Inside the room was a single window that had been boarded over. Two agents stood guard in front of it anyway. She wondered who they could possibly have that would merit so much coverage.
The sound of a chair creaking in the far corner caused her to turn her head. There, sitting in it, arms and legs chained to it, was Martin. There was a ring of something around the chair that looked like some sort of mixture of herbs.
“Martin?”
“Guess again,” the low, gravelly voice of the demon answered instead.
She felt a chill touch her. She turned to Connor. “What happened?”
“One of my men found him in this state. We picked him up not far from the St. Louis Cemetery Number One.”
Samantha felt another chill. “When?”
“Shortly after your altercation with Lilith.”
Altercation. That made it sound so harmless, she thought bitterly. “Why did you bring him here?”
“We suspect the demon of having ties to her.”
Samantha had wondered that herself. She felt for the packet in her pocket. She had been carrying it since, just in case. She had reasoned that even if she didn’t run into Martin, the contents might be helpful in dealing with anyone else with a similar curse. It was New Orleans, after all, and the city was strange enough without the added influx of those with the power.
She stepped toward Martin and the demon, still careful to remain outside the circle that had been drawn. She shuddered as she stared at the slack face, the clacking jaws, and fought the urge to draw a circle of blood around herself before continuing.
“At last you show your true face,” the demon said.
“Yes.”
“You are no longer fragmented.”
“Yes.”
“I told part of you that you were not the person to kill Lilith.”
“That was because it wasn’t me, not all of me.”
“True,” the creature said.
“You work for her,” she accused.
“No.”
“Then what were you doing at the cemetery?”
“I wanted to see the show. I was curious what would happen in the state you were in then. Something has happened since then.”
“I am myself.”
“And yet you still don’t remember something, something crucial, something you ought to.”
“Be careful—don’t reveal anything to it,” Connor warned.
Samantha ignored him. “Yes, I don’t remember. Do you know why?”
The demon laughed. “Because you are still not ready. And how could you possibly hope to defeat her when you are not ready?”
“I must try. She’s killing people.”
“People die every day. Some deserve it, some don’t.” Martin’s head lolled to the other side as the demon continued to contemplate her. “You deserve to die.”
She gritted her teeth, refusing to let it get under her skin. “Everyone deserves to die. ‘For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’”
The demon cackled. “Romans 3:23, so the Christian has come to play at last. I’d begun to think you’d abandoned your God. Or is it He who has abandoned you?”
Samantha actually felt herself smiling. “Spoken more like what I would expect from a demon.”
It rolled Martin’s eyes in response. She refused to blink even though the gesture was one of the creepiest and most unnatural she had ever seen.
“Can’t blame a fellow for trying,” it hissed. “Part of the job description, you know.”
She refused to give it the satisfaction of responding in any way.
A minute passed in silence and she finally decided to break it. “So, did you have anything actually important to say or are you just intent on wasting my time?”
“Always enjoy talking to you, no matter who you are,” it said.
“Do you have information I can use about Lilith or not? Because, frankly, I’m getting a bit bored.”
It clacked Martin’s jaws together a few times before speaking again. “There is a hoodoo woman who lives in the bayou. She sees things, the future, the past. She knows what Lilith wants. If you seek answers, go to the swamp.”
“Is she the one who cursed Martin?”
The demon began to laugh. The laughter continued, moving from the low registers that it used to much higher pitched ones until it sounded like some sort of insane hyena. The sound was overwhelming, and from the corner of her eye she could see the agents in the room begin to squirm, which was just what the creature wanted, she was sure.
She pulled the small red bag out of her pocket and before anyone could make a move, she stepped over the protective circle and slammed the bag against Martin’s chest.
There was a roar and a moment later silence as his head fell forward onto his chest. She shoved the bag into his slacks pocket.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Connor demanded.
“Helping the poor man,” she hissed.
She stepped carefully back out of the circle as Martin groaned. Suddenly his head snapped up and his eyes flew open. He stared at her with a look of abject terror on his face.
“Please!” he gasped. “You have to kill me!”
13
Samantha was stunned. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear Martin say.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because of it. It wants something—I can feel it. I don’t know what, but I’m afraid that something terrible is going to happen and I don’t want it to use me.”
“We’re not going to let that happen,” she tried to reassure him even though she didn’t feel any too certain of that herself.
He stared at her for a moment, really looked at her. “You’re different,” he finally muttered.
“Yes,” she said, smiling slightly. “I was . . . sick . . . I’m better now.”
She was vaguely aware that she had told Claudia something similar before, and she tried to push that thought from her mind at the moment. Dwelling on her failure to help and protect Claudia would not make it easier for her to deal with Martin.
“He’s a liar, don’t forget,” Martin said.
“I won’t,” Samantha promised. The demon had so far told her two true things, though. And she felt that he was probably telling the truth about the hoodoo woman as well.
“Martin, he mentioned a hoodoo woman who lives in the swamp who has the power to see the future and the past. Do you know her?” Samantha asked.
Martin looked as though he was going to be sick. “Do not go to that place.”
“So, she is real?”
“Yes, but she is powerful, dangerous, tricky, just like the demon.”
“Is she the one who cursed you?” Samantha asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, and tears were shining in his eyes. “But I wouldn’t go to her even if there was a chance she could help lift my curse.”
That was significant. His fear of the hoodoo woman was clear and Samantha knew she would have to tread very, very carefully.
“I took my red bag that you gave me and I put it in your pocket,” she told him.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “You are a good woman.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “I’m going to try to find a way to help you.”
He shook his head. His eyes were so sad that Samantha’s heart broke a little bit. “No one can help me. All you can do is protect yourself. Promise me that you’ll do that,” he said.
“I promise. And I will find a way to help you.”
She turned toward Connor and gave him a steely look before heading to the door. Once outside the room, she moved a little bit away and then she turned on him.
“How dare you keep that man a prisoner?” she fumed.
“That man is possessed and the demon possessing him has knowledge we can use. Even if that weren’t the case, it isn’t safe to let him roam the streets when that thing seems to be able to overtake him anytime it wishes.”
“Then why no
t help him?”
“We’re trying, but we don’t have anyone on the team who knows enough about hoodoo. Besides, right now we’ve got much more pressing problems to deal with. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Samantha wanted to protest. She had a growing suspicion that there was a connection that they weren’t seeing. She didn’t say anything, though. Instead she asked, “Have you heard anything about this hoodoo woman he referenced?”
“We have heard that there’s a hoodoo woman who lives in the swamp, one of us. She appears to have quite a loyal following.”
“Are any of those followers also like us?” Samantha questioned.
“It’s unclear, but it’s a safe bet.”
Samantha closed her eyes. “Then they’ll likely be a target for Lilith as well. Same with this hoodoo woman. Maybe we can help warn her or save her and in exchange she can help us figure out what Lilith’s ultimate plan is.”
“We were really sort of hoping you might have a clue what Lilith’s plan is,” he said.
“Are you kidding? I only just figured out who Lilith is. I have no idea what she wants with me after all these years or what she’s doing here in New Orleans and has called all these people to her for.”
“She’s killed quite a lot already.”
“She’s draining their powers, trying to gather as much as she can for herself.”
“We’ve noticed. It seems ridiculous, though, that she’d be planning on draining everyone.”
“Really? Because everything else she’s been doing so far has been so calm and rational and perfectly normal,” she said sarcastically.
“Point taken,” he said with a grimace.
“I have to go to see the hoodoo woman.”
“I’m not sure doing what a demon tells you to do is a good idea.”
“That demon tried to save my life once and he told me where Lilith would be after that.”
“And I’m not convinced he didn’t send you right into her trap when he did that.”
“Neither am I, but if there’s even a chance that he’s telling the truth about this woman, then I have to go. She might be our only chance for answers, and that’s something we’re in pretty desperate need of right now.”
“Fine, but you’re not going alone.”
“I’m not sure a horde of us descending is exactly the right thing. Besides, we shouldn’t tip our hand too early. We don’t know yet if she knows about your group or how many of you there are. After all, Randy certainly flew under the radar of the coven in Salem. As far as I could tell, no one had guessed he was one of you. I certainly didn’t until he was able to explain things to me.”
“He was one of my best men. I was sorry to lose him.”
“I was sorry, too. He seemed like quite a guy.”
“He was engaged to Clara, one of the agents you saw earlier.”
“That’s too bad,” Samantha said, feeling worse.
“They both knew the risks. I know she’d love to get some payback, though.”
“Not against me, I hope.”
He glanced sideways at her. “She’s not a fan of yours, but it’s Lilith she’s gunning for.”
“Good to know. Still, I’ll try to steer clear.”
“Good luck with that. We’re going to need all hands on deck before this is over.”
“Exactly, which is why I think I need to go to the swamp alone. If something happens to me there, it’s going to take all of you to kill Lilith.”
“I won’t agree to that.”
Samantha drew herself up to her full height. “If you think you can stop me, go ahead and try.”
She began drawing energy into her body from the ground beneath her feet and the air around her.
Connor took a couple of quick steps backward. He bared his teeth at her. “You’re a loose cannon, and that makes you dangerous.”
“You’d better believe it,” she said, sucking in more power rapidly enough that she could hear people around the building beginning to gasp.
“I’m not going to try to stop you, but I’m going to have backup waiting. I don’t like you, but I don’t think we can afford to lose you. At least, not just yet.”
She stared at him for a long moment, letting him feel the power that was emanating from her. He took another step backward, probably not even aware that he did. Then, slowly, she said, “Fair enough.”
He nodded and she knew that they had an understanding. She was the most powerful person in that house, and he was now fully aware of it. That was what she needed. She wasn’t going to be part of his task force, one of his team. If he expected to work with her, then he could work with her or for her, but she most certainly didn’t work for him.
She turned and walked away, not to any place in particular, just to remove herself from his presence. As she walked her mind was furiously working, thinking ahead, because, despite her earlier bravado, she was not looking forward to what was coming next. The demon’s words echoed in her mind.
If you want answers, go to the swamp.
The Swamp. She didn’t like the thought of going there. She would be completely dependent on a guide to get her in and out. Plus, that was a huge area covering hundreds of square miles. The information was so vague as to be ludicrous. Only the most powerful of witches could take such sketchy information and do something with it.
Fortunately she was one of those witches.
• • •
Four hours later Samantha was in a boat, powering down one of the river ways with a guide at the helm. She had strong misgivings about the entire thing, but she had found a guide who actually knew where it was she wanted to go. He had, however, made it very clear that he wouldn’t take her the entire way, but instead would drop her off and wait for her to return. Since she could tell he was being truthful about his intention to wait for her and take her back, she reluctantly agreed.
The bayou was everything her imagination had conjured when she’d heard tales of it as a kid. There were plants of all sorts growing out of the water and on the marshy stretches of land. Insects buzzed in the air, and the occasional ominous alligator slithered through the water, eyeing the boat with unfriendly curiosity.
As they went farther and farther, the air grew denser and the sky darker. Something began to change; there was a chill to the air that was more than just the temperature. They slowed as they came to a fork.
“Here as far as I go,” her guide said, cutting the engine and pointing down a tributary. “Hoodoo lady you seek lives down there.”
“I need to go all the way in,” Samantha said.
He pointed to a tiny rowboat mounted at the back of the boat. “You go, you go by self.”
“I will go in alone, but you will wait for me,” she said through clenched teeth.
“I will wait three hours, no more. You no come out by then, you no come out at all.”
“Agreed,” she said. “Now put the boat in the water for me.”
He did so quickly. As she watched him she could sense his fear of the place. She began to doubt whether she could trust him to even wait the three hours he had agreed to.
She put her hand on his shoulder and pushed energy through her hand and into him. She dropped her voice into a lower register. “You will wait for me. All night if you have to.” She was exerting her will on him, not her first choice, but she needed to make sure he didn’t abandon her. Magic could help her find her way back, but it wouldn’t be the easiest or most direct route, and in a swamp full of hostile creatures she didn’t need to put herself in even more danger than she was already in.
He nodded, his eyes slightly glazed. Then he helped her down into the boat. He handed her a paddle and she placed it in the bottom of the boat in case she needed it later. Then she pushed away from the larger boat and she was adrift in the water.
She pushed some of her energy through her hands into the boat and from there into the water. The boat turned and began to propel itself slowly in the direction she needed to go.
She drifted through the brackish water and slowly a mist began to spring up off it. She was getting close; she could feel it. Somewhere ahead was the distinctive thrum of power, a lot of it.
Slowly through the mist she could see a distant light burning. It grew larger until finally the outline of a two-story house rose out of the swamp. The entire place looked like something from a dream, or possibly a nightmare. It was like a deformed ghost of a house, with walls rising at crazy angles as though they had sprung from the earth itself and grown that way. Not a window was square. A lamp burned in the one next to what looked as though it served as a door. A porch wrapped around the front and sides and there was a place to tie up boats. A single, rusty rowboat was there already. The whole place looked rickety, as if it would tumble in a moment back into the swamp it had sprung up from.
There was such a sense of foreboding about the place that she considered turning around and going back. She understood why her guide hadn’t wanted to come anywhere near the place.
The boat turned slightly and floated toward the dock without her compelling it to do so, as though it knew where it was going. The hair stood up on the back of her neck. She didn’t like any of this. She had been a fool to listen to the demon. What if the hoodoo woman had no answers for her, or worse, what if this was a trap?
She squared her shoulders. She had found when dealing with others of power, particularly those who dabbled in the dark arts, that it was important to show strength, fearlessness, and a sense of arrogance and dominance. It had served her well in Salem and again in San Francisco. There was no reason to believe it wouldn’t do the same for her here.
The boat bumped up against the dock, and the rope that was coiled in the bow rose and looped itself around the mooring without her assistance. Further proof that the hoodoo woman was home and was inviting her in.
Samantha took a deep breath, stood up, and stepped out onto the dock. It creaked and groaned beneath her weight and for a moment she expected the rotting wood to give way beneath her feet and send her plunging down into the black water below.
The wood held, though, and she kept walking, up to the front porch and then to the door, which opened before her. Without hesitating she walked inside.
Circle of Blood: A Witch Hunt Novel Page 15