Belle Chasse

by Suzanne Johnson

  I got up to replenish my glass of soda and slipped the letter to Jean. I didn’t care if he read the sexy bit. If Audrey was going to be screeching her way in and out of Old Barataria on a regular basis, Jean needed to know everything about her that I did.

  Plus, as much as I loved Alex Warin, Jean had a very keen sense of who was and was not trustworthy and followed his own counsel. Alex was wired to respect authority, and he’d refused to question his trust in Zrakovi until it was too late, or at least too late for me. Even now, he thought the situation could be salvaged. I hoped he was right, but I wasn’t going to risk the safety of everyone Jean had sheltered here.

  “Do you need to go back to New Orleans tonight?” Audrey’s trips to the Beyond and back should be limited, and used to best advantage. Besides, if she stayed, I could find out how much she really knew about the magical world. Not being a wizard, Alex couldn’t gauge that.

  “Sadly, yes. Dad insists we have Christmas Eve breakfast together before the Interspecies Council meets at noon, and then exchange gifts afterward, although we’ve never done anything together over the holidays before. I suspect my mum put him up to it, although I’d rather stay and visit with you. Guess I should get back to my flat in case he calls to firm up our plans.”

  Too bad, because I’d like time to write a note that would keep Alex hot and bothered through the holidays. I’d have to settle for a more tangible gift.

  “I have something for you to take to Alex.” I dragged my messenger bag from behind the settee and dug around for the rest of the vile-tasting potion I’d concocted to change my aura. I figure it had worked for about an hour. “Tell him this is for emergencies only, if he needs to see me. It might give him an hour, tops, for him to move around undetected. Emergencies only.”

  This was a bigger test. If she gave it to Alex without telling anyone, great. I doubted Alex would use it, thus my “emergency” warning. So if it got confiscated or they followed him around for a while it shouldn’t matter.

  We walked back toward the transport. I’d give Audrey credit; she didn’t even make a face when getting inside the interlocking circle and triangle that now had her in waist-high water. The outlines of the transport glowed faintly through the waves.

  “Anything else you need to tell Alex?” She held the vial above her head as a high wave came in and splashed up to her shoulders. It would be above my head, so I might need to move the transport closer to the house. Drowning in a transport would be a pathetic way to go.

  “Yeah, tell him I love him.” How brazen was that? “And bring some holy water back with you next time you come to Barataria. As much as you can carry.”

  I had some scrying to do.

  CHAPTER 20

  I spent most of Christmas Eve morning staring at the Beyond’s version of the Gulf of Mexico, deep in worry and feeling needy.

  I needed to learn what Rand knew about Florian framing me, along with Christof, in the destruction of the Winter Palace. Did he know? Had he been in on it? Were the elves and Florian’s pack on the verge of an alliance and, if so, did the wizards know about it? If so, Zrakovi would be more desperate than ever.

  I also needed to figure out how to convince Rand that an amicable visitation arrangement with Eugenie was a win-win for everyone, especially his baby. She could live here in Barataria and he could have semi-supervised visits.

  I needed Alex, too, and wished I’d sent him a Christmas gift via Audrey, even if it was an undead seashell. The gym club membership that I’d bought him, wrapped inside an “As Seen on TV” Perfect Bacon Bowl, was trapped in my wizard-warded house. It seemed too frivolous now that things had gotten more grim, and what I needed from him was two strong arms wrapped around me, holding me together.

  Instead, I’d sent that potion, which now seemed dangerous. If Audrey told Lennox, that type of gift coming from me might cast doubt on Alex’s loyalty. I badly needed her to be as dependable as Alex thought.

  Last, but far from least, I still needed to talk to Willem Zrakovi, to make one final effort to meet him halfway if it wasn’t already too late. Hell, I’d meet him three-quarters of the way, just to get my life back. Even if I permanently lost my Green Congress license and my job, I’d be able to rebuild my house, see Alex when I wanted, and live in the city I loved.

  For the first time, I realized there was something else I needed, and this was one desire I might be able to get if I could play the blood-relation card.

  I sat on the verandah with my bare feet hanging over the edge, watching Jake and Collette as they watched the transport. They always took back-to-back shifts and stayed together the whole time. It was sweet and romantic, but boring. As much as I loved Alex, I wasn’t sure I could sit with him for twelve hours straight, watching a transport and talking. We’d be arguing within a half hour, even if we had to make up something to argue about.

  That probably wasn’t the sign of a healthy relationship, but I’d worry about that later.

  A motion caught my eye and I blinked to see what it was in the flickering light of the flambeaux that Jake had planted on either side of the transport. My watch told me that it was only eight a.m. New Orleans time, so Audrey should be busy having breakfast with Lennox.

  It wasn’t a person that materialized, but a covered bin, one of those big plastic things sold by the gross in discount stores for less than five bucks.

  I jumped off the verandah and walked down to the beach, trying not to eep when something skittered out of the sand and over my bare foot. Another need: footwear that wasn’t shrimp boots. It was too warm here for them. I’d even wear pink running shoes rather than dirty bare feet.

  “Stay back, DJ. Collette, you, too.” Jake waved us away. “Something’s in the box but I can’t tell what it is.”

  He picked up a battery-powered portable floodlight resting in the sand next to one of the flambeaux and approached the bin slowly, crouching as he got closer to try looking through it. Then he leaned toward it and sniffed.

  “You expecting a shipment of water, sunshine?” He looked up and frowned at me. “I swear that’s what it is—a bunch of jars full of water.”

  “I bet it’s holy water. Let me look.” Damn, but Audrey was efficient—and why hadn’t it occurred to me that she could send me stuff without coming herself? Although how she lugged that much water to the transport behind St. Louis Cathedral in broad daylight was a mystery; Jake could barely lift the bin himself.

  Then again, she might have stolen the water from the cathedral, in which case she didn’t have far to drag it. I hoped it was real holy water and that the jars in which it had been placed were blessed as well. Otherwise, it would be tainted and might not work.

  As soon as Jake got it to the verandah, I opened the bin and looked at the jars. There was no mistaking this for plain tap water. A strong aura of peace and power surrounded it, which told me that both the jars and contents had been blessed by a priest. It was the most important ingredient in ritual magic and I’d always used it for scrying because it seemed to amp up my abilities. A full-blooded elf probably could use anything.

  All together, there were probably five or six gallons in the bin, worth dozens of hours of scrying time.

  I removed the jars carefully; the bin could be useful for sending things back and forth if I could get a transport set up in Audrey’s apartment—preferably one Daddy couldn’t see. A niggling at the back of my brain still told me it was too easy. Since Hurricane Katrina had blown our world to pieces and opened the floodgates to reorganize the prete world, nothing had been simple. Nothing.

  Alex trusted Audrey, however, and I trusted Alex. Mostly. Which meant I didn’t quite trust Audrey. Not yet. I would use her, but needed to be more careful. This was fine. She could tell Lennox all she wanted about holy water. Unless he was more up to date on elven rituals than the other wizards I’d met, he’d have no clue why I wanted it. I’d make up something to tell her without mentioning my ability to scry.

  In the bottom of the bin was a
note, written on a French Quarter note card like those sold by the set in every souvenir shop in New Orleans. This one featured pastel sketches of Jackson Square in the full bloom of spring, when a rainbow of azalea blossoms framed the statue of a horse-riding Andrew Jackson himself.

  Hullo, DJ—Used a bit of the magic to ramble around the bowels of the cathedral and found their supply of holy water. I hope this is what you need! If you want anything else, send a note via transport at noon. I will be waiting and can get it for you while Dad and the other gits will be at the council meeting. —Audrey

  I’d have her pick up some transport-making stuff both for me and for herself. If Audrey were playing double agent, would it hurt anything for Lennox to know if she had a transport in her apartment? I don’t see how it could. The Elders were watching the transports and all of our houses anyway; it would just give them one more place to watch. Since Alex had a transport in his house, she could use their relationship as an excuse.

  Plus, I could find out how much magic Audrey really knew. A novice at transport making was easy to spot.

  Scrounging around on Jean’s desk, I was surprised to spot a nice, normal gel pen among his assortment of inkwells and maps and quills. I scratched out a note on the back of Audrey’s, asking her to pick up some sea salt from the grocery and to wear a ring she liked next time she came. If she didn’t have a ring, she should buy one and bring it with her.

  If what Lennox told me was true, and it probably was since he’d told me before he realized I would never be a good influence on his wayward daughter, Audrey had trouble controlling her physical magic. Although my own native magic was weak, Gerry had taught me to control it using a ring as a focal object. Audrey’s magic wouldn’t work in Barataria—at least I didn’t think it would. Mine sure didn’t. But I could still give her some basic instructions and she could practice on her own time.

  “Writing the great American wizard novel?”

  I gritted my teeth out of habit. Adrian Hoffman no longer irritated me, at least not most of the time, but I’d disliked him for so long that whenever he spoke, my first reaction was a knee-jerk negative. I needed to get over that. Adrian is my ally. Adrian is my ally. Rinse and repeat a few hundred times.

  I turned to find him lounging in the doorway to the study. “Sending a note to my cousin to bring a few things from New Orleans next time she comes. You need anything?”

  “You trust her?”

  If anyone knew how the Elders worked, it was Adrian. His father had been First Elder, after all, and Adrian himself had worked at Elder Central in Edinburgh for years. I needed to consult him on matters more often. Like whether they’d enlist one of their young family members to spy for them. Since I’d once employed the undead Louis Armstrong as my spy, I had no room to judge. Although Louis was the worst spy ever.

  “I’m not sure, so I’m being careful what I entrust to her. She sent some holy water after I asked for it, for example, but I never said what it was for. It could be to bless Jean’s undead fleet of pirate ships for all she knows. I don’t intend to tell her I will be using it to scry. I doubt anyone among the Elders would figure that out.”

  “Agreed,” Adrian said. “It’s too far outside the realm of their skills, so they tend to forget you can do a lot of elven magic. I wondered if you were going to watch the Interspecies Council meeting today. I don’t know what time it will be.”

  I nodded. “It’s at noon, and I’m going to be set up and ready. Florian is trying to frame me for conspiring with Christof and stirring things up between the fae and the elves, so I want to hear what he’s going to say.”

  Adrian leaned against the doorjamb. “Do you know where they’re meeting? Surely they’re running out of public buildings to destroy.”

  One would think. “No idea, but I can scry Alex. Since he’s on the council now, representing the weres and shifters, that should put me with him at the meeting.”

  Adrian raised an eyebrow, reminding me of the smartass he used to be. “Isn’t that a conflict of interest? I’m surprised Willem Zrakovi put him in that position. It makes me wonder: How sure are you that Alex Warin is still loyal to you?”

  I thought of Alex’s expression as he’d looked in the courtyard a couple of nights ago, his face full of longing and sadness bordering on desperation. “I’m certain of it. But I’m also certain he won’t backstab Zrakovi. I’m sure our new First Elder knows that, too.” Which is why Alex was so miserable and torn.

  “Our new First Elder.” Adrian looked at the floor, and a pang of guilt shot through me. I hated Geoffrey Hoffman; he’d been the power behind the whole debacle last month that had cost me so much. He’d given permission to have Adrian turned vampire for political gain, without his son’s knowledge. But he was still Adrian’s father.

  “How far will Alex blindly follow Zrakovi?” Adrian’s voice grew softer. “What would it take for him to finally turn his back on the Elders? Or will he follow them right into giving up everything to avoid a war, whether or not he personally believes it’s the right thing to do?”

  My temper rose, but I tamped it back down. It was a reasonable question, as much as I hated hearing it, because I didn’t like the answer I had to give. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

  I’d like to believe Alex had his own true north, his own moral absolutes, and that there was some line that, when crossed, it would turn him away if Zrakovi’s path strayed too far from his own beliefs. I didn’t have a clue what that tipping point might be, however. For me, it had been Zrakovi’s attempt to get rid of Eugenie’s baby, and his willingness to turn her over to Rand without considering the consequences to her. Even then, I’d tried to work within the system—sort of. All it had gotten me was an unspecified period in Greenland, during which I’d die from elven survival syndrome.

  Alex had urged me to run to Barataria, had even helped me escape. But he had been adamant about staying behind.

  I’d had no answers then. I had none now.

  “Oh well, guess I’ll take some of your scrying stuff outside for you then.” Adrian turned to leave. “I’m on transport duty for the next few hours anyway, and I wouldn’t miss this meeting for anything.”

  “Wait a sec.” I walked with him to the verandah, set the jars of holy water aside, and placed the note in the big plastic bin. “I want to set this in the transport and send it to the cathedral right at noon. Can you still power a transport?”

  Adrian’s nostrils flared as if he’d smelled a forest of skunk spray. “I most certainly can.”

  “Hey, no offense.” I held my hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I wasn’t referring to you losing your powers; I know that won’t happen for a while.” Hell, he’d managed to run the whole holiday light show at City Park last week. “It’s just that my physical magic doesn’t work at all here and I didn’t know if yours did or not.”

  “Mine is obviously superior to yours.”

  Yeah, and he had a bigger pair than me, too. Just when I started to like the guy he’d remind me why I didn’t like him. “Obviously. Okay then, would you mind sending this at noon? Do you have a watch?”

  He held up his wrist. I bit my lip to keep the smile off my face. His watchband was as pink as mine. Which is why I adored Rene.

  Adrian took the bin down to the beach, relieving Jake and Collette on transport duty.

  I had another task to complete before Rand arrived, another letter to write. This one, I’d ask Rand to hand-deliver.

  It was to my Uncle Lennox.

  CHAPTER 21

  About fifteen minutes before noon, Jean assigned an undead pirate flunky to transport duty—I think it was the toothless guy who’d served our gumbo a couple of days ago—so that Adrian could join us in watching the Interspecies Council meeting.

  The Christmas Eve meeting had been forced on the council by Florian, and Jean had spent most of the morning in Old Orleans with Christof. The Winter Prince of Faery had been so angry that the Beyond’s border town was crippled beneath
an ice storm.

  “Is Christof going to the meeting?” I placed the same items I’d used to scry Alex last time at the four points around the bowl of magic-infused holy water.

  We’d moved the scrying bowl to the verandah itself so we could watch more comfortably, and Jean settled into one of the chairs we’d pulled up around it. Our own theater in the round.

  “Christof feels he must go in an attempt to protect himself against whatever schemes Florian has devised.” Jean lit one of his small cigars. Eugenie was napping or, more likely, trying to steel herself for the meeting with Rand, so he didn’t have to worry about the smoke. “I encouraged him to bring some of his allies in case he must escape quickly and needs assistance. Rene is joining them.”

  Rene and Christof got along quite well, but I hadn’t realized they were good enough friends for Rene to openly side with the faery prince in front of the council. “Christof thinks he will need help from Rene?”

  “Non, Rene will be there should his father Toussaint meet with any resistance if he decides to leave the council.”

  Good grief. The Interspecies Council had become a joke. The historical undead and vampires were no longer represented. If the water species walked out, that left only the wizards, elves, fae, and shifter reps on the council. The at-large seat, reserved for the smaller species groups and originally filled by one of the goblins, had already been abandoned, the elves had a leadership void with two of their four Synod members under the age of consent, and the fae had embarked on a civil war.

  Then again, the wizards, fae, and elves were the three largest groups, and the were/shifters had always been employed by the wizards. The vampires weren’t far behind the elves in terms of population, but since their Vice-Regent had a warrant out for his arrest, they hadn’t shown any signs of wanting other representation. Hired thugs seemed to be their new role.

  I had no idea what to expect from this meeting.