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  I spotted Ben and Viola sitting under a giant cypress tree. Even from where I stood, it was clear that Viola was in fact trying to kill Ben. She held a cottonmouth snake in her hand not at all worried that it might bite and kill her. She kept thrusting the snake into Ben’s face. She was taking pleasure in his fear and distress.

  “No Viola! Stop!” I screamed.

  Viola wrapped the snake around Ben’s neck and started to squeeze it tighter and tighter until Ben had turned as red as a cherry tomato. She turned her head to look at me and I saw that she had that same glassy expression Emilie wore just before she turned Collette and Abram into zombies.

  The scared part of me wanted to run back and get Louis, but I knew that by then it would be too late. Viola didn’t care that I was there and that I was seeing everything. It only encouraged her to squeeze tighter and harder. She was killing Ben without any remorse. Once I reached them, I acted without thinking. I took out my John the Conqueror root and rubbed it on Viola while commanding her to stop. The root weakened her and I quickly unravelled the snake from Ben’s neck and threw it into the swamp.

  “Arelia, what’s going on?” Ben asked through tears of pain and frustration.

  “Nothing. Stay here. Viola and I are going to take a little walk.”

  “Okay.” Ben was so relieved that the snake was gone that he didn’t protest being left alone in the swamp. He didn’t seem to mind that I was going to drag his sister away.

  I grabbed Viola’s wrist. If I was wrong and Viola was not Emilie, Ghede Massaka would reject her and me. I couldn’t waste more time hiding in the shadows wondering if Emilie’s spirit was actually inside Viola.

  “Let go of me.” Viola’s eyes were no longer strange and glassy. In an instant she had transformed back into an innocent nine year old.

  “No,” I said, as I dragged her towards the slave cemetery.

  Once we reached the iron gate she started to cry. Her raven colored hair fell onto her face and tears soaked her delicate blue dress. My hardness softened and I cursed myself for my weakness.

  “You’re such a liar!” she violently screamed through sobs. “You said you’d never hurt me and you’re going to do it! I hate you!”

  It was manipulation at its finest and I was falling for it.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Emilie and Edmond

  Darkwood Plantation- Present Day.

  “Finally, you fool! You’ve finally brought her to me!” Ghede Massaka’s voice seeped through the gate and sent shivers up my spine. The gate opened and puffs of purple and black smoke surrounded us. The stars above turned Ghede purple and the scent of sweet and spicy rum danced around us while hundreds of skeletons moved to the Banda beat.

  My blood ran cold. There were a million and one things I wanted to ask Emilie, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth. She was right beside me. I was holding her. Touching her. The primal and vengeful side of me wanted to destroy her myself, but I knew that would have been selfish.

  So, I restrained my anger and simply stared at Viola. She had stopped crying and was now motionless and still. I pulled her into the cemetery, not knowing how I could put in words the rage I felt for all that she had done.

  I could hear the sad trio as they sang their duet:

  I didn't come here to be anyone's servant

  Digging the hole; it's me. Burying; it's me (bis)

  I didn't come here to be anyone's servant.

  “Arelia, you’re here!” Sabrina looked up from her grave-digging duties. Her energy was no longer sad and hopeless. Her bright blue eyes shone with excitement. She smoothed down her wild blonde hair and tried to look presentable. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

  Marie simply trembled and shook. Her frail frame didn’t stop digging and her large brown eyes were full of tears.

  As little Linto’s eyes rested on me, he started to shake. Ghede Massaka’s footsteps grew louder and louder.

  “I’m here guys. I brought who he’s looking for.” I raised Viola’s arm up in the air as if it was a trophy. “Soon, all of you will be free!”

  Linto looked down at the grave he was digging and then back at me. I could feel that he wanted to desperately speak.

  “Finally, you fool!” Ghede Massaka’s voice drew closer and closer as did the smell of his toxic sack.

  Little Linto threw his shovel to the side in rage. “I no longer want to be a coward,” he said softly.

  “Linto! Linto! Why have you stopped digging?” Ghede Massaka asked. “I’m coming for you! You fool!”

  “Non! I refuse to be useless in death.” Linto stepped away from Sabrina and Marie. He ran towards me as fast, as his bony legs could carry him. When he finally reached me, he took off his top hat and placed it on Viola’s head. He then wrapped his twig like arms around her and gave her a tender hug. Viola wept in his arms and hung on to him for dear life.

  “What the hell is going on?” I looked at him in a rage.

  “Arelia, you know what I represent,” he said quickly.

  “The protector and representative of lost children among the dead,” I said.

  He smiled. “Yes. I want you to remember what you and Lucus were planning. Remember a part of your past so painful that you have refused to remember.”

  “Linto!” Ghede Massaka was a mere meter or two away.

  “Hurry! Arelia, hurry! Remember.”

  I closed my eyes and it all came flooding back to me. My secret. Cecile’s secret. Lucus and Cecile’s plan to run off to France and get married. The baby in Cecile’s belly, which had belonged to Edmond.

  As Cecile, I had found out that I was pregnant and had told Lucus that we couldn’t be together because I was certain he would break it off with me once he found out. Plus, I didn’t want to bring scandal and shame down on his name. I had almost gone back to Edmond. I almost caved and returned to my oppressive existence. However, to my surprise, Lucus had refused to give up on me. He had asked me to marry him in France, where it was perfectly legal. He said that we would tell everyone that the baby was his and no one would ever tear our family apart. We had planned to live in France for two years before returning to New Orleans.

  Of course, it hadn’t exactly worked out that way. I had died with the baby in my belly.

  I opened my eyes. “What does this mean?” I searched Ghede Linto’s anxious face.

  “Emilie took the baby from your belly…” he said, as he pointed at Viola.

  My blood froze as the weight of what he was saying hit me. I turned to look at Viola and instantly knew where I recognized those eyes and raven colored hair from. Those were Edmond’s eyes and Cecile’s hair. If Emilie had ripped the baby from my belly that meant Viola was my daughter and she was under Emilie’s control.

  There was more than one way to create a zombie. Queens were able to create beautiful, ageless zombies from children they ripped out of the womb. All the Queen had to do was rip open a womb, administer a select blend of herbs, and other poisons to the fetus before breaking its neck. After this process, the zombie child took thirty years to develop into a beautiful pre-teen or teen. After this growth period they remained ageless and soulless and only did the will of the King or Queen who made them.

  “No,” I whispered. “No.” It was all too much. The cemetery started to spin.

  “Maman,” Viola whispered.

  “Yes, sweet Cecile. We can finally be a family again. You fell in love with me in this life and now our souls will be together for eternity. Well, the part of your soul I want. Emilie can have the part she wants. Of course, I’ll change this body for another so we can do all the things we used to do…” Edmond’s voice filled the air.

  “What the hell!” I turned around and saw Ben leaning against a tomb. He looked like Ben, but he sounded like Edmond.

  “I told you I’d find you. I told you I’d make you love me. The moment you rescued me from the swamp, I knew it was you, really you.”

  “Get out of Ben’s body. I don’t
love you! I love Ben!” I hollered. “I rescued him, not you.”

  He laughed. “You don’t know Ben. It’s been me all along. Every single moment you thought you shared with Ben, you actually shared with me. It was the perfect way to grab your attention and the perfect way to make sure my idiot cousin never caught on. I can be quite charming, can’t I?” He inched closer. I felt his fingers caress the back of my neck. I shook him off. “You saved me from the swamp. We had such a great date in the slave cabin. You watched me sleep. We had such touching heart to hearts. How can you deny the fact that you love me.”

  “You’re twisted.” I pulled Viola away from him and drew closer to Ghede Linto.

  I didn’t want to believe him, but Bade’s words suddenly made sense. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That is why Mr. and Mrs. Dumpty were always drunk. It was all by design.

  Little Linto whispered into my ear. “If you sacrifice Viola to Ghede Massaka, he will split your soul into two. Your ti bon ange will go inside of Viola and all your powers will be under Emilie’s control. The spiritless part of your soul will remain in this body and will be tied to Edmond for eternity. You have to sacrifice your own flesh and blood in order for this to work. That is the only way the spell can work.”

  “Shut-up!” Sabrina’s angry voice shocked me.

  “Sabrina what’s the matter…” I stopped speaking. Emilie, the master manipulator.

  She rushed over to Ghede Linto and smacked him over the head with her shovel. Ghede Massaka’s toxic herbs inched their way up my nose as he appeared beside Linto. His white lace veil was firmly in place and I had an urge to rip it right off for once and for all.

  “Don’t you dare touch him,” I warned the nasty spirit. Before I could say another word, Ghede Massaka grabbed Linto by his scrawny neck.

  “I told you I would make you proud one day. Run Arelia. Protect Viola.” Those were the last words Linto said before Ghede Massaka shoved him into his fleshy, toxic sack.

  I forced back tears as I turned to face Sabrina. “Get out of her body.”

  Emilie laughed wildly. “You’re so naïve sister. There is no Sabrina. You never knew Sabrina. You’ve only known me and I’ve gotten to know you oh so well over the past years.”

  “No.” I refused to believe what she was saying. “You’re a liar.” I didn’t want to believe her words, but in my heart I knew that they were true. She had done way worse to the others. Who knows what she was planning. It all made sense. That’s why Sabrina’s so called parents were never around. That’s why she put me down and made me feel inferior while denying that she ever did. The tears started to flow as I suddenly realized that my entire life had been a lie. A set up. How far did this go? Who else was a part of this little game?

  “Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer. I’ve promised that I wouldn’t mess up this time and I haven’t. Now, give me what you owe me. Sacrifice her.”

  “No,” I said. “You killed Marie, didn’t you? You killed her and you turned the prized slaves into zombies. Where are they? Let Marie go!” I tried to get all of my demands out without wavering.

  “I don’t owe you any explanations or favors.” Emilie remained calm and cool as a glass of iced sweet tea. “Now, sacrifice her.”

  “Sacrifice her!” Ghede Massaka demanded as he stepped closer and closer.

  “Why are you helping her?” I asked Ghede Massaka.

  He snarled. “She took care of the fetus when you abandoned it. Plus, she’s on his side and so am I?”

  “Who is he?” I asked.

  Emilie laughed and laughed as if I had said something wildly funny. “You won’t get a chance to find out.”

  Anger surged through me. I slapped Emilie with all of the strength I could muster. I threw the John the Conqueror Root at Ghede Massaka. The oaks caught on fire and I knew I had backup. They obscured Edmond from sight and disorientated Emilie and Ghede Massaka.

  I looked desperately at Marie. “I will come back for you. I promise. Your baby is getting better. We’re working together.”

  Her eyes filled with pride. “I’ll wait forever and forever. Tell him that I love him. Run before it’s too late.”

  I nodded and pulled Viola towards the gate and together we ran through it.

  I heard it firmly close behind us and knew that another battle had started.

  Book #6 Coming Soon

  Other Books by Kira Saito

  Bound

  Punished

  Possessed

  Oppressed

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