Ruach, with a hard wag of his body, shot like a missile through the water. It takes a lot of force for a creature the size of a wyrm to totally clear the water in a leap.
I clenched my tail the best I could over Ruach's back to hold on. The force of the water was almost too much.
I might have lost my grip and went tumbling through the water, but just as I was about to fall off Ruach's back, he cleared the surface, shooting high into the air. I released all the magic I could into his body.
His scales, slick and smooth, turned dry and leathery. Two massive wings formed out of his back, behind where Agwe and I were seated.
I shifted into human form. With two legs to gripped around Ruach's back, I felt a little more secure.
"We need to get some water," Agwe shouted as he also shifted his tail into legs. "I won't make it long like this."
Ruach took the hint and landed near the shoreline.
We both dismounted the dragon.
One problem-both of us were pantless.
I cocked my head as I glanced down at Agwe's frank 'n beans. "So, you do have one of those, after all?"
Agwe scrunched his brow. "I did before too, you know. It's hidden between my scales most of the time."
I giggled. "Yeah, such teenie weenie probably isn't too hard to hide most of the time."
Agwe grunted. "We need to find something to cover ourselves up with. And a container that we can use to fill with water."
I looked around. We weren't far from the Port of New Orleans-I could see it in the distance. "I think Nico's boat should be over there. I had a dress on before. Maybe it's still on board. If we're lucky, there might be a change of clothes for you too. And probably something we can use to hold some water."
Agwe nodded. "Alright. But how are we going to get onto the boat without anyone realizing, you know, that two naked people are running across the docks?"
I shrugged. "Hope no one is around, I guess. If they are, oh well. I mean, what are they going to do about it. It isn't like they could call the police. You know, no cell phones."
"And what about Ruach?" Agwe asked. I smiled. It was nice, now that we were on land, that Agwe actually started deferring to my expertise and experience as a human to figure things out.
"You good to stay here for a bit?" I asked, patting Ruach on his side.
He grunted and nodded.
"Alright, hubby. Let's go streaking!"
"Streaking?" Agwe asked.
I giggled. "Just follow my lead... or my bare butt, in this case."
"At least I get to enjoy the view," Agwe said, smirking.
"There you go," I said. "Finally checking out your wife. Like a proper husband should."
Chapter Thirty-One
We ran along the shoreline until we reached the docks. I'm not sure if I was relieved that no one saw us or mildly disappointed. I was sort of looking forward to the confused look that our streaking would probably elicit from anyone who saw us. I'm no exhibitionist. But I saw the humor in our situation.
Here we were, about to fly a dragon across Louisiana, and we were worried about people seeing us running naked? Come on!
We quickly boarded Nico's Little Ship of Horrors and went down into the hull. It was dark-ideal for a vampire who might be caught at sea during sunrise. I summoned my wand and illuminated the tip with magic, casting a blue glow over the room
"Perfect," I said, grabbing my former dress. Nico had it draped over a bench. It smelled faintly of mildew. The ship had clearly been taken back to port. That means, presumably, that Nico got back just fine. But the dress was still there? After six months? He probably hadn't taken the boat out in a while. If he had, he hadn't bothered to take the dress with him. Whatever the reason, I was glad he had it. I'd have preferred my sea silk pants-but the dress, as uncomfortable as it was, was preferable to the birthday trousers I was currently sporting.
"What about me?" Agwe asked.
I looked around. There was a chest of some kind, a wooden box, in the corner. I opened it and aimed my illuminated wand at its contents. A lot of fishing supplies. Who would have thought that a thousand-plus-year-old vampire had taken up fishing as a hobby? I tossed a net out of the box. Then I found a small tarp. No pants, but it was something.
I tossed it at Agwe. "See if you can tie this thing around your waist."
"Tie it with what, exactly?"
I rooted around in the chest a little more and found a rope. "Just put it around your waist like a kilt or something."
Agwe folded the tarp in half-it would have been too long otherwise. Then he wrapped it around his lower section. The folded seam at the top. I took the rope and, running it between the fold at his waist, pulled it around him and tied it tightly.
"That should hold it," I said.
"I look ridiculous."
I smiled. "You're covered. Naked beggars cant' be choosers."
Agwe grunted. "Fair point."
I rooted around the chest a little more. There was a sponge and a canteen. I grabbed both and tossed them at Agwe. He tried to catch them, but he dropped both of them.
I laughed. "Takes some getting used to. I mean, throwing things through the air is ab it different than underwater."
Agwe didn't respond. He knelt down, careful not to mess up the make-shift dress we'd tied on his waist, and picked up the canteen and sponge. "This should work. I just need enough water to make sure my skin stays moist."
"Why not just get some lotion?"
"Lotion?" Agwe asked.
"You seriously don't know about lotion? I suppose they might not have the lotions I'm accustomed to in this century. But that stuff, it's a lifesaver."
"I think you're overstating it. I mean, I'm sure it's nice. I don't know that lotion would be enough to keep my skin from desiccating."
I smirked. "It rubs the lotion on the skin, or else it gets the hose."
Agwe shook his head. "Not a lot of hoses in the eighteen hundreds, either. The canteen and sponge will do well enough."
I chuckled. The Silence of the Lambs quote was clearly lost on him. But I didn't say it for his sake. I was entertaining myself. At his expense, sure. But I was amused.
I snuck off the boat. Not that we needed to. Not now that we had clothes. But if anyone saw us and realized this wasn't our boat... a complication I'd rather avoid.
We made our way back down the shore and found Ruach waiting at us. When he saw Agwe, he cocked his head and chuckled.
Agwe huffed. "Even Ruach thinks I look silly."
I shrugged. "You do. But no worries, when you're riding the dragon, you'll still get the pleasurable sensation of his scales between your butt cheeks."
Ruach cocked his head. Unfortunate for him. No one looks forward to having any part of his body clenched between butt cheeks. It was no Disney Land, far from being the happiest place on earth.
Then again, I suppose, for some people... maybe it's precisely that. Whatever.
No one was going to take any rides on my Big Thunder Mountain any time soon. Though, based on the rest of Agwe's anatomy in that region of his body... it's a small world, after all.
We mounted Ruach and took off toward Baton Rouge.
Much faster and less bumpy than making the trip on horseback.
Ruach intuitively stayed away from populated areas. There might be a few folks wandering through the marshes and whatnot who saw us. But at least we'd be able to keep reported dragon sightings to a minimum.
As we neared the Campbell plantation, I directed Ruach to keep a distance. There were a lot of people there for some reason. Some kind of gathering, perhaps?
Ruach landed behind a tree line on one side of our property.
"You guys stay here," I said. "Let me see what's going on. I might be able to lure Odette out from the crowd."
I made my way through the woods that were obscuring Ruach from the view of those gathered at the plantation.
Several men were gathered around Henry. When one of them turned, looking aroun
d, I spotted the star-shaped badge on his chest. He was a sheriff or at least a deputy. What was going on?
I found one of the laborers. They were all lined up. I was trying to remain discreet. I didn't want Henry to spot me. Technically, I was trespassing, at least from his perspective. With the Sheriff on the scene, I didn't want to get arrested.
"What's going on here?" I asked the man.
"They want to question us about what happened."
I stared at the man blankly. Not the same man I'd talked to before. A younger Black man, tall and lean. "What happened, exactly? Is Odette around?"
"You really haven't heard?" the man asked.
I shrugged. "I'm from out of town. Visiting with my husband."
"Odette is the one they're looking for. When the Misses had her baby, Odette ran off with her."
My eyes went wide. "They had a girl? And Odette kidnapped her?"
"Odette absconded with the baby overnight. The whole town is in an uproar trying to find her."
"Any clue where Odette might have gone?" I asked.
"That is what they're fixing to ask us. But I can't say. Odette was involved in the Voodoo. That is all I know. But not like the other mambos. She messed with things that most wouldn't dare."
I sighed. "She's a caplata."
The man nodded. "Like I said, into some dark magics."
"Well, the Campbells have other concerns at the moment other than entertaining guests. Perhaps my husband and I can catch them at another time. Thank you for your kindness."
"Yes'm. Mind if I ask, if you're just visiting, how you know Odette? Not many white folks from outta town know would have cause to know one such as her."
I snorted. "I'll just say, Odette and I have a history. And Henry and his wife aren't the only ones looking for answers about what she's done of late."
Chapter Thirty-Two
"Well, this is a first," I said as I stepped through the tree line. "I can't say I've ever once seen a pantless demigod sponging himself while sitting on a dragon before."
Agwe nodded. "It's a first for me, too."
I snorted. "I should hope so."
"Find Odette?"
I winced. It wasn't a story I wanted to tell. I mean, this baby girl was only born because I screwed with Henry's abortion plans. And Odette took the baby... why? I wanted to think it was to prevent Marinette from using the baby as a vessel, as the female Campbell heir she'd been waiting for. I wanted to believe Odette's intentions were noble.
But she was a Caplata. She was pleasant to me. But does niceness mean trustworthiness? Not at all... especially if her kindness was a means to an end.
I explained the situation to Agwe in short form. He nodded along. No judgments or lectures about my brash behavior. But he agreed since Nico was the only other one who knew about the baby, we should find him next. Since he'd been around, at least at night, during the last six months, he was more likely than anyone to have information about Odette's whereabouts. At the very least, he'd be able to tell us what happened after I was arrested by the merlegion.
I was about to mount Ruach, but something distracted me. Not a sound. More like a sensation. Magic of some kind. Not from Agwe. Something deeper in the woods.
"Did you do anything magic-wise while I was over there?" I asked.
Agwe shook his head. "I didn't. Why do you ask?"
"I'm sensing something, further in the forest. It feels oddly like Fomorian magic."
"Marinette, perhaps? She took a Fomorian body."
I nodded. "That was my first thought. If she's here... if she's involved in the reason by Odette kidnapped that baby..."
"We should investigate," Agwe said. "Ruach, can you lay low for a bit?"
Ruach snorted, nodded his head, and lowered his body to the ground.
"This way," I said, pointing deep into the forest. "In my time, these were mostly marshlands this direction. I can't say if it was always like that."
"I'll be right behind you," Agwe said.
Following magic, when I sensed it, involved some trial and error. Move one direction. If the magic weakened, I knew I was going the wrong way. If the sensation intensified, though, I knew I was getting closer.
Once we were close enough to siphon it, I inhaled and drew a little bit of the magic in.
"Definitely Fomorian," I said.
Agwe nodded. "It has to be Marinette. You said she had a Fomorian body."
I nodded. "I don't know who else it could be. Fomorians hardly ever go to shore, and even if they did, it isn't like we're close to a beach."
Sure enough. The lands were swampy. Apparently, at least in these parts, not much had changed ecologically in the last century and a half.
"Feels nice," Agwe said as we waded into the water.
I chuckled. "You might be the only person ever who enjoys swamp water."
Agwe shrugged. "Better than the hot southern air."
I smiled. "Glad I'm half-human. The air doesn't bother me at all."
"Getting close?" Agwe asked.
I stopped for a second and looked around. "Whatever it is, it's under the water. It's strong enough now that we should be able to see it."
"Any alligators in the water here?" Agwe asked.
"Probably," I said. "Haven't seen any."
"I have an idea," Agwe said. "Which direction is the magic coming from."
I pointed straight in front of me. "Somewhere in that vicinity."
Agwe smiled, extended his hand, and the waters started to ripple. Then, they rose up into a series of waves, coalescing into a single, massive wave and hurling away from us. Reminded me of what it must've been like when Moses parted the Red Sea.
As the waters receded, a single figure, with a mer tail, wrapped in chains and bound, was laying in the mud.
I stomped over to him, and Agwe did the same. We couldn't move too fast. Every step, it was like the mud created a vacuum making it hard to lift our feet. Since our muscles weren't adjusted to operating in the form of legs, it was doubly difficult.
"Doesn't look like Marinette," Agwe said. "Definitely a merman, not a mermaid."
I knelt down and wiped the man's face clean.
"King Conand?" I asked.
The merman didn't respond. He was breathing but unconscious.
"We need to get him back to saltwater," Agwe said. "I don't know how long he's been here. Merfolk can survive in freshwater, but just barely."
I shook my head. "How long do you think he's been here?"
"Impossible to say," Agwe said. "Once we revive him, perhaps he'll have more information."
I nodded. "I still need to get to Nico and what I can find out about Odette and Marinette. We'll fly Ruach back to the city. It should be dark by the time we arrive. Leave me there for now and take the king back to the ocean with Ruach. See what you can find out."
"Joni, I don't think it's a coincidence Conand was hidden here, near your old plantation."
I sighed. "It means, in some way, Odette was working with Marinette. I can't think of any other reason why they'd hide Conand here otherwise."
Agwe nodded. "I think we can be relatively certain she had something to do with this."
Before we discovered Conand, bound like a prisoner in the swamp, I'd wanted to give Odette the benefit of the doubt. She'd taken the baby, I hoped, to either prevent Marinette from using her innate abilities when she came of age or to save the baby from her own father, Henry, who I suspected had already killed a daughter once before, who'd clearly intended for his youngest daughter never to be born.
But seeing the Fomorian king bound, in chains, in a swamp not far from the Campbell plantation... it didn't look good. It was hard to imagine any reason for it that wasn't insidious.
If what Marinette had told me was true, that she'd intended my body to wither away and die in the dungeon so I could be summoned and controlled by the bokors, it made sense that removing the king from Fomoria might be necessary.
But Ichthus, who was in the King's empl
oy, didn't say anything about the king being missing. Fomorians could shapeshift. And since Marinette was a Loa... I had to assume she was masquerading as the king.
I could only hope Nico might have answers.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ruach and Agwe dropped me off at the old mansion where Nico took me after we first met. Where I chose my dress.
Ruach took off again. They had to get Conand back to the ocean. I could only hope they'd figure out how to sort out the mess in Fomoria. My concern was with what Odette had done. And still more, how I might glean something from this whole shit show that might help me stop the sharks in the future.
So much had seemingly gone wrong since I arrived in this time it felt like I was further from finding a solution to defeating the damn zombie sharks than I was when all this started.
Agwe said they'd meet me where we first came ashore before dawn. At that point, at least, we'd hopefully have more information.
Ultimately, we couldn't get Ruach into Marie's headshop time machine. So if shit went south and we needed to regroup, they could go back into the void and, provided I could reach out to Legba again, I could bring them out of the void after I got back home. Even if everything went smoothly, that was probably how we'd have to reunite in the future.
Again, on account of the complications of getting Ruach into Marie's and the extra difficulty of flying a dragon out of there through the French Quarter in the future.
I knocked on the door of Nico's house. What was it he called the place? Casa do Diablo. House of the Devil. Made me laugh every time I thought about it. Nico was no devil. That Frenchy vampire he lived with, Ramon, on the other hand...
Of course, he was the one who answered the door.
"Ma chérie!" Ramon exclaimed. "Have you come for dinner?"
I shook my head. I still had enough magic borrowed from Agwe lingering in my body I could blast him if I had to. Since I lost my medallion, though... well... what I had wouldn't last for long. "Try and bite me. I'll lite you up."
The vampire smiled, opening his mouth wider than he needed to just to make sure I could see how pointy his teeth were. "I suppose you're here for Nico."
Wyrmrider Vengeance: An Underwater Magic Urban Fantasy (The Fomorian Wyrmriders Book 2) Page 17