"I don't understand," I said. "When I encountered her, she was commanding zombies."
"But she is not of the Ghede," Marie said. "She is not of the same nation as Baron Samedi. Yet she still wields the sort of power a Ghede might. Some suggest it is because she sacrificed to the Loa of love that, without Erzulie's presence, she became something of the opposite, a vessel of vengeance. Others imagine, having been abandoned by her mentor, she's instead acquired the skills of many Loa... the Petro, the Ghede, and the like. And she's gathered communities of bokors who revere her, who share her envision to remake the world... to spark a revolution."
"Her idea of a revolution is to destroy the world and re-make it as she'd see fit?" I asked.
Marie shrugged. "What is a revolution but an overthrow of the old order? And in your day, La Sirene, the order is not the British crown. It is not the American democracy. It is the primacy of humanity itself on the earth."
"And how is this vampire going to help?" I glanced at Nico. I still wasn't inclined to appear rude to someone who went by the name Niccolo the Damned. "No offense, Nico."
"No offense taken," Nico said. "There is no one who has been more acquainted with Baron Samedi than I. If she is wielding his power, somehow, I should be able to sort out how."
"And if we can figure that out, can we silence her abilities?" I asked. "Will that help us end the zombie sharks in my time?"
"The point is not to silence her," Marie said. "But if you can discern how she controls them, whatever power she's granted the bokors who worship her to manipulate the undead... then you'll know how to stop them in the future."
"And we're going to figure that out how, exactly?" I asked.
"By joining them," Nico said.
"This Marinette will not know you or recognize you, La Sirene. She may sense your... potential... and be eager to recruit you to her coven. But she will not know you yet at as the mermaid queen who would thwart her in the future."
"So I'm supposed to join them, learn some evil Voodoo shit, and then what?" I asked.
"You'll learn how to command the undead," Nico said. "And if you can learn how she does it, perhaps you'll be able to turn the zombie sharks in your day back against her and the bokors."
Chapter Eleven
I was still getting over the fact that Marie Laveau owned a headshop time machine. And that she had a vampire as a lover.
Now I had to accept the notion I was about to go undercover and infiltrate a coven of bokors and caplatas?
Then it occurred to me... the old journals from my ancestors, at the old Campbell Plantation where I grew up. They were penned by an Asbury Campbell in 1853. I doubted he was still alive. I mean, I suppose he could have been. But his son, Henry, surely would be. If I went there, maybe I could do something now that would prevent the caplata who attacked us when I was a girl, back in 2014, from rising from the grave... maybe I could end her before she had the chance... it would change my life.
"Don't even think about it, child," Marie Laveau said as I was preparing to leave with Nico.
I raised my eyebrow. "Think about what?"
"Visiting your family, child."
I cocked my head. "How in the world did you know I was thinking..."
"I didn't," Marie said. "But then again, I did. I know your history, La Sirene. It was only sensible, given a chance to change the past, you might be so foolish to give it a try."
I sighed. "You don't realize how much that incident scarred me, Marie."
"Tell me, child," Marie reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eye. "You have a child, do you not?"
I nodded. "I do."
"And you met the child's father where and when?"
I could see where she was going with this. "If I changed my history, if I stopped the attack, my mother would never fall into a coma. We'd never go to St. Louis for treatment. I'd never meet Elijah. And Merlin would never be born."
"And if Merlin was never born, it is unfathomable how many lives might be changed for the worse."
I nodded. "Alright. I see the point. I didn't even think of that. I mean, I love my son. Just the idea of him never being born... then to think since I know his history, the great Druid he became, how he shaped legends and oversaw the rise and fall of kingdoms."
"We must exercise great caution when we traverse the fabric of time," Marie said. "Even I will not often leave this place in this time. The risks are too great."
"And the folks around here think you just died," I said.
Marie chuckled. "That they do, child. And for them to get the notion I rose from the dead... I mean... preposterous!"
I chuckled. "Well, they wouldn't be exactly wrong, now, would they?"
Marie shook her head. "No, they wouldn't. But a thing could change the world in ways even I could never predict."
I shook my head. "How will I know if I screw something up?"
Marie shrugged, "You won't, child. Because if you do, it will be to you as if it has always been. Provided, of course, you do not alter history in such a way that it might lead to you not being born."
I took a deep breath. "But despite all this, you're willing to send me to infiltrate the bokors? I mean, is that really wise?"
Marie smiled wide. She was a beautiful woman. But there was an air of mystery about her that was practically impenetrable. I suppose for a woman who'd mastered Voodoo and the art of time travel no less, she knew things that even she had to be careful to reveal.
"I will simply say this, child," Marie continued, turning and lighting a candle on one of her altars. "There are things that must be, things I know have happened but still have not yet occurred. In this instance, to bid you do anything other than to seek Messalina would be to change history."
"Then you know already what happens?" I asked.
Marie shook her head. "Not like you think. I know the tales, the legends that persist in the oral tradition of the hougans and mambos. But I only know what the tradition has preserved. There may be matters you must handle, challenges and trials you must face, that even the faintest knowledge of these traditions might cause you to act differently than you must."
I sighed. "Well, does it work? I mean, do I stop the zombie sharks?"
"Child..."
"I know, I know. You can't tell me," I sighed.
Marie smiled and nodded.
I looked around. "Where the hell did Nico go?"
Marie chuckled. "He does that, child. Vampires move quickly, did you not know?"
I shook my head. "I never met one before."
Marie smiled. "Might you give him and I a moment before you and he depart, and I do the same?"
"Wait," I said. "You're leaving?"
"For now," Marie said, sitting down at a table and opening a book. "Once I've completed the task for which I came."
I cocked my head. "Once you finish your hot vampire loving?"
Marie laughed. "You are bold, child! That, yes. But also this book..."
"What is the book about?" I asked.
Marie held the book to her chest. The words "Death Rites" were written on the cover. "A simple revelation. One that, I must say, is another example of something that must happen but already has. But the story of this book does not yet concern you. Still, the implications thereof will be felt by the Wyrmriders in time."
"I suppose, once again, that that's all you can say?" I asked.
"It concerns you and the young Annabelle Mulledy," Marie said. "I suppose you know her already."
I cocked my head. "I do... she was the one possessed by the ghost of Isabelle, the ghost who came to me to warn me when my family was attacked."
"Indeed," Marie said. "But that is her Voodoo legacy, child. A story of her own that will, I must say, eventually cross with your own again in the future."
"Are you ready, my love?" Nico asked, reappearing suddenly next to me.
Marie opened the book, the one titled Death Rites, and Nico assumed a provocative pose on the couch. Marie took wh
at looked like a charcoal pencil and started to draw in the book.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Should I go now?"
"You may," Marie said. "We won't be long. And then, Nico will be ready to join you on your quest."
I stood there, awkwardly, for a moment. These people... well... if you could call them that.... were strange, to say the least. I turned and, shaking my head, I walked through the beaded curtain.
Chapter Twelve
I stepped back into the... I suppose people might have called it an apothecary at the time. It's what I knew as Marie's headshop. Chad had changed his clothes. No longer wearing a Metallica Ride the Lightning t-shirt and jeans, he was now in a button-up white shirt and trousers.
"You changed," I said.
Chad nodded. "Gotta look the part, you know. can't be too careful when going back in time."
"You come here often?" I asked.
"Sometimes I come with Marie to watch over the shop while she and Nico do whatever it is they do back there," Chad said.
I cocked my head. "But you were in, you know, our own century when I came earlier."
Chad smiled. "Like I said, sometimes I come with her. At other times she insists I stay. She has her reasons. I don't question it."
I bit my lip. "So Marie probably knew you needed to be there to help me come here."
Chad shrugged. "Could be. If anyone comes in, try to, you know, be discreet. Women don't usually wear pants, and certainly not bikini tops, in public stores... at least not now... the French Quarter changes a lot over time, you know."
I nodded. "Got it, but where should I go if someone comes in?"
Chad gestured toward a wardrobe set against the wall. One of those large, ornate cabinets folks used to have to store their clothes.
I chuckled. "If I go in there, I won't end up in Narnia, right?"
Chad shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean, anything's possible in Marie's world."
I snorted. "I suppose that is true."
"But I'd say Narnia is unlikely," Chad said.
"Good to know," I smiled. Then I saw a man approach the door. I quickly scurried over to the wardrobe and stepped inside.
"Can I help you?" Chad asked as the man approached the counter.
"Indeed you can," the man said. "There should be an order prepared for Campbell."
I cocked my head. Surely not... I mean, what were the chances? I mean, it isn't like my name was uncommon.
"Henry Campbell?" Chad asked.
Well, pinch my butt and call me Sally. The son of Asbury Campbell, the boy I knew from his father's journals... was here? This couldn't be a coincidence. No wonder Marie saw fit to warn me not to interfere.
Don't interfere, but I couldn't help but look. Just a peek. I mean, it isn't every day that you get to see your ancestors in the flesh.
I pressed upon the wardrobe door, just a crack.
He was a handsome man. Clean cut and well-to-do, I supposed, by the standards of the time. Though I hadn't been out on the streets. It wasn't like I had a reliable baseline to compare him to others by.
"How often does she need to take this?" Henry asked.
"Daily," Chad said. "Usually takes a week or so, but..."
"But what, sir?" Henry asked.
"Let me check something."
Chad reached under the counter and pulled out some kind of ledger. He flipped through a few pages.
"Well shit, dude."
"Dude?" Henry asked, cocking his head.
"Sorry," Chad said. "I mean sorry."
"What's the issue?" Henry asked.
"It looks like we were short on supply. This is only enough to last for two days. But no worries, we should have more in time."
Henry shook his head. "Unacceptable. This is not an easy journey, friend."
"Apologies. I mean, I can waive the cost if that helps. You can have the additional doses for free."
"My whole order should be gratis," Henry said.
Chad sighed. "Given the circumstances, I think we can do that."
"And you're certain you'll have the rest in two days?" Henry asked.
Chad nodded. "Is this the first time your wife has been with child?"
"No, she's given birth twice before," Henry said.
Chad nodded. "Two days supply might be sufficient if this was your first. Again, our apologies. Since Marie died, our suppliers have not been as reliable as before."
"This is a matter of grave importance," Henry said. "If the supply does not arrive..."
"It will be here, sir," Chad said.
"It better be," Henry said, snatching two vials from the counter and storming out the door.
I pressed open the door and stepped to the counter. "Chad, you realize... that guy... he was my ancestor, right?"
Chad cocked his head. "Huh. No, didn't put it together."
"What was he getting?" I asked.
"Turpentine and Tansy," Chad said.
"What's it for?" I asked.
Chad bit his lip. "I shouldn't say..."
I pushed out my chest a bit. "Come on, Chad. You can tell me."
"Fine," Chad said. "It's supposed to induce an abortion. If taken for a week or so."
"It what?" I asked.
Chad sighed. "I shouldn't have said anything."
I grunted. I already knew I was the first female born to the Campbell since Asbury. At least, the only one who lived past infancy. It was all in Asbury's journals. When the caplata, Messalina, first lived... it was warned if a female vessel, an heir of the Campbell line containing the sort of magic that ran through my ancestry, were allowed to come of age, then it would usher in her return. Asbury's final entry warned any who would read his words not to permit a female to be born...
I still remembered his words verbatim. I'd read them, in horror, a hundred times.
Now, I write these words to whoever might find them. Do not permit a female to be born of our bloodline. Do whatever you must, and beg the Lord for forgiveness for whatever evil you must do to heed these words. If Messalina returns, it will mean the death of us all. She will unleash an unspeakable nightmare upon our family and upon all of the earth! Heed these words, and may God have mercy on us all.
Presuming Henry had already produced a son, and if one of the two children he'd had was a girl... and he killed her per his father's warning... he might have been too horrified to risk the birth of another girl.
So, he sought a method known to likely cause abortion... even if it was crude... probably not totally reliable. And likely dangerous.
I clenched my fist. I wanted to slam it on the counter...
Don't interfere, Joni...
"So the rest of the supply he needed will be here in two days?" I asked.
Chad shook his head as he scribbled something on a small piece of paper. "Whoever placed this order for him made an error. It wasn't a delayed shipment. The mistake was on our end. I have to put another order in. Hopefully, the carrier will deliver it today. Someone else will be manning the counter shortly."
I nodded and watched as Chad folded the slip he'd written and stuck it in a small box on the counter.
"I'll be right back," Chad said. "I need to run this by Marie. To make sure the supplier can deliver in time."
Chad stepped through the beaded curtain.
I stared at the box.
Joni... don't be stupid...
I took a deep breath. But the sinking feeling in my gut... I couldn't shake it.
I quickly reached into the box, grabbed the slip, and stuck it in the waist of my pants. I might be damned for it... literally...
But I couldn't let it happen... I just couldn't.
To echo Asbury's words... may God have mercy on us all...
Chapter Thirteen
Marie and Nico stepped through the beaded curtain. Chad stumbled in behind them.
"The matter will resolve itself," Marie said.
Chad nodded. "I already put in the order."
"Of course you did," Marie said be
fore glancing at me briefly. Did she know what I'd done?
"Remember what I told you, child," Marie said. "And don't even think about moving in on my man."
I snorted. "Wouldn't dream of it. I'm married anyway."
Marie nodded, turned to Nico, and gave him an open-mouthed kiss. I diverted my eyes. I mean, the tongues, the fangs... it was too much.
"Come with me, Chad," Marie said.
Nico grabbed my arm. "We must leave, La Sirene."
I nodded and followed Nico, who, draping a heavy material over his head, opened the door, stepping out into the light.
"I always use protection," Nico said, holding the door open.
I cocked my head and, giggling a little, stepped through.
"From the sunlight, La Sirene... I'm talking about the sunlight... not... you know."
"Sure," I said. "I mean, it's none of my business."
"Right..."
I turned and looked back as Marie and Chad put their hands on the crown of the skull. Marie turned her finger clockwise... and they disappeared.
"Who watches the drug store when they're gone?" I asked.
"Marie has people. Someone will be here shortly."
I nodded. "Okay. How shortly?"
"Why does it matter to you?" Nico asked.
I shook my head. "Never mind. Just curious, I guess."
"That man who came in. He was your kin."
I nodded. "I picked up on that."
Nico grunted and nodded. "A strange coincidence. That could have been... devastating."
"I was hiding in the wardrobe," I said, quickly spitting out my words.
Nico tilted his head. I could barely see his face under the makeshift poncho he'd draped over his head. "Of course you were, La Sirene."
"Joni," I said. "Just call me Joni. I get enough of that La Sirene nonsense in Fomoria."
Nico's smile peed out from beneath his veil. "Very well. Follow me, Joni. I have a place not far from here. We need to get you something more appropriate to wear. I have a few things. Then we'll leave to find Marinette and her coven once night falls."
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