Oppressed (31 page)

Chapter
Thirty-One

Another
Sacrifice

Darkwood
Plantation

A few miles outside of New
Orleans, 1853

I felt Edmond’s arms around me. “Let
me take you home. They’ll kill you if you stay here, won’t they?
Only I can keep you safe now.”

I shuddered, recoiled at his very
touch and freed myself from his arms.

I mentally begged for Erzulie’s guidance
as I grabbed a heavy brandy decanter from off a nearby table and
smacked him over the head with it. The strength of the blow knocked
him unconscious.

Emilie smirked. Under the candlelight she
suddenly appeared cruel and evil. There was an unsettling hunger in
her eyes and I saw her for who she really was; a clever and vicious
power hungry Queen.

“
It’s been you all along, hasn’t
it?” I asked furiously. “You’ve only been pretending that you
didn’t know Voodoo/Hoodoo. You’ve only been pretending this whole
time and you’ve been helping him. You’ve been behind the attacks.
You’re the one who burnt the house down. But why?”

She laughed. “I think you already know the
answer to that. I hate you and I will always hate you, dear sister.
I no longer want to live under your sick shadow. I’ve taken your
abuse for years, so don’t preach to me about morality. Yes, I’m a
powerful Queen, and I’ve been so merciful with you and your Maman
over the years. I could have killed you at any time, but that would
have been too easy, so I waited for the perfect time. The perfect
situation to show you exactly how degrading you’ve made my
existence. Now, you’ll finally know the meaning of real oppression.
This little ceremony has tied you to sweet Edmond for eternity, and
you’ll never ever be free.”

“
No,” I mumbled. “No.” Grief,
confusion and pity temporarily paralyzed me but I managed to
compose myself and focused on the bigger picture. I kissed Lucus
good-bye. I kissed his bloody mouth, forehead and the tips of his
fingers while I fought back tears. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I
love you. I will always love you, my Dinclusin.” As I said those
words I couldn’t help but believe that I was in fact a ruined,
evil, heathen savage. Death and destruction had a strange habit of
stalking me. I couldn’t and wouldn’t allow Louis to die.

I didn’t want to leave
Lucus’
side
but Louis needed me and we needed to escape before Edmond woke
up.

The door opened, and Emilie hid herself
behind the cherry wood armoire. Madame LaPlante stood on the other
side with two guards behind her. She rushed over to Lucus’ side and
started to wail when she fully absorbed his gruesome
state.

“
I knew it! I knew you
were evil!” She hollered. “Show her no mercy,” she
ordered.

The beefy guards came closer and I could
sense they took pleasure in my horrified expression. I quickly
grabbed Louis’ hand and tried to ignore the fact that his tongue
was hanging out of his mouth and his head was bobbing up and down.
I pulled him towards the window and he blindly followed me as I
climbed down the ivy-covered railing.

I held his hand and in a nightmarish haze
I pulled him towards the thick forest. The rain was terrifyingly
cold as it stabbed me and the thin braches of the oaks were painful
as they dug into my skin. The guards were getting closer, and with
each passing minute I could feel Louis’ life slipping away. He
stopped and rested against a tree.

“
I hate him,” he moaned.
“I hate him.”

“
Shh
.” I tried to hush him. “No, you
don’t hate him. This isn’t you. You’ve been used and manipulated.
You’re good and kind. I can feel it. You’re not really capable of
hate.” I thought of how I could help him. How I could help him
escape this terrible existence.

“
The pain is too much!” he
screamed wretchedly. “I HATE HIM!”

His belly started to bloat, swell and
rip open. A vile green fungus type liquid started to drip from his
forehead and I knew that his body was dying. The light behind his
eyes was fading fast. “What have I done to deserve this?” he
moaned.

“
Nothing. You’ve done
nothing wrong.”

“
Why do you care about me?” he
moaned. “Aside from you, only two people have ever looked me in the
eye.”

“
Someone has to care,
right?
” I
said, as I held him and racked my brain for a quick solution to
this mess.

The crack of a whip interrupted us and
against a nearby oak leaned the dangerously handsome Mait
Carrefour. His smiled arrogantly, exhaled a puff of smoke from his
pipe and flexed his large chest muscles. His dark skin was shiny
and smooth as raindrops bathed him. “I can help,” he offered rather
seductively. His deep voice shook the trees and caused owls to
madly hoot.

“
This way!” The guards
were getting closer.

I turned to him. “You can?”

“
What do you want in
return?” I knew that he was a very tricky spirit. He wasn’t
necessarily evil. He was just attracted to the darker things in
life.

He nodded. “I can help him be free if
you give me his brother’s soul.”

I looked at Louis. “Louis, do you have
a brother?” I lightly shook him and tried to ignore his
spine-chilling screams.

“
NO!” he
wailed.

“
He doesn’t have a
brother.”

Mait Carrefour shrugged. “Then you
shouldn’t have a problem saying yes.”

The wind tugged on my hair and I could
feel Bade attempting to speak with me.

Louis continued to howl like a wounded
banshee and I knew I had to do something right away. Even if Louis
had a brother somewhere, I didn’t know him, so it didn’t really
matter if I sacrificed him, did it? “Yes. Yes,” said
quickly.

“
NO!” hissed
Bade.

“
Excellent.” Mait
Carrefour extended his whip and entwined Louis in it.

Arms wrapped around me and the stench
of stale tobacco shot up my nose. Filthy hands tugged at my hair
and I knew the end was near.

Chapter
Thirty-Two

On Dying…

Darkwood
Plantation

A few miles outside of New
Orleans, 1853

The faces that surrounded me
were dressed in uniforms of brutality, fear
, and hatred. My face was shoved in a
pile of wet mud and I felt a hard boot against my ribs. I suppose I
did the typical things one does when they’re on the verge of death.
I pleaded, tried to reason, and screamed. Some spirits whispered
plans of vengeance and destruction in my ear while others warned me
not to give up.

I was frustrated, exhausted, and confused
and saw no point in going on with life. I closed my eyes and
thought of how blessed I had been to have fallen in love. I refused
to die with hatred in my heart because if my short life had taught
me anything it was that hatred and fear were the greatest
oppressors. My life had been one of constant divisions, where
‘divide and conquer’ was the motto. It had been a rule that had
turned sisters against sisters, Mamans against daughters and sons.
The list went on and on. Lucus and I had challenged that ugly rule.
And for a brief period it had been absolutely blissful.

I wanted to see Lucus on the other
side and I didn’t care how I got there. I didn’t want to live in
this world and be Edmond’s slave.

Madame LaPlante grabbed fist full of
my hair and jerked my head back. Her eyes were full of tears and
her lips quivered uncontrollably. “Your evil killed him! Your evil
killed my only child!”

I simply smiled at her. I smiled as
the first lash tore open my skin. I began to laugh deliriously as
the lashes continued and I was blinded with a pain so sweet and
merciful that it allowed me to pass out.

My body was dumped and buried in an
unmarked grave and when my spirit rose the handsome Ghede Nibo
welcomed me to the other side.

“
Welcome! Welcome! One who
has died young and unexpectedly! Let me help you find your way!” He
gave me a dazzling smile and batted his lush lashes. He clapped his
hands and I found myself dressed in a purple and black silk gown.
My long hair rippled in the warm night air and the delicious smell
of lilies swirled around me. All of my pain was gone and I was
anxious to see Lucus.

“
Hello!” I said, as I
frantically searched the graveyard for him.

“
Where is he?” I asked.
“Where is Lucus?”

Ghede Nibo’s eyes darted from side to
side. “You haven’t heard?”

“
Heard what?”

“
Oh, dear.” He dramatically
clapped his hands and I found myself standing in Lucus’
bedroom.

He wasn’t dead. He was alive and
beautiful as ever. I tried to touch his stubbly cheek but my hands
passed right through him.

Madame LaPlante stood beside him with
a small smile on her face. “She left this,” she said, as she handed
him a letter.

I turned to Ghede Nibo. “He’s alive!
But how? “

Ghede Nibo dramatically sighed. “Mait
Carrefour was supposed to collect his soul but since he’s still
wearing that protective gris-gris you made him his soul was
protected against unsavory spirits.”

“
Lucus and Louis are brothers?”
I asked in astonishment. My heart sank as I realized I had messed
up big time.

Ghede Nibo nodded. “Mait Carrefour wasn’t
too happy about being deceived. When he found out about your
protective charm he became furious and cursed poor Lucus. He’s
trapped in this big old house and Louis is trapped in his new body.
Mait Carrefour is waiting for the day when he can reclaim their
souls. The day when you’ll willingly hand over Lucus and Louis back
to him.”

“
Can’t he take Lucus once
Lucus takes off the gris-gris?”

Ghede Nibo shook his head. “No.
Sacrifices have to be made willingly otherwise they are of no use
to the spirits.”

“
No,” I whispered. “No.
This can’t be
happening.” It had to be a nightmare. “I didn’t mean to sacrifice
him.”

I froze as Lucus started to read the
letter that was supposedly written by me.

Dear Lucus

Thank you for your
kindness. I treasure the time we have spent together, but I have
come to realize that I cannot be with someone like you. Having
spent a short amount of time in your world has made me realize that
your life is based on ugliness which in turn makes you an ugly
person. I find it funny that you preach kindness yet you are blind
to what happens under your own roof. It’s not your fault. You are
what you are. After all, you do share the same blood as Edmond. You
deserve someone from your world. Please do not try to find me as I
never want to see or hear from you again.

-Best

Cecile

“
I didn’t,” I said.
“I didn’t write
that!” I screamed, but the mortal realm was unable to hear me.
Lucus was unable to hear me.

“
She wouldn’t,” said
Lucus.

“
She did,” said Madame
LaPlante.

Chapter
Thirty-Three

The Queen is Back

Darkwood
Plantation

A few miles outside of New
Orleans

My eyes opened. I was
Arelia
, and
I was back in my ugly Darkwood uniform. The beautiful people, who
had died young and unexpectedly, swirled around me. Their laughter,
along with sweet white rum and medicinal herbs, filled the
air.

Ghede Nibo stood beside me, as stunning as
ever in a black riding coat and ruffled purple shirt. “Welcome!
Welcome! Has the veil of disillusionment been lifted?” he asked, as
he eyed me eagerly.

“
I’m her and she’s me,” I said,
as I pointed to Cecile. Suddenly, every strange aspect of my life
made sense. I felt as if I had returned home and had awoken from a
very long slumber. “Where has that part of me been all of these
years? And why was I reincarnated now and not earlier?”

He took a swig of rum and handed me the
bottle, which I gladly accepted. “Sigh oh sigh. We tried to guide
your soul back into the mortal world but you rebelled. You spent
years and years sitting at Papa Lebga’s bar whining, complaining,
and feeling sorry for yourself. The typical ‘how could I have
cursed the love of my life’! Papa Legba finally got so sick of you
he had to call upon Mait Carrefour. They came to a compromise. If
you had the courage to go back and defeat your dear sister, who, by
the way, is running a tyrannical regime and oppressing the good
people of not only New Orleans but the world, your tragic
Lucus/Louis curse would be broken. You agreed to those terms and
your soul was re-born.”