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Standing with his arms out stretched in his oratory, Paul waited. The sounds which he mumbled had no semblance to prayer, no semblance to words. His arms dropped to the sides of his filthy shirt. He had only hours ago had a vicious argument with his mother about his austerity. His brother took his mother's part. He never felt so distanced from his saint's voices. Try as he would he could not hear one word, not a whisper from them It was late and he was frantic Jamie sill hadn't shown up, and he was terror stricken he never would never again.
Silence, it was madding, nothing but silence surrounded him. Paul felt abandoned by God, by everyone.
He had seen Jamie earlier in the day as he always saw him doing his house hold chores.
Jamie had seemed distanced, full of day dreams. Paul's mother, Marie, who usually strove to be patient with her slaves was so rattled from her fight with Paul she slapped Jamie calling him a lazy good for nothing who should be sold to a new master for the crime of dropping a pottage cook had made for her.
Paul hadn't said a word in Jamie's defense, nor had Jamie tried to defend Paul when his mother insisted Paul clean himself up.
Falling to his knees in defeat, Paul refused to take comfort in the fact Christ suffered too. Christ couldn't possibly understand the pain of loss he was in. Leaving the wooden man behind, Paul got on his horse
He rode through the slaves quarters. He felt too intimidated to shout Jamie's name. Black faces stared up at him. He writhed under their resentment. He went further into the woods.
Pounding beats from tam-tams ripped the misty, humid air to pieces. Women and men were dancing in a clearing. Their jet black bodies glittering in the glow of a huge bonfire. Leaping and swaying, they held snakes twisted around their arms. Their hips gravitating obscenely. A huge black man, Dr. Rodin de Bones, seemed to have the ability to fly. So high were his jumps and his twistings in the smoky air. His mouth was distorted with prayers to Eurulie the spirit who rules over love, telling the spirit to take possession of the young boy dancing before him.
"Jamie, " Paul whispered in disbelief.
Jamie's legs slid out from under him Dr. Rodin de Bones dropped withering snakes on his slender undulating body. A keening sound of ecstasy came from Jamie's lips, his song keeping rhythm with the beating of the tam tams and the chanting voices around him.
Nauseated, Paul sped away.
He's the devil, the devil, Paul thought, his chest breaking with sobs He couldn't see, he rode his horse deeper and deeper into the woods. Everything spun around Paul, the trees making a canopy over him, blocking out the sky and the stars. He felt trapped.
A man, non it couldn't be a man was running through the trees. His hair was destroyed from the stylish coif it once had been in His dandyish clothes ripped. He fell hard on the ground, exhausted, heaving air coming from his lungs.
"Angel," Paul whispered in awe and horror. It was the angel he had seen when he as five years old.
The brilliant creature looked up at him where he had fallen. "Paul," Henri gaped.
Before Henri could tell Paul to run and escape the fate which was sure to fall on himself, another angel broke through the shadows. This one had auburn hair, a boy's beautiful face, and the cruel mouth of a thug. He threw himself on top of Paul's angel, pulling out a sword from his scabbard.
"What brings you to New Orleans cousin," Armand whispered, placing the sword at Henri's throat drawing blood.
"I'm here for the same reason you are, cousin. I'm here to try to convince Lestat not to commit yet another folly ," Henri said bravely.
"You can't stop Lestat any more than I can. Through I would love to try. Should I?" Armand whispered, sliding the sword across his throat, cutting through Henri's gold ascot.
Armand watched fascinated as blood seeped down Henri's chest. Redness soaking the brocade and the richness of Henri's expensive great coat. Armand's lust to kill was ready to explode. He had to take a deep breath so he could stop himself from cutting Henri's flesh any deeper.
"I shall not kill you my dear. I have a much better murder in mind," Armand taunted him, lecherously licking at Henri's blood, peeling away the wet ascot from his throat.
"You're raping me then? How flattering," Henri wheezed.
"You're little worth it sweet cousin through you be of the pretty sort. You like to be the man in these matters, oui? For me you'll consent to take the woman's passive role in our rough play" Armand laughed, "I'm bored and must have something to pass my night away with."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"And who are you to tell me what I should do," Armand laughed, taking the sword, placing it under Henri's ruffled shit, slicing it open. "Tell me? Why not pass the time with a good rape?"
"Here's why!" shouted a voice behind him
Paul almost fell off of his horse, A beautiful woman made of white mist; she was as white as the milky way hanging over head, kicked the foul ravisher right in the ass.
Armand went flying over Henri. Henri leaped up, running for Paul. "Son, you have to get away," he ordered, jumping behind Paul, taking the reins , holding on to Paul tightly, determined to get him to safety. However temporary that safety might be.
"Ha," Henri yelled galloping off.
"Ah sweet sister," Armand laughed, rubbing his backside. Turning around, grabbing Bianca by her slim wrist, Armand teased, "How touching of you to make this motherly display of protecting your fledging. Let the rogue fight his own battles with me."
Pulling Bianca along with him, Armand chased Paul's horse down. Pulling Paul off, Armand made Paul see the illusion of black wings spouting and then spreading out magnificently from his back.
"The little monk now has reason for celebration," Armand said hatefully, "I've been watching you. Do you know who I am?" he roared.
"You're, you're," Paul wept crossing himself.
Armand flapped is great illusionary wings," That's right my ripe little monk who is ripe for the taking. I'm the devil."
"Stop teasing the child," Henri yelled outraged, threateningly raising his walking stick to him.
Opening his mouth so Paul had the full witness of his fangs, Armand brought Paul to him savoring Paul's fear, his prayers he could hear racing though Paul's mind for his two angels to recuse him
"Angels," Armand laughed, "But my dear boy, they be but devils too like myself."
"It isn't true. What he is saying," Henri said, "Paul when I read you stories about Saint Francis so long ago, I didn't tell you I was an angel."
"When I saw you, talked to you," Paul stammered, "You were the reason I was first convinced that I would be a saint."
"A saint who let's a devil worshipper play with his sweet ass," Armand mocked his eyes glittering like Hectare's moon, "I've seen you with your black paramour. You've been nothing but possessed of Satan since the age of five."
"Armand leave the boy be. Stop it," Bianca implored him, "Don't make him pay my dark brother for what happened to you in Santino's cult, in Mairus' villa. He's innocent of the crimes you felt have been carried out against you."
"Silence sister, why can't I hate him? Him with his egotistical innocence. Do you know boy I was once a monk like you? A real one, not a pretend one," Armand hissed in a venomous voice, "I too danced to visions in my head caused not by God, but by cold and hunger. I painted those visions on canvas till I was raped in a slave ship. Visions," Armand said, "They fool you Paul. You've made a fool out of yourself thinking you're beloved of God."
"The voices in my head. Devil's The voices were the voices of devils?" Paul said weakly, "Insanity? Non, you're the father of lies."
"Listen to me Paul," Henri said, grabbing his arm, "You are not cursed. Those voices could very well be the voices of saints. Paul you have to understand this is real. You are not going insane. Armand let me have some time alone with the boy," Henri pleaded "To explain to him."
"To explain to him what we really are you fool? You breaker of laws. Let me have some time with this saint," Armand said savagely. Running thought the woods, Armand dragged Paul behind him.
Tree branches scratched and slapped Paul. His face became a mass of bruises and blood, his clothes barely protected his body. His stockings feel away in shreds. He lost his shoes.
"Look Paul. Look at your illusions," Armand cried, forcing him to see.
Slitting open the neck of a rooster, Jamie swung it around, the fighting bird's headless body struggling to get away to die someplace in peace. Sparks from the flames glittered around Jamie.
"He is the one who had spelled you," Armand said in a sad, deceiving voice. "It happens. I was seduced by a great witch called Marius. Only by killing him will you break the spell on you."
Letting Paul go to fall on his face, Armand laughed while Paul picked himself off of the ground. Running at Jamie, Paul slapped Jamie with his small riding whip, slapping him over and over again.
Jamie fell to his knees, he dared not protect himself. The other slaves dared not come to his aid least they be hung.
"You animal, you Satan," Paul wept, he scooped down picking up a doll Jamie had dropped.
The doll was made of straw and mud. Paul's stomach churned. The doll was also made from strings of blond hair.
"You witched me. I was never in love with you. You witched me," Paul wept, dropping the whip.
"Non, Paul please," Jamie said urgently, "What makes my Gods any less than your own? My prayers, my little dolls any less than your prayers, your little dolls of saints and virgins? I prayed and made a blood sacrifice to influence you to show me your love, or to leave me."
"How can I have show you any more love than I already have? Jamie, we come from too separate of worlds," Paul cried.
"Give me my freedom. We can go into the wilderness out west," Jamie pleaded.
"Non, you have seduced me with you tricks," Paul yelled, "The devil himself told me so."
"Would the devil advise you to the determent of another devil?" Jamie pleaded.
Falling to his knees, Paul embraced Jamie. "Hit me," Paul begged, "Forgive me. I panicked. I was trying to save myself. I let him deceive me that you were evil. He tried to turn me against you. He can't I won't let him. I love you. I want to love you. I want to chose to love you. We'll find a way to wash our sins away so the devil can't touch us. Jamie I saw the devil. He was beautiful. My angel I saw him too, and anther angel. They are weak. They are no use against him. Jamie we have to escape. Jamie, he means to kill us."
A gun shot sent all the slaves running into in the woods to hide.
Dr. Rodin de Bones tried to get Jamie to run away too. "You don't be needing to be messing here with this dead white boy. I tell you he be dead already." Dr. Rodin de Bones implored him.
"Non, I'm staying," Jamie said, trustingly to Paul. Louis stormed up to the three. Dr. Rodin ran away, hiding his face, fearing his master's anger.
Yanking up the riding whip where it had fallen, Louis hissed, "How did my brother get hurt. "Who did this to him and why?"
Paul twisted his arm out of Louis' hand. He swayed on his feet reaching for Jamie.
"Get to the main house immediately, Jamie," Louis ordered.
Gathering up a fainted Paul in his arms, he carried him on his horse to his house.
"Louis," Armand whispered from where he was hiding.
"Lestat's intended," Bianca whispered back.
"Isn't he magnificent. The way he takes control of a situation," came a voice from behind them.
A charismatic, tall, feline man smiled graciously at the them.
"And you would create another monster yet again?" Armand said sinisterly, "The boy seen us. And I demand the pleasure of killing them both."
"You can't," Henri said, reasonably, "Paul will think it's all a vision caused by seeing Jamie in these unfortunate circumstances."
"Bianca take yourself and your fledging back to the old world where you both belong," Lestat said pleasantly. "Armand mind your manners even for a former coven master you can be quite an embarrassment."
"Lestat, Bianca escorted me here so I could implore you to leave the man alone. You don't understand when Louis was fifteen I took all his imagination and his beliefs in the supernatural away from him. Louis will make a horrible companion for you." Henri said.
"And why did you do such a dastardly disservice to him?" Lestat said, genteelly playing with the lace on his sleeve.
"Louis was having fever mad dreams about you after you helped me save him from Armand's coven. He was going insane. It was the only way I could think of to save his poor mind. But if you reveal yourself, Louis will revert to being confused about what he really believes in. He will be conflicted between faith in God and his disbelief. His mood swings will be divistating. Armand is right, Louis will go insane"
"What do you think mademoiselle?" Lestat asked, favoring her with a wink.
"Is it love, monsieur?"
"Oui, it is true love," Lestat said sincerely, "From the first night I saved Louis and Nicky from Armand's coven I've been in love with the boy now grown to be such a splendid man."
"Then do what your heart tell you to do," Bianca said pleasantly, "And if your affair of the heart goes awry, kill him."
Lestat turned a bright angry red.
"How can it be love?" Henri cried. exasperated, banging his walking stick on the ground. "For pity's sake man, you have seen him but a hand full of times."
"It would seem some of us have been spying on him. I love Louis for his fire, his courage, and because he is a gentleman. I love him for his folly." Lestat declared, "How can one such as you Henri know about love? You who no one has ever fallen in love with."
Henri winced as if Lestat had hit him.
"No one has fallen in love with you at least who you would love back," Lestat said more charitably, "I will see this to the end one way or the other."
"Can you not see thanks to me he isn't the same boy you knew ten yeas ago who believed in God and mermaids?" Henri begged.
"And this is what makes Louis a splindid young man. I think you are exaggerating the consequences if I wed my blood to his body. It would be a pleasure," he smirked at Armand, "to have a lover not polluted with the belief in God and all those tried old principles. Nay, thanks to you my friend, my Louis will make for me the perfect companion. He has no God, so I will teach him how to be a god!"
"Yet another fledging to grace the nether world with," Armand said in a cracking, dry voice, "Lestat the blood you received from your maker Magnus has to be tainted. Look at the fledglings you have brought into this world. Gabrielle--mad as a hatter. Nicky--he stumbles about like a drunken idiot telling everyone he's a vampire, and he can make them into vampires too. I will not allow you to put another crazed monster on the devil's road!"
"I'll give Louis less of my so-called tainted blood. Gabrielle is not insane; she's eccentric. Nicky's insanity was your fault. You tortured Nicky into believing there was no goodness in the world only evil," Lestat said hotly, "I have made up my mind."
"Bianca, Henri go home, you fulfilled your mission," Armand said crossing his arms against his chest.
"You attacked me," Henri said outraged.
"I wasn't really going to hurt you," Armand smiled a shark's smile, "I only wanted to frighten you away cousin."
""What about you brother?' Bianca asked.
"I will stay and keep Lestat out of trouble for the sake of the the regard Marius has for him," Armand said spitefully.
"You mean for the sake of the regard you have for me," Lestat laughed, easily throwing his arm companionably around Armand's slumped shoulders. "Come my Armand. Let's hunt together. The governor is having a ball, we can catch a straggler coming home. Do not be in such an ill humor against me. You can try to talk me out of my nuptials."
"Before yon go please swear to me you will not hurt Paul," Henri pleaded, "And Lestat at least give Louis a choice. It is so unfair of you to spy on Paul Armand, to be so jealous of him."
"Why shouldn't I be jealous of a boy who was just like I was once? I can imagine Mairus falling in love with a Paul," Armand said lightly.
"Of course," Lestat said coolly, "My intended will be given a choice."
"And you too Armand swear to me to leave Paul and Louis alone," Biannca begged, "Remember my dear sweet brother those nights I tried to nurse you back to life."
"Ah Mairus was the true doctor. What a snatch he does from death's jaws," Armand teased, "I swear."
Behind Armand's swear was the memory of Nick being held down , on his knees, his hand on a tree stump. Armand slowly sawing off his hand and then the other. Next, he threw Nicky's hands in the fire. Then he tossed Nicky's bleeding body into the flames. Listening to Nicky's shirking, to the hiss of his blood boiling in his smoking body. I t was a night for sad dancing the night the fiddler died.
"You needn't worry about Paul or Louis," Lestat said lazily as a lord giving largess to his peasants. "He has my protection."
Worry was all Henri could do, he knew of Nicky's end. So far no one yet who was living or undead had the courage to tell Lestat about the death of a man he once loved above other men.
"Poor Armand," Bainca said wisely, once she and Henri were alone "He lied to me when he swore to leave Paul alone. I knew he would lie. It gives him pleasure to lie to someone. He has a jealous heart. Armand sees Jamie and the poor boy reminds him of Ricardo. Armand is grieving over his never having a love as innocent as Jamie's and Paul's. Anything which causes him grief must die. As for Louis, ah the jealously he has for the man is unthinkable. He wishes the man harm."
Henri said to Bianca. "I'm not leaving. I can't leave."
"My son," Bainca said, "I can not help you any longer in this matter, because I am of the mind. Armand may be right to kill them both."
"Why?" Henri said sadly.
"You know why. Either of them would make for disastrous vampires."
"Then we should leave them alone and let them be mortals," Henri said furiously.
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