Chapter 8
Evelyn

The next morning was nothing short of brutal. Waking up in my home on the Mississippi river I looked outside, taking in the beautiful, yet haunting, view.

I wanting nothing more than to kill something, someone.

I was just in that kind of mood.

And me, being in that kind of mood, was glad that I would have something to keep me busy today. The meeting with the witches would give me a task in which to channel my anger. We would be meeting at Longue Vue House and Gardens in just a few hours.

I had plenty of time to get ready, but first, I had to eat.

The act of eating feels almost pedestrian at this point. I only actually eat every once in a while and I feed off of the magic of the void and gate. eating - to me- is just another weakness.

Getting up and walking down the lavish marble stairs, equipped with a balcony at the top, I went to my black, modern looking kitchen and took out a blood bag, putting it into a mug, heating the liquid quickly with my hands.
After heating the cup, I take some cinnamon out of the cupboard and sprinkle some in. It makes the drink much better to the point where I can enjoy it.

Going back upstairs I went to the balcony that overlooked the river and sat in one of the steel chairs, so intricately designed with various swirls, and set my mug on the matching table.
I was fortunate. Full blooded vampires needed to drink every day, sometimes more than once and I hated getting blood all over my clothing and the taste was nothing short of deplorable.
An acquaintance of mine lives in the house at Vue House Gardens, so it's perfect for neutral meetings. Then later- I'm off to Lafayette Cemetery."

I have a morbid fascination with cemeteries. I loved being around death. I was, after all, the death goddess. I thrived on the passing of souls. However twisted that made me, I didn't care.

I wouldn't let a gaggle of mortal witches ruin this for me.

Over the years, I have had my share of friends, enemies, lovers, losses, and triumphs. But with time, they all begin to run together, but you find the real moments are vibrant. The rest just fades away. Pain will fade. Gone will be that numbness

If only for a moment in the grand scale of the times.

Walking through the fields of dead made me feel vibrant. Made me feel closer to a death I would never have and a soul-bonded I would never see again.

And because there was simply no fixing myself , I started to piece others back together.
It was why I created the Specter.

I, the girl shattered beyond the realm of possibility.

Love just did that to me. And I knew that if I fell in love again I would be screwed. The people who love have the capability to hurt you like no one else.

It seemed like I just couldn't help myself. Being alone for so long has made me crave the very thing I have attempted to swear off.

I just couldn't seem to find self control when it came to love.

And that seems to be my greatest flaw.
The fact of the matter was- was that I was no longer really living. Because when we stop being in love with something, someone, what are we really living for.

However averse I was to love, I knew the significance of it. Empires were built on love. As were laws created. Wars waged. Friends killed. Ancient enemies made.

Love was why Varsillians hated Varkeshians even trillions of years after the torrid love affair of the centry.

It was time to go though. I stopped my thoughts before they got to chaotic, got up and got dressed. Today would be interesting and new.

O0oo0O

The gardens are stunning. Lush and green. The topiaries span the yards and the sun shines brightly down upon my pale skin. There is a large contrast between my pale, sharp, edges and the soft, warm, feel to this place.

"You have been using black magic," I say softly, but not weakly as I cradle a glass of blood in a champagne flute.

The young, tanned, woman paled and attempted to stutter out a coherent sentence, "I- I Swear I d-didn't. I-I-It was the cov-en."
"A coven that you are the leader of. Yes?"

The woman visibly shook, "I-I'm sorry," she blurts while choking on a sob. I turn to the two other witches beside her. I fully intend to defend Varsillia and if these three witches were going to stand in my way- then Hell be upon them.

"You two. Come here." I crook my finger in their direction as a cloud moves to stave off the sunshine.

They stand, shaking as they do. The first one reaches me and I grab her by the neck, allowing my teeth to elongate as I bite into her flesh with measured control.

When I finish- I snap her head to the side, tossing the body to the ground as I took a moment to pick my white linen napkin up and delicately wipe my lips with it before looking back to a horrified 'coven' leader, "Now," I say slowly and calmly as if I hadn't just murdered what was most likely a fairly innocent person. "About that black magic?" I finish- leaving the question open ended.

I know what she sees when she looks at me. It's what they all see.

She cowers from me, stuttering on her words once more, "I-I Ask Marian. I don't know what-"

"Marian Vashek. The coven leader who didn't dain to show. The very person you attempted to impersonate." I clip out as I tip my glass back and swallow the remaining contents.
I'd been told about Marian. That she didn't cower even when she stunk of fear. The stuttering mess before me isn't nearly strong enough to be the leader of a people's.
"I-" I didn't let her finish the thought. I was done with this morning meeting. Flicking my fingers together, I watch as her body drops to the ground in a loud thud as the remaining witch lets out a high pitched screech, slowly backing away all the while.

"Tell Marian to be ready for me within the hour." I say as my parting words to the remaining witch.

The girl didn't move so I motioned for her to leave with another flick of the fingers, "Go on."
The girl, once frozen, scampered off in a rat like manner.

I walk down a few streets as I make my way to the Cemetery. I pull out a smooth stone as I send a jolt of power into it.

"I need a cleanup crew at the Gardens- send Tessa my apologies." I say to the woman on the other side of the communication device. A clipped yes is my answer before I tuck the precious stone back into a rift in space.

Taking a few more turns and I was in one of the larger crypts. It astounded me how dusty humans allowed their legacies to get. There were family members down here and not only did humans leave the tombs unprotected, but they never came to visit. They didn't show respect to their ancestors.

I'm pretty sure that is the sole reason these witches choose to reside in cemetaries.
As fascinating as they are, I couldn't understand what it was to be so mortal and short lived that you couldn't pay respects to the elders that came before you.

"They say you are heartless." A red haired female calls to me as I enter the crypt.

"That just isn't true. I would not be able to win wars if I had no heart." I say without so much as glancing in her direction.

"And why is that?" She replays smoothly.
"Emotion is what guides us from making the greatest mistakes of our lives." I say- it's the only answer I can offer.

She arches a brow, "Some would say that emotion is the one flaw we can't be rid of."
"Once you reach the line between acting with the mind and acting with the heart- you're floating in the middle. You haven't yet mastered that skill- most haven't. But I feel- no I know- that you will in time."

"Well," she says sarcastically, "lucky me- I have an Aculiac Queen's faith. I'm still not fighting a war with you."

"You don't speak with a French Quarter accent. I'd say somewhere in France, perhaps?" I say- ignoring her previous statement.

"Corsica." is her clipped response.

"I've never been, I've always wanted to see the Genoese buildings. I hear that the Baroque and Pisan techniques are simply stunning."

"What is the point of this conversation?"

"You and yours still live in squalor, I see." I'm just dancing around her at this point, but I need her to get angry and temperamental with me.

She turns to see me and lets out a long laugh, low, "Yes. Us mortal witches and our lack of class."

"And that is why the decoy did not work." I say as I glance down at my nails, "She cowered in fear the moment my eyes were set upon hers."
"She was merely to buy a few extra minutes. Where is she?"

"Among the Hells, by this point."

"I guessed as much when the one arrived. What have you come for?" She says with a sigh of faux disappointment.

"I suspect you already know, Marian."

"I do. What I seek are the specifics. Aside from war allies- you want to know about the black magic poisoning the ley lines," I stayed silent, a clear message for her to continue, "It is not my coven, it is the French quarter coven. We have been at odds ever since the vampires came and tried to claim the city. We drove them all out along with a stray group of reapers and a few shifters. Ever since the French quarter has wanted complete control over New Orleans. And since three coven rule they have sought to kill us all. The Bywater district is holding on, but I do not know how much longer it will last."
She continues after taking a breath, "I have forbidden my coven from using black magic. However, three of our siphon witches left for the French quarter and I am to believe they now use such magic to destroy us. Their former coven."

"How are the minor districts of witches hanging in?" Is my unsurprised reply.

I already know, but this is a simple procedure I have to follow through with so I can put all the reports into Spector channels and archives.
"We have allied with the lower ninth ward, the english turn ward, the Venetian isles and the Gentilly area. Our allies are spread out fairly wide, but I suspect we will win this war if outright battle is called."

"All the other districts are far smaller, with far less resources, and split between the Bywater and the quarter."

Just as I had suspected then.

"I need you to align all of New Orleans for me and get them ready for war."

1905