Chapter 27
The streets in downtown Chimneyville were empty, except for the occasional National Guard Humvee on patrol. It was eerie and apocalyptic when they drove by the University of Chimneyville. For the four years, Erika had gone to school there, even during stormy days, even on holidays, in the summer, and on spring break - there were people on campus. Not today, there was not a soul to be seen, not a car in the parking lot, no one on the soccer fields, and even the dorms were vacant.
Rolling in Felix's old tan Toyota 4x4 was not precisely riding in style, but Erika was glad they were on the road heading out of the city. The truck had crank windows, and she was currently riding with her hand outside the window riding on the wind currents. She had not done that since she was a little girl riding in her papaw's truck playing with the air elementals. Erika was staring into nothing, watching the scenery pass them by when she broke her silence. "Can you tell me more about the Corruption and the whole Unmaking thing? I am having trouble wrapping my mind around everything."
Felix sat up and adjusted himself in the driver's seat. He took another drink of the energy booster to wash down the handful of gummy bears he had been eating before answering, "It is a void that exists outside the balance of life and death. This emptiness works to create a perversion of reality. Like an invisible fence of shadow and chaos that works solely to extinguish anything within the cycle of life in a world. It can be like a blight of locusts, but instead of destroying crops, it feeds on the destruction of souls." He took a minute before continuing, deliberately not looking at her as though he found her a distraction. He saw Erika shudder at his words and put his arm on the back of the seat where his hand could rest on her shoulder and offer a bit of comfort. "I know it is hard to comprehend something when you don't have a point of reference."
He focused his attention on the road ahead, "This unmaking steals whatever a soul takes comfort in, be it hope, faith, love, friendship." Restlessly he shifted in his seat, the discussion making him uncomfortable. "But it gets worse. After invading their prey, they feed on their souls. Basically, the soul becomes the parasitic host. When the last bit of their essence is devoured, Unmaking agents have full access to the body, making them impossible to detect. They step into the unmade entities' life and begin their own torment of their loved ones, family, and friends, inflicting pain through any means necessary, picking them apart until they find what will unravel that soul, and then they do it all again. Like I told you last night, read the headlines, and you can see the trend."
Erika felt a coldness at the core of her being. In a small voice, she asked, "Can we stop it?"
He gave her a shrug, "The Unmaking has crossed over before - you can find tales of it throughout history. Feeble attempts were made during the Crusades, World Wars I & II, Cambodia, East Asia, and Zimbabwe." He turned the truck to get off the interstate before continuing, "But never anything on the scale the Black Queen has planned. With tools like the internet, it has been easy for her to spread her web of deceit and lies. I mean, just think about it, Erika. Fake news, cybercrime, it is just the tip of her iceberg - the damage has already been done. All she had to do is open the gates."
She sat in silence as the ramifications of what he was saying finally sunk in. “I miss my fur kids," she admitted absentmindedly. "You forget how much their pure love and energy brings to you until they aren't around."
Felix gripped the wheel tighter, "Yeah, I know what you mean." His eyes were hidden by his sunglasses, but Erika could hear the emotion thick in his voice. The sound was low, husky, and almost mournfully lonely.
She turned in the seat to look at him, trying to ignore the overwhelming need to comfort him. "Do you mind?" she asked as she found her mouth suddenly parched.
"Help yourself, lady." he offered, indicating she get something out of the cooler. Pulling down his sunglasses he got a better look at the expanse of her shapely, pale legs.
Erika turned flaming red under his hot gaze and shifted nervously in her seat. Reaching down into the cooler she went to pull out a drink. In an awkward attempt to change the topic, she slapped her bare thigh and laughed, "You know, my daddy used to joke that I was as white as a night nurse." She shrugged, "But what can I say? I am just a moon baby."
He looked at her and frowned, "Among my people, those with skin like moonlight were highly treasured," he told her, shifting gears as he slowed down to make his turn.
"Where are we going," Erika asked as they passed the landmark indicating they were getting on the Devil's Backbone, "I thought you were taking me to the James' Farm?" Listening to Felix's tales of the Corruption, she had gotten so caught up that she had completely forgotten to pay attention to where they were going.
"I forgot to mention that I need to tie up some loose ends Under the Hill before I take you north to meet your friends," he told her.
Brightening, she flashed a smile of recognition, "Fort Rosalie!" Fort Rosalie was a contradiction of a town - full of old-world southern charm and the seedy underbelly the casinos brought with them. Since it was first built, Fort Rosalie Under-The-Hill was home to the worst of the worst, according to polite southern gentility. Home to sinners of a wide assortment, the place tended to be a cesspool of gamblers, thieves, motorcycle clubs, and gangs. The knife fights and killings that were a part of everyday life in 1716 were still common today. In fact, the outlaw bikers that Velvet's husband, Buck, rode with was based out of there.
Erika was excited at the possibility of seeing Velvet and Roxi. She hoped Roxi was out of the hospital, and the three of them would have some time to catch up. Maybe they could give her a ride to the James' farm rather than Felix. The excitement was coursing through her as she realized she was about to be safe with her family again. A nagging voice reminded her that she still needed Felix. If everything he told was true - she needed him to explain the Corruption to Ransom and the others. And she needed to learn more about the role he assumed she played in it all.
Yep, whether she wanted to be with him or not - she needed him. For the rest of the ride, the two rode in silence. It was hard to tell whether it was from the sheer exhaustion of the last two days or if they were just lost in their own thoughts. Erika gaged it was close to two pm when they pulled off the Backbone onto the streets of Fort Rosalie. The roads were vacant but were lined with signs saying everything from "Repent Sinner," to declaring Fort Rosalie as New Gomorrah and her sister city, in Louisiana the New Sodom.
Picking up on Erika's slack-jawed expression, Felix told her, "All of this is thanks to Brother Timothy and his Church of Apocalyptic Blessing. They are religious zealots wanting to usher in the end times themselves."
"Really," Erika was newly repulsed and terrified by the commitment Preach's followers apparently had to their cause because either they were blinded by his charms or were just as sick as Preach. "I hope to never see him or meet his followers again. Someone has got to expose him."
"That is the reason we are here," Felix explained, jaw tightening. "I have some information that needs to be passed along. Hopefully, in doing so, Brother Timothy will be too preoccupied to pursue you, and the Black Queen will be none the wiser."
"Why would she care?" Erika asked him with all the curiosity of the raven she was often compared to.
A muscle in his jaw twitched as he mulled the question over before answering, "Because, Darkling, your energy is like a lighthouse in a stormy sea. It warns of the dangers hidden in the dark." He pulled off the road into a parking lot by the river. Turning the truck off he gave her his full attention, a look of concern on his handsome face. "Erika, Brother Timothy does not fully comprehend what you are, and he must never know. If he were to find out, so would the Black Queen, and then she would not rest until you were destroyed and with you any hope."
Erika looked at the man, "Dude! Stop all ready! Preach is a creepy stalker, but why would this Black Queen lady want to destroy me? I mean, I am not the powerful seer - that is Wren. I am not the Warrior - that is Becca." Frownin
g, she tucked a strand of her hair that had escaped its braid behind her ear, "I am no one. Just the little girl who peeks through feathers, afraid of my own shadow and used to everyone else taking care of me because no one believes I can take care of myself."
Felix studied her before reaching over to trace her face with the half-moon and paw thing. She did not know why, but this small gesture comforted her. "Darkling," he began, his voice low and velvety, "You are so much stronger and more capable than you know." He got out of the truck then, leaving her to her thoughts. He was halfway to the porch outside the old saloon when she jumped out of the car and ran after him.
"Hey, wait, Felix," she called out of breath as she caught his arm. "I need to try and catch up with Velvet and Roxi."
"I don't know, Erika. This is a pretty rough place," he frowned, giving her a stern look.
Ignoring his warning, she opened the door. As she went inside, she gave him a sweet smile of reassurance, "Don't worry - I am sure I will be fine."
Felix hesitated a moment before following her inside. He was unable to help himself as he watched her go ahead of him. He was a man after all, and as such, he sincerely appreciated the way the short shorts hugged the curve of her small waist and ample hips, which worried him. She was magic, and magic in the bible belt always seemed to find trouble- like moths to the flame. A girl like her, in a place like this…. "Yeah," he half mumbled to himself as he followed her inside, "there is gonna be trouble."
Chapter 28
A loud wolf whistle announced their arrival as a group of men sitting around a table in the saloon corner took note of their appearance. "Well, howdy. Look at that boys," a loud voice announced. A huge, tattooed man pushed back from the table. Standing up, the hard man looked like a bodybuilder with long facial hair, and even longer dirty blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, revealing an undercut. He was wearing a wife-beater, grease-stained jeans, and eyes the color of cold steel. He approached the pair, his grim expression fading to a broad smile that lit up the room, "Erika Lily, as I live and breathe. What are you doing down this way, little girl?"
"Sugar Bear!" she squealed, moving to hug him before stopping six feet short, "You aren't sick, are you?"
"Nah, girl, me and the crew all got tested last week. What about you, E? You OK? Buck said something about you disappearing right before all the crazy shit started happening," the burly biker told her, his eyes never leaving Felix as he gave her a bear hug. The others were slowly getting up, each equally dangerous, muscled, and tattooed though none as outright burly as the man who greeted her.
Making his way to the bar, Felix watched in mild amusement as the group of notorious outlaws treated the girl with genuine warmth and affection. However, the five men did not overlook his presence.
Nodding after Felix, a man with movie star good looks approached her, getting a little too close, his lips so close to her ears as whispered, "Aw E, this is who you ran off with? I thought we had an understanding if you ever left that ranger dude, you would give me a shot?"
She pushed the man back, "Handsome, It isn't like that. I am still very much with Ransom. It is just this gentleman got me out of a bad situation and has offered to drive me to Becca's grandparents' house."
"Now Erika," a thin man drawled as he cleaned his fingernails with a boot knife, "I am not one to argue with a lady, but you are currently in the opposite direction of those good people's abode." His eyes were firmly on Felix as he spoke. There was a dark, wild look hidden in the depths usually only seen in a cat right before it pounced.
"Now Tex," Erika soothed the man, touching his shoulder, "He had some business to finish up before taking me north. Not to mention, I thought the ride along might give me the chance to see Vel and Buck. How are they doing? And any news on Roxi. Is she still in the hospital?" Taking a seat, she took the deck of cards they guys had been playing and started shuffling, "Spades, anyone?"
Taking the chair across from her, the man slid the knife back into his boot, with a curt, "Deal me in, doll." The others sat down around the table. As they played cards, they caught her up on the latest. Sugar Bear told her how while Buck had been by, no one had seen Velvet. It was rumored that Roxi was staying with them, and she was taking the loss of her baby understandably hard. Erika borrowed the big man's phone and tried to text Buck and Velvet, but so far, no response.
A few hours went by, and Felix returned. Coming to stand behind Erika, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Felix, let me introduce you to the Brood," she said, putting down her cards and standing up beside him. As she stood, each man stood up, glowering at Felix. She could not help but notice the overwhelming stench of testosterone. Even with her fylgja missing, she still had the sight to see all of theirs; ironically, wolves like Felix himself were standing beside their human counterparts. The smell of electricity, magic, and musk filled the small saloon as the men stood there, staring at Felix. Even though he stood six feet and one inch tall, when compared to the other men, Felix looked small. The outlaws were taller and more muscled than he was, but Erika watched as Felix pulled the room's shadows and seemed to grow in stature.
In the room full of alpha males, Erika was a little amused. "Men," she thought with a grin, wishing Becca and Millie were here with her. They would love it. Aloud, "Felix, this is Sugar Bear, Tex, Handsome Chris, Just Chris, and Rollins," she introduced him, going by the guys' call signs. The group, including Buck, had been in the Marines together and had regrouped once they had gotten out. People considered them a bunch of hardcore bikers, but they were not a motorcycle club. They were just a bunch of hard-assed Marine Corp veterans who operated outside the scope of civilian law. Ransom had jokingly explained to her that Buck and his friends were like a crew of football hooligans. He liked the crew, but he was not one of the guys with them—army versus marine mentality she supposed - equal parts respect and ball busting.
"Erika," Felix called to her, "I could not get an audience with my business associate until after dark. Were you able to get in touch with your friends?"
The Brood exchanged some looks amongst one another, "The only business that goes on Under the hill after dusk is vampire business," Just Chris commented nonchalantly.
It was Felix's turn to look surprised, "You know about that?" The Brood just gave knowing looks to one another, and the group visually relaxed with Felix.
"Yeah, man. It is hard to do any criminal activity if you disagree with Bloody Mary," Tex offered with Rollins nodding.
"Wait a sec, guys, are you talking psy vamp or sanguine?" Erika asked, genuinely surprised at the way this conversation had turned. She had heard of Bloody Mary. After all, Velvet worked as a dancer at one of Bloody Mary's strip clubs. The club had a gothic vampire subculture vibe according to Velvet, but Velvet rarely discussed it. Erika had always assumed her friend was not comfortable talking about it with her, so she never asked about it.
Sugar Bear looked at the other guys and Felix. Reading the group, he put an arm around her, "Hon, Bloody Mary is a real, stake through the fucking heart, immortal vampire. Hell, she is the Vampire Queen of the Misi-ziibi."
"You mean Mississippi?"
"No, hon. The Misi-ziibi is their tribal name. They date back to the late 1600s here in Fort Rosalie."
Looking up into the big man's steely gaze, Erika asked, "Why am I only finding out about this now?"
Laughing, he slapped her on the back, "Because no one cares enough to keep the secrets anymore. The city has a curfew since the governor declared martial law. Sundown to Sunrise, the vampires are out. There is a mass exodus out of New Orleans, and some of the larger covens have asked Queen Mary for sanctuary. In fact, tomorrow night, Queen Mary's Court is hosting a Vampire Ball to welcome all the newcomers. Brood has been hired to act as security. If you want to see Velvet and Buck, money says they will be there. Velvet is one of Queen Mary's favorite ladies in waiting."
Felix appeared to be considering it but aloud told Erika, "Let us see how tonight goes. If we are invited to stay
, it would be good for you to meet some of the players and network." Looks were exchanged, but no one said anything. Erika just nodded and excused herself to the powder room. When she returned to the table, it was to find Buck had text Sugar Bear back. "Velvet wants to see you but is obligated until the Ball is over. She seems to think she might see you tonight if you go with your friend to Court."
Blankly, Erika looked to Felix. "If your friend thinks you are welcome, you can most assuredly come with me." The others nodded yes, and that they would be there. Apparently, they were working for the Queen a lot these days.
"Did she happen to say what I should wear? This is all I have," Erika looked down at the borrowed shorts and T-shirt.
"Doll, you always look good to this old goat," Rollins gruffed at her with a wink. Handsome Chris quipped, "I think you would look better without it," at which time Just Chris hit him upside his head, "Show the girl the respect she deserves, you hound," giving her a wink and a mock salute.
"Looks like we both need to get some new clothes. Come on, maybe we can find a shop that is still open," Felix told her as he looked down at his own faded jeans and muddy boots.
Giving Erika another hug, Sugar Bear told them, "You two run into any trouble, just mention Brood. We got your back.'
"Cool group," Felix admitted as he opened the door to the beat-up truck for Erika. She nodded as she got in.
The pair found a goodwill store that had just received a major donation from the local theater group. Offering to foot the bill, Erika was tasked with finding something for both her and Felix. Having never met a Vampire Queen, much less gone to a Queen's Court before, Erika trusted her knowledge of literature and vampire movies to pull together two distinct looks she thought would work.
Tapestry of Worlds : Part One - The White Raven Awakens Page 19
