Drawing Bloodlines (24 page)

“But without a soul, then what? You’re pretty much a lifeless body,” said Lafonda. “How is being dead any be
tter?”

“Death is not the end for everyone,” said Malick. His brown eyes connected with Nathan. “Remember what I told you about the Walking Dead, the Shadow People?” Nathan nodded. “Sometimes, in exchange for their souls, people b
ecome Soul Collectors themselves — to lash back at the world — to punish those responsible for their suffering.”

“And to collect more souls,” said Lafonda, and Malick nodded.

“Death is only the beginning,” said the old woman. Slowly, she opened her eyes again, but this time, her gaze zeroed in on Nathan. “It takes courage to accept responsibility for your own life experiences — positive and negative.”

The room grew eerily quiet as Malick and Lafonda looked at Nathan as well. “What?” he said, finally. He folded his arms across his chest and pouted. “And why is everyone looking at me?”

Lafonda continued to look at him and chuckled. Her eyes then met with Malick’s and they both shook their heads. “What?” he asked again.

“It’s just that you have a tendency to complain a lot,” said Malick. He mocked him and then smiled. “Woe is me, I’m the poor brown kid forced to live behind the Devaro Ma
nsion.”

Lafonda busted into laughter, but she soon felt remorseful for the sudden outburst. “It’s more like over-brooding,” she said, meekly.

“Well, you’re one to talk,” groaned Nathan. “My father this, and my father that — I hate that I’m named after him — call me Malick.”

Malick’s cheeks burned a bright red and Lafonda grinned as she shook her head at both of them. “Negative energy is a Soul Collector’s playground,” said the old woman. She f
ocused in on Nathan again. “But that’s not why you are here is it?”

The space between Nathan’s eyebrows creased as he frowned. The old lady smiled at him. “You’re here because of what’s in your pocket,” she continued. “Oh yes — you want to protect your friends, but let’s not forget about the que
stion on your heart.”

“Mama Shamala can read people’s auras — their spirit energy,” said Malick. “She’s kind of like a fortune-teller — a gypsy, a spirit reader.
”

“No gypsy!” shouted the woman. She glared at him. “I know who you are. Your grandfather has been in here many times to see my son — up to no good, I’m
sure. I don’t care who he is.”

Malick ran his hand backward through his hair and ner
vously cleared his throat. “First, Argus, now this woman,” whispered Nathan to Malick. “Get that a lot, do you?”

“I’ve been called many things, but I am no gy
psy,” ranted the woman, “I’m a master of the flow of energy, a Spirit Nardi.” She pointed an angry finger at him. “And it’s Madam Esmeralda to you!”

“I’m sorry, Madam Esmeralda,” said Lafonda, stepping up to the table. She rolled her eyes at Malick and then drew a deep breath. “We rea
lly need to cloak our friends. I know your granddaughter said her father isn’t here but, can you help us?”

Madam Esmeralda eyed them skeptically and Lafonda joined Nathan at his side. “What is she talking about?” she whispered. “And what’s in your pocket?”

“Okay, put the items in your pocket on the table,” said Madam Esmeralda.

Eagerly, Nathan emptied his pockets. He placed on the table the gold necklace he collected from Leah. He also ad
ded the broken key that was still on his key ring, from his first night on campus during his freshmen year, and the IUCF key chain. Roy gave it to him the day he found out that he was accepted to the university.

“That’s it?” asked Lafonda. She had a disparaging look on her face as she examined the items on the table. “That’s what you’re having cloaked for Bobby and Jonas?”

“Yeah,” said Nathan, with a shrug. He glanced over at Malick and placed the small cylindrical-shaped object from his pocket on the table. He was careful not to pull out the chain and charm left behind by the femme fatale in the caves. “He said something of sentimental value. That’s all I have with me.”

Lafonda reached into her trench coat and placed a purple cell phone with gold stars on the back of it on the table, fo
llowed by a black one. “Cell phones?” asked Nathan. He laughed as the black one continued to vibrate on the table. “Let me guess, Angela and Alan.”

“That’s what they gave me,” said Lafonda. She moved her long black hair to the side so that she could remove her locket. She then carefully placed it on the table. “I can’t get Alan’s stupid phone to stop vibrating.”

“I thought Alan didn’t have any powers,” commented Malick.

“Well, supposedly he doesn’t,” said Lafonda. “But he i
nsisted, just in case.”

Both, Lafonda and Nathan turned to look at Malick and waited. “I’m already cloaked, r
emember,” said Malick. He smiled and then tugged at the corner of his chain that was hidden beneath his jacket. “My mom already had that covered.”

“Okay, then,” said Madam Esmeralda. She looked at each one of them and then shut her eyes. “Join me. Join me ar
ound the table and join hands.”

Lafonda and Malick took Madam Esmeralda by the hand and then shut their eyes. Reluctan
tly, Nathan was the last to join them, completing the circle at the front of the table. Nathan continued to watch. His eyes drifted around the room, waiting for something to happen.

“Close your eyes!” shouted Madam Esmeralda. Nathan looked around. He was surprised, b
ecause her eyes weren’t open. “Yes, I’m talking to you. How do you expect anything to happen with your eyes still open?”

Immediately, Lafonda squeezed his hand while loudly clearing her throat. Lafonda rel
axed her grip and then Nathan surrendered, closing his eyes. At that same moment, a jolt of what felt like electricity pulsated around the circle. Nathan tried to open his eyes, but couldn’t. It was as if he were frozen in place. Even though his eyes were tightly shut, the room seemed to grow brighter, and he could feel intense heat from the surrounding candles.

There was a long silence and the electrical feeling in his hands subsided. Nathan considered opening his eyes again, but decided to take a peek instead. In front of him, the items on the table glowed as
they levitated off the table.

Madam Esmeralda, eyes still shut, grinned as the objects hovered mid-air. “Two of the objects are already enchanted,” she said, and the o
bjects crashed to the table.

Startled, Nathan, Lafonda, and Malick opened their eyes and released their hands. “But it’s done,” explained Madam Esmeralda. “Carrying any one of those items will shield the carrier’s powers from magical detection — particularly ne
cromancy.

Nathan had a confused look on his face and Malick leaned in and whispered. “Scarlet Priests practice necroma
ncy, remember?”

Nathan nodded and then cast his gaze to the small and silver cylindrical object on the table. “Which object,” he said. “Which objects were already enchanted?”

Alan’s cell phone vibrated vigorously against the round table and Lafonda’s cheeks turned red. Immediately, she placed it and Angela’s phone into her pocket. She then put on the gold locket. “Here,” she said, handing Nathan his items from the table. She held up the small cylindrical object and smiled. “What is this anyway — a whistle?”

“No,” he said, keeping a watchful eye on the old woman. “Well, at least I don’t think it is … it’s a long story.” N
athan’s eyes suddenly pleaded. “Please Madam Esmeralda, which items were already enchanted?”

“Don’t start with that ‘it’s complicated stuff again’,” said Lafonda with a sigh. “I swear N
athan, I am not putting up with anymore secrets….”

“I just found out about it, like yesterday!” he groaned.

“Why is it important to you?” interrupted Madam Esmeralda, with discerning eyes.

Nathan swallowed hard before turning to look at Lafo
nda. “I believe this was my mother’s,” he said, taking the small object from Lafonda’s hand. He hesitated. “I found it — well a friend of mine found it — hidden in one of my mother’s picture frames.”

“Yes,” said the old woman, slowly nodding her head. “Yes, it was already bound before you came in here —
and so was the locket.”

“The locket?” said
Lafonda, placing a hand on it.

“It belonged to my mother,” said Nathan.

“Ah, yes,” said the old woman. “Now we get to the question on your heart.” She grinned. “If you already knew that these things belonged to your mother — and now that you know they were enchanted — why is your heart still troubled?” She continued to connect with the longing in his eyes. “Tell me, what do you want from Madam Esmeralda?” The old woman closed her eyes and silence gripped the room. “Oh, I see. Yes, yes, you want to know why?”

“What’s your name?” she mumbled.

“Nathan,” he said, nervously. He turned to look at Malick, and then at Lafonda, before continuing. They approved. “Nathan Urye.”

“Hmm, doesn’t ring a bell, but you’re in luck,” said the old woman, her eyes springing open. “I remember this one. I don’t remember all my incantations, but this one was diffe
rent.” She stood up and walked around the table to Nathan. “See you can do a simple prayer or a spell to enchant an object, or you can bind it with Pneuma or spirit energy.” She took the small silver object from Nathan’s hand and held it up. “Or like in this case, you can bind it with love.”

“Love?” asked Nathan.

“Yes,” said the woman. She pointed to the locket. “Love has its own energy and the process of binding it to an object is very special. Much like the beautiful long-haired woman that came into this shop to have it bound years ago.”

“You remember my mother?” asked Nathan.

“If the woman that bought that locket in here was your mother, then yes,” said Madam Esmeralda. “She came in here same as you did today, to have that locket and this key enchanted. To cloak the abilities of anyone that was wearing it.”

“Key?” asked Malick, attempting to get a closer look at the cylinder shaped object in her hand.

“Yes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It’s a key, well, a part of a key and it belongs to that locket.” She placed the object back into Nathan’s hand.

“So, are you saying that we can open the locket with this?” asked Nathan.

“Not without the missing part,” said Madam Esmeralda, sarcastically. Nathan looked confused, looking down at the short old woman. She grinned. “See the slit at the top there? There is a part that is missing, the part that goes inside the locket.” Slowly, she made her way back around the table and placed her hand on her back as she sat down. “I can’t tell you for sure why she did it, but when she came into the store that day, she carried a child….”

“A child?” asked Nathan, astonished.

“And I believe she had that locket bound to protect them from that horrid man,” explained Madam Esmeralda.

“What man?” asked Nathan
.

“His grandfather!” said Madam Esmeralda with distaste. Her index finger slightly trembled as she pointed at Malick. “Shortly after she was done here, his grandfather barged in looking for them. The poor girl was terrified — dragged her right out the store.” She paused to take a deep breath, as if to calm down. “That was the last I saw of her and the locket, till today.”

“Are you sure she had a child with her?” asked Nathan.

The old woman continued to ramble and didn’t acknowledge his question. “He came sniffing around here a few days later,” she said. “Like the rabid animal he is….” The winkles around her eyes appeared to multiply as she glared at Malick. “I guess he was unable to get out of her as to why she was here, but unlike my son, he doesn’t intim
idate me. That man’s a fool!”

“You’ll get no qualms from me,” said Malick, with a nervous chuckle. He ran his hand bac
kward through his hair. “I’m quite familiar with the shenanigans of my grandfather.”

“How familiar,” asked Nathan, through scrut
inizing eyes. “Familiar enough to know how your grandfather knew my mother?”

Madam Esmeralda continued to look over Malick skept
ically, but then suddenly grinned. “You may be familiar with your grandfather,” she said. “But how familiar are you with the matters of the heart?”

Malick swallowed dryly and fidgeted with the zipper to his leather jacket. He caught the old woman raising an ey
ebrow at him and Lafonda. “He’s not the only one with a question,” said Madam Esmeralda, referring to Nathan. “You have a question too, but yours is romantic in nature.…”

She shut her eyes and immediately began to wobble back and forth in her chair. The gray cloud in the small crystal ball in front of her started to swirl. “The door is cracked!” she said loudly and her eyes sprung open. “It doesn’t take much for a little bit of love to force it open.”

Malick’s face became flushed. Lafonda had a confused look on her face as she stepped closer to the round table. “Madam Esmeralda,” she said. “You mentioned that you thought Nathan’s mother had the locket bound for protection. Would that protection also come in the form of a shield?”