Chapter 6
“In the drawer,” Père Antoine said. “Look in it.”
I opened the drawer of the desk. Inside there were several pens, each sporting the logo of random small businesses. There was a stack of Post-it notes, half a box of condoms (undoubtedly on account of Erzulie’s known escapades) and an old envelope—the paper had yellowed with age.
“I assume it’s the envelope you’re wanting me to get? Because if you mean the condoms, my whole opinion of you is about to radically change.”
Père Antoine belly-laughed at the idea. “I didn’t even realize those were in there. Erzulie, I suppose… But yes, the envelope.”
I grabbed the envelope and flipped it over. I read the words on the outside verbatim, “‘In the Event of My Demise.’ Based on the age of this envelope, I’m guessing it was Legba’s, not Erzulie’s?”
Père Antoine nodded.
“Then why is it still sealed? Why didn’t Erzulie read it?”
The priest shrugged. “Perhaps she already knew the envelope’s contents. Maybe she didn’t want to know what it contained. Either way, the fact remains that she never opened it. It’s almost as though it was left for this moment, is it not?”
I bit my lip. “I don’t know about that. But I suppose we can give it a read.”
Père Antoine nodded. I slid my thumb under the seal and gently tore open the top of the envelope. The paper inside, yellowed even more than the envelope, was dry to the touch. It crinkled as I unfolded it.
To whomever shall come upon this letter,
If you are reading these words, it means that I, Legba, have fallen. Kalfu—the demon within me—has prevailed. It also means he’s found another host, and the body of Pierre Lescarbot may soon be put to rest. It is my great lament that his corpse must serve our purposes once more. So long as I am absente, Kalfu himself will govern the crossroads and he alone will determine which spirits and Loa might traverse to and fro between Guinee and Earth. It is imperative, therefore, that she who would become queen would adorn the remnants of my former host. The bones shall be draped around her neck. His head, shrunken. Only so might the rite used to summon me before allow me to return, provided a new host who is willing to forfeit his liberty for my sake might consent. For I will not suffer any mortal to lose his life for my sake. At my passing, the era of the former queen will begin to unravel and a new one shall emerge. It is imperative that under the new queen’s reign I be vivified again that the unholy crossroads might be restored to sanctity.
In Bondye’s Service,
Papa Legba, X
I scrunched my brow. “What is the X on his signature?”
“It is not an X, it is the icon of a crossroads.”
L… A… X… Legba, X
Isabelle figured it out at practically the same time I did. “This was the message we were given in the stairway.”
“Likely Legba himself, attempting to speak to you through the void.”
“And what is this about a new queen?”
“Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, was bound to Legba and his former host. Her rule and reign depended on his endurance. Such a magical link is a part of the queen’s coronation. When Legba fell, Marie Laveau began to age.”
“But I thought she’d died before… she has a tomb and everything. I figured she’d been raised. Must’ve had Baron Samedi’s aspect.”
“She has never possessed the aspect of any Ghede,” Père Antoine explained. “But she has many other aspects, no less.”
“Then how did she come back to life as the Voodoo queen?”
“Necromancy, dear child.”
“But… that’s forbidden. Only the Bokors…”
“Indeed.” Père Antoine’s head hung low. “But at the time, the Voodoo world was lost. She’d been the Voodoo queen already in life. When she died, her daughter, Marie Laveau Glapion, brought other traditions into the Voodoo world. She was not just a Mambo, but also a witch. She dabbled in many of the mystical arts—too many to count, and probably some that have never been properly named. Over time, the Voodoo arts became diluted. Even after the second Laveau perished and none took her place, there were some who longed for a return to the simpler, purer days. Thus, a witch and a Mambo, one who had learned the ways of the second Marie, saw to it to use the witchery she knew to bring back the original, to resurrect her that she might resume her role as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. But to accomplish this witchery, she had to link Marie Laveau’s life and sustenance to that of a Loa—and which one would be better than the headmaster of the Academy and the guardian of the crossroads.”
“But I don’t understand. If Marie Laveau knew she was dying, she knew it the moment Legba fell, so why did she appoint Erzulie as headmistress? Why didn’t she see to it that her successor be chosen and Legba restored?”
“But she did, child.”
“If she did, she failed. Look around you. It would take a miracle and a thousand tons of bleach to revive this place.”
“Erzulie evoked the Trials, did she not?”
“Yeah, that she might appoint a High Mambo. Not a new queen.”
“But the queen herself nominated one of the competitors if I’m not mistaken…”
I took a deep breath. “Yes, she nominated me. I never understood why.”
“Because she saw something in you worth putting to the test. And I dare say, you’ve henceforth demonstrated your suitability for the role she chose to pass on to you.”
“She wants to make me her heir?”
Père Antoine nodded. “I believe she does.”
“You believe?” I asked. “So this is just you throwing together your own hypothesis about what she wanted?”
“A hypothesis is an educated guess, if I’m not mistaken. And my guess, in this instance, is very well educated.”
“But she’s gone. No one knows where she is. It may be too late.”
“It’s not too late. The queen is aging rapidly. This is why she’s remained out of sight. Her very appearance would unsettle the Voodoo world. But she still lives, even if her time is short. You may find her, if you can summon her.”
“Summoning the queen is forbidden,” I said. “I don’t even know how.”
“Perhaps she’s left you a clue.”
“I have a book she meant for me to find… Death Rites. It instructed us on the Trials.”
“It is worth a look. Though, it is unlikely something she penned with her quill. She always prized her privacy—dwelt in an unknown place and shared its location with no one. I highly doubt she would leave a written record of her location. Still, if I can be sure of anything, it is that Queen Laveau never leaves any of her i’s undotted or her t’s uncrossed. The answer is there for you if you will have the eyes to see.”
A white glow surrounded the priest. He extended his arms and laughed out loud.
“Father, please… I need more help. I don’t know how…”
The priest seemed not to hear my words. “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation!”
Père Antoine took a step into the light and disappeared. He was gone.