The Descent
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 17
The air was thick and steamy as I exited the airport, my bag slung over a shoulder as I walked to the rental car lot, key in hand.
Hitting the button, the car chirped and I headed for it, tossing my bag in the back seat before sliding in behind the wheel.
The flight had been mercifully short, and thank the gods for that, considering the fat, sweaty fuck that sat beside me, leering at me the whole way here. You know that whole 'humans being naturally afraid of vampires' thing? Yeah, so not the case with that guy. Then again, considering what he looked like, he was probably just that hard up.
With a sigh, I entered the general location I needed to get to into the GPS and pulled out of the garage.
Once on the road, I pulled out my phone and hit connect. "My Lady?"
My eyes rolled at his formal address. I'd never get used to it, but I knew he'd probably never loosen up about it, so I let it go. "Demetri, are you busy for the next couple of days?"
"I think I can manage to get away, why?"
I smiled grimly. "Because it's time."
"I see," he said before pausing for moments. "All right, I have his general location. Where shall I deliver the package?"
"New Orleans, the French Quarter. Call me when you arrive and I'll have further instructions for you."
"Very well, my Lady, it shall be done."
"Thanks D. You're the shit," I teased.
He chuckled. "It is my distinct pleasure, Lady Isabella."
The call disconnected and with a smirk, I turned up the tunes and settled back for the rest of the drive.
When I arrived in the general vicinity of the French Quarter, I parked in a random lot, slung my bag over my shoulder and began walking as I took in the place.
The crowds were rather light and I began to look for someone who wasn't an obvious tourist.
It took me a block or so, but I finally spotted a group of men sitting around the door of a shop, laughing and joking as they tuned their instruments to play another song. Flipping down my sunglasses to hide my red eyes, I approached. "Excuse me."
One man lowered his trumpet and frowned while eyeing me warily. "What you want? There's nothin' here but trouble for you, cher."
I tilted my head. "Fair enough, and I don't want trouble, but I'm looking for Madame Barbos…"
He pointed. "Two blocks up and three over, now get gone and don' come back here."
My brow arched but I nodded. "Thanks."
I felt their eyes on me until I turned the corner two blocks up. Their gaze had been oppressive and I found it disconcerting, considering they were human and really, what could humans do to a vampire? Still, there was something about them—about this whole place really—that had me feeling itchy in my skin and I decided the sooner I could get out of this place, the better.
Madame Barbos's place turned out to be a seedy looking little shop at street level with an apartment on the second floor. A small bell jangled as I walked in, my eyes adjusting quickly to the low light of the place to take in the dusty shelves filled with all sorts of candles, herbs and other, more bizarre things.
"Hello?" I called out tentatively while walking toward a curtained off doorway at the back. "Madame Barbos? It's me, Isabella Swan. We spoke on the phone…"
"Come on back, child," her voice rasped from the back. "Don' be shy," she chided with a cackle.
I rolled my eyes and ducked through the curtain as the heavy scent of sage and sandalwood assailed me. The sage was new for me, but the sandalwood? That was all too familiar from years of Renee burning it to cover the scent of pot. I smiled as I thought of her; my flighty, whack-job of a mother and how naive she thought me to be.
"Welcome child."
I whirled around and narrowed my eyes at the smirking woman who'd just entered the curtain behind me. "How…?"
She sauntered to a small table and took a seat before lighting up a cigarette that crackled as she took a deep drag. "Sit," she prompted with a wave at the only other chair in the room as clove scented smoke curled from her lips.
I slid into the seat and set my bag at my feet. "How'd you sneak up behind me. I could've sworn…"
My words trailed off as she waved a hand. "My secrets are my own. Now, tell me what it is you need."
I spoke for half an hour, explaining exactly what it was I needed as she chain smoked and watched me through keen, hooded eyes. When I fell silent, she stubbed out her cigarette in the overflowing ash tray and leaned forward. "Each broken bond requires a sacrifice and that sacrifice must be one of your kind with ties to one involved in the ritual. From what you tell me, you desire two. Do you have two, child?"
I frowned. "No, I only have one."
She smiled and sat back. "Then you must choose."
"Choose," I muttered.
"Yes, you must choose which bond to break. You must also provide a personal token from one of the bonded but be careful. Whoever's token is used in the ritual will be the party who suffers the pain of the loss."
My mind raced. I certainly didn't want Jasper to suffer any more than he already had through the years… "Will hair suffice as a token?"
Her gaze sharpened and she held out a hand. "Let me see."
I dug through my bag and pulled out the hank of hair I'd ripped from Athenadora's head, placing it in Madame Barbos's waiting palm.
She closed both hands over it and hummed to herself for a moment. "This one is ancient and ruthless," she murmured. "Her years upon this earth make her powerful."
My heart sank at her words. "Does this mean…?
Her hawk-like gaze speared me. "No child. It won't be a problem for me."
She handed the hair back and crossed her arms. "You have chosen."
"Yeah," I said, tucking the hair back in my bag. "I have."
She handed me a handful of small bones. "Breath on them and scatter them on the table, child."
With a quirked brow and a shrugged shoulder, I did as she said and watched as she studied the outcome. "There are others who would hinder you." She glanced up. "They do not want to lose the one you would sacrifice." She leaned back and smirked. "There is a seer."
I nodded. "Alice. Will she be a problem?"
She grinned and lit another cigarette. "Not for Madame Barbos, child. Now go. Come back when you have your sacrifice. The back door in the alley will be open to you."
I had just stepped out of her shop when my phone buzzed with yet another phone call; one that I finally answered on the walk back to the car. "Hi Jay."
"Where are you?"
"You mean you don't know?" I was shocked. I'd used the card he gave me for the plane and rental car and knew I wouldn't be hard to trace.
"Some folks in this world believe in privacy and personal space in relationships, Bella. Stuff like that goes along with the courtesy of letting those who care about you know what's goin' on. You should try it sometime."
I sighed and leaned against the car. "I'm sorry, but this was important and I knew you'd try to talk me out of it."
"No, you don't know that for sure. You made an assumption without giving me the benefit of the doubt."
I hung my head. "You're right, and I'm sorry, but again, this is important. I couldn't take any chances."
"So, you're not gonna tell me where you are?"
I bit my lip as silence stretched between us. "No, I'd rather not say. I just—I just need you to trust me. Please?"
"You mean the way you're trusting me?" His words, while uttered quietly and without malice, hit me like a physical blow. I cringed.
"I'm sorry, Jay."
"Yeah, me too," he murmured as the line went dead with a click. That quiet click might as well have been as loud as a gunshot. I flinched at the sound of it before pocketing my phone.
I knew he'd be upset; actually thought he would yell and rant and growl while demanding I get my ass back there. The one thing I never expected was his quiet disappointment and acceptance and I had to admit, it was more effective than any angry rant could ever be. I would have some serious making up to do when this was over with. Hopefully, by then my reasons would be clear and he'd be happy with the outcome.
After a leisurely hunt, I checked into a hotel and was just lounging on the bed, clicking through the crap on TV when my phone buzzed again. After glancing at it, I answered with a smile. "Please say you have good news."
"Of course, my Lady. I am the best at what I do, after all."
"I could kiss you right now, Demetri."
"…Uh, that would not be for the best, my Lady."
"Calm your tits D, I was joking."
He cleared his throat. "Yes, well, where and when shall I deliver the package?"
After giving him the details, I grabbed a book from my bag and went to take a long, hot bath.
When I met up with him in the alley behind Madame Barbos's building the next day, he was leaning against the building with a large duffel bag slung over one shoulder. I blinked. "Is that…?
He smirked. "It is."
I pursed my lips. "I hope that isn't a problem."
He shrugged. "He is easily reassembled, should the need arise."
"That's good," I muttered before rapping on the door with the back of my knuckles.
Madame Barbos opened the door and gestured inside.
The room was bare with the exception of a circle etched into the floor and shelves upon shelves of lit candles. In the circle was a small bucket filled with blood and a severed chicken foot lying beside it. The Madame herself was draped in a gauzy white dress, her feet bare and a white scarf tied around the twisted braids of her hair. When she looked at me, her sharp, chocolate gaze was penetrating and sparkling with wisdom and mischief. "Reattach his head, ancient one, and place all of him within the circle."
Wordlessly, Demetri did as she instructed before moving to stand in a far corner. Madame Barbos stared at Edward's body as he struggled back to coherence. "What…?" He glanced around, his eyes going wide as he took in his surroundings before noticing me. "Bella!" he hissed. "What's going on?"
Madame Barbos held out her hand. "The hair, child."
I dug it out and handed it to her and she nodded toward Demetri. "Take a place by your ancient one and don't interfere."
In one hand, she combined the bound hair with a chicken foot and dipped both in the bucket of blood which she now carried with her. She began flinging droplets of blood onto Edward while chanting words in a language I didn't recognize. Then she began to dance around the circle, her body undulating slowly at first, then faster and faster as she dipped and sprinkled blood, leaving no part of Edward's body untouched as his protests went from angry to frantic before ceasing altogether. It was fascinating and beautiful in a way and I found myself mesmerized; so much so that I couldn't look away.
Finally arching her back, she froze in place and screamed, the bloody hair and foot held aloft as her eyes rolled back, nothing but the whites showing, her lips murmuring words so fast and low that had I known the language, I probably wouldn't have understood her.
Her back then arched back so much that I didn't know how she kept to her feet. Then her shoulders began to shimmy as she slowly straightened to an upright position before leaning down to place the hair and chicken foot in the center of Edward's chest.
She stepped back from the circle and my breath caught as Edward's body burst into low flames that consumed his extremities first before gradually moving on to his torso.
I heard a whimper from him as his eyes rolled wildly before locking on me. I wasn't sure how, but it was obvious her magic, or whatever it was, had paralyzed him without taking his awareness and that realization caused me to smile coldly as I stared back into his fear-filled eyes. It was an expression I held until he'd burned completely and the last flame flickered out.
"It is done, child. The sacrifice was accepted, the bond is broken."
My gaze snapped up to hers and I nodded. "What do I owe you?"
She chuckled. "One day, I may call on you, child, and you shall answer."
Demetri frowned and glanced at me in concern while I nodded. "I will, Madame. Thank you."
I walked out and slid on my sunglasses as Demetri followed. "What now, my Lady?"
I let out a deep breath before looking at him. "Now? I think a trip to Volterra is in order. Will you accompany me, D?"
He held out his arm and I looped mine with his. "It will be my pleasure."
The air was thick and steamy as I exited the airport, my bag slung over a shoulder as I walked to the rental car lot, key in hand.
Hitting the button, the car chirped and I headed for it, tossing my bag in the back seat before sliding in behind the wheel.
The flight had been mercifully short, and thank the gods for that, considering the fat, sweaty fuck that sat beside me, leering at me the whole way here. You know that whole 'humans being naturally afraid of vampires' thing? Yeah, so not the case with that guy. Then again, considering what he looked like, he was probably just that hard up.
With a sigh, I entered the general location I needed to get to into the GPS and pulled out of the garage.
Once on the road, I pulled out my phone and hit connect. "My Lady?"
My eyes rolled at his formal address. I'd never get used to it, but I knew he'd probably never loosen up about it, so I let it go. "Demetri, are you busy for the next couple of days?"
"I think I can manage to get away, why?"
I smiled grimly. "Because it's time."
"I see," he said before pausing for moments. "All right, I have his general location. Where shall I deliver the package?"
"New Orleans, the French Quarter. Call me when you arrive and I'll have further instructions for you."
"Very well, my Lady, it shall be done."
"Thanks D. You're the shit," I teased.
He chuckled. "It is my distinct pleasure, Lady Isabella."
The call disconnected and with a smirk, I turned up the tunes and settled back for the rest of the drive.
When I arrived in the general vicinity of the French Quarter, I parked in a random lot, slung my bag over my shoulder and began walking as I took in the place.
The crowds were rather light and I began to look for someone who wasn't an obvious tourist.
It took me a block or so, but I finally spotted a group of men sitting around the door of a shop, laughing and joking as they tuned their instruments to play another song. Flipping down my sunglasses to hide my red eyes, I approached. "Excuse me."
One man lowered his trumpet and frowned while eyeing me warily. "What you want? There's nothin' here but trouble for you, cher."
I tilted my head. "Fair enough, and I don't want trouble, but I'm looking for Madame Barbos…"
He pointed. "Two blocks up and three over, now get gone and don' come back here."
My brow arched but I nodded. "Thanks."
I felt their eyes on me until I turned the corner two blocks up. Their gaze had been oppressive and I found it disconcerting, considering they were human and really, what could humans do to a vampire? Still, there was something about them—about this whole place really—that had me feeling itchy in my skin and I decided the sooner I could get out of this place, the better.
Madame Barbos's place turned out to be a seedy looking little shop at street level with an apartment on the second floor. A small bell jangled as I walked in, my eyes adjusting quickly to the low light of the place to take in the dusty shelves filled with all sorts of candles, herbs and other, more bizarre things.
"Hello?" I called out tentatively while walking toward a curtained off doorway at the back. "Madame Barbos? It's me, Isabella Swan. We spoke on the phone…"
"Come on back, child," her voice rasped from the back. "Don' be shy," she chided with a cackle.
I rolled my eyes and ducked through the curtain as the heavy scent of sage and sandalwood assailed me. The sage was new for me, but the sandalwood? That was all too familiar from years of Renee burning it to cover the scent of pot. I smiled as I thought of her; my flighty, whack-job of a mother and how naive she thought me to be.
"Welcome child."
I whirled around and narrowed my eyes at the smirking woman who'd just entered the curtain behind me. "How…?"
She sauntered to a small table and took a seat before lighting up a cigarette that crackled as she took a deep drag. "Sit," she prompted with a wave at the only other chair in the room as clove scented smoke curled from her lips.
I slid into the seat and set my bag at my feet. "How'd you sneak up behind me. I could've sworn…"
My words trailed off as she waved a hand. "My secrets are my own. Now, tell me what it is you need."
I spoke for half an hour, explaining exactly what it was I needed as she chain smoked and watched me through keen, hooded eyes. When I fell silent, she stubbed out her cigarette in the overflowing ash tray and leaned forward. "Each broken bond requires a sacrifice and that sacrifice must be one of your kind with ties to one involved in the ritual. From what you tell me, you desire two. Do you have two, child?"
I frowned. "No, I only have one."
She smiled and sat back. "Then you must choose."
"Choose," I muttered.
"Yes, you must choose which bond to break. You must also provide a personal token from one of the bonded but be careful. Whoever's token is used in the ritual will be the party who suffers the pain of the loss."
My mind raced. I certainly didn't want Jasper to suffer any more than he already had through the years… "Will hair suffice as a token?"
Her gaze sharpened and she held out a hand. "Let me see."
I dug through my bag and pulled out the hank of hair I'd ripped from Athenadora's head, placing it in Madame Barbos's waiting palm.
She closed both hands over it and hummed to herself for a moment. "This one is ancient and ruthless," she murmured. "Her years upon this earth make her powerful."
My heart sank at her words. "Does this mean…?
Her hawk-like gaze speared me. "No child. It won't be a problem for me."
She handed the hair back and crossed her arms. "You have chosen."
"Yeah," I said, tucking the hair back in my bag. "I have."
She handed me a handful of small bones. "Breath on them and scatter them on the table, child."
With a quirked brow and a shrugged shoulder, I did as she said and watched as she studied the outcome. "There are others who would hinder you." She glanced up. "They do not want to lose the one you would sacrifice." She leaned back and smirked. "There is a seer."
I nodded. "Alice. Will she be a problem?"
She grinned and lit another cigarette. "Not for Madame Barbos, child. Now go. Come back when you have your sacrifice. The back door in the alley will be open to you."
I had just stepped out of her shop when my phone buzzed with yet another phone call; one that I finally answered on the walk back to the car. "Hi Jay."
"Where are you?"
"You mean you don't know?" I was shocked. I'd used the card he gave me for the plane and rental car and knew I wouldn't be hard to trace.
"Some folks in this world believe in privacy and personal space in relationships, Bella. Stuff like that goes along with the courtesy of letting those who care about you know what's goin' on. You should try it sometime."
I sighed and leaned against the car. "I'm sorry, but this was important and I knew you'd try to talk me out of it."
"No, you don't know that for sure. You made an assumption without giving me the benefit of the doubt."
I hung my head. "You're right, and I'm sorry, but again, this is important. I couldn't take any chances."
"So, you're not gonna tell me where you are?"
I bit my lip as silence stretched between us. "No, I'd rather not say. I just—I just need you to trust me. Please?"
"You mean the way you're trusting me?" His words, while uttered quietly and without malice, hit me like a physical blow. I cringed.
"I'm sorry, Jay."
"Yeah, me too," he murmured as the line went dead with a click. That quiet click might as well have been as loud as a gunshot. I flinched at the sound of it before pocketing my phone.
I knew he'd be upset; actually thought he would yell and rant and growl while demanding I get my ass back there. The one thing I never expected was his quiet disappointment and acceptance and I had to admit, it was more effective than any angry rant could ever be. I would have some serious making up to do when this was over with. Hopefully, by then my reasons would be clear and he'd be happy with the outcome.
After a leisurely hunt, I checked into a hotel and was just lounging on the bed, clicking through the crap on TV when my phone buzzed again. After glancing at it, I answered with a smile. "Please say you have good news."
"Of course, my Lady. I am the best at what I do, after all."
"I could kiss you right now, Demetri."
"…Uh, that would not be for the best, my Lady."
"Calm your tits D, I was joking."
He cleared his throat. "Yes, well, where and when shall I deliver the package?"
After giving him the details, I grabbed a book from my bag and went to take a long, hot bath.
When I met up with him in the alley behind Madame Barbos's building the next day, he was leaning against the building with a large duffel bag slung over one shoulder. I blinked. "Is that…?
He smirked. "It is."
I pursed my lips. "I hope that isn't a problem."
He shrugged. "He is easily reassembled, should the need arise."
"That's good," I muttered before rapping on the door with the back of my knuckles.
Madame Barbos opened the door and gestured inside.
The room was bare with the exception of a circle etched into the floor and shelves upon shelves of lit candles. In the circle was a small bucket filled with blood and a severed chicken foot lying beside it. The Madame herself was draped in a gauzy white dress, her feet bare and a white scarf tied around the twisted braids of her hair. When she looked at me, her sharp, chocolate gaze was penetrating and sparkling with wisdom and mischief. "Reattach his head, ancient one, and place all of him within the circle."
Wordlessly, Demetri did as she instructed before moving to stand in a far corner. Madame Barbos stared at Edward's body as he struggled back to coherence. "What…?" He glanced around, his eyes going wide as he took in his surroundings before noticing me. "Bella!" he hissed. "What's going on?"
Madame Barbos held out her hand. "The hair, child."
I dug it out and handed it to her and she nodded toward Demetri. "Take a place by your ancient one and don't interfere."
In one hand, she combined the bound hair with a chicken foot and dipped both in the bucket of blood which she now carried with her. She began flinging droplets of blood onto Edward while chanting words in a language I didn't recognize. Then she began to dance around the circle, her body undulating slowly at first, then faster and faster as she dipped and sprinkled blood, leaving no part of Edward's body untouched as his protests went from angry to frantic before ceasing altogether. It was fascinating and beautiful in a way and I found myself mesmerized; so much so that I couldn't look away.
Finally arching her back, she froze in place and screamed, the bloody hair and foot held aloft as her eyes rolled back, nothing but the whites showing, her lips murmuring words so fast and low that had I known the language, I probably wouldn't have understood her.
Her back then arched back so much that I didn't know how she kept to her feet. Then her shoulders began to shimmy as she slowly straightened to an upright position before leaning down to place the hair and chicken foot in the center of Edward's chest.
She stepped back from the circle and my breath caught as Edward's body burst into low flames that consumed his extremities first before gradually moving on to his torso.
I heard a whimper from him as his eyes rolled wildly before locking on me. I wasn't sure how, but it was obvious her magic, or whatever it was, had paralyzed him without taking his awareness and that realization caused me to smile coldly as I stared back into his fear-filled eyes. It was an expression I held until he'd burned completely and the last flame flickered out.
"It is done, child. The sacrifice was accepted, the bond is broken."
My gaze snapped up to hers and I nodded. "What do I owe you?"
She chuckled. "One day, I may call on you, child, and you shall answer."
Demetri frowned and glanced at me in concern while I nodded. "I will, Madame. Thank you."
I walked out and slid on my sunglasses as Demetri followed. "What now, my Lady?"
I let out a deep breath before looking at him. "Now? I think a trip to Volterra is in order. Will you accompany me, D?"
He held out his arm and I looped mine with his. "It will be my pleasure."
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.