"I'm not surprised," Holly said, with a grin. "No matter what you believe, things happen in this city that are hard to explain anywhere else. You don't have to be a believer. We all come from different traditions, Griffen. I'm a wiccan myself. I couldn't make it to . . . Well, we'll talk later about that." Griffen understood. He had known a few wiccans in Michigan and wanted to hear more about the local practitioners. "Antaeus is a Baptist. Only Nautilus is a good Catholic."
"I'll pray for you all," Bert said, sincerely. The others groaned. "Sorry, but you are probably all lost to heaven," he said. "I hope for your souls' sakes that you find your way before God calls you home."
"I'll be in the Summerland," Holly said. "He can call me there."
"Are you blaspheming?"
"Can you call it that if it isn't your belief system?" she asked. "Look, Griffen, it doesn't matter what we call ourselves, or how we practice, or what we believe or don't. What matters is that what you did and will do protects New Orleans. It is a special place. Some major ley lines come through here. The energy centers running along the Mississippi alone could power some serious spells . . ." Bert groaned. She rounded on him. "All right, but why does a priest cense the church with incense and chanting?"
"To drive out malign energies. The devil!"
"That is what we do, too! We all call the devil by the name that has meaning to us. Darkness, chaos, evil, greed, anger. Sin is a matter of discussion, but that which hurts other living beings is just plain wrong. Can we agree on that?"
"To place it to do God's work--" Bert said.
"Or Goddess's," Holly put in, earning an annoyed scowl from him.
". . . Is a holy thing."
"I can get behind that," Griffen said. "But don't ask me to put a label on it. It wouldn't be sincere."
"All right," Cos said. "I don't want to get ugly about it."
"I have some other questions, if you don't mind," Griffen asked. "About the ritual specifically. Why, if it's important to bind the energy to protect the city, don't we do it right here and now?"
"We don't have the energy yet," Holly said. "We have to raise it to bind it. Our ritual today will start drawing out the power that is in the city, so, on the day of our parade, we can gather it up and imbue the city with the protection it needs for the next century. Really, it should have been done every decade."
"Like a booster shot?" Griffen asked, grinning. Holly grinned back.
"I don't know what the fuss is," Cos complained. "You know, we all got along okay without doing this for years."
Holly rejected his assertion. "This is a vital focus for the state and the country, even the continent. Most people ignore New Orleans except at Mardi Gras, but what happens here affects people and places for thousands of miles around it. So, we will use the energy that people give while they are here for the Carnival, and from the four elements themselves."
"It all comes from God," Bert insisted.
"I am in no position to dispute that with you," Holly said. "The higher powers are a matter of faith, as you say."
Griffen sensed they were skirting delicate subjects again. "It worried me that all that power has been cut loose without control. It seemed totally wild. Isn't that dangerous?"
"Of course it is," Cos said seriously. "We could be killed trying to lay the power on parade day. We're all prepared for that. Aren't you?"
Griffen was taken aback. "No! I . . . I didn't really know until now what it meant to be the king."
"Well, in most krewes it's purely ceremonial--or financial. You can understand why this particular ritual hasn't been tried in a long time. When our krewes started marching again, the text was in the archives, but no one wanted to try it until all four of us were back. Now we are. And we are standing up to protect our home."
Bert cleared his throat. "I read in the Book of the Sea--that's our records--that once these scepters are unleashed, they have to be deployed in exactly the right way as soon as possible or problems start to ensue. We can't just play with them. The power has to be kept in balance. Otherwise, there are far-reaching consequences. Yes, that could be death, but if we're careful, it won't be."
Griffen felt his heart sink. He wasn't sure whether he was prepared to die for his newfound city. Etienne hadn't been open with him about the risks. He needed to make Etienne tell him what else he had foreseen. The others watched him curiously. He swallowed his ire.
"If you don't mind my asking, the ritual calls for the kings of krewes to govern the elements. You're female."
"Well, I am glad you noticed that," Holly said, her voice deeply ironical.
"I'm not objecting! But the language doesn't say 'or queens.' "
"Which is funny, when you consider that when Aeolus was founded back then, it could be led by a man or a woman, and our krewe has always been part of this ritual. But female kings go back past the common era, Griffen. Haven't you ever heard of Hapshetsut? Or Cleopatra? Technically, I am not a king at all. My title is Sprite of the Krewe of Aeolus. My counterpart, Ethan, is the Cyclone. You see? Nongender-specific titles. The other two, like yours, are more traditional. We actually all started out as one krewe, but it split into four after the first few years so we could cover more ground and bless more of New Orleans. We all used to march through the French Quarter; but when the law was changed, frankly, it was an advantage. The routes we chose are more specific to the compass direction our element is ruled by. Have you seen them?" She fished a magazine out of her large handbag and flipped to the pages at the back. "There we are, all listed on facing pages."
Griffen examined the routes. "I see! Except for St. Charles Avenue, we all start and end in different areas. But isn't that just where your dens are?"
"Why do you think we chose those dens?" Cos asked, tapping the side of his nose like Santa. Griffen pretended to smack himself in the forehead.
"We can't march through the Quarter any longer, but the throws will be blessed--by celebrants of our choice," Holly added, as Cos started to protest, "and that will help to spread the blessing all across the city. Just keep your head together and concentrate on what you're doing. The diary kept by the last Sprite to wield the scepter said it was best to relax and enjoy yourself."
"We can't have fun out there!" Bert said. "It's too serious a matter!"
But they saw the twinkle in his eyes. Griffen relaxed. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad. He was fascinated by the rituals. He really liked his fellow kings, and he truly felt as if he had just joined a secret society. Then a thought struck him. Was this something Harrison needed to know? What could he tell him? And would it be more than the man could take, with the murder of a supernatural already on his hands?
Cos rose and put out a hand to each of them, Holly first. "Got to go back to work. See you all at the parties, my friends. After the parades, you are all invited to come and enjoy some downright serious partying with my krewe. We'd love to have you."
"Thanks!" Griffen said. "Let's talk about all kicking in to sponsor an after-party."
"Good man," Cos said, grinning at him.
"I got to go, too," Bert said. "See you all."
"Do you need to run off?" Holly asked Griffen, as the two other men went out the door together. "I'd love to talk to you for a while."
"No problem," Griffen said. "My job doesn't really start for hours yet." He signed to the cocktail waitress for a refill of their glasses.
"My high priestess went to your conclave," Holly said, a little hesitantly. "So I know who you are. I mean, what."
"A dragon," Griffen said. "Some people know. Most don't. But I didn't hide it from the attendees."
"No, they were pretty proud to have you there," Holly said. "It was a big deal. You feel different than most people. I have talent, and so do Cos and Bert, though they may not be aware of it. In fact, there are a lot of people in our four krewes who are touched in one way or another, but you don't feel like any of us."
"I am beginning to understand that," Griffen said.
"I could feel the difference between our folks and everyone in your krewe. You're all dragons in Fafnir, aren't you?"
"I can only tell you that I am," Griffen said. "I don't have the right to discuss anyone else."
"But I can feel . . . never mind." She grinned. "You're absolutely right. We have the same tradition in my group. That is so cool. I wonder if you'd like to get together after all this is over and talk about things? Sometime in March?"
"I'd love to," Griffen said. "The conclave was my first exposure to most of you, too."
"Well," Holly said, with a little smile that brought up the dimples in her cheeks, "there's a lot of us out there. You'd be surprised."