MICHAEL LANGDON - DAUGHTER OF THE LOA.

CHAPTER FOUR.

Karliah blinked awake to the sound of children's giggling, squinting as the bright light of the sun fell upon her face. Her gaze fell upon several little girls, two of them with their hands entangled in her hair, another tracing her cheek with the buds of her fingers, while the others stared at her from her feet, chewing on their fingers as they stared at her through curious eyes.

"Ai, stop dit! Get away from that girl!" a woman's voice called out.

The girl's dispersed with a laugh, running away as the woman approached. She looked down at Karliah, her lips pressed into a fine line of a smile. "Liewe kind, he's been meaning to speak with you." her accent mellowed through the air.

Karliah frowned, sitting up with a wince, "Who?"

"Your granpapa," she spoke softly, reaching a hand out to pull the young girl from the dirt ridden ground.

"He's here?" Karliah asked in a frantic tone as the old woman wiped the dirt from her shoulders and arms.

She hummed in response, "You called upon him, yes?" Karliah nodded, watching as the woman glanced over her shoulder, motioning with a tilt of her head to the brick hut behind her.

"He's in there."

The queen wasted no time in rushing past the nameless woman, ignoring the screaming soreness in her muscles as she ran into the building. The familiar scent of burning incense filled her nostrils, the sound of hearty laughs emitting from another room.

Approaching the room, she pushed past the beaded curtains of the door frame, finding four old men and women sat around a wooden table. She looked over them, one of the men smoking out of a pipe, two of the women lying out dominos in front of them.

And her grandfather, a content smile on his aged cheeks, rocked in a chair, watching the game unfold in front of him.

"I remember when you were younger, I tried to teach you how to play dominos," Kweku spoke wistfully before looking over to meet the watering eyes of his granddaughter. "You never did learn, but you did know how to knock them down."

A haste tear trailed down her cheek, a weak smile growing upon her lips as he chuckled, standing to his feet as he trudged over to her.

"You have all the time in the world to cry, young one, smile." he spoke in a high tone.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his frame as she buried her face into his chest, "I miss you, papa."

The grey haired man chuckled once again, resting a hand atop of her head, "I never left, child." He sighed, pulling away from her a short distance as he went to wipe away at her cheeks.

She watched as his brows knitted together, peering down at his hand to find blood on his thumb. One of the women stood, walking over to take a hold of his hand. "Sy is gemerk..." she muttered, looking up to meet Karliah's red rimmed eyes.

The girl frowned, looking up at her grandfather, "What did she say?"

He didn't respond, only shaking his head in denial, "No, sy is nog steeds haarself."

"Sy het hom ontmoet." The man behind them called out, bringing his pipe to his lips once again, "You couldn't stop this."

Kweku finally met Karliah's gaze, her stomach falling in response to the solemn look he now held.

"What?"

She watched as her grandfather pulled away from her, treading back to his rocking chair. "There was something I always told you when you were younger, you were always sick of hearing it," he waved his hand around in emphasis, sitting down in the chair with a sigh. "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control."

The girl offered a perplexed expression. She looked between the men and women in the room before shaking her head, "I don't understand."

Kweku stared at her for a moment, sighing as wrung his hands together, "There is much your parents have kept from you, young one. And I promised I wouldn't be the one to tell you but... I fear it's grown time for you to know."

The curtain of beads suddenly rattled behind Karliah, turning, she found Papa Legba's familiar frame walking into the room. "Kweku Shango. How nice to see you again." his deep voice vibrated throughout the space.

Karliah looked between the two, "Dit is nie nodig nie, I am explaining it to her now," her grandfather spoke.

Legba's brows raised, almost amused by the situation. He nodded as he leaned against the brick wall, gripping the head of his cane as Kweku continued.

"You're aware of your grandmother, from your mother's side at least. Marie Laveau... she was granted life for eternity by Legba in return for an innocent soul each year. A year passed, then another, each providing him a soul from Marie... Then came the year your mother was born. Marie had yet to give him a soul, and so, he took Eshe," Kweku explained drearily.

Karliah's lips parted, looking over at the Loa in astonishment. Legba chuckled, "Don't look so sad, larenn. Your grandmother needed to keep up the end of the bargain somehow." he threw his hand up as he explained, an unfitting smile plastered on his lips.

"Although... after a few years, Eshe was brought back at the age of sixteen. She sought refuge in Miss Robichaux's Academy down in New Orleans, a haven for young witches as herself. Some time passed, and she met Ali, soon becoming pregnant with you,

"During that time, Legba had visited her, explaining that the reason she was brought back from the afterlife was to bear a child strong enough to lead the four chosen descendants - and in simple terms, become the strongest vodou queen to ever exist among us."

Kweku stood, making his way over to his granddaughter, "You were birthed to save the last of humanity, to save the earth you walk on, from the end of times."

Karliah stared at him, her gaze falling to the ground as she shook her head, "The man I saw... who was he?"

The old man looked over to Papa Legba. "It was only a matter of time before they found each other-"

"You led her to him." Kweku spoke in disbelief.

"I... did no such thing," Legba drawled comically, pushing himself off of the brick wall as he approached the two, "His power is beyond great measure - as is hers, hell, she's grown to be stronger than evil himself... It isn't what you, or her mother or father want to hear - but they are connected."

The sudden crack of thunder filled their ears, beckoning everyone in the room to jump. Karliah frowned as she rushed over to the window, finding that the once clear, sunny sky, was now ridden with dark, grey clouds. Rain splattered onto the ground with great force, lightning striking in the distance.

"And it seems it's time for a visit," Papa Legba spoke as he approached her.

She whipped around, looking up at the Loa. "What?"

"Hush now, child - close your eyes." he instructed, his hand lying upon her cheek as sleep fell upon her, leaving her to nothing but a familiar void of blackness.