by Leo King
“Hear me out,” she said. “Believe it or not, we’ve both been victimized by Vincent and the Knight Priory.”
“Enough of this shit,” Victor huffed. “Can we just shoot her?”
“One second, Victor,” Aucoin said. “What are you talking about?”
With a condescending laugh, she said, “Oh, how people forget their history. Does the name Allison Surrette ring a bell?”
The name sounded familiar, but he just couldn’t place it.
“You don’t remember?” She sighed. “Unbelievable. No one remembers Allison. Oh, sure, they remember Henrietta Babineaux, or Edward Castille, or even Maple Christofer…”
Just like that, Aucoin remembered who she was. “Oh! She was one of Vincent Castille’s victims.”
Caroline stood up. “Yes! That’s exactly it! Victim number four of the Bourbon Street Ripper.” Sitting down again, her voice was almost reverent as she said, “My beloved Allison. The most sensitive, beautiful soul I had ever known. She was perfect—not just to me, but to everyone. Always a kind word. Always a smile. A woman who loved everyone.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, keeping his gun on her. “But that doesn’t excuse your actions.”
With a snort, she said, “Actions. We’re defined by them. Slaves to them. After Vincent was arrested, I swore I’d either rule the Knight Priory or burn it to the ground. I’ve obviously failed the first part. But I have the grimoire and can use powers beyond your understanding. So screw the Knight Priory. Let them burn.”
She drained her glass. “So here’s what I propose. Let me go, and I’ll just disappear with my powers and my wealth. You can have what you want and be the hero who helped destroy the Knight Priory of Saint Madonna. Isn’t that what you want, Kyle Aucoin?”
“What I want,” Aucoin said, “is for you to go to jail for the rest of your miserable life.”
Her expression slowly hardened. Sitting back, she glared at him. “I thought you might say that. So I arranged a different negotiation.”
She tapped a button on the small box. Suddenly, one of the mirror panels slid open. In an alcove, inside of what looked disturbingly similar to an iron maiden, was a beaten and gagged Veronica.
“Aw, shit,” Aucoin said.
“That’s right! You’d be amazed how well spirit sentries can warn you about who is actually a spy.” Caroline laughed cruelly, her finger hovering just above another button. “So, unless you drop all your weapons and kick them over to me, I press this button and end her life in a satisfyingly painful way.” Her eyes were wide and her expression mad. “So, Detective, what’ll be?”
Chapter 48
Worthy of Admiration
Date: Sunday, June 15, 1997
Time: 10:32 p.m.
Location: Deepwater Olympus
Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico
“Alexia!” Dixie called over the headset. “Come in, Alexia. Are you there?”
Alexia, fighting a trio of guards at the entrance to the meeting hall, was unable to respond. Even if she could, she’d have just voiced how chaotic the mission had turned out. The moment the Knight Priory had started using their surface-to-air missile launcher, things had fallen into chaos.
Lord, protect me, she thought as she swayed to the side, dodging the knife of one guard and parrying the other two. She and Sam had been fighting against groups of guards since splitting away from Veronica. Her clothes and blades were covered with blood, and despite her skill, more blades and bullets had grazed her skin than she would have preferred.
“Alexia,” Dixie repeated. “Please come in!”
Swiping her blade in a double envelopment around one guard’s knife, she thrust forward and into his throat. As he started gurgling blood, she kicked him off just in time to dodge a tackle from the other one. The third was reloading his gun. Quickly, she closed the distance to him and stabbed him through the heart. He shook and then fell. Then she spun around and cut the third one across the throat even as he rushed at her again.
“Forgive me, Lord,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever get used to killing.
Then she glanced over toward Sam, who had fought the rest of the guards. Most were dead, either broken in pieces or sporting sizable holes. Only one remained alive, and he was backing away from Sam, whose arms were covered in blood, whimpering “monster” over and over.
With a sigh, Sam shook her head and turned away. “Get out of here, insect.”
Alexia winced. Although Sam had apparently stopped herself from descending into evil, she still seemed to struggle with her godlike powers.
Can a fused person ever live a peaceful life? Alexia wasn’t sure.
“Alexia! Please answer!” Dixie sounded desperate.
“I’m here,” Alexia said, wiping off her blades. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, thank goodness! Listen. There’s still no sign of the Oracle or Dr. Kindley, and about half the Knight Priory has already been rounded up. Kyle and Victor have gone after Caroline. Veronica’s gone silent. Meyer and Hakim have engaged Connick, and Chase is after Morial.”
Alexia exhaled. Things weren’t as bad as they had originally seemed.
“Where are you and Sam?” Dixie asked.
“We’re at the entrance to the meeting hall.” From within were the sounds of fighting.
“All right, slight change of plans. Alexia, I need you to break away from Sam.”
“What? Why?”
“Listen very carefully. Gavin and Curtis are dead. We need someone to go after the children. If they’re moved off-site, we may never find them again. Give me a minute and I’ll switch your headset over to Patty’s frequency. She’ll lead you.”
“OK. I’ll do it.”
Just then, the doors to the meeting hall blew open with a fiery explosion. Meyer flew back with his arms crossed over his chest, engulfed in a glowing white-blue sphere covered with Hebrew symbols. Rushing after him was Connick, an aura of flame around his body, screeching insanely and frothing at the mouth. Alexia barely jumped to the side before they streaked by. She ducked into a corner.
Hakim ran out, holding onto his submachine gun as if his life depended on it. When he spotted Alexia, he headed over to her. “Lady LeBlanc, are you all right?”
She nodded, warily watching Connick as he crashed into Meyer, pummeling at his shield with flame-coated fists. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just almost got obliterated by those two.”
“It is a terrifying sight to behold, is it not?” he asked. “This one is having a hard time figuring out how he can help.”
She quickly assessed what was happening. Connick was wailing like a banshee and seemed to be summoning fire to aid in his attacks, while Meyer was focusing his will into some sort of shield. Closing her eyes, she hastily recalled the mission briefing.
Of course! Kabbalic magic is needed to safely remove Papa Ghede!
“Hakim, use the guardian from your ring to attack Connick,” she said.
That appeared to confuse him. “But Lady LeBlanc, with all respect, this one’s guardian is an ifrit. It cannot harm one who is adorned in fire.”
“I know,” she said. “You want to distract him and let Meyer recover. Give him a chance to use his powers to separate Connick and Papa Ghede.”
The realization seemed to dawn on him. “Oh, of course. Meyer was trying to protect this one from battle by having him act as back up, since he only just joined GEIST. But this one has to fight with all his spirit if he’s going to be of use.” He ran toward Connick, calling back to her, “This one wishes you the best, Lady LeBlanc. Fi Amanillah!”
She smiled as Hakim ran off. “Subhanallah yourself.” Then she turned her attention back to Sam, who was heading into the meeting hall. She needed to tell Sam about the change in plans.
The room was a mess, with rugs and tapestries on fire, columns and walls cracked, and craters in the floor—all likely from Meyer’s battle with Connick. Tania was leaning against a busted column with Amelie next
to her, binding up her leg. Tania’s mask was off, and she was sobbing.
Near the altar was Noelle. Her head had been blown clean off.
Sam stopped in the middle of the room and stalked around, sniffing the air like a wolf on the hunt. “Where are you, Oracle? Come out!” Her voice reverberated.
Alexia knelt down beside Tania. “Hey, you OK?”
She wiped away some tears. “It was an accident.”
“Accident? What happened?”
“She shot at Connick,” Amelie said. “But he moved insanely fast and blocked the bullet with Noelle.”
Looking back over at Noelle’s body, Alexia felt her stomach churn. Compared to this operation, the slaughter at Fernbank Forest was nothing.
Tania continued wiping her face. “I thought I could handle it. We both thought we could handle it.”
“You and Violet?”
“Yeah. She’s devastated. She blames herself for Noelle dying. She keeps saying if only she had focused more.”
“Then Tania attacked Connick, and he broke her leg,” Amelie said, finishing the splint. “Ready to go?”
“As ready as I can be,” Tania said. Amelie and Alexia helped her stand. Then she slowly put pressure on it. She sucked her teeth in pain.
“You need a doctor,” Alexia said, frowning.
“No time for that. They’ve located Dr. Kindley heading toward a small helicopter at a side platform. Sister, can you focus into my leg?”
A moment later, Tania was able to walk with only a slight limp.
Alexia was amazed. Even with what she had learned at Eversoll about benign possession, seeing it in reality was pretty remarkable.
Finally, Tania put her mask back on. “I’ll grieve properly later. For now, let’s get that bastard.”
Just then, the entire doorframe leading outside collapsed, and Connick, now surrounded by a small inferno, careened into the room and right into Sam. They both crashed into the altar with a sickening crack. Sam hollered and kicked Connick off of her.
As he slid along the ground, Sam rose up, an aura of energy gathering around her body. Both the muscles and the veins in her arms started bulging as she got visibly stronger.
Alexia gulped.
Another crash came from the hallway. Hakim’s guardian grabbed both sides of the doorway, roared, and pulled itself through. Standing over ten feet tall, it stomped toward Connick. Hakim followed it, chanting in Arabic, his ring shining brightly.
Finally, Meyer entered, his hands and eyes glowing white blue. Holding up one hand, he chanted, “Yesod, Shaddai el Chai! Netzach, Jehovah Tzabaoth! Be weakened!”
Two intricate blue-white symbols, which Alexia recognized as sephira from the Hebrew tree of life, appeared high in the air, rotating slowly. Each one flared up in the center and then fired down thick beams of energy at Connick. He arched his back and yelped in agony. Watching this display, Alexia felt woefully underpowered. She just stood there as Tania, with Amelie’s help, limped out of the room.
A voice spoke over her headset. “Alexia! Are you there, girl?” It was Patty.
She tapped it. “Sorry, Patty. Meyer just invoked the sephirot, and my brain froze.”
“Well, unfreeze it. Sebastian and Sheree have set up the equipment to hack the boring device. We need Sam to find and apprehend the Oracle and then head down there. Meanwhile, I need to guide you to the children.”
“Of course,” she said.
“Just let me know when you’re out in the main hallway, girl.”
Alexia glanced back at Connick. Between Meyer’s invocation and Hakim’s guardian, he didn’t seem to be faring very well. And when Sam grabbed him from behind, Alexia felt that the battle was nearly over.
Quickly, she hurried after Tania, meeting up with her in the antechamber. “OK, which way is it to Dr. Kindley?”
“That way,” Tania said, pointing down a hallway.
Alexia tapped her headset. “Patty? It’s me. Tania’s been hurt. What’s the status on everyone else?”
“Chase has apprehended Morial and is leading him up to the police helicopters. The mayor put up a fight, and I think Chase took out his anger over Noelle on his face. No word from Kyle, Victor, or Veronica on Caroline. Dixie’s helping Meyer and Hakim with Connick. Sam’s headset is busted. Still no sign of the Oracle. And Sebastian and Sheree are done, because I’m, say it with me, a super genius.”
Snickering, Alexia said, “So humble. Look, Tania’s injury might keep her from getting to Dr. Kindley in time. I’ll assist her and then go find the children.”
Suddenly, Tania spoke up. “No, Alexia, don’t help us.”
That got Alexia’s attention. “Are you sure? I know I can do both.”
“Stick to the mission,” Tania said, resting her hand on Alexia’s shoulder. “Listen to me. In all the card readings I’ve done regarding this operation, the common theme is those children. No matter what happens, you must keep them safe. Alexia, this may all hinge on you.”
Alexia swallowed. Something about the intensity in Tania’s eyes took away any doubt as to what she should do. “All right. I understand.”
“Good. Don’t worry about us. See you when this is over.”
With a nod, Alexia ran off. She didn’t know this Tania person very well, but she could feel the inner strength emanating from her. I hope that I can one day compare.
The sounds of fighting resonated in Alexia’s ears as she ran down the hallways. With Patty guiding her, she was able to avoid any potential ambush. Soon, she found herself outside of the general manager’s housing, where the children were supposedly being kept.
“Patty, I have to say this,” Alexia said, sheathing her rapiers and trying the door. It was unlocked. “You and I make an unbeatable team. When I join GEIST, I want you with me.”
Patty giggled. “Aw, shucks. You’re gonna make me blush.”
There was a pause, and then Patty added, “OK, now everyone’s staring at me.”
Alexia smirked and went inside. What she saw, however, wiped the expression off her face.
Seated in the middle of the living room of the tiny apartment were two four-year-old children: a blond girl with a copy of Goodnight Moon and a black-haired boy with a toy T-Rex. Kneeling before them, his back to Alexia, was a man in a hooded coat. He was holding a mask in his hand—a mask of Baron Samedi.
“Alexia, come in,” Patty said. “Can you confirm that the children are there?”
The figure slowly stood and then put the mask on. Then, with the swish of his coat, he turned around. “And who might you be?” he asked, his voice mechanically synthesized.
At once, Alexia felt an overwhelming energy pushing down on her. It was as intense as Lord Dooley, but without all the rage. The expression in his eyes was both cold and calculating.
“Alexia?” Patty was starting to sound worried. “Can you con—”
Alexia turned off her headset. “My name is Alexia LeBlanc. Are you the Oracle?”
He nodded.
She drew out her weapons, glaring at him, her jaw clenched. The memory of what had happened at Emory started overriding her common sense. “Good. Because I have a bone to pick with you about Druid Hills.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. A lot of people perished because of what you did.” She shook with anger as she remembered Marc, Serge, and the others who died.
“No, I sealed Lord Dooley away. That fool Candler weakened the seal with his overdevelopment.”
Her grip on the rapiers tightened. “You could have just destroyed it. Then my friends would still be alive.”
“You’re misplacing your anger, child. I’m not your enemy. In a way, I respect you. Like your brother before you, you have a keen mind worthy of admiration.”
He pointed at her. “So I’ll let you leave now. The children are mine.”
Quivering with emotion, she said, “Never! If I defeated Lord Dooley, then I can defeat you, Oracle.”
“Doubtful.”
Getting int
o a fighting stances, she said, “Enough out of you. En garde!”
Chapter 49
The Same as You
Date: Sunday, June 15, 1997
Time: 10:43 p.m.
Location: Deepwater Olympus
Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico
Sam’s arms were starting to burn. “Hurry, Meyer! Connick is starting to break free!”
With a powerful kick, Connick knocked back Hakim’s ifrit. It howled and crashed into the balcony, cracking the masonry into rubble.
“Hod, Elohim Tzabaoth!” Meyer lifted both hands in prayer, energy pouring from them like water and sparkling into the ground like droplets from a fountain.
Hakim’s spirit guardian went still, energy ribboning out as it vanished. With a cry, Hakim fell to his knees, his eyes and nose bleeding. “With this one’s ifrit banished, his own power fails!”
Connick continued to struggle, his strength as great as Sam’s. Both of their bodies were engulfed with a fiery aura. He screeched unintelligibly, like a wild animal.
“Netzach, Jehovah Tzabaoth!” Meyer chanted.
One by one, three of those weird glyphs appeared around them both. Sam wasn’t sure what they were. She just hoped they’d free Papa Ghede and Connick before either was destroyed.
“Lady Castille!” Hakim shouted, pulling himself to his feet. “Rabbi Gideon is almost done with his invocation. This one suggests you move away from Connick now.”
“No way!” Sam yelled. She held on even tighter, feeling her back muscles bulge and the veins on her face and neck pop out. “Just hit him with it. You can’t kill me, but if I let him go, he’ll kill both of you!”
“This one understands. Please brace yourself, Lady Castille!”
“Chesed, El! Papa Ghede, be released!”
All three glyphs, vibrating with such intensity that the ground around them shook, bathed them in white-blue energy that burned even greater than the fire that had consumed her townhome. They both screamed in unison. The pain was all-consuming, burning her within as if someone had set her very soul aflame. When it finally passed, Connick was limp in her arms, and a powerful white light was gathering above them.