that vault? The thing is the size of a small closet. Even with his devilish powers, he’d need help.”
Myles had been so focused on the vault’s resting place he hadn’t considered how it had arrived. “From what I gathered about the fail-safe, the vaults were supposed to end up in the river to avoid a meltdown. He must have moved it so Luther wouldn’t immediately know where it was. The way the tides run around here, though, we couldn’t be sure if he moved it upriver or downriver.”
“Either way,” Minerva said, “he’d need someone with a boat. As the people in his realm are simply projections, shouldn’t we be able to play back their actions like rewinding a film?”
Myles’s body hurt so badly that he didn’t really want to hike down to the river. “Sounds like we’ll need that ride after all, except down to Professor Yates’s laboratory.”
* * *
As Myles entered the office on the river, he had never been more hopeful of the crazy professor having something useful up his sleeve. The room’s combination of mad-scientist lab and steampunk gallery would have made Jules Verne envious. “You must be getting ready for a Halloween show.”
The professor never was the most organized with office décor or personal appearance. He ran his hands through his wiry gray hair. “Most of this stuff is to keep up our apparitions in hell. The drinks your friends are pouring for patrons all around the city are generating so much psychometric energy that I’m having trouble keeping up.”
Together with the professor and the four band members in the cramped office, Myles was having trouble finding a place to lean without triggering some piece of equipment. “I know it wasn’t part of the plan, but we’re hoping there’s some way to see what happened along the river a week ago. Colin got his hands on one of Luther’s vaults, and we ne
ed to find it. Kendell’s soul is locked inside.”
Professor Yates didn’t ask for an explanation but instead started playing with a bank of equipment that occupied the wall along the hallway. “Here’s the problem: I can isolate a section of that realm and run it backward, but I don’t know what Colin will be seeing in his hell. He might see exactly what we see on our hologram. Of course, events won’t be going back in time. If he moved the vault, it’ll stay right where it is, and as he’s not one of our puppets, you won’t see him. All we’ll see are the virtual-reality people and objects that we’re projecting. But if someone helped him, like you believe, we should see something that doesn’t make sense.”
“Do it,” Myles said. “By now, he must know he’s in hell. He’s already seen Sanguine with wings, so what do we have to lose?”
A three-dimensional projection of the French Quarter lit up between the paperwork and small machinery on Professor Yates’s worktable.
“Just put that equipment and those files on the floor. I’ll run the projection from here. If you see something suspicious, I can move things forward and backward like a movie reel. First I’ll reset the figurines to a week ago.”
