Page 68 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
Kaveh stepped forward, with desert heat shimmering around his hands. "I can locate the entrance using my djinn powers."
Dre's eyes narrowed immediately. "And what would we owe you for this service?" she asked cautiously. "We know better than to accept anything from a djinn without clarifying the cost."
Kaveh's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Normally wise, but in this instance, consider it a professional courtesy. Kaitlyn would never forgive me if I tried to trick her friends into a binding debt."
"No tricks, no favors owed," Dre clarified firmly.
"None," he confirmed with a formal nod. "You have my word."
"Then lead the way," I said, gesturing toward the opera house.
We followed Kaveh through the maintenance entrance, watching as he snapped his fingers. Golden sparks flew from his hand and revealed hidden sigils invisible to the naked eye. He pressed one of them and a doorway appeared. Beyond it was a passage that descended steeply.
The door vanished when we stepped through it. The passage twisted through the foundations of the historicbuilding. The air grew heavier with each step. It started pressing against my skin like a physical weight. My magic stirred restlessly beneath my skin when I sensed the danger ahead.
"Here," Phi announced as she stopped before what appeared to be a solid wall. "The reading is strongest behind this."
Kaveh stepped forward and pressed a small carved rose. It caused the wall to slide away with a grinding sound. Beyond lay a chamber fitting of Delacroix. The circular room was dominated by a raised stone platform. Atop it rested what could only be Delacroix's original body. It was eerie to think it was preserved in a state between life and death.
He had enclosed his body in a crystalline container that pulsed with magical energy. The body itself was that of a middle-aged man. His features matched the portrait we'd seen in his hidden vault. His skin had a waxy, unnatural pallor, but I could see faint movement in his chest. He wasn't dead, merely suspended.
"It's him," Dea whispered. "The original Armand Delacroix."
"He's been waiting here all this time," Dani added, "while his consciousness moved from vessel to vessel."
“Yep, and now it’s time to burn him,” Dre interjected.
We formed a circle around the raised platform, each sister taking a position. Kaitlyn and Kaveh stood between us, reinforcing our magical circuit. The obsidian box containing the locket was placed in the center of the crystal coffin. Phi had the modified mask in her bag for when we faced Kenneth.
"Everyone ready?" Dre called out.
We nodded in unison and then extended our hands toward the center. I focused my power, feeling my strength flow through me like liquid fire. Around us, each sister began to glow with her unique magical signature.Dre's was pale pink like her fire. Dani's yellow like her fire. Lia was amber. Phi was bright green. And Dea's was purple. Mine was magenta.
"Now," Dre commanded.
We channeled our combined power in perfect synchronization. My magic surged forward, joining with my sisters' power in a blinding fusion of energy. The obsidian box containing the locket levitated into the center of our circle as Kaitlyn began a complex incantation. Her voice resonated with power.
"On three," Dre commanded, her voice steady despite the crackling energy surrounding us. "One... two... three!"
As the box opened, the locket rose into the air, spinning rapidly. Its golden surface began to blacken and warp as our combined magic assaulted it. A high-pitched keening sound filled the chamber. The fragment of Delacroix's original soul was screaming in protest as we stripped away its protections.
"Don't let up!" Lia shouted, her amber witch-fire intensifying as she poured more power into our circle.
The locket's chain melted away first, dripping molten gold onto the stone floor. Then the outer casing began to crack, revealing an inner chamber that glowed with sickly green light. Within it, something dark and viscous pulsed like a beating heart. It was the soul fragment itself.
Kaitlyn and Kaveh added their power to ours. Kaitlyn's pristine white magic and Kaveh’s djinn energy created a perfect counterpoint to our family magic. With a sound like shattering glass, the locket finally burst apart. The soul fragment wailed as it was exposed. It was a horrific sound that wasn't quite human. It tried to flee, stretching tendrils of darkness toward the crystal container holding Delacroix's body.
"Now!" Dre commanded.
Our united magic surged forward, creating a bridge ofpure energy between the soul fragment and Delacroix's preserved form. The moment they touched, both erupted in supernatural flames that ranged in every color of the rainbow. The body contorted unnaturally as the centuries-old preservation spells broke down. Its waxy features twisted in a silent scream.
Kaveh grabbed Kaitlyn and teleported her away. He was taking her to be with Eleanor. The crystal container cracked, and then shattered as the magical flames consumed everything within. The spectacle was both beautiful and terrifying. Six different colored flames danced together in perfect harmony, burning away centuries of dark magic.
The body's destruction sent a magical shockwave that we all sensed simultaneously. It knocked us backward with the force of a hurricane. The concussive blast of power radiated outward in visible rings of energy. By sheer force of will, we maintained our circle. We kept our fingers interlocked so tightly our knuckles turned white. We refused to break our connection.
Together, we weathered the storm. There was noise beneath the chaos. It was like tuning into a radio frequency. There was static at first that gradually resolved into something coherent. A message rippled outward from the burning remains. It was a desperate summoning meant for Society members. It contained a location and a plea for immediate aid.
"He's at Alexis's mansion," I gasped as I realized who that was. "He's trying to recover and continue the ritual. He thinks he can still ascend."
