by G A Chase
Myles knew all too well what she meant. “And Luther has been gathering all those objects like a kid stockpiling firecrackers before New Year’s Eve. Colin has already tried setting off the vaults to blow a hole between his hell and our life. It’s those dimensionally sealed cabinets that are our problem. Kendell’s being held captive in one. Colin ejected the box containing his cursed items into hell. Now we have no way of finding it or figuring out how to open it. He’s demanding Baron Samedi’s cane as ransom for Kendell’s soul.”
“Luther and his stupid vaults are going to be the end of us all. He thinks he’s so clever. The secret to his containment fields—and that includes the vaults themselves—is that they aren’t actually in another dimension, though he likes to imply that they are. Everything he uses, from the cement that went into the building to the iron that makes up the vaults, is slightly out of phase with whatever reality it occupies. He has to use a tremendous amount of energy to sustain the effect. When it comes to the building, you’ll see random lights on in certain offices at night even though it’s supposedly abandoned. Those are the result of uncontrolled power surges. Once a vault is removed from the tower, it has a limited battery life. Given enough time, the box Kendell’s stuck in will weaken its hold on her.”
Myles’s heart started beating so fast he broke into a cold sweat. “Once the cage loses its power, her soul in hell can reunite with her body in life through the seventh gate. She’s already proved that’s possible when she sent my soul back to my body after we tricked Colin into returning to hell. But if he knows about the upcoming power failure, he’s likely to strike soon. He’ll only have a limited amount of time to get what he wants.”
Mary frowned while looking at the fire as if she were carrying on a secret conversation with herself and didn’t like the response. “Kendell’s problem isn’t just spiritually reconnecting with her body. It’s also physical. From what you’ve told me, her body is next to the seventh gate in Delphine’s shop, and her soul is in the vault. Her prison is out of phase, and by losing its power source, it will return to hell’s dimension, but for Kendell, that kind of jump from out of phase to the dimension the vault’s in could play hell with her psychic energy. If her soul can make it back to the seventh gate, she’ll be okay, but she may need some help.”
Why is nothing ever easy? “So we contact Sanguine and have her fly Kendell home.”
“That might be doable if Kendell was simply weakened and could recognize Sanguine. Remember what I said about horror stories? Kendell would be the monster that was out of sync with her surroundings. Everything she saw would be like a drug-induced nightmare. What she could really use is someone taking the trip with her—someone who understands hell’s structure and could lead her out of the vault and to the shop.”
Lynn added more bourbon to her cup. “And what about the puppies?”
Kendell would follow Cheesecake to the ends of the earth, if the dog pulled in that direction, but Myles wasn’t as certain that the puppies would have the same influence. “If we can get back to the gate in time, we can warn Kendell about what’s about to happen. She can tell the pups to guide her back to Delphine’s once they’re free. Any idea of how long that vault will maintain power?”
Mary started collecting the bowls and cups. “You can’t expect me to have all of the answers.”
Polly helped Mary round up the cutlery. “I have a question. Why are you here? I mean you specifically. I realize there are other versions of you living different lives, but why have you chosen to be homeless?”
Mary smiled at her like a teacher whose student had figured some hidden truth. “Because if I hadn’t followed this path, I wouldn’t be here now to answer your questions. I had to do what I could to help save Kendell. But now that I’ve played my part, it’s time you got back to rescuing our river angel.”
Myles was being pulled in too many directions. Now that he knew Kendell’s location, he needed to contact Sanguine. She could at least stand guard in case Colin got any bright ideas now that he was about to lose his hold on Kendell’s soul. Then there was finding out from Luther how long the vault battery was likely to hold out. Though Mary had presented her information with conviction, Luther could be a sneaky bugger when it came to the inner workings of the World Trade Center. And of course, he had to have some way of finding and opening the vault. Most importantly, Myles needed to be ready to save Kendell once she was freed. He tried not to imagine her as a zombie girlfriend crawling out of the Mississippi.
Minerva led the way back to her VW. “Where to first?”
Screw it. “The swamp is much too far, so we’ll have to trust that Sanguine can figure things out on her own. Talking to Luther about damn near anything results in a daylong philosophical discussion about nothing. I want to head out to the shipwreck.”
“What good will that do?” Polly asked. “Even if we’re there when the vault loses power, all we’ll see will be the puppies. Since Kendell is only being held in spirit, she would appear as a breath of cool air on a humid day. And if Mary is right about her not being in her right mind, our presence might only confuse her.”
Myles tried to stay positive, though he was finding it increasingly difficult. “At least we’ll find out if we’re too late. We’ll pick up Professor Yates on the way. He’s good with paranormal mechanisms. He can stand watch at the shipwreck in case the vault hasn’t materialized. If we don’t see it, we’ll hightail it back to Delphine’s so we can try to access the gate and warn Kendell. I just hope we’re not already too late.”
47
Sanguine followed up on each of her river animals’ leads regarding anything out of the ordinary they found. She sat on top of the ferry terminal, drying her wings after her latest dive into the Mississippi. So far, she’d discovered the remains of two paddle-wheel shipwrecks, the bones of a shark that must have gotten seriously lost before dying in the brackish water, and so many Mardi Gras beads that the river bottom glistened as if someone had dumped a barge full of glitter into the water—but no mysterious hole in the water created by something that wasn’t there.
Following Colin like a stupid schoolgirl with a crush was becoming her last option. She hugged her legs to her chest and spread her wings in the sun. Resuming their relationship—especially now that she didn’t have to hide in someone else’s body—might loosen him up to discuss his plans. After a good fight, guys were often honest as a way of showing contrition, but that window of truth never lasted long. In Colin’s case, she guessed he’d be really open for about five minutes before resorting to his secretive ways. Though meeting with him again was worth a shot to save Kendell, Sanguine predicted it would result either in sex or in her impaling him with her flaming sword.
A flock of seagulls worked the air currents behind a passing freighter. Though the gulls were never the most useful informants, due to their fixation on filling their stomachs, Sanguine hopped off the terminal roof and spread her wings to join them. A little mindless flight with the diving and flapping birds would clear out the thoughts of Colin.
The cool air felt good on her wings, even if the stench of the ship’s engines made her sneeze. To avoid crashing into the river wake, she glided away from the ship toward the shore.
Off in the distance, she spotted the back of a man in a familiar black suit. Though Colin often wandered the path along the river, from his determined gait, she guessed this wasn’t a walk of contemplation.
I need to stay unseen. Maybe he’ll lead me to Kendell. It’s about time he made a move. She spread her wings and drifted left over the levee. By keeping low over Decatur Street and using the buildings for cover, she stayed hidden from Colin. Between her, the animals, and the cardboard people she’d inhabited, she knew the vault wasn’t along the French Quarter riverbank. When the three-story brick structures that defined the Quarter ended, she worked her way through the open-air French Market, trying to blend in with the tourists. It was only a week before Halloween, so her wings wouldn’t attract unwa
nted attention—so long as she wasn’t flying.
At the end of the stalls, she hid behind a concrete wall that separated the shops from the railway tracks and waited for Colin to catch up. He didn’t even look away from the path ahead as he walked past the warehouses that lined the wharf on the other side of the tracks. I know that look. He’s on a mission.
By sticking to the residential streets of the Marigny and Bywater, she was able to track his progress without detection, but when he cut inland at the Industrial Canal, she had to use her sword to break into an abandoned warehouse. When she felt it was safe to come out, she’d lost him.
With a quick nod and spread of her wings, she summoned the flock of gulls that were still diving and weaving for pieces of bread thrown by the ship’s crew. Reluctantly, they became her spies along the river. Even mentally hopscotching from bird to bird, Sanguine nearly missed Colin sneaking through the grove of trees overrun with vines. She directed the flock to make one more pass over the area so she could map out her approach. I’m coming, Kendell.
* * *
Though Kendell was no fan of being scared, she wasn’t much happier with sitting bored in the vault for days, waiting for Colin to make his move so she could release her pack of hellhounds. The puppies were enthusiastic accompanists, but their barking as she sang didn’t hold a candle to Cheesecake’s modulated howling. “I love you dogs, but your singing isn’t going to cut it for the Scratchy Dog. I guess you’ll just have to survive on your love and good looks.”
From the way they jumped on her, she knew they hadn’t taken the criticism personally.
The sound of someone futzing with the door made Kendell and the dogs spring into their action poses. “This is it. Remember, push the box into the door opening, and get your furry tails out of here. Once you’re back to your hellhound personas, bite him in the ass.”
She would probably pass out once the door opened—hopefully not for long—but if she could get one good lunge at the gap first, she might throw Colin off balance. Then the dogs could make their escape and have time to transform.
The moment she smelled the dank, musty aroma of the Mississippi river, she hurled herself at the metal hatch. The impact hurt her shoulder so badly she thought she’d knocked it out of joint, but she felt the door open. As she fell out of the vault and onto the boat cabin’s floor, she was surprised to still be conscious.
Instantly, she wished she had blacked out. She’d prepared herself for seeing the sweet little puppies become ravenous bloodthirsty hellhounds, but the rest of the scene made her fear she’d escaped into some demon dimension. A line of flames cut through the blue-and-orange air overhead. Behind her, gigantic wings created hurricane-force winds that shattered the glass windows. An explosion of razor-sharp shards filled the air and threatened to slice to shreds anything they encountered.
“Get out, Kendell. Follow the dogs. I’ve told them to guide you back to Delphine’s.” The words echoed in the small cabin as if they’d come from the goddess herself. Each piece of airborne glass reflected the image of the angry deity.
Kendell tried to stand, but the floor rocked to the side, causing her to lose her footing and crash into a ship’s wheel. She grabbed it for support, but it spun, casting her back to the floor.
“Do you honestly think I would give up so easily?” The man’s voice was so loud it hurt Kendell’s ears.
Bolts of lightning cracked from the hatch and did battle with the line of flames that passed uncomfortably close to the top of Kendell’s head. Nothing made sense. The whole scene could have been painted by a drugged-out gutter punk. Doughnut Hole hunched low and snarled at her, baring his teeth. His sisters nipped at her feet.
“Get off your ass, and get out of here, Kendell!” The goddess’s words caused Kendell to roll toward the ship’s hatch. With each inch that she crawled along the teak deck, the blade-wielding avenging angel followed.
To avoid the melee above her head, Kendell lay facedown and squirmed out of the room like someone in a boxing ring who didn’t want to accidentally get pummeled by the competitors. Outside, she was free of the flames and lightning bolts, but the terrain wasn’t much better. Towering ghostly black figures with thousands of arms waved menacingly at her. She hurried on her hands and knees to the deck railing. Looking over the edge, she saw a thousand-foot drop to an ocean of fire.
Doughnut Hole lay on his stomach and forced his way under her as she cowered and moved away from the ledge. In desperation, she wrapped her arms around his body and closed her eyes. Like a racehorse that had been let out of the gate, he took off so fast she had trouble maintaining her hold. Against the sides of her legs, she felt his sisters running with him in tight formation. The sounds of the battle behind her fell away.
* * *
The smell of ozone and smoke stung Sanguine’s blazing eyes. She wasn’t in the mood to listen to Colin’s excuses. Her anger at him fed the flames of her sword like jet fuel. “I warned you, but you just wouldn’t listen.” She swung the broadsword like a Scottish highlander protecting her family.
“She was never in any danger.” His excuse was as weak as his spine.
Her swing of the blade forced him to hit the floor. The leading edge embedded in the teak doorframe and sent flames up to the cabin’s ceiling. “Yeah, she looked in perfect health.” With a firm tug, she freed the sword for another swing.
He raised his hands, and a bolt of lightning crackled through the air from his palms. “I don’t want to hurt you. This is insane.”
She angled the blade to repel the blast of electricity. “You’ve already hurt me and threatened my best friend, all over a stupid stick. So tell me again which one of us is insane.”
To her surprise, instead of continuing his cowering, he got to his feet. “Then do it. Kill me. Run that flaming sword right through my heart, because it was never my intention to make you this angry. If we can’t talk out our difference, I’d just as soon be done with this whole existence.”
The flames extinguished as easily as if she’d flipped off the lever of a welding torch. “You don’t really mean that. A part of you has been around for over a hundred years. There’s no way you’d sacrifice your plan that easily for me.”
He brushed the dirt and soot off his coat. “Do you really find it that remarkable? I’ve never come up against a woman like you. Not even Kendell provided as much of a challenge. Just look at you with your angel wings, faceted-jewel eyes, and flaming sword. When am I ever going to meet someone else I can call an equal?”
She laughed in his face. “You think yourself my equal? I don’t see you flying anywhere.”
“That’s because you denied me that power. By the way, why was that? Were you afraid of a man who might be your equal?”
She had to hand it to him. Unarmed and at a flight disadvantage, he still held his ground. “You were getting a little too full of yourself. Every time I turned my back on you, you found a way of disappointing me. You’re like a little dog who rips up the furniture if left alone for too long.”
“Ever think maybe I just need a good woman to be my partner?”
“What I think,” she said, “is that you’re trying to trick me again by playing the emotion card. It won’t work. And by now, Kendell will have made it back to Delphine’s, so you’ve lost your leverage over Myles. You won’t get that cane back.”
He still had a smug countenance that she found offensive. “Losing Kendell might have been a setback, but no game is won with one move. Join me, and I’ll teach you how to be the master at the game of life and death.”
A trickle of flame lit up the hilt of the sword. “And go through life known as the devil’s woman? No thanks.”
Colin folded his arms and leaned against the charred wall of the cabin. “Then what do you want?”
Sanguine had always been content to live in the swamps and study the animals she’d called friends, but that had been before meeting Kendell. That crazy voodoo guitarist had put her on the path that had literal
ly and figuratively given her wings. “What I don’t want—”
He cut her off. “I don’t care what you don’t want. People are full of answers about what they don’t want. Picking a path forward, though—that takes guts and imagination. Don’t make me reconsider my impression of you by giving me the typical response of listing what you don’t like. You’ve chased me all over hell, made plans to erase me from history, and on more than one occasion—including just now—threatened to end my life. I hope you’re not just doing this to gain favor with your dead grandmother. I can tell from your sword that I spark something inside you. So tell me honestly: what do you want?”
She had to confess that he challenged her as well. She spread her wings as far as the walls of the cabin would allow. “Angels are supposed to help people become more than they are.”
“That’s a job description, not a life goal. Have you ever considered that your grandmother might have given you those wings as a way of turning you into an angel? Stop thinking in terms of what others want for you, and tell me who you want to be. Because if you’re just acting on the will of other people, I’m talking to the wrong person.”