The Veritas

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘What?’

  ‘She was my mission, well in the beginning at least,’ he let out a slow breath. ‘The first time Azariel and the others got their hands on Scarlett, Sam and I managed to smuggle her out. He threw both of us back in time somewhere they’d never think to look for her, the only place she’d be safe. I was sent back to protect her.’

  ‘Not being funny Julien,’ Olivia lifted her brows, ‘not exactly doing a bang-up job, are you?’

  ‘I tried to stop her,’ he turned to stare at Olivia. His pale blue eyes darkened with regret, ‘but she knew it was the only way to save him.’

  ‘Save who? Sam?’

  Julien nodded.

  ‘He was dying Olivia,’ Julien continued. ‘The details aren’t important, but I spoke with Scarlett and Sam just before they left for Las Vegas. He wasn’t doing well, so I went in search of a healer and found Issac. Unfortunately, I found him in the condition he is in now.’

  ‘Without his hands?’

  ‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘Without them he can’t use his gift; it’s how he focuses his power.’

  ‘Someone did this to him?’ Olivia guessed.

  ‘Again yes, but that is a story for another time. By the time Scarlett and Sam wound up back in New Orleans it was too late. There was no time to get Issac’s hands back, Sam was going to die. The only way to heal him was to take him home.’

  ‘Back to Heaven?’

  Julien once again stared at her, as if he was trying to work out just how much she knew.

  ‘Back to Heaven,’ he nodded. ‘The only healers who could save Sam were under his father’s control.’

  ‘She knew what they were going to do to her, didn’t she?’ Olivia wondered quietly.

  Julien nodded mutely.

  ‘She gave herself up to save him,’ Olivia chewed over the words thoughtfully. ‘Do you know where Sam is now?’

  ‘I don’t even know if Sam is alive,’ Julien forced himself to voice the words aloud. ‘The only one who has any answers is Scarlett. Hasn’t she told you anything?’

  ‘She hasn’t regained consciousness.’

  ‘Damn it,’ Julien muttered.

  ‘Is that the exit up ahead?’ Davis suddenly interrupted.

  Julien looked up and cursed again.

  The steps leading up to what had once been a doorway were nothing more than a sloping pile of rubble. The doorway itself, along with part of the ceiling, had also given way and collapsed in, leaving them no way out.

  ‘Now what?’ Olivia asked.

  Davis gazed up at the collapsed passageway thoughtfully.

  ‘Where exactly is this?’ he turned to Julien. ‘I mean, where’s the exit supposed to lead to?’

  ‘The exit was behind the fireplace of a building about a block from the Bone Man’s house. It used to be a private residence, but I believe it’s empty at the moment, undergoing renovations.’

  Davis nodded.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Julien asked as Davis began to climb up the pile of rubble.

  ‘I’m just going to take a look,’ he replied as a chunk of masonry knocked loose and tumbled to the ground, landing with a splash in the muddy, ankle deep water.

  ‘What does he mean, take a look?’ Issac asked curiously, his eyes widening in surprise as Davis’s head and shoulders suddenly disappeared through the collapsed roof. The rest of his torso, arms and legs were still clinging to the top of the mountain of rubble. ‘Well, that’s a hell of a trick,’ Issac murmured in surprise, ‘for a human.’

  Julien turned and smiled in the semi darkness.

  After a couple of seconds Davis’s face reappeared.

  ‘You’re right, it opens up into a building, which appears to be empty. I can take each one of you through.’

  Olivia shuddered at the thought and turned to Julien.

  ‘You’re like Sam, aren’t you?’ she asked bluntly. ‘You’re a Sentinel?’

  ‘How do you know about that?’

  ‘Look, do you want me to trust you or not?’ she replied.

  ‘I do.’

  ‘Then you can start by telling me the truth,’ she stared at him.

  ‘It is true,’ Julien nodded, purposefully not making eye contact with Davis who was watching him with a scowl, ‘we’re the same.’

  ‘So that means you can translocate?’ she continued.

  ‘You know about that too?’

  She stared at him expectantly.

  ‘Alright,’ he sighed, ‘yes, I can translocate. However, I can’t right now, otherwise I would have just taken us all straight to the Bone Man…’ he lifted one foot distastefully, his expensive Italian shoes dripping dirty, smelly water, ‘and saved us a walk through this mini swamp.’

  Seeing her watching him, waiting for an explanation, he continued.

  ‘Whenever I translocate it makes a kind of sound… or maybe sound isn’t the right word,’ he frowned, ‘a kind of resonance. Most people wouldn’t even be aware of it but…’

  ‘The angels out there would?’ she guessed.

  ‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘There’s so many of them out there, their presence is disrupting the natural flow of magical energy. It’s supercharging everything at the moment, you must have noticed it?’

  ‘We have,’ Olivia replied glancing at Davis, ‘we weren’t sure what was causing it.’

  ‘If I were to translocate it would announce our presence to every angel within the city limits.’

  ‘But when we arrived at your house you were doing something with those packing crates?’ she tilted her head curiously. ‘You said you were sending them somewhere.’

  ‘I was,’ he nodded. ‘However, moving a few simple inanimate objects is completely different from moving a living breathing person. That takes much more power.’

  ‘I see,’ Olivia murmured.

  ‘Are we going to stand around all day in this sewage or are we going to see the Bone Man?’ Davis interrupted. His expression was cool as he stared at Julien.

  ‘I guess we’re doing it your way then,’ Olivia sighed reluctantly as she began to climb up.

  As she reached the top, she watched Davis disappear through the ceiling. First his head, and his upper chest and arms, then he slowly pulled the rest of his body and his legs through.

  ‘Now what?’ Olivia wondered when an arm suddenly reappeared through the solid rock, hand outstretched toward her. ‘I guess here goes nothing,’ she sucked in a breath and grasped his hand.

  She shut her eyes, feeling the surprising strength of him as he lifted her and pulled her up through layers of rock and stone, and tightly packed earth, without any difficulty. She had that same strange feeling of melting, this time accompanied by a cold wet feeling as if she were sliding through wet mud. When she finally opened her eyes again, she was standing in a large empty room beside Davis. One of her dragon flies hovered over her shoulder lighting the room with a soft muted red glow, throwing dancing shadows on the bare walls and high ceiling, highlighting small towers of scaffolding and sheets of plastic.

  ‘Well that was a strange experience.’

  Olivia turned to find Issac standing beside her with wide eyes. His normally pleasing dark golden skin was pale and sweating slightly, and she could have sworn his curly black hair was actually standing on end.

  ‘It’s a bit rough the first time,’ she told him, ‘it does get easier.’

  ‘Forgive me,’ he swallowed uncomfortably as if he were trying to stop himself from vomiting, ‘but I don’t wish to experience that again.’

  Olivia smiled as she looked around him to find Davis pulling Julien through the floor. Once he was on his feet Davis let go of him and they stood staring at each other. She could tell Davis was pissed and Julien looked stubbornly defiant and as much as she didn’t wish to interrupt, she knew they didn’t have time for this.

  ‘Is it far from here?’ she asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.

  ‘No,’ Julien replied tearing his gaze away from Davis, ‘it’s not
far.’

  He headed toward the tall windows which overlooked the street and keeping carefully concealed in the shadow he peered out.

  ‘Damn it,’ he murmured under his breath once more.

  ‘What is it?’ Davis asked as he moved to stand just slightly behind him, peering around him and glancing into the street.

  ‘Angels,’ Julien answered distractedly, as he watched them carefully, ‘there’s too many of them.’ He turned his head to glance at Davis, ‘we’ll never get through all of them to get to Armand.’

  ‘We need a distraction,’ Davis murmured as he watched the angels with glowing skin boldly stalking through the crowds of people.

  He turned to look back at Julien and something unspoken passed between them.

  ‘You know where Armand’s place is?’

  Davis nodded.

  ‘Make sure they get there safely.’

  ‘What about you?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll draw the angels away and make as much noise as I can, that should hold their attention for a while at least. Julien turned back to Olivia and Issac. ‘As soon as you are done get the hell out of the city; I don’t know how long I can keep them off your back.’

  Olivia nodded in agreement.

  ‘Okay then,’ he pulled in a sharp breath, ‘here goes.’

  ‘Be careful,’ Davis warned solemnly, ‘I have things to say and I’d rather not be picking up pieces of you all over the Quarter.’

  ‘Please,’ Julien scoffed, his pale blue eyes glittering cockily, ‘I can handle those flying monkeys.’

  Suddenly he was gone and only the three of them remained in the dimly lit room.

  There was a sudden strange sound in the distance. It wasn’t even a sound really, more of a vibration, and the power and magnitude of it carried throughout the city as if it were riding a shockwave.

  Olivia stepped up to the window next to Davis and watched. The majority of people in the crowded streets didn’t even notice anything different, nor the sudden change in atmosphere. But, several of the angels stopped and stared, turning in the direction of the strange pulse, their interest pricking like hunting dogs scenting a fox. One by one they began to disappear until finally the street seemed to be filled once again with nothing more than regular humans enjoying themselves.

  ‘Quickly,’ Davis headed through the house toward the front door, ‘keep your heads down and follow me.’

  Olivia and Issac did as they were told, stepping down onto the street and into the warm night air. The whole Quarter throbbed and pulsed around Olivia; the strange ribbons of color swirling through the air she’d experienced earlier in the day had returned, only now it was much stronger. Music spilled from open doorways, the bluesy jazz riffs floating into the air like fireflies, dancing on the heavy humidity.

  Olivia followed behind Davis, trying to keep her focus on him but the heartbeat of the city once again drew her attention and she found herself slowing down. She could hear it all around her, a strange sibilant whispering.

  She slowed until she stopped completely, surrounded by people laughing and smiling. She blinked slowly and suddenly several strange looking people appeared. They were interspersed between the humans but there was something… otherworldly about them, and they were all staring at her.

  One of them seemed to be a human form, comprised entirely of water, but even though this strange being was translucent she could still make out its humanoid features. Another stood a short distance away; this one was comprised of fire but once again bore human features.

  A fierce looking female with dark skin and a brightly painted face watched her, gripping a spear in her hand. Another male with a high hat and a fat cigar watched her with emerald green eyes.

  Feeling a tight grip on her arm she blinked again, and they were all gone.

  ‘Olivia?’ Davis shook her slightly, ‘are you alright?’

  ‘Yes…I…’ she breathed in confusion, ‘I think so.’

  ‘Come on,’ he tugged on her arm to get her moving again.

  This time he caught her hand and led her through the crowds, and she followed distractedly.

  They finally stopped in front of a purple door; upon it was a wreath of tiny white flowers and beneath it a curious symbol. It was a latticed cross on a mounted dais, at each of its points were small flowers and x’s and either side of the cross were tiny coffins decorated with more lattices.

  ‘That’s the mark of the Baron,’ Olivia stared at the door.

  For a second, she could’ve sworn the surface of the door undulated and rippled like it was made of liquid and a strange sense of unease settled in the pit of her stomach.

  ‘Yes,’ Davis replied not noticing her disquiet, ‘it’s the mark of Baron Samedi, this is the place.’

  She watched as he raised his hand and pounded on the door with his fist.

  For long seconds nothing happened and then suddenly the door creaked, opening slowly and ominously to reveal nothing but darkness beyond.

  The sense of unease suddenly grew, and the strange whispering once again began, distant voices urging her on into the darkness.

  Seeing no other choice, she lifted her foot and crossed the threshold.

  12

  The door slammed shut behind them with an ominous ring of finality, leaving them standing in the dark once again. As they had done in the tunnel, her dragonflies flickered into life, leading the way down a dim passageway.

  The wallpaper was faded and peeling away from the walls. Once a sweet delicate print of flowers, in the subdued light they now looked deformed and misshapen, like some kind of unhealthy rash. The wooden floor was scratched and dented, partially covered by a long threadbare rug.

  They continued walking for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, and Olivia found herself wondering how the passageway could’ve been that long, or they would have ended up in a different building from the one they’d entered. Perhaps it only seemed that way, Olivia mused silently to herself.

  The end of the corridor finally came into view. Instead of a doorway there was an old worn curtain, which looked more like a tapestry. Edged in what was perhaps once a fine golden tasseled fringe, it now resembled more of a grim mustard colored, partially bald, moustache. Olivia reached for the curtain, but it suddenly folded itself aside revealing a large room beyond.

  The three of them stepped warily inside. The room was again dimly lit and filled with the scent of old musty books, melted candles and strong herbs. There was a huge circular table in the center of the room, which held thick cream and black pillar candles. The table was covered with a shabby purple colored cloth which bore strange symbols in gold thread. A huge crystal ball sat in the center of the table cradled in the gruesome embrace of the lower jaw of a human skull.

  The crystal ball was particularly fascinating, Olivia thought to herself as she took an unconscious step closer, intrigued with it. She’d seen dozens of crystal balls over the years, some belonging to her own family which were hundreds of years old, but nothing like this one. Instead of clear glass, it almost seemed to be hollow, the heart of it filled with a writhing, pulsing mass of swirling green smoke.

  The curtain draped closed as they all stepped more fully into the room, surveying the weird, macabre artefacts lining the bookcases and shelves around them.

  ‘Good evening my friends,’ a deep voice suddenly startled them.

  They turned back to the curtain they’d entered through to find a tall, reed thin man wearing a maroon colored suit with white pin stripes, and a lime green shirt. He smiled widely, splitting the dark skin of his face with a row of perfect, blindingly white teeth.

  ‘What brings you to my door this night?’ he asked, his eyes immediately falling on Olivia.

  ‘Armand,’ she greeted him politely. She’d not seen him since the night all hell had broken loose in the pub back home in Mercy, when a mob of unruly spirits had torn a hole in the fabric between worlds and tried to kidnap her godson Miller. The goddess Diana had shown
up with Armand in tow and it had been he who had repaired the tear between worlds. Although she didn’t trust him exactly, she was grateful to him for helping to protect Miller.

  ‘Guardian,’ he inclined his head in return, the soft light reflecting on the oil he’d used to tame down the tight black corkscrew curls which were cropped close to his head.

  The whispering once again returned full force, echoing loudly enough in her ears for her to lose concentration and cock her head slightly to the side as she listened intently.

  Armand watched her with interest, waiting until the whispering once again abated and she turned back to the others.

  ‘What is it?’ Davis asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she trailed off. ‘There was whispering, and outside in the street I thought I saw… I… don’t know.’

  ‘You’ve seen the Mystéres, haven’t you?’

  ‘The what?’ Davis asked. ‘What is he talking about?’

  ‘The Loa,’ Armand’s eyes glittered with interest as he watched Olivia, ‘they chose to show themselves to you, didn’t they?’

  ‘Why would they do that?’ she asked in confusion.

  ‘To show you that the angels are not the only ones walking this earth in more than two thousand years. The Otherworld is awakening Chére, we are to stand witness to the unimaginable. The days of prophecy are coming, and we all have our part to play.’

  ‘What are the days of prophecy?’ Olivia asked quietly as the hard ball of unease tightened in her gut once more.

  ‘That shall be revealed in time Chére.’

  ‘Are you being purposely obtuse?’ she frowned.

  ‘Ah, ma petite, you will find I am the most contrary of men. I can be as infuriating as I can be purposeful. Now why have you come to my door?’

  Armand followed her gaze to Issac, his eyes dipping to his metal hooks in lieu of hands. His expression lit with the scent of a deal.

  ‘You wish to have your hands back, non?’

  ‘I do,’ Issac replied gruffly. Despite his cool, carefully neutral expression his eyes betrayed a desperate battle of hope and need.