Catheryn’s walk slowed. This was a fool’s errand. She needed a better plan. She should go back to Rainier. He was the only person she knew who could help her. Together they could formulate a better plan.
But she had sent the little boat back to him, so he wouldn’t be left stranded. He would have starved if she hadn’t, but now that left her stuck. How would she get back without a boat? She couldn’t buy one because she didn’t have any money. Well, she did still have the coin with her ancestral symbol on it, but she couldn’t part with that. She’d have to steal a boat.
She shook her head. She always turned to thievery in a pinch, though it usually caused her more trouble in the end.
She turned to head back to the waterfront, but as she did, she saw a shadow move. Her breath hitched in her throat. Was she being followed?
Her eyes darted from side to side. She didn’t see anyone else, but she had that sickening feeling she wasn’t alone, that she was being watched.
She took a few steps, but heard an echo. It almost sounded like her own footsteps echoing off the walls, but it was too far away, too distinct. She took another step and heard it again. Someone was definitely following her, and trying to mask their steps. Was it the Hoodoo Queen, or some of her acolytes?
If the queen had been able to find her in the middle of the ocean, she should have no problem finding Catheryn here, on home turf.
Catheryn’s heart thudded faster in her chest. She was just about to run when a hand fell over her mouth. She tried to yell, to raise her arms and use her magic to defend herself, but the person was holding a rag dipped in something foul-smelling.
Catheryn opened her mouth to scream.
Instead, she passed out.
Catheryn felt warm, as though she was wrapped in a safe blanket. The smell of food filled her nose. She couldn’t remember the last time she woke up feeling safe and cared for. Afraid she was still dreaming, she didn’t want to open her eyes, but slowly, she did.
Sitting beside her was a hooded woman. Catheryn started and sat up straight. She was in a large room lit with candles. There were many people there, watching her. On one side of the room, a woman was stirring a large pot of stew. Catheryn’s mouth watered. How long had it been since she’d eaten?
“Who are you?” Catheryn asked the hooded woman. “Why am I here?”
“You are Catheryn?” the woman asked, something familiar about that voice. “The woman who was a slave?”
“Yes,” Catheryn said. “I was a slave in the Hoodoo House for fifteen years before I was kidnapped by vampire pirates. I escaped and came back here.” She figured she should keep the part about sleeping with the Rainier and then abandoning him on the island to herself for now.
“Why did you come back?” the woman asked.
“To find my sister,” she said. “We were separated as children, but I am sure she is alive.”
The hooded woman shuddered. Catheryn thought maybe she was crying.
“What…what was your sister’s name?” the woman asked.
“Eva,” Catheryn said.
The woman nodded and pulled the hood back. Catheryn saw the face from her dream.
“Eva!” Catheryn called out. She pulled her sister into her arms and the two wept together. Catheryn held Eva’s face in her arms and kissed her cheeks. “I can’t believe it’s you!”
“I know,” Eva said. “I’ve been looking for you all these years. Forgive me for the secrecy and cloak and dagger routine, but I needed to make sure you were really Catheryn and not one of the Hoodoo Queen’s spies.”
“It’s fine. It’s fine. I’ve been in the Hoodoo House the whole time,” Catheryn said. “After I went with the slave trader, he took me to the auction house and the queen bought me. I was there until only a few weeks ago when she gave me to the vampire pirates.”
Eva shook her head. “That bitch. Did she know she was sentencing you to death after so many years of faithful service?”
“I don’t think she cared,” Catheryn said. “At least not at the time.”
Eva nodded. “I finally figured out you had been in the Hoodoo House when the queen started looking for you. She put a price on your head, you and the pirate Rainier.”
“Does she know I’ve returned?”
“I don’t know,” Eva said. “But why did you? You should have known it’s not safe here.”
“I came to find you,” Catheryn said. “You called to me. I saw you in a vision, when I nearly drowned. You said that my work wasn’t done and that we would see each other again.”
Eva laughed, as did several of her friends. “I think it was the lack of oxygen trying to keep you alive.”
“No,” Catheryn said. “Aren’t you…aren’t we…you know…?”
“What?” Eva asked.
“Aren’t you a…a pure blood witch? Like me?”
Eva’s eyebrows pulled together. “You’re a pure blood witch? What do you mean?”
Catheryn sighed. “It’s a long story, but do you remember our parents at all?”
Eva shook her head.
“Apparently they were the last of pure blood hoodoo witches. As their children, we could be the last pure blood witches in the Division.”
“You’re a witch?” Eva asked.
“And so are you,” Catheryn said. “We have the same parents. And I saw you in my vision. Rainier, he saw you, too. You must be a witch.”
Another woman, an older one, spoke up as she brought over a bowl of stew and some fresh bread. “Old world magic? Fickle, it is. Not all children of witches inherit the gift. Not all witches have witch parents. Witchcraft can be innate or learned. That’s why the pure bloods died out. It was unpredictable. It wasn’t something that could always be passed from generation to generation.”
“So I am a witch but Eva isn’t?” Catheryn asked. She tried to politely eat the soup, but after a few bites, she simply gulped it down.
“Seems so,” Eva said. “But that would explain why the queen is looking for you.”
“Yes,” Catheryn said. “She didn’t know what I was when she sent me with the pirates, but she found out later. She ordered me to return.”
Eva seemed to be mulling this over. Catheryn used the opportunity to ask Eva about her past.
“So where have you been all these years?” she asked. “You were just a little girl when we were separated. How did you survive?”
“I kept thieving, of course,” Eva said, matter-of-factly. “What else was I supposed to do? That bastard took you as a slave to pay for what you stole from him, but he didn’t give us any money in exchange. I was six years old and had no money and no one to look after me.”
Catheryn couldn’t keep the tears from falling. She couldn’t imagine the hardship little Eva had faced. The things she must have done to survive. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Eva said. “It wasn’t your fault. You had no choice but to go with the man. I kept on stealing to survive, but unlike you, I got really good at it.” She grinned. “I didn’t get caught. I started stealing larger, more expensive things. I got into burglary. Eventually, I found my way into the thieves’ guild. I grew up in the ranks, and now I’m a queen, too. Of a different sort.”
“You…you’re the Queen of Thieves?” Catheryn asked.
Eva’s face beamed with pride. “You’ve heard of me?”.
“Not…really,” Catheryn said. “Only that there was a Queen of Thieves in NOLA. But as a slave, I didn’t know much about what was going on in the city, or the rest of the Division.”
“Well, now you know,” she said. She then motioned to the people around her. “And these are my loyal ‘subjects,’ but I call them my friends. My family.”
Catheryn wasn’t sure how to feel about this. She was glad Eva had managed to survive, but she was disappointed in the path she had chosen. She knew it was wrong to feel so judgmental. How else was the girl supposed to survive? And Catheryn had also turned to thievery many times even after going to live in the Ho
odoo House. Eva was clearly proud of the life she had made for herself, so Catheryn would have to learn to accept it.
Catheryn squeezed Eva’s arm. “I’m glad you not only survived, but thrived,” she said, and meant it. “Is everyone here human?” she asked, looking around.
They all nodded.
“Witches have covens; vampires have clans or crews. We humans have guilds and families,” Eva said.
“You’re all in danger,” Catheryn said.
Eva tilted up her chin, just a little. “I know,” she said. “Some of the queen’s slaves have escaped during the chaos at her house. We have taken them in. They told us that she has started by slaughtering her own slaves and the vampires who were supposed to turn you over to her. But that is only the beginning of her plan.”
“Rainier saw her in a vision, after he drank my blood,” Catheryn said. “He saw her rounding up all the humans and vampires in NOLA. She called it a cleansing.”
“She wants to exterminate all the humans and vampires from the Division,” Eve said, confirming Catheryn’s visions. “Then she wants to find a way to unite the Divisions and cleanse the entire world.”
Catheryn shook her head. “The woman is mad. She must be stopped!”
“I was hoping you would say that,” Eva said, smiling. “I could sense you were not exactly proud of me when I said I was the Queen of Thieves…”
“Eva,” Catheryn said. “I didn’t mean—”
Eva held up her hand. “It’s okay, Catheryn. I’m not ashamed, but I know not everyone loves what I do and who I am. But I thought you might be proud to know that I’m also leading the resistance against the Hoodoo Queen.”
“What?” Catheryn asked. “There’s a resistance?”
“Well not everyone is compliant to just roll over and die,” Eva said. “Of course there’s a resistance! Not all of humans know the extent of what is happening, but they all know the queen is dangerous. And the few vampires in the area are more than happy to fight back, too.”
“And you trust these vampires?” Catheryn asked.
“The vampires need us,” Eva said. “And we vastly outnumber them. We haven’t worked all the details out yet, but we have a tentative peace treaty in place for now. They are allowed to feed on humans, but not to kill or try to turn any. In exchange we have suspended all hunts on them and let them know which humans are willing to be fed upon.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Catheryn said. “But what about the witches? The ones who aren’t in her coven?”
“We can’t trust any of them,” Eva said. “The other covens have not been fighting back. We suspect they are allowing her to cleanse the Division of humans and vampires for them and then they will try to overthrow her.”
“That’s a risky game,” Catheryn said. “I think she grows more powerful by the day.”
“I agree,” Eva said. “You are the only witch we can trust. And from what I have heard, you are the most powerful witch anyone has ever seen. I suppose it’s on account of your pure blood.”
“So you’ve heard of me, too?” Catheryn asked.
“Oh, yes,” Eva said. “Before Rainier’s pirates went to the Hoodoo House, they stopped for drinks in some of the taverns. They told of how you were able to command the sea itself.”
Catheryn blushed.
“Is it true?” Eva asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Were you able to control the waves and make them capsize the ship?”
“Not exactly,” Catheryn said with a laugh. “There was a storm. I was able to just…nudge it a bit.”
Eva laughed. “So modest. But in all seriousness, you need to stop debasing yourself and what you can do. We need you. If you have powers, you need to let them fly. Stop being afraid of yourself.”
Catheryn took a deep breath. After all these years, Eva still knew her best. She knew that Catheryn wasn’t just holding back out of modesty, but fear.
Eva seemed to sense Catheryn’s trepidation. She placed her hand on Catheryn’s. “Sister,” she said, her eyes watering. “I have waited so long to say that word. I believe in you. You are strong, and you didn’t give up on us. It was not a weak child who sold herself into slavery to protect me, but the bravest, most powerful woman I knew, and that was before you found out you were a witch.”
Catheryn gripped her sister’s hand.
“I know you can help us,” Eva continued. “You are probably the only person who can.”
Catheryn nodded. She was still scared, but this was what she came here to do. She came here to find her sister and defeat the Hoodoo Queen. Now that the pieces were falling into place, she couldn’t back away.
“I’ll do it,” she said. “We will do it. Together.”
Eva smiled, and the two embraced. The other thieves cheered and sprang into action, arming themselves with their paltry weapons.
“Wait,” Catheryn said. “We can’t just go running into the Hoodoo House. The queen is still powerful, especially in her own home.” She remembered how the queen even threatened to bring the house down on the vampires if they didn’t agree to her terms. “We have to have a plan.”
“I agree,” Eva said. “Here is what I was thinking…” Eva dragged Catheryn over to a large table where a map of NOLA was laid out. “This is the current layout of the city. We have been drawing in the rising waters. You can see they are practically up the Hoodoo House’s front door now.”
As a slave, this wasn’t something Catheryn had given much thought to over the years, but now, as she looked at the map and the ever-encroaching blue, she realized the city was slowly disappearing.
“What we can do?”
A thieve scout ran into the room. “Miss Eva!”
“What is it?” Eva asked.
“The Hoodoo Queen’s coven, they’ve captured a pirate,” he said.
Catheryn’s heart dropped. “What pirate?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Eva said. “She’s been capturing lots of pirates. It’s part of her cleansing.”
“This one is special,” the scout said. “It’s the one with the bounty on his head.”
“Rainier!” Catheryn gasped. “It’s Rainier.”
“You mean the vampire pirate who took you as his slave?” Eva asked, her eyebrow cocked.
Catheryn blushed. She knew Eva wouldn’t understand what Rainier meant to her. She wasn’t even sure what Rainier meant to her. She had left him, after all. But he was here! That meant he had come for her. He did change his mind; he was the man she thought he was. The man she loved.
She admitted it finally to herself—she was in love with Rainier. She only hoped they would both live long enough for her to tell him.
“He…it’s complicated,” Catheryn finally said. “He is the reason I found out about my powers. He helped train me so my powers would grow.”
Eva nodded thoughtfully. “So you think this pirate is an ally?”
“You said there were other pirates you were working with,” Catheryn said defensively.
“Yes,” Eva said. “Pirates I have been building relationships with for months, years in some cases. But this is a pirate you just met a few weeks ago when he kidnapped you and drank your blood. Are you sure you can trust him? I don’t want to risk the lives of everyone who is putting their trust in me.”
Catheryn did her best to tamp down her temper. Of course Eva had a right to be skeptical and cautious.
“I understand your concerns,” Catheryn said. “But yes, you can trust him. I would trust him with my life.”
“Fine,” Eva said. “Then I trust him, too.” She spun back toward her fellow thieves. “Get ready, everyone. Looks like we need to rescue a pirate.”
Chapter 24
“Let me out of here!” Rainier screamed as she shook the bars of his cage.
“Shut it, vampire,” one of the witches replied. “No one can hear you down here.”
Down here? Rainier wondered. Where was he?
After the witches had attacked him with the black sm
oke, he passed out. He didn’t know where they had brought him, but they had to be acolytes of the Hoodoo Queen. This had to be her doing.
Rainier paced in his cell. Why had the Hoodoo Queen kidnapped him? She wanted Catheryn. That must mean she hadn’t found her yet. Catheryn must not have gone to the Hoodoo House as he’d feared. But then, where was she? If the Hoodoo Queen didn’t know, that could be why she had kidnapped Rainier, to use him as bait to draw out Catheryn.
It wouldn’t work. Catheryn had left him. She had no idea he was here.
Well, she did send the boat back. Maybe she did know the real him after all. Maybe she’d known he would eventually change his mind and come for her. But why hadn’t she just wait for him then? Of course, if she hadn’t left him, he might not have felt the need to return. He had everything he needed on that island. Without Catheryn there, he had nothing.
Catheryn. That beautiful, impetuous girl. When he found her, he’d have to have a word with her about running off into battle half-cocked. She needed a plan. She needed a partner. What was she doing out there now, all alone? She needed him. He had to find some way to escape and then find his way to her.
He shook the bars to the cell again. They were certainly sturdy enough to keep any human locked up, but for the average vampire, they would be nothing. He would have easily been able to bend the bars when he was at his full strength. But he hadn’t been at his full strength since he first drank from Catheryn. He barely had any vampiric strength left in him at all. He could feel that he had some left, but any significant use of it would drain him. But he did have one other trick up his sleeve.
“Hey!” he called out to the guards. “Hey, you!”
One of the guards, a young woman, turned to him, but the other, a woman who looked about middle-aged, slapped her arm. “Don’t listen to him!” she said. “Don’t look at him. You know what he’s capable of.”
“What am I capable of?” he asked.
Pirate's Curse: Division 1: The Berkano Vampire Collection Page 16
