Page 4 of Relic

FOUR

Strolling down Bourbon Street, I look for any sign of how I spent the morning. Waking up in the back of a shop is disturbing, to say the least. What if I had passed out on the street? Would someone have helped me or mugged me? I guess I was lucky I was at Relic when it happened.

I pass a restaurant with a long line, glancing up at the sign. It’s called Bite, written in red letters that look like they’re dripping. Clever. As I head back to my apartment, I pause in front of a voodoo shop, the same one I visited yesterday. That I do remember. I bought that really cool black amulet.

I reach in my pocket, pulling it out and rubbing my thumb over it before I peek inside to see a man sitting at a small table near the back with a sign that says ‘Readings’. Hmm. I’ve never had a reading done, but maybe he could help me understand what happened to me this morning.

As soon as I enter the store, the man’s head shoots up, and he makes direct eye contact with me. Discomfort washes over me, and I start to back out, but the man shakes his head, gesturing with a single finger to come toward him.

Despite the unsettled feeling in my stomach, I approach. “Hi.”

“Hello.” His voice is soft and sweet. His eyes, gray and inquisitive, study my face, while his long, rainbow colored hair is piled high on top of his head. From what I can see, he’s wearing a tank top with some kind of sheer tunic over it. “I feel like I have a message for you. Will you sit?”

Nodding, I pull the chair out and plop down. “I’ve never done this before.”

“That must be why the spirits have so much to say to you.” He taps his fingers on the table, showing off long painted nails. “My name is Ares. Yours is… starts with an E?”

I pull my head back in surprise. “Um, yeah. Emery.”

“Perfect.” He smiles and something about it settles all my nerves immediately. “You’re feeling lost. Disconnected. Yes?”

“Yes.”

“May I?” He reaches for my hand, and I offer it to him. Ares presses his palm to mine, stroking the back with his thumb. His eyes are closed but flutter rapidly. He clears his throat, nodding. “Well.” When his eyes open, he focuses on me. “You have quite a lot going on, Emery.”

“Something bad?”

“There is danger surrounding you.”

I gasp.

“But,” Ares continues, smiling again. “You have something extremely powerful on your side. Two somethings.” He tilts his head, focusing on me as if listening to something only he can hear. “Ah. Okay.”

“What?”

“There’s a man. He’s interested in you for reasons that are not good.”

“Fuck. Does his name start with an L?”

Ares shakes his head. “No. It starts with an O.”

“O? I don’t know anyone with that name.”

“No, you don’t. You haven’t met him yet, but he is aware of you.”

“How? Why?”

“Oh, Emery.” Ares shakes his shoulders before squeezing my hand. “What led you to New Orleans?”

I shrug. “Nothing specifically. I’m an artist and it seemed like a good place to settle.”

“There are many artist havens around the country. Think harder.”

His question rattles me. “I haven’t told anyone about this, mostly because I don’t have anyone to tell, but I had a dream.”

Ares nods, his expression shifting to strong interest. “Go on.”

“I could hear the music, smell beignets. There were lattice balconies with smiling faces peering over. I knew in my gut it was New Orleans.”

“Yes. What did you do the first day you got here?”

“Walked around.”

“Specifically.”

“I came here. Bought a few things.”

Ares nods. “I have something to tell you that will be hard for you to hear.”

“If I’m gonna die, I don’t want to know. All I want to know is if Linx is gonna find me.”

“Linx?” Ares closes his eyes again, nodding. “He hurt you in the past.”

“Yes.”

“He… is a dangerous man. He wanted you to…” Ares opens his eyes. “Kill someone.”

I nod, remembering that night. “I ran. I took all my stuff and ran. I don’t think he cares about me enough to chase, but he’s so possessive and fucked up, maybe he does.”

“It’s unclear,” Ares says with a frown. “It doesn’t matter, though. You’re protected. Nothing will harm you but…” He pauses again, exhaling slowly. “Listen, Emery. Things are going to happen that will be hard to understand. You may find yourself doubting everything you thought you knew. I’m here to tell you to trust what you see. Believe what you hear.”

Nodding, I study his face. “But I’m safe?”

Ares closes his eyes again before exhaling slowly. “Do you know someone whose name begins with an H?”

“No. I don’t have any friends. Oh, wait. My new boss. His name is Horatio.”

“Horatio Bouchard?” Ares’s voice goes up several octaves. “You work for him?”

“Technically. He hired me today to work at Relic, but I start tomorrow. The weird thing is that I can’t remember how I got to the store. I remember walking around yesterday, then nothing, until I woke up in the back room of Relic. Horatio said I fainted.”

“You don’t remember going there?”

“Nothing. It’s like a blank slate. I wonder if someone slipped me something last night.”

“Well, now this is interesting.”

“Why? Is Horatio a good guy?”

Ares shifts his eyes away for a moment before nodding. “Mostly. His intentions are quite good.”

“That’s not comforting.”

“I’m sure if he’s hired you, he must see good things. He sort of unofficially runs the French Quarter.”

“Like a mayor?”

“Something like that. He must be the powerful ally I see in your future. He’s a good one to have.”

“Okay.”

Ares leans closer across the table. “Your presence in this city is no coincidence. You’re meant to be here. It will change your life.”

I swallow hard. “So I should trust Horatio?”

“Absolutely. But maybe…” He twists his head back and forth. “Try to stay out of his bed.”

My mouth drops. “What? I wouldn’t. I mean, he’s my boss. He hasn’t looked at me that way at all.”

“His appetite for beautiful men is renowned. He’ll shower you with all the affection you can stand, but if he tires of you…” Ares pauses, nodding again to the voice I cannot hear. “Be diligent with him. He can be as ruthless as he is charming.”

“Noted, but I feel like you’re holding back.”

“There are limitations to what I can share. All will be revealed in time. When you are ready, you will find answers. For now, keep that little black stone in your pocket with you at all times.”

“How did you know…?” I shake my head. “Stupid question. Got it.”

“Come back here anytime you need guidance. I will do what I can.”

“Thanks, Ares. What do I owe you?”

He waves his hand. “No charge. It was my honor to read for you today.”

I leave the store, more dazed than when I entered. Pulling the stone from my pocket, I rub my thumb over it. When I saw it yesterday, sitting in a bowl with other similar ones, I swear it vibrated, rising above the rest. I picked it up, startled when a tall man with long dreads and silver eyes appeared behind me.

“Good choice,” the man said, his voice eerily quiet and deep. “One dollar.”

I handed over the dollar, ignoring the sign on the bowl that said ‘five dollars each’. I bolted after that interaction, wondering if the inhabitants of New Orleans would always unnerve me. But Ares was kind and comforting, even if his message left more questions than answers. As attractive as Horatio is, I have no intention of sleeping with him. Fucking the boss is how I got entangled with Linx. I won’t make that mistake again.

As I walk on, a loud crash comes from behind me. I turn around and head towards it, my feet seeming to have a mind of their own, stumbling into an alley. I find a man dressed in black, towering over what looks like a pile of trash on the ground. He twists to face me over his shoulder, tilting his head. He has long blond hair, almost white, with pale skin and blue eyes. His face is a mask, but the speed with which he approaches causes me to back up.

“Hello, Mattheus.”

I jump, turning around to see Horatio calmly greeting the other man.

Mattheus, I suppose, nods. “He’s with you?”

“My newest employee, yes. This is Emery.” He smiles at me with a hand on my shoulder. “Emery, a friend of mine, Mattheus.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

Mattheus nods. “Likewise.” His eyes shift to Horatio. “Taking care of some rubbish.”

“Perfect. Did it just show up?”

“It did.”

Horatio nods. “Come to Relic when you’re finished.”

Mattheus nods, turning around as Horatio leads me away.

“Are you unharmed?” Horatio asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t even know why I… A lot of weird shit is happening.”

He chuckles softly. “New Orleans is a city of many mysteries. I thought you were going home to rest.”

“I was. I stopped and had a psychic reading.”

“Ah. How did that go?”

“It was… interesting. Anyway, they told me you’ll be an ally for me.”

Horatio stops for a moment before catching up with me. “I’m sorry. They named me?”

“Well, they said a man whose name starts with H. You’re the only guy I know like that.”

“Where was this reading?”

I point to the shop behind us now. “There. His name is Ares. He’s incredible.” I scrunch my brow. “Hmm. Weird.”

“What?”

“I don’t normally offer information so easily. Something about you makes me open up.”

Horatio simply smiles, pausing at the corner of Royal and St. Peter. “Here you go. Back home.”

I turn to face him as panic grips my chest. “How the fuck did you know where I live?”

“Forgive me, Emery,” Horatio says. “I called a friend with the police department to find out a bit about you since I hired you on intuition alone. He found your rental record.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.”

“I should have disclosed that.”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks for walking me back.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

Crossing the street, I glance back at the man to find him still standing there. Once I’m inside my apartment, I sit on the edge of my bed kind of stunned. What a fucking day.