Voodoo Queens of New Orleans - Vol. I | ✓

Chapter 19: Friends On The Other Side

And the rational option was to keep Hezekiah Mercier alive.

Aza, fed up with everyone's childish bickering, silenced everyone with a hiss escaping between her teeth. I didn't move a muscle nor uttered a word as she neared me.

"I want you to accompany me," she told me.

"What?"

"I need to call upon a spirit in order to revive this sacred blade, and I want you to be my supplicant."

Kizzy, Rocio and Esther stared wide-mouthed. Miss Aza—one of the most influential figures in the Coterie and arguably in all Louisiana's voodoo Houses—wanted me to accompany her during the summoning of a Loa—a voodoo spirit. And I didn't know why. I was so used to Mama rejecting my propositions to be her 'supplicant' in her practice of voodoo that Miss Aza's decision to involve me was surprising. I stared at her and waited for the punchline, but it never came. Aza was serious.

"Her?" Rocio drawled out disgustingly. "Priestess, she isn't even a novitiate let alone part of a House."

"I agree," Kizzy added. I felt betrayed; Kizzy was almost always on my side. "Do you know how upset Madam Dumont would be if she were to find out that Lisa was a supplicant in the ceremony?"

"Lisa is an adult capable of making her own decisions," Miss Aza argued. "She was the one that wanted to seek out a means of revenge upon Hezekiah and she's the one that traded something of hers for Aubade. It only seems right that she pose as my supplicant; Erzulie will be more convinced by our testament if Lisa attends."

I knew bits and pieces about Erzulie at the time—goddess of love, Loa (spirit) of sexuality, passion, pleasure, and prosperity. Aza revered her deeply; her House paid heavy reverence to Erzulie the most.

"So, this little 'ceremony,'" Jonathan said, "This is going to revive Aubade?"

"If Erzulie finds us worthy."

"That's a big 'if,'" Azari commented patronizingly. Miss Aza caught onto her tone quickly.

"Then go on and find another Mambo willing enough to bless a vampire-slaying dagger," she retorted. "If you want this to work, you do this my way. And that includes keeping Hezekiah alive until we get what we need out of him. Your lack of faith in the Loa will only hurt our chances, so I suggest you show a little respect to both me and the gods."

For once, the Silver Syndicate brought down their guard, knowing that Miss Aza was their best hope at getting close to Hezekiah. So, once Miss Aza knew that she had put them in their place, she asked me, officially, if I would be her supplicant in the ceremony to summon the goddess Erzulie.

I said yes.

**

We waited until Tuesday. Tuesday was one of the two sacred alter sessions for Erzulie.

Aza took me, Kizzy and Esther into the city while the rest of the Coterie were holding an "emergency meeting" about the growing vampire threat and what to do about the vampire hunters that were under their roof. Evander was well enough to travel, meaning that Mama was close to kicking the Silver Syndicate out; they gave the Coterie too much hope in dealing with the bloodsuckers. This made Jonathan impatient; he wasn't leaving without Miss Aza fulfilling her promise.

"Patience," Aza told Jonathan in her room as Mama argued with the rest of the Coterie outside. "I'm not going to rush our reverence to Erzulie because of your impatience."

At noon on Tuesday, we walked into a bakery nestled deep in the 9th ward, empty and quiet except for a few stragglers. The owner knew Miss Aza; she was the only Priestess with her House in the 9th ward. Everyone else had their Houses near or in the 5th ward where all the tourists were at.