Arise by Tara Hudson

Author:Tara Hudson
Language: eng
Format: MOBI, mobi, epub
Publisher: Harper Collins, Inc.
Published: 2012-06-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter

EIGHTEEN

The instant Joshua announced our arrival, a thousand goose bumps—real ones—erupted across my skin. I clung tightly to his back, not sure I wanted to move forward. Ever.

But eventually, Joshua’s stillness and my curiosity got the best of me. I leaned to one side to peek around him. Then I reeled backward.

As promised, a tall, bloodred crypt loomed to our left. The pathway it faced intersected another row, which bore the dining-table headstone that Gabrielle had mentioned, along with more standard, shoulder-level tombs.

And there, waiting in the intersection of these pathways—looking every bit the Voodoo priestess—stood Gabrielle.

A small fire burned in a metal pot at her feet and illuminated her from below, casting mysterious shadows across the planes of her face. This lighting somehow made her look older. More powerful. Her loose, floor-length dress shifted in the wind, as did her wild hair. She caught my eye and raised an arm in welcome; her other arm was occupied, holding a large, vine-wrapped black book.

A family Bible, the same kind of item I’d seen Ruth use in her exorcism rituals. Not necessarily a sign of good things to come.

Gabrielle beckoned again with one hand, signaling us to join her.

“It’s almost midnight,” she called. “Let’s get started. Amelia, I’m going to need you at the center of this ring.”

I looked down to where she had gestured. There on the ground, drawn in a broad circle that encompassed both Gabrielle and her small fire, was a ring of dust.

Voodoo dust.

I shook my head vigorously. “You do realize there’s no way I’m stepping into that thing, don’t you? I mean, even if I could.”

Gabrielle laughed low.

“This isn’t banishing powder. This is the protective stuff. It keeps out whatever means us harm.” As if to demonstrate, she lifted her arms and spun around, letting the gauzy hem of her dress twirl with her. “We’re safe in here, to do whatever we like.”

Still unconvinced, I frowned. “What about Joshua?”

Gabrielle shook her head. “He needs to stay out of the circle since he isn’t a part of the ceremony.”

Joshua wrapped his arm around my waist and gave me a slight hug. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m right here, watching. If anything goes wrong … I’ll be here.”

I hugged him back, not wanting to tell him that I wasn’t worried that I would need his help; I was worried that he would need mine. But he looked so intent, so certain, that I nodded.

“All right. I’ll give it a try.”

“Good,” Gabrielle said, sounding relieved. “Now hurry. We don’t have a lot of time left.”

I stepped forward reluctantly while Gabrielle knelt to arrange a collection of items at her feet. She placed the first—a small, portable stereo—just outside the circle. When she noticed me watching her, she gave a one-shouldered shrug.

“Drums,” she explained. “Since it’s just me, we’ve got to make do with recorded drumming.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling incredibly out of my element. “Drums. Of course.”

As Gabrielle arranged the other items—a small bowl, a plastic bag full of dried

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