I still heard the ringing of the police car sirens, though none of them had made it into the cemetery yet. Odd, I thought, looking towards the exit.
“They won’t be coming, at least not for a while yet,” he answered my unspoken question. It was unnerving to say the least.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had business to attend to?” I still held Mateo in my arms, his form growing heavier by the second. Listening to His Royal High and Mighty Asshole-ness was rather far down on my list of things I wanted to do in that moment. Being caught red handed disobeying him didn’t help my attitude either.
“I did, but you see…the librarian has become my business if you hadn’t quite noticed. I’ve come to collect. You’re just an added bonus, my peach.”
Hearing him refer to my friend simply as the librarian instead of using him name, like he was insignificant and not worth the effort, heated my blood.
“He has a name you know. It’s Mateo and he was my friend. I know that might be impossible for you to comprehend, but he deserves respect.”
“So feisty.” His scrutinizing gaze appraised my wardrobe as he moved forwards. His gaze fixated on my pants, which I had happily traded my dress for. “Trousers are quite unbecoming for a woman of your stature.”
“I’m sure you’ll get over it,” I fired back.
Anger flashed in his eyes, but his only real response was raising a single eyebrow. Small frown lines appeared between his brows and next to his mouth.
The Baron stepped up in front of me, posturing in such a way that I was aware I was no longer top dog. He rolled up a single sleeve, not looking at his arm the entire time he went about his maneuvering. Reaching out his naked arm, he plunged his hand into the center of Mateo’s chest.
It wasn’t like the Bacalou, who had torn and ripped through flesh. No, the Loa’s hand passed easily through him like he had dipped his hand into a pool of water. The muscles of his arm rippled and flexed as he fished around my dead friend’s thoracic cavity. I couldn’t help my cringe. I knew my friend was gone, but it didn’t stop me from imagining how much it likely hurt him. Random thoughts clouded my brain, taking my attention away from the overwhelming flurry of emotions that warred for my spotlight.
When he finally slid his hand from the man’s chest, he had a blue wisp squeezed between his fingers. I wasn’t sure what else to call it. A soul, perhaps? However, I wasn’t convinced that’s what it was. Removing a tiny bottle about the size of a nail polish container from a bag that hung from his hip, he popped off the lid and deposited the little azure tuft into it. Wiggling the stopper back into place, he shoved it back into the pouch before returning his far too observant eyes to me.
Despite my massive exertion, my magic hummed within me at the Baron’s presence. I hated that I had such a reaction to him. It made me feel things that disgusted me when I thought about it. Yet, there wasn’t a way I could control it or change. I just hoped I wouldn’t forever be inexplicably drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
I lowered Mateo’s limp body to the ground, unable to support his dead weight any longer. The Baron stood proudly, staring off in the distance. He wasn’t, however, staring in the direction of the tomb we’d raided not long prior to his arrival. Peculiar. Was he purposefully not? Or was it just coincidence? He didn’t let on that he could feel the pull of the box hidden within my sack. I certainly still did and I doubted the man was truly as aloof as he seemed at times.
I wondered what punishment was in my near future. Memories of Samedi’s hand colliding with my face were still fresh in my mind. I didn’t relish the thought of revisiting that particular event.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked calmly, not glancing at me, which was completely fine by me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to meet his eyes anyways.
He meant back to Guinee. The jig was up. Slowly, I came to the realization I had nothing to stay for. Rhys was on the mend and I hoped the box’s contents had the solution which would bring us back together. As much as I hated it and it went against my very nature, patience would be the key. Refusing to accompany him wouldn’t go well. If I stayed, I’d have to contend with the police and their questions.
I nodded, knowing I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
“Just leave him there. They’ll take care of him after we’re gone.” He turned away and strode slowly toward the rear of the burial grounds, expecting me to follow suit.
I kept myself from arguing with him, despite knowing he was right. I didn’t want to leave my friend behind like a discarded wrapper, though I couldn’t take him with me either. The situation sucked no matter which way I looked at it, with no great way out. Mateo was added to the ever-growing list of people who’d been hurt or killed because of me and that god forsaken deal.
Walking away from Mateo’s lifeless form was exactly what the old man would have wanted. He would’ve wanted me to go on and finish what we’d started. I made a silent vow to myself right then that I was going to find Brigitte and I wouldn’t stop until I found the person responsible. The notion of the Baron Samedi being that very person was only growing stronger with each footfall I made. He was cocky and arrogant, too much so, he acted like he was untouchable. I guessed in a way, he was. I watched the way he moved straight and sure in front of me, totally uninterested in the rest of the world. A man like that had to have a few lifetimes worth of secrets locked away.
I briefly wondered how angry Papa Legba would be upon my return to Guinee. His scorn wasn’t to be taken lightly. He was much more the silent and deadly type as opposed to the Baron’s dramatic rage. Both men would make me pay, each in their own way.
The Baron was stopped several yards ahead of me with his staff held out in front of him. He whispered in tones too low to hear. At first, the air seemed to shimmer as if it was the surface of a glassy lake. A small pinprick of darkness opened against the light grey background of the sky. The tiny opening grew larger by the second until a swirling portal awaited us. It was just as I’d remembered it when Drake had been dragged to his death and I was effectively stolen away from the life I had built for myself.
Samedi turned to me, eyes void of any emotion. There was no warmth to the man. I couldn’t believe that I’d once thought him kind and charming. Hind sight is twenty-twenty though. His hand rose, palm up, waiting for my acceptance. It felt like I was agreeing to so much more than his company during the passage. I’d done what I could in the mortal world. I sauntered forward and gave him my hand.
He tugged me into himself like he would a stubborn horse. His closeness as well as the dark expression he was giving me made me more than a little uncomfortable.
I tried to pull back, put some space between us, but he wouldn’t budge. His arm was like a steel vice locked around me, not caring that he was making me squirm unpleasantly.
I studied his features. His full lips were pressed into a thin line and the lower half of his face held the faintest hint of scruff which was beginning to surface. My gaze ventured no further than his lips. I couldn’t handle his eyes being that close. Parts that I wished were warm, were absent of it and yet, the glimpses I wished were cold, flamed to life. It was unsettling which was a vast understatement.
He released his close hold on me. Keeping a firm grip on my arm, he pulled me to the edge of the portal. The magic contained within it attempted to suck us in, drawing us closer like two opposite magnets.
“Shall we?” he asked, and jerked me forward.
Chapter Ten
A Thief in Our Midst
The portal was cold, feeling equivalent to the slime kids typically play with. It was thick and slightly wet without leaving any moisture behind on my chilled skin. There was something disconcerting about the space between planes. It wasn’t like we just walked into it and stepped out on the other side. There was a small amount of travel involved, much like walking through a house. People can walk in the front door, cross the room and go through another door on the other side to get to where they wan
t to be. It was difficult to make anything out, but I could feel the presence of something in that space. I wasn’t eager to come face to face with whatever it was.
The Baron finally dragged us through to the other side. My boots felt like they sank into the damp grass of Guinee. Unlike the gateways, which were fixed in one spot on both sides of the divide, the Baron’s abilities proved to be capable of getting us much closer to our destination, although, I couldn’t make out the palace from the rest of the landscape. I was fairly certain the Baron had protective wards in place to prevent uninvited guests from showing up unannounced. So, we’d have to walk a distance.
He released my arm, seemingly convinced I wouldn’t or couldn’t flee from his company at the first opportunity. I found his lack of abuse, so far, an area of concern. I couldn’t figure him out. One moment he was physically assaulting me and the next, he was restrained, and dare I say it, even kind at times.
“Don’t attempt to run away again. Next time will not be nearly as pleasant as this one.”
He thought any of this was pleasant?
“Pleasant? That’s what you got out of all of this? A man lost his life! My friend, at that! You’ve kept me prisoner and totally isolated, all while being insensitive to everything I’ve given up in coming here.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, betraying his irritation with me. “You knew there was a cost when you asked for your friend to be spared. We made a bargain and I held up my end of the deal. You, however, have yet to fulfill yours.”
There was the matter of our impending nuptials which I had managed to push to the back of my mind until he mentioned them. It was like a bucket of ice water snapping me back.
“I’m well aware of that,” I gritted out through my teeth, clenching my fists by my sides. I hated being reminded that I owed him, especially something so big. His expression was smug while he loomed the coming marriage over me.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be holding up your end very soon.”
The way he said it gave me pause.
“What do you mean? Isn’t it a few days away still?” I was getting a bad feeling about it.
“That was before you took advantage of my generosity. Now, I feel you should be just as tied to this place as I am. It is your home after all.”
He couldn’t do that, could he? I thought he had to wait for Brigitte’s disappearance date before he could wed again.
“I don’t understand. I thought you were waiting for the anniversary of Brigitte’s disappearance to wed again?”
He looked away and started walking towards what I assumed to be the castle. Tension bunched his shoulders. I fell in step behind him, several yards back, after I realized he wasn’t stopping or waiting for me.
“It’s no longer an issue,” he called back over his shoulder.
Damn cryptic Loa. Why couldn’t they just say what they meant? Would it have been so difficult?
“How? Since you seem ready to go forward, does that mean Brigitte was found?”
“Not exactly.”
I wasn’t sure what he was playing at. His tone held finality to it. I was sure he wouldn’t humor my questioning nature any more on the journey to the Palace. It suited me just as well. I didn’t really want to talk to him anyways. I decided to use my time wisely and attempted to sort out the mess that had been St. Martinville and apparent non-existent people.
By then it had become quite clear that there was no Ronda Beamis. It must have been a set up. Yet another dead end. Fuck! I’d just about exhausted my options. The little box squirrelled away in my bag, undisclosed to my company, was my last chance before what would be an immediate wedding.
The more I thought about everything, the more confused I became. Why use a fake person to kidnap her? Why not just do it. From the somewhat limited experience I’d had with the Loas, most had a real pair on them and weren’t much afraid of consequences. Could all of this play into the big war Mateo had spoken about? Was it all connected? If the Baron was behind everything, why would he have gotten rid of his wife. Surely, she would’ve been the most likely person to have his back at the end of the day. Wouldn’t she?
There was no way to tell with the twisted ways of the Loas. My own case was a perfect example. The Baron had acted kind, charming, and even trustworthy at times. Naively, I’d made a deal with him when, unbeknownst to me, he’d made a deal long before I was born. I was already promised to him and I’d walked right in to an even deadlier trap by signing the contract and agreeing to be his wife. Their back alley deals were infamous throughout Louisiana and I’d been stupid to never pay it much attention.
Samedi stopped abruptly and pulled the pouch from his pocket. It was the one he’d put Mateo’s essence into. He withdrew the small glass tube and popped the stopper off. He dumped the contents into the palm of his hand and bowed his head to it. The wisp seemed much more pronounced than it had been back in the cemetery. The blue was brighter and it seemed more solid. I couldn’t make out the foreign words, though it seemed like a blessing of some sort. My guess was it was an ancient African dialect, Yoruban maybe. Slowly, Mateo’s essence began to take shape. It twisted and folded in on itself, yet expanded and grew with each erratic movement. Samedi continued with the blessing as a man began to take form in front of us. I watched in awe. For the first time, I really considered the beauty of that land and the role that the King of the Dead played.
A young man ringed in a blue hue stood in place of the essence. I could tell by his eyes that it was Mateo when he was younger. He stood tall and proud. At first, he seemed like he was unresponsive and by all accounts, just an apparition. After a second though, his head turned slightly and his gaze met mine. His eyes widened by a fraction before narrowing in as his gaze studied every inch of me. There was a moment of recognition, a spark that lit within his memories. The side of his mouth turned up slightly in a boyishly handsome grin. I returned it eagerly, tears burning my vision. This was goodbye. I knew I wouldn’t be seeing him again, not in my lifetime anyways.
The Baron’s prayer came to an end and the plains of Guinee fell silent. It was time for him to go.
Mateo turned to the side, gazing away from me into the fog. His smile grew like he saw someone he hadn’t in a very long time. I could see it too when I peered past him. Not like he could, I was sure, but in the haze, there were tiny flickers of light. Tiny glimmers of color, each one different than the next. Mateo looked back to me, his eyes full of friendship and gratitude. I didn’t know what for, but I knew more than anything, I reciprocated with everything I had. He was my only friend when I’d been left alone and broken. I placed my hand over my heart and then waved him off to the rest of his eternity. He gave me a small nod, and with a tiny salute of his fingers, he left, disappearing into the fog to join his ancestors because such was the destiny of all those worthy. The light scent of magnolias filled my nose as I lost sight of my friend. In that moment, I knew he was truly at peace.
The Baron Samedi repeated the process with half a dozen more vials. Each time repeating the same blessing and escorting his charges to their hard earned afterlife. Men and women alike, and even a small boy about the age of seven left our company to join their families in the pantheon of Guinee. My heart broke a tiny bit for each life lost, yet I was so full of joy to watch every one of them find everlasting peace and comfort. One by one, they vanished.
Samedi watched me with a peculiar expression, contemplative though not quite. Not knowing what to make of it, I brushed it off. I inhaled deeply, ready to ask the damning question that had been nagging at me since his announcement.
“When?” I asked simply.
He understood my question and turned to continue our march homeward just as the last spirit disappeared in the dense cover.
I kept pace with him, though decided that I wasn’t going to be walking several strides behind him anymore. I wasn’t his equal in strength or ability, but I wanted to be in position and respect.
“Tomorrow, promptly at midday.”
I wasn’t sure what to think. Sure, it was much sooner than I was comfortable with. Yet, I had been at least partially convinced he had planned to drag me to the altar as soon as we arrived back at the palace. I kept quiet, mulling everything over, and things stayed that way the rest of our journey.
I found it odd that we didn’t cross paths with any of the spirits which inhabited the land. The memory of the rotting stench and uneasy presence was still fairly fresh in my mind. Had it really only been a day since the encounter took place? Maybe they steered clear of the Baron?
The walk back wasn’t nearly as long as I had at first thought. The shadow of the enormous structure loomed before me within twenty minutes. As we drew closer, the massive stone pillars greeted us. Torches flickered near the massive set of French doors, guiding our way. The earth crunched under my feet, making it difficult to be silent. I wished, not for the first time, the land had more greenery to offer.
As if sensing our arrival, the doors swung open to usher us in. We weren’t met with a warm welcome from any staff. They’d scurried off and hidden themselves away with the homecoming of my soon-to-be husband. His hard exterior had slid into place as soon as he’d stepped into the building. Samedi’s anger at my disobedience had seemed to dissipate some as we’d walked back. I hoped he’d found it relaxing and had blown off some steam. I was no man’s punching bag.
Saying nothing, he marched me towards the grand staircase. He was doing the same thing he’d done since my initial arrival, stuffing me in my room as a way of babysitting me. Any time I had ventured out while he was home, he turned me right around and put me back in my room. Poking about the castle into his private domain wasn’t high on his approval list.
A Soul's Surrender (The Voodoo Revival Series Book 2) Page 15
