Kindling Flames: Stolen Fire (The Ancient Fire Series Book 4) Page 12

  “Everyone,” Mama confirmed before making her way to a large armchair.

  Delia shrugged in resignation and went to get refreshments.

  Mama turned her attention to her guests. “Come sit.” She waved at the couch.

  Darien went to Vicky and guided her around to sit on the couch with him.

  “So,” the old woman looked pointedly at Darien. “Spin your tale, L'aimè, and we shall see what can be done.”

  Darien smiled at her. “Impatient as always,” he reprimanded her lightly.

  “Ahh, but you came to me this time,” she said, smiling at him wickedly, “and with such a lovely cherè.” Her smile warmed towards Vicky.

  “Victoria, I would like you to meet Marie Benoit.” Darien held out his hand to make the needed introductions. “Marie, this is my fiancée, Victoria Westernly.”

  The old woman looked at him in surprise and lowered her head in greeting to Vicky. “Welcome to my home, amie. Call me Mama.” The woman grinned at her. “And congratulations. L'aimè is a hard one to catch.” Her eyes shifted over to Darien, and her smile held a touch of unrequited love. “Lord knows we have all tried.”

  Darien chuckled at her. “And I would have driven you all crazy.” He took up Vicky’s hand reassuringly and turned to talk to her. “I’ve known their family since shortly after I came to New Orleans. I ran across the most extraordinary young woman one day while getting my hair styled.” Mischief shone in his eyes as he explained things to Vicky. “She had a power I had never encountered before, so I followed her. Of course, she recognized me for what I was right away, so she was wary at first. But, eventually we came to an agreement. She would teach me about Vodou, and I would teach her how to tap into the natural energies of the earth.”

  “And that is how Marie Laveau became the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans,” Mama added with a knowing smile.

  Vicky eyes widened. She looked at the woman, then back to Darien.

  They both grinned widely.

  “So, you’re related to Marie Laveau?” Vicky asked, confirming her thoughts.

  “On my mother’s side.” The woman nodded. “We have served Master L'aimè since her pact with him all those years ago.”

  “And in return, I teach each new generation the secrets of Vodou and magic.” Darien turned his attention back to Mama. “Speaking of new generations, should I start making time for Marie?”

  “The child does have a strong connection with the loa, but she is still young.” Mama turned to look at the window. She could just see her granddaughter romping on the grass with Zak. “Let her be a child for a while longer. There will be plenty of time for magic later.” Smiling, she turned her attention back to Darien. “That is, if we can manage to straighten you out. You still haven’t told me what you have done.”

  Darien sighed, trying to think of where to start. “It’s a long story.”

  “Well then, we best get started. But first,” Mama turned her attention to the doorway into the house, “Delia, where is you?”

  “Coming, Mama.” The answering call wafted in from the other room. In a few moments, the missing woman came in with a tray full of glasses and a pitcher of iced tea. “Sorry,” she apologized, setting the tray down and passing out the cups. “I had to pick up the mess Marie made putting together your gris-gris. That child dumped the trashcan over to get at last night’s chicken bones.” Picking up her cup, she took a seat in the other armchair.

  “Chicken bones?” Vicky asked as she reached up and grabbed the charm around her neck. It was warm and almost comforting to the touch.

  “Gris-gris can be made for all types of things,” Darien explained. He looked back at Delia and touched the bag on his chest. “Do you know what these are for?”

  Delia shook her head. “I caught Maria this morning digging through my scraps bag for the cloth. She just said that Uncle L'aimè was coming, and that Papa told her you needed gris-gris. When I asked her what for, she said it was to keep the boogie man away.”

  Darien raised an eyebrow at her. “The boogie man?”

  “She’s five.” Delia shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder if she even knows what she is saying. The other day, she told me Lucifer was chasing her around the playground at school.”

  “I’m sure Morningstar has much better things to do than harass children at school.” Darien smiled.

  “Don’t be so sure about that,” Mama warned. “The Devil always be looking for a way in.” Both women crossed themselves.

  Vicky shot a questioning look at Darien. She was not sure what to say about this whole conversation. Were they really talking about the Devil as if he were a real person? And if that was the case, was God real, too?

  “So tell us, L'aimè, why have you come, and what have you done?” Mama pointed their conversation back to where it needed to go.

  Darien picked up his glass of sweet tea and took a sip to wet his mouth. He was a little embarrassed to come to them seeking help like this. “I haven’t done anything.” Carefully, he set his glass back to the coaster and fidgeted with it a little. “I woke up the other day unable to take blood. I spent the day sick in bed.”

  “The stomach flu,” Vicky elaborated.

  Darien nodded. “When I was well again, I could not reach my powers, sunlight no longer hurt, and my body…” Darien actually bushed a little as he thought of the changes that had occurred to him. “Well, my body has started doing things, on its own that it hasn’t done in a very long time.” The two women looked on in shock as Darien laid out his issues.

  “And this started a few days ago?” Mama asked.

  “Yes,” Darien confirmed.

  “Well…” Vicky interjected, and the women turned to look at her. “Everything Darien said started a few days ago, but I think it started earlier than that.”

  Darien let out a heavy breath; he hadn’t wanted to admit that this issue could have started much earlier without his noticing.

  “When?” Mama asked.

  Darien shut his eyes, blocking out the room. He knew the information could be important, but he didn’t wanting to admit his faults or the fact that he had nearly killed Vicky in his stupidity.

  Seeing that he wasn’t going to tell them, Vicky answered for him. “Sometime before Halloween.” She told them of his confusion at work, his slow healing after the accident, and his inebriation at the party.

  Darien braced himself for condemnation of his fouled-up mark, but she skipped over it. She did tell them of his increased appetite over the last few weeks.

  Mama and Delia listened closely as the details piled up.

  “And you didn’t see any of this as possible problems?” Delia asked in wonderment.

  “Of course I did.” Darien tried not to snap. Having Vicky lay everything out made it very clear that there had been something wrong for months. “The last few months have been very… busy.”

  Vicky nodded her agreement.

  “Besides, I called on a fay friend of mine for help, but he could find nothing wrong before a few nights ago.”

  “The fay are creatures of magic and can overlook the simplest things because it seems right to them.” Mama pushed herself up from her chair. “Come here and let me look at you.”

  Darien stood up in front of the old woman.

  Laying her fingers on Darien’s chest like Lord Dakine always did, Mama closed her eyes, searching him. “L'aimè, I am not sure what has happened, but something has hooked out your essence. Bare traces of it still cling to you, but those, too, will soon be gone.” She looked at Darien, worried. “If you lose those, you may not be able to regain what you have already lost.”

  Real fear crossed Darien’s face for a moment before he pushed it back. “Is there some way to stop it?” he asked.

  Vicky could feel the anxiety bubbling inside of him. She reached up and took his hand, offering what little comfort she could.

  Mama gasped and snapped her head to look at Vicky. She looked back at Darien, then to Vicky again. “Let
him go,” the old woman commanded sharply.

  Startled, Vicky dropped his hand.

  Mama looked at Darien again before pushing him out of the way.

  He moved, but watched carefully as Mama went to Vicky.

  “Stand, child.”

  Vicky looked up for Darien’s approval before rising from the couch.

  Mama placed her hand on Vicky’s chest. “This can’t be,” she gasped, looking up at Vicky’s blue eyes. “Are you human?”

  “Yes,” Vicky answered, unsure where this was going.

  “We’ve had a few run-ins with the fay,” Darien admitted.

  A smile slowly crept across Mama’s face before she broke out in laughter. “This is rich!” she chuckled as she went back to her chair.

  Slightly stunned, Vicky reclaimed her seat on the couch.

  “What?” Darien settled next to her.

  Mama worked to calm her mirth but couldn’t get the smile off her face. “She has your powers.”

  Darien looked at Vicky in shock.

  Vicky was stunned by this announcement.

  “But, how?” Darien touched Vicky, probing her with what little power he could still call. “She’s not a vampire.”

  Mama chuckled again. “No, but she can call on them.” Picking up a letter opener from the table next to her chair, Mama threw it at Darien. The knife-like object sunk into his leg before he could even register the attack.

  “Darien!” Vicky gasped as he clutched at the fresh wound, hissing in pain. Without thinking about it, Vicky grabbed up some napkins from the iced-tea tray and yanked out the opener. She pressed the tissue to the gushing wound. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she cursed as she applied pressure, trying to get the cut to stop bleeding. The blade had gone deep, and the blood quickly soaked through the paper.

  Amusement lit Mama’s face as she watched them.

  Vicky scowled at her and grasped for another handful of tissues.

  The front door banged open, and Zak came bubbling through, spoiling for a fight. He had dropped his dog act and waved tentacles menacingly at the old woman as he came to check on Darien.

  The little girl came in right behind him.

  “It’s all right,” Darien soothed the little fay.

  Pulling the blood-soaked tissue away, Vicky went to press the new wad to the wound. What she found showing through the hole in his jeans stopped her. She looked at up at Darien before slipping her finger into the slit. The skin below was smooth and unbroken. The wound had completely healed, leaving no signs of a mark.

  Amusement crossed Darien’s face as he released his hand from around his leg.

  Zak ran his feelers over Darien, checking him for any other injuries before turning and growling at Mama.

  “I didn’t know you had a guardian.” Mama looked over the upset hellhound.

  Darien leaned forwards and pulled the grumpy fay into his lap. He patted Zak softly, settling him. “He claimed Vicky.” Darien shifted the mess of tentacles over to Vicky’s lap.

  Zak gurgled at him and buried his face into Vicky’s middle. One lone tentacle reached out and wrapped itself around the belt loop of Darien’s jeans.

  Mama studied the trio on the couch. “I see.” She turned her attention to the wide eyes of the little girl watching them. “Come here, Marie.”

  “Yes, Gama.” The child came over and crawled up in her grandmother’s lap. Her eyes never left the fay she had been playing with.

  “Are you afraid?” Mama kissed her granddaughter on the top of the head.

  The little girl shook her head and stared at Zak in amazement.

  Zak wiggled around so he could look at his playmate.

  “Can I keep ‘em?” she asked softly.

  Mama laughed lightly. “No, sweetheart.” She kissed the child’s hair again. “He has to stay with L'aimè. He may very well need a protector in the next few weeks.”

  Zak gurgled and wrapped a few more ends around Darien’s arm.

  Darien glanced down at the unexpected contact but stroked the grasping ends. “But, if you like, you can go back outside and play,” he offered.

  Delia looked ready to object, but Maria hopped back up from her grandmother’s lap excitedly.

  “Really?” She looked over at her mother.

  Delia let out a long sigh and nodded her head.

  Zak gurgled excitedly and wobbled out of Vicky’s lap. He led the way to the door and opened it to let the child out.

  Delia watched as her daughter disappeared with the small fay. “Will she be okay?”

  Vicky watched the pair leave. “Zak wouldn’t let anything happen to her.” An agreeing gurgle brush her mind pulling a smile to her lips. Turning her attention back to the old woman that had stabbed Darien, she opened her mouth to tell the woman off, but Darien’s hand fell to her leg, stopping the reprimand.

  “You’ve made your point.” Darien glared at her. “I would suggest you not do it again.”

  Mama’s grin widened. “Of course, L'aimè.” She leaned forward in her chair. “But, it was a good demonstration.”

  Darien snickered at her.

  She leaned back in her chair again. “And I seem to recall a few similar demonstrations, only in reverse.”

  “True.” Darien nodded his head. “So, Victoria has my powers?” He turned the subject back to the topic at hand.

  “Not exactly.” Mama shook her head. “They do not reside inside of her, but the mark that binds you allows her access to them. Why she can wield them, I cannot say.”

  Darien caught Vicky’s eye before looking back to Mama. “Vicky has a piece of my soul,” he admitted.

  Mama’s face lit with surprise.

  “It’s a long story,” he said, cutting her off before she could ask.

  “That could explain why she can use them, but that doesn’t explain why they are missing, or where they have gone,” Mama pointed out.

  Darien nodded. “Is there a way to find out?” he posed the question that had been plaguing his mind.

  “Perhaps.” The old woman leaned forwards and took the bloodied letter opener from where Vicky had dropped it on the table. She held it up to look at the wet redness glistening on the end. With her free hand, she reached down and popped open the door on the end table next to her. Rummaging around, she pulled out a small sack.

  Vicky listened closely as the woman started a low chant. Delia picked up the words, adding to the repeating rhythm. After a few passes, Darien also picked up the chant, growing its power. Vicky listened carefully, not sure if she was supposed to add her voice to group.

  Before Vicky could dissect the unfamiliar words, Mama’s voice peaked, and she threw a pinch of dust from her pouch onto Darien’s blood. Their chanting fell silent, and all held their breath, waiting for the spell to take effect.

  Vicky drew in a startled breath when a line of gold dust shimmered out of the tip of the opener.

  “There you are.” Mama’s voice held a note of deviant glee. The faint line of gold twisted its way through the air and brushed against Darien’s lips.

  He held very still as the gossamer thread continued on to touch the side of Vicky’s head where Darien often kissed her hair.

  She felt a warm weight wrap around her as the spell encircled her. The warmth pierced her chest right over her heart. It didn’t hurt, but the spell pulled power from her mark. A line of gleaming gold shot out of her and followed the line of dust back to the knife-like tip. Once there, it ricocheted back in a northerly direction.

  “That’s why your fay couldn’t find your spell. This magic wasn’t set on you.” Mama moved the blade around, bending the line back and forth examining it. “It looks like fay magic.” She followed the gold strand to Darien’s mouth. “Maybe something sealed with a kiss?”

  Darien turned his mind back over the last few months. A lot had happened, but only twice had they dealt with the fay where they worked magic on Vicky. The most recent was the Halloween ball; but if what Vicky suspected were
true, the magic had to have been done on that first encounter. His mind recalled an image of Vicky laid out in a white, spider-silk dress on a bed of flowers. He could still hear the lesser fay calling for him to wake her with a kiss. Darien let out a deep sigh and dropped his face to his hands.

  “We have to go see the fay.” Darien rubbed the spell from his face. The gold line disintegrated. He had wondered why the little ones had been so adamant about getting him to kiss Vicky. It also explains why he had not been able to find a way to break the enchantment on Vicky’s dress. When he broke their sleeping spell without kissing her, they must have used the sweet gum balls to force her into his arms in hopes that Darien couldn’t withstand the magic she’d been wrapped in.

  Thinking back over the events of the weeks that followed, Darien tried to recall the first time he kissed her. It was to the side of her head when they were folded together on the Twister board. No wonder it had taken the magic so long to affect him. The potency of the spell must have been weakened by the banality of the real world and the location in which he had kissed her.

  “Then you must do it soon,” Mama warned him. “Your powers are very nearly gone as it is. There is no telling what will happen if you delay and they disappear entirely. You may never regain them, even if you break this enchantment.”

  Darien swallowed hard and nodded his understanding. “How long do you think I have?” he asked, trying to figure out how long it would take to get an invitation to see Lady Aine.

  Mama took Darien’s hand and felt him. She sighed at how little of his power was left. “A day.” She dropped her hand away from him. “Maybe less.”

  He could hear the worry in her voice. Darien drew in a cleansing breath and set his resolve. If he had so little time, there would not be time to send a request for an audience. He would just have to go to Fairy and speak with Lady Aine, hoping that his standing with her would be enough to get him back out. A vibration from his pocket drew him out of his thoughts before the music of his cell phone split the air. “Pardon me.” He stood up and slipped the phone out of his pocket. No one would call him on this number unless it was important. “Hello?”

  “Darien.” Elliot’s voice echoed down the line.