“Leigh!” he whispered. “Leigh! It’s me.”
I opened my eyes to see Noah barely an inch from my face. Behind him, everything looked normal again. He lowered his hand, and my eyes started to tear up. “I don’t know what’s going on,” I whispered. “I’m going out of my mind.”
“No, you’re not. It was just Ruby doing all of that.”
I looked at him incredulously. “What?!” I hissed.
“She’s in there, in the ballroom. She and Miles. They found it before we did.”
“Why is she doing this to me?!”
“Because you need to see what we’re up against in there,” said Ruby as she came into view. “And don’t flatter yourself into thinking I was doing it just for your benefit. Miles asked me to remove the veil for all of us.”
“What veil?” I asked.
“The ballroom and all the guests in there are what they want us to believe,” said Noah. “It’s all a mask to lure victims in so they can turn them to the Dark Side. Remember we told you they’re recruiting? Well this is how they’re doing it. Through deception.”
“What I saw in the tunnel … the heads and the ghouls, and in the ballroom—”
“Just a glimpse of the evil that’s been going on here for so long,” said Noah. “That was just like a movie. They can’t hurt you.”
I looked back at the ballroom and shuddered. “But they can.”
“Yes,” said Ruby, frustrated. “What you saw in the ballroom is what’s happened before and it’ll happen again tonight.” She turned to Noah. “We need to get back in there now.”
“Did you or Miles find the mask?” he asked her.
“No. He thinks they’re not going to bring it out until they’re ready to name the new King.”
“When does he want us to make our move?”
“As soon as it’s in sight. I’ll create a distraction and then you rush the one carrying the mask and make a run for it, through the tunnel and out the back door of the main house. Head for the old stables. Felix and Gretchen will be waiting. I just set up a barrier at the entrance to the ballroom over there, so the mortals won’t be able to chase after you, but the Watcher angels will probably break through it. And they’re about as fast as you are. I’ll take care of the mortals as best I can.”
“So they’ve already turned them to The Dark Ones?” he said.
She nodded. “Before we got there. We think they put something in their drinks to make them more susceptible. It didn’t affect us because of the protection blessing Cee Cee gave us. It’s too late for them now.
“Miles and Leigh will have to wait near the entrance to the tunnel and get ready to run after the Watchers chase after you. If we make it through the tunnel, we’ll meet you outside. If you and the others are still alive, we’ll help you fight.”
“How many Watchers are there?” I asked.
Ruby took a deep breath. “I counted seven. I’ll go in first, then the two of you follow, but stay on the other side of the room so they don’t suspect anything.” She looked me up and down then addressed Noah again. “And tell her to not give us away.” She turned and strutted back into the party, staying to the right side of the ballroom.”
After a minute, Noah took my hand and started to lead me inside. I froze. “I can’t go in there,” I said.
“It’s okay. I’ll be right there with you,” he assured me.
I reluctantly let him lead me to the ballroom. “What barrier was she talking about?” I asked.
Noah pointed at the floor as we crossed the entrance. In the dim light, I saw a line of dirt that extended all across the threshold.
“Dirt?” I whispered.
“Graveyard dirt sprinkled with holy water.”
“ That’s supposed to keep them at bay?”
“Ordinarily, no,” he whispered back. “But Ruby’s spells have a little more kick than most Voodoo practitioners.”
As we entered, a woman with lustful eyes passed by us, extending a delicate hand to caress each of our faces before moving on to other guests, looking for a proper suitor. I tensed up. Noah gently squeezed my hand. “Just pretend like you’re enjoying this.”
We walked past a fountain that was similar to the one upstairs, but instead of reaching for Heaven, these tarnished cherubs with ghastly faces were upside down, reaching for Hell, perhaps. The bottom of the fountain was black with mold, the dark water only trickling around the angels. The movement was so slow at first, so it took me a moment to realize that one of the fountain cherubs was watching me as I walked past. For a brief second, I thought it was my imagination, until I saw its head turn and grin up at me with a sinister smile, before putting its head back in its proper place.
I gasped. Noah looked at the fountain. “It’s okay. C’mon,” he whispered.
We stood beside an antique chaise, upon which a man and a woman were sprawled out, kissing and touching. The man caressed my arm. I jerked it back, but he gently grabbed it, pulling me toward him, his lustful eyes peering through his mask. I pulled back.
Noah surprised me then, by taking my arm away from the man and, lacing his fingers with mine, placed his lips firmly on my neck as his other hand caressed my hair. I was once again caught off guard as a sudden burst of nerve endings caught fire and trickled down my back. I looked down at the man on the chaise who nodded at Noah, who returned the man’s nod. As the man went back to the writhing woman beneath him, it occurred to me that what just happened was some sort of territorial display. This made me a little angry. I glared at Noah, who winked back at me, leaned into my ear and whispered, “Got to make it look real.”
I was about to voice my objection when the man in the Pig Mask came into view from behind the curtain on the stage. The musicians ceased their playing as the Pig Man stood center stage. “Ladies and Gentlemen! Let me be the first to welcome you to our little club.” Applause erupted. When it died down a little, he continued. “For so long, we have clung to the shadows, hiding from the very humans we were sent here to protect …”
As the Pig Man spoke, I looked across the room and noticed the mortals smiling and laughing. I spotted Miles and Ruby waiting intently. I hadn’t noticed that Ruby’s dress had secret pockets until I saw her hand disappear into the folds of her dress. Beside them were Edward and Anastasia, the King and Queen from upstairs, unaware of the two paladins that stood beside them.
My eyes focused once again on the fountain. Now it appeared as though all the tarnished cherubs were writhing with delight, their heads turning every which way, grinning devilishly as the man continued his speech.
“The very humans we came to admire,” continued the Pig Man. “We admired them—you—so much, we wanted to be like you, to break bread with you, to … make love to you.” The crowd applauded again and laughed. “But we were told, ‘No! The Sons of God cannot lay with the daughters of men!’” The crowd booed and laughed some more. “But we did. Then we were banished from the Kingdom, abandoned on this planet. But, oh, our children were beautiful!”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Noah’s jaw clinch and his eyes grow cold.
The Pig Man extended his hand to the direction of a woman standing a few feet from me. “Our children who remind us of our love of Earthly pleasures. My daughter—Arcelia.”
The audience looked at the woman near me and applauded. Arcelia nodded to the room. It looked as though she smiled, but I could only see her profile beneath her hair which resembled a ball of bright red fire. She wore a crimson, half-faced mask and a matching strapless dress. Her pale arm had a healed, large gash in it—” I tightened up. Noah squeezed my hand. My breathing quickened. He squeezed it again, but I couldn’t control it.
“And now, on this night, we come out of the shadows to once again take what is rightfully ours!” The crowd erupted in cheers.
At that moment, Arcelia looked like she sensed something. She slowly turned her head toward me and, as I saw her red eyes gaze upon me from her mask, there was no mistake this was the
one who tried to drag me from the tower of St. Geneviève. My heart was a thunderous roar in my chest as her ruby eyes dropped down to the scar on my arm, peered into my eyes, and smiled that same hungry smile.
As the crowd still cheered, the red curtain lifted to reveal a gargantuan man with gigantic, onyx wings, short, jet black hair, and a muscled, bare chest. His nails resembled small shards of the darkest obsidian against his cool, white skin. The only one in the room not wearing a mask, he stood, his black eyes gazing out at the applauding audience of minions.
All at once, the Watcher angels began to disrobe from the waist up and extend their wings to the delight of the mortals who applauded.
The Pig Man removed his hair piece and tuxedo jacket and shirt. As this master magician shed the illusion, his true form appeared; his blonde hair fell around his face as his dark, indigo wings extended from his shoulder blades. He removed his mask. It was Sam, the man from Cee Cee’s shop. I would have been surprised, had I not been frozen with fear at Arcelia, who parted her red lips into a sneer just as Sam reached for a pedestal behind the black-winged Watcher and pulled out a full-faced black mask with gold accents—Mask of the Black Soul.
All at once I saw Noah shift his weight to pivot, Ruby start to pull something from her pocket, Miles start to make his way to the tunnel entrance, Sam move to place the mask on the Watcher.
But Arcelia was faster. She raised one long, pallid finger, pointed at me, and yelled, “INTRUDER!”
Everyone froze for a moment as they stared at me, confused. She reached out for me and tore off my mask. In the span of about two seconds, I saw realization dawn on Sam’s face just as Arcelia’s ghostly white wings ripped through the back of her dress and she wrapped her fingers around my throat, lifting me off the floor.
Instead of going for the mask, Noah came back for me, jumped up to Arcelia and pulled her down. I fell to the floor, but was quickly dragged up by three mortals who held my arms back as a nearby Watcher with garnet wings went for Noah. Ruby pulled out some black dust and blew it at a candelabra, causing the flames to light the curtain, which started a sweeping fire onto the stage.
The mortals were temporarily confused. Miles grabbed me then and led me across the threshold barrier and hid us in one of the concave gaps as Ruby grabbed the mask out of Sam’s hand.
I peeked from our hiding place to see the large angel with the black wings try to get a hold of Ruby, but she threw some white powder on the ground which immediately engulfed her in smoke. She disappeared and reappeared across the threshold with us.
Noah fought his way out of the Watcher and Arcelia and ran toward us. Ruby passed the mask off to Noah, and she quickly ducked back into hiding with us as he sprinted out of the tunnel. Ruby’s barrier stopped the mortals. The Watchers, as predicted, broke through the barrier, flying after Noah, not seeing us at all.
After all seven of them including the would-be king were way ahead of us in the tunnel, we left our hiding place and began to follow. I looked back once at the ballroom and was horrified to see the fire spreading, the mortals trying desperately to cross the threshold, but trapped in the growing inferno.
Miles led us out of the passage, through the kitchen and out the back door. As soon as we were out, we saw the seven Watchers and Arcelia flying toward the stables about a hundred yards away where Noah waited, alone. The three of us ran to help him. We were about half way there by the time Sam reached him. He grabbed Noah by the back of his neck and dragged him up into the sky with one hand.
The other angels watched, letting Sam handle Noah. They never saw Gretchen and Felix come out of the stables behind them. Two Watchers were instantly shot down—one consumed by spontaneous fire, the other electrocuted with streaks of lightning.
Arcelia and the other four Watchers turned their attention to Felix and Gretchen just as we arrived to help them. I looked up and saw Noah struggling to break free of Sam’s hold on him. Gretchen waved her hand in Sam’s direction. His wings caught fire, and he let go of Noah, who fell about thirty feet to the ground. Miles ran to him as Ruby focused all her concentration on a Watcher headed for Gretchen. She murmured a binding spell and, with her hand raised, began to squeeze. The Watcher stopped short and screamed out in agony. Ruby thrust her hand to the ground, and the angel followed, cracking its skull as it made contact with the earth.
I looked up and saw Sam begin to spin in mid air. He spun himself faster and faster until the flames on his wings died out. Beneath him, Miles had his hands on Noah, who gritted his teeth in pain. A few feet from me, Felix looked like he had lightning shooting from his fingers as he took out the Watcher with red wings.
Arcelia turned her attention to me. She flew to me, was about to get me, but Ruby got her first. She started another binding spell, but before she could finish, Sam flew toward her. “Behind you!” I yelled to her. She turned just in time for Sam to grab her arms, jerking her upward. I heard a dull breaking sound, and Ruby screamed out in pain.
Arcelia grabbed me, started to pull me up, but a newly-healed Noah jumped up and brought her down with me. He ripped her head off in one swift motion. Sam screamed in agony over the death of his daughter. He dropped Ruby and went for Noah.
I looked over to see Miles healing Felix, who had been injured from the angel with black wings, the one that was going to be named king. He was on the ground, one wing flapping, the other limp.
I went to Ruby. “Get away,” she said, gritting her teeth, holding her arm.
“Shut up and let me fix you,” I snapped at her. It was hard to concentrate with the battle going on around me. Noah looked like he was being crushed by Sam. I saw Gretchen trying to light Sam on fire again, but she was wearing out.
“I’m getting too hot! I need to back off before I combust!” she shouted to Miles, who had just finished healing Felix.
I felt my hands heat up and concentrated on healing Ruby. In a few moments, she was ready to get back in the battle, and not a moment too soon. She took out the other angel with a binding spell, just as he was about to get Gretchen.
Miles finished off the would-be king. He stood before the winged creature and held out his hands. The mighty Watcher stopped, frozen, agony on his face. He looked like he was collapsing from the inside out. I was astonished as I didn’t know Miles had any other power. My awe was quickly put aside when I heard Ruby yelling.
“Where are they?” she said. “Noah!” she called out. “Miles, where are they?”
We searched the sky above, but could not see through the darkness. A few moments of silence engulfed us. Then, in the distance, I saw something falling from the sky. “There!” I shouted, pointing toward the lake.
We soon saw Sam and Noah falling from the sky. Noah was on top of Sam, choking the life from him as they plummeted toward the lake. We heard a big splash as they broke through the surface tension of the water. We ran to them, trying to see beneath the dark surface, but we couldn’t make out anything.
After a minute, the water broke, and Noah appeared, gasping for air. He looked very hurt, but managed to swim to the shore where he collapsed. Miles quickly took care of him, and he was better in no time.
“Did you kill him?” asked Gretchen. Noah nodded.
“Where’s the mask?” asked Miles.
“In the barn,” said Felix. “I’ll go get it.” When he returned, he handed the mask to Miles who took the revolting object with trepidation.
“Finally,” he said. “We did a good job tonight. You should all be proud.”
I wanted to be happy, but I could see the back of the Grigori House engulfed in flames in the distance. “All those people,” I whispered sadly.
Miles followed my gaze in the direction of the inferno. “They made their choice a long time ago. Tonight they just sealed the deal.”
Gretchen looked at me sympathetically. “It’s part of the job, I’m afraid. It gets easier, though.”
I hoped she was right.
17
Ruby’s Reprisal
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Victorious, we returned to Miles’. We had all made it out of the area before the fire department arrived. Gretchen rode back with Miles and Ruby. Felix and I rode with Noah in his car. Noah seemed happy for the first time since Nadia died. It was a relief.
At Miles’, we all converged in the living room. He told us that he had called Cee Cee on the way back and that she was relieved. She hadn’t stopped praying all night.
“I still can’t believe we pulled that off,” said Noah, exhilarated. “Haven’t had a rush like that in a long time.”
Felix laughed. “You need to come back to Paris with us. It’s a new fight every week.”
“He’s exaggerating.” Gretchen nudged him, smiling.
I saw that even Miles was smiling as he carefully placed the mask on the table before us. I couldn’t help but smile too, feeling as though we had all cheated death. We were victorious, and why not be joyful? The only one in the room who dampened the mood was, of course, Ruby. She sulked near the entrance to the foyer, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed, staring across the room at nothing.
“I want to phone Charmagne now; wake her up and tell her we got the mask back,” said Miles.
“Better not. You know how she likes her beauty rest,” said Felix.
Miles laughed and nodded. Then, grinning, he looked over at me. “You’ve proven yourself to be a strong paladin. From here on out, you’ll only get stronger.”
I looked down at the floor, embarrassed, and shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I think maybe I just got lucky.”
“No way!” said Noah. “That was talent. You should be proud of yourself.” I looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. His eyes met mine, and he looked at peace with me for the first time since I met him. It only figured that Ruby would ruin this moment.
“Not enough talent to save Nadia,” she said with a lashing of bitterness that made us all freeze. Noah’s smile faded instantly and his jaw clenched.
Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 02 - Dark Carnival Page 17