“Oui, but you were invited. You did not go there on your own,” Madame Jeanette advises.
Superior Charles lifts his hand, commanding attention. “It says here that you need to visit a place where your two ancestors met and need three necromancers.” He sets the book down in his lap and looks up at Victor. “How would you accomplish this?”
“Can you view images from the past?” Victor asks Madame Jeanette.
“Of course,” Madame Jeanette affirms with a coy smile.
“Could you help me find where two of our ancestors have met?” Victor asks.
Madame Jeanette nods and sits back in her seat, sighing, “If I use my pipe, the others will know we are here.”
Victor twists his wrist while pointing a couple of fingers into the air. The air starts to swirl above them, causing an inward suction.
Madame Jeanette raises an eyebrow. “Impressive.” She pulls out her pipe and looks at Superior Charles. “Would you give a lady a light,mon ami?” Superior Charles snaps his fingers and lights the pipe. She looks over at Victor and studies him as she takes several puffs, preparing the tobacco. She inhales deeply and exhales the smoke onto the table.
Madame Jeanette slowly places her hands on the table as she gazes into the smoke. “I see pyramids. They are here, in Mexico.”
“There are at least 10 places, maybe more,” Victor informs.
Madame Jeanette slightly tilts her head as she continues to examine the smoke. “I see two, close together. One has a sun over it, the other a moon. And there is a street with dead souls.”
Victor perks up as he understands what Madame Jeanette is seeing. “That sounds a lot likeTeotihuacán.” He sits back in his seat. “I always wondered if my family genealogy went back to the Aztecs. But now, discovering Derek’s ancestors could have intermingled with mine makes my skin crawl.”
“Maybe you’re cousins,” Superior Charles says with a sneer. Victor gives Superior Charles a pointed look, and Madame Jeanette giggles as she whips the smoke away.
“You take that back,” Victor demands in a low tone.
Superior Charles lets out a husky chuckle as he looks back down at the book. “Now, where are you going to find three necromancers, as the book says?”
Victor looks at both of them. “Well, there are the two of you, and I know where I can find a third who can help.”
Madame Jeanette clasps her hands and leans on the table. “How did you get your hands on this book?”
Victor brushes off some dirt from his sleeve. “Someone told me about it.”
“Was it Wren?” Madame Jeanette probes, lifting an eyebrow.
“Maybe,” Victor responds secretively. “Also, I’m starting to get tired of this target on my back. If I’m anything like my grandmother, then I’ll do whatever it takes to find out who’s trying to harm me.”
Present day . . .
It’s late into the night, and the gift shop is dark. A mirror on a wall starts to glow and go hazy. Eddie steps through and looks around. “All clear.”
Superior Charles and Madame Jeanette come through, each holding a box with ingredients. Victor and Leo are carrying Derek.
“Fuck, he’s heavy,” Victor says as he’s adjusting Derek’s weight.
“Try having him fall asleep on you,” Leo responds as he sets down Derek’s legs. “Okay, we can stop carrying him.” Victor sets Derek on the floor, and Leo lifts Derek off the ground with his Air Magic.
Victor gives Leo a disgruntled look. “You couldn’t do that to bring him through?”
“I didn’t want my magic to trigger anything in the mirror realm,” Leo replies. “Now, where are we exactly taking him?”
Victor gestures to head out. As everyone walks outside, Victor looks at the dark figures of the pyramids in the distance. “The road between the two pyramids.Avenida de los Muertos.”
As they make their way down the trail, several people start to appear, holding candle lanterns. The flicker of the flames reflects on their faces. The people watch in observance as Victor and the others walk toward the pyramids.
“Who are these people?” Victor asks softly.
