by G A Chase
“As you know, time doesn’t pass for us the way you experience it. Though we knew she’d gone missing, until she was actually abducted, we couldn’t tell what had happened. Colin was granted passage through the fourth gate, but he didn’t move past it. As Baron Samedi was fading out of hell, he saw Colin put the drawing Serephine had given him back in his desk.”
Myles had used the cane in a similar fashion to hold the door open between Guinee and hell while Kendell conducted her rescue of Sanguine. “He blocked the gate open? Then he clearly knows what we’re up to.”
“Again, this is speculation on our part. Even if he did keep the passage open, he would have needed a way to draw Serephine out of Guinee and into hell. Without the cane, Colin couldn’t make the trip on his own.”
“He pulled Kendell through by using the curse,” Myles said, “but she was directly connected to it. I can’t imagine how he’d do that with the young girl.”
“Whatever his method, Serephine’s soul doesn’t belong in hell. We can’t redeem her without entering Colin’s realm. But by invading another dimension, we would create a rift between worlds that would be hard to contain.”
Cheesecake walked up to Papa Ghede’s chair and started growling.
“It’s okay, girl.” Kendell walked out of the living room and wrapped the blanket from the bed tightly around her before sitting next to Myles. “Tell me what happened when Serephine was taken a hundred years ago. How could you not have known what happened back then?”
“Think of it as an IOU for her soul. From our historic perspective, we knew at some point in the future Baron Samedi would vouch for the request. He did that when you asked Serephine to act as gate guardian for your fourth gate. Until we passed the date, however, we couldn’t know what would happen.”
Kendell lifted Cheesecake to her lap to stop the dog’s growling. “So even though Colin was allowed to pass the fourth gate, because he didn’t go through, Serephine never returned to Guinee? What about Antoine?”
Figuring out purgatory’s relationship to time gave Myles a headache. “He was just a boy when we saw him at the fourth gate, but we know he lived to be an old man. Was he even from Guinee’s dimension, or had he passed on the deep waters?”
Papa Ghede toyed with the glass as though he wanted another drink but dared not risk getting intoxicated. “People can be whatever age they want while they’re in Guinee, up until the age of their death. To simplify their discussion with their father, Antoine decided to be an age appropriate to when his sister had died. The IOU is still outstanding for him. At this moment, his soul is caught between dimensions. Until the IOU is fulfilled, or not, we can’t see what ultimately happed to his soul.”
Kendell snuggled the furry dog tightly to her chest. “Sounds like what I went through while trapped in Colin’s vault. At least Antoine is safe.”
Myles put his arm around Kendell to hold her close. “If Serephine isn’t still in the bank, she might be experiencing what happened to you when you got out of that cage.”
Papa Ghede finally poured himself another glass of rum. “And this is why we need your help. If Colin did steal her soul and let her out of the fourth gate, she’d be in her own personal demonic nightmare. We loas of the dead take our responsibility for all human spirits very personally. We are willing to risk an interdimensional war rather than lose a single human being, but using you to find her would prevent such a conflict. Some fires are hard to extinguish once they’re lit.”
Myles took the cane from the chair. “So Kendell and I cross into hell and save her. How exactly do we do that?”
Papa Ghede downed the last of his drink. “Life and hell are your dimensions. I gave you the cane as a form of travel, but figuring out the map is your problem. Just don’t take the route through Guinee again. I know it may seem like the most obvious path, but after what Colin’s done, we’re working on a permanent closing of that rift. If you were to rely on that opening, you might end up trapped on the wrong side.”
51
Colin knew Sanguine wouldn’t leave him alone for long. With little else to do in hell—and him as the only other living being—she might turn her back on him for the afternoon if he was lucky. Even then, every animal he encountered, other than his squadron of mosquitoes, could easily be reporting back to their swamp-witch mistress.
“Where would my daughter go?” He needed to find the child before Sanguine stumbled across her.
He retraced his steps from the river to the bank with little optimism. Though the old building had been the fourth gate Serephine had presided over, it had also been her access from Guinee when Colin had rescued her from the loas’ tyranny. Returning to the scene of what they considered a crime would be a risk. Still, as the location of her most recent memories, she might use it as a starting point.
Though he searched the streets for any sign of the lost child during his walk, all he saw was the usual parade of puppets carrying out their scripted movements. Based on the chaos Serephine had created in the vault, he imagined there would be a swath of destruction behind her like the trail of debris left by a miniature tornado. “If you’d have only waited for me, I could have helped you adjust. Why did you run?”
As expected, on entering the bank, there was no little girl sitting at his desk. He examined the carved wooden mural of the city that took up every inch of wainscoting. The old family mansion on Saint Charles Avenue had been torn down not long after Baron Malveaux’s death.
“Would you have known that our old home was destroyed?”
Even if she had braved walking to the Garden District, chasing her all over the city seemed like a waste of his time. He needed to figure out where she’d end up.
He pulled out his cell phone. “I need the town car. We’re headed to the Laurette mansion.”
Though Antoine’s crowning architectural achievement had been badly burned, Serephine had always gravitated to her brother in times of trouble. At least it was a place to start.
As he left the bank, he looked to the sky. With her wings, Sanguine could fly over the neighborhoods like a guardian angel, searching for the girl. He felt bad about lying to the mysterious woman, and not just because he could really use her help. Has it really only been days since you showed up in your angelic state, revealing your true self to me? Her fit of raw anger had been almost as revealing as her wings. No one bothered to engage in that intense of an argument if they didn’t care. She could have run him through with her sword and been done with him permanently, but she hadn’t.
Colin turned back to the street as he heard the car pull up. He peered through the driver’s window without waiting for the man to come around and open the back door. “We’re going to be exploring the city. I need to find that child’s body you helped me abduct, so keep your eyes open while you’re driving.”
Once he was in the back seat, Colin swung round to every window, hoping for some sign of the girl. After passing the hotel that occupied the location of the old family estate, the driver turned the car into the residential neighborhood of the Garden District. Colin had the driver creep the long vehicle down the potholed streets, but nothing looked out of place. Even the dilapidated Laurette mansion appeared undisturbed.
He tapped on the back of the driver’s seat. “Stop here. Even if she’s not in the gutted building, I won’t rest easy unless I go in and see for myself.”
The man remained behind the wheel like a robot waiting for its next command.
Why do I even bother? Colin got out of the car and headed up the walkway as though walking into a dreaded family reunion. He’d purchased the derelict building with the intention of rebuilding it to its past glory. What the baron’s son could build, Colin could improve on. But that had been as Lincoln Laroque. The up-and-coming businessman had still had unresolved issues regarding gaining his family’s respect. Colin shook his head at the foolishness. If two heads are better than one, two lifetimes make a path even clearer.
He pushed open the warped door an
d walked into the foyer that still smelled of smoke. The handmade reproduction green-and-yellow-flowered wallpaper was now shades of black and gray. The once-cheerful blooms reminded him of wilted bouquets.
“Serephine, are you in here?”
Though he’d hoped for an answer, he wasn’t surprised to hear nothing but the silent ghosts from the past.
“If you didn’t make it into the body I prepared for you, know that I’m still trying to save you. Find a way to reach me.”
He struggled to slide open the pocket doors to the study Anthony Laurette had used as his architectural office. The wall behind the substantial oak desk had been salvaged from the Malveaux mansion. Colin ran his hands over the carved edges of the grand bookcase, remembering when it had graced his den in the old estate. “I’m surprised you saved this. I wonder if it was some remembrance of me, or simply the appreciation of fine craftsmanship.”
“Neither.”
Colin swung around and saw Anthony Laurette standing in the doorway.
“I kept that garish wall as a reminder not to become you and as a memorial to Sere,” Anthony said. “She killed herself in front of that cabinet. Now, what have you done with my sister?”
Colin pulled the chair out from the desk and took a seat. The move was meant to put Anthony in his place, but if the baron’s son took offense, he didn’t show it. “Did the loas of the dead send you?”
“No one sent me. You were the one who trapped me in the fourth gate by not removing the drawing. Now, I’ll ask you again: what have you done with my sister?” With his Confederate officer’s uniform, long scraggly beard, and sword wound that traversed his face, Anthony was far from the innocent teenager Colin remembered from the bank office.
I must remember to burn that damn drawing next time I’m in the bank. That should either send him back to Guinee or trap him between dimensions. Either way, he’ll no longer be a thorn in my side. “Serephine is going through a transformation. When I’m done, she will be immortal.”
“You mean forever trapped under your bootheel.”
Colin had never dealt with his son after the war. The boy had really become a man, and one not easily manipulated. “Why is it that no one can accept my love for Serephine? I’m not out to hurt her. What I do is for the overall good of humanity.”
“I’ve heard you make similar comments regarding defeated adversaries. You’ve spoken that way too many times for me to believe in some ultimate goodness you believe you possess. Sere is trapped between dimensions. You’ve turned her into a monster. Nothing you do will change what you’ve created inside that innocent child. Even if by some miracle she does survive this transformation of yours, you’ll never understand the new darkness that will forever inhabit her soul. You truly are the devil.”
Colin couldn’t even entertain the idea that Serephine would come back as anything other than his beloved daughter. “I haven’t finished saving her. Once I find her, I can solve whatever problem she’s encountered. If you know where she is, you’d be doing her a favor in telling me.”
“You don’t even know what’s become of her, do you? I can’t help you. I’m merely the reflection of a memory. The loas allowed me these brief connections with you in the hope that I could get you to see the truth of your plan. Taking the souls entrusted to their care and creating a new living world order will result in demons. Instead of people connecting with each other, every human will be out for themselves—an unending battle to reach the top of the ladder without even death as a comfort.”
The explanation sounded scripted, as if Anthony were reading from the loas’ playbook.
“I’ll take my chances. Anything would beat the reality that Papa Ghede created.”
“You don’t really care about Sere at all, do you?” Anthony asked.
“She’s stronger than you think. She’s my daughter. After all of the dimensional transfers I’ve endured, I know a thing or two about survival. Serephine will lead the way for all of humanity. Without the evil that people see in me, she’ll be the one to fully create what I have envisioned.”
Anthony’s body became translucent. “Just do me the favor of not bringing me back from the dead. I’d prefer to rest in peace rather than face an eternity at war. I’ve already served my time.”
Colin stormed out to the town car with a renewed disdain for his son.
“Where to next, Boss?”
He checked his watch. “Better take me back to the condo. I need to get ready for dinner.”
* * *
Sanguine’s wings quivered as she opened the door to Brennan’s restaurant. Self-consciousness was seldom an issue for her, but walking into the fancy establishment where the customers dressed nearly as elegantly as the waiters had her checking her goddess dress for stray cypress needles. She folded her wings tightly behind her to avoid knocking over any crystal stemware on the tables as she was guided to her seat.
Colin got up as she approached. “You look lovely this evening. I’ve been looking forward to dining with the real you since you first revealed your true self.”
She spread her wings to the sides of the chair and blocked out the rest of the dining room. “I’m feeling a little out of place.”
“An angel deserves to be treated like royalty.”
His flattery got on her nerves. Even though she knew better, she examined the potential futures the evening might create. No matter which choice of conversation she picked, she didn’t see them making it past the main course before breaking out into a fight. She hoped to avoid the scenario in which she drew her flaming sword and lit the linen tablecloth on fire.
Remember, swing from above, not below. “What’s good to eat here?”
“I’m particularly fond of the duck, but everything is superb.”
She resisted looking at him to see if he was checking out her wings after the duck comment. Everything looks so wonderful. It’s a shame we won’t be getting to the main course. I guess there’s no point in putting this off. She closed her menu and set it in front of her. “As you know, I have some ability to see the future, but only up to the next decision point. For example, I know we’re about to have a fight, but I don’t know about what. Beyond that argument, I don’t know what happens. So you might as well tell me why I’m about to be mad at you.”
He carefully set his menu on the table as if any sudden movement might set off an explosion. “I need your help.”
She consulted her future visions again in the hope that she’d missed something. “I hadn’t expected you to need anything.”
He waved to the waiter. “Bring us a couple of whiskeys. Make them doubles.”
Even without consulting her future sight, she could imagine her flaming sword igniting the alcohol. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Strong alcohol on a date never is, but as you suspected, this night probably won’t end up with us snuggled in bed—though I confess I’m really curious how you’d handle sex with those wings. I might be developing an angel fetish.”
The waiter set the glasses on the table as if Sanguine and Colin were about to start a competition to see who could drink more.
Sanguine took a sip of the whiskey to calm her nerves. “Out with it.” The sword at her side was already warming up.
“Have you had any further thoughts about my idea of saving souls from Guinee?”
You are really getting on my nerves with these delaying tactics. She tried to keep her cool for as long as possible. “If you’re asking if I talked to Myles about his cane, I have.”
“I’m not asking about specifics. Without you by my side, my plan will be much more complicated. What I’m really interested in tonight is how you’re feeling about being my partner in this endeavor.”
Are my foolish unrequited romantic desires really why I’m going to get pissed off? “I thought we were on a date, not a business meeting.”
“I would like nothing better than to enjoy a fine meal with you while we get to know each other better, b
ut I do have a pressing problem. How you feel about working with me will determine how I explain my situation.”
She could see that the battle scene had been delayed at least until they finished their drinks. “I think I might be willing to risk the shrimp ravigote appetizer.”
“I’ll take that as progress.” He motioned to the waiter, who never seemed more than a discreet distance from the table. The man had the good sense to take the order and not hang around to offer advice about the menu.
“If we survive the night,” she said, “one thing that would be worth knowing about me is that I’m very direct. Playing around the outskirts of a topic seldom results in an easier conversation.”
He smiled at her over the rim of his whiskey glass. “We have that in common. Very well. I didn’t lie to you earlier today, but my experiment was more involved than I let on. Even without the cane, I’ve been able to contact another soul and entice them to this realm.”
She couldn’t tell if the sizzling sound was from her sword setting fire to the tablecloth or the bananas foster being served at the next table. “You stole another soul?” She did her best not to yell, but the attempt at control made every word sound like an indictment.
“I wouldn’t do that. Technically, I’m still the girl’s guardian.”
Sanguine rested her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it even if the action did create a scene. “Justifications and fudging the truth are just other means of being indirect.”
He leaned back in his chair and raised his hands as if expecting her to throw her drink at him. “I met Serephine at the fourth gate between life and hell. She accepted my confession. Since you would only consider my explanation of the specifics as delaying the truth, here are the basic facts. I brought her soul out of Guinee and placed it in one of the virtual people you have running around in this world. I meant to catch up with Serephine at the vault, but the vault was already open when I got there. I don’t know if the transfer worked or if the human robot managed to break free before I could put Serephine’s soul into the body. I’ve spent the afternoon searching every place I can think of where my daughter might go, but I haven’t found even a clue as to her whereabouts.”