Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 02 - Dark Carnival (19 page)

“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.

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.

“Ruby!” chided Miles.

She came forward,
brushing past me, addressing the rest of the room.  “Did y’all forget what
happened to Nadia?  She’s gone!  She’s never coming back, thanks to your
talented
healer
there.”

“Ruby, that’s enough!”
warned Miles.  Noah hung his head and walked toward the foyer entrance, but
remained in the room.  Gretchen and Felix avoided eye contact, choosing to
stare at the floor instead.  I felt myself driving ninety miles an hour toward
a wall of guilt, and I wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

“That’s it.  Take up for
your precious little girl,” said Ruby.

“I said that’s
enough
!”

“What’s she talking
about?” I said.

Ruby laughed softly.  “You
didn’t know that’s your daddy, did you?”  She laughed again.  “’Course you
didn’t.”

I glared at Miles.  “What’s
she talking about?!”

“She’s your daughter?”
asked Noah, almost as shocked as I was.

“That’s bull shit!” I
said.  “I don’t know you!  My dad died years ago.  I look just like him.  He—”

“Yeah, you do look just
like your daddy,” teased Ruby.  “Tall like him, same chin, even the same green
eyes.”

I studied Miles.  Mom
always told me I had Clothilde’s green eyes.  But the shade of my irises
matched his perfectly.  And I
did
have his chin and … “No,” I whispered.

“Leigh,” started Miles,
but he trailed off, unable to take my glare.

“You’re all lying to me!  Stop
it!” I pleaded.

Ruby came up to my face
and said softly and with much glee, “Is daddy’s girl gonna cry?”

I didn’t even have to
think.  I balled up my right fist and brought it crashing down onto the left
side of her jaw, knocking her back a few feet before she even knew what hit
her.  She stumbled into the coffee table and stopped just short of falling.  Miles
started to catch her, but stopped when she regained her balance.  Shocked, she
glared at me, holding her jaw with one hand.

I turned around and
headed through the foyer and for the front door.  Before I left, I heard Ruby
yell, “You’re going to regret that!”  And then I heard Noah say to her, “You
deserved it.” 

I got in my car, slammed
the door, and sped out of the driveway, smirking at the thought of Ruby with an
ugly bruise on her face.  My glee at Ruby’s abrasion gave way to anger, and I
found myself going nearly fifteen miles over the speed limit.  I forced myself
to pull over and get control of my anger.  I wasn’t ready to go back to Cee
Cee’s anyway.

I pulled over at
Waldenberg Park, which bordered the Mississippi River a few blocks from Cee
Cee’s.  I got out of my car, slamming the door, and walked over to one of the
benches that looked out onto the river.  There was a homeless man asleep on a
bench a few yards from me.  In the opposite direction was a young couple making
out.  Other than that, I was the only one there.

I was near the Aquarium,
and that just reminded me of the good time I had with Lucas and the kids.  I
pushed that image away, choosing to stay upset.  I sat and watched the moon’s
reflection dance on the water, feeling tears well up but fighting them back,
too stubborn to let go of the anger.  
They all lied to me.  
She
lied
to me.  My own
mother
!  How could they?!

I heard footsteps
approach me from behind.  “You okay?” asked Noah.

I didn’t turn to
acknowledge him.  “Leave me alone.”

“I’m sorry that—”

“Leave me alone!”

The couple making out
turned to look at me, giving me a weird look.  I was still in my ball gown, but
I didn’t care how I looked to them.

“Okay,” whispered Noah.  I
heard him start to leave, but he stopped.  “If you need to talk or anything …
you know.”  He walked away, leaving me to my hurt and fury.

After I collected myself,
I got back in my car and drove back to Cee Cee’s.  She started to ask me about
our battle with the Grigori but stopped when she saw the look on my face.

“What’s wrong, my baby?”

I shook my head, still
fuming.  “I’m sick and tired of everyone lying to me!”  She was taken aback.  “I’m
sorry, Cee Cee.  I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“What happened?”

I looked at her, asking
the only question that was on my mind, but already had the answer to.  “Is
Miles my father?”

Her eyes got big and she
took a deep, slow breath.  She closed her eyes and nodded.  “Yes.  Who told
you?”

“Ruby,” I said, bitterly.

She shook her head, her
eyes angry.  “That girl!  I swear she don’t have the manners God gave a hog!”

“Ever since I moved back
to Louisiana, it’s been one lie after another.”

“No, my baby.  You been
discovering the truth!”

“I don’t even know who I
am anymore,” I groaned.

Cee Cee shook her head
and gently placed her hand on mine.  “You didn’t know who you were
until
you
came back home.”

“How could Maw Maw lie to
me?  How could my own
mother
lie to me?” I pleaded, the anger rising
again.

“You remember what I told
you about Noah and Nadia?”

“What does that have—?”

“Just hush, and I’ll
explain,” she said softly.  “Long time ago, before you or your brother were
born, before your momma ever met your daddy, she and Miles were friends—
good
friends.  They went to school at Loyola together.  They were even sweethearts
for a little while.  They were naturally attracted to each other because they
each saw the light radiating from the other.  They were drawn to that light.

“After they finished
college, Miles left to go to Paris to train to be a great paladin.  Your momma
went back to Acadiana to train to be a Traiteur with one of the native Houma
Indians so she could be close to her family.  She met and fell in love with Jerry
Benoit.  They got married and had your brother David.

“Few years later, Miles
come back to New Orleans and found out your momma got married.  It broke his
heart, but he understood since he’d been gone for so long.  He didn’t want to
cause any trouble, so he didn’t pursue her.  Until one day, she came by to see
me.

“We had dinner together
at this new restaurant—it was out near Metairie.  Anyway, after dinner, we
drove off in separate cars.  We were traveling in the same direction for a few
miles, until she had to turn off to get onto the highway.  That when a truck
ploughed into her, flipping her car over into a ditch.

“The truck driver kept
going.  Didn’t even stop to see if she was alive.  I pulled over fast and ran
to her car.  She was barely breathing.  I used my ability to soothe her, to
keep her from being in too much pain.  I knew she wouldn’t make it to the
hospital in time.  I got back in my car and drove about a half mile down the
road and got to a pay phone.  I called Miles and told him to hurry.

“By the time he got
there, she had already passed in my arms.  I was crying and hugging her, and he
just come over to us and that’s when I saw it in him—that look a man have when
he never get over a woman.  He was shaking bad, but he laid his hands on her.  I
tried to push him away, telling him not to, that she was supposed to go to God
now, but he didn’t want to hear it.  He put his hands on her and brought her
back.

“That’s when Miles become
a Line Walker.  Your momma stayed with him that night, and they did more than
catch up on old times.”  She smiled at that last part, but her smile soon
faded.  “Don’t hate him or your momma, my baby.  You were conceived out of
love.”

I hung my head, unable to
hear any more.  Everything I knew—
thought
I knew—was turned upside down
and inside out.

“There’s something else
you should know.”

“I’m not sure I want to
know any more,” I said, defeated.

“Because of them being
your momma and daddy that make you special.”

I glanced at her.  “Special
how?”

“They each half normal
and half paladin.  But you are pure paladin.  You have a very enhanced healing
ability.  Your momma used the element of fire.  Her momma, your Maw Maw Clo,
uses earth.  Miles uses water.  His daddy used air.  You don’t need to use
herbs or water or anything other than your hands.  That’s why Miles started
training you at the convent right away.  He didn’t want to waste time teaching
you about things you didn’t need to know.

“And, something else,
too.  Your momma was a light paladin and Miles is a dark paladin.  That make
you both light and dark.  I have to warn you, my baby.  Les Foncés will try to
turn you over to their side.”

“Why?  I’m not that
powerful.”

“You
will
be.  Sooner
or later.  And when that time come, they’ll come looking for you.  Maybe they
already started looking for you.  But you need to be careful.”

“Then why don’t I just
stop training?  Just stay with what I can do now?”

Cee Cee shook her head.  “You
can’t stop.  Too many lives depend on you.  There will be things only you can
do.  Just be careful is all I’m sayin’.”

“Maw Maw couldn’t save
Mom that night when they were at Savoy’s cabin because Miles had already
brought her back?  Is that right?”  I could see the hurt in Cee Cee’s eyes when
I mentioned that time so long ago when my mother was killed by Walter Savoy.

Cee Cee nodded and then
hugged me.  “It’s going to be alright.  I think you need a good night’s sleep
and you might see things differently in the morning.”

I wanted to argue with
her that I wouldn’t see things differently, but I was exhausted.  I got up,
headed for my room.  Before I entered the hall, I turned back to her and said,
“She doesn’t come to me in my dreams any more.  Not like she did when we were
dealing with Savoy.  I think I’ve only dreamed about her once lately.”

Cee Cee thought
carefully.  “Think maybe she was trying real hard to get to you from the other
side, so that she could help you as best you could.  Now, I think maybe she
wants you to learn how to do things for yourself.”

I thanked her for telling
me the truth and then crawled into bed.