Water is Thicker than Blood (4 page)

“
Now ain’t that something? You get good at it, you just
might eventually be able to get work with the Historical Society.
Now that is where some money is. Archmage said he heard some big
plans about starting public schooling again in a few years. Gonna
need plenty of paper for that!”

“
Well, it be a while ‘fore I think Mr. Horton be interested
in my skills.”

“
Don’t doubt yourself, Ms. Rue.” Joseph pulled a
handkerchief
from his pocket and wiped the back of his neck.
“Ms. Rue, you in a hurry to get home?” Rue shook her head. “I’m
just picking up a blank grimoire for my studies. Would you mind
waiting a spell? I’d like to talk to you a bit.”

Rue waited for Joseph, who made quick work of picking up
his grimoire. He waited until they hit a stretch of the road with
nothing but swamp water on either side before speaking. “Ms. Rue,
my mama been real worried about you.”

“
I told your mama not to be telling you stuff.”

“
No, no. She ain’t betrayed your confidence. But I know my
mama. And you don’t need to be no mage to see what has been going
on with Mr. Hank. It wounds me deeply to have to stand by and watch
what he is doing to you.”

“
Well, ain’t no reason for you to be wounded, child. Ain’t
nothing you can do about him.”

“
Ms. Rue, that is not entirely true.”

Rue stopped walking and turned to face Joseph. “What
foolishness you talking? You got powers enough to change a man’s
mind for him?”

“
Well, there do be powers that exist like that. But no, that
is not what I mean. Ms. Rue, you remember how Baron Samedi was
talking about people making sacrifices and doing without to help
their neighbors?”

“
I do. I most certainly do.”

“
Folks in Bywater are suffering.” He waved a hand toward the
pools of stagnant water on either side of the road. “All around us
is water, but none of it is life-bringing. All this water and can’t
drink it. It just attracts bugs and rot and sickness. You heard
tell about those two babies caught malaria?”

“
Yes, those poor little angels. I can’t even imagine what
their mamas are feeling.”

“
Malaria carried by mosquitos. And Mosquitos attracted to
all this stagnant water. And we can’t do nothing about it ‘cause
it’s everywhere and ain’t nowhere to route it. But if we can clean
it, then maybe no more babies be dying like that.”

“
Oh child. I’d give anything to help make that happen. But I
don’t have no magic like you do.”

“
You don’t need no magic. I just need you recognize the need
for sacrifices. Do you know the
story of Jephthah?”

“
Jephthah went out to face the Ammonites, and swore to God
that if He saw him victorious in battle, he would sacrifice to God
whoever met him first when he got home.”

“
And it was his only daughter that met him first, and he
kept his word to God, ‘cause God had given him victory over his
enemies.”

“
What are you asking of me?”

“
The Archmage don’t understand why the generator don’t work.
But I performed a ritual and received a vision. And in that vision,
I learned that God is still angry with us ‘cause mankind done blew
up what He had created for us. We destroyed what God had built, and
He is angry.”

“
You...you had a vision? And what did the Archmage
say?”

“
The Archmage is a good man, but he is not a man of faith.
He believes that our talents are our own. But I have come to
believe that our talents are a gift
bestowed
upon us. He wouldn’t hear more of what I
had to say.”

“
So what does this have to do with me?”

“
I have convinced the alchemists working on the generator of
the righteousness of my vision, and they are willing to do what
must be done. But I need someone of faith also willing to do what
must be done. Just as Jephthah sacrificed his daughter, and God
Himself sacrificed his only Son, we need someone willing to offer
for sacrifice someone they love.”

“
Wait, you want me to let you kill Hank!?”

“
I am asking you to release him as an offering to God, so
that the generator will work.”

Rue raised her hands to her mouth to hold back a scream.
She shook her head violently.

“
Ms. Rue, the truth is he has already sacrificed his
marriage to the demons of sloth and gluttony. He offends God by
forgetting his vows to you. He takes from you and drowns his soul
in alcohol. You know as well as I that it is only a matter of time
before he drinks himself to death, and you know what will happen to
his soul them.”

“
Stop it! Stop!” Rue put her hands over her ears.

“
Ms. Rue, you still love him, but he is not the man he was.
But you can save his soul before the Devil takes it. Offer him to
God so that he can wait for you in Heaven.”

Rue’s hands went over her heart. “Do you understand what
you have asked me to do?”

“
Ms. Rue. I am not asking you to do the deed. We will make
the offering for you. But it must be made willingly as a righteous
sacrifice. His blood will show God that we accept his punishment
for our sins, and he will forgive us and grant the grace of His
power to the generator. And then the waters of life will
flow.”

“
I...I don’t know.”

“
Ms. Rue, you walk the streets of Bywater. You see children
growing sick. Babies are dying. Your neighbors struggle just to get
water to drink. Innocent children die while your husband sells your
belongings to buy liquor. He just as well be spitting in the eye of
God.”

“
But...what do you need me to do?”

“
All you have to do, is tell me you offer him as a
sacrifice. I can take care of everything else. Just tell me that
you wish to offer him as the sacrifice, and then go to my mama’s
house. Tell her you don’t want to be home with Mr. Hank tonight.
You won’t be lying. Because you don’t want to be there this
evening. Stay there with mama. In the morning, it will all be
over.”

Joseph’s eyes were red from holding back tears. His face
glowed with a strength of conviction that reminded her of the Baron
when he talked about the restoration of Nola. Her body shook. The
Lord was calling her to do His work. Joseph was her burning
bush.

She took his hands in hers and clenched them tightly. “I
give you my husband as an offering. Bring the light, child. Make
the waters flow.”

Joseph hugged her. “Thank you, Ms. Rue. You are a righteous
woman.”

Rue went to Lula’s house. She told Lula she didn’t want to
go home. Lula didn’t ask why as it wasn’t her way to pry. They
drank luke warm tea and played checkers by candlelight on Lula’s
back porch beneath the mosquito net Joseph had bough
her.

Just before they went back into the house to go to sleep,
the area became awash in a soft light. It stunned them both and
even caused Lula to drop the box with the checkers in it. Neither
Rue or Lula paid any mind to the checkers scattered all over the
porch. Instead, they both went around the front of the building and
walked down the street toward the Circle of Magi.

They weren’t the only locals that noticed the light. A
bunch of folks were converging on the building and staring up in
amazement at the giant glass ball that was glowing with light. Then
all of the windows of the building lit up with light. Rue likened
it to a Christmas tree, even though she had ever only seen old and
dirty pictures of them.

“
I think that is called a spot light,” said someone in the
crowd. “They got some of those at the Engineering
commission.”

“
But ain’t no power in Bywater yet,” said someone
else.

“
They got something in there,” said another.

They heard the hum of motors as someone inside the building
must have been plugging in other items.

“
What they doing in there?” asked someone with both
suspicion and fear.

“
The Lord’s work,” said Rue as she started to
cry.

Archmage Hex came out the front door looking
uncharacteristically disheveled, as if he had just been woken up
without warning
just like the rest of Bywater. He took a deep breath as he
surveyed the gathering masses and looked over his shoulder at the
lighted building. He did a poor job of hiding his
annoyance.

“
Neighbors, I apologize for this sudden demonstration. I had
hoped that when we got it working it would be under
more...controlled circumstances,” he said as he looked up at the
spotlight.

“
What you do in there, wizard?” asked someone in the
crowd.

“
The Circle of Magi has been working on a self-contained
electrical generator.”

“
Baron said it would be years before we got power,” said
someone else in the crowd.

“
This was an independent project from the Engineering
Commission. We have been working on this for the self-sufficiency
of Bywater.”

There was a muffled sound like an explosion inside the
building. The crowd jumped back. Archmage Hex rubbed his temples
and shook his head.

“
What was that?” screamed someone.

“
It’s fine,” he said. Rue thought she heard him mutter “If
it wasn’t the building would be gone.” But she figured she might
have heard wrong. “They are just testing the power output and
stability of the unit. Again, I am sorry. I had hoped that once
they got it working they would schedule a better time for testing.
But they seem to have gotten excited with their breakthrough and
against better judgement are testing it now.”

People started throwing out questions.

“
You’re their boss. Tell them quit it. People trying to
sleep.”

“
Wait, you gonna share that power?”

“
How we get some?”

“
What you need all that light for, anyway?”

Archmage Hex held his hands up in front of him. “Please!
I...fine...I..we had hoped to make an official announcement once we
were sure of the generator’s stability. But you deserve answers
now, considering the circumstances. The purpose of the generator is
to power a water purification system for Bywater. But the power
output needs to be stable first before we can connect it to the
system. And then once we are sure that the output can support the
needs of the purification system, we can consider additional ways
to utilize any excess output.”

“
So this is for a big water purifier? Damn mages can’t do
nothing simple, can you?” said someone. The crowd
chuckled.

“
Mr. Thompson, it is Thompson, yes? Sir, you misunderstand.
This system isn’t designed to purify water put into it. It’s
designed to purify water ground and surface water.”

The crowd grew quiet as the implication of his statement
took root.

“
You mean like in the old days? Dig a well and have your own
water?” asked someone.

“
Just be able to drink water out the ground? Is that
possible?”

“
Maybe even go swimming and not get sick?”

“
Yes,” said Archmage Hex. “Yes.”

“
Praise be to the Lord!” shouted someone.

“
Amen!”

“
God bless you!”

Archmage Hex smiled. Rue thought he looked sad. Or maybe he
was just tired. “It will be a while still before we can safely
start up the purifier,” he said. “But until then, I’ll make sure
future testing is done at a more...reasonable hour so as to not
alarm you all.”

* * *

“
Master Dunwich,” ask Archmage Hex as Joseph opened the
door. He walked pass Joseph without waiting to be invited
in.

“
Archmage! To what do I owe the honor of you visiting
our home? Might you
want something to drink?”

“
Is your mother here?”

“
No, no she is not. She went with Ms. Rue across the way to
the market.”

Hex folded his arms in front of him. “I am told that we
have you to...thank...for the breakthrough with the
generator.”

“
Well, I don’t believe I deserve too much credit. They done
did the heavy lifting. I just was able to offer that final little
push is all.”

“
Little push? Hm. You and I have different views on the
matter. It would have taken months, possibly years, to channel that
much arcane energy into the structure. It was an impressive feat of
magic for one so young in the craft.”

“
Well, you flatter me, Archmage.”

“
It’s not flattery.”

“
Archmage, I don’t believe I understand—”

“
Don’t. Just
don’t.
There is only one way a piss ant wannabe con artist like
you could have managed a feat like that.”

“
Sir, it is impolite to insult a man in his own
home.”

“
It isn’t an insult when it is true. Human sacrifice is
prohibited by the Circle!” Joseph made a gesture as if to deny the
charge. “Don’t play me for a fool, Dunwich. I’m not some
simple-minded commoner easily confused by your charming ways. You
think you are the first power-hungry punk to take short cuts? Think
you are in control of whatever power you called to? It takes years
to master even the simplest of talismans to invoke the netherworld
safely. Who did you summon? Astaroth? Vapula? Barbas?” Joseph
looked down at his feet and shuffled involuntarily in place. “Did
you even stop to consider the repricussions of your
actions?”