Page 14 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
"What kind of artifacts?" I asked my hackles rose. Artifacts could cause more problems than a power-hungry jackass.
"Ceremonial masks, ritual objects, and..." She paused, eyes widening. "Plans for an underground network of crypts meant to connect all the major cemeteries. The project was officially abandoned, but the blueprints disappeared the same night as everything else."
A cold certainty settled in my gut as I stared at the blueprints. "The crypt network wasn't abandoned." My hand hovered over the yellowed paper Lucas had discovered. My sisters tensed around me as they realized what I was about to do. Noah moved closer, his presence steady and grounding as I steeled myself for what was to come. Taking a deep breath, I pressed my fingers to the brittle edge of the blueprint. The psychometric vision hit me like a physical blow, dragging me under.
Darkness surrounded me. It writhed with purpose, seeping through rough-hewn stone walls slick with age-old moisture. I was in the tunnels and torchlight flickered against wet stone. It cast dancing shadows that seemed to move independently of the flame. The air was thick with the copper-tang of blood magic. It made my magical senses recoil.
Hooded figures moved through the passages with purpose. Their robes were adorned with symbols I didn't recognize but knew were connected to channeling power. Something told me that was what they were doing. They were directing it deeper into the earth through a network of carved sigils that pulsed with sickly green light. The magic was corrupted. They twisted the original spells into something that violated the natural order.
Deeper and deeper the vision pulled me. I flew past chambers where dark rituals had left permanent stains on both the physical and magical world. I saw more hooded figures from different generations. They were all feeding power into whatever waited in the lowest depths.
Something ancient stirred in the deepest chamber. Or was it someone? It was impossible to tell. All I could say was it had been dormant but never truly sleeping. The magic was being absorbed by an entity that had been gathering strength since before my grandparents were born. Each ritual had fed it, and each sacrifice had made it stronger. And now... now it was nearly ready.
I ripped my hand away from the blueprint, gasping as the vision released me. Sweat beaded on my forehead and my hands trembled. "They've been feeding it," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "For generations. Whatever's down there – it's been growing stronger for over a hundred years."
"What is it? What did you see?" Noah asked as he ran a hand up anddown my back.
"The crypts are real." My voice shook slightly. "And there's something or someone down there. They've been feeding it and making it stronger."
"We need to check it out," Dre decided. I blinked and looked over at her. One part of my brain noted that the pixies had arrived at some point and were working on the trees. The bigger part was wondering if my oldest sister was insane. Surely, she didn't want to go down into some creepy tunnels searching for some monster.
"We’ve officially lost our minds," Kota said with a shake of her head. The others nodded in agreement. “Let’s get this show on the road.” It was comforting knowing we had so many of us to support one another. With the Six Twisted Sisters going in together, we stood a chance of coming out with all of our limbs. After all, we faced down an evil loa, stopped his magical hurricane, and lived to tell the tale.
The drive to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was tense. My magic grew more agitated with each mile. By the time we parked, it felt like lightning under my skin. I swear it was trying to warn me about what waited in the darkness. The familiar magic of the dead brought comfort to Dea, but terrified me. Knowing we were surrounded by spirits I couldn't see, made me uneasy enough. Add the entity below and I was surprised I didn't run away screaming.You aren't running because that's not what Smith women do.My inner voice was right about that. It was why the six of us had become the paranormal detectives in New Orleans.
"There." I pointed to a crypt that looked ordinary at first glance. But my vision taught me better. Which was a good thing because it wasn’t like the stone thrummed with hidden power or the air around it rippled with unnatural energy to tell us where the entrance was located. "They're using their void magic here too."
Dre's telekinesis probed the structure while Noah andLucas kept watch. Their enhanced senses were on high alert for any threat. They moved with predatory grace, positioning themselves between us and the deepening shadows. Phi was no doubt cataloguing everything so she could document it later. It was Dea I was watching closely. The spirits in New Orleans tended to get restless when shit went down. I didn’t need to wet my pants because one caught me off guard.
"The foundation extends at least fifty feet down," Dre reported. How she gathered that information from her power was beyond me. "And there is a network of tunnels. Big ones."
"That isn't on any of the official cemetery plans," Noah observed. "Even the historical archives don't show anything this extensive. How the hell had the Society kept this hidden for so long?
“By killing people and using their stolen power," Lia replied.
“Alright, I'm going to move the door to this tomb and see if there’s an entrance,” Dre warned us.
We all nodded, and a low rumble shook the ground. The crypt's door swung open to reveal a stairway descending into darkness. The air that wafted up carried the stench of the dead and the unmistakable tang of blood magic.
"Dea?" I glanced at my sister. "Any spirits warning us to stay away?"
She shook her head, but her expression was troubled. "They're actually quiet. Too quiet."
"That's worse than being surprised by one of them," I grumbled as Noah and Lucas went down first, their enhanced vision better suited to the inky darkness. The stone steps were worn smooth from age, slick with moisture that seemed to collect increasingly with the humid heat from above.
I clung to Lia's hand as we picked our waycarefully down each step. The sound of our sisters close behind was a comfort. Dre cast a protection spell over our group about halfway down, making me want to kick myself for not doing one sooner. The air grew thicker as we descended. It was heavy with the weight of stolen magic. There was also a presence that made my magic coil tight beneath my skin.
"The walls," Phi whispered as her free hand trailed along the stone. "There are symbols carved everywhere." She was right. Even in the dim light of the ball of fire she had conjured, I could see intricate patterns etched into every surface. Were they causing my urge to run? Or was that my flight or fight kicking in?
Dea suddenly stopped, causing Kota to bump into her. "The spirits," she breathed, her voice tight. "They're screaming. But they’re muted like they're under water."
"I bet that whatever's down here," I said, tightening my grip on Lia's hand, "is blocking their voices."
The stairway curved deeper, spiraling down until my sense of direction was completely scrambled. The temperature dropped with each step until our breath misted in the air. The stone beneath our feet changed, too. It almost felt as if we were descending into the mouth of some ancient beast. Or that could be my overactive imagination.
Finally, the tunnel opened into a vast chamber that made my magical senses reel. We each conjured a ball of our witch fire. Our combined light barely penetrated the darkness. What we could see was enough to stop us in our tracks. The ceiling soared into shadow and was supported by columns carved with scenes. Each pillar told a story. They weren’t ones I wanted to read. In these, the figures writhed in poses that might have been ecstasy or agony. It was hard to tell because their faces seemed to be frozen in eternal screams.
Elaborate ritual circles covered every surface. Their edges flowed together in a hypnotic dance that made my head spin.The designs weren't static, either. They pulsed with a sickly green light that followed our movements. It was as if the very walls were watching us. The magic here was like a beautiful song played one key off.
