“So how did you find yourself in slavery?” Rainier asked. “Were you born into it?”
“No,” Catheryn said. “As I said, my parents died when I was young. I don’t even remember them. My sister and I lived on the streets mostly. Begging and scrounging. One day, I messed up and we got caught.”
Catheryn couldn’t help but laugh a bit at that. Every time she stole something, it went badly for her. She should really stop thinking that thieving could solve her problems.
“What is it?” Rainier asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Catheryn said, not wanting to tell him about the witch she almost killed in the Hoodoo House when she was trying to steal food. “Anyway, the man who caught us, he wanted us locked away, which is a fate worse than death for two little girls. So I volunteered to be a slave, to let the man sell me, if he let my sister go. So that’s what happened. He took me up on the slaver’s block, and I was bought by the Hoodoo Queen. I never saw my sister again.”
“How long ago was that?” Rainier asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Catheryn said. “Fifteen, sixteen years ago? One day is pretty much like the next for a slave.”
Rainier nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“At least being a slave for you has been a bit more exciting,” Catheryn said.
Rainier went quiet. She wondered what he was thinking. He was probably still a bit worried about what would happen as her powers grew. He wouldn’t be able to keep her as a slave for much longer, she reckoned, considering how much her powers had improved in the last few days alone.
What would she do then? Would she stay with Rainier? What else would she do? She didn’t have a home to return to. She would need to find a coven of her own, but she had no idea how. She didn’t really know how all the politics of being a witch worked.
Finally, the brush cleared. They had made their way to the other side of the island. And there before them, on the beach, was a wrecked ship.
Catheryn felt her heart beat hard in her chest. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt a sudden surge of emotion at seeing the old decrepit beast before them.
The ship was nearly black with rot and age. About a third of it was buried in the sand. There were a few tattered rags of sails still waving in the wind.
“They say the ship is quite old,” Rainier said, breaking into her thoughts. “From long before the Rift. Back when slaves were still brought over from Africa.”
“You’re talking hundreds of years,” Catheryn said. Today, Africa was part of Devil’s Bay division and there was no way to get there from NOLA. The magical shields that were stitching the world together were dividing them. “What happened to the slaves?”
Rainier made his way down toward the ship. “Well, if they survived the wreck, and I think they did, at least some of them, maybe the lifeboats were not damaged. They could have used them to sail away. We are not far from Haiti now. They could have made it there.”
When she was younger, people often told her she had a Haitian accent. She wasn’t sure what they were talking about since she didn’t remember ever living anywhere but NOLA, but over time, her accent faded and now she sounded like anyone else.
Rainier kept talking as they worked their way closer to the ship. “Hoodoo magic originated in Africa. It made its way to the Americas when the Africans were brought here as slaves. Maybe your ancestors made it to Haiti and then later moved to North America.”
Catheryn shrugged. “Maybe.”
There was no real way to ever learn about her past. She was apprehensive about entering the ship. Maybe she didn’t want to know what was in there. Maybe it would just make her life even more difficult. She was already scared of her powers growing on their own. She didn’t think she was ready to learn whatever answers the ship might hold for her.
Rainier seemed to sense her unease. He held out his hand to her again. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m here. We will find the answers together.”
There was a large hole in the ship that they could easily crawl through to get inside the lower decks. As Rainier grabbed hold of one of the boards to hoist himself up, eight giant eyes, each as big as Rainier’s head, appeared before him. Rainier yelled and fell back.
Catheryn froze in fear as a monstrous spider crawled out of the ship and darted toward her.
Chapter 12
The great beast lunged out of the ship. Rainier dove out of the way as the massive creature stepped over him and ran toward Catheryn. Rainier drew his cutlass and yelled at the beast.
“Hey! Monster!” he called “Over here!”
The spider was at least ten feet tall, dark gray, with long hairy legs. It turned toward Rainier, and he almost swore it snarled at him, if a giant spider was capable of such a thing.
“Yes!” Rainier taunted. “You see me, don’t you, you ugly bastard! Come at me!”
The head of the lumbering creature seemed to bounce, as though it was laughing at him! While Rainier stood there confused, the spider shot a wad of webbing from its spinnerets. Before he could think, he felt himself fly backward until he slammed against the hull of the wrecked ship. The webbing held him to the ship like glue. He struggled but could not pull himself free. His eyes darted around. He had dropped his sword. And then, he was hit by the spider’s silk.
The spider then turned away from Rainier and set its eight eyes on Catheryn.
“Run!” Rainier yelled, even though he knew it was pointless. The spider was so huge it would overtake her in only a couple of steps. She could never hope to outrun it.
Catheryn seemed to realize the same thing, because she did not attempt to flee. The spider also appeared to be in no hurry since his quarry would not be able to escape. Catheryn took a step back, and Rainier saw her mouth move, as if she was mumbling something. Then she waved her arms in the air and small balls of fire appeared in each one.
At this, the spider grew angry. It let out something like a shriek as it charged at Catheryn. Even though Rainier knew he was helpless, he struggled against his bonds, desperate to help her.
But she didn’t need his help. As the spider charged at her, she threw one of the balls of fire into the spider’s eyes. The spider screamed, and Catheryn was able to jump out of its way as it continued running blindly. When she was clear of the spider, she rubbed her hands together, making the fireball she still held even bigger. She held the fireball in front of her and blew on it, and the fireball flew at the spider, hitting it in the rear of its abdomen. The spider let out a deafening cry of pain as it ran off into the jungle. Rainier had a feeling he wouldn’t see the spider again.
Catheryn ran over to Rainier. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine,” he said. “Grab my sword. Cut me down.”
“Oh, right!” she said. She found the cutlass and used it to cut through the sticky webbing. “Have you ever seen such a monster before?” she asked. She didn’t seem scared, but exhilarated.
“You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen in my years at sea,” he said.
As Catheryn cut the last sinew of the webbing, Rainier dropped safely and unharmed into the sand. They both looked at each other and laughed, both excited and relieved to be alive.
Rainier took Catheryn into his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back. He ran his fingers down her neck and her arms while she caressed his cheek.
“You saved me,” he whispered. “I haven’t been rescued by someone else since I was a boy.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever saved someone else’s life before,” Catheryn said. “I feel so…strong. Like I can do anything.”
“If you can do anything,” Rainier asked between kisses, “what do you want to do?”
He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to throw her down and make love to her right there in the sand and surf. He could taste the anticipation on her tongue, her lips. He knew she felt the same way.
“I want…” She moaned. “I want…” She forced herself to pull away from him. “I want to find out what I am. Who I am. What is on th
is ship.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “It…it’s for the best. You know that.”
Rainier sighed and cleared his throat as he reached down to his groin to adjust his deflating manhood. “Right. Sure. Let’s explore this ship.”
They both walked to the hole in the hull and looked inside.
“Are you sure there aren’t any more spiders?” Catheryn asked.
“I’m not sure at all,” he said. “But there is only one way to find out.” Rainier climbed into the ship. “Hello!” he called out. “Any more spiders in here?”
The only reply was the lapping of waves on the shore and a few seagulls cawing nearby.
“I think it is safe,” he said as he reached back to help Catheryn into the ship.
The inside of the ship was tilted since part of it was submerged in the sand, so it wasn’t easy walking along the inside. But as they got their bearings and their eyes adjusted to the dark, it got a little easier. There were holes all along the hull, which let in more light the farther in they went.
“What…what part of the ship is this?” Catheryn asked.
Rainier looked around. “The cargo hold,” he said. “At one time, these shelves were used to store goods. But…” He paused, unsure of just how much she wanted to know.
“But what?” she prodded. Still he hesitated. “Tell me.”
“They have been converted into racks for people to sleep on,” he said. He pointed to rivets in the ends of the shelving units. “See here. This is where the…chains would have been secured to keep the…the slaves from moving around too much.”
At that, Catheryn’s foot bumped something on the ground. Something heavy and metallic.
“Shackles…” she said. “Oh my God,” she mumbled. “These were the bonds of slavery that held my ancestors.” She held her hands to her mouth and did her best to stifle tears.
Rainier put his arm around her. “It’s all right.”
It wasn’t all right. But he didn’t know what else to say, and for whatever reason, Catheryn seemed comforted by his words anyway. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. He had no way of knowing what she was feeling or thinking. All he could do was be there for her.
“What…what is that?” she asked.
Rainier turned to see what she was looking at. Behind him, as the sun set and the rays hit the back of the hull, a symbol was appearing. Catheryn walked over to it to get a better look. As she ran her hands over it, the symbol became clearer.
“This…this is it,” she said. “The symbol I drew. This is it! The symbol of the hoodoo witches who were on this ship. They must have painted it. Maybe it gave them hope, or power, or…”
Rainier nodded. “Amazing. And you drew it. It called to you throughout time and over such a distance.” He truly was in awe of what was transpiring before him. Surely it was fate that brought him and Catheryn together.
“Come on!” she said, her tears giving way to excitement once again. “Who knows what else we will find!”
Rainier smiled as he followed Catheryn deeper into the ship. Her happiness was infectious. He wished he could take away her pain and make her happy for the rest of her life.
As Catheryn ran, her foot kicked something small, sending it rolling across the floor. It glinted in the fading sunlight. She kneeled down to pick it up.
“What is it?” Rainier asked, running to her side. “Don’t touch it before you know what it is.”
Catheryn pulled her hand back. “It’s a coin,” she said. “A gold coin with…the symbol! It’s the hoodoo symbol again!”
She picked it up and cradled it in both of her hands like something precious. “What does it mean?” she asked. “Do you think…”
Her eyes rolled back in her head, and her legs gave way out from under her. Rainier grabbed her before she fell to the deck. By now, he knew the signs. She was having a vision.
Chapter 13
Catheryn opened her eyes and found herself deep in the African jungle. Even though she had never been to Africa and really knew very little about it, somehow she instinctively knew where she was. She heard the sound of drums beating, the pounding so heavy it reverberated deep in her chest. She was walking toward the sound, and the light—the light of large fire that seemed to be drawing her toward it.
As she walked, she realized she was not alone. There were other people around her, people who were dancing, swaying, and waving their arms to the beat of the drums. They all had smiles on their faces. They were singing along with the music. They beckoned her to join them, gently reaching for her hands and her arms and pulling her toward the fire, the center of the festivities.
Catheryn felt safe. This place, these people, it all seemed so familiar. Like home. As she started to move with the music, along with the other people, the movements came naturally, as though she had grown up here.
She surprised herself when she started singing along with them. She had never heard the language before, but she knew it. They were praying for rain, for a good harvest, and for protection from the white ghosts that had been seen in the jungles near their village and had been wreaking havoc for other tribes.
An old woman, so old she was nearly completely hunched over and walked with a cane, walked up the fire and waved her hands over it. On her forehead was painted the symbol, the symbol Catheryn had drawn on her amulet, the symbol of the hoodoo witches. The old woman tossed some fragrant herbs into the fire. She looked through the flames, directly at Catheryn, and said, “Daughter of mine, do not fear. Your time will come.”
The crack of a rifle rent the air, and everyone ran away screaming.
Catheryn got down on her knees and hid her face in her hands.
She was drenched.
She looked up and saw water pouring into the lower deck of the ship. There were hundreds of people crammed into the slave quarters as the ship sailed to the New World. There was a storm, and crashes of lightening were the only light in this damp, dark place. She stood, but as the ship heaved on the waves, she had to hold on to the stack of shelving to keep from falling over.
There was a large group of people huddled to one side of the room. Catheryn slowly made her way over to them. They parted as she approached. They were all watching a woman, a different woman, younger than the one who had spoken to her before, as she painted a symbol on the hull of the ship. The people had mixed their own blood with ash and water to make the paint she was using. They were all chanting as the woman painted. They were patting their hands on the floor to make a drumming noise.
Save us, protect us
Release us, find freedom
Catheryn could once again understand the words they were saying. The woman finished her painting and got down on her knees and started drumming and chanting along with the others.
The symbol was the one Catheryn had seen on the wrecked ship. The symbol of the hoodoo witches.
The ship lurched forward as it came to a sudden stop. All of the people were thrown forward as several of the boards to the front hull snapped, letting sand and water into the ship. Catheryn grabbed onto a crate and held on for dear life.
When Catheryn opened her eyes, she was lying on the beach, the sun warming her skin. She looked around and saw that a large group of people had gathered around some small boats. It looked as though they were saying goodbye.
She walked over to join them and saw that they were taking many provisions with them. They weren’t planning on coming back. One of them was carrying the book she found in the village, the book about hoodoo magic.
After the ship had crashed on the shore, the people escaped the slavers and built a new life for themselves on the island. But they had grown too prosperous. They island could no longer sustain them. So they decided to disperse, travel to other islands, form new colonies, take their traditional practices with them.
A young woman who had been settling her children in one of the boats walked over to Catheryn. She was w
earing a silver pendant on a leather cord around her neck. The symbol of the hoodoo witches.
“Do not fear, my daughter,” the woman said as she took Catheryn’s face in her hands. “We will meet again.”
Catheryn felt her eyes well with tears. “Don’t leave me,” she cried. “Please don’t go…”
Catheryn rubbed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was in a slum in NOLA. She knew it because she had been there before. She grew up there. In a tiny one-room shack, two little girls were attending their ailing parents.
The older of the two girls was Catheryn. The other girl was her sister, Eva.
The older girl wetted a cloth and rubbed it over her mother’s forehead. She had a fever, but shuddered as if chilled. She had a rash all over her body. Typhoid.
Catheryn kneeled down and put her arms around the two girls to comfort them. Her mother reached out and gripped her hand. Catheryn saw the hoodoo symbol had been tattooed on her wrist.
“We will always be with you,” her mother said. “I am watching you. Do not fear, my daughter.”
“Mommy!” Catheryn exclaimed. “Mommy, don’t leave me!”
Catheryn held the younger version of herself and her little sister in her arms as they all wept together.
When Catheryn opened her eyes again, she was still weeping, but Rainier was holding her. She was back inside the wrecked ship. She held onto Rainier as sobs wracked her body. He didn’t say anything, he just held her, rocking her gently.
Finally, she calmed down enough to tell him what happened.
“I am a full-blood hoodoo witch,” she said. She was still holding the coin in her hand. She gripped it tightly and held it to her chest. Then she placed it safely in the amulet bag round her neck. “My family was part of a powerful hoodoo tribe in Africa. Because the slavers had guns, they were able to capture my ancestors and force them onto a slave ship. This slave ship.
“But they escaped. They drew this symbol on the wall…” She stood up and ran to the symbol, running her fingers over it. It was as though she could feel the heartbeats of every person whose blood was used to paint the symbol. “When they painted the symbol, the ship crashed, and they were freed.
Pirate's Curse: Division 1: The Berkano Vampire Collection Page 9