Death Rites

by Theophilus Monroe

  I tapped my front teeth with my fingernails. It was a bad habit, one that I turned to when I was nervous. At least I didn’t bite my nails. Ashley did that—and it drove me nuts. Nothing grosser than finding chewed off nail clippings on the floor mat of the Camaro. Okay, it could be worse. I once left a booger stuck to a business card and left it sitting in the cup holder. No, I’m not a regular nose picker. But when you have one deep in there that’s fluttering around with every breath and won’t come out by blowing, what choice does one have? It was one of very few things, aside from tapping my teeth, that gave my nails an actual function.

  Too much information. I know. But I’m prone to that when I’m anxious.

  Suddenly Brayden appeared in a flash of rainbow-colored light.

  “Something’s wrong with Pauli!”

  Pauli’s whole body hung from Brayden’s arms, limp.

  “Have you tried tickling his belly?”

  “I’ve tried everything. He won’t respond. I think he’s still breathing, but it’s hard to tell.”

  I took Pauli in my arms. “Isabelle, think we can help, here?”

  Most likely… I still see his aura. He seems healthy. It’s like he’s in a trance. Maybe just a zap of a little healing magica?

  I nodded and inhaled deeply, drawing in whatever of Isabelle’s magic I could muster. A familiar tingle spread across my brow, and a green glow emanating from my eyes reflected off Pauli’s luminescent scales. The tingle flowed down my shoulders, through my arms and fingertips, and into Pauli.

  Suddenly Pauli jerked and instinctively coiled around me tightly.

  “It’s all right, dude,” I said, gasping for air.

  Pauli loosened his squeeze. “Thank Bondye, it’s you.”

  “What was it?”

  “A vision… I saw through Kalfu’s eyes…”

  Pauli had mentioned that this happened before, but this was the first time anything like this happened since he told me about it, since I discovered he was a snake.

  “See anything significant?”

  “Someone else was in the room. I couldn’t make out who they were—a shadow, a form. Not sure if it was a man or a woman. But Kalfu told whoever it was, and I quote, ‘You must win and bring the boy’s soul to me.’ It had to be one of the competitors.”

  “Well it can’t be Brayden, since he’s here with us.”

  “I wouldn’t conspire with that devil anyway.”

  “It had to have been one of the others.”

  “It had to be Dudley,” I said.

  “His nomination was anonymous,” Brayden added.

  I nodded. “And since Kalfu has control over Baron Samedi, he could have used the Baron’s influence to manipulate him.”

  “Are you sure it couldn’t be Sauron? Or Tressa?”

  “I’d be shocked if it was Tressa. She’s the closest thing a mortal could ever be to Erzulie. Plus, she’s too busy with her stable of men to get involved in shit like this.”

  “And Sauron?”

  I bit my lip. “I just don’t think she’s capable. If for no other reason than that she loved Nico. She wouldn’t hand his soul over to Kalfu. Plus, we know Sauron was nominated by Alexa Windstrom. Tressa by Ellie Thompson. They had their reasons, each of them. All signs point to Dudley and whoever his anonymous nomination might have come from.”

  “By the way, we did get the doll.”

  “Another reason I think it has to be Dudley,” I explained. “Think about it, Nico used this doll to manipulate Baron Samedi in Guinee. He used it to run from him for what felt to him like a lifetime. If it can do that to Baron Samedi, maybe it will also affect a student who has his aspect.”

  “That’s a big maybe,” Brayden said. “We’re in uncharted waters with this stuff.”

  I nodded. “But if we’re going to trust Marie Laveau, I have to believe it’s going to work.”

  “I hope you’re right. In case you aren’t, I’d better get to work on the doll I’ll be making for the second trial.”

  “Who are you going to fashion it after?”

  “That depends. Can I have a tuft of your hair and some toenail clippings?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I won’t hurt you. But if I’m targeting you, people won’t suspect we have an alliance. Worst case scenario, I’m able to help you wield your doll if things don’t go according to plan.”

  “This is just weird. Giving someone my toenail clippings.”

  “People buy stuff like that from pretty girls off the internet all the time,” Pauli said. “Or pretty boys.”

  “I don’t want to know what dark corners of the internet you’re accustomed to visiting, Pauli. But I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  “Well I won’t be visiting those sites for a while. Can you imagine me trying to type?”

  I shrugged. “You could use voice-to-text.”

  “That shit never understands me! The last thing I need is to misspeak something on Twitter and end up getting myself canceled.”

  “Twitter could never cancel you, Pauli.”

  “Twitter trolls are vicious! Worse than real trolls, by far.”

  “There are really trolls in the world?”

  “There are not,” Brayden interrupted. “And lest we get too far off track, how about the hair and clippings?”

  I face-palmed myself. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…”

  Chapter Eighteen

  I stepped into the amphitheater. It was cold and the bleachers were empty. The floor was covered by some kind of massive tarp, one that spanned the whole floor and sat over a structure that was at least twenty feet high.

  Where is everyone? Isabelle asked.

  “No clue. I mean, we’re in the right place, I’m sure of it.”

  “We are,” Brayden said as he approached me from behind. “Apparently Erzulie felt like the last trial didn’t do much for her image. She’s forbidden outside spectators for the second trial. Only students and the college Loa can attend.”

  “For a woman with so many lovers, she sure is insecure.”

  “Why do you think she has so many lovers?” Brayden asked. “Makes sense to me.”

  I chuckled. “How did a boy so young become so perceptive?”

  “Survival,” Brayden said as he retrieved his doll from his pocket. “You have to be perceptive to survive at this school. Especially when you’re several years younger than anyone else.”

  “Is that supposed to be me?” I smirked. It was about as nice-looking as any Voodoo doll can be. Still, I looked more like a brunette Raggedy Anne than myself.

  “It’s functional,” Brayden said. “And if the second trial is going to be what I suspect, being able to guide you will come in handy.”

  “Have some inside knowledge on the trial?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say my abilities give me some pretty impressive skills in subterfuge.”

  “You snuck into Erzulie’s office, didn’t you?”

  Brayden smiled wide. “Not the first time.”

  “So what’s the scoop?”

  “Under the tarp is some kind of maze,” Brayden explained. “Last one to reach the middle and ring the bell loses.”

  “What the fuck does that have to do with dollcraft?”

  Brayden shrugged. “Finding your way through a maze is challenging enough. But imagine if your competitors could redirect you, force you to turn around, take a wrong turn. Break your leg, even. Adds a whole different dimension to this.”

  “Broken bones?” I asked. “Sounds extreme.”

  “There’s a reason why the trials have claimed lives. The stakes get higher each round. The power we’re allowed to wield increases at every turn.”

  I nodded. “Well, we’d better be careful. I already used my get-out-of-hell card once.”

  Brayden cocked his head sideways. “I’ll make you a deal.”

  I laughed. “With all the business going on with Kalfu, the talk of striking deals never sits as well with me as it used
to.”

  “Don’t worry.” Brayden smiled. “I’m not asking for your soul or anything. Just a pact. We get out of this thing together. We get out alive.”

  “I can agree to that.”

  Footsteps approached from behind.

  I nodded at Dudley and Sauron. Sauron gave me a friendly smile. Dudley’s face remained blank and grim. He was the son of a bitch working with Kalfu, I knew it. Little did he know what I had in store for him. A few seconds later, Tressa approached. The sound of chains dragging along the cement made it clear that she had some of her man-slaves in tow. This time, she had three of them. Three of the whitest dudes I’d ever seen—even without much light in Vilokan, their pale skin was almost blinding. They all held their heads low, fixed on Tressa’s heels as she walked.

  I shook my head.

  “Hey there, Tressa.”

  Tressa turned and gave me a sly grin before turning back to her three subs and snapping her fingers. Each of them hit their knees, and they formed something of a throne. One man leaned back, his knees in the air and his palms on the ground. The other two propped him up from beneath, their own knees forming something of a seat. Tressa took her seat on her fleshly throne.

  “I really hope Ashley doesn’t end up like her,” I muttered.

  She won’t, Isabelle said. Love is a powerful thing, and Erzulie’s influence is strong. But I don’t see Ashley using those powers in… that… way. Besides, she loves Roger.

  “I’m all for girl power, but come on. Can that kind of thing really be fulfilling?”

  Just depends on what you want out of life. Those men certainly seem fulfilled, in their own way.

  “Probably doctors and lawyers, all of them. Men with power… this kind of thing is an escape.”

  An escape from what?

  “The need to be in control. The responsibility. I can relate in a very weird way.”

  How so?

  “All this power we have. The responsibility. So much at stake. Sometimes it would be nice to just let someone else take charge for a while, you know?”

  Do you want me to take the reins?

  I shook my head. “I’d do it. But my name was the one nominated. Erzulie would probably figure it out. Use it to disqualify us.”

  “Hey, girl!” Pauli said as he appeared on my shoulders.

  “I wondered when you were going to show up. I was just lamenting how it felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

  “Bitch, are you calling me fat?”

  I laughed. “No, but I guess it isn’t fair to equate you to the weight of the world.”

  “Not to mention, I weigh less than I did before. This form is quite slimming if I don’t say so myself.”

  “I was just talking to Isabelle about how Tressa’s little cadre of men must be powerful men in their real lives, men who crave to be subjugated behind closed doors.”

  “Oh you know it,” Pauli said. “Spend some time in my community and you’ll find lots of men like that. It’s sad really. Men are so pressured to be manly, to be in control, but that’s not healthy for anyone. Not without an outlet.”

  “I wonder how she gets away with bringing them down into Vilokan. I thought you had to have an aspect.”

  “Or get your mind wiped before you go,” Pauli said. “A partial wipe anyway. Erzulie and Brigitte are tight. I’m sure they have it worked out.”

  “Pauli, you seen Mikah? I think Isabelle wanted to see him before this thing gets started.”

  “He should be on his way,” Pauli said. “He was with Oggie last I saw. They were just leaving the Academy. Should be here any sec—”

  “Hi, Isabelle,” Mikah said.

  “Well speak of the devil!” Pauli exclaimed.

  “Were you guys talking about me?” Mikah asked.

  I nodded. “I knew Isabelle would want to see you before the trial. You know, just in case.”

  “In case of what?” Mikah asked. “You’ll be fine, if that’s what you’re thinking. Worst case scenario, if something happens, she can heal you.”

  “It would probably get us disqualified. You know, for using her power.”

  Mikah shrugged. “Better disqualified than dead. I assume you have a plan for this one?”

  I nodded. “Figured something out from the book.”

  “Are you going to tell me, or are you going to keep me in suspense like anyone else?”

  I bit my lip, considering it.

  Don’t tell him, Isabelle said. He’ll just worry needlessly if he knows you’re using Nico’s doll. That thing was the start of all of this…

  “Let’s keep it a surprise this time. I don’t want to spoil the show.”

  Mikah laughed. “All right. Just remember, after these trials Isabelle and I get a weekend.”

  “A whole weekend?”

  “You agreed!”

  I sighed. “All right, you guys get a weekend. But how about I focus on winning this shit first?”

  “Deal,” Mikah said. “I’ll be sitting in the row behind Oggie.”

  I nodded. Not like it mattered where he’d be sitting. Based on the size of this maze, still covered by a tarp, it was clear that no one from the outside would be able to see what was happening anyway.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Only the student body and faculty were allowed to gather for the second trial. I suppose Erzulie figured her students would be less inclined to boo at whatever decisions she might make in the course of the trial.

  Again, Agwe remained seated and silent as his companion sponged his body. Erzulie stood in front of us—all five of us.

  “As you might have ascertained, the second trial consists of making your way from your starting position to the middle of the labyrinth. The first three who ring the bell atop the ladder in the middle will advance to the final trial.”

  I raised my hand.

  Erzulie cleared her throat. “I will not take questions, Miss Mulledy, but I can anticipate the one you intend to ask.”

  I lowered my hand.

  “According to tradition, two competitors must be eliminated before the final trial. Due to a disagreement between our judge and myself, and on account of a technicality, none were eliminated in the first trial. Therefore, two must be eliminated now.”

  I glanced at Brayden, who was cracking his knuckles—clearly eager to begin.

  “There are fewer rules in this trial. While the second trial traditionally tests your skill in dollcraft, any art you have learned at the Academy, including abilities that are unique to your various aspects, may be utilized to your advantage. However, no other powers, no other magic is permitted.”

  She’s talking to us, again…

  I nodded.

  “Please raise your right hands, each one of you, to indicate that you understand the rules of the second trial.”

  All five of us raised our hands simultaneously.

  “Very well,” Erzulie said, smiling for the first time since she’d arrived in the auditorium. “With Loa Agwe’s signal, the second trial will commence. Please proceed to your starting points, marked by your house veve around the perimeter of the auditorium.”

  Each of us found our spots—after walking together clockwise around the place. It struck me that the last one of us to find their spot would have an advantage. After all, we were learning where each of our competitors was located as we found each veve and the corresponding competitor broke rank.

  We encountered Aida-Wedo’s veve first, and Brayden assumed his position. After that, we passed Erzulie’s heart-shaped veve, and Tressa moved to her spot. Mine was next—no telling if Sauron or Dudley were next. If the veves were arranged in alphabetical order, which they had been to this point, it would be Samedi and then Sogbo, Dudley and then Sauron. At least I hoped that was the case. I had Nico’s doll in my pocket. I was ready to meet Dudley in the maze if need be. I had to trust that Brayden could handle Tressa. Brayden’s aspect clearly gave him the advantage here. Hell, he could just teleport directly to
the middle and be done with it. It wasn’t exactly fair. I wasn’t entirely sure what Tressa could do. If things got nasty I could utilize my soul blade, but sending a fellow student to Guinee where he or she was likely to be lost like Nico was a fate I wouldn’t wish on any of them, not even Dudley. If it came down to it, though, I could do it. If it meant preventing Kalfu from getting Nico’s soul at the end of all this. Still, my preference was to follow the instructions Marie Laveau had left me in the book. Use Nico’s doll—let whatever happens, happen.

  I waited for Agwe’s signal. Erzulie hadn’t told us what it would be, but I assumed it would be obvious. Sure enough, a loud blow on a conch shell resonated through the room. I quickly turned down the first corridor, made a right, and then came to a T-shaped stop. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I turned left this time.

  Thud.

  I’d walked into a clear barrier.

  Ouch! Isabelle said. That hurt!

  “No shit. Didn’t expect that.”

  I turned around. A shadow passed on the wall ahead. Someone was around the corner.

  I turned, squeezing Nico’s doll, ready to unleash it on Dudley.

  It was Brayden.

  “Dude how’d you get all the way over here?”

  “Rode the rainbow.” Brayden smiled.

  “Why don’t you just teleport straight to the bell?”