Authors: Judith Post
Tags: #urban fantasy, #fantasy, #witches, #demons, #necromancer, #shapeshifters, #voodoo, #shifters
When Babet stepped inside, she greeted her
familiar. “I thought you’d be napping.”
Morgana usually found a sunny spot in the
house and slept this time of day. The huge snake bobbed her head.
Her tongue flicked nervously.
Babet went to stroke her chin, to try to calm
her. “Are you okay?” The snake could sense her emotions, feel her
bond, even when they weren’t together. “You know there’s a problem,
don’t you?”
Morgana wrapped herself around Babet’s
arm.
“No worries. We’re dealing with it. As a
matter of fact, I have to get ready and leave again. I’m hoping to
find more answers.”
Morgana tightened her grip.
“You can’t come with me.”
The snake gave her an unblinking stare.
“If I took you, you’d have to stay in the car
while I talk to people. Do you know how hot that gets?”
Morgana stared at her with unblinking
eyes.
Babet sighed. “Okay, but you’re going to die
of heat.” Not really. Snakes loved lying in the sun, baking
themselves. And Babet would leave all of the windows cracked, so
there’d be ventilation. It was an empty bluff, and Morgana knew it.
If a snake could gloat, she was doing it. “Enough already! I said
you could come. Now let me get a quick shower and change.”
Morgana unslithered herself from Babet’s arm
and went to wait near the back door. Persistent reptile. But Babet
would never trick her. They were a team.
After a quick shower, Babet slipped into a
sundress and sandals. She took some time to apply her makeup. This
wasn’t a formal visit, but she always took care when she visited
Lillith. The succubus who ran the most prestigious whorehouse in
River City wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. Satisfied she was
presentable, she opened the door for Morgana, and they walked to
the strip of cement outside their small courtyard where Babet
parked her car. Lillith’s lavender Victorian house was close enough
to walk, but she’d look like she’d spent time in a steam bath if
she hoofed it, so they drove instead.
There was a discreet parking lot behind the
building for customers’ cars. At this time of day, it was empty.
Babet parked, rolled down the windows for Morgana, and walked to
the front of the house to enter the lobby. Opulence greeted her,
and so did Colleen. The vampire moved with speed and grace. Her
copper curls were pulled into a high tumble, and her vivid, green
eyes fastened on Babet.
“Lillith’s expecting you.”
Babet let out an impatient sigh. “How could
she know this time? I just saw Celeste.”
A small smile tilted Colleen’s lips. “We’re
night creatures. Celeste rarely enjoys the city during the
daylight, preferring darkness, like we do.”
That made sense. Celeste wouldn’t want her
presence known, if she could help it. There must have been some
reason she was mingling with the crowds today.
“Come,” Colleen said, and led Babet up the
curving staircase to Lillith’s private quarters.
* * *
Lillith looked as ravishing as usual with her
wavy, honey-colored hair framing her perfect face and a low-cut
gown displaying ample bosom. Babet hated to admit it, but part of
the reason she went to extra effort when she visited here was that
sharing the same room with the original succubus could make any
woman feel dowdy, even after going to extra bother with hair and
makeup. She’d come here once, unprepared, and felt like last week’s
leftovers. Never again. Her ego couldn’t survive it.
A young, female vampire sat beside Lillith
today. Not the usual vampire girl. Most were unnaturally
attractive. This girl was plain to the point of mousey.
Without introductions, Lillith looked at the
girl and said, “Virgine, tell Babet about your nocturnal visits
along the river walks.”
The girl flushed furiously when Babet turned
to look at her and lowered her head.
Lillith sighed. “Virgine’s shy. She usually
avoids attention. I keep telling her that we could glamour her up
and send her out to clients, but she won’t do it. Has a Cinderella
complex. She’d rather scurry around as a servant. Won’t take sips
from humans either. Even though some have offered. She’ll only
drain strays, lots of rats and cats.”
Babet shook her head. “I don’t understand.
Does this have something to do with Celeste?”
“Virgine.” There was an edge to Lillith’s
voice.
The girl looked up, clasped her hands
together in her lap, and dove in. “I can always find enough food
along the river and in the alleys behind the restaurants that line
the walks there.”
Babet could believe that. The city had done
its best to make the area a tourist attraction, lining the streets
with bricks, installing old-fashioned lamp posts, and planting
dozens of flower boxes on shop windows. When it became obvious
Virgine wasn’t going to say more, Babet tried to encourage her.
“Have you had trouble there lately?”
Lillith slanted the girl a look.
Virgine took a deep breath. “There’s nothing.
Something’s wiped out every rat and stray.”
Babet frowned, trying to read some kind of
implication into that fact. She came up empty. Turning to Lillith,
she said, “I don’t get it.”
It was Babet’s turn to get the look. Lillith
shook her head. “You’re a witch. What do witches need to cast dark
magic?”
“Oh.” Suddenly, Babet got the point.
“Blood.”
Lillith smiled as though rewarding a small
child for a job well done. Babet wasn’t fond of playing the part of
the slow-witted companion, but she’d earned it this time. Lillith’s
expression turned serious. “I know witches who practice black magic
use blood, but a witch couldn’t bring back Celeste, could she?”
There was no reason to sidestep the question.
“Yes.” Babet’s answer surprised Lillith, she could tell. She
hurried on. “But why go to the bother when she could summon a demon
instead?”
Lillith narrowed her eyes, considering that.
“You’re right. A demon’s more powerful and versatile. So it must be
someone who doesn’t have enough magic to control one. Who else can
bring a person back in the flesh? Someone besides witches?”
Babet rubbed her arms. Her nerves were
getting the better of her. “Hennie and Mom mentioned
necromancers.”
Virgine shivered, and even Lillith looked
unnerved. “It’s been a long time since I met one of those.”
Babet glanced at Virgine. “I never have. Have
you?”
The girl’s shoulders hunched, as though she
were trying to pull in on herself. “Only once. One tried to call me
to him. It was awful.”
“You?” Babet stared. “But you’re an undead.
He’d have no control over you.”
“Control, no. Pull, yes. The part of me that
died felt compelled to go to him.”
Babet had never considered a necromancer’s
influence over the undead. But why would anyone try to control
Virgine? She tried to put that question delicately. “Why you? What
did he hope to accomplish?”
“My sire was very powerful. The necromancer
hoped to use me to manipulate him. As far as the world knew, I’d
died as Beltran’s servant.”
Babet shrugged. She’d met enough vampires to
know that most cared little for mortals. Less for a servant. “The
necromancer must have been awfully naïve.”
“Not really.” Virgine chose her words
carefully. “Beltran took me in off the streets and showed me great
kindness.” She cleared her throat. “I believe my mother was his
mistress before her death.”
“So he thought of you as a daughter?”
Virgine blushed a bright red. “It’s possible
he did father me.”
“I thought vampires couldn’t reproduce.”
“He sent my mother to a mortal….” Virgine’s
words trailed off. She clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “Sort
of as a surrogate.”
“And your mother?” Babet asked. “She
died?”
“In childbirth.”
Babet stared. “Who raised you?”
“The mortal, when I was a baby. But I
displeased him when I was eight, and he tossed me out of his
house.”
“Was the man an idiot?” Babet couldn’t
imagine defying a powerful vampire who’d asked him for a favor. She
leaned back in her chair, unsure what to think. She’d love to delve
into this story. It had to be interesting, but she forced herself
back to the problem of the moment. “What happened when the
necromancer summoned you?”
“I went, but he couldn’t control me.”
“So you left?”
“No, Beltran found us and destroyed him, but
the incident worried him, so he sent me to the United States, to
Lillith, so that fewer people would know who I am.”
Babet suddenly understood why Virgine hated
attention. The girl wanted to stay as anonymous as possible. And
she genuinely seemed to enjoy the role of servant over master. “Did
this necromancer try to summon you?”
“No, as far as I can tell, he’s never heard
of me. But he’s summoning others. There are too many dead
strays.”
Babet frowned. She turned her attention to
Lillith. “Have you dealt with a necromancer before?”
A small smile played on Lillith’s lips.
“Dealt with? No. Tasted? Yes. If I can drain life energy from
ordinary mortals, imagine how delicious a caller of the dead might
taste.” She licked her full lips. “So many nuances and
flavors.”
“Could you drain this one?” Babet asked.
“I don’t indulge anymore. Today, I’m a
respectable business woman. I won’t do anything to taint my
reputation.”
Fair enough. Babet rose to her feet. “I
understand, and I want to thank you for sharing your
information.”
Lillith’s voice turned cold. “Find this death
dealer and finish him off. He won’t do River City any favors.”
The real reason Lillith was being so generous
to her was that she wanted the necromancer gone as much as the rest
of them did.
* * *
The interior of Babet’s car felt like a
furnace. She should have left the windows down, not just cracked.
Not that it would have made too much difference. Even Morgana
looked hot. Babet slid behind the steering wheel, but couldn’t
touch it. It would have burned her hands. Turning on the car’s
engine, she cranked up the air conditioner. While she sat in the
sweltering heat, she flipped open her cell phone to call Mom. She
quickly explained what she’d learned from Lillith, and then
repeated the same information when she called Prosper.
By the time she finished talking, even with
the door wide, she felt as though she’d melted. When the cool air
finally kicked in, she tilted the vents to blow directly on her.
Aaah. A little better. She touched the steering wheel. Bearable. It
was a short drive from Lillith’s to her small bungalow. Her top
stuck to her by the time she parked in her own drive. She grabbed
the material and pulled if off her damp skin before entering the
house. Morgana hurried behind her. Even the snake was
overheated.
They both relaxed when they stepped into
their home’s air conditioning. Babet went to the sink and poured
herself a tall glass of water. She was draining her second one when
Prosper’s car pulled to the curb in front of her house. He hurried
inside.
“Damn, it’s hot out there.”
Babet glanced to the sidewalk, a short
distance from her front door. Tourists straggled from one shop to
the next, braving the heat. “So what do you think of Virgine’s
news? A necromancer working in the river district? Is it possible?
There are so many tourists, you’d think someone would notice.”
Prosper raised an eyebrow. “You’d be
surprised what you find a little away from town and the shops.
There are rundown areas on the fringes and rundown people who live
in them.”
An old, abandoned church sprang into Babet’s
mind. She’d noticed it often on her way in or out of the city. It
was on the fringes of town in a neighborhood that had lost its
battle with poverty. There’d be altars. Crosses. Religious
talismans. “I was thinking of the hustle and bustle by the
restaurants, but you’re right. The river keeps going. So do the
neighborhoods and buildings.”
“It’s a big area, not easy to canvas. It
could take days to search for the right place.” Prosper headed to
her kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out a beer.
Babet thought about that. “Maybe we won’t
have to. Vampires are quicker and stealthier than we are.”
Prosper took a long draw on his beer before
he answered. “And you have one that might help you?”
“Remember the P.I. vampire that Emile
hired?”
Prosper grimaced. “Yeah, he couldn’t even
find Evangeline.”
“That’s different. He was dealing with
witches. No respectable witch is going to open up to a vampire
she’s never met before, especially one sent by Emile.”
Prosper drained the bottle and went to toss
it in the trash.
“Not that one. The recycle bin’s just outside
the door.”
With a sigh, he opened the kitchen door and
tossed it in with the other glass.
“Who knew that one day supernaturals would go
green?”
“Hey, we love the planet too.” Babet went
into the living room and sagged onto one of its leather sofas. The
cool surface made her moan.
“That’s the noise you make for me,” Prosper
grumbled.
“Right now, you can’t compete with how good
this leather feels.”
He came to drop onto the couch across from
her. He groaned too.
“See?” She was silent a moment, then said,
“I’ll go visit Vittorio at his tattoo parlor after the sun sets.”
He’d be asleep now.
“And then you’ll come back here?” His voice
had an odd edge to it.
Babet frowned. “What? Are you worried he’ll
try to bite me? Vampires are more afraid of witches than we are of
them.”
“He’s the tall, hunky vamp with all the
tattoos and piercings, right?”
Babet grinned. “Are you worried he’ll glamour
me and I’ll run away with him?”
“Vamps are known for their magnetism,”
Prosper growled.