Rebelled, an Arelia LaRue Novel #7 Page 10

  “Hmmm, has she learned any lessons or shall we send her to another side to teach her more? I don’t think she has the courage to do what needs to be done.”

  My skin became stickier and mouth drier at that mere suggestion. “I have the courage,” I said quickly. “I’ve learned my lessons, and I now realize that our hearts can be easily deceived and tricked into having mercy on those who wish to do us harm. Maybe I can't control who I love, but I can control who I let dominate my life. Friends, lovers, and enemies have to be chosen carefully. The heart is after all deceitful and wicked, who can truly know it? Who can fully understand the depths of its true intentions? We get blinded when we ignore the warnings of those who are far wiser than us. I have to be gentle as a dove but also as wise as a serpent.”

  Papa Ghede laughed, and I could hear the distinct sound of the Banda beat starting to play. The ground shook, and the beat of savage rhythmic drums filled the air, and my tomb started to shake, rattle and roll. I took that as a sign that he approved of my new found reasoning and was, in fact, on my side. "And, what else did you learn?" He tapped the tomb forcefully with his cane.

  "You see, I made the right decision to keep on loving Louis despite his rough exterior. I was taught to look at his heart and soul. I eventually learned to examine him with my spiritual eyes and not my physical eyes. Sadly, I made the horrible mistake of ignoring the fact that Viola was without a soul. Her beauty captivated me, and my selfishness was what made me want to save her."

  “Papa Ghede, that's sufficient. Stop tormenting the poor child; she's been through enough already. Go on and open her grave," Erzulie said delicately. I could sense she was furious at Papa Ghede’s clownish tactics, which were really wise once you got past his charade of extravagance. A fresh breeze of sweet jasmine overpowered the cigar smoke. “Let her get some fresh air and see her family. Only Dieu knows what can happen next.”

  “Erzulie! You’re here!”

  “Oui, my sweet child. I’m always around. Before you were stabbed in the back by Viola you cast a Traditional News Orleans Coffin Spell and asked for the help of seven spirits, didn’t you?”

  "I did!" Pure joy washed over me. I was improving as a queen, and that is why the attacks of the enemy were getting stronger, deadlier and more cunning. The enemy was getting nervous that I was finally taking my power back. I had completely forgotten about the power of the spell which was known to transform negative situations into positive ones. At the time, I had hoped it would free Viola and Ben from the clutches of Emilie and somehow stop the forces of evil. I realized that what I wanted wasn't the same as what fate had planned for me. I had to get wiser at listening to what was expected of me so the spirits could better guide me. "You guys brought me back?" I asked confused as I thought it was Lucus who had worked his magic.

  “No, it was love, faith, and truth that brought you back. Lucus was the one who resurrected you along with Rosaline. We merely foiled La Sirene’s plans and showed a small glimpse of what is to come. You remember the words you wrote on the piece of paper when you cast the Coffin Spell, don’t you?”

  "Evil, wicked, release, unbind, disgust, terror, free, redeem, Viola and Ben," I recited the list. The word terror was the one that especially stood out. How had I known that it would become such an important part of the future? Perhaps there was nothing new under the sun. Were we living in some matrix where we were destined to make the same mistakes over and over again until we somehow woke up to some greater reality?

  "We used your words against La Sirene. She attempted to fast forward time and space to trap you in a world where you weren’t aware of your powers. It was a carefully constructed reality where they gave you the illusion of being a helpless bystander while they acted out their drama on the global stage. Emilie was in on it as well. By marrying Tony, you would have eventually given birth to Viola. Emilie had plans to make sure Viola’s soul would be born into an unhealthy body, so sick, ill and grotesque that you would have painfully decided to end her life.”

  I connected the dots. "I would have sacrificed her. I would have sacrificed my flesh and blood, which would have given Emilie and Him my powers. And Tony was just a host for Edmond, wasn't he? Once married, he would have taken on the qualities of Edmond and my spirit would have been permanently cut off from its powers.”

  “Oui, that is exactly it.”

  “And the red wedding?”

  "For evil tricks to work, Emilie and Him need a certain number of human sacrifices. Innocent blood sacrifices are how they gather their power and manifest the invisible evil into the material. The more innocent the blood is, the more powerful the results are.”

  Despite the oppressively hot night and the fact that I was still stuck in the coffin, my body rebelled, and cold waves of dread crawled from my toes all the way to the tips of my split-ends. "The increase in terror attacks and the civil war I saw brewing… Those were innocent blood sacrifices, weren’t they?" I was terrified of the response even though I already knew the answer. Those innocent church goers and police officers flashed before my eyes. “Their blind fear and horror at having being ambushed brutally was what made the sacrifices more powerful, wasn’t it? They were attacked in places where they believed they were safe.”

  “Ding, ding ding! The party is only getting started!” Papa Ghede said proudly. “Maybe the girl does have what it takes to lead us out of this wilderness we find ourselves trapped in! More rum! More rum I say! Turn up the Banda beat because we have only begun and the night is so young! We have our new brother Moses in the form of a skinny little lady.” A trickle of blindingly hot rum found its way into my coffin and seeped into my mouth. The pit of my stomach burned badly, but it was exactly what I needed to calm my nerves and anger at the ugliness of the enemy.

  “Let her out of there, Papa Ghede,” Erzulie scolded.

  “Oh, not just yet!” Papa Ghede’s exhilarated voice was enjoying the drama to no end.

  “How is Angel Pulse United involved and the We Matter organization? Is Louis Him?” I blurted out. The rum had given me the courage to say words that I could barely think. “And Lucus, how is he involved in the whole picture? Where in the world did he get enough power to bring me back from death?” A tangled web of theories and possibilities clouded my mind as I tried to make sense of all I had been shown. “La Sirene said that I was destined to be a whore and that time was, in fact, cyclical. What on earth does that mean? And Rosaline and your baby and… How are Rosaline and I connected? What evil did my family commit? Who else is involved?”

  “You know it doesn’t work like that, Arelia,” Erzulie whispered, interrupting my flow of consciousness, which rivaled that of Mel Gibson’s in Conspiracy Theory. “Please stop torturing yourself with questions that cannot be answered before their season. We are bound by laws and rules and can only work within the confines that Bon Dieu sets for us. We cannot force His hand and do things our way in blind rebellion. That is the exact reason we find ourselves in this mess.”

  I sighed knowing that she was telling the truth, but I still wanted some clue as to how all of this craziness was connected. I would have to put my selfish desires aside and wait for the right moment. It occurred to me that so much was out of my hands, but that wouldn't allow me to lose heart. "Thank you for helping me, Erzulie. Thank you for being here. It took a whole lot of courage to face your fears," I said remembering her story and how she had the strength to tell me about her sketchy past. "You are brave and inspirational."

  “You don’t know half of the story.” She started to weep. “When I tell you the rest, I’m certain that you’ll change your mind and will despise me…”

  "Please don't cry. You didn't abandon me, and there is no way in hell that I'm going to abandon you. Besides, I have no idea what twisted crimes my family has committed."

  I heard Erzulie stop crying, and she laughed delicately. "I'm so proud of you. Thank you for not abandoning me."

  "I am here too! You can't take all the credit; lovely Erzuli
e isn’t the only one who hasn’t deserted you. How can anyone forget about the most dashing, handsome and genetically blessed loa there ever was and ever will be!” Ghede Nibo’s animated voice exclaimed. "Remember it was I who helped you face your illusions."

  “I remember. I’ll never forget what you did for me,” I said remembering how the handsome spirit had been the one to reveal my past as Cecile to me.

  “Welcome back, not so silly, Arelia,” hissed Bade. The screech of the oaks as they clawed against the tombs got louder as did the phantom-like howl of the distant swamp animals. There were no words I could say to Bade. He was the first spirit that had greeted me at Darkwood, and perhaps, the one who I trusted the most. He may have spoken in what I perceived to be nothing more than riddles, but then again, maybe I wasn't listening carefully enough. Some words were only meant for those who had the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

  “You taught me that I have a beautiful soul and that I am worthy of being loved,” whispered Brise’s proud voice. "I am here too, and I am not in the form of an owl tonight."

  “I’m so proud of you, my old friend!”

  “You haven’t visited my little ol’ bar in a while, have you Arelia?” asked a low, smooth voice that immediately gave me a craving for candy and Nutella.

  “Papa Legba! That bar is as depressing as hell, and I never want to go back there. You have a whole lot of patience teaching people who don't want to understand."

  He laughed in that velvety voice of his. “Patience is part of the job description. Lord knows we can all use a whole lot more of it these days.”

  "True story. I know I probably sound like a child, but did you happen to bring any candy?" My stomach growled in hunger. I couldn't remember the last time I ate, and suddenly, it was the only thing I could think of.

  “You bet little darling. I also brought my trusty old guitar in case you want to listen to a tune or two.”

  “How can I resist listening to the rock star of the spirit world play? Can you please slip me a lollypop or something? It doesn’t look like Papa Ghede is ever going to let me out of here.”

  “Sure thing, little darling.” A huge red lollypop found its way into the coffin. I devoured it like a hungry beast.

  “You taught me that the stone that the builder refused will always be the head cornerstone.” Little Ghede Linto’s voice was haunting and tragic as ever as it gathered the courage to speak. “It looks like you were prophesying about yourself.”

  Tears of joy spontaneously burst out of my eyes. “Little Linto! How did you manage to escape from Ghede Massaka’s toxic sack? Is Marie with you? Is she okay?”

  He let out a drunken hiccup, and my heart sank at the realization that he was still a prisoner. "I haven't escaped. He had to let me out tonight because of the rules. He hates you with such fierce passion. I'm afraid, Arelia. I'm afraid for us all. Marie is still there singing and digging graves. She hasn't given up on Louis or Jacques either. She swears that she is meant to be with him for eternity. My heart breaks for her. Please free me. Please deliver us all. Please help Marie. I don't want to go back there," he pleaded. My heart sank deeper, as I thought of Marie and her undying love for a man who no longer remembered her. Where was Jacques' spirit? If it was still lurking around Darkwood would it somehow remember Marie?

  I had to encourage Linto not to see himself as a helpless victim. He had more power than he gave himself credit for. “Listen to me, young man. You had the courage to come here today despite the inevitable punishment that nasty ass Ghede Massaka is going to inflict on you. I know you are waiting for me to fix this mess and I will, but in the meantime, I need you to be strong and of good courage. Promise me that,” I said firmly as if I were a school teacher scolding a student.

  "Oh…. I don't know. It's so hard, and the pain is great and terrible."

  “You’re the one who stopped me from sacrificing Viola. Don’t you see how wise and courageous you truly are?”

  He laughed in carefree childish joy. “It was nothing…”

  “It was everything.”

  “Papa Ghede, with all due respect, can you please get me out of here.”

  “Not quite yet. This council of seven needs to know if you are strong enough to do what you didn’t do before.”

  The sweetness of the lollypop turned sour in my mouth, and acidic bile started to build up at the back of my throat. I knew what they wanted me to do. "What is that?" I asked playing dumb.

  Papa Ghede tapped the tomb several times with his cane. “Do I have to spell it out for you? If I do have to spell it out for you, it means you’re not ready.” His tone was no longer jovial. He was asking me to make a choice and to make it fast. “And if you’re not ready, then there are more lessons that you have to learn the hard way.”

  “It’s now or never, my child,” Erzulie whispered. “Once you do what I didn’t have the courage to do, I will tell you more about Him and the great and terrible things that I did in Haiti, the things that are about to repeat and manifest here in the New World.”

  “And my family? Will you tell me what terrible things they did?”

  There was utter silence. The atmosphere was thick, tense and full of suspense with words unspoken and begging to be said.

  “That is not my story to tell, my child. You know that it belongs to another, and only she can reveal these mysteries to you when she is ready.”

  "Right, I get it." I closed my eyes. Images of little Viola splashing around in the bubble bath, asking me to do her makeup and telling me about Emilie's wicked ways appeared. My heart broke but then I remembered that the heart was deceitful. The pain of being stabbed in the back came rushing back to me and wiped away the sympathy I felt for the devil. "Yes," I said. "I will get rid of Viola, and I will do so as soon as you let me out of here."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Darkwood Plantation, Present Day

  The Dog Days of Summer

  The tomb rattled and shook with dramatic force. I swore the world's largest earthquake was taking place, and the entire planet was about to crumble around me. The Banda beat grew louder and more dramatic as if causing tension for my miraculous reappearance. My body felt light as a feather as the tomb opened, and I rose up from six feet below. The sticky night air met me with a passionate welcome back kiss and soaked my long antique white linen dress in a thin layer of sweat. So, this is what I had been buried in? I remembered wearing this exact dress when I had been Cecile. Tante Celeste had imported it from France and swore that it would one day make an excellent wedding gown. Who had chosen this dress and where had they gotten it from? It was another mystery to add to my already growing list.

  The bright-red moon was full and hung low as if it would crash at any second, a sure sign that Papa Legba had officially opened the dimensional gates for me. A brilliant yellow light flashed and bathed me in a supernatural glow, as if energizing me back to life. As my marble tomb closed, the twinkling stars above turned a dazzling shade of deep purple against the velvety black sky, signifying that Papa Ghede had kept his end of the bargain, and now it was time to keep mine as difficult as that was going to be.

  My bare feet touched the soft, freshly mowed lawn of the LaPlante Family Cemetery and the sweet smell of grass, water lilies, and wildflowers greeted me. A deliciously cool wind had mercy on me and dried the crown of sweat that had formed across my forehead. I extended my arms and did a carefree twirl in the gorgeous cemetery with its grand tombs, detailed marble statues of weeping angels and saints in mourning diligently protecting each grave.

  I fingered the angel who had been commissioned to protect me. It was a seven feet tall rendition of the great Archangel St. Michael. He stood there with a serious expression on his smooth, handsome face, dressed in battle armor with a gigantic sword in one hand. It wasn't a coincidence that he had ended up being my statue. The Coffin Spell had required a prayer to him. "Thank you," I whispered to the statue feeling silly speaking to something inanimate yet at the same time realizing
that even these objects had spirits, angels, and demons connected to them even if we couldn’t see them.

  “Welcome back, my child,” Erzulie said. I turned around to see her standing under a gigantic oak, dressed in a striking emerald green gown, matching headdress trimmed in rubies while rows of colorful beads hung from her neck. Her kohl-rimmed hazel eyes gleamed in excitement.

  “Erzulie, boy am I glad to see you. How long have I been gone?” I touched my face and frantically tried to find traces of wrinkles. Had I been gone ten years?

  "It's been one month on this side. We are still in the dog days of summer, and the living is still easy." She raised a cold flute of pink champagne.

  The word dog days of summer leaped out at me, and I pushed away the dread that was slowly working its way back into my bones. Somehow, I remembered that this was the time of year that sacrifices were extremely potent, and those who had evil intentions relished in shedding innocent blood because it made the offering more powerful. It had something to do with the star Sirius and its connection to ancient Egyptian mystery religions. I overcame the ominous feeling and focused on enjoying this reunion. "Oh thank Dieu! It’s so great to see you. On that side, I was blind as a bat and had no spiritual wisdom. It was like living in a world without color or spice. It's real. It's all real. The spirit world isn't just in my head. Those in power know this and use their ways and means to control the masses. Most people have no idea how sacrifices, symbols, number magic, shedding of innocent blood and word magic work, even though they see it on a daily basis on television, the internet and in their day to day lives. I haven't figured all of it out yet, but I'm gonna!” I started to run to her elated that I had learned something new yet utterly terrifying.