“Don’t worry,” Peregrine says, and for an instant, her defenses are down, and I see concern in her eyes. “I think if Chloe and I both grab on to your waist, we can still complete the circle. Okay?”
I nod, and she reaches for me more gently than I would have expected, inching one side of my shirt up to my rib cage and gesturing for Chloe to do the same. Once they’re both touching me, Peregrine grasps the handful of herbs and takes Chloe’s hand, so that the plants are between them. “Come to us now, Eloi Oke, and open the gate,” she murmurs. Chloe and I join in on the second and third repetition, and as always, the air pressure in the room shifts as soon as we’ve said the phrase a third time.
Audowido hisses softly as Chloe begins to hum. Music isn’t always necessary in a ceremony, but the spirits like it, so when you’re asking for something big, it doesn’t hurt. She keeps humming a single note as Peregrine chants, “White oak bark, althea, bay leaf, and walnut leaf, we draw your power. Spirits, please heal Eveny’s broken arm and the other wounds she received at the hands of her attacker.”
We all hum for a moment, our three voices combining to send a sweet sound into the universe. I’d like to imagine our singing heading up toward heaven, but the truth is, we only deal with spirits trapped in the nether, and those spirits live beneath us. Not exactly hell, but close. So I look down and concentrate, and after a moment, I feel a warm buzzing in my shoulder that spreads slowly down my arm like honey. Then there’s the sensation of something pulling gently at me, and I can feel the pain being sucked out.
Finally, the room seems to vibrate with energy, and I don’t hurt anymore. Audowido looks me up and down and, apparently sensing that the charm has worked, hisses in Peregrine’s ear. She nods and stops humming. “Mesi, zanset,” she says. Chloe and I repeat the words, which mean Thank you, ancestors.
The air pressure regulates after we’ve said the phrase a third time, and the three of us look up at each other. As usual, I feel exhausted; the spirits draw on our energy to complete charms, so performing zandara always leaves us tired.
“You okay now?” Peregrine asks, looking me up and down.
I touch my arm gingerly, then shake it out. I sigh in relief. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good,” she says. “Then let’s talk about what the hell just happened. How did Main de Lumière get in?”
“We don’t know for sure it was Main de Lumière,” I remind her. But in my heart, I know there’s no other option. High-ranking Main de Lumière soldiers—such as Aloysius Vauclain, the man who tried to kill me last month—are descended from the same line of magic haters, and they tend to be startlingly pale, with white-blond hair and almost translucent blue eyes. That’s exactly what my attacker looked like behind the ski mask.
“There’s no doubt,” Caleb says from the corner. I turn, startled. I’d almost forgotten he was there. He crosses over to us and stands beside me, so close that I can feel the heat radiating from his skin. “When I took off his mask afterward . . .” His voice trails off and he looks at the ground. “He was definitely Main de Lumière.”
“Okay. But how did they get in?” Chloe says.
“I don’t know,” I say. “But this isn’t good.” Since Carrefour’s founding in 1904, the town has been protected by a magically charmed gate. It’s what keeps us safe; only residents can enter, using a special key, and when they bring visitors in, which is rare, those people are powerless to harm anyone. The fact that a Main de Lumière intruder has gotten in—and succeeded in hurting me—means that something’s wrong with the charm.
“We’ll have to cast again as soon as possible,” Peregrine says. “We’re in danger all the time until we can fix this.”
“Should we leave town until we figure it out?” Chloe asks. “This has never happened before.”
Peregrine and I look at her in surprise, and I can see Caleb’s head jerk up too. “Leave Carrefour?” I ask. The town has been a safe haven for our families for over a hundred years, and on top of that, leaving would put all of the innocent townspeople at risk, because we wouldn’t be here to protect them. Abandoning it is unthinkable.
“Just for a little while,” Chloe says. “Until we know we’re safe?”
“Let’s talk to our mothers about it,” Peregrine says. “Ready to go?” she asks Chloe.
Chloe shoots me a concerned look. “You going to be okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. And thank you. For healing me.”
“Of course,” Chloe says.
“That’s what sisters are for,” Peregrine says, and I’m not sure whether or not she’s being sarcastic until she gives me a quick hug good-bye and whispers, “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
They disappear out the front door in a cloud of perfume, leaving Caleb and me alone in the parlor.
“You’re really all right?” he asks. For a second, all I can think about is the last time he kissed me and how amazing it would feel if he did it again. But then he takes a big step backward and says, “Look, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I say.
“I failed you—again.”
“No, you didn’t. Why would you ever think I’d be in danger in my own backyard? And you were here in an instant, Caleb.” It suddenly occurs to me just how quickly he arrived. “Wait, how did you get here so fast?”
“I was meeting with your dad,” he says, avoiding my gaze.
“Meeting with my dad? Why?”
He looks away. “There were some things he wanted to talk to me about.”
“What things?”
Caleb shakes his head. “That’s between me and your dad, Eveny. We’re just concerned about keeping you safe.”
I stare at him. “Yeah, heaven forbid you guys let me in on that plan.”
Caleb sighs heavily. “Look. It’s better this way, okay? I know I have to . . . separate myself from you. It’s what your dad wants, and I agree. So just let it go. Okay?”
My stomach lurches. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”
He sets his jaw. “And you know where I stand. I’m glad you’re okay this time, but I should have sensed it before I heard you scream. It’s exactly why I can’t be with you, Eveny. My feelings are still getting in the way of our protectorate link.”
“Which I should never have agreed to restore,” I mutter. I’d let Caleb and my father persuade me, a few days after Drew’s funeral, to reverse the charm I’d cast to sever the bond between Caleb and me. If you die, my father had warned, this town will be in serious danger, because you won’t be here to protect it.
Caleb shakes his head. “Knowing I let you down . . .” He pauses and draws a ragged breath. “It’s horrible. And I won’t let it happen again.”
“Caleb—” I begin, but he’s already walking away. My heart sinks as I watch him go. I understand where he’s coming from—he’s trying to do the right thing—but I’m getting tired of century-old rules dictating who I’m allowed to love.
“Look, you can’t just come back into my life and start trying to change it,” I say a few minutes later as I walk into the kitchen and find my father sitting at the table.
He looks up. “Eveny, I’m not trying to change your life.”
“Then what do you call talking to Caleb about me behind my back?”
“That isn’t about changing your life, Eveny. That’s about protecting you.”
“Don’t you think I should have a say in what happens to me?”
“Of course. But it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re okay.”
I laugh. “Seriously? You’re gone for almost my entire life, and then you turn up when I’m seventeen, and suddenly I’m your responsibility?”
He stands up and takes a step toward me. “Sweetheart, I know how you must be feeling, and I’m so sorry for any pain I’ve caused. But like I’ve told you, I was never really gone.”
I cross my arms and try not to feel so torn. The problem is, I can’t just jump into a warm father-daughter relationship with a man I hardly know. Since
my mom died, the only parent I’ve had is my aunt Bea, who has avoided my father as much as possible since he’s been back. I know that she, like Peregrine’s and Chloe’s mothers, believes he’s at least partially to blame for bringing trouble to Carrefour.
“Look,” I finally say. “I know you’re trying to do the right thing here and that you want to protect me.”
“Of course I do, Eveny,” he says.
I hold up a hand. “Let me finish. What I’m trying to say is that this is hard for me, okay? I’ve spent the last fourteen years taking care of myself, with Aunt Bea’s help. And whether you were looking out for me or not, that’s not the same as being here.”
He looks at me for a minute. “Of course. I understand.”
“And you have to trust that I can look out for myself too. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that you’re not capable of taking care of yourself, Eveny. But you are a kid—my kid. And I’m going to do all I can to protect you.”
I stand there in silence for a moment, and I’m surprised to feel tears in my eyes. I blink a few times and change the subject. “So what did you say to Caleb anyway?”
“I wanted to remind him of his responsibilities.” He doesn’t meet my eye. I wait for him to go on, and finally, he adds, “It’s his job to protect you. Nothing more.”
“Don’t you think he knows that?”
My father shakes his head. “He’s let himself get distracted by his feelings for you. Not only is that a bad idea, but it’s forbidden by the rules of zandara. Caleb needed to hear that again. And frankly, so do you.”
I bristle at this. “That’s not your business.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s just not something I can ignore,” he says. “Not when it comes to your safety. In fact, I’m thinking about bringing someone else in to help keep you safe.”
“I don’t need anyone else!”
“Yes, well, there’s going to come a day when being in the right place at the right time isn’t going to work anymore for Caleb Shaw.”
I settle into bed just past eleven to study my mother’s herb journal, which I’ve been reading and rereading every night, trying to absorb the things she had learned about practicing zandara. She never had a chance to finish filling the journal out, because she was killed when she was only twenty-eight. Seeing all the empty pages at the back always makes me sad; they’re like a symbol of her incomplete life.
The words are just starting to blur in front of my tired eyes when Aunt Bea appears at my open door and knocks lightly.
“Hey.” I feel a little hurt that she didn’t come to check on me earlier. She must have heard hours ago about my encounter with the Main de Lumière soldier.
When she just stands there, I say, “Did you hear about what happened?”
She nods, her expression oddly flat. “Yes. I heard.”
“Caleb went after the guy.”
“But I also understand that you got away from him yourself.”
I nod and gesture to the journal, open in front of me. “I’ve been studying Mom’s herbs. It’s important that I learn everything I can about zandara.”
“I suppose.” She stares at the ceiling, her gaze somewhere far away. “But is that what you believe? Or is it what you’re being told?”
“What?”
She shakes her head. “I mean, why are you suddenly so intent on buying into what the sosyete is telling you? Maybe you should slow down, give yourself some time to think about this before you jump in headfirst.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “Are you trying to get me killed? I’m already in the middle of this, whether I like it or not. And Caleb’s not going to be there every time I’m in trouble. I need to start relying on myself.”
“Or you could walk away.”
“How can you say that?” I demand, frustrated. “You’re the one who brought me back here!”
“Because I thought it was the right thing at the time. I thought I was giving you back a piece of your birthright, something your mom would have wanted for you. But look what I’ve done! I’ve put you in danger. There’s no way to know who to trust anymore or whose motives are pure. Everyone has their own agenda.”
“And you don’t?” I ask before I can stop myself.
She blinks a few times. “My only agenda is to protect you.”
“And to discourage me from trusting anyone else.”
“I’m just warning you,” she says, looking away. “You believe in people too easily, and I think it’s going to get you hurt.”
She gives me a long look and walks away without another word. I watch her go, feeling more confused than ever.
I’m still sitting on my bed, staring after her, when my father appears in my doorway. “I’ve talked to Peregrine’s and Chloe’s mothers. After the attack today, they finally agree. It’s time we all make a trip to Caouanne Island. We leave first thing in the morning.”
3
“Couldn’t we have just done a conference call?” I ask with a yawn as we drive past the town gate into the murky, swampy forest that surrounds Carrefour. We’re on our way to the Baton Rouge airport, where Peregrine, Chloe, and their mothers are planning to meet us.
“Carrefour’s defenses have obviously been breached, so you’re not safe here at the moment,” my father says, glancing over. “You’ll be protected on Caouanne Island. Besides, my sosyete brothers are eager to meet you and show you how andaba works.”
In the backseat, Caleb makes a huffing sound, but he doesn’t say anything.
“It’s part of who you are, Eveny,” my father continues, “and the way we practice magic is very different from what you do in zandara. Besides, if the spirits we deal with see us allied with your sosyete sisters from Carrefour, they might be willing to give us all a little more assistance.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because our two sects have never worked together before,” my father replies. “And I have to believe that the spirits will consider us more powerful—and therefore more useful to them—as a result.”
His logic makes sense, and I can feel my heart thudding with anticipation as we park and hurry toward the airport entrance. The three of us just have carry-on bags, so we make a beeline for security. We’re about to get in line when we hear a big commotion behind us. I turn, and my jaw drops when I realize it’s my fellow queens arriving. Peregrine, Chloe, and their mothers, all wearing high heels, huge sunglasses, and full makeup, are striding into the airport, trailed by their protectors—Patrick, Oscar, Patrick’s father, Benjamin, and Oscar’s father, Anton—each of whom is pushing a cart overflowing with Louis Vuitton luggage.
Like Caleb’s great-great-great-grandfather, Patrick’s and Oscar’s ancestors made a pact with the queens’ ancestors over a hundred years ago, promising that their descendants would always guard the Queens of Carrefour, in exchange for fortune and good social standing. Apart from that, though, Patrick and Oscar couldn’t be more different from Caleb: they chew tobacco, spit, and sometimes talk in Cajun accents so thick it doesn’t sound like they’re speaking English. But they’re reliable guardians and take their jobs seriously.
Peregrine and Chloe are wearing minidresses and leather jackets, while their mothers are in silk pants and low-cut tops. They look like they’re jetting off to the French Riviera. Caleb and I exchange looks as the group of queens gets closer, and although I know they’re the ones being ridiculous, I feel frumpier than usual in my faded jeans, vintage Ramones T-shirt, and Converse.
“Is that another one of your ironic outfits, Eveny?” Peregrine asks, looking me up and down before air-kissing me on both cheeks.
“It’s just comfortable for flying,” I say, looking down self-consciously.
My father puts a hand on my back and says, “Come on, let’s get to the gate. The others will be right behind us.”
By the time the other queens and their protectors check in and make it through security, the flight is about to close. They just barely make
it onto the plane, and I try not to laugh as they step aboard one by one and realize that not only are they not sitting together, but they’re all in middle seats.
“We requested first class,” Peregrine’s mother says stiffly to a flight attendant.
“First class is full, ma’am,” the woman replies. “You’re in 28B.”
Peregrine’s mother looks horrified, but she manages to squash her Louis Vuitton tote into an overhead and climb over a hefty woman who’s sitting on the aisle. “This is not what I’m accustomed to,” she says, but everyone ignores her.
The flight takes off, and somehow Peregrine manages to talk the man next to me into letting her switch seats. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she’s batting her eyes like crazy, talking in a high, breathy voice, and leaning forward to give him a view of her cleavage. As soon as the fasten seat belt light goes off, she unbuckles and slides in next to me as the man, still staring at her appreciatively, wedges himself into her just-vacated seat across the aisle.
“I’m sure your father’s sosyete brothers are eager to sink their claws into you,” Peregrine says once she’s strapped in. “So are you planning to cross over to the dark side and abandon us?” She reaches casually into her tote and pulls Audowido out, placing him on her lap. He fixes his beady eyes on me and hisses in greeting.
“Of course I’m not going to abandon you. And how on earth did you get your snake through security?”
Peregrine shrugs. “Flirtation gets me a long way. You should try it sometime.”
Chloe turns around and peers at us between the seats. “Actually, she cast a charm on the TSA agents,” she whispers, just as the woman sitting on my right sees Audowido and recoils in horror.
“Peregrine . . . ,” I say in warning.
She sighs and reaches for her Stone of Carrefour. “Ceylon moss to make him unseen, black mustard seed to confuse onlookers. Spirits, please make Audowido disappear to anyone who’s not in on the Secret of Carrefour.”
I feel a subtle shift of air pressure—which is unsettling at ten thousand feet—and instantly, the woman beside me relaxes. “How strange!” she says. “I could have sworn you were holding a snake. But it’s only your sweater.”
Midnight Dolls Page 2