WitchLove (19 page)

‘Daniel, I’ve not decided whether I’m coming back to Manchester yet. There are so many painful memories there. I like the idea of starting afresh. I can’t see myself wanting to stay in Malden; the coven is quite restrictive and they have some serious hierarchy issues going on, but I like New York. It’s vibrant, full of life.’

‘Jess, I don’t care. I’ll live in the middle of the Australian outback if it means I can be with you, although we might have some issues with food source and sunshine there, so I’m not recommending it,’ he said, his eyes sparkling.

I looked up at his face and swallowed, remembering how his lips had pushed against my own, how he had pressed into me, making the rough brickwork rub against my shoulders.

‘Daniel, I need to get back. Brittany will be having a fit. I promised her I’d be back.’

I pushed my chair back and dismissing the memories led him to the door, leaving our untouched coffee cups on the table.

‘I’ll walk you back,’ he said, his features revealing his disappointment.

‘You know, I’m not actually a hundred per cent sure which way to go,’ I said.

‘Great. Do you know which district he lives in?’ he said.

‘Yeah, it wasn’t too far from the university campus, not too far from India’s place in Greenwich village… and near the water,’ I said.

Right, well let’s go that way and see if you remember any of it.’

‘Where’ve you been? India was just about to go looking for you?’ Noah said, opening the door. ‘Are you okay?’ he added, taking in my slightly dishevelled appearance.

I blushed, thinking how unimpressed India would have been if she had indeed come looking for me, only to find me pressed up against another wall, Daniel’s hand skimming expertly over my body, our mouths pressed together in a final kiss.

‘I got lost, sorry,’ I said.

‘Right, great! So you go and meet up with your vampire ex and Brittany has done one to Louisiana somewhere, in search of her family… Mom is going to kill me if she finds out and I’m supposed to drive you both back home tomorrow.’

Chapter Fourteen

Noah was clearly stressed and his words came out in a jumbled mess, but I still caught the ones that mattered.

‘Brittany has gone where?’ I asked, following him into the living space.

‘To Louisiana, to find her scary Hoodoo family,’ he said, sighing and slumping on the couch.

‘Noah! How could you let her?’ I asked, beginning to panic.

‘How could I stop her, more like? I can’t fly ley-lines Jess. I can’t use magic, remember?’

‘Well you must have given her something to go on, otherwise she wouldn’t have known where to go. Why didn’t you wait till I was back?’

‘She tricked me,’ he said, quietly. ‘I know, okay. She was being all cutesy and friendly… Look, you really don’t need to look at me like that!’

‘Go on, so she was flirting and you blabbed everything you knew?’ I asked.

‘Basically… yeah.’

‘Great! So where has she gone?’

I have an old friend, a girl from another coven in the south. I sent her an email initially, and then last week she called me up. She’d traced Brit’s family to this renowned Hoodoo clan in New Orleans. She told me to tell Brittany to stay away. Most Voodoo or Hoodoo churches use white magic; they’re just another religion, but Tara thinks that somewhere along the line Brittany’s family got embroiled in black magic. There’s a rumour that a hex rebounded and killed a family member, who we think was probably Brittany’s mother and after that, the priestess - Brittany’s grandmother - lost her senses and let the powers consume her.’

‘But surely she wouldn’t pose a threat to Brittany? After losing her daughter, maybe having her granddaughter back will help her?’

‘Possibly, but I wouldn’t take the risk, and neither would Tara.’

‘Are you saying I have to go and bring her back then?’

‘I don’t know Jess. I don’t want you to go, but we do need to get her back, because Mom will slaughter me if she finds out and we don’t want to have to explain to the coven why you weren’t here when Brittany took off,’ he said.

‘Right, So did she just go to New Orleans? Or did she have something more specific to focus on?’ I asked.

‘She had a photo…’

‘What?’

‘Sorry. Tara had sent me a picture of this old clapboard church, which is supposedly where they meet, on the edge of the bayou. Brittany wasn’t impressed when I wouldn’t print it for her, but she did get a good look at it in my email.’

‘Right, show me,’ I said.

‘If you ask nicely.’

‘Look Noah, I’m not the one that has messed up here, but it’s me who has to sort it out! So just show it me…
please
.’

Noah loaded his emails and I watched as a frown clouded his features.

‘I don’t get it. It’s gone. It’s not even in the deleted file,’ he said finally.

India and I stepped up and watched over his shoulder as he scrolled through all his recent emails. It was gone.

‘She must have double deleted it when you went to get her a drink,’ India said.

‘So, you left Brit alone with all the information? Wow, aren’t you the smart one,’ I said.

‘Okay, okay! Look, can you take me with you? I heard Aunt Franny telling Mom how fast you are in the ley lines, I can help find her,’ he said.

‘No way. It’ll slow me down and I’ve never carried anyone before. If Brit’s in trouble I may need to carry her back, and then you’d be stuck out there,’ I said. ‘Do you remember anything else that could help me find her?’ I asked.

He shook his head.

‘The church was by some water. Like I said, it looked more like it was the bayou than the Mississippi river.’

‘Okay, let me load up Google,’ I said, squeezing in beside him, and inadvertently shoving him to one side. ‘I have a plan.’

Five minutes later I’d memorised a location;
Voodoo Magick: A shop to cure all ills.

‘Jess, I don’t think this is the best plan in the world,’ India said.

‘Look it’s the best plan I’ve got. Out of all the Voodoo shops this one looks the most authentic. Hopefully they will have heard of the Doucet clan and can tell me where to find them. There isn’t a better option,’ I said.

‘Jess, I’m giving you until lunchtime. If I haven’t heard from you by then, I’ll have to call the coven in,’ he said.

‘I’ve got my mobile. I’ll call, right?’

‘Deal. I’ll tell Mom you’re doing some shopping and I’m driving you back tonight.’

‘Good luck, Jess,’ India said.

I smiled. Somehow I had a feeling I was going to need it.

‘Ahh! Stop! Jess, take your contacts out. Don’t let them know you’re a vampire whatever you do. You need to be Brittany’s friend now… just another witch,’ India added.

With the contacts out and my eyes back to green, Noah led me up the fire escape and onto the roof. I breathed deeply, closed my eyes, and visualising New Orleans and the Voodoo shop in the photo whilst thinking of Brittany, I reached upwards and soared into the ley lines.

I started off by flying through the phosphorescence at high speed, desperate to reach Brittany as soon as possible. I knew from what Luke had told me that flying long distances would be tiring and I also knew that I was stronger than Brittany; but she had a forty-five minute lead and we were going to end up in different locations. I had to catch up some time, but after I had been flying for what I estimated to be around an hour, I felt a nagging tiredness creeping into my muscles, telling me to slow down. So I did, just a little.

After a similar amount of time I felt my consciousness zeroing in and latching on to a destination. I slowed down and flew lower until the clouds thinned a little, allowing me to see a city spread out beneath me, dissected by a vast river snaking its way through the centre of twinkling lights. Closing my eyes I concentrated on the image of the shop and felt myself pulled towards it, down, down, faster and faster. I pulled back automatically and prayed no one was around to witness my arrival. My feet skidded a little on the road surface, but I remained upright.
Heck it was hot!
Dark, hot and humid.

I needn’t have worried about witnesses. The street, although fairly wide, was empty and devoid of all light, apart from a couple of muted, yellowing sidelights. Not taking any more risks, I instantly took a couple of steps back into the darker shadows of the French-style buildings and reached for my phone. I sent a quick text off to Noah to inform him of my arrival, and noting the low battery power, switched it off then pocketed it once more.

I looked at the buildings lining the street. Most of them looked like they had recently been refurbished, presumably after Katrina, but a few remained empty shells, their windows boarded up and their roofs covered in green debris.
Voodoo Magick
was only two doors down, although I realised my mistake as soon as my eyes read the slightly weather-beaten sign. I had no idea of the time difference between New York and New Orleans. I reckoned I’d travelled the distance in around two hours and as I’d left New York at around two in the morning and New Orleans time must be behind New York time it was still the middle of the night, so
Voodoo Magick
was closed.

I looked about me and felt myself break out in a mild sweat. I had no idea where Brittany was and there was no one to ask. I walked over to the building and climbing the wooden steps, sitting down on the top one, my back against the cool wall. After New York’s autumnal chill the Louisiana heat was a shock and I knew that with or without Brittany I would need to be out of here well before noon. I decided to rest a little and regain some energy. I needed to think up a new plan, one I could act upon well before dawn emerged from the inky night. Cupping my chin in my palms I sighed, realising that yet another plan was already going wrong. Why did I always jump in feet first and ruin everything? Yet this time Noah and India had agreed with me. Short of involving the entire coven and getting ourselves in serious trouble, there really hadn’t been another option.

‘Manzel?’
E
s'ke mwen ka ede'w?’ An Afro-Caribbean woman dressed head to toe in white had appeared suddenly, jolting me from my thoughts and making me jump. I readied myself to throw out a protective orb if necessary; but her face was friendly, concerned.

‘I’m sorry I… err... je ne parle pas francais,’ I stuttered in school girl French, which I guessed was closest to her Afro-French dialect.

‘You de English witch, oui?’ she said.

I nodded, as she obviously knew about our kind and recognised my bright green eyes.

‘So why you are here? You lookin for mwen?’

‘Errm, I need to find a friend. I thought the Voodoo shop might help me,’ I said. ‘Do you have the time?’ I asked, pointing to my bare wrist.

‘Oui, li twa zer. Three o’clock oui?’ she said. ‘Vini… come.’

She smiled and climbing the steps, passed me and unlocked the door.

‘This is your shop?’ I asked, jumping up and following her inside, where she led me to a wooden stool next to the shop counter.

‘Oui. You much lucky that I’ve been at church tonight. Much selebrasyon, oui,’ she said grinning and showing several gaps beneath her wrinkled lips.

I smiled, not quite sure what church would worship at two o’clock in the morning.

‘Voodoo?’ I asked.

‘Vodou, oui.’

‘Do you know of the Doucet clan?’ I asked.

‘Le Doucet?’ she asked, her face clouding over with worry. ‘Non, non, non.’

‘Please, I need your help. My friend, she has gone to find them and I must help her,’ I said. ‘I need to know where their church is… by the water right?’

‘You must not go there. Non! They have too much evaris…
greed.
Much, much power. Nwa majik. Konprann?’

I nodded, but I had no choice. I shrugged.

‘I’m sorry… désolé… I have to find my friend… mon amie.’

I stood up and paused, wondering where I was going to go to begin my search.

‘Sit, please. One moment,’ the woman said, turning her back and rummaging through some small wooden storage drawers behind the counter. I watched as she found a small black satin pouch and opening it to put various items inside, mumbled over each one in a low, humming chant. Various herbs and a few drops of oil went in, then from one drawer she produced a short, twisted black root of some kind and after rubbing it between her thumb and finger, it went in the pouch as well. Turning back to face me she suddenly reached across the counter and plucked a single hair from my head.

‘Ow!’ I exclaimed, suddenly unsure and wondering if I had gotten myself into yet another trap, but the old lady merely smiled at me, nodding her head and after chanting and rubbing my hair in her hands that too went in the pouch. After several minutes she tied the bag up with golden string adorning it with two coin-like talismans and passed it over to me.

‘Gris gris,’ she said.

I frowned and shook my head. I didn’t have a clue.

‘Mojo… Lucky mojo bag. Keep it here,’ she said, patting her hip.

I pocketed the pouch and smiled.

‘Thank you,’ I said turning to leave.

‘Here,’ she said, coming round the counter, and after pulling a tourist map from a display stand on the wall, she drew a small circle on it and handed it to me.

She had marked a street on the map.

‘We here,’ she added, pointing an aged finger at a different location.

‘Thank you so much,’ I said, and turned to leave.

‘Bonne chanse,’ she whispered as I left the shop.

According to the map, Brittany’s clan or coven based themselves right on the edge of my map, on the opposite side of the Mississippi to New Orleans, about ten miles away in a small town called Estelle, right on the edge of the swamp. Not wanting to use any more ley line energy I set off at vampire pace in the direction of a vast iron bridge, its monstrous silhouette glowing with the brightly lit bulbs which adorned it’s curves. Once I reached the main streets I had to be careful. As with any city, cars were on the streets taking their occupants to or from their shifts. Drunks and homeless people lurked in dark alleyways and I had to slow down in order to avoid detection, although sometimes it became easier to speed up and become a blur.