CHAPTER 30

 LUCRETIA SAT QUIETLY watching the woman on stage. She had spent several days reading as much as possible about the Illusionist. If the reports were accurate, no one had yet solved the mystery behind the woman or her magic. The fact that she was from an area of the world known for its supernatural connections only added to her mystique.

Her blood combined with Ramus’s would ensure a cure for her nephew, and for her, unlimited power and immortality. Of that, she was sure after observing the woman’s performance.

Obviously, Bondye wanted her to know about the Illusionist so she could have her powers. Why else would she have appeared so quickly in New Orleans, almost unannounced? What other explanation could there be since the Illusionist normally scheduled her tours well in advance and this one was so spontaneous?

For two weeks, the television and radio stations had been inundated with advertisements about her upcoming show. Fliers were posted throughout the French Quarter. Everywhere she went, pictures of the mysterious Illusionist announced her one-time appearance, and whispers circulated that this was to be her final show before retiring. Yes, it had to be Bondye’s intervention that influenced her coming to New Orleans.

Excited by the thought, Lucretia decided she had seen enough. Boudreau was waiting outside with the car and she hated crowds. She was about to stand when she saw Yemaya stop in front of a woman and smile. Obviously, the recipient was special to her. Finding out her identity might prove valuable. As if reading her thoughts, the Illusionist suddenly focused her attention in Lucretia’s direction and frowned. The woman seated in the front row turned and looked back toward the high priestess. Not wishing to draw attention to herself, Lucretia remained seated until they both lost interest. Then she quietly left, unaware that two other people had been watching her from several rows away.

 

*  *  *

“She is the one you are looking for,” Sarpe said, nodding in the direction of the high priestess.

“Who is she?”

“She believes she is the chosen priesstesss to the high sspirit, Bondye.”

“Is she?”

Shrugging, Sarpe didn’t answer for a few seconds. “That isn’t for me to ssay.”

“Meaning Bondye is real?”

“Bondye is very real. Whether thiss sspirit is who they believe it to be is another matter,” she said mysteriously. “To these people, Bondye is male. To other cultures, he becomes female.”

“Have you ever met Bondye?”

“I meet many sspiritss,” Sarpe answered evasively, shrugging again. “Mosst are unimpresssive, but Bondye is not one to take lightly.”

“I’ll take that as a yes and that you don’t wish to discuss this particular spirit at the moment. So from your earlier comment, this woman isn’t necessarily in Bondye’s good graces.”

“I do not presume to know the minds of sspirits nor intervene in their affairs or those of mortals.”

“Until recently,” Ekimmu teased, patting the Sarpe’s hand affectionately.

“Until ressently. Don’t let what I’ve ssaid fool you. Thiss woman is very dangerous without Bondye’s ssupport. She’s powerful amongsst her people and has a very loyal following.”

“If that’s the case, why did she need Ramus?”

“For the ssame reason she watches thiss one. She craves power.”

Frowning, Ekimmu turned to watch the retreating woman. “What has Yemaya or Ramus got to do with power?”

“Nothing and everything. There are those who believe your people possess great powers.”

Ekimmu nodded reluctantly.

“That alone makess you a target for the ambitiouss. Yemaya is beautiful and myssteriousss. Many would do anything to possesss those qualities. She has been hunted by ssome already and ssadly will be by others all her life.”

“So we have something in common.”

“Yess. You have much in common. More than you can imagine. You both are haunted by the hisstory of your anssesstors. She protectss her people, as a mother would her children, but within her lives a great darknesss that could one day desstroy her.”

“A darkness?”

“Yess. You ssaw it when she confronted Ramus.”

“And what about me?”

“The ssame. You bear the sscars of your anssesstors and your people. Have you not traveled thiss world ssearching for ssomething or ssomeone to bring sstability to your existensse?”

Ekimmu laughed softly. “I’m not so sure of that. I keep on the move from necessity, as do all my people. We can’t change our appearances like a certain spirit I know.”

“True, but that is not what preventss you from taking lovers.”

“No, time does that. We are long lived. It’s too painful to be with someone for only a few years, to watch them grow old. Even love can’t overcome aging or the jealousy that inevitably comes from seeing oneself growing weak and feeble while the one you love remains young and vibrant.”

“It is not nessessarily inevitable. Would you have me believe that you will feel thiss jealoussy in a hundred or a thousand years if we were to remain lovers? I am a sspirit. I will not age, as you musst in time.”

Ekimmu switched her gaze from the priestess to Sarpe. She worried about their future together. It was an issue she had deliberately avoided thinking about when possible. Now she had no choice but to face her fears.

“I don’t know. I try not to think about my own feelings, only how you would feel once I’m gone.”

“And if I ssaid I would ssurvive your death and go on as I was meant to? Would you be hurt or dissappointed?” Sarpe asked, her golden eyes momentarily changing to the elliptical shape of the serpent. It was evident the spirit was experiencing some deep emotion. Ekimmu could only guess at what it was.

“I would hope that you find someone else to share your life. I never want you to be alone again. I know loneliness. Maybe not as long as you have, but even in my short life, by your standards, it was almost unbearable. At least I had family and a few friends.”

“Ah! You are misstaken about me. I have a family. They are my friends. Ssome have lassted a lifetime, my lifetime,” Sarpe said nonchalantly, as if to minimize the importance of Ekimmu’s words.

“Then I’m happy for you,” Ekimmu said truthfully, but not in the least fooled by her lover’s answer. “It must be wonderful to have a friendship that lasts so long, but I think we both know we’re not discussing friends or family. I have no doubt you cherish yours as I do mine, but they do not keep me warm, nor raise my emotions to such heights or depths as you do.”

Sarpe stared at Ekimmu for several seconds, then smiled the most beautiful smile Ekimmu had ever seen. Elliptical eyes twinkled, reflecting an inner light far greater than any outside source could create. Lips drawn back exposed shiny white teeth. Two dimples appeared, giving her an impish look.

“I’m glad! I’ve only jusst begun to know those feelings when we’re together and apart. I find them...” Sarpe stopped, searching for the right words, “... dissturbing, but very ssatissfying.”

Ekimmu blushed. “Umm, maybe we should discuss this somewhere else,” she offered, feeling very warm.

Laughing, Sarpe patted her thigh. “Perhapss you are right. Now is not the time to be having ssuch a converssation. To ansswer your questions, the priesstess wanted Ramus’s essensse and Yemaya’s.”

“Essence?”

“Yess, that which flowss through all living things.”

“You mean blood?”

Sarpe nodded. “Jusst as your people think they need the humans to ssurvive, the priesstess thinks Ramus’s would cure her kin of his illnesss and bring her immortality. She believes Yemaya will bring her power.”

“Will it?”

“I don’t know. Her kin ssuffers the ssame disease as Ramuss, but it is of no conssequensse. She musst be sstopped if your people are to be ssafe. Ssupersstitions die hard. They sspread as quickly as a plague and are jusst as deadly. If others ssusspect she has ssucceeded, they too will want what she has.”

“I agree, but if something happens to her and others get suspicious, they’ll still go after us. It’s a no-win situation.”

“True, unlesss her death is natural.”

“I won’t kill her.”

“Don’t worry,” Sarpe said, stroking her cheek lightly. “You’ll figure it out. I wish I could take care of her for you. Unfortunately, she’s not mine to deal with. For now, it’s enough you know your enemy and theirs,” she added, nodding toward Yemaya.

After Lucretia left the coliseum, Sarpe and Ekimmu slipped quietly away.

 

*  *  *

Ekimmu and Sarpe were relaxing in bed, watching a documentary on the world’s most poisonous animals when they were disturbed by a knock on the door.

“I believe that is one of yours,” Sarpe said, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Instantly, a tan, silk blouse and cream slacks morphed around her previously nude body. Then leaning back against the headboard, she gave Ekimmu a wicked smirk.

“That’s a handy talent,” Ekimmu said, shaking her head as she put her own clothes on.

“One of the benefitss of being a sspirit.”

“I can imagine.”

Opening the door, she saw Constance leaning against her cane.

“Om, what are you doing out so late?” She ushered the older woman into the room. “You should be resting.”

“I’m fine, child. I just need to sit for a bit.” She gasped, looking around. Immediately, she felt a chair being placed behind her and sat down, trying to catch her breath. “Thank you, deary.”

“You are quite welcome, Miss Lorraine,” Sarpe replied, backing into a darker corner.

“Ah. You must be Ekimmu’s lady spirit. No need to hide in the shadows. Come here and let me look at you.”

Sarpe, who had never been ordered to do anything in her entire existence, laughed softly but respectfully obeyed. Stepping into the light, she stood quietly while the older woman pulled a pair of bifocals from her sweater pocket and placed them on her nose. Rubbing each lens with her finger, she finally appeared satisfied and stared at the golden-skinned woman in front of her.

“You certainly are a fine-looking spirit. No wonder she’s so taken with you.”

Blushing, then realizing she had actually reacted in a human way, Sarpe wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Om, I think you just embarrassed her.”

“Then I must apologize.”

“There’s no need for that, and it’ss an honor to meet you, Miss Lorraine. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Just call me Constance, child.”

“As you wish. I am Ssarpe.”

“Sarpe. You are the serpent spirit.”

“Yess. You have heard of me?” she asked, surprised since she had been long forgotten amongst most cultures.

“I’ve been around a long time and have met a few spirits in my time. Your name has come up once or twice. You’re highly respected from what I remember.”

“I would ssay ‘feared’ iss more accurate, but thank you.”

“If I had meant feared, I would have said it. No matter, though. I’m happy to see Ekimmu has found someone worthy of her. She’s been alone too long. It’s about time she settled down.”

“Excuse me, but I’m standing right here, ladies.”

“Like we could forget that. Well, the night is getting on, so I should let you two get back to whatever you were doing. I just wanted to see if you had heard anything else about Ramus and to tell you I’m in room 234 if you need me.”

Ekimmu updated Constance on the progress she and Sarpe had made and their suspicions about the high priestess. Constance listened quietly without interrupting.

“So you think Yemaya and Dakota may be in danger?”

“I think the priestess covets what she thinks Ms. Lysanne possesses. If that is sso, her mate iss in as much danger as her. Both will need to be watched carefully in casse they need our asssissstansse.”

“There are a few Gebians in the area. I can contact them later today,” Constance offered.

“I don’t think that would be wise. Thiss woman is ssmart. She will have sspies watching for others like Ramus. Your people will be in jeopardy, pluss it may alert ssomeone that we are aware of the priesstess’s ambitions. I have many eyes at my dissposal. Should ssomething happen, they will notify me, and I will tell Ekimmu.”

“I thought there was some type of rule against spirits getting involved in mortal problems.”

“We have no rules in my world, only traditions.” Sarpe shrugged. “No one will care if I choose to break a few.”

Constance had no doubt Sarpe was a powerful spirit, quite possibly the most powerful if she ever decided to flex her spiritual muscles.

“Good. Then we’ll see what happens. Now I’m going to get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

Standing, Constance made eye contact with the serpent spirit for the first time. Golden eyes with elliptical pupils stared unblinkingly into her ebony eyes. Feeling disoriented, she blinked a few times, lowered her lids for a few seconds, then reopened her eyes. Sarpe, realizing her snake eyes had startled the older woman, suddenly rounded her pupils, giving them a more human look.

“Ssorry. I forget about them when I’m relaxed.”

“Oh, don’t worry, child. You just caught me off-guard. I rather like them,” she said, patting the cool hand on her arm.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” Ekimmu said.

“No, no. I’m fine. You two just get back to doing what you were before I barged in. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Sarpe.”

“For me too. Be ssafe.”

Leaning down, the spirit kissed the old woman’s cheek, then whispered into her ear. “I think our world will be much improved when you passs from thiss one. There is much we will learn from each other.”

“If that is my destiny.” Constance gave her a slight smile and left.

Ekimmu frowned momentarily, not sure she had heard Sarpe correctly. The spirit winked at her lover and laughed as her clothing melted away.

“Want to play?”