Chapter 33
LEONIE
Shara hadn’t left her room for two days.
At first, I feared she’d had a change of heart about any extended stay in her nest. Or perhaps she’d been jealous of my time with her Blood away from her. Though everything had been perfectly innocent, even with Vivian.
One delicate inquiring touch to Shara’s bond, and I carefully pulled back without disturbing her. Clearly unwell, she dozed in her alpha’s embrace. Everyone tiptoed about the house, gliding in and out through doors as quietly as possible. Though no one was concerned.
In fact, every single one of her Blood glowed with health and vitality.
Vivian’s braids flickered with flames and sparks flared around her shoulders as she passed through the kitchen.
She smiled and nodded as she carefully went out the door, clearly on orders.
No time to chat. But she wasn’t concerned about Shara’s condition. Far from it.
I’d never been around a queen who was breeding.
After Mama had me, she never came into season again.
She’d already done what so few queens had been able to do, even in her time.
Few queens were born after me. It’d been so long since queens regularly bred that I doubted any Aima had much personal experience unless they were at least a thousand years old.
Seated at the round table with piles of paper folders stained with age, I fought the urge to sigh.
I found the information I needed, completely undisturbed in our old storefront.
The spare key was hidden behind a brick in the wall, just like I’d left it decades ago.
No one had taken over the building or cleaned it out.
No one had dared touch one gris-gris or candle for fear the voodoo queens who used to run the place would haunt them from beyond.
Mama would, too. I smiled while picturing it.
Though the brief spurt of amusement quickly faded.
I needed help to sort through all of the information, especially navigating human law.
Property taxes needed to be paid. Mechanical inspections needed to be done so I could turn the utilities back on at the shop.
I needed to determine the state of House Delafosse holdings and investments.
All mundane things I hated to take to my queen, especially when she was unwell.
Winston brought a fresh pot of tea to the table without me even asking. “May I get you anything to eat, Your Majesty?”
“No, thank you, Winston. I’m not hungry.” He started to turn back to his duties, but I had an idea. “Is Gina available, by chance? I have some human details I need to sort, and I thought she might recommend someone to assist me.”
He pulled a small phone out of an inner pocket in his jacket, his fingers moving quickly over the screen. “I’ll let her know.”
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Your Majesty.”
One of the things I’d grabbed from the old store was a yellow legal pad. I started jotting down all the things I needed to figure out, starting with #1: acquire a modern telephone. #2: learn how to use a modern telephone.
I was only on #10 when Gina popped in through the back door with the other younger female who’d been caught snooping. “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. How can I be of assistance?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t expect you to drop everything and come over yourself. I need some help figuring out where to begin. The world changed a great deal while I was trapped.”
“Pish posh, I’m happy to help until we track down some of your former House. Speaking of which, I’ve put Regina on the trail since she’s so good at finding people.”
Flipping open what I’d assumed to be a slim notebook as soon as she sat down at the table, the young woman dragged her gaze up from a bright screen.
Blushing, she smiled at me but quickly returned her attention to the screen before her.
“I just know how to use my resources. Alex took some convincing to help after being escorted out by Itztli, but we’re looking for Zelie Landry and any of her descendants.
No luck in New Orleans, so we’re expanding the net to the entire state. ”
Gina opened a large satchel and pulled out a brand-new phone. “In the meantime, I brought a few things over for you.”
In a matter of an hour, I knew enough about the phone to start calling some of my old contacts from the Rolodex cards I’d snagged from the shop, which fascinated Regina. Evidently she’d never seen such an “antique.” “You should see what else I have in the shop, then.”
“I’d love to. I adore New Orleans.”
I gave her a considering look while she worked.
She was young for a consiliarius and had a great deal to learn about Aima in general.
But she did have an amiable personality.
She’d be a good asset for House Isador as her confidence grew, and who knew, maybe one day it would make sense for her to step up to first consiliarius at a smaller house.
Most of my contacts must have passed away during my imprisonment.
Their numbers were out of order or assigned to new owners who knew nothing about the people I needed to reach.
Of course some of them may have created new businesses, or passed their knowledge on to apprentices, but the loss of so many talented and knowledgeable people made my heart ache.
Finally, I had a nibble of luck.
An elderly woman practically shouted into the receiver. “Hello?”
Wincing, I asked, “Is Miss Dottie available?”
“Who’s asking?”
“Leonie Delafosse.”
The old lady cackled. “Yeah right. Heard she died back in the seventies.”
“It’s me, Miss Dottie. I ran into some trouble, but I’m back.”
“Prove it.”
She didn’t specify how, which was part of the challenge.
I thought for a few seconds and then my lips quirked into a smile.
I tapped into my power just enough to connect with her dead husband.
“Willie says he appreciates the flowers every year but he’s sick of the yellow roses.
He wants wildflowers instead. Just pick some on the way, especially some black-eyed susans. ”
“They always were his favorite weed,” Dottie whispered fondly. Then she shouted, “Eeparrei! Hail to the Mother of the Nine! Praise be to the goddess. Pauline, she’s back! The queen is back!”
I heard another woman’s voice in the background and then Dottie’s daughter, Pauline, took the phone. “Who is this?”
“Leonie Delafosse.”
The woman inhaled sharply. Then something covered the phone, likely her hand, and I heard muffled voices for a few moments. Then she came back on the line. Though her voice was so choked with tears that I could barely understand her. “Your Majesty. You’re back? Really?”
“Really. It’s a long story that I can’t tell right now, but I’m in need of some information.”
“Of course. We’re happy to help in any way we can, though we don’t practice much any longer. Mama’s health hasn’t been the greatest.”
“I can do something about that. Tonight, in fact.”
Pauline sobbed quietly on the other end. “Thank you, thank you. I’ve been throwing everything I could at her cancer but it’s trying to take her.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it. Who do you know who would be capable of goule spells?”
“Oh dear. Not many, I’m afraid. Few would be able to pull that level of magic off once you disappeared.
Ruby Marley, maybe? Oh, wait.” I heard Dottie yelling in the background, but I couldn’t make out her words.
“Mama says Ruby died five years ago. I’ll have to do a little digging.
Can I call or text you back at this number? ”
“Yes, that would be great. I’m not at home for the moment, and the shop’s closed.”
“Oh.” Her voice broke. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. We heard about Onésime and Adéla?de but there was never any service announced.”
“No.” My throat ached. Of course the Dauphine wouldn’t have honored my family’s deaths. “It’s a long story. Do you know what happened to Zelie? I’m looking for her.”
“No, I’m sorry, but I’ll put some feelers out. With your permission of course.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll be re-establishing myself in New Orleans in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can reach me on this telephone.”
“And Mama’ll be okay?”
I gentled my voice. “Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but I’ll make the offering to Oya Herself.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
By the time I made it completely through my Rolodex, I had removed a distressingly large stack of out-of-date cards.
Only three of my old contacts were still alive and reachable under the same number.
Though I refused to lose hope completely.
Once I had the shop open again, there was much I could do to revive our community.
Regina took the outdated stack of cards to begin researching. She was much faster than me on modern technology.
“I’ve got a preliminary list of your accounts.
” Gina passed several pages of paper to me.
“It looks like most of your finances were automated, which is great. The Dauphine also continued to approve—as you—anything that came to her attention, so your physical properties are all up to date on local taxes. Which is great news, to be honest. I was afraid some of your auxiliary properties may have been reclaimed by the city.”
“Me too.” I blew out a sigh of relief. “I could start a new storefront anywhere, of course, but Mama’s spirit prefers our shop. We consecrated the entire space to Oya, and She preserved everything until I could return.”
“I’ve got several people lined up for consiliari roles, though I’d like to discuss with my queen first.”
“Of course, I understand. Thank you so much for sorting out the main properties. That was my primary concern. And the phone, of course.”
Gina gave me a warm smile. “My pleasure, Your Majesty. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call or text me. Hopefully we can meet with Shara in a day or two to discuss—”
“I’m here,” Shara said behind us. “I’m up.”
We scrambled to our feet and turned around. Gina pulled out her chair, while I gathered up some of the files and papers I’d strewn across the table so she could sit down. Cradling her in his arms, Rik set her down in the chair, though the big guy didn’t look happy about it.
“Don’t fuss,” Shara chided. “Please, sit with me for a bit. I’m sick of lying in bed. What are we working on?”
“It can wait—” Gina began.
“I need to do something other than lay in bed and bleed,” Shara said firmly.
“I’m fine. I’m not ill or contagious. I’m just tired and feel a little weak.
” She looked up at Winston, smiling her thanks as he prepared her a cup of tea the way she liked.
“I should probably eat some beef to get my iron levels up.”
“I’ve already got filet mignon on the grill, Your Majesty. It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Winston.” She took a sip of hot tea and sighed softly. “So, fill me in.”
Against her pale face, the dark circles beneath her eyes looked like bruises. Despite all the rest she’d been getting, she looked exhausted.
And no wonder. I could smell her blood. So much, not a drop or two. My mouth filled up with saliva, and I had to swallow before I said anything. “Liver would be best for your iron levels, Your Majesty.”
“Back to formalities, are we?” She arched a brow at me, attempting to give a firm stare, though the corner of her mouth twitched. “The thought of eating liver makes me want to hurl.”
“I have a few ideas,” Winston called from the kitchen. “If you’re open to trying new recipes, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll try anything you make, Winston, but maybe don’t tell me what’s in it.”
Gina laid one of the pages in front of Shara. “I’ve compiled a list of consiliari for you both to consider. These candidates all have at least some prior experience and are looking for a chance to rise to a higher house, or they lost their position through no fault of their own.”
“Like?”
“Julie Summers’ family served House Avalon for hundreds of years, but when Queen Clarissant died, Avalon began to crack and fall apart.
The surviving heirs fought over crumbs and eventually were absorbed by other European queens.
Julie herself was consiliarius for Elaine Shalott until she disappeared. ”
“Avalon…” Regina gulped. “Like King Arthur’s Avalon?”
Shara’s lips quirked and she shook her head. “More like Queen Guinevere’s Avalon. Which makes House Isador indirectly responsible for Julie losing both houses.”
“How’s that?” I asked, not following at all.
“It’s a very long story, but Gwen forced Elaine to return to… wherever she came from to protect Lancelot, and before that, while Mehen was trapped, several queens tried to free him so they could use his dragon. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure Clarissant Avalon was one of them.”
“D… Dragon?” Regina gaped at Shara and then whooped. “I fucking knew it!” Then she blushed beet red. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean to cuss in your presence. It won’t happen again.”
Shara huffed out a laugh. “Why the fuck not?”