Voodoo Queen

by Theophilus Monroe

  “Well, look who got her Isabelle back! Thank god!” Pauli appeared, wrapping his serpentine form around my body. “We’ve been reeling… We can’t do anything to stop these three-headed monstrosities!”

  And the vampires? I asked.

  “They left!”

  They what?

  “The sunrise,” Pauli said. “They had no choice.”

  For a second I thought they’d cut and run when the chimeras showed up. But their retreat, in this instance, made sense. I couldn’t believe so much time had passed—it was barely dark when the battle began. Were we at the crossroads all night? We must’ve been.

  Isabelle, I said. Let’s heal as many people as we can. You good for that?

  “Let’s do it,” Isabelle said.

  Alexa was soaring above us—as a spirit, she wasn’t as powerful as before, but she wasn’t vulnerable either. I mean, what were the chimeras going to do, kill her? Mikah, meanwhile, resumed throwing pieces of my old house at them. Just trying to hold them off while I tried to save the wounded.

  Isabelle was quick. Her power, even more than before, was strong. It was like life itself was pouring through our fingers and vivifying the bodies.

  We could heal them, but without being able to summon Beli in dragon form here, I had no idea what we could do about these chimeras.

  Then I heard a screech—something in the distance. Four more winged figures came charging in our direction.

  “Shit!” Pauli shouted. “There are more!”

  I raised my hand, shielding my eyes from the rising sun.

  Wait, those aren’t chimeras… They’re dragons, and there are people on three of them!

  “No way,” Pauli said, laughing out loud. “Is it really?”

  It was Joni, Shelly, and Finn—the Fomorian wyrmriders. As they approached, I saw a green glow emanating from Joni and coursing through each of the beasts. The wyrm—including my very own Wyrmie, had been shifted into dragons! That’s what she was planning, that’s why Joni had to go absorb so much magic before she left.

  “I brought you an old friend,” Joni said, “for old times’ sake. I hope we aren’t too late?”

  “I’m letting you take this one,” Isabelle said.

  I felt her release, and I resumed control of my body. No headaches now—this wasn’t a soul-fusing, this was different.

  I petted Wyrmie on the side and leapt onto his back. “Let’s go hunt some chimeras!” I exclaimed.

  Shelly and Finn, smiling wide, pulled on their reins, and their dragons took flight. Together we charged the chimeras. With my soul blade in hand, we went after them. Joni, Shelly, and Finn corralled the chimeras into position so I could come up underneath and stab them with Beli—sending them back to where they belong.

  * * * * *

  * * * * *

  Kalfu was gone. The worst of the creatures he’d summoned were dealt with. Still, a few remained. I knew I hadn’t seen my last adventure. Whatever he unleashed on this world would be enough to keep me busy for years—if not the rest of my life, which could be quite long now that Legba and I were linked.

  I sat on the edge of the bed that had been mine at the Voodoo Academy. I never graduated. I might be the Voodoo queen, but I still had more to learn. So my plan was to finish getting Vilokan back in order, get Legba back in his post as headmaster, and get this place running again. And while it might suck for some of the students to have the queen as a classmate, I planned to take as many classes as I could. How could I govern this whole Voodoo world wisely without knowledge? It was a wise move. One that Legba, I’m sure, would approve of.

  I reached into the burlap sack.

  “Hey, Legba,” I said.

  He didn’t respond. That could only mean one thing. Marie Laveau had died. Now, Legba only inhabited one body—Chad’s body. I knew it was coming, but I still shed a tear. I’d find Legba later, run through all my plans with him.

  Isabelle and Mikah were back at the crossroads. Ashley and Roger were digging through the rubble on what had once been our plantation home, trying to dig up whatever heirlooms they could save. We were going to rebuild. Eventually. But it was only right that we should build a new house—one without the stain of my family’s history, one that stood for what my family was now, and would be in the future. Pauli was out on the town—finally taking advantage of his new shape-shifted body and sporting his new pair of Louboutin stilettos. I was sure he’d have plenty of stories to tell about his night’s lewd exploits once he returned. I wasn’t sure if I was looking forward to hearing about it or dreading it. One thing I knew for sure—however he detailed his nights events, it would be entertaining.

  I heard a knock on the dormitory door. Letty barked.

  I held her back. “Down girl,” I said.

  Vilokan was full of people trying to make a new home here, but the academy had been out of use and, therefore, pretty vacant even as Vilokan’s population swelled. Who in the world would be knocking at my door?

  I opened the door. I saw a young man standing there—roughly my age. His skin was smooth, his hair long and blonde. I could practically see his muscles bulging through his T-shirt.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “The Academy is closed. If you’d like to enroll…”

  “Annabelle…”

  I knew that voice. That accent. Like someone from the Islands.

  I did a double-take.

  “Could you…say that again?”

  “Annabelle.”

  I grinned widely and leapt into his arms. “Oggie!”

  He laughed. “How do you like my new host?”

  “Are you kidding? He’s gorgeous… you’re gorgeous!”

  “I had to come see you. I’m still getting used to this body, but I think it will work for me.”

  “How did you… I mean, how in the world did you come back? I hoped I’d be able to find you. To go into the void again…”

  “Marie Laveau,” Oggie said. “The last thing she did before she died. Grabbed Legba in his new host and convinced him to take her into the void. She found me. She said she’d originally had this host saved for Legba. Poor kid was on life support—horrible football injury. The new Legba had to carry this kid into the void on his own back, which, I’ll tell you, was quite a sight.”

  “But this host was supposed to be Legba’s?” I asked.

  “She said that after I died she decided she wanted to save this host for you.”

  I laughed. “For me? Doesn’t she mean for you?”

  “No, I think she meant for you. She said she found someone else at the last minute who could host Legba. Said that you’d find this host more pleasing and that a queen deserves the best.”

  I smiled wide. “Well she was right!”

  I elevated myself on my tiptoes—Oggie’s new host was a good six inches taller than me—and kissed him right on the lips.

  “How’s it feel to kiss a demigod?” Oggie asked with a wink.

  “I don’t know,” I said even as the butterflies refused to settle in my stomach. “Tell me, how does it feel to kiss a Voodoo queen?”

  The End

  The Legacy continues in…

  Bloody Hell!

  The Legacy of a Vampire Witch

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  Copyright © 2020 by Theophilus Monroe.

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Theophilus Monroe is a fantasy author with a knack for real-life characters whose supernatural experiences speak to the pangs of ordinary life. After earning his Ph.D. in Theology, he decided that academic treatises that no one will read (beyond other academics) was a dull way to spend his life. So, he began using his background in religious studies to create new worlds and forms of magic–informed by religious myths, ancient and modern–that would intrigue readers, inspire imaginations, and speak to real-world problems in fantastical ways.

  When Theophilus isn’t exploring one of his fantasy lands, he is probably playing with one of his three sons, or pumping iron in his home gym, which is currently located in a 40-foot shipping container.

  He makes his online home at www.theophilusmonroe.com. He loves answering reader questions—feel free to e-mail him at theophilus@theophilusmonroe.com if the mood strikes you!