Bayou Summons

by Missy Sue Hanson

Glad that he hadn’t second guessed her, Summer squeezed his hand.

  After everything was gathered, the coven formed a circle around the slab of stone. Each tipped their heads back, looking at their death-speaker as she stood in the center of the stone, on top of the pentacle. Candles lit the bottom of her robe, casting her face in shadow as she waited for the transition to begin.

  Cayden spoke, raising his hands to the sky, calling forth the help of spirits that glided through the mist and fog of the bayou. As the others watched, sparks twisted in a flurry around him. And when his head snapped forward to stare ahead, onyx reflected where his irises had been. Summer began to feel tingling, beginning the process of transition from one realm to the next. She remembered Faline’s words, told herself to welcome it, to embrace the change.

  From the floor, the coven watched in wonder as Summer’s hair blew around her face as if she had stepped into a wind tunnel. Through the honey blonde strands that whipped about her shoulders, they saw the same onyx looking back at them. Her hands fisted into claws and she snarled.

  Summer was inside herself now, enfolding her spirit into the realm she focused on in her mind. A vivid image of Elena burned bright in her mind’s eye and all her intentions were directed towards wherever the brave girl may be now. She was still in the void, concentrating, when an image flitted in and out. Like the screen from an old movie, there were scratches and lines distorting the picture behind them. Finally, everything came into focus and was clear.

  She was in some type of cave that was caked with red clay. There had been clay like this in some of the states she had visited, but something told Summer that this place was nowhere near her world. This was some alternate atmosphere, one in which she’d never been. The air was thick and caused her lungs to burn. A sound came from just outside the room she was in. She crept toward the opening and upon passing through found herself in a similar room.

  In the right corner, Elena was chained. Her wrists bound by heavy metal, stretched above her, the chain disappearing into the clay that covered the walls. She hung limply, her legs in impossibly twisted angles. Summer couldn’t see her face. Her chin rested on her chin, also at an odd angle. Her brown hair was matted with what looked like dry blood, hanging clumped together, hiding Elena’s face.

  Summer tried to breath deep, but the stifling air wouldn’t allow it. “Elena?” She took a step forward, wanting to make sure that this misshapen form was Elena and not some other poor soul. The body jerked suddenly at the sound of Summer’s voice. Summer took a few steps towards her again. “Elena, is that you?”

  A grunt came floating up in the heavy air and Summer made the last few steps to her side. She knelt down and asked again, “Elena?” Summer took the soul’s face in her hands and brought into full view, brushing back the filthy strands of hair. It was Elena, but not. The once proudly defiant face was riddled with cuts and lashes. Her eyes remained closed, one so swollen that Summer doubted she’d be able to open it even if she wanted; her lips were cracked and bleeding.

  “Jesus, I’m so sorry Elena. I’m going to get you out of here.”

  Elena opened her good eye to a slit, but still gave no effort to hold her head up on her own. “Have you defeated him?”

  “No, that’s why I’m here. I need your help.”

  Elena choked, her abused body seizing as she started to speak again. “I’m of no use.”

  “Do you know if Alsandair has any weaknesses, Elena?” Summer asked weakly, hoping against hope that Elena would provide some secret to Alsandair’s destruction.

  “I know of none. If I had, they would’ve used them against him.” Her words came in spurts, with seconds between them.

  Feeling defeated all over again, Summer sighed. “Okay, I’m going to get you out of here, but I need you to gather every bit of strength you have, we’ll need to push our way past any blocks he’s put up.” Ineffectively, Elena tried to nod in compliance.

  Summer kept her hands on Elena’s face, tipped her head back and fixed her mind on the task at hand. Elena moaned and pulled on the chains as the darkness closed in. The inky substance flowed closer, until finally, it came to rest on their skin. Summer opened her eyes and looked at Elena.

  She was no longer chained and looked as she had that first time. Her face was free of the torture, her body straight and ready. Her hands fisted at her sides, she looked at Summer.

  “Thank you,” she whispered softly.

  “You are very welcome,” Summer tipped her head and smiled at the young woman. “and thank you, too.”

  “I feel so warm. I think I need to go.” Elena smiled back shyly.

  Summer curved one corner of her mouth. “Yes, I think you do.”

  The charcoal force swept over Elena, until eventually, she was gone. Free from the torture and slavery that was once her existence in this forsaken realm.

  Concentrating once again, Summer brought the image of the meeting room into her mind. With a resounding crack she knew she had made it back, opening her eyes to the wonder in everyone else’s. Cayden stood at the base of the stone, standing steady with his arms open. The world had finally righted itself for her and it all waited, right there in his arms. She stepped off, trusting him to catch her.

  Chapter 16

  The empty vessel that stood in front of his throne was just a toy, a plaything to occupy his furious thoughts. Alsandair had to hold himself back. If he pursued the bitch any further, it might make too much of a ruckus, giving Finvarra the heads-up on his plans. That was one thing he couldn’t afford. He didn’t stand a chance against the king without that whore’s powers and obedience.

  He had already tried to pull her back, but that bastard warlock had conjured something up. He didn’t know what, but it kept him from summoning her, from grabbing her spirit and pulling it free from the material world.

  An image flashed through his mind. It was of his prison in another dimension, one he had concocted specifically for enjoyment. The wench was helping Elena escape! How in the hell had she found her? This was impossible! Rage boiling, Alsandair turned and screamed slapping the lost soul in the face. The vessel stood there, unwavering. He was growing so tired of this!

  He burst into a million pieces, riding the air and crossing the dimensions in a flash. But, he arrived too late. Elena’s chains hung empty on the wall, his little slave nowhere in sight. The bitch would pay!

  Closing his eyes, he focused on his little treat. It was no use her warlock had her locked up tight. The next time he laid hands on her; he would wrap them around her neck and snap it like a twig. And after he was done servicing himself with her useless body, he would rip out her warlock’s throat.

  Had she just obeyed him, Alsandair wouldn’t have taken such drastic measures! He would summon his army and somehow, find a way to break through the barriers the warlock had constructed around his queen. She would be his, and now, she would suffer for all of eternity for trying to elude him.

  ****

  The coven had wandered upstairs. Women were in the kitchen making what Summer assumed were refreshments as the others lazed about in the parlor. Some sat on the floor and others had procured seating on some of the antique furniture that graced the room. They all looked so normal. After leaving their robes downstairs, the scene resembled a family get-together with people milling about, talking in little groups.

  She had found a corner and went to stand, witnessing the bond between these magical people. Hearing footsteps down the hall, Summer looked for their source. It was Sophie, carrying a mug with “Mardi Gras” printed on the front in bright green letters. It didn’t fit her at all. Summer imagined Sophie drinking from a heavy pottery mug, not a cheap souvenir.

  Sophie noticed Summer looking at the mug with a bit of a smirk and she announced, “It was the only one left.” Looking sheepish, Sophie shot Summer a grin. “How about you, Cherie?” she asked. “Would you like something to drink? I imagine after that, you must be feeling a little frazzled.”

  Summe
r shook her head. “No, thank you, though. I am amazingly enough, feeling okay.” Sophie walked to the chair in front of Summer and plunked into it, its cushions giving way.

  “I usually feel horrible after a vision. This time, I feel almost glorious.” Summer sat Indian style in front of Sophie’s sandal-clad feet. Her toes were painted a blood red.

  “That’s good to know. Did you do something different this time?” Something about the way Sophie said it made Summer wonder if she already knew.

  “Well, I flowed with it and didn’t fight it as I have in the past. I didn’t realize that I was doing so, but apparently it was, because I’ve done it different the past two times and I haven’t had any sickness or migraines.”

  Sophie clucked her tongue. “You shouldn’t fight who you are, Cherie. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?”

  Summer thought for a moment. “No, actually, they haven’t.”

  “Where are your parents, darling?” Sophie gripped the mug and leaned in closer, bringing her voice an octave lower.

  “Well, I was adopted. My adoptive parents died in a car crash about ten years ago.”

  Sophie’s eyes shone with sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  Sophie’s reaction had feelings coming to the surface she hadn’t yet faced. “Yeah, it was hard, but they left me enough of an inheritance to go to school, get my education. So, at least I had a chance at a life.”

  “Inheritance doesn’t give you a chance at life, Cherie, you do.”

  Hearing truth in Sophie’s words, Summer nodded. “You’re right.” Summer paused, wanting to ask a question but not knowing how to approach it.

  “Go on, ask.” Sophie smiled at Summer’s gaping mouth. “I’m psychic; I know what you’re thinking.”

  Feeling completely at ease with her, Summer asked, “Is that all you do?”

  Sophie leaned back, tucked her legs underneath the chair. “I’m a voodoo priestess.” Sophie waited for Summer’s reaction. When she didn’t get one, she continued. “I was born into a magical family, just as Cayden was, but my family harbored a different kind of magic, perhaps a bit darker than the Beauvais magic.

  Summer couldn’t resist. “You mean skulls and killing chickens and all that?”

  Sophie laughed, causing the muumuu she had on to bounce up and down with the rhythm of her belly, “Sometimes.”

  In disbelief, Summer uttered, “Wow.”

  “Now you see why I’m not so open in public. Not only can I see inside my head what you ate for breakfast, but I also carry on a tradition of magic that most people shy away from.”

  “Yeah, I can understand now.”

  With a playful jest, Sophie added, “And I can also see how you and Cayden occupied your time well into the night.”

  The bloom of rose colored flesh spoke volumes as Sophie laughed at Summer’s embarrassment. “It’s all natural, nothing to be ashamed of, quite the opposite. In fact, many of us have waited for your arrival. We didn’t know exactly what would be coming, but we felt that someone would arrive to unite with us, make us stronger. The love you feel for Cayden is not conjured, don’t be mistaken on that. You two may be bound together by something more than yourselves, but true love starts with the heart and not even magic can mess with that.”

  Cayden walked into the room, a regal addition to the myth that encompassed his house. She looked at Sophie before getting to her feet and crossing the room and into his arms.

  He hugged her close and whispered, “So, what kind of stories is Sophie weaving for you over there?”

  Summer pulled back just far enough to look into his eyes. “Fairytales,” she whispered just before he kissed her in front of the entire coven.

  Chapter 17

  After much deliberation and spinning of theories and suggestions on how to wipe out Alsandair’s existence, the coven had retired. Summer and Cayden stood at the door, hugging each one of them and wishing them safe until they met again.

  She could see herself like this, beside Cayden for the rest of her life. Saying goodbye to guests, who had come to call at their home. Never had she felt more at ease, more comfortable anywhere in her life. She just had to find out if Cayden felt the same. Did he see babies and wedding bells in their future? Summer prayed that he did, because the thought of leaving him when this was all over was enough to bring her to her knees in despair.

  She thought about the day’s events as they sat at the kitchen table, eating chicken that Cayden had cooked. Over glasses of wine, they still hadn’t come up with any new plans.

  “Summer,” he asked quietly.

  Snapping back to reality, she said, “What? I’m sorry, my mind must have wandered. What did you say?”

  “I asked if you had gotten the girl out of there okay.”

  “Yes, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Truthfully, I was expecting to run into some type of problems, but it went off without a hitch.”

  He reached for her hand, covering it, spreading warmth and desire through her bones. “Good. I can’t imagine seeing someone like that and being the one responsible for their safety.”

  “You protect me, here isn’t much difference. Instinct takes over and you just do it. There is no time to think of the “what ifs” or obstacles in the way.”

  “I guess you’re right.” He removed his hand from hers and poured more wine into their glasses. The crystal was probably just as old as everything else in the house, bouncing little rays of light around the room. Summer had never drunk from anything like them.

  “So, want to play chess?” A twinkle had lit his eyes and he grinned from ear to ear as he rested his elbows on the edge of the solid oak table.

  Summer gave a hoot. “Are you serious?”

  “No.” The twinkle turned to fire as his face went from laughter to hunger. He had just eaten, so the only thing left for him to hunger was her.

  “You’re insatiable.” Summer said shyly as she took a sip of wine.

  “You have no idea.” He murmured as he smiled like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

  ****

  A banging flowed into her slumber. There was a pounding somewhere. She felt for the warmth of Cayden and felt delicious as memories of their loving came back full force. They had fallen asleep utterly drained, much like they had the night before. Where was that noise coming from? Then it dawned on her, it was the front door. The frantic knocking never stopped, whoever it was at the door was on a mission of some importance.

  Summer jostled Cayden awake with her elbow. “Darling’, someone’s banging on the door!” He grunted softly, waking at once. Rolling out of the bed, he grabbed and was pulling on his shorts as he hopped to the door. She followed him, pulling a clean tank that they had unpacked earlier, over her head. The stairs creaked with the weight of both of them as they scrambled to make it to the front door. The grandfather clock in the parlor was louder than Summer had noticed that day. The ticking rhymed the beat of whatever had woke them up.

  Cayden flung the door open, expecting to find the demon had arrived on his doorstep, but instead he found Sophie and Lurleene, clad in only their nightgowns, looking panicked and distraught. As soon as he opened his mouth to ask what was going on, Sophie rushed past him and grabbed Summer by the arm.

  “He’s coming!” She turned to Cayden. “Cher, did you cast protection?” She didn’t wait for his answer, only whirled around again and took both of Summer’s arms in her grasp, shaking her a bit. “Summer, he’s coming, you must prepare yourself!”

  Summer, still groggy, responded, “What do you mean, Sophie?”

  “I saw it. he will pull you through tonight and capture you. He will succeed if we don’t do something.” Turning to Cayden again, she yelled, “And quick!”

  Cayden ran to Summer’s side. Halfway to her, he saw her eyes change, saw her sink into the air around her and grow limp in Sophie’s hands. It was too late; she had been pulled into the realm of the one that threatened existence as they knew it. He could
feel her presence slip through his fingers like sand and even though he tried, he couldn’t hold on.

  ****

  Her body had flooded with terror the second she understood what Sophie had been trying to tell her. But she hadn’t figured it out soon enough. Summer’s world had once again faded, the globe spinning on it’s axis as she floated towards her worst nightmare. The anguish had come too quick, not allowing any time for preparation. Being stripped of the ability to concentrate and lessen the blinding, searing shock and the unspeakable pain streamed in, left her paralyzed for a moment. Fighting against it would only make it worse. But, she couldn’t find the courage to welcome this. Couldn’t find the brave part of her that would willingly face the situation she was about to find herself in.

  Feeling the spinning stop, she attempted to move, but couldn’t. Her arms were locked, somewhere above her. They had already begun to ache, the blood draining to her heart, pooling at her shoulder sockets. Her fingertips began to prickle, signifying the loss of life supply.

  Daringly, she made her eyelids fly open. Her body didn’t want to listen it only wanted to curl up and away from whatever awaited her on the other side. Just as she suspected, Alsandair knelt in front of her. She recognized the same red clay. She had taken Elena’s place. One of her legs was askew, twisted painfully into the shape of an “L”. The other was half below her and pointing to the right, looking as if she had tried to stand up, to gain some kind of footing. But she hadn’t moved yet. The only movement she had made was to open her eyes.

  Summer centered everything she had on the task of straightening her legs, hoping that somehow she could lift herself up to try and get out of the bondage that had her pinned in the abnormal position. Her nerves weren’t listening. Instead of taking action, listening to her mind’s commands, they remained still. Frustrated, she groaned.

  An answering groan came from the corner of the room and just as before, Alsandair stepped out of the shadows, like a rat on the hunt for crumbs.