Wyrmrider Justice: An Underwater Magic Urban Fantasy (The Fomorian Wyrmriders Book 3)

by Theophilus Monroe

  I walked through Jackson Square, around the old St. Louis cathedral. It was the closest thing to a park around. At least so far as I knew. I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. I didn't think much of it at first. Just another Louisianan going for a morning stroll, I supposed. But when I looked again, I didn't see him.

  Until I did. He reappeared, walking out of the wall of one side of the cathedral. His body was translucent, and he was dressed in a lock cassock and collar.

  "Excuse me?" I asked.

  The priest ignored me. This guy wasn't alive. He was dead. Probably not used to being acknowledged. "Hey you, Holy Ghost!"

  The priest paused a moment and looked at me curiously. "Were you talking to me?"

  "Yeah," I said. "Been a while since I last saw a ghost. But you aren't the first."

  When I was in my early teens, the ghost of Messalina's sister showed up to warn me about Messalina's intentions. Messalina was the caplata who'd vowed to come back from the dead to avenge her death on a female Campbell. Good thing the ghost girl, Isabelle, showed up too. Otherwise, that caplata bitch would have done me like a turkey on Thanksgiving. So, I wasn't afraid of ghosts. So far, the only ones I'd met were friendly and saved my life.

  Ghosts are like Nickelback. You think the worst about them until you actually listen to them. Then, you come to realize they aren't too bad in small doses. I didn't want to be haunted or anything like that, but the occasional run-in with a ghost wasn't something that bothered me in the slightest.

  "Name's Joni, by the way," I said. My momma said I should always take the initiative to introduce myself to someone if they don't beat me to it. No sense in talking to nobody who doesn't tell you their name. I know, a lot of negatives in one sentence. You might be able to take a girl out of Dixie, but you can never take the Dixie out of a southern girl.

  "Father Antonio de Sedella," the priest-ghost said. "But most call me Pere Antoine."

  "So what brings you out to haunt the early morning?" I asked.

  "You're acting remarkably comfortable... were you sent for the academy?"

  "What academy?" I asked.

  "The Voodoo Academy. Were you referred to us?"

  I snorted. "Nope, not my jam. But honey, you're hardly the strangest thing I've ever seen."

  "It is sunrise," Pere Antone said. "It is not unheard of that I might be seen by one sensitive to the arts at such an hour."

  "Must be it," I said. "You say you have something to do with the Voodoo Academy?"

  "I usher in new initiates," the ghost said.

  I snorted. "I'm La Sirene. How do you do?"

  The ghost took two steps back. "Are you here to teach at the Academy?"

  I laughed out loud. "Oh hell, I don't know what I'd teach. I'd be a bit out of my element there, you know."

  "Water?" Pere Antoine asked.

  "Of course," I said, grinning ear to ear. "Nice to meet you, though."

  "Wait," Pere Antoine said. "Your eyes... are you a..."

  "Yeah, I got bit. Sucks, you know. But my magic keeps it at bay."

  "Of course," Pere Antoine said. "It's on account of the Ghede that you can see me."

  "Baron Samedi, you mean?" I asked.

  "Students at the Voodoo Academy, those who are chosen by College Samedi and receive the Baron's aspect, often see the dead."

  "Do vampires?" I asked.

  "Some," the priest said. "But not all."

  "Curious," I said. "But then again, you said many often see you here at sunrise, correct?"

  "It's a bit later than usual," Pere Antoine said. "Come with me, across the street. We'll find out real quick whether you can see the dead."

  "Where are we going?" I asked.

  "St. Louis Cemetery No. 1," the priest said.

  I looked up as we approached it. I'd seen ghosts before, but only one at a time and several years apart. Now I saw not just one or two, but dozens upon dozens of them, all appearing in clothing that looked like it came from a bygone era. Like the priests' translucent form, their bodies were washed out of color, more like a sepia tone than a black or white. "Well, tickle my tummy and shoot me in the butt!"

  "Do what?"

  "Sorry, it's a saying I picked up from my gran. I don't think anyone ever took her up on that. "I can see ghosts, a hundred of them maybe, all wandering aimlessly around the tombs."

  "And this isn't something you experienced at all until now?" Pere Antonie asked.

  "Not really," I said. "The ghost I knew before came to me on purpose. These spirits, it's like they have no purpose at all."

  "Restless spirits, all who must've felt like they died with issues unresolved. They missed their chance to move on before they realized, as ghosts, only a few of us are granted any chance at all to finish what we started in life."

  "But you're different?" I asked.

  "Before emancipation, I helped establish what we now call the Voodoo Academy as a place where slave boys and girls could come to learn to read and write. In the early days, with the cooperation of some hougans and mambos, we worked together and hid the school from the rest of the world. Today, I still do the same. I help lead new students to the school."

  "So why didn't you move on when you died?"

  "I was serving an important purpose, in those days, protecting the Voodoo world. Along with the Voodo Queen, Marie Laveau, I was making a difference in young people's lives."

  "Funny," I said. "I just got back from talking to Marie."

  "Except I knew her in her original life when she was arguably the most famous woman in all of New Orleans. I baptized her and gave her the Eucharist."

  "You know, when I was back in Fomoria... you know about Fomoria, right?"

  "I do."

  "Well, when I was there, in my mermaid form, I didn't have red eyes like this. I didn't see the dead at all."

  "I can feel the magic within you," Pere Antoine said. "As a spirit, I'm sensitive to magic and all forms of energy. You're still holding it back. The aspect of the Baron."

  I nodded. "Don't want to bite anyone."

  "But the Baron's aspect is still within you. It's active. Not dormant like, I suppose, it must've been before. You might be restraining the effects of it. However, you've still maintained some of the abilities that come with Baron Samedi's aspect."

  "So now I can see dead people," I said. "I wonder if Bruce Willis is around here, somewhere."

  Pere Antoine cocked his head. "Who?"

  "Sorry, pop-culture reference. After your time."

  "I suppose so. It was a pleasure meeting you, La Sirene. Perhaps, one day, you'll reconsider and accept a teaching post at the Voodoo Academy? Papa Legba makes all the appointments."

  "Legba?" I asked. "I have his aspect too, you know."

  "Curious," Pere Antoine said. "A Loa, with an aspect of her own, also possessing the aspects of two other mighty Loa. Only Marie Laveau, so far as I'm aware, can boast of the same."

  "Some day, I'll figure it all out," I said. "It was a pleasure. Thank you for talking to me. Believe it or not, you really helped me out."

  "Perhaps we'll see each other again soon. You know where to find me."

  "So long, Father."

  That was it. I knew, suddenly, what my adventure was going to be. The ghost pirates. The ship that Nephtalie had boarded. We hadn't seen it, even on our map, for over a year. But what if whatever magic Nephtalie brought aboard the boat was somehow contained, being totally used by the ghosts and their ship. The reason we didn't see them and couldn't find them wasn't that they weren't there. It was because our beacons don't rely on the power of the Ghede.

  But now, so long as this ability remained within me, I could see ghosts. I wondered if I could also draw out the Fomorian magic, being a siphon, that Nephtalie had brought them. They were planning something. At least Nephtalie was. And whatever it was, it was taking them a while to do it.

  Agwe and I always wondered how we'd deal with them once they manifested. Now, we wouldn't have to wait. We could
take the battle to them. We could stop them before they ever had a chance to unleash whatever hell they planned. Agwe said he wanted whatever I figured out to be a surprise. This was something that neither of us could have anticipated. And I was giddy with excitement.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I ONLY HAD one thing more to figure out. Now that I was back in mermaid form and back in Fomoria, could I let the Baron's aspect out? It happened, almost naturally, when I was in human form. I had to use magic, constantly, to keep that part of me under control.

  I imagined it was sort of like how I had to learn to use Legba's aspect. To do that, I had to own my new role. I had to accept my queenship. Short of biting someone in the neck, though, I wasn't exactly sure how I could go about accepting my vampirism. But maybe that wasn't what it would take.

  There was one way I could find out. Well, there were two ways. But drinking someone's blood was off the table. I prefer my meat well done, and usually not human. Or, mer, for that matter. If anyone could help, Legba might be able to give me a few pointers.

  All I had to do was ask. He usually wasn't much for small talk. Apparently, finding out that he also ran a whole Voodoo Academy on top of his other responsibilities, he didn't have the time for it. I'd learned, quite quickly, not to bother him unless it was necessary.

  This qualified, I figured. Stopping a potential assault by a ship of ghost pirates enhanced by a powerful caplata was precisely the sort of thing he'd think was worth his time.

  "Hey, Legba!" I said out loud. "I summon you or whatever."

  Not the most elaborate way of evoking a Loa, granted. When Marie did it, she had a bunch of offerings prepared and said some elaborate prayers. But I didn't need to evoke him. I was already connected to him. So was Marie, actually. But maybe she just like ceremonies and whatnot. No matter, If I said his name, he'd hear me.

  I'd made sure that I was all alone. I also double-checked to ensure that Titus was occupied and wouldn't come barging into my quarters. As for Agwe, well, who knows what he was up to. But if he walked in on me, no biggie. I was going to tell him about this later, anyway. Still, I hoped he wouldn't come in. I still wanted this to be a surprise.

  "Hello, La Sirene," LEgba replied, his voice echoing in my head. "You called?"

  "So since I was bitten, I have Baron Samedi's aspect inside of me," I said.

  "You do," Legba said. "I trust you're handling it well?"

  "Mostly," I said. "Fomorian magic keeps it mostly dormant."

  "Probably for the best," Legba said.

  "How can I awaken it?" I asked. "Not just when I'm in human form, but here, in mermaid form in Fomoria."

  "Why would you want to do that?" Legba asked.

  "Because when I went to shore, I found out I can see ghosts."

  "And you want to use it to try and find the pirate ship?"

  "Exactly!" I exclaimed.

  Legba sighed. "I suppose that's a worthy reason. But you were not bitten in this form, La Sirene. Without the Baron's consent, if he doesn't give you his aspect in this form, I don't believe it will be possible."

  I snorted. "I'm not going to get a vampire to bite me like this. You said I could get his consent?"

  "He has to bestow his aspect on you as a gift," Legba said. "But he dwells now between the divide of the realms of life and death in Guinee."

  "He's basically like a sort of grim reaper," I said. "Makes sense he'd be at the precipice between life and death."

  "He's not there for that purpose," Legba said. "He is there by choice. He has little interest in returning to the realm of the living at this time."

  "I'm not asking him to come back," I said. "I just need to talk to him, right?"

  Legba sighed. "Perhaps I can convince him to meet you at the crossroads. A petition from another Loa, such as yourself, might appeal to him. You have more to offer than a common hougan or mambo."

  "More to offer? What do you mean?"

  "The Baron likes to work through bargains, contracts of a sort. He may give you what you desire if you can give him something else in return."

  "Like what? A pack of M&Ms?"

  Legba chuckled. "Make it peanut M&Ms and not the plain, and I'd find the offer appealing. But no, La Sirene, he'll want more than that. And if I'm not mistaken, you've encountered Samedi before. You've seen the kinds of bargains he engages in."

  I snorted. I had seen it—when I was just a girl. I saw how the caplata, Messalina, found herself bound to him. What he wanted, in exchange for how he helped her, was souls. Mine, and the soul of Messalina's sister who brought with her the power of the Tree of Life in Annwn, in Guinee. "I'm guessing that whatever bargain he offers will lean heavily in his favor."

  "Most assuredly," Legba said. "But you must exercise caution. The Baron, himself, has a dual aspect. At the precipice of life and death, he might appear in either a green or red form."

  "And I'll be able to tell?" I asked.

  "Look into his eyes," Legba said. "If they are aglow with green magic, you can be certain that his intentions are noble and good. If they are red, however..."

  "Green light, go. Red light, stop. Got it."

  "But whichever form the Baron takes will depend more on you than him," Legba said. "Approach him with confidence and noble intentions the Green Baron will manifest. Approach him with fear or a selfish motive, and it will be the Red Baron who greets you."

  "And the Green Baron will offer a better bargain, I suppose?" I asked.

  "Perhaps," Legba explained. "Either manifestation will likely result in a bargain that skews in his favor. But if it is the Green Baron who appears, you can at least be certain that whatever he gains from your arrangement will be used for a noble purpose."

  "Cool beans. When can we do this? I'd like to get the ball rolling as soon as possible."

  "Call me again in one day. If he agrees to meet with you, I'll bring you to him to meet at the crossroads."

  CHAPTER TEN

  ONE DAY. THAT meant I'd have time, as agreed, to meet with Shelly to hear her proposals for electrifying Fomoria.

  We met in the same room, behind my throne room, where we'd talked before. Paper wasn't really a thing in Fomoria. Apparently, though, Shelly had figured something out with respect to that issue, too.

  She handed me a stack of slick leaves harvested from some kind of deep-sea plant. She'd used the ink of squids, apparently, and a needle-point hewn from fish bones to write on it—almost like one might tattoo someone's skin. I couldn't imagine that writing like that was a quick process. Her letters were large since writing wasn't a skill prioritized in Fomorian schools. Nonetheless, she'd managed to prepare an extensive list of ideas along with various proposals for implementing her ideas and how she believed they could benefit the kingdom.

  "Create a power grid," I said, reading her top idea back to her. "Are you thinking like some central hub that produces the electric current, and then we channel it through all the spires?"

  "It is one approach," Shelly said. "We could also do the same thing with miniature chemical generators installed on each spire individually. That way, then, everyone would be responsible for keeping their own generators maintained and powered. But, it may not be as efficient."

  "Why not?" I asked.

  "Well, if we have a central hub, like a power plant, we'd keep the electricity flowing all the time. But say we went with the individual option, people would probably produce in excess, and whatever power they didn't use would be wasted."

  I nodded. "But a central power plant could base production on demand and produce accordingly."

  "Exactly," Shelly said. "But we'd need more infrastructure, longer and thicker strands, to get the power to all the spires."

  "So if we went with the larger plant, it would be more work up front to get things started, but it might be less work in terms of harvesting the chemicals needed to power the city in the long run."

  "Depends on whether you're thinking short term or long term," Shelly said. "But I'm partial to th
e power plant. I think it's worth the extra work up front since this is something that people could use forever."

  "How about the rest of these ideas?" I asked.

  "All of them are contingent on the first, and I suppose things could be prioritized differently. But electricity alone isn't worth much unless we have technologies that run on it. No sense powering up the city without any way to use the electricity."

  "I agree," I said. "A lot of these ideas are similar to things in human society. Temperature control devices, for instance."

  "Our temperature is pretty constant," Shelly said. "But let's face it, some people would prefer it if the waters in their homes was a little warmer; a few people might like it cooler. What if people could adjust the temperature of their own spires to their preferences?"

  "I have to admit, sometimes it is a bit chilly when I'm sleeping."

  "Because your body naturally warms itself up when you're moving around," Shelly said. "I think getting a good night's sleep is one of many selling points that might make temperature control desirable."

  "I like some of these other ideas. A communication system, sort of like what we had on the surface. Like telephones."

  "Think about it," Shelly said. "Fomorians could speak to each other without leaving their homes. If you had an announcement, or whatever, you could communicate that to everyone from your own room!"

  "Audio systems and televisions?" I asked.

  "I've heard that music and shows on screens are a big thing in human society. The gala was awesome, don't get me wrong, but what if we could showcase everyone's talents?"

  "I like that," I said. "But that sounds more like a phase two sort of thing. I'd suggest focusing on the grid. While the infrastructure is being put in place, we get the temperature control and communications systems developed. After that, we can talk about other ideas. Tell me, Shelly, how'd you learn about how some of this works on land?"