Of Breath And Soul

by Jennifer Snyder

  Ms. Beverly.

  Even though I couldn’t see more than the outline of her given the denseness of the darkness, I still knew it was her.

  “Why would she do something like this to you?” I asked, even though I knew Ms. Beverly couldn’t answer me. A tear tracked down my cheek as I stared at her crumbled frame, disbelieving she was gone.

  “The old bag deserved it.”

  I snapped my head in the direction of the voice. A lean figure moved toward me. I would have recognized her even if she hadn’t spoken; her stance was burned into my memory.

  “No. She was a sweet old lady. She didn’t deserve what you did to her at all,” I seethed at the woman with the raven tattoo.

  A sharp cackle swept through the kitchen, pressing into me from all angles as though it were a real entity. “There was nothing sweet about that old lady. I saw it in her soul before I killed her. She was bitter and judgmental of everyone she came in contact with.”

  I shook my head, refusing to believe a word she said. Remembering what I’d come into the room for, I inched toward the counter where I remembered a large butcher block with a variety of knives.

  “I see what you’re doing,” the woman said. She waved the shiny dagger she held in her hand. “I can see as well in the dark as in the light. It’s a gift from the Vodun.” The way she said the name sickened me. It was as though she thought they were goddesses.

  My fingertips brushed against something smooth and hard before I forced them up where they met the cool handle of a knife. I locked my grip around it, but didn’t pull the knife free. Instead, I focused on the dagger the woman was now tossing from hand to hand as though it didn’t hold the power to harm her.

  “I grow weary of this little game with you,” she spat. “Even though I wasn’t able to kill you as I promised I would when I was alive, I can still take care of things in the afterlife.” Light enveloped the kitchen, blinding me for a fraction of a second.

  It was all the woman needed to begin her mad rush toward me. I thought to swipe the knife from the butcher block a second too late as the dagger of the raven-tattooed woman sank deep into my gut. The pain was unbearable as it radiated from the wound through my body, vibrating with urgency until it told every cell in my body what had happened.

  I’d been stabbed. Again.

  My breath heaved in my chest as I struggled to gain control over myself. I slumped against the counter, my hands gripping the hilt of the knife. It was warm to the touch. I wondered for a split-second if it was alive in some way.

  My mind raced with orders, but my body refused to listen. All I could think about was the knife protruding from my belly and the wicked smile on the face of the one who’d put it there.

  “You know, I think I like this scenario much better than the other two,” the woman said, glancing around. “There isn’t anyone here to stop my quest to kill you.”

  I wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. This was it; she’d finally won. The madwoman was about to kill me. I closed my eyes, unable to look at her. If this was the end, I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of seeing the life fade from my eyes.

  “Think again,” a familiar voice said. A commotion broke out, followed by a scream. It all happened faster than I was able to snap my eyes open.

  When I did, I knew what happened. The woman wasn’t the only one alive in this dream world she’d created—Ms. Beverly was too. The old woman had gripped the raven-tattooed woman’s leg and bit down. Hard. The scream I heard ripping through the house was from the Vodun sympathizer.

  I watched as Ms. Beverly gripped the young woman by the throat and strangled the life out of her. It took seconds. Numbness rolled over me. I wasn’t sure if I was in shock, or if it was something else. Pressure built in my stomach where the wound was, and I knew something was happening to me. A whimper escaped my parted lips as I glanced down at the hilt of the dagger sticking out of my stomach. Blood saturated the area of my shirt, making it stick to me in places and cover my hands as I pulled them away. It didn’t matter that Ms. Beverly had killed the woman attacking me, because her knife was about to do what she’d intended—end my life.

  “Shh,” Ms. Beverly demanded. “You’re going to be all right.”

  My eyes sought her out as she crept to my side. While her face was the same, her eyes weren’t. There was something animalistic about them. When she lifted her hands to touch the dagger, I caught sight of her fingernails. They were long and pointy, like those of claws.

  “It’s a halfway form,” she said without any emotion behind her words. “Don’t be afraid.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, even though what she asked was easier said than done. I trusted her. Ignoring the telltale signs she was a werewolf in a half-changed form, I watched as she gripped the knife in my gut and prepared to pull.

  “Don’t move. I’ll get this out quickly. It can’t stay where it’s at or you’ll die.”

  “What do you mean?” This was a dream. Could I really die in a dream? It sure felt like it.

  “The knife is magical. It’s causing you to bleed out in the real plane as well,” she said. Realization snapped through me as another sense of pressure forced itself against my wound. Her eyes locked with mine. “Do you understand?”

  “Yeah,” I breathed.

  “When I get this out, you’ll pass back over. I want you to remember a name, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She gripped onto my shoulder to give herself more leverage in order to pull the knife from me swiftly. “Kalisa. When you make it to New Orleans you must go to see Kalisa. She’ll be waiting.”

  “Kalisa. Okay.” My breaths were coming in labored pulls of air as anticipation of the pain I was about to feel made sickness slosh through my stomach. “How will we find her?”

  “Visit the Midnight Cauldron.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “And tell my granddaughter I love her more than she will ever know.” With that, Ms. Beverly jerked the knife from my stomach and everything around me faded into darkness before I could promise her I would.

  Chapter 16

  A gulp of air crashing into my lungs woke me. Jasper’s hands pressed into my stomach as Meili shouted directions at him. The feel of someone softy stroking the back of my hand filtered through to my consciousness. My eyes fluttered open, and I jerked into an upright position, nearly bumping heads with Jasper in the process.

  “Jesus.” He jerked back. His shock forced his hands away, causing me to realize the pressure I’d been feeling in my stomach was him.

  I glanced down and noticed my shirt covered in blood. My blood. Ms. Beverly had been right. The knife wound in my dream would have killed me here as well.

  “You’re awake,” Tristan shouted. “What happened?”

  “You scared the shit out of me.” Jasper talked over him. He leaned forward to press his hands against my stomach again, but jerked them back as though my skin burned him. “There’s no wound. It’s gone. How the hell is it gone?”

  “Ms. Beverly saved me.” My words vibrated with as much confusion as he exuded.

  “What do you mean she saved you?” Anna stood behind Jasper, her arms folded across her chest. Blood was smeared along her forehead. I knew it was mine.

  “She pulled the knife out. She saved me,” I said, not taking into consideration none of them knew what I was talking about. I didn’t know where else I should begin though. No other words came to mind. I glanced around, searching the faces of those staring at me. Jasper’s was the one I lingered on the longest. His expression was wild as he clutched his chest.

  “Seriously, Piper. What happened?” he insisted. “I’m ready for all this Vodun crap be to over. I know this had something to do with them.”

  “You aren’t the only one.” Tristan moved to help prop me up. It took me a second to realize I’d been lying in his lap the entire time. “I’m sick of them always having the upper hand.” The crack of emotion in his words had my eyes seeking out his.

  Wor
ry darkened the bright gray of his eyes. Circles rimmed them. I wondered in that moment if he’d gotten any sleep since all of this began.

  “I know. Me too.” I shifted so I was sitting up on my own. My fingers pinched at my soaked shirt. It was sticky with my blood, warm and gross feeling. “I’m sick of having a target on my back.” The words came out harsher than necessary, the stress from almost being assassinated for a third time getting to me.

  “Here. Slip this on.” Meili handed me a plain white T-shirt. I wasn’t sure where she’d gotten it, but I was grateful.

  “What happened?” Jasper insisted. He was ready for answers.

  I debated where I should start, until I finally decided to start at the beginning. It was the only way things would make sense. “When I fell asleep, I started to dream something that seemed so real,” I began. “It was real.”

  “That’s usually what happens. We all feel as though are dreams are real,” Jasper grumbled, obviously not thinking I was off to a good start.

  “No. I think what she means is that she was sucked into a tangible dream state. It’s different from a normal dream,” Anna explained. “It’s real.”

  Jasper chewed his cheek. “Okay.”

  “Yeah. Exactly like that,” I insisted, thankful she was here to help me explain. “I knew I was dreaming, but at the same time, I knew it was real too.”

  “Got it. So tell me how you were stabbed in the stomach without anyone being around to do it and no knife visible. That’s what I’d like to know.” Jasper’s voice was harsh. I knew he’d been scared out of his mind I might die, and now he wanted some answers as to how what he’d seen was possible. “Tell me how I have so much of your blood on me when there isn’t a wound on you.”

  “When I fell sleep and was sucked into that weird dream thing, the woman with the raven tattoo was there. I was back at the log cabin, and Ms. Beverly was still lying on the floor of her kitchen. The tattooed lady said she might have failed in killing me in real life, but that she wouldn’t fail in the afterlife. She stabbed me with her dagger, and then Ms. Beverly came back to life and strangled her.” Sure. There was probably a better breakdown I could have given, but that was what came out. It was rushed and panicky, but it was out.

  “Let me get this straight.” Jasper narrowed his eyes on me. “You were stabbed in your dream, and the wound transferred here. To real life.”

  “It’s possible,” Anna assured him. “I’m not sure why you’re having such a hard time following.”

  He waved her words away, but didn’t speak. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for me to give him an answer.

  “Yeah,” I said. “And Ms. Beverly told me something I think is important. She said once we get to New Orleans, we need to find a woman named Kalisa.”

  “Who’s Kalisa?” Tristan asked.

  “I don’t know, but she said she’d be waiting for us.”

  “How are we supposed to find her?” Jasper asked. “New Orleans is a big city, and I’m sure there are a shit ton of Kalisas in the phone book. Seems like it would be a popular wannabe voodoo practitioner name.”

  “She said to go to the Midnight Cauldron,” I added, remembering the strange name.

  “I’ve heard of that place.” Anna shifted on her feet. “I’ve heard of her. Jasper, I know you have too.”

  “Kalisa,” I heard him whisper under his breath. Something must have clicked, because his head snapped up. “I have.”

  “Good.” I knew Jasper would know who she’d been talking about. He knew everything involving the supernatural world. “Then let’s get going.”

  I stood and glanced around. We were in a parking lot off the highway. There were double brown buildings with a lighted walkway leading to a third in front of me and a green area with picnic tables behind me. A rest area. They’d pulled over in a rest area when I started to bleed.

  “Don’t you think you should change first?” Tristan pointed to the white T-shirt in my hand, his lips twisting into a grin. “I mean, I’m fine with the zombie look, but I’m not sure others will be.”

  I glanced down. He was right. I did look like the undead.

  “Yeah. Sure. Maybe taking a second to change would be a good idea.” I started toward the buildings without a second of hesitation. Since both Anna and Jasper knew who Ms. Beverly had been talking about, I felt rejuvenated.

  I found the women’s room and changed out of my gross T-shirt. I tossed it in the trash and headed to the sink to wash up. When I made it back to my brother’s truck, everyone was waiting on me, their eyes boring into me. It put me on edge, even more than I already was. I had too much happening in my mind and way too much built up nervous energy. It wasn’t healthy. I walked straight to Jasper and held out my palm.

  “Give me the keys,” I insisted.

  “What?” He shook his head. “No way. You just suffered a traumatic experience. I’m not letting you drive.”

  “I need the distraction.”

  “No.”

  “Jasper.” I narrowed my eyes. “Give me the damn keys.”

  “You should probably get some sleep anyway,” Anna insisted. I loved having her around as my reinforcement.

  “How far away are we?” I asked.

  “Two hours,” Tristan said.

  I couldn’t believe I’d slept for so long. It felt as though I’d only been asleep for a few minutes. Thirty at the most. Yet I’d slept for hours. Dream worlds were strange.

  “Perfect.” I smiled at Jasper. “You can get a good nap in while I drive and clear my head.”

  “What if you get us lost?” He knew I wouldn’t get us lost; he just didn’t like the idea of me driving his truck. I think I’d driven it once. It was his baby. Either that, or he didn’t have confidence in my ability to drive. Since he’d been my teacher, that didn’t say much about his skills either.

  My grin turned into a frown. “There’s a GPS. I think I’ll be fine.”

  “Fine.” He bit out. “Screw this up and you’ll never drive my truck again.” He handed me his keys.

  I took them and climbed behind the wheel. Jasper crammed himself into the backseat with Anna.

  “You sure you’re okay to drive?” Tristan asked as he situated himself in the passenger seat. I glanced in the rearview mirror, checking to see if my brother was still watching me like a hawk. His arm was wrapped around Anna’s shoulders, and he was pulling her close so she could lay her head against his chest. I wondered if the gesture meant they were back together. Jasper locked eyes with me and winked. He knew what I was thinking. I could tell from the expression on his face and the glimmer in his eyes.

  “I’m fine,” I said to Tristan as I turned the key in the ignition, bringing the truck to life.

  Two hours. That was how long it would take us to get to the city. My heart palpitated in my throat, because that meant in one hundred and twenty minutes we would be in Vodun territory.

  The thought terrified me.

  Chapter 17

  I shifted in my seat, trying to wake up the numb sections of my ass. From the corner of my eye, I caught Tristan rubbing his wrists and the palms of his hands together. He seemed to be doing it more frequently the closer to the city we came.

  “Something wrong?” I asked, wondering if it was something to do with his magic.

  He continued to rub his wrists and stare at his fingertips. “The pull to my magic is getting stronger.”

  “It’s because we’re almost there.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He ran his hand through his hair.

  I opened my mouth to say something else, but vibrations rattled the truck and it sputtered to a halt. I glanced at the gas gauge, checking to see if we were out. The red needle pointed to the half-full marker.

  “Out of gas?” Tristan asked.

  I shook my head. “No. It says we still have half a tank left.”

  Jasper yawned and stretched, coming back to life in the backseat. “What’s going on? Why are you stopping?”

  “It’s
not on purpose.” I smacked the dash with my palm, hoping the gas gauge would move so I’d have something to blame this interruption on. The headlights dimmed and then the entire truck shut off. Damn it. We were so close to the city.

  “Hey! What the hell are you doing, Piper?” Jasper lurched his massive frame between the front seats. “Don’t beat on my dash. Look what you did!”

  “I think the gauge is broken. It says we have half a tank, but yet here we are on the side of the road.” In the middle of the night, I added in my head. A horrible feeling centered in my gut as I remembered how many scary movies started like this.

  “Maybe it’s the battery?” Tristan offered.

  “It’s not. Can’t be.” Jasper hurried to climb out. “Pop the hood. Let me take a look.”

  I reached for the little lever at my shins and pulled. The hood lifted with a loud pop.

  “Are those taillights up ahead?” Tristan asked.

  I glanced at the red lights in the distance, wondering if it was Meili and the others waiting on us. “Think it’s Meili?”

  Tristan pulled out his cell and pressed buttons. “Let me find out.”

  The sound of Anna coming to in the backseat filtered through the silence of the truck. “Hey, what’s going on?” She poked her head between the front seats. “Where are we?”

  “On the side of the road,” I said.

  “Yeah, it’s them up there,” Tristan said, his eyes glued to his cell. “They’re having car trouble too.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach. Double car trouble meant Vodun trouble. I was sure of it. It was too big of a coincidence both of us had managed to have trouble with our vehicles along the same stretch of highway. The question was: how were the Vodun continuously finding us?