Chapter Twenty-Six

I wasn't a fool. Before I left, I went to my room and slung on my potion vest. Then I kissed Binx and hurried out. There was one problem. I didn't have my car. So, I went into Darius's room and found his keys on the dresser near the door. I snatched them up and ran downstairs. Luckily, his car keys were marked with the manufacturer's emblem. I could have taken the Rolls, but that felt rude. I went with the silver SUV instead.

On the way to the bar, I tried to formulate a plan. I couldn't go striding in the front, but if I wanted to sneak in, I'd have to park somewhere else. Maybe the convenience store a couple of buildings down. I didn't have time to cast an invisibility spell, and I wondered if that was why Michael had put a time limit on my arrival. Had he known that I wouldn't be able to cast a major spell and get there in fifteen minutes? Probably.

I parked at the convenience store, then went behind it and down the back alley to my bar. I knew that building like I knew my cat. There were three ways in—the front door, the side door, and the ventilation system. There was access to the ventilation system on the roof.

I used a potion to float up to the roof, then opened the hatch. The bar was on the ground floor of an old building and it had an odd ventilation system that included a ventilation shaft—a vertical tunnel that ran down, through all the floors. The building was seven stories high, so I had to climb down an equivalent amount of rungs on the ladder inside the shaft, past ducts that led to the other floors. At the bottom, there were ducts that led to my bar. And they were just big enough for me to pull a Mission Impossible .

Carefully, I climbed through the duct, placing my hands and knees gently to not make a sound. When I finally reached the vent that let air into the main part of the bar, I peered through it at an angle. The vent was high on the wall, giving me a great view. Michael stood in the center of the bar and in the center of a group of the Host. He had my employees with him. One of the Host had Wreck-It tied to a chair and a knife held to his throat. Ralph did not look pleased. Not scared either. More annoyed.

I paused.

I had planned on going in through my office, but what good would that do? As soon as I came out, they'd see me and there would go the element of surprise. No, I needed that element on my side. But maybe another one could help me too.

At Hound Mansion, I had prepared something special. Something my aunt had taught me and I had never thought to use. She wanted me to practice Vodou, but it never felt like the right path for me. Still, I had given it a shot for her, and I was glad I had. A lot of Vodou spells come in handy, and this one had the potential to end a war.

Out of the largest pocket in my vest, I pulled a clay jar. The outside was engraved with strange symbols and the clay was infused with magic. This was not a potion jar. It was empty. But not for long.

I laid on my side, needing to be as comfortable as possible to focus on Michael. Michael, not Antonio. I pulled the cork on the jar. Quietly, in less than a whisper, I chanted the words my aunt had taught me. I called upon spirits that may or may not walk the world—I mean, the Greek Gods were real, but that didn't mean the Lwa weren't. In Vodou, it was believed that humans who did great things in life became intermediaries between God and the living upon death. These spirits would assist you for the right price. Now, knowing what I did about Cerberus teams, I wondered if the Lwa were powerful spirits who had managed to evade Hades and his hounds.

It didn't matter. I called upon them because it was part of the spell, not because I believed in them. And that was what was great about Vodou. You didn't have to believe for it to work. You just had to have the magic inside you. And I did.

I stared at Michael, envisioning the invading spirit inside his stolen body. I chanted. I summoned. Be it power or spirits, I didn't care. As long as this worked.

Michael suddenly looked up. He shouldn't have been able to see me, but he seemed to meet my stare. I didn't even flinch. I was too lost to the magic. Vodou is different from any other spellwork. It had a sharper taste. A colder touch. Hard to explain, but it was the difference between walking through the woods on a sunny summer day or running through them on a bleak winter's night.

I ran. My magic stretched out its icy fingers.

“Not happening,” Michael snarled and stomped toward the vent until he stood directly below it. “Know that this is a strategic withdrawal, Amélie. It doesn't mean you won.” And then he waved his hand in a twirling motion. “Everyone out! Now!”

And then he ran.

My magic tried to follow Michael, but without an initial lock on his soul, it failed. With a hissing sound in my ears, the power withdrew back into the ether. Or the waters, if you're being true to Vodou.

I fell onto my back, panting, as my employees cheered and rushed to untie Ralph. They'd have questions. Mainly, why Michael had left. And I didn't have answers. So, I had to lie. I had to pretend that I hadn't been here. Michael had been acting insane anyway. Talking to a vent and then abruptly leaving wasn't outside the realm of possibility. So I'd crawl further and go in through the vent in my office, then enter the bar as if I had just arrived.

In a minute. I had to catch my breath first.