“Possibly,” Mercy said, still twiddling her witch’s wand in her hand. “But there’s only one way to fight a witch.”
“How’s that?” I asked.
“It takes another witch.”
“I need you, Mercy.”
“I know you do.”
“Not just to defeat Kalfu. I need you to unite these people.”
“How in the hell is a vampire going to help you unite the Voodoo world against Kalfu?”
“The vampires are a part of our world—you share Samedi’s aspect. That has to count for something. Not to mention, if you’re willing to follow me in spite of our differences…” I paused for a moment and rethought my words. “Not follow me. Stand beside me… then it shows the rest of the Hougans and Mambos that where we come from doesn’t matter. It’s what we can do together. Like I said. I need you, Mercy.”
“I suppose you do. But what you really need is Mercy the witch who will stand beside you. You need someone who can counter Hailey.”
“I need Mercy the vampire and Mercy the witch.”
“Just remember your promise… when all this is over.”
“I’ll take you to the land of the dead. To redeem your brother. I haven’t forgotten.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mercy was heartless. Not metaphorically. In fact, she’d demonstrated more than once—even though she tried to hide it—that she had a heart in all the ways that matter. But she was literally heartless. She’d confided in me before how her heart and liver were removed after she’d been turned—an attempt by her horrified family to protect her brother, whom she fed on at night after she’d been turned. But the ashes of hear heart and liver were mixed in water and given to her brother to drink. The witch who’d done it had promised it would restore life to her ailing brother. But the ritual also made Mercy unstakable—it vivified her in a way that other vampires, who’d normally die without a heart, were not. What I didn’t know until now was that Mercy had been a witch herself—and that the witch who’d revived her was doing more than Nico’s bidding. She was reviving her own apprentice. Mercy was the product of not only vampirism but also necromancy. She was an abomination on many different levels, but there was something good in her no less. I’d seen it. I didn’t trust it—I’ll never trust a vampire, I won’t even trust my parents. But she wasn’t the fiend she’d wanted me and everyone else to believe. She promised she’d stand by my side so long as I promised to help redeem her brother’s soul from purgatory, from the land of the dead where he wandered as a wraith. Redeeming his soul wouldn’t do anything for Mercy’s condition, but it would alleviate the one thing that had weighed on her conscience for more than a century and a half. If there was anything good in her at all, I had to believe that helping her do that would bring more of her better nature to the surface. I wasn’t only in this to ensure she didn’t double-cross me. I’d promised to take her to the land of the dead because, if I didn’t, even if we did manage to defeat Kalfu, it wouldn’t be long before she and I ended up enemies again. Of course, I could stake her—I could try to. But she was quick. There’s no guarantee I’d pull that off before she sank her fangs into my neck. Bottom line—it’s better to keep potential enemies in the ally column as long as possible.
Mikah stepped over and grabbed my hand—it felt… different. Especially now that he had Alexa inside of him. Still, he pulled me back toward the rest of the group, and Mercy followed behind. I felt a tingle on the back of my neck. No matter how many agreements and pacts we might have, no matter how much I understand her, I’ll always be a little leery about turning my back on a vampire.
I pulled my hand away from Mikah’s. Since he was now soul-fused with Alexa, it added an extra layer of complication to the relationship he and Isabelle had going on. Alexa wasn’t into girls—not at all. And since she’d now have to experience everything Mikah did while he was holding the reins, he hadn’t so much as attempted a kiss on the cheek. Even while I held the reins he knew Isabelle would feel it—and I’d permitted it. Lip kisses had been reserved for when Isabelle held the reins. Even that, I detested. Especially since Mikah had a full-fledged addiction to cherry chapstick. Still, I put up with it for Isabelle’s sake. We’d been so close to both finding some kind of happiness—things were starting to take off with Oggie and me. He’d kissed me right after the Trials, before I went into Agwe’s watery domain. Things were progressing well between Isabelle and Mikah—Isabelle thought she was in love. I don’t know about that. But who was I to question what she thought she felt? Now, with Oggie dead—presumably somewhere in the void, though I’d found no trace of him when we went there to bring Legba back—and Mikah possessed by a familiar of his own, Isabelle and I were back to our typical “not in a relationship” status. Not that Isabelle and Mikah had formally ended things. They hadn’t. But it was understood.
“So, Queen Annabelle,” Mikah said with a wink, “what do we do next?”
I looked around at Vilokan—it was still in pretty bad shape, but at least the smell of the rotting dead had mostly subsided. “This city, Vilokan, it was first forged for a people who in the world above had little hope. This place gave them hope, it gave them freedom of a sort and a chance to live. I think it’s time we restore the city. If we’re going to defeat Kalfu, we need hope. We need a place where the whole Voodoo world can gather.”
“All right,” Sauron said. “I’m with you. I think we’re all with you. But how do we do that?”
“Sauron,” I said, “you and Alexa, and therefore Mikah, have the power of the storm.”
“We do,” Sauron said.
“Mikah, I hope you have those non-headache pills in abundance, because you’re going to have to give Alexa the reins. With the power of the storm, you can fly on the wind, right? Like you did before, when you carried the soul vessel out of Vilokan.”
Mikah shrugged and looked at Sauron. “It’s advanced… but yes. We can do it. Alexa can do it, for sure.”
“I know the technicalities of it, but I’ve never done it. Not yet. That’s like a third-year skill.”
I put my hand on Sauron’s shoulder. “I believe in you. You’ve got this.”
Sauron took a deep breath, smiled wide, and nodded confidently. “Okay. I can do it.”
“Good,” I said. “I need you to ride the winds. Find Sogbo if you can, and he can join you. You need to find all the scattered, all who survived Vilokan. Find other vodouisants who weren’t here when Vilokan fell. Gather as many as you can. Tell them that the queen calls, that Legba has returned, that we’re going to make a stand.”
“What about us?” Ellie said as she and Ashley exchanged glances.
“Ideally, Tressa will return and help you. But you are College Erzulie. I need you here when everyone returns. Kalfu and his forces operate on deceit. He makes cowardly bargains and binds his followers to his cause. With Mercy’s former ability of compulsion, he may not even need to use bargains anymore. And who knows what other powers of influence he’s gained from the younglings he took. If we’re going to fight against him, we need to ensure that the aspect of love is with us. The Voodoo world is now hiding away, in fear for their lives. Perfect love casts out fear. We can’t do this without you.”
“What about me?” Roger asked, his fingers intertwined with Ashley’s.
I grinned a little. This was the first time, as far as I could remember, that Roger was asking me for direction. And he wasn’t a part of the Voodoo world. Not at all. But he was a friend. He was an ally. And we needed him, too. “Roger, I need you to ward this place. Vampires are welcome. I’m not sure how many there are. But at least for now, they are our allies.”
“I can reach out to the other clans,” Mercy said. “They mostly stay to themselves. But with Kalfu on the rise, none of them are safe. They’ll be more than willing to help.”
I nodded. Utilizing the vampires like allies was kind of like using a wolf like a guide dog. It can get you where you need to go, but you never know when it will turn
on you. Alas, if that were to ever happen, I’d have to handle that in due course. And if we didn’t defeat Kalfu, if he won, it would be a moot point anyway. “For now, Mercy, just bring them to Vilokan. With Roger’s wards in place, hopefully they’ll be safe here. The most important thing for now is to keep any vampires Kalfu might target out of reach. Vilokan can shelter them, at least for now.”
Mercy looked mildly disappointed—she wasn’t the kind to hide in the middle of a fight. Vampires weren’t used to being hunted. But she nodded. She understood why they needed protection, at least for now.
“What about me?” Pauli asked. He’d apparently managed to find himself a pair of pants—probably from his old wardrobe in the academy dormitories.
“I need you to come with me,” I said. “And I have a question for everyone else. What in the world happened to Joni? We could really use her help.”
“She’s returned to Fomoria,” Pauli said.
I sighed. “I thought she was going to help.”
“She is,” Pauli said. “I just don’t know how. She said she had an idea.”
“What was her idea?” I asked.
“She didn’t say. But whatever it was, it must require a shit ton of magic to pull off.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know how she did it, but before she left, her eyes were glowing with an incredible green. It was practically bursting from her pores.”
I nodded. “All right. Well, we can’t count on her. We need to be ready. And Pauli, you’re coming with me.”
“What are we going to go do?” Pauli asked.
“We’re going to try to get my parents back. Hopefully we can find them before Kalfu does.” It wasn’t just that I wanted to save my parents, though that was part of it. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let them be taken from me again. But for Kalfu, they were an easy target. And my dad’s ability… not like we knew much about it. But for the brief moment it manifested, it separated all the fused souls—Mikah’s and Alexa’s, Kalfu’s and Samedi’s, and it would undoubtedly do the same to Isabelle and me. And yes, I had promised I’d keep Hailey safe. She did betray us—but I had to learn why. Was she bound in a bargain? Had Kalfu used Mercy’s former ability and compelled her? If either of those were true, it would mean Hailey was as much a victim as anyone. One thing I’d learned about Kalfu—he isn’t a leader. He doesn’t inspire his followers. He uses fear, manipulation, deceit, and even compulsion to achieve his goals.
Chapter Eighteen
I had to take Pauli with me. He knew Kalfu better than anyone. He also could rainbow bright his way in and out of there in snake form and pull Mom and Dad out if need be. At least that was the idea. More than that, frankly, I needed him for his comic relief. I’d be lying if I pretended the stress of the situation wasn’t getting to me. It was overwhelming as fuck. But I had to put on the “queen” face with the group—I couldn’t let them see me unravel. And one thing Pauli was good for was lightening the mood, even in the most dire of circumstances. Less stress, a little comedy along the way, and I could think more clearly and decisively. At least that had worked so far. I don’t know how many times since I’d met Pauli that things went to shit and Pauli’s ability to make the right light-hearted comment in the midst of it all helped me see things more clearly. Most people would think his commentary, particularly in serious moments, was inappropriate. I found it essential. Truth be told, I don’t think I’d be fit to be Voodoo queen, or even a Mambo, if not for Pauli. Not to mention, ever since he became a snake—which he still was, technically speaking, even though he’d managed to acquire the ability to shift into human form—Isabelle had someone else who could hear her. Oddly enough, whenever Pauli was around, Isabelle and I seemed to get along better. All in all, I wasn’t about to go on a rescue mission without Pauli. Besides that, I needed him to find Kalfu. If he could relax enough, get back into that “sweat lodge” state of mind, he could see through Kalfu’s eyes. And wherever he was, that was where Hailey would be. And where my parents were probably going…
We didn’t have long, either way. We were only a couple of hours away from sunrise. Dear lord, I needed sleep. I was functioning on pure adrenaline at this point—adrenaline and energy drinks. I suppose having vampires involved meant, inevitably, having to pull some all-nighters. I was definitely looking forward to getting Vilokan back in order, getting the vampires wrangled up and safe inside. Then, I could get a shut-eye and take the battle to Kalfu in daylight.
I wasn’t the first young lady to have to devote her energies to untangling messes her parents made. Hell, that was the topic of at least a dozen different Oprah Winfrey reruns I’d watched on rainy days in the past. We’re all a little screwed over by our parents. Not that it’s their fault. It’s because parenting is hard—and the best that most parents can do is stumble through it, do their best in the moment, and pray their children don’t become sociopaths. It’s worked that way since the dawn of time, and while my parents were absent for a good half of my childhood, now that I had them back, I suppose it was time to accept the fact that they were going to meddle in my shit—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. They meant well, always. This time, though, was one of those “for the worse” kinds of meddling. Even if they succeeded and got Hailey away from Kalfu, what they were risking was too much—and they were probably oblivious to it. God bless them.
“Pauli, I need you to try to find them. Can you see anything through Kalfu’s eyes?”
“Give me a second,” Pauli said as he sat down in lotus pose.
I rolled my eyes. “Are you serious right now?”
Pauli gave me the “talk to the hand” gesture to shut me up. “Ommmmm.”
“When did you start yoga?”
“Right before I did Brazil Butt Lift, I tried Yoga Booty Ballet. This shit works, trust me.”
“And was a part of that program learning how to clear your mind and communicate with evil Loa who are possessing your former body?”
“Shut up, Annabelle. I’m finding my chi.”
I smirked. Not that I didn’t respect yoga or Eastern religion. From what little I knew about it, that stuff could be crazy powerful. It was just that Pauli’s mind was more erratic than a six-year-old hopped up on Pixy Stix.
“Annabelle,” Pauli said, “I need you to do this with me. There is power in communal meditation.”
I rolled my eyes. “All right. I still don’t know how you learned all this stuff.”
Pauli ignored my comment. “Cross your legs. Palms up. Middle finger to thumb.”
I assumed the pose Pauli described. I felt like a fake—this wasn’t something you could just “do” on a whim. Meditation takes years of practice.
“I need you to repeat after me,” Pauli said.
“All right.”
“Mamma saaaaaaaay.”
I repeated him. “Mamma saaaaaaaay.”
“Mamma saaaaaahhhh.”
Again I echoed him. “Mamma saaaaaahhhh .”
“Mamma cousahhhhhhh.”
“Mamma cousahhhhhhh.”
“Now put them all together… and repeat them over and over… until your mind drifts into another place.”
I started repeating what Pauli had said. “Mamma say. Mamma sah. Mamma cousah. Mamma say. Mamma sah. Mamma cousah.”
Pauli broke in with a rhythm. “You wanna be startin’ somethin’, you gots to be startin’ somethin’.”
I dropped my hands and opened my eyes. “Really, Pauli? Michael Jackson?”
“Keep going, it works!”
“No it doesn’t.”
“Fine,” Pauli said. “If you won’t do that one, I have another one we can try.”
“Not another Michael Jackson song?”
“No, I learned this one from a real djinn.”
“When did you ever meet a djinn?”
“When I was a kid. Just bear with me.”
“All right, Pauli…” I resumed the lotus pose and waited for Pauli to begin
.
Pauli took a deep breath, and began with a deep, guttural hum. Then he began chanting, “Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho… Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho…”
I dropped my hands. “Pauli…”
“What?” Pauli asked, clearly perturbed.
“That’s not from a real djinn. That was what Jambi said in Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
“Well shit me!” Pauli exclaimed. “I could swear I remembered meeting a real djinn as a child.”
“I can’t believe you actually know that show. Only reason I do is because my parents made me watch it when I was six or seven. Said it was a seminal experience of their childhoods.”
“Same here!” Pauli exclaimed.
“Why are parents so insistent that we relive their childhoods?” I asked.
Pauli shrugged. “I think it’s more why do parents always try to relive their own childhoods through their kids?”
“That, too,” I said. “I missed a lot of that. After the attack.”
“But we’re going to get your parents back,” Pauli said. “Plenty of time to make up for lost time. At least your parents didn’t put you through an exorcism to try to chase away the gay demons.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, there’s that… but I don’t have any gay demons.”
“Come on, girl. Everyone has a few gay demons inside, deep down, just waiting to come out.”
I shook my head. “Nope. None.”
“You mean you’ve never thought that way about another girl?”
I bit my lip. “I won’t say never, but…”
“See, gay demons. I prefer to call them gay angels.”
“I think everyone wonders… gets a little curious. It’s a part of growing up. Just try to focus, Pauli. We need to find Mom and Dad.”
Pauli took a deep breath. I didn’t join him this time. The last thing I wanted was for him to start leading me in a chorus of “all I wanna do is zooma zoom zoom zoom in a boom boom.”
Pauli’s body went limp, and he naturally fell back into serpent form. I guess maintaining a shift requires a certain level of consciousness. A few moments later, his body started to twitch. I’d seen this before—it was time to bring him back. I placed my hand on Pauli’s body, and Isabelle released a dose of magica into him. He quickly revived and instinctively coiled around my arm.
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