Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 02 - Dark Carnival (20 page)

I thanked Cee Cee profusely for letting me stay
with her.  She assured me it was no problem at all.  She looked gloomy and
asked me three times if I’d please change my mind and stay to finish my
training.  I finally convinced her that I couldn’t after everything that
happened.  She understood and sent me on my way, back to Acadiana.

When I got back to
Clothilde’s house, it was a little after 5:00 P.M.  Lyla was home from school
by then.  I had wanted to arrive before Lyla so that I could talk to Clothilde
alone.  It was probably best that Lyla was there because, given my anger, an
argument would have ensued.

When Lyla saw me, she lit
up, ran to me, threw her arms around me and squeezed with everything she had.  “Good
to see you, too, kiddo!” I exhaled, dropping my bags onto the floor in the
living room.

I could see Clothilde in
the kitchen, stirring a big pot of what smelled like vegetable soup.  “Maison
bienvenue,” she said, not looking up from the pot.

“Hey,” I replied.  I
could hear the forced happiness in my voice.  I was sure she could, too.  I was
glad Lyla was there to break the ice.

“Did you bring me
anything?” she asked.

“I sure did!”  I kneeled
down, unzipped my overnight bag and started digging through it.  I couldn’t
find the little music box I had bought at the antique store.  I looked through
my other bag, but it wasn’t there, either.  I also seemed to be missing a
couple of shirts and a pair of jeans.  “Oh, dang it!  Lyla, I’m sorry.  I think
I left it at Cee Cee’s.”

She frowned a little but
shrugged.  “It’s okay.  Maybe she can mail it.”

I smiled up at her.  “I’m
sure she will.  So, how’s school?”

While I unpacked my
things upstairs in my room, Lyla filled me in on everything from her friends,
what boys she thought were cute, the lunch menu that day, and how much homework
she had, which was “so unfair because the teacher
absolutely hated
her
class and was just trying to make them miserable.”  I laughed at her
exasperated tone of voice.  She was definitely becoming a preteen.  It was cute
for now, but I was sure that it would start to annoy me before long.

I didn’t get a chance to
speak with Clothilde until after Lyla had gone to bed.  I almost chickened out,
but I crept up to her bedroom on the first floor and gently knocked on her
door.  “Come in,” she said.

I opened the door and saw
her in her nightgown, under the covers with an open Bible in her lap.  When she
saw me, she carefully placed her ribbon bookmark in between the pages and
closed the book, setting it beside the lamp on the nightstand.  She regarded me
with impatient, yet weary eyes, waiting for me to speak first. 

I sat at the foot of her
bed.  Before I left Cee Cee’s, I was prepared to confront Clothilde about
Miles.  I knew what I wanted to say, like I had a right to know who my
biological father was.  Looking at her now, I found my anger draining from me,
leaving me emotionally and mentally worn out.

I shook my head, took a
deep breath, and said, “Why?  Why didn’t you tell me?”

She thought her words out
carefully.  “Because your momma didn’t want you to know.”

“I can understand that
because of Daddy, but—”

“That’s not why.  At
least not the real reason.  Of course she didn’t want to hurt your daddy, but
she didn’t want you to find out until you made the choice to be a paladin.”

“I made that choice
months ago.  Why am I just finding this out now?”

“Father Ben told her that
one day you and Miles would find each other.  You needed to learn to be a
Traiteur from Miles.  If you knew who he was, you wouldn’t have trained with
him.  You would have been too angry and resentful.”

“I could’ve gotten my
training from anyone else.  Why did it have to be him?” I asked, my anger
slowly seeping back in.

Clothilde gently shook
her head.  “It had to be Miles.  He was the best one to teach you.  But you
left too early.”

“You didn’t think I was
going to stay there after I found out, did you?”    

“No.  That’s why we’re
upset with Ruby for telling you.  But you need to go back.”

“
Back
?  I’m not
going back there.”  I got up from the bed, the anger steadily rising.  I
started to walk out the room.

“You need to finish what
you started.  If you don’t, you’ll be no use to anyone.”

I turned to her.  “I can
already heal.  I’ve proven that.  I don’t need to train anymore.”

“I didn’t mean healing.  There
are other things you will need to know, things you will have to learn as you
go.  If you stay here, you won’t learn them.”

“So?  Why not just stick
with what I have?  I’m fine with that.  I can still help people.”

She stared at me, no more
fight left in her.  She sighed and said, “You need to go back.”

I shook my head, and that
was the end of the discussion.  I left her room, closing the door behind me.  I
got ready for bed and had just settled in when my phone rang.  It was Carrie.

“Hello?” I said.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were
back in town?!”

“Sorry.  It’s been a rough couple
of days.  I was going to call you tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

“I swear!  I need some serious
best-friend time.”

“And wine?”

“Definitely.”

“So, how was the ball?”

I thought for a moment.  “Enchanting.”

I heard her sigh.  “I’ll bet you
looked killer in that dress.  Be sure to put it in a safe place.”           

“Um—”

“Um, what?”

“Um, I kind of ripped it a little.”

“You
what
?!”

“Just a little bit.”

“How—
how
could you rip it?!”

“It was an
accident
.”

“Oh, my God!  Do you have any idea
how much that dress cost?”

“Uh, yeah, I was there, remember?”

“I’m sick right now.  I’m
physically ill.”

“C’mon.  It’s just a dress—”

“
Just a dress?!
”

“Carrie!  I feel bad about it, but
get over it already.”  I could hear her mumbling
just a dress
once more
under her breath.  I wanted to change the subject as fast as possible.

“Do you want to do any Mardi Gras
stuff this weekend?”

I heard a long, deep, frustrated
sigh on the other end of the line.  “Guess whose asshole boss is making her
work at the hotel all weekend just so
he
can go out and party?”

“I’m guessing you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Sorry.”

“I figured as much.  I can’t wait
till Alex the Phallus transfers to Atlanta.”

I giggled at her favorite nickname
for her supervisor.  “Sorry, Care.”

“It’s all right.  I’ll just save my
ta-tas for next year.  Are you and Lucas planning anything?”  She had a tease
in her voice when she said Lucas’ name.  I ignored it.

“I don’t know.  Lyla told me that Clothilde’s
insisting that she partake in the Courir de Mardi Gras.  She said that it was
mandatory for her to learn about the Cajun Mardi Gras Run.  She apparently
invited Lucas and Jonathan, too, but I haven’t talked to them yet.”

The Courir de Mardi Gras is the
Cajun Mardi Gras that takes place in many small towns around Acadiana.  Costumed
revelers travel on horseback, some on foot and some via wagon, to different
houses to collect ingredients for a community gumbo.  They start out early in
the morning, steam puffing up around the horses’ nostrils, beer already in the
hands of the revelers, and then the sound of an accordion warming up, then
fiddle, and then the song starts—the Cajun Mardi Gras song,
La Vielle
Chanson de Mardi Gras
.
 
As they sing and laugh and drink, they go
from house to house, collecting ingredients for the gumbo; onions, celery, live
chickens.  Thanks to the ready supply of beer, this event usually turns quite
comical.  It is a huge tradition in the Cajun culture.

“Do you want to go see the Run?”
Carried asked.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t
really feel like celebrating anything.”

“What’s wrong, sweetie?”

I hesitated for a few seconds,
trying to figure out what I should tell her and what I shouldn’t.  “Miles is my
biological father,” I said at last.

I heard an exaggerated gasp on the
other end.  “Oh, my God!  You’re shitting me.”

“Nope.”

“Oh, Leigh.  Oh, Leigh … I’m so
sorry.  How did you find out?”

“Cee Cee’s niece, Ruby, told me.”

“Oh my God, Leigh.  Did Clothilde
know?”

“Yeah.”

“Honey, I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay,” I lied, a few tears
forming in my eyes.  “I’ll be all right.”  I was already sorry I told her.  I
always found it very difficult to break down and cry to someone else, even my
best friend.  I could tell she was struggling with what to say next.

“Hey, you know what?”

“What?”

“We should have lunch tomorrow.  My
treat.  Bring Lyla.”

“Thanks, but I thought you had to
work all weekend.”

“Well, I can break for lunch, can’t
I?  C’mon. Please?  Y’all come to the hotel.  We’ll eat at the restaurant
inside.”

I smiled.  “Okay.  Thanks, Care.”

“Anytime, girlie.  I’ll see y’all
tomorrow.”

“Okay.  Bye.”

“Night.”

We hung up, and I set my phone down
on the nightstand, turned off the light and drifted off to sleep, grateful for good
friends.

The next day was Friday.  Lyla only had half a day
of school since it was Mardi Gras weekend.  I took her with me to have lunch
with Carrie at the restaurant in the hotel where she worked.

After lunch, I took Lyla
to Girard Park next to my old college, U. L. Lafayette.  We fed the ducks in
the pond and played hide-and-seek among the giant oaks.  At first, she didn’t
want to play, claiming that game was for babies, but she soon turned around.  After
we played, I saw I had three missed calls from Noah.  I didn’t call him back.

Later, we did a little
retail therapy at the mall.  Lyla was amused at my purchases, but buying nice,
new underwear always made me feel better.  My phone rang again.  This time I
heard it and checked the ID.  Again, it was Noah.  I rejected the call and
turned my phone on silent.

When we got back to
Clothilde’s, it was just after dusk, and there was a dark gray Charger parked
in the driveway.  Once in the house, I saw Noah sitting on the couch, visiting
with Clothilde.  He smiled politely when he saw me.  My mouth was agape, but I
closed it quickly and muttered, “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied.  “I
hope you don’t mind.  Your grandmother asked me if I’d like to stay for dinner,
and I accepted.”

“Uh, no, that’s fine.”

“Lyla, this is Mr. Noah,”
said Clothilde.

“Noah’s fine,” he said.

“
Mr. Noah
,
please,” said Clothilde.  “She needs to know her manners.”

Noah softly laughed, got
up and shook Lyla’s hand.  “Hi,” she said, staring at him.  She sounded a
little nervous.  I could tell she thought he was probably the cutest guy she’d
ever met.  I almost laughed out loud, but held my tongue.

“Lyla, take your bags
upstairs and get ready for supper,” said Clothilde.

“Yes, ma’am,” she said,
picking up her mall shopping bags.  I handed her mine, too, which she hauled
upstairs.

“Leigh Leigh, would you
please go out to the kitchen outside and get me a roll of paper towels?  I’m
all out in the house,” said Clothilde.

“Sure,” I said, still
confused as to why Noah was here.

I went out to the back
yard, turning on the back light on the way out.  Noah followed me.

“Leigh Leigh?” he asked,
amused.

“Old nickname from when I
was a kid,” I said.  “So, why are you here exactly?”

“You haven’t been
returning my calls.”

“So you drove all the way
out here?”

“The mask is gone.”

I stopped walking and
turned to him.  “Gone?”

“Stolen.  And Ruby’s
missing, too.”

I smirked.  “Well,
there’s your culprit.”

“This is serious, Leigh.  Miles
went back to Paris with Gretchen and Felix so he can bring the mask back to
Charmagne.  He said he had the mask with him, but when they got to Paris it
wasn’t in his bag.”

“Why didn’t he just give
it to Gretchen and Felix to bring back?”

“He wanted to see
Charmagne again.  Kind of like a vacation for him.  Ruby took them to the
airport.  That’s the last time I saw her.”

I started walking toward
the outdoor kitchen again.  “Sorry, but what do you want me to do?”

He followed me inside.  “Miles
is trying to get a flight back to New Orleans.  Everything’s booked up right
now, but when he gets back, we need you to help us.”

I stopped looking for the
paper towels and turned to him.  “You don’t need me to help you get that mask
back.  My grandmother called you and told you to come here to convince me to go
back to New Orleans, didn’t she?”

He took a deep breath.  “Actually,
it was Cee Cee,” he said, a little embarrassed.  “But I really do think you can
help.”

I rolled my eyes.  “How?”

“If there are more
Grigori in New Orleans, there’s a good chance they’re the ones who have it.  You’re
a really good healer.  Cee Cee and I can’t find Ruby.  We can’t do it all by ourselves.
 We need all the help I can get.”

I looked down at the
dirty floor of the kitchen.  I heard the chickens softly cooing in their coop
outside.  It was cold, but not bitterly.  I looked out the window and saw the
last strip of indigo hang onto the horizon as the velvet night sky threatened
to overtake it.

I shook my head and
looked at Noah.

“I just don’t have any
fight left in me.  Not after everything that’s happened.  I’m sorry, but I just
can’t go back there.”

He regarded me earnestly.
 “I’m sorry that … well, I’m sorry about Miles and especially Ruby.  You didn’t
deserve to be treated like that.”

I looked down and almost
held my tongue, but said it anyway.  “I still feel bad about Nadia.”

He looked away from me
and softly said, “It’s not your fault.  I should have been there to protect
her—both of you.”

I put a hand on his
shoulder to console him.  “You’d done so much for her already.”

He looked back at me, his
gray eyes questioning.

“Cee Cee told me,” I
said.

“What did she tell you?”

“About you and Nadia.  About
how you brought her back.  You became a dark paladin for her.”

Tears started to form in
his eyes.  He tilted his head back to keep them from falling.  “It’s okay,” I
murmured.

“It’s not okay,” he
whispered, as he turned around and, frustrated, rubbed both hands against his
cheeks.

I let him collect himself
for a moment, and then I said, “You knew you’d become a dark paladin—a line
walker, like Cee Cee calls it.  I’m sure you loved Nadia, but—”

“—how could I do it?” he
finished.

I nodded.

“You’ve never loved
anyone that much before, have you?”

I started to say yes, but
couldn’t bring myself to.  “I still don’t think I could do it.  I could never cross
that line, not after everything I’ve come to know about paladins and the
afterlife and …”  I trailed off as Noah shook his head in defeat.

After a moment, he said,
“What else has Cee Cee told you?”  I hesitated, and he picked up on that.  “Has
she told you about my past?”

I nodded.  “About your
parents—”

“You mean my mother and
the son-of-a-bitch that raped her?”  I looked away, down at the floor, not
wanting to see the fresh hurt in his eyes.  “She talks too much,” he softly
added.

“She said you had wings.  Why
did you cut them off?”

He thought for a moment.  I
looked back at him, awaiting his answer.  “How do you feel about Miles right
now?  Do you want to be like him in any way?”  I didn’t answer, but I didn’t
need to.  “Well take that and magnify it a thousand times,” he finished.

There was nothing left to
say between us.  We just stood there, each intensely aware of the anger and
sadness harbored behind the other’s eyes.

But, in that moment we
understood each other—a spark of understanding that created a bridge of
electricity between us.  His eyes stayed on mine as he leaned closer to me.  I
didn’t stop him.  I took a shallow breath of anticipation.  He paused briefly,
and that electric bridge felt at full voltage.  As soon as his lips touched mine,
I felt fireworks shoot through my body.  His kiss was soft at first, and then
he pulled back, his breath deepening as I ran my hand down the back of his
neck.

He kissed me again, but
harder, more intensely.  I was backed against the wall, feeling the animalistic
presence of him, enjoying it.  I had never felt so vulnerable.  It frightened
me, but I liked it.  It was perfect.  Everything about him was so beautifully,
tragically, perfect.

A flash of light shot
through the window and across the shed as a pair of headlights turned into the
long driveway, scaring what I assumed was Lyla’s gray tabby cat that sprinted
out from his hiding place in the corner of the room and out the door.  I jumped
back, frightened for a moment.  Noah suddenly pulled away from me, unable to
look me in the eyes.  “I’m sorry,” he murmured, heading out the door as fast as
he could.

“Noah,” I started, but he
was gone in an instant.  I stepped out of the shed to see Lucas’ truck stop in
the driveway, near the front door.

I looked over at the back
door that had just swung shut as Noah entered the house.  I saw Jonathan
excitedly get out of the truck and run to the front door.  When Lucas got out,
I waved at him, but he didn’t wave back.  He looked at me peculiarly and closed
the door of his truck.  It occurred to me that he might have seen Noah leaving
the shed in a hurry.

I entered the house
through the back.  Clothilde was in the utility room when I entered.  She was
putting some laundry in the dryer.  From the utility room, I could see into the
living room.  Lyla had run down stairs to greet Lucas and Jonathan.

“What’s Lucas doing
here?” I whispered.

“I invited him for
supper.”

“You invited him
and
Noah?”

“Mais, what’s wrong with
that?” she snapped.

There was nothing wrong
with it, really, except that it could lead to a total disaster.  I was pretty
sure Clothilde didn’t know that Lucas already wasn’t a fan of Noah because of
his prison conviction.  Even though I knew Lucas knew that Noah killed a bad
guy, he still saw things as mostly black and white.

“Where’s the paper
towels?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“The paper towels!”

“Oh.  I forgot to get
it.”

“Well, go back and get it
and then get washed up for supper,” she said, miffed that I forgot.

I ran outside to the
outdoor kitchen and searched for the paper towels.  I found a roll behind a row
of bagged herbs on the top shelf over the stove.  When I went back inside the
house, I handed the roll to Clothilde and headed for the downstairs bathroom to
wash my hands as Noah entered the living room from the kitchen.  He avoided eye
contact with me.  Lucas stared at him, a little surprised.  Noah greeted him
with a smile.

I bit the bullet and made
the introduction.  “Uh, Lucas Castille, this is Noah Dallion.”

Noah extended his hand to
shake.  Lucas hesitated but shook anyway.  “Hey, how you doin’?”

Noah nodded.  “Nice to
meet you.”

When we were all seated
at the table, it was small talk all through dinner.  Noah kept it cool and
nonchalant, but Lucas was having a harder time.  I noticed him suspiciously
eyeing Noah now and then, listening carefully to his every word, trying to
figure him out. 

Can anyone say awkward
,
I thought.

When dinner was finally
over, Noah said he had to go back to New Orleans.  Clothilde told him it was
too late for him to drive all that way and offered him to take the extra
bedroom.  In the corner of my eye, I noticed Lucas tense up.  I eyed Clothilde
and made sure she noticed that I was not happy with her offer.  Noah seemed to
pick up on that because I noticed a hint of a smile before he politely
declined.

I walked him to his car
while Lucas helped Clothilde with the dishes, and Jonathan and Lyla watched TV.
 Noah walked over to the driver’s side.  I stood across from him near the
passenger door.  He was still having a difficult time looking me in the eyes
but he managed well enough.

“I meant what I said
about needing your help.”

I threw my head back in
exasperation and then looked back at him.  “I can’t go back there.  I don’t
know how many times I have to tell you that.”

“Okay.  Just think about
it.  Please?”

I hesitated.

“Please?” he repeated.

“Fine.  I’ll think about
it.”

He nodded, got in his car
and left.  I stayed there for a few moments longer, contemplating New Orleans,
Miles, the mask.  But mostly I thought about that kiss.  When I thought about
it, I had a nervous, excited feeling in the bottom of my stomach. 

Behind me, I heard the
front door open, the sound of footsteps on the wooden porch and then the
familiar, comforting creek of the chains on the porch swing going at a calm,
steady pace.  I turned to see Lucas in the swing, looking out at the night sky.
 I joined him on the porch.  He patted the seat next to him on the swing.  I
sat down, and he glanced back up at the sky.

“What are you looking
at?” I asked.

“Hercules.”

“Hmm?”

He pointed to a set of
stars in the sky.  “The constellation.  I told Jonathan that he was like
Hercules now.  Then I told him the myth story, and he liked that.  Now he
already has his Halloween costume picked out.”

I laughed.  “It seems
like you’re getting better with this whole thing.”

“Well, it’s hard to
ignore when he keeps picking me up over his head.  But I got him to stop.  Now
I just threaten him that Miss Clo will come over and switch him if he doesn’t
behave.”

I laughed harder at that.
 “Good idea.”

We were quite for a
couple of minutes, just gazing at the stars.  “So, what’s with that guy Noah?”  His
question caught me off guard.

“What do you mean?  You
know why he was in prison.”

“Yeah, but there’s
something else going on.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Why
do you say that?”

“Just the way he was a
little too smooth at dinner.”

I laughed.  “I’d be
worried if you weren’t suspicious of anyone.”

Lucas didn’t laugh.  His
hazel eyes found me and regarded me earnestly.  “What are you getting yourself
into, Leigh?”

I wanted so much to tell
him about what had happened over the last couple of weeks, especially about
Miles and my mom.  But how could I explain everything to him when I was still
trying to wrap my head around it?  I wasn’t ready to open the wound.

“Nothing I can’t handle,”
I said at last.  I gave him my most sincere smile and patted his knee.  He
nodded, willing to accept my answer for now.  He put his arm around me, and we
watched the stars for a while longer, enjoying each other’s company like the
old friends that we were.