I sensed Olitha.
“Good evening, Alixia,” she said, coming through the doorway. I looked behind her.
“Where’s Marguerite?”
“She had to leave, Alixia.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing, she went to make arrangements to fly out tonight, and she also had to take care of some Family business. So, I’m supposed to take you to the airport tonight and she’ll meet us there.”
I stood up franticly.
”We’re leaving tonight? Why? None of this is making sense. “
“Alixia, it’s just best that we leave tonight. Marcel might be returning to the West Indies, so we have to begin the ritual for Marcus as soon as possible. ”
“I need to see Phillip before I go.”
“No, we don’t have time. Marguerite will be waiting for us.”
“Well, I’m seeing him. I’ll meet you there.”
“This is not acceptable. Marguerite said to go right to the airport.”
“I promise I will be there.” I walked past her, sensing her agitation. She took hold of my arm. “You must be there in one hour, okay?”
“Yes. Let go of me.” I walked away from her, wondering if I was doing the right thing by bringing Phillip into this, after sensing her uneasiness. I opened the front door and went out onto the porch, closing my eyes. I got Phillip’s scent right away, and took off through the swamp headed back toward New Orleans. I tracked him down quickly, landing right in front of Millie’s.
Now, what’s he doing here?
“Alixia,” Phillip said, opening the door as soon as he sensed me. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question,” I said walking past him into the house.
“I’m watching over Millie.”
“Where’s Henry?”
“He had to leave with Marguerite.”
“Why?”
“What’s going on?” Millie asked.
She came into the room with little James in her arms.
“Alixia, what are you doing here? I thought you were at Marguerite’s for the night.”
“I needed to speak with Phillip. But first, why did Henry have to leave with Marguerite?
I reached for James and she put him in my arms.
“Because of Marcel.”
“Marcel?”
“Yes, I guess he’s in town. That’s all I know.”
We walked into the living room and sat on the couch.
“I wonder if that’s why…?”
“Why what?” Phillip asked.
“Maybe it’s why I have to leave tonight for the West Indies.”
“What?”
“Yes, that’s why I needed to find you.”
“Why are you going there?” Millie said, joining the conversation.
“For Marcus.”
“Oh,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“Millie, really,” I said, holding James a little closer. “I wish you’d stop being so unreasonable, and try to make an effort to just meet him. Then you see he isn’t like the other Dark Ones.”
“It’s not right,” Phillip said out of the blue, getting our attention.
“Phillip?”
“She’s trying to keep you away from me.”
“Who is?”
“Marguerite. I told her I was going to go with you tomorrow, and now I’m watching over Millie.”
“You mean, she didn’t mention the change in plans? She left you to think we were leaving tomorrow, and not tonight?”
“That’s right.”
I turned to Millie.
“Is Henry coming back tonight?”
“Yes, at least I thought he was. What’s going on?”
“Millie, I need to speak to Phillip alone.”
“No,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. “I’m not leaving until I get some answers.“
“Millie, here.” I handed her the baby. “Just give us a minute, please.”
She sighed in frustration.
“Fine, but we will talk before you leave.”
She stood up and walked to the door.
“Millie?”
“Yes.”
“Would you shut the door behind you?” She pursed her lips together, gave me a withering look, and then closed the door.
“Okay,” I said. “Knowing Millie, we probably only have a couple of minutes to talk. So, why do you think they were keeping me from you?”
He leaned forward.
“When Marguerite reprimanded me for coming into the swamp tonight, I told her I wasn’t going to leave your side. That’s when she told me that you would be staying with her tonight, and taking a plane to the West Indies tomorrow. I told her I would be at the airport tomorrow and that you weren’t leaving without me.”
“What did she say then?”
“Nothing. She just glared at me, and then went back into the foggy mist. Then, a short time after leaving the swamp, Henry asked me to watch over Millie. And then you show up, telling me that you are leaving tonight instead of tomorrow. I think they’re trying to keep us apart.“
“Phillip, let me talk to Marguerite.”
“It won’t do any good. ”
“Well it won’t hurt to try, either.
“ I don’t want you to leave. You’re staying with me.”
“Phillip, what’s wrong with you? I have to go. Marcus is there.” He stood up inflamed, shouting at me.
“What do you mean Marcus is there?”
“I just told you that I was going there because of Marcus.”
“But, I didn’t know he was there.”
“Well he is…”
We both sensed her at the same time.
“Marguerite,” I called out.
“Yes,” she said, coming into the room with Henry. “We’re ready to leave now.” I got up and went over to Phillip, who put his arm around me.
“Phillip‘s going with us,” I said.
“No, he’s not.”
Phillip was right!
“He can help us.”
“What’s going on here?” Millie asked as she came into the room. James wasn’t with her.
“Alixia was just leaving,” Henry said.
“I’m leaving, but with Phillip,” I said, moving closer to him. He squeezed me reassuringly.
“Alixia,” Marguerite said angrily. “I simply won’t tolerate this stubbornness of yours. Phillip is not part of this. You will leave with me now if you want to help Marcus. Am I understood?”
“Marguerite…”
“Alixia, just go before there’s trouble,” Phillip said, clenching his teeth and holding back his anger. I squeezed his hand.
Come find me.
I will.
He glared at Marguerite, and then kissed me goodbye.
I went over to Millie and took her hand.
“I’ll be back soon. Be safe.” She kissed my cheek.
“You too,” she whispered.
Departure
On board the private plane, Marguerite buckled into the seat beside me.
“So,” I said to her, over the noise of the engines firing up. “Tell me why you didn’t want Phillip to come with us.” Runway lights flicked on and off in sequence outside her window, hazy in the light fog.
“It was because of his animosity towards Dark Ones,” she said. “He only wants to be there for you, and I don’t trust him to understand about the ritual. He’s not like you, Alixia. You’re different than the other Ambrosines.
“Phillip said that, too.”
“That’s because he knows. Haven’t you sensed it? Your powers are stronger than anyone else’s. You can enter any realm as we do, freely. In fact, that first night we met, I was surprised that you weren’t stopped at the edge of the swamp as Phillip was tonight. That’s when I knew you were different than them. And the way you defended Marcus that night, well, I’ve never seen an Ambrosine do that before. You are unique, Alixia. The Domini
ons know it, and Marcel does too. They found out when Charlotte tried to see how strong you were, before you changed.”
“ So they sent her?”
Yes, and since Charlotte couldn’t do their bidding, Madame Correa and the Dominions feared they would never have any control over you.”
She smiled. “It didn’t take them long to find out they were right, what with all your defiance, and your involvement with Marcus. So, they asked a High Priestess to take care of you.”
I opened my seatbelt and jumped to my feet.
“No! You are taking me there, to be destroyed!” I felt the heated anger rise in me quickly. I step toward her and watched her eyes widen as she cried out.
“Stop! No Alixia, you do not understand. We already tried it a few weeks back!”
The anger slowed a little. I was confused…
“What are you talking about? What did you try?”
I leaned on her armrest, and she was terrified.
“To take your life.”
“What?’ I stood up, stunned.
The plane rose into the air, tilting to gain altitude, and I fell into my seat. My legs felt weak.
“You tried to take my life?”
“Alixia, nothing happed. You were stronger than they thought. There’s no need for your anger now. Please just calm down.”
“Calm down You just said you tried to kill me.”
“I know. But there’s no threat here now. As I said, it’s been already tried.”
I closed my eyes, trying to absorb all of this. For now, I was beyond anger. The conversation felt surreal, as if I was a witness, not a participant. I felt as though I was floating above the seats, looking down on us sitting there. And a nagging thought began to form.
“Something’s not right here,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“If you attacked me, why I can’t I remember it?”
She smiled as if it was obvious.
How can she smile now?
“Think back to that first night you spent at my house, and the dream you thought was a nightmare. Well, let’s just say it wasn’t a dream.”
“You tricked me into going to your home that night, so you could kill me?” The anger resurfaced.
“No,” she said, a hint of fear replacing the smile. “I had no idea they would come to New Orleans. It was supposed to take place In the West Indies, when you were there to defend yourself with grandmother Cecilia.”
Madame Cecilia was taking me there to be killed.
“So, she was actually taking me to be killed that day? It wasn’t about what happened to Charlotte at all. ”
“No. She had no knowledge at all of what the Dominions had ordered to be done.”
I grimaced.
“That’s hard to believe.”
“Alixia, how could you think that? She would never hurt you. She loves you. In fact, when I saw her that night and told her what was happening, she was absolutely enraged. She told me to keep you safe, and that she would talk to the Dominions to reverse the judgment.”
“So, why did they still come after me?” I asked, suspiciously.
“I was the one who was too late to stop it. The Dominions ordered another attack without me knowing. Olitha was the one they contacted, giving her the drink that allowed the High Priestess to enter your soul that night. But as I said, you were far more powerful then anyone thought.” She paused for a second and smiled at me with a look of admiration. “The Priestess and I were very impressed with your powers.”
“Well, ”I said sarcastically, remembering the fire of her touch on my soul that night. “I’m glad you were all so impressed with me. But all I remember is how hard I had to fight for my life that night.”
“Alixia, they did what they thought was the right thing to do. Please don’t hold a grudge.”
“Don’t hold a grudge? She tried to crush my heart!”
“I understand your feelings. But you did live, right? So, can’t we just move on?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“What’s done is done. We have just a short time before we land, and there is something more important to talk about than events that can no longer be changed.”
I stared at her.
They’re all alike. There is no regret.
“Alixia, are you paying attention? Where has your mind gone?”
“My mind?” I said, barely suppressing my anger. ”Well, right now it’s wondering why on earth I would trust you. And it’s also asking if Madame Cecilia knows that I can’t be destroyed?”
“Why?” “
“ Because I sensed that she seemed fearful of me being destroyed, the last time I talked to her.”
She twitched nervously and as she crafted an answer, I visited her thoughts.
“So, she doesn’t know? Why not?”
“Alixia, I wasn’t going to hide anything from you.”
“Of course you weren’t.”
“We will tell her,“ she said resignedly. The plane hit some turbulence and for a second she looked terrified.
“Marguerite, are you okay?” Why did I care? This woman tried to kill me.
“Yes.” She said, still looking out the window.
“I want to talk about Marcus now,” I said. ”How are we going to protect him? And no lies!”
She turned. “There will be no more lies, Alixia.”
There was another jolt. She gripped the armrest.
“This is ridiculous,” she said, with real fear in her voice. “I hate flying!”
The plane bounced around a couple more times, then settled. After a few minutes of calm, she relaxed a bit.
“What were we talking about?”
“Protecting Marcus.”
“Oh, yes, the ritual. You will save Marcus, hopefully bringing him out of the darkness.”
“You can make that happen?”
“Alixia,” She actually smiled. “Did you not hear me? You are going to make it happen. You will be the one to change the order of things. ”
“Me? How?”
“I’ll tell you, but first I’m going to tell you the rest of that story I began a few days ago. Then, you will understand more about the role you will play.“
“The role?”
“Yes, and you will have a choice too, as to whether you help them or not.”
“Assuming this saves Marcus, why wouldn’t I help them?”
“Because, as I said you will change the order of things, and you should be aware of that.”
“All right, you’ve made me curious.”
“Good. Let’s finish the story. I believe I left off when Marcel showed up in France? He told Correa about his blood being used to awaken her mother, and how he became a Dark One. He pleaded with her to return to the island with him, so Correa asked a question. The woman who had once been her mother, the one who had changed him – had she followed him to France? He told her that she was still on the island, and then asked why.
“She explained that she feared for the safety of her family. So, they sat there that night conjuring up ways to destroy her. However, Marcel also had revenge on his mind. He wanted the same fate for her father as that which had befallen her mother. Correa didn’t hesitate. She agreed, because she knew that her father would retaliate with a vengeance once his beloved was killed.”
“So, they went to the West Indies?”
“Yes, Correa knew she had to move quickly. She made arrangements for her daughter to stay in France, and left the next day. Returning to the Islands, they went right to the African Priestess who had helped raise Correa after her mother was taken. Correa and Marcel knew that she could help them destroy her mother for good. The Priestess told them about the ritual for the sharing of souls.”
“They shared souls?”
“Yes, in a way. Let’s go on. After Correa heard about this ritual, she knew that it would be possible to save her family from harm. It did have consequences, which the Priestess warned her about. But she didn’t ca
re: this was her choice. She hid in a cave in the jungle for couple of days with Marcel close by her side to protect her, until it was time for the ritual to be carried out.”
Marguerite leaned forward a little and so did I, as if we had to keep what she was going to say confined in a small, intimate space between us.
“Before the ritual could take place, there were two ingredients that had to be acquired first. These were some very specific blood, and the pure ashes from a Seer.”
“Blood and ashes?”
“Hold on. We’ll get there. The High Priestess and her peers knew that it was Correa’s father who had released a torrent of evil upon them. So, they decided to punish him. They would make him help in the destruction of his wife. However, not while he was alive, but in his death.”
I just stared.
“The night before the ritual of the souls, Correa and Marcel went to the ritual grounds with the Priestess and the other High Council members. She watched as her father was dragged in from the shadows. He had been drugged with a paralyzing potion. They tied him to a stake surrounded by burning torches. His body was limp, but his mind was fully aware of his fate as Correa placed the first torch at his feet, saying:” L'obscurité est finie” (The darkness has ended). Then the others followed, laying more and more torches at his feet and chanting the same phrase as the flames engulfed him.”
“They burned him!”
“Alixia, he had to be destroyed to save his own soul, and also to get the ingredients they needed for the ritual.”
I sat there horrified, looking at her and not quite believing any of this.
“Her Father was burned for the ashes that they needed for the ritual?”
“Yes, the ashes and his soul.”
She said it with no sympathy whatsoever.
“His soul? You said they burned him.”
”He was a Seer, so his soul would stay with his ashes because he didn’t experience a natural death. It’s our belief that, if a Pure One is taken by fire before they die, we can save their soul in their ashes.”
“That’s insane.”
“Alixia, these are our beliefs. You must never doubt them.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I just find much of this hard to absorb. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Please just go on. After they got the ashes, then what took place?”
“You have to promise me that you will keep an open mind about everything I tell you, or anything you witness on the island. Remember, this is about helping Marcus.”
The Legacy (Ambrosine Book 2) Page 16
