Rise of The Lycan King

Chapter 7 - Home of Witches

With New Orleans came the incessant sub-dermal prick Artemis associated with magic.

New Orleans was the home of witches and all things magic, and while she might not have been extensively trained in magic, Artemis was still able to detect the feel of it. The only reason she was able to detect the magical activity going on in New Orleans was due to the sheer abundance of it; otherwise, it would have effortlessly eluded her notice.

To her, the magic felt like an incessant prick underneath her skin that she couldn't get rid of no matter what street the cab drove down. It wasn't that the feeling of magic was uncomfortable per se; she just wasn't used to feeling it.

Mimi, however, was completely oblivious to everything that was going on and had her face pressed into the car's window in amazement.

Suddenly, she frowned and pulled her head away from the window. "I thought New Orleans was supposed to be the home of festivals." She said, pouting at Artemis. "What happened to Mardi Gras?" They had been driving for about an hour, and while she had seen the crowds of New Orleans, the closest thing she had seen to a festival was a group of friends at a bridal party.

"Are you talking about the festival that happens in February, or is there another Mardi Gras that I'm not aware of?" Artemis answered, barely looking up from her phone.

Mimi rolled her eyes. Maybe there was no Mardi Gras, but there had to be a festival that she could partake in during their short stay in New Orleans - she was sure of it.

After a brief moment of silence, the car rolled up to their destination, a hotel named The Yellow Daffodil. The hotel was cut off from the street by a large iron-wrought gate. Mimi and Artemis stepped out of the cab and onto the cobblestone street. At once, all the things that the cab had shielded Artemis from slammed her into full force.

But the hotel was a bit cut off from the crowds of New Orleans, so she found that she didn't entirely hate it. The hotel had so many floors that even when she cranked up her head to see how high up it went, she found that from her position on the ground, she couldn't. A riot of ivy climbed the aged brick walls, adding a touch of color to the building. Artemis popped up the hood of her raincoat and sighed to herself.

The hotel was magnificent. Payments were courtesy of Ethan Hall.

Two members of hotel staff rushed out to offer them umbrellas and help to bring their things inside.
Artemis got their room keys from the reception. She tried to tell the bellboy that she could handle talking their bags upstairs - werewolf strength or not, she knew she'd be fine - but he was hearing none of it. He led them up the elevator and down the corridor until they got to their room. It was the very picture of comfort and luxury.

Soft, baby-blue walls greeted them, bathed in the gentle glow of the room's lights. The room space was open and furnished with multiple amenities, from a large flat-screen television to a mini fridge. Without even waiting for the bellhop to leave, Mimi raced to the giant bed in the middle of the room and flopped down on it.

Artemis tipped the bellboy, who smiled graciously at her before taking his leave. She turned to Mimi, grateful that they had separate beds so that she wouldn't have to deal with the dampness that had rolled off of Mimi's raincoat and onto the bedding. She squatted in front of the mini fridge and found various bottles of soda and fruit juice inside.

"I need you to tell me word for word what we're doing here exactly." Mimi said, lying upside down so that her hair and head hung off the edge of the bed.

It was understandable that Mimi wasn't entirely clear on their purpose in New Orleans. Artemis had only told her about finding the Lycan king in New Orleans, and she had instantly agreed because she had wanted to tick another USA state off her travel list. Thirty-eight states down, twelve more to go.