My feet shuffled me forward apprehensively knowing that what I could find may have been dangerous to my health. I was unsure of what I had just wandered into. Any notion of my original intent had evaporated upon the discovery of the pitiful female before me.
I knew the nearly unrecognizable girl before me.
“Della?” My voice wobbled, much like my trembling hands, as I tried to confirm the identity.
The tiniest groan escaped her, but it was cut off by a gurgle in her throat before she became quiet again. I needed to get her the hell out of there.
I moved closer to her. I needed to see how extensive the damage done to her was before attempting to move her.
I brushed her hair back away from her face so I could get a better look at her. It was her all right. A small gash was prominent upon her lower, swollen lip. Her eye was purple and swollen completely shut. She’d been severely beaten. I couldn’t bear to inspect fully, but the dried path of blood that flowed south from the apex of her thighs showed the full degree of her brutalization. The sight made my stomach turn. My thoughts turned back to the injuries I had seen on the poor girl’s neck and I knew then that this occasion had not been the first time she’d been in that room.
Samedi was a sadist of the vilest kind. In my mind, there wasn’t a chance that what had transpired had been consensual. I wrapped my fingers tightly around the shackles that bound Della and gave them my all. The clinks of the locks as they released her were music to my ears before the girls toppled over onto me. My arms came up just in time to catch her before we both were knocked to the floor. No sound escaped the woman
My eyes scanned the room searching for any sign of company or of the Baron, though none could be seen. I cradled her close as I shifted myself so I was no longer underneath her. She lay there on her back, almost unrecognizable and suddenly my hands felt like they were laden with lead. There was a chance that my magic could heal the physical aspects of the broken woman before me, if only I could muster up the courage and push past my own fears.
Della’s eyes shot wide open. Short, shallow gasps escaped her.
“Shhh. It’s okay. You’re going to be alright. Listen, you’ll be alright…” I crooned over her, trying to calm her as best I could.
I lifted my hands with sheer willpower and prepared to send out my magic into her, to seek out the damaged parts and knit them back together. The palms of my hands grew warm and I lowered them to the naked flesh of her chest.
Her rib cage had ceased its labored movements. My eyes shot her to face, but it had gone slack. Della’s eyes were still open, unfocused, and frozen in their fear-filled expression.
“Della?” I whispered and nudged her.
Nothing.
“Della?” My voice much louder and pleading, but I still received no response.
Not again. It couldn’t be happening again. I’d watched far too many people take their last breaths because of the carelessness of the Baron and his minions. I panicked and pushed pulses of my power into her lifeless body as I kneeled next to her. The hope, that it could revive her just enough to make everything right was what I clung to in those moments. Bursts of arching light left me and spread throughout Della’s battered limbs and collected within her chest. I pumped the healing power into her until a softball sized mass glowed from within the confines of her chest.
I sat back on my haunches, hoping the magic would could convince her still heart back into action. The seconds ticked by and nothing changed. She was so still and I was holding my breath. I knew I had failed her. I had noticed her injuries, the ones barely visible, and done nothing to step in on her behalf. I’d never inquired about anything personal about her beyond her name and not pressed for more information behind her wounds. Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t be in this mess. Maybe.
The pit of my stomach solidified and jumped, forming a tight knot in my throat that made it hard to swallow. Guilt. That was exactly what the feeling was. If I hadn’t been so damn selfish, none of it would’ve happened.
The light within her chest flickered for a moment and then slowly dimmed until it became entirely extinguished.
“No! God damn it, no!” I begged, my eyes beginning to mist up at the unconscionable loss of innocent life.
I lay my hands ardently against her skin and tried again, but the magic refused to stick and dissipated immediately.
She was gone and there was nothing I could do to change it.
I had no real tears. My mind still reeled with shock from witnessing all I had. My legs gave out beneath me and I slumped to the floor next to Della. I curled in on myself and brought my knees up under my chin. My arms wrapped tightly around them holding everything together and keeping everything on the outside away.
My thoughts began to wander. Who was the girl leaving behind? Who would miss her? I realized I couldn’t hazard a guess as to the answers. She was someone to people out there. Someone would care that she was gone.
My thoughts continued down that morbid and depressing path. They were so wrapped up in those mental ramblings that I hadn’t heard the approach of the very creature I was becoming to increasingly despise.
The door on the far side of the room opposite the entrance I had come through slammed shut and disrupted the morose peace that had settled over the room since Della’s passing. My body jumped and my eyes flew to the source of the cacophony. Light flooded the room, illuminating all the mysteries that had laid hidden in the darkness. Every gruesome detail of the room came into focus.
The stone walls were for the most part bare, with only dark and morbid tapestries depicting death and war to break it all up. The steel frame that held Della up stood in the corner, while a surgical type tray with all manner of terrifying instruments laid out sat next to it. Daggers, maces, and a frequently used looking sickle hung from hooks, lining an open armoire on the other side of the scaffolding. Leather collars with spikes, lining the inside, were displayed like fine jewelry in a case. The floor of it was laden with coils of rope and chain. Dark stains spattered the floor and I immediately knew what it was. My stomach rolled at the sight.
In the center of the room was the most repulsive piece of furniture I’d ever seen. An ornate carved wooden chair with red velvet cushioning, the prime viewing location of his prisoner.
The Baron stood rigidly straight, his eyes intent on my intrusion into his private space. “Maya dear, what brings you down here? Get lost?”
His face was taut and lacked any of his ceremonial paint. This was the casual Samedi. His voice purred deeply as he spoke; he was pouring on the charm. He acted as though there wasn’t a lifeless girl laying between us.
Was he trying to get me to lower my guard? He could no longer hide his twisted secret. There was no telling what he would do.
The Baron’s cool mask settled over his face. He didn’t spare a single glance towards the corpse of his captive. His indifference to her plight lit an ember of rage deep within me. Pure hatred. I slowly rose to a standing position to face him and held on to the box tightly.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” I demanded.
My voice stayed level and didn’t betray the hatred behind it, but was stern enough to make him understand that I meant business.
“Tsk. Tsk. Such language from a lady.”
Samedi crossed the space to a mini bar along the outer wall, steering clear of the cadaver. He poured himself a tumbler of amber liquid and turned about to face me again. He regarded me silently for a moment before crossing the space and settling into his throne.
“I said, what did you do to her?” My eyes strayed to Della’s sprawled form.
“Oh, that. Yes, I am sorry you had to see that.” He waved his hand towards her and just as he did, there was a commotion at the door. Two squat, gnarled creatures who looked much more like goblins than men, entered the room. They were quick as they scooped Della up and scurried back out the door, taking her with them. “Now, what brought you down here? Rethinking your position on intima
cy?” He tried to carry on like a dead body hadn’t just been hauled out like the weekly trash. He chuckled lowly to himself. “I knew you couldn’t resist me for long.”
“That’s it? You just throw her away like trash? How can you honestly think I would want anything to do with you after seeing her like that? I didn’t miss the fact that there was fresh semen running down her legs. You’re fucking sick and you will never touch me again. I’d rather die.”
Samedi took a swig from his drink as he looked me over. His eyes raked down the length of me before returning to my face. His scrutiny and cold stare made me uncomfortable and I knew that I was on dangerous grounds. Playing with fire and on the precipice of being burned.
“Unfortunate. However, death is the natural counterpart to life.” He shrugged.
That was it? It’s just natural? Nothing was natural about him having brutalized, raped, and murdered an innocent, young woman for his own twisted enjoyment. I could feel the flush as it crept up my neck to heat my cheeks.
Calm down, Maya. Don’t kill the son of a bitch right now. He’s not worth it. I repeated it over and over again and continued even as I felt the electric zing of magic flow under my skin. It was ready to unleash on this sick bastard. Nothing could tamp down the anger that was about to boil over inside me.
“Don’t even think about it,” the Baron said. He must’ve seen how close I was to boiling over the edge and completely losing my shit on him.
“Not sure what you mean.” My voice was deadpanned, but my eyes never left his.
My challenge was blatant and I was no longer the naïve and nonthreatening girl I had been when the Bacalou had first come for me. I hoped that by playing stupid, I could find something, anything that could be used to my advantage.
He stood, and with two long strides, he was directly in front of me, invading my personal space. He shoved the box out of my grasp and I heard it clatter loudly against the stone floor. His long fingers grasped my chin and cheek tightly, bringing my face close to his.
“Don’t play dumb with me, girl. You think I don’t see that fire behind your eyes? You need to learn your place.”
He held my face tightly as he leaned close. His pink tongue flicked out of his mouth and traced the seam of my lips. I screwed my face up, disgusted, and ground me teeth together to prevent myself from attempting an attack. Biding my time was the only feasible option I had.
Samedi forced his tongue into my mouth roughly. His free hand grabbed at the skirt of my gown and he began hitching it up my leg. My heart began to pound, not in anger, but in fear. The writing was on the wall as my skirt lifted higher and higher. Panic was setting in and I squirmed in his grip. The more I struggled the tighter his hold became and I was sure that I would have bruises.
Was Della’s fate going to soon be mine?
The Baron’s hands groped harshly under my skirt as his hands came into contact with my bare flesh. I squeezed my thighs together and tried to push as far away from him as I could. His hands were like a vice and within a second he had torn my panties away from me. He tossed them onto the floor and his fingers hiked my skirt back up.
“No…Please…” I pleaded quietly.
My blood felt like a glacial stream. Samedi was everywhere, suffocating me. I lost all cognition at the feeling of his long digits running along the edge of my exposed folds. The power within me rose to the surface and I felt like I was about to combust. Being violated was not something I would ever allow if I could do something to stop it. Maybe if I could create a distraction of some sort, I could figure a way the hell out.
That was it! It was decided. His fingers pushed into me roughly and I let everything I’d been holding in go, ripping his powers from him and mixing them with mine. At least, something good could come from our bond.
A flash of light exploded forth from me and filled the entire room with brutal force. Once my eyes cleared, I saw the Baron lying face down up against the furthest wall. This was my chance.
I bolted for the door, pausing only to scoop up the fallen box as I went. I wasn’t willing to stick around and see if the monster was still alive. If he was, he would surely strap me into his torture rack and keep me there until I succumbed to a fate like Della.
The heavy wooden door felt feather light as I flung it open and dashed through it, not looking back. My feet pounded against the stones of the abandoned hallways as I speedily navigated my way to a hopeful sanctuary. Mateo had said I needed to find Drake in Guinee and that sounded like my best shot. I had spent my days in the Land of the Dead, feeling sorry for myself instead of exploring like I should have. Fuck. I need…something. What I needed exactly, I wasn’t quite sure, but I had no choice other than to figure it out on the run.
The Baron’s voice roared behind me and echoed through the halls after me. It would seem he was still alive and very, very pissed off. His angry bellows spurred me to pump my legs faster, I was skittering around corners searching desperately for the doorway back to the main hall. I didn’t see it. It should’ve been close. In fact, I didn’t recognize any of what surrounded me. Shit. Fuck. This isn’t good. Thoughts clouded my mind as panic set in. He’d find me if I couldn’t think clearly and get out of the Palace.
“Maya!” Samedi’s pissed off shrieks sounded like they were getting closer.
A single corridor on my right split off from the straight one I was in. I didn’t have time to retrace my steps and find my way back to my room, so the branched hall was my only shot. My steps were light and they were swift while I tried to be as silent as I could. The hallway was short, much shorter than any of the others and it ended in a single door.
“Maya!” His call was close this time. I didn’t have long before he’d found me.
I shed any hesitation and opened the door just enough to slip through. With it shut behind me, I turned to look at what I had wandered into.
Chapter Thirteen
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
I was outside. It had been an actual means of escape and I couldn’t hold in my relief, which came out in a heavy exhalation.
The skies were grey as the perpetual fog blanketed the landscape. I didn’t have the slightest idea which way I should go. Going back inside to face the wrath of the Baron wasn’t an option. Who could I trust? I shut down that train of thought quickly. There was no one. Not anymore. I was on my own.
First things first, I needed to get away from the castle and away from the many monsters lurking within it. Once I was far enough away, I could try to locate a way out of Guinee. I was hesitant to leave the safety I felt huddled against the wall, but I was just going to have to suck it up. I took a deep breath and blew it out before I started on my way.
The Baron knew that I was familiar with the Gates of Guinee, one specifically, and he’d be watching them closely. I resolved myself to only brave them as a last resort. My only real option was to open a portal myself and I couldn’t very well attempt something like that while standing outside of a door that would be checked by the man hunting me.
At first, I took only a few steps before pausing to scan my surroundings. I couldn’t see anything beyond the fog and the world was deathly silent. The calm made me uneasy. New Orleans was a vibrant city full of urban noises and Mama Yansa’s swamp had been equally as loud. It was different than the city. The swamps were full of the wild calls of birds, shrill screams of insects, and all sorts of weird noises. It held none of those things. There was nothing but the sound of my blood rushing through my ears.
I adjusted to the quiet after a while and continued the pattern I had set. Take a few strides and stop, take a few more, then stop. Each stop, I strained to hear anything, to no avail. I had only ever found the one gate. I was heading in the exact opposite direction of it, not knowing where any of the other six stood.
After an hour or so of walking, I settled slightly. I was no longer stopping frequently to check my surroundings and I was certain the Baron wouldn’t wander so far on his own. Still, I wasn’t
sure how much in touch he was with his lands. He could’ve known exactly where I was.
The ground was soft beneath my feet and while the slippers were comfortable, the dress was not. It was heavy and soaked up moisture from the chilly air and damp ground. My legs and feet had begun to get sore; I wasn’t used to bulky, awkward dresses. It wasn’t made for trekking long distances. I needed to figure out where to go from there because I couldn’t just keep walking aimlessly in the fog. There was no telling what was out there with me besides the Rotten, or so I had come to think of them. The putrid stench was burned into my memory and I knew if I was subjected to it again, I’d puke. I plopped down onto the moist earth and tried to think of anything that might be helpful.
Guinee had been a rather small portion of my voodoo education. The gates were harder to remember. There were seven of them, scattered around the world with several centered in New Orleans. Each had their own counterpart in the other realms though. The one I was familiar with was in the center of Canal Street. With the locations of the gates being lost to time and super secretive voodoo gods, I didn’t know what the odds were of me finding another one. I didn’t feel the pull of raw magic from anywhere close by.
The box was weighty within my palms and I was sure I was far enough away to brave it. I’d learned my lesson when it came to waiting for an ideal opportunity and I wouldn’t chance it again.
I held the tiny chest up to look at it from every different angle. It was just as it had been in my dream. I flicked my thumb over the release, but the thumb prick didn’t release. Without it, the box wouldn’t open.
A Soul's Surrender (The Voodoo Revival Series Book 2) Page 20