“If you were outside the store and they quarantined it, wouldn’t you try to help the people?”
Miss Hettie walked over to the cabinets and pulled out a small pouch on a leather cord. “If you have your heart set ongoing to Chinatown. Even though you understand it might mean your death you should wear this under your blouse,” Hettie held it in front of her, waiting for permission to tie it around her neck.
Helena nodded then asked, “What is it?”
“This is White magic, called a grigri. It will protect you from evil and black magic.”
“Will it work?”
“Tell me next time you visit me.”
“Only if David isn’t here.”
“You’ve my open invitation to come see me anytime you want, David will not bother you again, he said his peace.”
Lane and Sigmund came through the short hallway where the two women were talking. “Let’s go,” Lane said.
Sigmund continued with more information, “We found a new lead. We’re going to a place called The Iron Clad, meeting a man there who goes by the name of Cade Storm.”
“No honey you can’t go there, that man’s a Bokor, a sorcerer, a user of black magic. Once you start using black magic, there’s no returning.”
“Miss Hettie, just like David will do anything to protect this neighborhood, I’m willing to do anything to protect these children.”
“Mistress Helena, you must be careful making declarations like that, a Bokor will ask you to do things, unnatural things for their help. If you must go to this man, this monster, do not take off your protection. No matter what he says or what he offers, you mustn’t remove that bag.”
“I promise,” Helena pledged.
Black Magic:
The trip to The Iron Clad was a short one. The streets deserted, those that could escape the city had, the others congregated in places of worship or sheltered in their homes. Even the police had abandoned the streets, leaving their posts to protect their loved ones or themselves. The criminal element had not discovered the easy picking of the city, or the fear of plague had chased them off the streets as well. There wasn’t much meat on the carcass of this part of town, but there was always someone who owned less.
The trio followed Pacific down just before the barricade that cordoned off the Barbary Coast. Helena was surprised the Iron Clad wasn’t included within quarantine zone. The streets deserted, Lane parked the car adjacent the front door, and outside stood two bodyguards wearing goggles and what looked like medieval plague masks. The long beaks of the masks made the two bouncers appeared like gigantic beefy birds. The weapons weren’t visible, but Helena was sure the two men could do a massive amount of damage with their bare hands. Lane reached the door first and pulled out a five-dollar gold coin, flipping it to the one on the right. The man immediately opened the door for the three.
Helena was surprised to find a party going on inside. The band played a strange kind of music with a syncopated beat she had never come across. She could see all the patrons were black, Helena and her two white escorts stood out like, well, like three white people in a building full of black people.
Sigmund and Helena hung back while Lane went up and spoke to the bartender. The music was too loud, Helena didn’t have a clue what words were exchanged between the two. She nervously felt her gift from Miss Hettie, feeling stupid she almost took it off but remembered her promise and left it lay between her breasts. The right words must have been spoken by Lane, the bartender called over a bar-back, and before Helena knew it, the trio was led to a broad staircase to the second floor. She inspected the opulence on display in what she ordinarily would consider a low-class dive, even the walls were covered with a red velvet flocked wallpaper, and crystal chandeliers hung over their heads.
Their escort stopped in front of a double set of doors with frosted glass set in the center. Another two giants dressed like the first two guards out front stood on either side of the door. The drone of music less here Helena listened the guide instruct the three.
“Only the woman is allowed,”
Sigmund immediately said, “Over my dead body,” his fists balled ready to battle his way out of the building.
Helena had already made up her mind to do whatever she needed to do to rescue the children from Chinatown. She rested her hand on Sigmund’s elbow stopping his attack before it happened. “It’s all right Sigmund, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Mistress I don’t think this is a good idea at all.”
“I said Sigmund, it will be fine.”
The escort opened the door, and Helena stepped through the two guards placing their meaty hands on Sigmund when he tried to follow.
“I know what I’m doing Sigmund, I will be fine,” Helena glanced over her shoulder and said as the doors shut in her face.
She turned astonished at the amount of gold leaf on display in the office though more aptly might be called a throne room. The strangest thing the room had been divided by yards of heavily draped tulle material giving the far side of the room and otherworldly ethereal feeling. Directly in front of the desk stood the most enormous Asian man Helena had ever seen, his eyes the strangest color of white like an ancient skull she uncovered in her parent’s study.
“So, you’ve come to ask for a favor, it must be something important to risk coming to talk to Cade Storm,” like Miss Hettie’s accent, Helena could tell this man came from France. His speaking much cleaner and more like her French tutor than Miss Hettie’s.
Helena took a few steps closer to inspect the sizeable Asian man standing like a great wall in front of the desk. The voice plainly wasn’t coming from him.
“I’m
