Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Collection

by R D Martin

  Mama Ade’s home shouted to the world how much she loved her family. As she stepped through the front door, the number of photos and portraits struck Bella as they covered every horizontal surface and most vertical ones as well. Some older portraits were so timeworn it would take a professional to restore them, while others looked as if she had added them to the collection within the last week.

  Though the house was in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest neighbor at least a mile away, there was a sense of the home being crowded, both with the love of the old woman toward her family and the love they gave in return. This was what every home strove to be, and so often wasn’t.

  Stepping into the home, Bella noticed a line of red dust on the floor. Careful not to disturb it in case it meant something, she made a note to ask Ray about it later.

  The crowd gathered in the living room may as well have been guests at a birthday party rather than a wake. People wore normal clothes, carrying small plates and red Solo cups, chatted with each other. Some more animated conversations were about sports and whatever event surprised the speaker the most, while others, the more subdued ones, covered everything from recipes to the latest gossip. Following in Ray’s wake, she passed through the living room, through a breezeway, and found herself in a large kitchen.

  The family had covered every surface with a multitude of dishes. Some new arrivals had their aluminum foil covers still intact, while others were already half devoured. The way people lined up to dish themselves a plate reminded her of the soup kitchen back home, and she felt a small pang of longing for the place that gave her so much joy.

  One section of the kitchen, the only flat surface not already covered with food, served as a bar with someone standing nearby to pour drinks and keep kids away. Conversation here was in holding with what she’d heard up to this point, and for the briefest of moments, she wondered why no one discussed the departed.

  Her reverie was interrupted when Ray shoved plates piled high with food at her and Karina before nodding his head toward a screen door at the back of the room. Following him again, the trio stepped outside and into the back yard.

  Magnolia trees with thick curtains of Spanish moss hanging from their branches lined a yard large enough to build another three houses. Someone had taken time to line the area with tiki torches, and the air was thick with the scent of citronella. Tables of various sizes and shapes were set up, sprinkled around the oversize yard like spots on a Dalmatian. People moved from table to table as they spied someone they wanted to speak with. Plenty of seating was available, though Bella noticed most people preferred to stand and carry their food.

  Both Bella and Karina followed Ray to a round table, something large enough to sit ten people, where they sat. The only other person at the table was a geriatric woman. Ray tried to introduce them, but the old woman ignored him and continued mumbling to herself.

  “Dig in,” he said, before starting in on his own plate.

  As hungry as she was, she only nibbled at some larger portions on her plate, instead pushing the food around from spot to spot. As Bella waited for her companions to finish their food, she turned her attention to the assembled guests and let their conversation, mixed with the chirp and buzz of insects, wash over her. The way the sounds of nature and people mixed, it was almost cathartic, and against all odds, she relaxed for the first time in what might as well have been forever. Sure, she still had several problems to deal with, but they just didn’t seem so important right now.

  “Not hungry?” a voice said, snapping her out of her reverie.

  “Huh? What?”

  “I said, not hungry? Y’all gotta at least eat Cousin Jess’ shoofly pie. Won’t find none better in a hundred miles.” The speaker was a short man, one she’d noted at the funeral but hadn’t had the time to speak with.

  She looked down at her plate, trying to figure out which of the dishes was the pie, when Ray spoke.

  “Ladies, this is Frank. Frank, meet Bella and Karina.”

  The short man nodded at each of them.

  “Uh, Ray. Mind if I speak with you?” He tilted his head, gesturing for the two of them to step away from the table.

  As they walked away, heads together in conversation, the silence between the two women stretched, growing thick and uncomfortable.

  Unable to deal with the silence any longer, Bella twisted in her seat to speak.

  “Karina…”

  “Bella…”

  They spoke at the same time, each bringing what the other would say to a stop. The two women stared at each other like duelists at opposite ends of the list, and it was Karina who sighed first and began to speak.

  “Bella, I’m… I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

  “What? What’s your fault? Why are you sorry?”

  “I’m the one who insisted we come here for Mardi Gras,” she said in a voice filled with regret. “I mean, I knew you were coming here for business and I just kind of inserted myself into the mix. If I hadn’t, none of this would have happened.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  The way Bella’s friend thought was usually straightforward, but this was leaving her more than a little confused.

  “Well, I mean.” There was a pause as though she was trying to order her thoughts. “It’s like this. You came down here to impress your boss and speak with the old woman, that Mama Ade, but you didn’t have to, did you? You could have talked to her over the phone and passed on the info, but you came in person instead. All because I pushed you into it. If I hadn’t wanted to come here so bad, we’d still be at home, not attending a funeral or sitting in some stranger’s back yard. We wouldn’t have been here for that Voodoo ritual, and you wouldn’t have had to watch that lady die. I know you’re trying to be brave, but I can see how much it’s hurting you, and I’m sorry.”

  “Is that what’s been bugging you?” Bella was relieved at finding out Karina wasn’t beating herself up over what she’d seen, but the guilt of lying to her for so long reared its ugly head and tightened its grip on Bella’s chest. “Oh hun, you’ve got it all wrong. Okay, well, yes, part of it’s right, but you’re wrong.”

  Karina tilted her head a little, her forehead creasing as a look of confusion spread across her face.

  “How could I be wrong? I mean, we came here because I insisted, right?”

  “Well, yes and no.” Bella took a breath, holding up her hand to forestall anything she would say. “It’s true, I could have stayed home and let my… supervisor deal with this. And he insisted it was the best thing for me to do, but, well, I just couldn’t. I just kept thinking to myself that if I didn’t come down here and do this, I’d never leave the office again. Well, maybe not never, but not for a long time. I was so scared after I got back.”

  She stared at Karina and, before Bella could stop herself, the words just started pouring from her.

  “The truth is, it’s my fault. You wanted to come and I thought that if you were here, I’d, well, I’d have someone to lean on and help me. You’re the strongest woman I know and as long as you were here, I didn’t think it would be so bad. So, really, I’m sorry.”

  Her friend’s grip tightened in hers and before she could blink, the woman had both her arms around her, tightening into a hug and suffocating her with her bright pink locks.

  They held the position for a moment before Karina let go and sat back. Her exuberant look returned, if slightly spoiled by the tears glistening in her eyes.

  “It looks like we were both wrong then. Oh, Bella. I’m sorry for not speaking to you sooner. I just felt so guilty about everything, and then at the funeral, you looked like everything in the world was coming down on your shoulders and I felt even worse.”

  The guilt in Bella’s chest had been uncoiling, albeit at a rate making glaciers seem fast, but it stopped and reversed direction, tightening again. She still had to figure out what to do with her and the Imperium. New Orleans might have their own way of dealing with them, but they still
ruled the city. Unless Karina wanted to abandon everything back home and start a new life here, something Bella was sure she wouldn’t want to do, a decision needed to be made.

  “Karina,” she said, locking eyes with her friend. “I’ve got to ask you something, something important, okay?”

  “The other night at the ceremony, you said—" Karina started.

  “Good news. Frank’s got the boat fixed and ready to go out tomorrow. We can be out and back before lunch,” Ray interrupted. The humor in his voice died as he looked at the women. “Did, did I interrupt something?”

  The two women turned away from him and, looking each other in the eyes, broke out into hysterical fits of laugher.

  By the time Bella finished, her side hurt and the worry she’d been carrying was gone. Karina had the same look, and though he was still confused, Ray was at least smiling.

  Taking his seat, he picked up his fork and was about to bite into a dark brown wedge of something she found too sweet to enjoy when a loud ringing gong echoed among the trees, sending roosting birds scattering into the air. The sound flowing through her was deep enough to rattle her bones and twist her guts as though she’d taken a hit from a prize fighter.

  The gong rang a second and third time before stopping. It seemed as if the sound was designed to grab the world’s attention. All conversation had stopped and even the chirping of crickets ceased as the last echoes of the sound disappeared among the trees.

  “What was that?” Karina asked, standing and looking around. She wasn’t the only one either. Almost all the assemblage stood along with her, craning their necks, looking into the woods surrounding the house as they tried to find the source of the noise.

  There was a rustling at the far end of the yard and a troupe of squirrels burst from the undergrowth, running as though trying to escape a wildfire. All eyes turned in that direction as people waited to see what chased the animals out. They didn’t have to wait long.

  Stepping into the open with the grace of a snake rising from the brush, the Baron strode from the trees like an actor striding onstage. With all attention on him, he stopped at the edge of the clearing, swept his hat from his head and bowed. Straightening, he replaced the top hat with a soft pat, and a lit cigar appeared in his hand. Even the breeze wanted little to do with him as the smoke from the cigar collected around his head like an ephemeral crown.

  “What are you doing here, Baron?” Ray asked. His voice, laden with barely concealed rage, carried in the sudden quiet. It was like the single clap of thunder in the distance heard just before a storm breaks.

  “Why, Raymond, is that any way to greet a man coming to pay his respects?”

  “Respects? You didn’t respect Mama Ade when she was alive. Why now?”

  “That’s not true, boy, and you know it. I knew that woman since she was a child. There’s nobody alive today that I respected more.”

  Ray’s answer was a mix of something between a grunt and a snort.

  “It’s true, boy,” the Baron said, his painted face showing a pained expression. Laying his hand over his heart, he continued. “Did I not keep the pact all these years? Did I do harm to any citizen of New Orleans? Have I not been helpful when needed?”

  Bella didn’t need to be an actor to recognize bad acting when she saw it. Even though his words dripped with pained sincerity, they still came across as false. It was like a child, face covered in chocolate, blaming the broken cookie jar on a non-existent pet.

  “You attacked us. It’s your fault Mama Ade’s dead,” came a voice from the rear of the crowd. Others murmured their agreement with the sentiments and the crowed rustled in place.

  “I? I attacked you? Surely you must be mistaken.” The Baron hadn’t moved, but somehow seemed smaller under the weight of everyone’s stare. “Which of you saw me there? Who among you can say you saw my hand raised against that poor, dead woman? You would accuse me without proof, convict me where I stand without regard for my innocence? Shame, I say. Shame.”

  Lifting his hand from his chest, he pointed one gloved finger at the crowd. As it passed, people flinched as though it were the barrel of a gun, ready to fire. The mood shifted as well. Somehow the Baron seemed the aggrieved party and the assemblage his unwarranted accusers.

  “What do you want, Baron?” Ray’s voice cut through the mounting tension, giving it a release like a nail in a car tire. The tire didn’t go completely flat, but a lot of air escaped, regardless.

  The Baron’s face shifted again, transforming from pained innocence to grim determination.

  “Ade has something of mine. Something I’d dearly like returned. Bring it out to me and I’ll go.”

  “There’s nothing of yours here, Baron.”

  “Fool boy. Do you think I can’t feel it, even from here? Are you so blind?”

  “There’s nothing here for you, Baron. Leave. You’re not welcome.”

  “I tried,” the Baron said, shaking his head. Raising his hands, he stepped from the tall grass at the tree line and began marching forward, his long legs parting the grass like a ship cutting through waves.

  As Bella watched him approach, her stomach clenched and heart began racing. Though Mama Ade’s letter asked her to fight him, she hadn’t thought she’d face him so soon. There were too many people here, and even if they were all aware of magic, something that seemed likely the way some of them began glowing as they called power to themselves, people would be hurt, maybe killed. The last thing she wanted was more deaths on her conscious.

  “Bella? What’s going on?” Karina asked.

  Turning to her friend, she saw the woman’s eyes widen with an expression somewhere between fear and amazement. Craning her neck, she looked in the same direction as Karina and realized she might see the glow around magic users as well.

  “What,” she began. It wasn’t the time for the conversation, but there may not be another time. “What do you see?”

  “I… I don’t know. It’s like there’s a glow around people, like they’re wearing a suit made of light.” Her voice quavered as she tried to explain it.

  “Look at me, Karina. Do you see it, that glow, around me?” She wasn’t holding magic, so there shouldn’t be anything. When Karina dragged her gaze away from everyone else and shook her head at the question, Bella took a deep breath. What happened next would set the path of their friendship in a direction she wasn’t sure she wanted to go. Opening herself to magic, she let the energy fill her, suffusing every cell in her body as its warmth rushed through her.

  Her stomach sank and she didn’t have to ask as her friend’s eyes opened wider, threatening to pop from her skull. Releasing the power seemed to have a greater effect on the woman as she stepped back, coving her mouth with her hand.

  “Bella, what’s going on? Why were you glowing? Why is everyone glowing?” There was an edge of hysteria to her voice that stabbed into Bella’s gut like a knife blade.

  “Okay, calm down,” she said, raising her hands, palms facing her friend. “It’s okay, and I promise to tell you everything. But right now we have a problem. That is a terrible man who—"

  She didn’t get any further in her explanation as a great ripple of light washed up and over the house and people in the yard, causing both her and Karina to jump. Twisting, she looked toward the Baron. The painted man had left the tall grass and stood on the very edge of the clearing. His fist raised high, he brought it down like he was trying to smash a glass on the floor. It only moved a few inches before coming to an abrupt stop like it slammed into an invisible barrier. Where it stopped, another ripple of light shot out, following a domelike pattern around the house again.

  “Brick dust,” said Ray.

  “What?”

  “Red brick dust.” His lazy smile returned to its usual position, though it was softened by the tinge of sadness in his eyes. “An old Voodoo trick. It’s supposed to keep evil spirits out of a house.”

  She remembered seeing a line of red dust at the front door, though she
hadn’t known it was brick dust.

  “She’d asked me to bring bags of the stuff over for the last couple of weeks. Didn’t know what she wanted with it, though. I guess we do now.”

  The Baron’s hand came down on the shield again, sending out another wave of light to cascade around the grounds.

  “Is it going to hold?”

  He shrugged his shoulders before answering. “Depends. It’s not magic, not really, anyway. It’s about belief. As long as he believes it will keep him out, it will.”

  That was, in her opinion, absolutely nuts. How could his belief keep someone else’s spell working?

  “That doesn’t make sense, though. How could a line of dust with no magic stop him from crossing?”

  “Not him it’s stopping,” Ray said, barking a short laugh as he dropped into his seat. He wasn’t the only one relaxing either. The light of magic surrounding people winked out one by one as they too realized the Baron wouldn’t be crossing the line.

  “Then who or what is?” She was getting frustrated with this southern magic. Just when she thought she had a handle on it, the rules changed. Belief in her own magic was an important element. But magic followed the will of the Witch and it did what it was asked to do, no more and no less. How could it create a barrier when it was not even called?

  “It’s the spirit in him it’s blocking. The spirit believes it cannot cross the line. As long as it does, the man can’t either.”

  She thought back to Mama Ade’s lecture on Hoodoo and how much she stressed belief as part of the practice.

  “So you’re saying as long as some part of him believes he can’t cross, he really can’t?” Bella said, still not quite sure she believed it.

  “That’s what they always taught me,” Ray said, nodding. “For any magic to work, there must be belief. The stronger the belief, the stronger the magic. It’s the same for you, right?”