Chapter Thirty-Three #2
Victor gestures for them to sit at the table. “I was given some information last night that I wanted to go over with both of you.” As he takes his seat, he hands Superior Charles the book Wren gave him. “It seems like we can find out who might be after me.”
Superior Charles’ eyebrows pinch together. He seems very concerned about what he’s reading. “You want to visit the astral plane?”
Madame Jeanette gives Victor a shocked and worried look. “Victor, you know visiting the astral plane is dangerous.”
“I’ve been there twice already. Both times, I was safe,” Victor remarks, trying to give them reassurance.
“Oui, but you were invited. You did not go there on your own,” Madame Jeanette advises.
Superior Charles lifts his hand, commanding attention. “It says here that you need to visit a place where your two ancestors met and need three necromancers.” He sets the book down in his lap and looks up at Victor. “How would you accomplish this?”
“Can you view images from the past?” Victor asks Madame Jeanette.
“Of course,” Madame Jeanette affirms with a coy smile.
“Could you help me find where two of our ancestors have met?” Victor asks.
Madame Jeanette nods and sits back in her seat, sighing, “If I use my pipe, the others will know we are here.”
Victor twists his wrist while pointing a couple of fingers into the air. The air starts to swirl above them, causing an inward suction.
Madame Jeanette raises an eyebrow. “Impressive.” She pulls out her pipe and looks at Superior Charles.
“Would you give a lady a light, mon ami?” Superior Charles snaps his fingers and lights the pipe.
She looks over at Victor and studies him as she takes several puffs, preparing the tobacco.
She inhales deeply and exhales the smoke onto the table.
Madame Jeanette slowly places her hands on the table as she gazes into the smoke. “I see pyramids. They are here, in Mexico.”
“There are at least 10 places, maybe more,” Victor informs.
Madame Jeanette slightly tilts her head as she continues to examine the smoke. “I see two, close together. One has a sun over it, the other a moon. And there is a street with dead souls.”
Victor perks up as he understands what Madame Jeanette is seeing. “That sounds a lot like Teotihuacán.” He sits back in his seat. “I always wondered if my family genealogy went back to the Aztecs. But now, discovering Derek’s ancestors could have intermingled with mine makes my skin crawl.”
“Maybe you’re cousins,” Superior Charles says with a sneer. Victor gives Superior Charles a pointed look, and Madame Jeanette giggles as she whips the smoke away.
“You take that back,” Victor demands in a low tone.
Superior Charles lets out a husky chuckle as he looks back down at the book. “Now, where are you going to find three necromancers, as the book says?”
Victor looks at both of them. “Well, there are the two of you, and I know where I can find a third who can help.”
Madame Jeanette clasps her hands and leans on the table. “How did you get your hands on this book?”
Victor brushes off some dirt from his sleeve. “Someone told me about it.”
“Was it Wren?” Madame Jeanette probes, lifting an eyebrow.
“Maybe,” Victor responds secretively. “Also, I’m starting to get tired of this target on my back. If I’m anything like my grandmother, then I’ll do whatever it takes to find out who’s trying to harm me.”
Present day . . .
It’s late into the night, and the gift shop is dark. A mirror on a wall starts to glow and go hazy. Eddie steps through and looks around. “All clear.”
Superior Charles and Madame Jeanette come through, each holding a box with ingredients. Victor and Leo are carrying Derek.
“Fuck, he’s heavy,” Victor says as he’s adjusting Derek’s weight.
“Try having him fall asleep on you,” Leo responds as he sets down Derek’s legs. “Okay, we can stop carrying him.” Victor sets Derek on the floor, and Leo lifts Derek off the ground with his Air Magic.
Victor gives Leo a disgruntled look. “You couldn’t do that to bring him through?”
“I didn’t want my magic to trigger anything in the mirror realm,” Leo replies. “Now, where are we exactly taking him?”
Victor gestures to head out. As everyone walks outside, Victor looks at the dark figures of the pyramids in the distance. “The road between the two pyramids. Avenida de los Muertos.”
As they make their way down the trail, several people start to appear, holding candle lanterns. The flicker of the flames reflects on their faces. The people watch in observance as Victor and the others walk toward the pyramids.
“Who are these people?” Victor asks softly.
“They protect this land. And they want to see who the new empath is,” Eddie explains.
Victor notices two tall, muscular men wearing Aztec garments and feathered headdresses several feet in front of them.
An older woman, holding a wooden walking stick, stands in front of the men.
Eddie holds out his hand, gesturing for everyone to stop.
He walks up to the three Aztecs and speaks to them in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
When he finishes, they turn and walk away.
Eddie turns around and waves for the group to follow. “They will take us to the spot that will work for us.”
After ten minutes of walking, the muscular men split and walk a few feet in opposite directions. The woman turns to Eddie and stomps the ground with her walking stick before walking away.
“Place Derek here,” Eddie tells Leo.
Leo places Derek on the spot while Superior Charles and Madame Jeanette set down the boxes. Once Derek is in place, Eddie is handed a jar of salt. He creates a circle around Derek.
Leo takes a jar of black sand and creates another circle next to Derek. Victor takes the bones from a snake and places them between the two circles.
Superior Charles lights three large candles and places them around while tracing a triangle with the melting wax.
Madame Jeanette begins to burn sage in a bowl and uses a large eagle feather to waft the smoke over the two circles before placing the bowl at the head of the circles.
“Is that everything?” Leo asks.
“Almost.” Everyone turns around and sees Superior Jackie carrying four large rose quartz crystals.
She hands them to Superior Charles and Eddie.
“These need to be placed at the edges to create a square.” As Eddie and Superior Charles carry out the task, Superior Jackie turns to Victor. “Are you sure about this?”
Victor looks down and examines everyone’s work. “Not really. But if this is what needs to be done to get answers, then I’ll do it.”
“Who’s the third necromancer?” Superior Charles asks as he places a crystal into position.
“Sorry I’m late,” Wren says as she walks up.
She’s wearing her blue suit with high-water slacks, a teal blouse, and a matching teal tie.
She has a pocket watch in her vest and wears black-and-white loafer-style heels.
As she approaches Victor, she hands him a garment bag. “I got what you asked for.”
Eddie looks at the garment bag, slightly confused. “You need to do a wardrobe change?”
“Yes. Be right back.” He walks behind one of the small buildings off to the side. A couple of moments later, he’s changed into his new platinum silver shirt and matching tie. As he walks back, everyone but Wren is surprised by what he changed into.
Superior Charles crosses his arms, scrunching his face as he disapproves. “As if you don’t have a large enough target on your back right now, you’re going to light a beacon, allowing everyone to see you with this new color.”
Victor walks past Superior Charles, handing Leo his blue shirt and garment bag.
“I’m very aware. But if I plan on being safe in the astral plane, then this is what I need to wear.
” Victor steps into the center of the circle of black sand and pulls the charm necklace from under his shirt.
He looks at everyone and notices the Aztec men and the older woman walking away.
“Is everyone ready?” Victor asks. Everyone nods.
Victor takes out his dagger and slices his hand. He balls his hand into a fist, dripping his blood along the bones. He then takes a deep breath and lies down in the circle.
Superior Jackie steps over to Victor, placing a black tourmaline gem on his heart and an amethyst on his mind’s eye.
Superior Charles, Madame Jeanette, and Wren take their position behind a candle.
As Superior Jackie, Leo, and Eddie step outside of the square created by the quartz, Superior Charles, Madame Jeanette, and Wren hold their hands out to their sides with their palms upward and start to chant in Latin.
While they are chanting, Victor looks up at the stars. He slowly takes a breath. Then, he closes his eyes as he exhales.