by Faith Hunter
Page 18
Joanne Walker takes in the sights and sounds of New Orleans for the first time, feeling the pull in her stomach that signifies something magical is going on. She spots a tall woman across the crowd, one dressed all in leather with yellow eyes. Using her Sight to look more closely, Joanne notices two things about the unusual woman: her aura is beautiful, composed of both earth colors and darkness, and there are two souls sharing one body. Joanne thinks she now knows why she is in New Orleans.
Jane Yellowrock knows that something does not feel right about New Orleans. She felt it while in Beast form just outside the city, and now in on the streets she knows so well Jane is positive something is off—the Royal Mojo Blues Company bar is now the Vamp Mojo, a blood bar, and the sign is not a new one. Jane can scent Leo and Katie inside the building, but they too are different. Then Jane spots a woman who seems out of place, goes up to talk to her, and gives her a good sniff.
Both women are surprised at their own words when they introduce themselves: Joanne as a shaman, and Jane as a skinwalker. Joanne tells Jane that her magic pulled her there to the city for some reason, and Jane points out the yellow-orange light shooting up between some buildings, which Joanne confirms is magic, and tells Jane that what she smells is brimstone.
As the two women make their way toward the area, Joanne learns that in this reality, and Jane’s, vampires and weres exist. Then they spot a creature with gills, horns, and a terrible stench. Joanne sets up a protective shield for the people, and when the monster attacks, Jane uses her guns. Joanne uses a magical net to yank the monster off its feet, but it then chases her through a doorway, and Jane notices Joanne now has a sword. When Jane runs through the doorway, she feels agonizing pain and shifts into Beast, who catches the creature and kills it. The doorway was a portal that Joanne created to lead the monster away from where it could harm people.
When she comes face-to-face with Beast, Joanne figures out that the mountain lion she sees is Jane, and it turns out that Joanne can hear Beast’s thoughts so they are able to communicate. While Beast eats and Joanne watches, a very tall, very handsome dark-skinned man with a Cajun accent shows up, introducing himself as Lazarus, asking to be called Laz. Jane returns in her human form, immediately distrustful of the new arrival. Joanne examines him with her Sight, and sees a maze of magic running through him, and when she asks Laz what he is, he replies that he is a gateway. While the two women debate what to do next—try to leave this world (Jane) or figure out what is going on (Joanne), Laz makes himself into a portal back to where they started.
Jane, not caring for the way Laz smells, suggests that perhaps he is responsible for bringing them to this world, and takes him down with her blade at his throat. Laz insists that he was also pulled here somehow. Not really satisfied with his answer, Jane nonetheless lets Laz up, partly because she’s starving. The trio go to a diner—the one that in Jane’s world used to be Antione’s. After eating a lot of food, and trying to determine what the Antoine of this world is, the three go up to speak to him. Jane tells Antoine that Evangelina Everhart suggested they come there, and he replies that they should have reported to Amaury first. When they leave, Jane tells the others that in her world, Amaury died in the ’forties.
Jane, Joanne, and Laz arrive at Vamp Mojo to meet with Amaury, and also find Leo and Katie, both of whom appear considerably different than the ones Jane knows. The very arrogant Amaury tells the trio that all of the magic users in the area are under his control, his payment for saving the city from Katrina. Jane tells him that something pulled all three of them there, and Amaury says that a voodoo woman made a mistake when crafting a love spell, which resulted in a rift. The visitors wisely do not add that they were pulled there from other worlds.
After they get outside, Joanne reports that Amaury is a mass of evil, and is pulling on the power of everyone in the city. Knowing that they need to get to the bayou quickly to find the voodooine, Jane decides stealing a car is their best option. When they arrive at the location, a large power drain destroys the car shortly after they all get out of it. Laz somehow manages to contain the explosion, claiming that he’s using earth magic. The heavy doses of magic flying around have forced Jane to shift into Beast again, and she leaves the others. When Joanne ends up taking a few swipes at Laz with her sword—when not meaning to, or trying to—she realizes that she is being controlled by voodoo. While Joanne and Laz try to deal with their situation, Beast spots the voodoo woman and attacks her, holding her down by the throat until the others get there, the spell on Joanne now broken.
From the woman, who claims that the black magic is coming from Amaury, not her, and Jane, back to herself, realizes that the woman, Serena, has a baby. Amaury has taken Serena’s baby until is able to perform a love spell on another vampire’s human wife, but since she was unable to do so, she opened up the rift in order to bring through the demon to kill Amaury. Joanne tells Serena that she brought the three of them through as well. Serena says she even prayed to Papa Legba, and begs her visitors to help her get her child back, to which they agree. When Joanne points out that their transportation no longer exists, Laz creates a portal that transports all four of them to just outside Vamp Mojo.
Along with werewolves and witches, two tall creatures seemingly made out of swamp material appear, which when Joanne examines them with her Sight, she knows that they are actually constructed of the winds and water of Katrina, which Amaury had somehow managed to trap and contain. Fighting off the various attackers, the four eventually make it inside the bar. While they are fighting off a few vamps, Amaury appears, then disappears. Laz says he hears the baby, and when hearing the wind outside, Joanne speculates that the Katrina force is about to be set free. Since Amaury is not a witch and wouldn’t be able to control that much power, Joanne suggests that he must be using some sort of focus, and Jane thinks it may be an amulet. Leo and Katie say they will help them, as Amaury is killing them by siphoning off their power.
Laz says he will take the amulet, once they find it, since it can’t be destroyed without causing all sorts of problems. Joanne, via her Sight, finally determines what Laz really is, but when the baby cries, they all head off in the direction of the sound. When they arrive, Amaury has a knife to Serena’s throat—a knife he seems to be having difficulty controlling. Joanne figures out that the knife is the amulet, and telling Jane to get the baby and Serena, she calls upon her snake spirit to lend her speed, and she goes after Amuary, slicing off his hand, and then kills him. The storm hits hard inside the room, but Laz manages to contain it. Serena then knows exactly who Laz really is: Papa Legba, a voodoo legend, brought to New Orleans years ago with the slaves. Leo wants the knife-amulet, but Laz/Legba says he will keep it safe.
Though Jane wants to send Laz back to where he came from, he points out that they might have trouble sending him there. He says he will make doorways for both Jane and Joanne to return to their worlds. The two women leave briefly to discuss the situation, and determine that New Orleans is likely safer with Laz there keeping Katrina under control. Since Jane is weak from multiple shifts, Joanne lends her some of her energy so she can make it through the portal. Joanne gets a glimpse of Jane’s soul home. Before having Laz send them back, Joanne gives Jane one of her earrings, hoping that it will serve as a connection if they ever need or want to see each other. Jane reciprocates by giving Joanne one of her hair sticks. The two women part, going back to their respective worlds.
“Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry”: Rick LaFleur had suffered terribly during that first night of the full moon, unable to shift into his cat. Kemnebi had refused to help him, but Gee DiMercy told him that Jane may be able to help. This did not make any sense to Rick, but he was willing to try, so he rides his motorcycle to Jane’s street, determined to see her. When he arrives, Jane is outside, and she walks over to him. With his voice barely human and difficult to understand, Rick tells Jane about this problem, and that they let him go because he hit Leo
. The next thing Rick knows, Jane tells him she’s sorry and then punches him.
When Rick wakes up, he’s being sprayed with water, in a cage, with a tranquilizer dart in his rear end. Jane is there, and tells him that she got permission to keep him in the warehouse until the three nights of the full moon are past. After giving him food and clothes to get dressed, Jane tells Rick that five witches are coming to help him through his shift. Given his experience with witches, Rick is not thrilled to hear this, and he asks Jane to stay while the women are there.
Leo comes into the room, and Rick apologizes for having hit him. Leo tells Rick that since he has provided Rick with his blood a few times to save his life, he is able to feel Rick’s pain. Leo says that neither his blood nor Gee’s help can save Rick from the were-taint, which is why he called the witches, and he assures Rick that he can be drugged throughout the process. George Dumas, Leo’s primo, is operating the tranquilizer gun and will give Rick a dose whenever he asks. The witches arrive, and the painful night of hell begins.
At dawn, Rick awakens to Kemnebi taunting him, when seemingly out of nowhere Jane knocks the man to the floor, putting a knife to his throat. George tries to break up the fight, but Jane demands that Kemnebi recognize her as alpha. Though he tries to say it is only for now, Jane forces him to acknowledge her as alpha forever, and then points out that the whole exchange has been recorded, giving his statement legal status among weres. Jane tells Kemnebi that he will take care of Rick, teaching him how to shift and how to be a were. She claims Rick as under her protection. Rick gets another dose of pain medication.
This time when Rick wakes up he is in a tent in the mountains, which he knows is thanks to Jane. Rick vows that he will learn what he needs, and that he will then go after Jane, as they have a lot to discuss.
* * *
“Dance Master” (in the Jane Yellowrock Companion Guide): George knows when Jane arrives to join him for breakfast, hearing her Harley and then her boots. As Jane walks across the room toward his table, George watches her, and can feel his master, Leo, doing so as well. Leo says that Jane is his, but George replies that Jane does not belong to anyone, giving Leo something to think about. Though he desires Jane, George is well aware that Rick LaFleur stands between them, in spite of the man’s unfortunate plight with the were-taint. However, even without that barrier between Jane and Rick, George doubts that, given Rick’s history with women, the relationship would have lasted.