by Kira Saito
She shook her head as if pleading with him not to make her do it. He grabbed her by her hair again and gave her a vicious kiss. “You have three seconds to respond.”
“Do it, Elena. I promise you, I will be back. I will never leave you.”
“No…” she whimpered.
“One. Two. Thr…”
“Okay. I’ll do it. Please don’t hurt the baby,” she said quickly with a voice full of strain and hopelessness. This clearly wasn’t what she had envisioned for our future when she had seen me on that dock in Le Cap.
“Excellent,” Pierre said.
I was marched out into the humid night air. The rest of the slaves had already gathered around a gigantic wooden cross that had been raised up. The night was suddenly moonless, and not a star was in sight. It was dark, dreary and prophetic of the future that would come to those who had betrayed me.
I was shackled to the cross. I almost broke free of my chains because of the sheer hatred I felt for the symbol, but my love for her was stronger than any hatred I could ever feel. Pierre, the monster, held a pistol to the child’s head as he handed Elena a torch.
The faces that surrounded me were somber and full of melancholy. I had been their hope, and they believed that their hope was about to die. What they didn't know was that I would be back, and I would be back stronger than ever before. Stronger than they thought was possible. I would shake this island like a torrential hurricane. I laughed as I was doused in alcohol along with the pyre under my feet.
Elena trembled and shook with despair and utter fear and sadness. Pierre wasn’t moved at all. He threw the baby into the pyre. “The choice is yours,” he said ignoring the cries of the infant.
“Alright,” Elena said quickly. “Please get her out of there.”
Pierre clapped his hands, and a slave took the child into her arms. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s okay,” I said. “You are the one whom my soul loves. I will never forsake you.”
Her thin arms trembled as she lit the fire. The flames rose high and bright against the inky sky. I didn't scream as I felt no pain. I was completely lucid as the fire consumed me. My body was burning, but my spirit was fully intact, and I could see exactly what was happening below. The second that bastard Pierre attempted to take Lily out of the hands of the slave undoubtedly to throw her in the fire I regained a sense of my powers. I came down from the cross in the form of a flame and scorched him into ashes. Mass confusion, chaos, and panic spread throughout the camp.
“Take Lily and run!” My voice was like the wind as it entered Elena’s ears. She heard it and without question, she grabbed the baby and ran. Of course, the drivers ran after her but with one fierce swoop, I burnt them all to ashes. I wasn’t going to have mercy on anyone on this plantation. The pathetic slaves who were paralyzed in fear did not inspire any pity in me what so ever. After Elena had fled far from the camp, I burned all of the slaves, drivers, overseers, and cabins and then went on to fry the main house to the ground into nothing more than a pile of gray and black ashes. I relished their screams and cries of mercy. Every time a soul was burned, my spirit became stronger and full of the type of fierce energy that I needed to manifest into flesh again.
The flames were red and bright orange as they rose higher and higher. It seemed as if the entire sky and island were on fire. This was a small preview of what was to come. That damned cross was still standing there, untouched by the heat of the flames. I surrounded it and wanted to consume it with heat, but it remained standing. "Damn you!" I screamed. "You're nothing but a weak, petty god who refuses to stand in battle. I will find you, and I will destroy you along with all those who claim you are more powerful than I." I would find my way back into a human body, and then I would find her, make her my queen, and we would rule. We would merge the land of the spirits and flesh and rule this new world together, the time for having mercy on this dying world had long passed. Erzulie had been right. The next time I manifested, I would pay more attention to her advice.
I ran and ran until my feet were weary, blistered, bruised and bled. My long hair swirled behind me. The stench of rotting flesh hounded me as did pillars of smoke and fire. I held little Lily in my arms and vowed that I would protect her from the chaos of what was to come. I wouldn't let her make the same mistakes that I had made. I had loved Kandal with my soul, spirit and every beat of my heart, but there was something about him that had changed. In the end, it had been the cause of his downfall. This dark world of whispers, shadows and spirits would not come near my child. I didn't believe in Kandal's claims that he would return to me or us. I knew that the dead were just that dead.
I stopped for a brief moment to catch my breath and to feed Lily. Under the thick canopy of the mapou trees, I saw a shadow creep its way towards me. Fearing that it was a wild animal ready to devour my child, I quickly crossed myself and said my prayers. When the shadow became clearer, I was relieved that it was not an animal but a beautiful woman dressed in satin, beads, and luxurious pearls. The fires that raged behind us reflected in her hazel eyes. “Are you lost?” I asked as she looked entirely out of place in the hot sticky jungle which was teeming with deadly bugs, dangerous rebels, and poisonous plants.
“No,” she said simply. “I am right where I need to be.” She eyed Lily with such interest that it made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t naïve. I knew that there were plenty of child sacrifices that went on beneath the shade of these trees. I covered Lily with her blanket and gave the mystery woman a nervous smile as she came closer and closer.
“What can I do for you?” I asked becoming increasingly worried by her presence and her energy. She appeared to be fully human, but there was something supernatural about her demeanor.
“You are marked,” she said calmly in an elegant voice.
“Marked?” The last thing I needed was any more trouble. I had the small bag of gold that I had managed to rob from Pierre and hoped that it was enough to make her go away. "Here," I said taking out the gold. "This is all I have. Please take it all and leave my child and me in peace. We don't need any more trouble. Lord knows we've seen our share."
She laughed. It was high and sensual as if she had practiced this type of laugh specifically to seduce both men and women. "You cannot buy your way out of this with silver or gold. Blood needs to be shed; you know that, don't you?"
My heart raced, and a strange feeling of dread washed over me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said softly.
“He’ll come back for you. He’ll always find you. You are what makes Him stronger and more powerful. You will propel Him to reach his full potential if you are initiated. Uninitiated, you make Him weak and have the ability to destroy Him.”
“Who are you speaking of?”
“You know exactly who I am referring to.”
“Kandal is dead,” I whispered. “He is now at peace with Bon Dieu. He won’t return. Despite all of our silly beliefs that he was our savior, he was a mortal man who was consumed by power. I loved him, but I will never mention that to my child.”
She laughed again. “You’re wrong. He is God. God manifested into our world to gain victory over the evil and cruelty that we find ourselves in. When he returns, you will help Him bring his kingdom into its full glory. Every member of your family is marked. His love for your soul will force Him to be the King He needs to be to end all injustice in this world." She stepped nearer and nearer, and before I could pull away, she took my hand and stabbed it seven times. Her chant rang loud and wild in the sticky air.
* * *
Seven stabs of the knife, seven stabs of the dagger,
lend me the basin so I can vomit my blood,
My blood is pouring down.
Seven stabs of the knife, seven stabs of the dagger,
lend me the basin so I can vomit my blood,
My blood is pouring down.
* * *
I cried out in utter pain, but she had no mercy on me. After she was finished
with my palm, she grabbed Lily’s tiny hand and ruthlessly stabbed it seven times as well while shouting.
Seven stabs of the knife, seven stabs of the dagger,
lend me the basin so I can vomit my blood,
My blood is pouring down.
Seven stabs of the knife, seven stabs of the dagger,
lend me the basin so I can vomit my blood,
My blood is pouring down.
* * *
After she had finished her ritual, the strange woman disappeared. It took me a few seconds to realize that she had been no other than Erzulie in all of her vengeance and fury. Lily cried and moaned wildly in my arms. I looked at her tiny hand and was disgusted at the sight of blood as it dripped out of her palm. I vowed that I would never tell her about this pact, and the world of the spirits would stay far away from our home. I wanted to believe my vows, but a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that perhaps I was specifically born for a time such as this.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Darkwood Plantation, Present Day
Do you hate me?
My eyes opened. I was back at Darkwood standing in the garden outside my office. Marinette glared at me in satisfaction as she searched my face for a reaction. I dropped the glass of pink champagne that I still held in my hand. The air was filled with screams, blood, and rotting corpses. The lush smell of the faded summer rain and the sweet smell of the flowers quickly replaced the stench. I didn’t know what to think or what to make out of what I had been shown. I quickly put two and two together and realized that I descended from Elena. We were related in some way or another. This meant that I was marked just like the rest of the women in my family. Just like the Wild Rose. How had she been used to commit the crimes that still haunted her? I wasn’t sure if I had the courage to find out. I had seen enough bloodshed for ten lifetimes.
Erzulie claimed that she had blessed me. In fact, she had cursed me and used my family as bait to help Him reach His full powers. I wasn’t fighting against Him. I was what made Him fight.
The sky started to spin, and all sorts of paranoid theories started to enter my head. Along with dread that maybe I had killed Viola for the wrong reasons. Maybe the reason why Erzulie had insisted on destroying Viola was that she was a powerful weapon that could have been used by me. The most terrifying aspect of this whole situation wasn't the fact that maybe I was no more than bait, it was the ruthless terror and the hatred between the blacks and whites on the island. I thought of the glimpse of the future I had gotten and the mass amounts of terror that were beginning to take place between not only races but religions and genders as well. For the master plan to work, there needed to be more division, more hatred and more bloodshed. That was the only way a new civil war would take place. The evil spirits were already using unsuspecting puppets to carry out their dirty deeds, and they would continue to do so.
It was too much. All of it was way heavier than I had expected. When I started this journey, I hadn't signed up for the past repeating itself in the future. I knew that this time around more sacrifices would be needed, and horror on a more massive scale would be required for His kingdom to form fully.
I despised myself for not utterly loathing Him. In the confines of my heart, I held a soft spot for the man who was simultaneously the most brutal yet sweetest person I had ever encountered. Is this who Louis was going to become? If so, how did Lucus fit into the picture, and how in the world was Emilie going to leverage Angel Pulse United to cause mass amounts of terror?
“Do you see?” Marinette’s expression was wild with mad euphoria and grotesque pleasure as she examined my strained face. “She’s not the innocent spirit you thought she, right? She is using you. She’s been using you since the day you were born, grooming you for a time such as this.”
“No.” I shook my head. Despite my confusion and outright disgust at what Erzulie had done, I wasn’t ready to completely write her off and buy Marinette’s version of reality. “She hasn’t been lying to me,” I said with all the force I could muster.
"You're a fool! Nothing but a fool!" she screamed. "You have been shown the truth, yet you still cling to your foolish illusions that Erzulie has had a change of heart and has acknowledged the strange god of the cross. She hasn't. She is the mother of the true and only living God."
“Go away!” I shouted. “Get out of this garden and leave me. I won’t let you force me into making rash decisions.”
She chugged down some gasoline and came dangerously close again. The blade of her machete was once again against my neck. Drops of blood began to trickle onto my toes as the blade dug further and further into my neck.
“That’s enough, Marinette.” Erzulie’s furious voice filled the air. She was dressed to kill in a pale pink chiffon dress, pure gold hoop earrings, and a feathered headdress, but in her hand, she held her infamous silver dagger. The same dagger she had used to mark my ancestors. Marinette lowered her machete. I stepped away from her and glared at the two spirits who eyed one another with hatred and suspicion.
"Tell the girl; you're nothing but a liar!" Marinette demanded.
“I will do no such thing.” Erzulie raised her dagger ready to go on the offense. “Leave, you’ve already confused her enough. Leave now or I will call upon the spirits who are on my side. This battle won’t last long. I’ve faced you before, and I’m not afraid of facing you again.”
Marinette tossed her gasoline on Erzulie’s face, but the beautiful spirit remained composed which further irritated the angry spirit. “I will be back. When the girl comes to her senses, she’ll understand that your games are only stalling what needs to be done!” With those words, she disappeared and left me with Erzulie.
I was so damn tired. Without a word, I left her and walked into my bedroom and collapsed onto my comfy bed. My eyes closed, and I waited for what she would say. I wanted to scream, shout, accuse and ask what the hell was going on, but I was simply too exhausted to make blind accusations. She remained silent, but I felt her presence on the edge of my bed. She was crying, and I had the sudden urge to strangle her. She wasn't the soulful, loving and sensitive spirit she made herself out to be. I had seen her hungry, bloodthirsty side, and it terrified the hell out of me. I know I had promised her that I would always be there, and I was planning on doing that, but only if she had the guts to tell me the truth. After a few moments of silence, tears and drama had passed, she finally spoke.
“Do you hate me?” The question hung in the air, but I wasn’t ready to answer it yet as I had no idea of the response. My silence filled the space between us as did her broken heart-wrenching sobs. “You hate me, don’t you?”
My eyes remained closed, but the art of terror still lingered behind them as did all the very disturbing scenes I had witnessed. I no longer knew who to trust, so it felt as if I was back at square one. "I don't hate you. I'm just confused; that's all. I knew about your past as Vita, and I suppose I was silly for thinking that you hadn't changed once you got to Haiti, but what I saw was an Erzulie who I didn't recognize. You terrified me. You ruthlessly marked an innocent woman and her ancestors for your own purposes. In case you haven't realized, you forgot to mention that little fact."
"If I told you, you wouldn't have understood." She tried to defend herself which pissed me off. I was supposed to be all saintly and navigate my way through this tricky world when even the friendliest of spirits had dark pasts and unclear motives. "I've changed. I'm not that same vicious spirit anymore; love softened me."
"Love? Love for who? For someone who claims to be the spirit of love, I didn't see much love coming from you." I was harsh and judgmental, but flashes of bones and poisoned bodies kept appearing before my eyes. I tried to piece together the twisted tale and understand where in the world love was to be found.
"I fell in love with the very women I cursed. I fell in love with you and your ancestors," she said slowly as if she wanted me to listen carefully and absorb every word she spoke. "I was so angry at Elena and was
determined that her family would never get in the way of my son's rule, however, that changed."
“How did it change? What in the world transformed you from a bloodthirsty spirit with the slogan kill them all! To the seemingly delicate flower you are today?”
“That’s not my story to tell,” she whispered. “I don’t have the power to reveal these things because those are secrets and emotions that belong to another.”
At this point, I lost all sense of composure and was tempted to tell her off. I decided to take a more mature route and let myself calm down somewhat. I got out of bed and started to pace the room. Even though I tried to look on the bright, happy side of this whole situation, twisted, dark, paranoid thoughts took over me, and she was nothing but another deceiving spirit that was hell-bent on my destruction. "No, you're using me as a pawn and nothing more. You know He'll fully manifest again because I'm Elena's descendant. You're using me just like you probably used Rosaline." It suddenly occurred to me that maybe Rosaline had been nothing but a pawn as well. That is why she was still so traumatized. What had Erzulie done to her? What were her plans for me? "You wanted me to come into my powers so I could be His queen. You're still in love with your baby. Is that the reason why you made me destroy Viola? Was she some threat to you?" The bitter words wouldn't stop coming out. I wanted to hurt her and betray her for keeping such vital information secret from me.
“I did use Rosaline. I used her terribly and in a fashion so brutal that there are no words I can say to her that will ever express the remorse I feel, but I swear you are the weapon that will destroy Him. The weapon I created to help Him is the one I will use to crush Him.”
