by G A Chase
As they walked along the island’s shore, her wings began to settle down. Being at home in her swamp gave Sanguine an inner peace, no matter her companion. She hoped her two alligators swimming in the reeds would make Colin realize his precarious position. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”
“I know about the attempt to seal the breach.”
One of the few things she admired about Colin was his lack of small talk prior to tackling a big issue. Conversations with him were like ripping off a bandage even if the gaping wound hadn’t yet healed.
He continued. “From what I’ve seen, wandering around the city, it would appear I’ve been lied to.”
“No one lied to you.”
“Then how is it that all of your little puppet people are returning to normal? I thought all the energy from what I created in the World Trade Center was needed to reconcile that one soul to her new body. If Sere really is fine, like you say, and the city is being repopulated with your projected people, the energy required to put one soul in one body must not be as great as you told me.”
The fact that he was taking credit for the energy that powered Sere wasn’t lost on Sanguine. “We didn’t know about the hole between dimensions when we explained her needs. That wasn’t a lie—it was a lack of information.”
He held his hands behind him as he walked. The impression was of a businessman exploring a building site for his next endeavor. “Either way, now that I know what’s actually needed to support a soul from Guinee, I have to reevaluate my original acceptance to your plan involving my self-sacrifice.” He turned toward her like a suitor waiting for an answer after a marriage proposal. “My idea could still work, and in spite of your actions, I’d still welcome your partnership.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You were the one who said the loas required a death to balance the living and the deep waters. They’re not likely to just sit around, waiting for Sere to eventually die again—which according to you would never happen. They’re going to come after you if you mess around in their domain. We’re still trying to figure out how to pacify the loas of the dead regarding Sere, and you’re already talking about stealing more of their protected souls.”
“I never said my idea would be easy. I’ll still need to confront those bastards. But you did concede that my idea has merit. Any good manager knows to delegate operations when someone else can do it better. With Kendell and her gang dedicated to healing Sere, I can pursue other parts of my plan. And with my daughter on the mend and us in this closed-off realm, you and I could still turn what your grandmother created into a true Garden of Eden.”
Hell to paradise with the flick of the fingers. Could that really be possible? “You’re like a snake that goes side to side as it slithers in closer to its victim. What if I refuse—will you tack back toward self-sacrifice? And how close do you have to get before you strike and we see your true colors?”
“I’m oddly gratified to see your impression of me hasn’t changed in spite of our growing relationship. I’m curious, though. Are you attracted to me because I’m a mystery to you, or is it due to your hatred?”
You think you can see right through me, don’t you? She decided not to play into his hands by falling into the trap of confessing her attraction. “You didn’t answer my question.”
He stood at the edge of the island and looked out toward the city beyond the trees. “By viewing every priority as a starting point for negotiations, I’ve been able to avoid entanglements that lock me into a path toward disaster. Serephine was the last person I remember honestly caring about before you came along. Now that she’s back, I’ll do whatever I can to remain with her. So my first goal was to make sure she could exist in this world. Thanks to you and your friends, her life is secured. Giving my life for her seems a little redundant.”
“So you don’t intend to honor your agreement?”
“Words are like the morning fog. If they don’t condense to something tangible, who’s to say where the borders were? I left you and your friends to come up with a unified proposal. Even after meeting with Myles, I’ve yet to see one.”
She really wanted to push him into the swamp for her gators to torment. “So basically, you’re saying since nothing was in writing, you didn’t agree to anything? You must know I’d never accept that.”
“What I did agree to was based on facts that proved to be untrue. In light of recent events, I reserve the right to change my mind.”
“I’m beginning to understand Myles’s mistrust of you,” she said. “We acted in good faith. By saving Sere, we completed our end of the arrangement. No one misled you.”
“What you all did wasn’t for me, but my equivocation isn’t because I got what I wanted. You can see the benefit of what I’m proposing, and now you can see that my proof of concept worked. I will admit that I needed a little help, however. Your complaints are nothing more than minor procedural points on how we got here.”
She resumed their walk. “They’re considerably more than that. Your promise to take Sere’s place in the deep waters was a noble act. I could have easily loved the man who would accept insanity and self-sacrifice to save his daughter. But the one who reneges on that agreement simply because he can? That man I find offensive.”
“So if I’m dead you’d love me, but alive you find me offensive. If that’s what you consider romantic, you can have it. Personally, I’d rather live with someone I love rather than cherish a memory. Again, however, you’re avoiding my proposal of ruling over paradise.”
Her wings started quivering again. “You just don’t get it, do you? Who I would rule with is just as important as what I’d be ruling over, maybe more so.”
“Then we need more time to get to know each other. Now that you’re no longer hiding behind mannequins and I’ve explained my secret plan, I think we’re ready to take our relationship to the next level.”
Romantic SOB, aren’t you? But when it came to emotions, she preferred the practical to the superfluous. “I’ll confess to having thoughts about how we’d recreate the passion we had with me sporting these wings.”
He looked them over as if they were a new erogenous zone. “I’m willing to be on the bottom, so long as you don’t take that as a sign of submission. Just don’t go flapping them in the heat of passion. I’d hate to think of what you might strain.”
* * *
Sanguine went out to the porch to catch the first light of day. Sex with Colin had been insightful, to say the least. I suppose anytime someone breaks new ground sexually, there’s bound to be hiccups. We knew the wings were going to be a challenge. I sure made a mess of that room, though.
It wasn’t the mechanics of the sexual adventure, however, that had her beating her wings with determined ferocity in the morning chill. Colin had changed during the night. He’d grown more ruthless since their question-and-answer session of the afternoon. Any consideration she might have had regarding his offer had disappeared. Their time in bed had also removed the last vestiges of sympathy she had for his plight regarding his daughter. The man was reckless with people, both physically and emotionally. His blatant disregard for other people’s emotions, physical pain, and life challenges wasn’t an admirable trait when it came to dealing with their lives. Sex had revealed the true man, and she no longer wanted any part of him.
The sun was still a good half hour from creeping over the horizon. I need to get back to Sere. I’m sure Colin can order up his Uber airboat to find his way home. I just can’t face him this morning.
Without turning back to the cabin, she jumped into the air and flew toward the city. She hadn’t meant to leave the girl alone for so long, but both Sere and the band knew how to reach Sanguine if there’d been a problem. As she flew over the lake, she realized her longing wasn’t so much fear for Sere’s safety as a desire to hold the girl in her arms again.
The love she felt for Sere had helped her bond with Colin. But where his love for his daughter pushed him toward world domination,
all Sanguine wanted was to protect the girl and see her grow into a woman. She angled toward the shore so she could observe the fishermen pushing their boats out for the day on the lake. Paradise wouldn’t be such a bad place to raise a child. Colin at least got that right. But even Eden shouldn’t be forced on people. I’ll need to remember to let her make her own decisions.
The future that Sanguine wanted was as clear to her as the expressway that led into the city. She held her body in a tight streamlined posture and focused her insect-inspired future sight on what she needed to do. Each flapping of her wings was calculated to help her find her way back to the exact spot she’d left. I have to come home to Sere, but I also must know how best to raise her. I don’t have to leave her future to chance.
With her starting time and place mentally tethered to the fishermen, she headed into the future she desired for her soon-to-be-adopted daughter. Not every choice was obvious, and many she thought right proved disastrous later. More than once, she backtracked in time to discover a better answer than what she had first chosen.
After witnessing a lifetime of decisions, she finally traced her path back to the fishermen pushing their boats into the lake. With the future clearly mapped out, she had nothing left to fear. As she flew up to the club on Frenchmen Street, she spread her powerful white wings. It’s so strange to see them once again pristine and feel their youthful strength.
She settled quietly into the courtyard. Sere lay curled up on a cushion in the open air like a little kitten who’d been playing too hard.
Polly sat watch in the speakeasy gate. “She wanted to stay up and wait for you, but I’m afraid all the dancing wore her out. Good thing there were six of us. That kid has got a crazy amount of energy.”
There are so many futures to keep track of—so many lives Sere will touch. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her.” Sanguine knew better than to let on about the future, but that didn’t stop her heart from responding forcibly to each member of the family Sere was about to inherit.
“Anytime. We were all glad to have a child to play with. I suspect Sere might have jump-started some motherly hormones in a couple of us.”
More than you know.
“How’d the meeting with Colin go?” Polly asked.
That night with him feels like a lifetime ago. Has it really only been a couple of hours? “I know what I have to do and what I’ve already done. If you happen to see Myles, tell him he was right.”
“About what?”
Sanguine so badly wanted to tell everyone about her plan, but that wouldn’t line up with what she’d seen. Influencing the future was a sure way of changing its course away from what was desired. “He’ll know. I’m taking Sere somewhere safe. No matter what happens, we’ll be okay.”
59
Kendell couldn’t remember a longer night in her life. Reluctantly, she’d agreed with Myles that the safest place during the riots was in the club. Playing with the band for only Sere helped, but Kendell kept worrying about the dogs back in the apartment. Once the girl had finally stopped dancing, she faded fast toward sleep, but she refused to move into the club. The band finally decided to take turns at the speakeasy portal to keep an eye on her.
Kendell did realize she’d dozed off, but when Polly’s words finally registered in her groggy brain, she sat up onstage and glared at the bandleader. “That’s all Sanguine said—‘Tell Myles he was right’? And he’d know what she was talking about? Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Sanguine was only there for a minute. Sere didn’t even wake up. Sanguine just dropped out of the sky, thanked us for watching Sere, and said they were going to be okay and that Myles was right.”
She flew into the future. That’s the only logical answer. “Did she look any different?”
“You mean from last night? She’s an angel living in hell. What’s she supposed to look like?”
Kendell realized that it had been a long night for everyone. “Have you even gotten any sleep yet?”
“No, and I’d kill for a cup of coffee. Do you think the streets are safe yet?”
If the riots had spread beyond of the Quarter, Kendell hadn’t heard them. She turned to see if Myles had woken up yet. “I suppose it’s worth a peek. I’d really like to check on the dogs, but Myles would have a fit if I went into the Quarter without him.”
“The coffee shop is only two blocks away. We’ll be back before he wakes up. Once we all get a little caffeine in us, it’ll be easier to function.”
After the adventurous night, Kendell felt uncomfortable walking out the front door without some kind of camouflage. At least she wasn’t walking into an armed police lockdown. “So far, so good.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Polly said. “If the bank had crumbled to the ground, I’d expect a lot more activity.”
Kendell’s nose and eyes burned from the stone dust and smoke that hung low over the street like a fog in the early-morning air. People with scarfs wrapped around their faces scurried along the sidewalk. Fine ash covered the parked cars like a dusting of snow. “I would guess most people are staying inside just in case there are any looters still on the prowl.”
“And as a business owner, the possibility of the club being hit doesn’t worry you?”
The homeless had their own code of conduct, and typically, that didn’t involve breaking into buildings unless there was a dire necessity. “I’m mostly concerned with the dogs, but our apartment isn’t the easiest to access. I have to believe the cops will be focusing on rounding up the worst offenders, so hopefully my indigent friends haven’t partaken in the looting and are still on the streets. If so, we’ll still have our unsuspecting security force.”
“Makes me kind of wish the bank vault had been breached,” Polly said. “All the real opportunists wouldn’t have strayed more than a block from the building.”
A rearrangement of the social order was beyond what Kendell had hoped to achieve. Solving the rift between the living, the dead, and the damned seemed enough for one night. “I just hope things have calmed down. New Orleans has enough problems without national coverage of class warfare in the streets.” They ducked into a coffee shop with bookshelves lining the walls. “Seems like a hundred years since I was serving up coffee here.” The aroma of dark-roasted beans competed with the stench of destruction outside.
Polly stepped up to the barista behind the counter. “We need coffee. A lot of it. Just start filling the biggest cups you’ve got, and load them into carrying cozies until my friend and I can’t hold any more.”
Kendell pulled out her credit card with a picture of Cheesecake scratching her ear. “This is on the Scratchy Dog. Lord knows you guys earned it.”
Polly looked at the dude loading the drinks into the cardboard carriers. “Any news on what happened last night?”
He looked as if he hadn’t had any sleep either. “It was a madhouse, real postapocalypse shit—fires on every street corner, smashed windows, absolute mayhem. The city wasn’t even that bad after Katrina.”
Kendell couldn’t take not knowing any longer. “We heard rumors the bank got hit.”
“Hit? It ain’t there no more. I figured you knew. That was the main event. It’s like you’re asking what happened to that big wooden man after you’ve left Burning Man.”
Polly handed Kendell two of the square carriers loaded with paper cups. “Forgive my friend. We were onstage all night. We’re just now getting out of the club.”
“Everyone’s on edge,” the coffee dude said. “I was hanging with friends at a bar on Decatur when it happened. There was this low rumble—not quite like an earthquake but more like feeling a train pass too close. We grabbed our drinks to see what had happened. With all the commotion, it wasn’t hard to figure out which building got hit. When we got there, all that was left was the first floor. Everything above that had collapsed into the structure like a controlled demolition. People were climbing over the rubble like ants covering an ant mound, but I don�
��t think they were looking for survivors, if you catch my drift.”
“Was there any money?” Kendell didn’t really care, but it seemed like the kind of question someone would ask. She didn’t want to draw suspicion.
“Couldn’t tell. The cops were pretty fast at forming a human blockade around the building.”
Good. That would take every available policeman. It would also explain why no one came knocking on the door last night, asking questions.
Polly picked up her two boxes of coffee cups. “I’ll bet the jail is full today.”
“I doubt it. The cops were too busy keeping people out of the bank to make many arrests. That’s why the looters were so bold. If someone was trying to rob the bank, they did a piss-poor job of it. If it was only a distraction to knock over some other shop in the Quarter, the plan worked brilliantly.”
Kendell held up one of the carriers. “Thanks for the coffee and information.”
* * *
Myles groaned as he pushed himself up from the stage. Sleeping on a solid surface made every muscle ache. He smelled the coffee before noticing Kendell handing out cups. “I need that.”
She smiled at him as she pulled one of the steaming paper cups from the brown cardboard tray. “Drink up. I want to go see the dogs as soon as you’re ready to go.”
“How are the conditions on the street?”
She looked tired but less concerned than he would have thought, considering the danger they’d been in. “From what I heard, the police are busy protecting the bank’s assets. If the lawlessness had still been going strong, we’d have seen it spill over onto Frenchmen, and there was no indication of that when Polly and I went for coffee. I’d think the Quarter is probably filled with early-morning gawkers right now.”
He struggled to get off the stage. “Sounds like the ideal time for us to blend in with the crowd and find our way home. Did Mary hook you up with any of the homeless ringleaders so we might have someone to give us an update?”