Distorted Affliction

Chapter Twenty Nine

Bayou La Batre was a smaller town just over the border into Alabama. It sat in the southern part of the state, just far enough outside of Mobile that we wouldn't be that hard to find when Lazarus came looking. It was far enough out of the way, though, that he wouldn't have a hard time believing that we had come here to find solace. It was only a two hour drive from New Orleans, and the Priestesses had agreed.

I wasn't sure if it was their willingness to help, or their eagerness to prove me wrong, but they had agreed much quicker when I had presented them with the plan. They had taken their own vehicle, which I was grateful for, because our little rental car was already tight without adding the six extra witches. I had met the other two Priestesses, Nicole and Chantale, when Demidicus and I had shown back up with our second request.

As it turned out, Sin's supposed friend who owed him lived just outside of Bayou La Batre in a little house in the middle of the swamp. I was hoping that the seclusion would keep anyone else from being hurt when the battle actually started, an attempt to minimize unnecessary casualties. With a little persuasion, we made our rendezvous spot with our connection at the Waffle House, that way those of us who needed the sustenance could get it before we hunkered down in the marsh for as long as it took for Lazarus to find us.

Kettelie and the other Priestesses were just as grateful for the food stop. When we sat down in the booths closest to each other, Sin slipped away to the tobacco shop across the street to stock up on nicotine products. He had been smoking a lot more recently, and I wondered if it actually did him any good as a Mouri, or if it was more out of habit than anything. I wasn't all that sure he was even capable of an addiction that wasn't bloodlust, but I didn't judge him for his vices. Whatever helped him get through all of this.

When we were seated and had ordered, I turned in my booth to face the Priestesses.

"I just wanted to tell you--" I started, but Kettelie quickly cut me off, a sharp smile on her face.

"You don't need to apologize, Bishop," she said. "The past is the past."

"Oh, I wasn't going to apologize," I said with a sly grin. "I meant everything I said, and I'll never beg forgiveness for that. I just wanted to say thank you for doing this, whatever your reasons, I'm very appreciative that you decided to help."

Her wry smile softened a bit into something more genuine, though she didn't say anything else. I wasn't sure what her history with my ancestors had been like, but I wanted to believe that I could make amends for whatever sour taste she had in her mouth about me. I really did feel like I owed her, though the exchange of magic was more than enough penance, and I was certain she understood that.

When Sin returned, he had a grave look on his face, though no one else seemed to notice. That wasn't entirely true, because Demidicus shifted slightly in his seat as if he, too, could tell there was something wrong. Sin didn't say anything, but when we finished our meal, I pulled him outside into the parking lot like a mother swooping her child away for a private scolding. Demidicus was hot on my trail, and if the others noticed, they made no move to join.

"What's going on?" I asked, keeping my voice low, though the only creatures capable of listening in were already present. "And before you try to lie, it looks like you've seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost," Sin assured, biting his lip and glancing around the parking lot as if Lazarus would show up at any moment. "Did Ophelia tell you where she was taking Silas?"

"No," I answered, stunned. "I didn't want to risk anyone using me to track him down. The less people who knew, the better. She didn't even tell Opal, and they've never lied to each other."

"What did you see?" Demidicus pressed, the urgency clear in his voice. Sin met his deep brown eyes, his gaze steady. I could see it then, the companionship between the two Mouri. There was so much trust between them, centuries of history that I had barely scratched the surface of, and it was apparent in that moment that it didn't seem to matter what outside forces they were battling, these two had a connection that was unrivaled by anything I had ever experienced.