The Witch's Thirst

by Deborah LeBlanc

  Arabella had made a point about Gunner. Having someone outside the Circle of Sisters might be able to bring a new perspective to their problems. Being a master of his own incantations and spells, Gunner just might have an idea on how to help them.

  Taka kept reminding herself about Arabella’s point as she walked, seemingly forever. When she finally reached Canal Street, there were very few people milling about. A few homeless men sleeping near door stoops, a couple of drunks singing nonsensical songs.

  When she reached Evee’s café, Bon Appétit, which, of course, was closed at this hour, she stood near its front door and studied the lay of the land. From here, she at least had a sense of direction. Trey Cottle’s law office was across the street, and she knew he lived in an apartment right above the office. Shandor Black lived in an apartment about a block away. Although she didn’t know Shandor’s exact apartment name or number, it wouldn’t have taken much to find him. A few knocks on a few doors, some irritated people having been roused from sleep. No big deal.

  It was then that Taka realized she didn’t have a clue as to where Gunner lived. She’d just assumed he lived next to Trey and Shandor since they were together so often.

  Yet, in that moment, Taka remembered that she’d never heard Gunner mention where he lived.

  She sat on the stoop of the café, clutched her purse to her breasts, and slapped herself on the forehead. She was a damn airhead. She should have thought this out more thoroughly before taking off. For all she knew, Gunner could live in Baton Rouge, a city over an hour away. Many people commuted to work in New Orleans from surrounding cities.

  What was she supposed to do now? Taka sighed heavily, her feet throbbing from having walked so far. The Elders made a habit of walking the Garden District area from time to time for exercise and fresh air. But at her age, Taka’s brain had lied to her, convincing her that her body could easily make the walk to the Quarter.

  She sat, staring at Trey Cottle’s office, at the apartment windows above it. They were dark, which meant Trey was either asleep or out for the night. As she stared, an idea struck her. The only way she’d be able to find out where Gunner lived was to ask one of the two sorcerers that the other two Elders didn’t trust.

  As far as Trey was concerned, Taka held no opinion one way or the other, except that she considered him ugly with his round belly, triple chins and the snooty nose with glasses always resting at its tip. Then there was his balding, sweaty head. But looks weren’t what she was after. She needed information, and if anyone knew where to find Gunner, Trey would certainly know.

  If Trey was up there in his apartment, sleeping, she could wake him and at least ask for Gunner’s address. Certainly he wouldn’t get upset for that small bother. All he’d have to do was give her the address and go right back to sleep.

  Taka got to her feet and crossed the street to Trey’s office. Alongside the building was a wrought-iron gate, which was locked. Beyond it, down a short alley, she spotted a stairwell and landing that obviously led to Trey’s apartment. The fence stood at least eight feet tall. No way she’d be able to climb it and jump over.

  Standing back a few feet, Taka studied the darkened apartment windows again. With the gate in her way, how could she get Trey’s attention? Knocking on his office door wouldn’t do any good, as it also had a wrought-iron security door over the mahogany one that led into the office.

  Frustrated, Taka looked down both sides of Canal. Only a straggler or two walking on the opposite side of the street. She paced for a moment, head lowered, rubbing her chin between a thumb and finger.

  That was when she happened upon a pebble...then a second, slightly larger one. She picked them up, rolled them over in her palm. In the movies, when a boy wanted to get a girl’s attention in an upstairs bedroom without her parents knowing, he’d toss pebbles at her window until he got her attention.

  Excited that she might have found a way to reach Trey, Taka took the smallest pebble and threw it at one of the upstairs windows. She missed by a foot, hitting the brick siding of the building instead.

  Sticking her tongue between her teeth, she took the larger pebble, closed her left eye to get a better sight on her target, then threw it as hard as she could.

  The rock not only hit the window but shattered it.

  Gasping, Taka jumped left, then right, not knowing whether to run away or just wait out the tongue-lashing she was sure she’d get from Trey.

  Within seconds Trey Cottle’s face appeared at the window. From the streetlamps that lined Canal, Taka could easily see the fury on the man’s face. When he looked down and saw her, however, his expression changed.

  It went from anger to surprise to oddly soft and curious.

  “Why, Ms. Burnside, were you the one who broke my window?” Trey called down to her.

  Taka began to wring her hands, her purse swinging in the crook of her right arm. “Y-yes. I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to throw it that hard. I wanted to get your attention because I need some help with something.”

  Trey lifted an eyebrow and said, “Wait. Wait right there. I’ll come down and let you in.”

  “No, no, that’s not necessary,” Taka said, anxiety riding her body like a bull just let out of a chute.

  Before she could say more, Trey had already disappeared from the window, and she saw lights flooding the rooms upstairs.

  Taka stood on the sidewalk, shifting nervously from foot to foot, needing to pee. She shouldn’t have come here. Something in her gut told her that coming to Trey Cottle’s place had been a big mistake. Then again, it could just be her paranoia running amok. The only other option she’d had was to find Shandor, which would have meant knocking on more doors, waking more people. She took long, deep breaths, trying to remember the bigger purpose as to why she was here. That all she planned to get from Trey was an address. Gunner’s address.

  The longer Taka waited, the more she needed to pee. She crossed her legs to keep from letting go right there on the sidewalk in her pink pantsuit.

  Trey suddenly appeared to her left, at the wrought-iron gate that closed off the short alley. He wore a maroon silk robe over maroon pajamas. Their pant legs clung to his chunky thighs.

  He quickly unlocked the gate and motioned Taka inside.

  She hesitated. “I—I really don’t need to go inside. I hate to bother you. I know it’s late or rather very early morning, but I’m a little desperate. I need Gunner Stern’s address. Do you know where he lives? I really need to contact him.”

  Trey cocked his head to one side and shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Why would you be looking for Gunner at this hour?” he asked.

  “I need... I just need to talk to him,” Taka said, being careful about what she relayed to Trey.

  Trey sighed. “He lives out by the Causeway, Ms. Burnside, which is quite the distance from here.” He looked down both sides of the street. “I don’t see any vehicle nearby. May I call you a cab? And while I do so, I’ll write down Gunner’s address for you.”

  Taka was about to say yes, please, then remembered she hadn’t taken any money with her. All she carried in her purse was tissue, a compact, a hairbrush and a can of pepper spray. She hadn’t thought about bringing money.

  “I appreciate you offering to call a cab for me, but it seems like I left home without any money. I know the Causeway’s a long way from here, but I’ll figure out a way to get there. If you would be so kind as to just give me his address.”

  Trey tsked and said, “I know you said it’s important, but if you can’t physically make it to him, you’re certainly welcome to use my telephone and call him. I have his number, and I’ll most certainly give you as much privacy as you need while you speak to him.”

  Taka thought about it for a moment, feeling out Trey, trying to get a sense of whether he was sincere or not.

  R
emembering her initial mission, Taka squared her shoulders and walked past the gate, which Trey closed behind them. She then followed him down the short alley and up the stairs into his apartment.

  As he ushered her inside and led her through the apartment, Taka saw a neatly kept kitchen and a living room decorated with mahogany and leather furniture.

  Trey motioned to a room on the right, just past the living room. “My phone is right in there. It’s my home office.” He opened a pair of French doors and led her into a large room that held a circular desk, two wingback chairs in front of the desk and a tall leather-back chair behind it. The desk itself held a computer, a telephone and mountains of paperwork. Bookshelves lined every wall of the room, each overflowing with books.

  Trey pointed to the telephone. “There you go. You’re welcome to it.” He leaned across the desk, picked up a pen and wrote a set of numbers on a yellow Post-it note. He handed the note to Taka. “This is Gunner’s number. He’s probably asleep right now, so just let it ring. I’m sure he’ll eventually answer. I’ll be out in the kitchen if you need me for anything.”

  “Thank you,” Taka said, feeling a bit uneasy as soon as Trey left the room and closed the door behind him. She listened to his footsteps as he made his way down the hallway. When his footsteps finally faded to nothing, Taka picked up the receiver of the phone and punched in the number Trey had written down for her.

  On the fifth ring, a man answered the phone. “H-hello?” His voice sounded thick with sleep.

  “Is this Gunner Stern?” Taka asked quietly.

  “Who is this?” he asked.

  “Taka Burnside. I’m one of the Elders, you know, along with Arabella. I’ve met you a few times at the Bon Appétit Café.”

  The man cleared his throat. “Oh, yes, Ms. Burnside, I know who you are. I apologize that it took me a while to recognize your voice. It’s a bit early in the morning.”

  “I—I know,” Taka said. “I’m so sorry for waking you, but we desperately need your help.”

  Taka heard shuffling on the other end of the phone, and when Gunner finally responded, his voice sounded strong and alert.

  “How may I be of help?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Taka confessed. “I was hoping you might have some ideas.”

  “Regarding...?”

  Taka glanced around the room, making sure she was alone. She cupped the mouthpiece of the receiver and lowered her voice even more. “Mr. Stern, the Elders need you. Things have gotten out of control for us. We’re losing some of the Originals, and humans are being attacked. We’ve had the entire clan of Sisters casting spells to help us, but their incantations don’t seem to be working. You’re the only one of the sorcerers I trust to ask for help. Arabella trusts you, too. At first no one wanted any sorcerer involved, but we’re running out of options, and if we don’t do something soon, I’m afraid we’ll lose everything. The Originals, the Triad, the people in this city.” Taka stopped her blabbering and listened for a response from Gunner.

  A few seconds passed before he said, “You are in quite the fix, aren’t you? Is there somewhere we can meet to discuss this in person?”

  “I—I don’t know.” Taka fretted that if she waited to meet him face to face, went over the entire story again, the other Elders would wake and find her missing.

  “Where are you now?” Gunner asked.

  Taka whispered into the mouthpiece while eyeing the room. “At Trey Cottle’s apartment.”

  “What are you doing there?” Gunner asked quite loudly.

  “I didn’t know where you lived. I wasn’t sure where Shandor lived, either. I just knew Trey’s apartment was on top of his office, so it was easy to find. I figured he’d know your address, so I got his attention. Sort of in a bad way, though. I threw a rock at his window and it shattered. Trey was nice about it. He didn’t get angry at me or anything. He told me you lived out by the Causeway, and I wasn’t able to make it there by cab because I forgot to bring cash with me. I didn’t know you lived that far away. So Trey offered to let me use his phone. Gave me your phone number.”

  “Listen carefully,” Gunner said. “Don’t say anything more. Just hang up the phone, leave Trey’s apartment and head straight to your house. I’ll meet you there.”

  “No, I can’t meet there,” Taka said frantically. “The other two Elders don’t know I’m out here. Can we meet at Evee’s café? The Bon Appétit? It’s not open now. No one will be there.”

  “Can you get inside the café?”

  “No, I don’t have a key.”

  There was a moment of silence before Gunner said, “I don’t like the idea of you standing out in front of the café at this time of night...morning.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Taka said. “I’ve got Mace with me.”

  Another moment of silence, then Gunner said, “All right. Just leave that apartment this minute and go to the café. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

  Taka nodded, then realized he couldn’t see the gesture. “Yes, I will. Thank you. Thank you so much for speaking with me.”

  “Leave now,” Gunner insisted. “I’ll be looking for you, and I promise I won’t keep you waiting long.”

  “Thank you.”

  A second of silence made Taka wonder if she should hang up now. Before she did, Gunner’s voice came to her ear. “Taka?”

  “Yes?”

  “Before we meet, I want to give you an important piece of advice.”

  “Certainly. What is it?”

  “Don’t ever return to Trey’s apartment again. Understand?”

  Now it was Taka’s turn to bleed silence into the line. Only when she finally said, “Yes. I understand,” did Gunner hang up his phone.

  She hung up, sitting behind Trey’s desk in the large leather chair. Taka had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she’d just crossed a line she’d never be able to return from. Not only had she contacted a sorcerer, but she done it from Trey Cottle’s apartment.

  Something inside her didn’t feel right. She did as instructed, leaving the apartment as quickly as possible.

  Taka ran into Trey as she followed the route he’d used to bring her to his home office. He stood near the stove with a kettle of water he placed on a burner.

  “Ah, Ms. Burnside, just in time. Would you care for a cup of tea?” Trey asked. His brow furrowed slightly. “You seem a bit rattled. I hope all is well. Maybe some chamomile tea will help settle your nerves.”

  “No, thank you,” Taka said quickly. She noticed Trey’s eyes grow darker. “I appreciate the use of your phone. And I do apologize again about your window.”

  “Then please do me the courtesy of allowing me to help calm your nerves. You don’t have to talk about whatever’s bothering you if you don’t want to.”

  Taka felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and her body tensed, ready for fight or flight.

  “I’d love to, really, but I can’t. Arabella and Vanessa will be worried about me. I need to head back home. So, thank you. Thank you again for your kindness,” Taka said while making her way to the kitchen door. When she opened it, ready to fly down the stairs, Trey called out to her.

  “Wait a moment,” he said, and followed her to the door. Taka felt her insides tremble and prayed it wasn’t obvious to Trey. “I’ll need to unlock the alleyway gate so you can leave.”

  “Ah.” Taka forced a smile. “Of course. I’m sorry to inconvenience you again.”

  “No problem, Ms. Burnside.”

  They made it to the gate, and Trey unlocked it, then opened it wide so Taka could leave.

  As she squeezed past him and felt she could breathe again now that a fence separated them, Taka said, “Thank you again. And I’ll be happy to pay for your window, Mr. Cottle.”

  Trey tsked. “No ne
ed, Ms. Burnside. I understand emergencies. The window’s on me. Have a good evening.” He smiled at her, and the look came across more like a smirk.

  Taka hurried away, wanting to throw up and wishing more than ever that she’d never gone to Cottle’s apartment.

  Chapter 14

  After Lucien left the café without saying goodbye, Evee had sat there for a while. And then, finally managing to pull herself out of her despondency, she went home to dress for the feeding. She put on a fresh pair of black slacks and a black pullover sweater and brushed her hair back into a ponytail.

  She left the house weary but also somewhat cautiously. Her illusion spell with the Cartesians had worked. But to what end? Ronan had died anyway. Why did that spell work and not others? She didn’t have a clue. She was only grateful that it had worked.

  She’d never seen so many Cartesians hanging from the sky, roaring, clawing, all of them like vultures starving for fresh meat. Although Lucien and Ronan had faced them bravely, Evee didn’t have to be a Bender to realize they were seriously outnumbered. Evee had been certain that through their years of experience as Benders, Lucien and Ronan would have figured their way out of the calamity. But despite her confidence, Evee had refused to leave them out in the open, alone, with so many enemies eager to kill.

  The illusion spell had come to mind unbidden, and although she had had issues with previous spells going south or simply fizzling out altogether, she hadn’t hesitated to stand by Lucien’s side and speak her incantation.

  Oddly enough, she wasn’t surprised that it had worked. She didn’t know if the ferocity she’d felt to help Lucien and Ronan had given the spell the extra kick it needed to work. For all intents and purposes, the reason the spell worked really didn’t matter now. What mattered was that it had worked. Only too little too late. If only it had saved Ronan’s life, as well.

  After leaving her house, Evee decided to look in on the Nosferatu in the catacombs once more before she checked on the ferry and the electrical dome they’d discussed building over it to protect the Originals en route to the compound.