I sat at my desk, staring at the advertisement for Nectar of the Gods while I waited for Devlin and Alek to come pick me up. I’d filled the rest of the team in on what Monique had told me, and Rachel started looking for information on the women who used to belong to The Daughters of the Vine. We all agreed Gavina, despite any evidence, had lied to Monique. The women didn’t leave. Now, we just needed to prove it.
Marta had found the same information I’d gotten from Monique about the wine. It wasn’t mass produced and was only given to a select group of clients. Unfortunately, the client list wasn’t available. I kicked myself for not asking Monique when I could have, but I also knew that if I had, she would have become suspicious of my motives and possibly asked me to leave. And it was imperative that I at least got an understanding of their ritual.
Jonah’s contacts didn’t have any further information on sex magick other than it was still practiced in secret circles. I filled him in on how it worked. Again, we had all come to the agreement that Gavina was absorbing the power unleashed when everyone climaxed. I had to admit, I was curious to see what that kind of power looked like. But not enough to go back there ever again.
Rachel had found fifteen properties associated with the families who used to be part of Tribe. According to her, all but one had been bought. And the owner of the last one had died six months ago, leaving his estate in limbo. His family was still fighting over who would take ownership of the house and land.
All this information, and absolutely none related to blood magick. We had to be missing something.
“Did you ever find out what happened to Lemuel Oren?” I asked Rachel.
She looked up from her search. It took a minute for her to respond. “Oh. Yeah. I found a death certificate for him this morning,” she said, still staring at the computer. “I have one of my friends checking it.”
Rachel blinked a few times and cocked her head to the side. “I can’t remember why.”
“Take a break, Rach,” Jonah said. Then he looked at me. “Unless you think that ad has a hidden message in it, you should do the same.” I nodded and shut my computer.
Damn. We were all overworked. Stretched so thin, I was surprised we were all still functioning. I glanced at my phone to check the date. Tuesday. Given all the craziness we’d been through, I’d assumed it was Friday already. I ran my hand through my hair, thinking. We had managed to cram a week’s worth of shit into two days. At this rate, I’d be spiking Rachel’s special coffee with alcohol and chain smoking while shoving copious amounts of food into my mouth and begging Alek for a quickie every few hours in no time.
All my vices rolled into one long day.
Well, maybe I’d forgo the alcohol. I didn’t want to revisit that horrific hangover again any time soon.
The front door opened, and I stretched. The day wasn’t over with yet. I still had to go and confront Luisah. I went and poured myself a cup of coffee.
Devlin walked in the room, Alek following behind him. After greeting everyone, he turned to me. “Want to fill me in on what happened?” he asked. Jonah had told me he sent Alek a text, telling them where I was going.
“My brain hurts,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
Devlin’s face softened. He gave me a look of understanding and turned to Jonah.
While Jonah filled him in, Alek came over, took my hand, and guided me to his room. After he shut the door, I put my coffee mug on the dresser and let him pull me in for a hug. “You know,” I whispered to him, “I was just entertaining the idea, that if all our investigations end up like this, I might have to corner you for some quickies throughout the day.”
He laughed, then stepped back and stared down at me. “Sounds like a plan.” He winked. “Of course, we’d have to work out a signal.”
“How about, ‘My brain hurts?’”
He raised his eyebrow in question. I gave him a teasing grin and leaned back against the dresser. “Seriously. I’m worn thin.”
He scrubbed his hand down his face and pulled the tie from his hair. “We all are.” He studied me for a minute. “You up to seeing Luisah?”
I closed my eyes and nodded. “Yeah. Have to get it over with, and we need the information.”
A rap sounded at the door.
Alek leaned down and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “Time to go,” he said.
I sighed. Yeah, time to face Luisah.
Orange light filled the sky, keeping the darkness at bay for just a little while longer.
No one spoke as we drove down Williams Avenue making our way to Coeur d’Alene. We rode in Devlin’s SUV. While Alek rested in the back, I stared out at the changing landscape with nervous energy dancing around inside of me. I had not seen Luisah since my recovery, but like my parents, Luisah had lied to me. Well, more like omitted some of the information I needed. And I wanted to avoid talking to her about it. It was easier.
The road narrowed and Williams became Route 73.
The land bridge Coeur d’Alene rested on was populated by small settlement of Creole people. After reading The Land Guarded by People of Colour, we learned that the people here were the people of Colour the document referred to. We also learned they, along with the Gullah people in Sandpoint and the Cherokee Indians residing in the small Cherokee Nation at the bottom half of the island, were all immortal. Tasked with keeping Set from leaving the island.
Most of the locals referred to Coeur d’Alene as the town that time forgot. I used to believe it was because of the small, scrap-wood homes with tin roofs and dilapidated brick chimneys. And the fact that most of the homes didn’t have electricity. But now, I knew why. The people who lived here were truly from another time.
We passed the handmade sign for Coeur d’Alene, along with a cluster of shops. A pang of guilt and sadness overcame me when we drove by my father’s apothecary shop.
Devlin pulled his car to the curb in front of Luisah’s. He turned it off, and we climbed out into the heat. A warm breeze blew over me, carrying the varying scents of eucalyptus, lavender, and salt. I inhaled the familiar smell. I shouldn’t have stayed away so long.
Luisah came out of her shop, and her gaze locked with mine. I had to fight the urge to squirm under her scrutiny.
“The Historian,” Alek said, coming to stand next to me.
“What?” I said, my gaze going between him and her.
Alek pulled his eyes away from Luisah. “She is one of the three gods that created humanity.” He studied me, his eyes shining in the darkness. “Why don’t you know this?”
“Wait, wait.” My head spun as I tried to absorb what he said. I’d realized four weeks ago that there was something more to her. Something ancient. But I would have never guessed she was a god. “Most religions talk about the one true god creating the world, not three,” I said.
“When organized religion was created, the three converged into one. However, the triumvirate has always remained. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for Christianity; the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone for Wiccan…”
I held my hand up to stall him then returned my attention to Luisah. She stood directly under a streetlamp in the pool of light, the darkness surrounding her, waiting patiently for us.
A chill went down my spine as I stared at her. Historian. The title made sense, I thought, as I stole a glance at the bookstore, it suddenly dawning on me that I’d never seen her sell a book—only collect fees for use of the knowledge she kept packed inside her store. And Alek wasn’t the only one who had referred to Luisah as the Historian. Ezra had as well. But I was so focused on finding out what he knew and what he was that I didn’t connect the dots.
She watched me for a minute as the smoke from her cigarette circled around her head, floating out into the night. “You broke your word to me, girl,” she said.
“And you lied to me.”
“I am incapable of lying. I can only provide the information you need.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about my magick?” I asked, my tone accusing. “Why keep something so important from me?” I was on the verge of tears.
The smoke from her cigarette parted. She stared at me out of those ancient eyes. “The knot that kept your magick locked inside is gone.” Her gaze went to my lips. “And you’ve been marked again.” She took in Alek and Devlin. “You have to protect her.”
“Luisah,” I said, my voice small.
“Come inside. War is coming. And you all have to be prepared.” She gave me one last look and walked inside the store. The bell over the door rang out, filling the quiet.
I walked into the familiar store. The scent of clove hung in the air. The floorboards creaked as we made our way to the long wooden table that ran down the center aisle. I kept my gaze averted from the remembrance of Steve she kept on the wall. I didn’t need to visit that pain right now. “Why did you not tell me you were a god? And I thought the Old Ones were gods? How many damn gods are there on this island?” I drew in a ragged breath. There were so many secrets being kept from me, it was hard keeping track.
“The Old Ones are not gods.” She dismissed me and looked at Alek. “Pay the price, and I will give you what you need.”
“You’re seriously going to charge us ten dollars?” I yelled.
She stared at me out of eyes filled with sadness. “It is the only way I can answer. And you have already paid the price for information.”
“What do you mean, I already paid the price?” As soon as I asked it, I remembered my promise to her. After getting hired at Tribec Insurance, curiosity about the Gerzean culture and the artwork displayed on their walls had driven me to see Luisah. I hadn’t visited her in years, and when I finally did go see her, she made me promise never to stay away again. At the time, I felt as if there was something more to her request—something significant that I was not seeing. “My promise?” I asked, my voice soft.
She nodded.
“Does the price require blood?” Alek asked.
“Blood?” I said, my eyes darting between them.
Alek turned to me. “Blood used to be the required price for information,” Alek said. “Later, gold was used.”
She stared at him. “No. Keep your blood in your veins, mage. You will need it for the battle to come. An oath from both of you will get you the answers you seek,” she said, looking at both Alek and Devlin.
“What oath do you seek?” Alek asked.
“Your promise to return with your entire team in ten days.”
“Why ten?” I asked.
Luisah regarded me. “It is not your concern. For this one…” She inclined her head toward Devlin. “The need for knowledge will become overwhelming.” She turned back to Devlin. “Your promise?”
Devlin looked at Alek, a silent question playing across his face. Alek regarded him for minute, then turned back to Luisah. “You have our word.”
Luisah stared at Devlin, waiting for an answer. After a brief hesitation, he agreed to return as well. Why was it so important we return? Before I could ask, Devlin took out the picture of the Ark and gave it to Luisah. “We also need any information you have on Divine Evil.”
She went in search of the information and returned a short while later with two books, one of which was Naqada written by Professor Shukuma. She set it and a worn brown journal on the table.
I picked up the journal and opened it.
“Divine Evil can only be achieved when one absorbs the magick of another. It must be done in ritual and freely given.” She tapped her finger on the journal. “The first to achieve this was a Tibetan monk named Khuchar. He grew tired of trying to achieve Enlightenment and instead turned to a darker path. He stole the magick from his brothers—leaving them as empty shells.”
“Did he kill them?” Devlin asked.
She shook her head. “No. Just empty.”
“I’ve seen this before,” I said, picking up the slim gold and black book with Naqada stenciled on front.
“It is what you need,” she said. “Take both of them with you.”
Maybe there was something I missed.
Devlin took the book from me and flipped through the pages. “Professor Shukuma works at Morehouse University,” he said, looking at me. “It says he went on several excavations with his wife, searching for the Ark.”
And there it was. I never thought to focus on the author of the book, just the contents. I would say I felt like an idiot, but that would be an understatement. After all, she showed me the book when I first asked about the Naqada culture. Maybe she had been trying to guide me all along.
“How do I protect myself from the rest of the Old Ones?” I asked, getting up. It was obvious she wasn’t going to give us any more information, and I at least needed to know that; especially after Set attacked me again Monday night. True, he stopped, but until I figured out what had made him, I needed something to reassure me that if I were attacked again, I could defend myself.
“Only another Old One can help you.” She looked at Alek and Devlin. “Remember your promise.”
“Ten days,” Devlin said.
She nodded.
“One last question,” I said and paused. I had to ask this the right way. Devlin believed the red mist that hit me was a heat pocket, but he did say something about stored power. Hathor said it took a great deal of heat to restore power. We hadn’t had the time to get into it. Like Devlin said, we were being pulled in too many directions. Weather would not be a priority right now. But to me, it was important. I’d suffered through that brief inferno, and I wanted to know why.
“What sort of power causes an immense amount of heat?”
“One that is being restored,” she said without hesitation and with a note of finality in her tone.
Hathor said she was restoring power. Now, I just needed to find her and find out whose power she was restoring. Along with all the other shit we had to deal with. Shouldn’t be a problem.
After one last glance at her, I followed Alek and Devlin out the door.
We rode in silence for a short while, each of us deep in our own thoughts, before Alek said, “In ancient times, before there was gold and silver and other such things to distinguish one’s wealth and power, knowledge was the source of power. Over the years, those who had the most power sought to control others by limiting their knowledge. That was the start of religion. The first holy decrees outlawed libraries and prohibited the people from learning, and even convinced the masses that knowledge was evil. The Historian is there for those who seek her out.”
I turned and found his eyes in the darkness.
“She is always present during tragic events in history.”
“As a record keeper?” I asked.
He turned away from me, his face haunted. “No, as a source of information. She comes years before disaster strikes, hoping that humanity would remember that knowledge is power and use that to stop whatever tragedy is going to take place. A blood oath would rob us of our free will; an oath given freely would give us a choice. Our choice is far more valuable than money. Luisah needs that to help us in the days to come.”
It was what I had been fearing. The scene was being set for something big. If what Alek said was true—and I had no reason to doubt him—about why Luisah had come to this island, then the final pieces would soon be put in place.
“Petronela said something about being bound in blood,” Devlin said. “How old is she?”
“No one knows for sure,” Alek said. “But I have to wonder if she, too, made a pact with the Historian. It would make sense.” He paused. “After all, she does have part of the Alexandria library.”