1503901092 by J.D. Horn

Author:J.D. Horn [Horn, J.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503901100
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2018-06-25T22:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

The warmth and humidity of the early fall air lessened as Evangeline rose above Vieux Carré rooftops, dim islands in a sea of neon light. She left behind the scent of Rampart Street piss, swooped down over Armstrong Park’s lemony, peppery, ever-blooming rose garden, then struggled up on uncertain wings into the cold air currents. Winds wearing the muddy perfume of the Mississippi drove her forward as she angled northeast. She navigated using the speeding flares of headlights on Highway 10 as beacons, though her destination was unknown to her. The destination didn’t matter. She’d been called to the sky, and she couldn’t resist. At least not yet.

Despite the city glare, despite the madness below and in her mind, stars still shone above her. She tried to hold on to her sense of self by scanning for familiar patterns through a still unfamiliar wider avian field of vision, but the time of night and time of year had colluded to send the Big Dipper north to fill its cup, even as they drove Orion’s belt below the horizon.

Cassiopeia ruled the sky.

Tonight, there had been no pain. In a single heartbeat, Evangeline had shimmered from one form to another. It was her reward, she knew, for the violence she’d given in to this afternoon.

She’d broken the windows of a single truck. Nobody had gotten hurt. And those idiots had sure as hell earned themselves a wakeup call. Evangeline knew these were rationalizations—she had knowingly committed an act of violence, and worse, she’d enjoyed it. Her painless transition tonight was like a treat given to a pet who’d performed as its master desired. She was being trained, escorted step-by-step on a gradual descent into darkness. The timing of the freebie wasn’t lost on her either. They’d reached the end of the cycle. This was the last night this moon that the shift could be forced on her. She reasoned that it had to be. Otherwise her tormentors would’ve kept it up every night, wearing her down, trying to break her. Celestin and Margot weren’t letting up on her out of goodwill. They had no choice but to give her a breather, but they wanted to give her something to think about. The message was clear: last night’s change could be her last bone-cracking, painful shift. The choice was hers.

The twinkling lights of homes and shops below thinned, then disappeared. Grunch Road lay, or at least used to lay, not too far from here. She rose higher and drifted a bit south, trying to veer away from her suspected destination. She could sense her tormentors playing with her, letting her test boundaries for the pleasure of slapping her back on course if she strayed too far.

She felt the slack tighten as she approached the deserted remains of the amusement park.

The park had changed names a few years before Katrina, but she still thought of it as Jazzland, because that’s what Luc had insisted on calling it. Luc. His face, his black-blue eyes, surfaced in her memory.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.