Chapter 4

Luna

Why was I here? What was I even doing?

I had woken up that morning feeling out of sorts, but not like before. While thoughts of Joshua’s potential betrayal still racked almost every thought, there was something else there. My mind kept going back to yesterday, to that stupid shop, and to that strange man. I had no reason to believe he was telling the truth. People in that line of business made their money off of reading people, from reading between the lines and manipulating people into telling too much. Then they told them what they wanted to hear, and pocketed the money.

But I hadn’t wanted to hear that Joshua was cheating on me. And while I had absolutely no reason to trust that Mr. Broussard was telling the truth, that he did in fact possess the gift of psychic ability, I could not find it in me to not believe him. Logic be damned.

I had been walking the French Quarter sidewalks for nearly half an hour now, trying to convince myself to stop being an idiot and just go home. What was the point? Why was I even considering going back? Yet, here I stood, across the street from the darkened shop that barely stood out against the flash and glamor of the rest of the shops lined up.

“Oh, what the hell,” I finally sighed with utter exasperation at my ridiculousness. Looking both ways, I cautiously crossed the busy street, horns blazing, as I interrupted the flow of traffic. Before I could convince myself of any other option, I opened the door, the loud bell overhead filling the room like a gunshot.

“Why yes, Mrs. Michaud, I can certainly provide you with a—” Sebastien’s deep, sonorous voice cut off abruptly as the bell sounded. I could see him behind the little desk at the back of the shop, speaking with someone. I winced at the intrusion, and had almost decided to turn around and leave when he addressed me.

“Well, if it isn’t Luna Landry. Come for another reading, ma chère ? You wait right there. I’ll be with you in a moment.” He indicated a small bench set against one wall. I moved to obey before I even fully processed his words. Pausing for a moment, I wondered why I so easily followed his direction.

“Oh no Mr. Broussard, I just—”

“I said, I will be with you in a moment, Ms. Landry.”

I shut my mouth with an audible click and lowered my gaze, feeling a blaze of blush cover my chest and face. Had I done something wrong? Was he upset that I’d come back? Had I offended him yesterday by being so flippant about his business?

What is wrong with you, Luna? You don’t owe this guy anything. He’s just a shop owner who makes money pretending to read people’s fortunes.

Yet I was here, wasn’t I? I’d come back, although I still couldn’t quite put my finger on exactly why. And try as I might, I couldn’t deny that his sharp tone had immediately made me want to fix whatever I’d done to make him mad at me. I bit my lower lip nervously and kept my eyes on the floor as I listened to him finish up with his customer.

“Here you are Gra-mere , the mojo you requested. Have your grandson place this in his room before he fills out his college application, and keep it on his person until he gets his acceptance letter. For it will be an acceptance letter.”

“Thank you, Oungan Broussard. Spirits bless you.” I risked a glance up as the woman left. A puff of thin, cloud-like curly white hair framed a face of mahogany skin, and a satisfied smile lit her face as she clutched a small package. Whatever a mojo was, this woman had obviously bought it hook, line, and sinker.

My gaze slid inexorably back to Sebastien as he moved around the desk and towards me. I swallowed my nerves and tried to give him a smile, and he smiled back at me. It was as though a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, a lightness entering me that replaced the anxiety that had threatened to cripple me over my doubts as to Joshua’s fidelity. I did not know why Mr. Broussard would evoke such a thing inside of me, but I decided not to question it.

“I’m sorry for barging in here like that, Mr. Broussard. I didn’t mean to interrupt a sale.” I said, standing to meet him as he approached. He tsked at me before responding.

“Think nothing of it, chère . Thank you for waiting as I finished my business.” He stopped right in front of me, and that sense of looming I’d felt yesterday returned. It made me feel small, vulnerable, and a little uneasy, like a mouse being watched by a cat.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I bit off a small yelp as I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down in shock to see a cat the color of a starless midnight sky, peering up at me with piercingly golden eyes as he wound around my feet. I giggled in relief and at how silly I was being.

“Please excuse Toulouse. He has a penchant for annoying my guests.” Sebastien said, bending down to pick the cat up and hold it in the crook of one arm, petting with the other hand. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that he positively enjoyed it!”?

I reached forward to scratch Toulouse on his forehead. “He’s gorgeous. I just wasn’t expecting him, that’s all.”

Sebastien grunted noncommittally and began walking back towards his desk. “So, Ms. Landry, what brings you back into my shop? Have you changed your mind about the Occult and Voodoo? Have you admitted to yourself that you want the power I can give you? Or are you simply seeking opportunities to further ridicule things so far beyond your ken you can’t even begin to grasp them?”

I gulped and looked down. Great, you DID upset him yesterday. “Oh no, Mr. Broussard. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this place since yesterday. I’m still not sure I believe in all of this,” I gestured around us and through the doorway to the reading room, “But I cannot deny that I found it fascinating. And a little frightening. I was hoping to, maybe, learn some more about what you do? Like, what’s a mojo , or a juju ? What is an Oungan , exactly? What’s so special about the little dolls?” I cut off, realizing that I was rambling. I winced, feeling like an idiot, but when I glanced over at him, he was smiling even wider at me.

“It seems I have piqued your interest in the deeper truths of Voodoo, chère . Some of the things you ask can be answered simply, and some touch on deeper, darker truths that I do not share with anyone not initiated into the faith.” He crossed his arms across his chest and regarded me. “Remain at my shop for a while today. Observe my work. Peruse what I offer. Perhaps you will begin to understand a fraction of the truth.”

He began to walk away, then turned back towards me for a moment. “Oh, and call me Bash. Sebastien, or Mr. Broussard, are both so… formal. Perhaps someday I will give you something else to call me, but for now, call me Bash.”

I nodded, suppressing the urge to run, to get away from this place. It was unsettling in a way I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But somehow, it was also alluring, like a forbidden fruit. Like the thrill you get from cheating on a test and getting away with it. “Okay, S… uh, Bash. I’ll stay for a while. I promise not to be a bother.”?

Bash nodded and gestured for me to follow as he headed back towards the back of the shop where his desk was. We passed the beaded doorway that led to the reading room, and I glanced inside to see all the candles currently extinguished. It had to be a lot of work to light each of them when a customer came in.

“I must admit, a good portion of my day can be quite… mundane, shall we say? There are several things I have to take care of at the moment; brewing potions, enchanting charms and the like. I will be in and out for a bit. Look around to your heart’s content, but do not touch without permission.” I nodded, biting my lower lip, and he exited to the back room, leaving me alone.

Over the next couple of hours, Bash was in and out as he had said he would be, sometimes engaging me in conversation for a few minutes, and sometimes seeming to ignore me completely. At one point I watched him make some mojos , which he explained were charms meant to bring the bearer some specific success, such as getting accepted into the college of your dreams.

A few hours into the day, Bash looked at his pocket watch and clicked his tongue. “I am expecting a customer in a few minutes for a reading. I need to finish up here.” Feeling a twinge of regret, I nodded my acceptance.

“Today has been… interesting, Bash. I appreciate you allowing me to stay here for so long. You didn’t have to do that. I’ll get my things and let you get on with your business. I’ve taken up too much of your time already.” I moved to gather my things, but the feel of his long, surprisingly strong fingers on my shoulder made me stop and glance at him. His smile, sinister as it was, made something flip-flop deep in my gut.

“I’d like you to stay for a while yet, chère . No better way to begin to understand the finer points of the Voodoo religion than to see it in action, hmm? Wait here while I prepare the room, then come when I call you. Understood?”

Almost without thought, I nodded my agreement, clasping my hands in front of me and standing quietly while he left the room. Only a few moments later, I heard his voice calling me to join him. As I moved towards the beaded doorway and through it, I was shocked to see all the candles lit and burning merrily, casting that now familiar dancing glow. Sebastien motioned for me to come to where he stood in front of a large swath of cloth draped across one corner of the room.

“Here Luna, come stand behind this curtain. Listen and observe as I assist this customer in uncovering the truth they seek, whatever that may be today. Be still and do not make a sound. I want this to be our little secret, hmm?”

I suppressed a grin and nodded agreement, stepping into the little alcove created by the thick curtains and the corner of the room. After all, my curiosity had been piqued.

And who could resist the opportunity to overhear someone’s dirty little secrets?