“Very well,” Mélanie said, and extended her hand to bind the ghost to me.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Iscratched the nape of my neck, trying to dispel the sense of discomfort creeping around within me. It had been hours since Mélanie bound Louise and me, but I still hadn’t gotten used to the sensation of a ghost sitting inside my head.
Moving.
Chattering.
Peeking into my private memories.
I’d already come to the conclusion that Louise was a less than ideal guest.
Eva, on the other hand, appeared at ease with Claude.
Spin it,I told myself, and reached for something positive.At least we have a chance at keeping the royals from controlling us.
“Considering how much Mélanie charged for so little time, I think I might have to contemplate a new business venture.” La Voisin studied me as the carriage we’d hired to take us to the Louvre Palace came to a halt. “Of course, that will be after I see how well you take to the ghost. So far, it isn’t looking good.” She shook her head as if she actually cared. “I don’t want my clients in distress. If the experience isn’t good, they won’t pay.”
Apparently, I wasn’t hiding my unease as well as I thought.
“Yeah, you okay?” Eva placed her hand on mine.
“Fine. Just not used to her yet,” I reassured my friend as I twisted to face her. “How do I look? Like someone who would stroll around court?”
“Perfect. Me?”
“Your style’s on point.” I winked.
We were both dressed to the nines and ready to search the Louvre Palace for the witches who called Lucifer and Ishtar master. Our plan was to nudge them into thinking we were one of them. La Voisin was sure that they would want to check for themselves by infiltrating our minds.
It still puzzled me that the royals would teach someone to do this, but I suspected it was so they’d have a presence within the powerful court—a say in what the king of France did. Truly, their motives didn’t matter. As long as Eva and I could keep Monsieur Renard and Louise de La Vallière out of our minds, that was all that mattered to me.
“Remember, loves,” Morgan said as the driver stepped off his platform to come open the door. “Let me and La Voisin do most of the talking. At least until we find Louise de La Vallière and Monsieur Renard. Just watch and pay attention to what’s happening. If we’re lucky, the witches will try to gain information on you before we even tell them who you are. Then you can practice without outing yourself.”
We nodded just as the carriage door opened, and a man extended a hand. “Apologies for the rough journey, mademoiselles and mesdames. The streets are a mess.”
“No apologies needed,” I replied as I gave the young driver a winning smile. “Thank you.”
We paid him and approached the palace. I’d been to the Louvre before, but in the era of the Sun King, what was now a world-renown museum looked different. In the future, it was hard to visualize the grandness of the palace through all the tourists, but not now.
The building itself looked brighter, cleaner. Most notably, however, was the lack of the glass pyramid that stood in front of the modern day museum. In place of the art installation people milled about an open space, gossiping and laughing, while soldiers watched dutifully.
“What are we going to do about all the guards?” I couldn’t imagine that we would be allowed to simply walk around a royal palace. Particularly with King Louis XIV in residence. “Won’t they stop us?”
La Voisin chuckled. “I’ve already made arrangements. One of my best clients, Madame Montespan, is vying to become the king’s favored mistress. She lives nearby and spends much of her time at the palace as a lady-in-waiting to the queen.”
“She’s close to the queen and wants her husband?” Eva’s blue eyes widened. “That’s cold.”
“Very backstabby,” I agreed.
La Voisin laughed. “She will one day prevail, no doubt. The king is hardly known for his chastity. However, my client’s biggest problem is not King Louis, but his favored mistress of the moment, Louise de La Vallière. She is the very witch you seek, Nora.”
“Right.” Eva huffed out a breath, “France really needs to come up with a new name to fall in love with . . . So many Louis and Louises!”
“So what do you do for Madame Montespan?” I asked, not wanting to get off track.
“Black masses. Poisons. Even potions.” La Voisin shook her head. “The silly girl thinks after she becomes the favored mistress, she can entice His Majesty to leave the queen. A most foolish idea. My methods are powerful, but the ties that bind nations and keep the peace are much stronger.” She shrugged. “I’ve told her such things. That she should be happy to grace the king’s bed when he calls, but she won’t listen. She claims every time she talks to the king, he seems just a bit more enamored with her.”
