Sienna

By Frank Perez

Sienna - Dark, Gorgeous and Immortal.

Since the events in Lafayette two hundred years ago, witchcraft has been quiet in Sienna's world. Her charge to maintain the balance between light and dark easily accomplished as she helps Niko.

Now the ancestors have spoken up, guiding both Niko and herself to what they have affectionately termed, 'the ass end of the world' where a small group of magic novices unwittingly open an antique locket and an ancient evil is once more loosed upon the world, devouring the rest of the immortals, taking Niko hostage and letting loose an ancient powerful being known simply as the Dragon.

But everything is not as it seems when Sienna suddenly finds herself the target for every Duke and the very King of Hell himself.
For the first time in ten thousand years Sienna finds herself taking on the worst evil ever encountered without her partner Niko by her side.

Failure will mean the end of everything she knows, including both Heaven and Hell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Perez
• Release date: Mar 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370727575

Frank Perez

Frank Perez is cofounder and current president of the LGBT+ Archives Project in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is an instructor in the Office of Professional and Continuing Studies at Loyola University New Orleans, owner of Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, and columnist for Ambush Magazine and French Quarter Journal. He is author of Treasures of the Vieux Carré: Ten Self-Guided Walking Tours of the French Quarter and coauthor of Southern Decadence in New Orleans; My Gay New Orleans: 28 Personal Reminiscences on LGBT+ Life in New Orleans; and In Exile: The History and Lore Surrounding New Orleans Gay Culture and Its Oldest Gay Bar.

Book preview

SIENNA

A Dark Legends Novel

Frank J Perez

Copyright 2018 Frank Perez

Smashwords Edition

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Chapter 1

Niko lifted his gaze from the cards and peered at the woman across the table, the fourth psychic he had investigated in the past month. He frowned, another fraud to place on his ever-growing list. Rumor and online talk had brought him to see for himself whether she was the real deal or not. He sighed internally, the wisps of despair beginning to toy with his emotions. The ancestors had guided him to this city, the new foundational strength for magical powers and so far he'd only come across a tiny portion of people with even an inkling of it.

He didn't recall the inane words he spoke as their time came to an end, thanking her as he placed money down before heading out into the windswept street, the smell of rain heavy in the air.

Looking up to the sky as he often did when reaching out to the ancestors, he asked Is there any chance you've made a mistake this time? I've been here three months now and nothing! Maybe I misunderstood you? Of course there was no answer. Nothing new in that. They never did unless they wanted to and that was never when he needed.

The slight click of the door locking made him look over his shoulder at the shopfront he'd just exited. The green neon sign of 'Mystic Aura' had been switched off and the closed sign put up. Smiling he headed up the street to where his Audi was parked. Sometimes even those with no ability sensed a certain something when in his presence. Maybe even enough for them to look for a different way of fleecing the unwary. Pausing at the car for a moment, he looked around at the city streets. The ancestors had guided him to what was basically the ass end of the world. A city so far away from any of their previous hallowed grounds that it made him wonder what the hell they were thinking.

This was nothing like the wild, untamed, party streets of New Orleans or the quaint, historically significant lands of Salem. Nor was it anything like the palace of the Chinese emperors, the backwaters of Port-Au-Prince or even Transylvania. All those places had a feeling of something supernatural about them before he'd even begun to work his own magic there. This city was just blank. A nothingness when it came to magical essence and feeling. Filled with skyscrapers and the normal everyday hub of people going about their ordinary mortal lives.

Maybe the ancestors had started to move into the twentieth century now and Melbourne would be the start of a new form of magic. Time would tell, it always did.

*~*

Shifting himself into a slightly higher plane he looked over the wards crossing the entire blue-stone walls of the converted church on the outskirts of the city that he currently called home. The bright lines lay untouched and unbroken, everything secure. Not that he'd really expected anything less but he had been wrong in the past and sure as hell wasn't about to stop being careful now.

Pressing the button on the automatic door opener he eased the car into its parking spot keeping an eye on the door until it came to a full close. The familiar sense of serenity hit him as he climbed the stairs from the ground floor to the ultra-modern interior. Whilst the facade of the church had been kept in place, the inside of the 1861 building had been completely gutted and renovated. Sleek lines and open living spaces bright with the multi-colored lights streaming in through the stained glass windows of the original church. The kaleidoscope of colors dancing across the expensive furniture that now sat where the faithful had once congregated.

The smell of cooking bacon hit his senses as he headed to the kitchen with a smile. Of course Sienna would be frying up a storm as she always did while he investigated. It was a tradition now centuries old and one he could always count on. Walking over to the large dining table he dropped his keys heavily, scratching the surface and listened as Sienna's husky voice came over the sizzling pan, A two hundred and fifty thousand dollar table and you treat it like it's a fifty buck piece from IKEA, Niko. I know money's not an issue but a little respect for the artistic creations we pay so handsomely for wouldn't go astray. I take it today's little adventure yielded nothing?

Sitting heavily into one of the dining chairs he looked over and marveled anew at her perfection. Five foot ten with the darkest hair flowing freely half way down her back. High chiseled cheek bones framing her dark ebony eyes which could smolder and make you fall in love or harden and make you weep with fear depending on her mood. All atop a body that was sheer female perfection and made everybody stop to stare. The inspiration and personification of the words Nubian Princess. "Nope. Not a damn thing Sienna, another fraud. I'm starting to get bored. This damn town is so blah that I can't understand what the hell the ancestors are trying to achieve here. This place is nothing like the others we've lived in previously. There's just no soul to it."

Sienna walked to the table with two plates laden with bacon, eggs and sausages-the perfect pick me up when Niko returned from one of the many useless adventures he'd been sent on by the ancestors. Smiling, she sat opposite him and gave a small laugh, You romanticize everything from the past Niko. Waving a fork filled with bacon at him she added, Think back honestly to most of the places we've been over time. Port-Au-Prince was nothing but a bunch of hovels with goat shit covering everything including the people. Salem was a nice enough place but the people there had not yet learned the meaning of washing themselves. They stank to high-heaven! And don't get me started on New Orleans. Mosquito infested swampland where the horses smelled better than the people themselves, and had better manners to boot. This place is nice, clean and is filled with a hell of a lot of convenience. Even if it is somewhat lacking in the spiritual side of things.

Placing the forkful of food in her mouth, she took a moment to chew before adding, And that after all, is what we were created for. Eat some food and stop stressing. The ancestors will show us the way as they always have.

Chapter 2

Roni watched as the last of the customers for the day made their way out of the store. Usually she loved her job as a fashion assistant in a retail shop and it gave her a thrill to have the ability to help people pick out the right accessories and outfits. Today however time had dragged its heels at the slowest pace she could ever recall. There had even been moments when it appeared that the clock had been going backwards. Putting on a fake smile, she waved as the last customer exited, Thank you for shopping with us, Mrs. K. Those outfits you've got are going to be an absolute hit at your party this weekend. Enjoy. With a quick flick of her wrist, the front door was locked and the lights barely switched off before she was making a mad dash to the back room to collect her bag and leave. The others would shortly be arriving at her apartment for some dinner, drinks and the main attraction of the night, a little magical mayhem and she still had to pick up the pizzas!

Making her way quickly across the now empty parking lot to her beaten up Subaru she opened the door and keyed the ignition before opening her bag and taking out the old locket. Rebel and herself had come across the jaded silver piece on one of their weekends away in a tiny hovel that sold antiques near Lake Goldsmith, while on their way to the Jailhouse Rock Festival in Ararat to enjoy the markets, food, dancing and music of the street carnival the previous March and of course, the formal ball. The trip had been going along nicely until her ever unreliable rexxy had begun to sputter and stall on the outskirts of the town, lasting just long enough for her to gently guide it to the nearest service station. The mechanic had asked a couple of quick questions and then told them to have some fun sight-seeing for an hour or so while he diagnosed the problem.

Rebel's familiar cheeky lopsided smile was planted firmly on her face, You really are going to have to get yourself something a bit more reliable Roni because one day this shit-heap is gonna leave you stranded somewhere not quite so picturesque!

Oh Rebel you know better than that. This isn't being stranded as much as a chance for an adventurous detour! Come, let's check out this one-horse town and see what mischief we can get up to!

The mechanic looked up on hearing the laughter and watched as the two gorgeous women practically skipped down the street towards the handful of shopfronts that made up the town's main street. Shaking his head he turned his attention back to the car, knowing full well that trying to kill an hour in this town could sometimes feel like a lifetime.

Less than a minute later, the two women had found the one and only shop of any interest to them, apart from the cafe. A tiny weathered door with an even tinier dust stained window housing an Antiques sign. Roni looked quickly at Rebel and smiled. Both of them were consumed with the ancient pieces of jewelry and associated trinkets from the past as part of their studies into magic. That her little rexxy had decided to break down in a tiny microscopic town that actually housed an antiques shop was not coincidental, Mischief in a one-horse town Rebel. What do you think the odds would be of something like this happening?

With us babe, ninety-nine point nine percent! We're damn magnets when it comes to attracting this shit! Let's go in.

The tinkle of a rusty metal bell rang out across the shop as the two girls let themselves in and began poking around. The tiny room was no larger than a few square meters and packed high leaving very little room to move. No visible counter stood anywhere and it appeared to be empty of people. Rebel eased her way through a gap in the piled junk and turned to Roni, eyebrows raised, Throwback to a time when everyone left everything unlocked and open. Trusting on the goodness of people or are we gonna end up falling over the corpse of some old lady that no-one has realized died about a week ago?

Roni's reply never left her lips as the wheezy voice of an old lady filled the air, Not today hopefully. A tiny head framed with slicked-back white hair popped up from behind one of the stacks, green eyes twinkling as she looked at the two young ladies before her, You girls after anything in particular or just poking around?

Looking around at the piles of dusty items in the shop before turning her focus back to the old lady Roni replied, Poking around sounds about right. As luck would have it my car is having a bit of a spat with me at the moment so we thought we'd take a look around for a bit. You know, killing time and all that.

Well you girls just take your time then. Have a good look around. Killing time and poking around is kind of what I'm here for. Maybe we'll all get lucky and you'll fall in love with something that catches your fancy and makes me rich enough to retire! The old lady's gaze went back and forth between the two of them before she added, "Let you in on a little secret. The good stuff that you'd most likely be interested in lies in the back room. Lifting a wrinkled and weathered hand she pointed beyond all the piles, A plethora of goodies awaits those souls brave enough to find a way through the maze of despair you find yourselves in."

With a wink and a deepening of her smile, the old lady finished, Many an adventurer has been lost trying to get there. Good luck!

The smile on Rebel's face mirrored the one on the old lady, Challenge accepted. If the goodies are in that back room then that's where we're headed.

It had taken them over five minutes of navigating their way through the assorted piles before finally emerging into the back room the old lady had pointed to, amazement on their faces at the sight of the old lady herself gently swaying back and forth in a rocking chair. Clearly she had a clear path that they knew nothing about. Rebel's laughter faded as Roni felt drawn to the shelves across the back wall. Something here was calling out to her. She smiled, her unreliable Subaru may always have been breaking down at the most inopportune moments but it never failed to deliver the goods. Taking two steps forwards she went straight to the furthest shelf, searching. The wispy tug of intuition making her eyes fall immediately on the silver locket.

Picking it up gently, she took a closer look. The front of the locket was engraved with lines and swirls of all kinds. A kaleidoscope of patterns. Running her finger down the side, she located the clasp that would open it, pushing down. Nothing happened. She tried a couple of more times before giving up. Sometimes these old pieces were so worn that their internal mechanisms had either rusted solid or were simply broken. Jayce would be able to fix it easily being the handyman of the group. She turned the locket over to get a better look at the other side. It was completely clear of any of the designs that littered the front of the piece. A single name engraved dead-center, SalHai NorMel.

Rebel's whisper cut into her thoughts. She was reading the name over Roni's shoulder, "That is one seriously weird name. Not to mention the way it's spelled. I know things were written differently back in time but that is really messed up. Bringing her gaze over to Roni's eyes she added, I take it this is what Lady Luck wanted us to see?"

Roni's eyes went back to the locket, her fingertips wiping away the dirt, Yeah. I think so. As soon as I touched it I knew I had to have it. Come on, we're done here. Let's buy this and go.

Six months of owning the locket with nothing coming of it. Jayce had been unable to open the locket no matter what he tried which was weird in its own way. Rebel, Max and she had absolutely no luck in tracking down anything to do with the weird name. No information, no history... nothing. A mysterious silver locket with such a unique name engraved on it should have yielded something in six months of searching. Placing the locket back in her handbag Roni buckled herself in and drove off. After the pizza and wine, her small coven would be trying a little incantation that she herself had come up with. With any luck, a little light would be shed on the history of the mysterious little locket they held in their possession.

*~*

Jayce leaned across the tiny dining table and grabbed another slice of the pizza, the others pretty much done. It was typical of him to finish every piece of food available yet he was not even remotely fat. Standing a little over six feet in height, his body was naturally muscle-bound without ever having spent a single day in the gym. His parents, teachers and coaches over the years had come to lament the fact that he had chosen to ignore every type of physical sport. His dedication, talent and natural bulk would have made him a superstar in any field he decided upon and much to the chagrin of all involved he had chosen science and mathematics over any of them. Roni watched as the man-mountain chewed into what would easily have been his thirteenth slice of pizza, The people I'd kill to have a metabolism like yours, Jayce.

Around the mouthful of food he'd just bitten into Jayce answered, "Trust me Roni, it's not all unicorns and rainbows. I'm always starving! And remember, what goes in must come out. You definitely don't want to be around for that part of the story!" A chorus of gross echoed across the kitchen as bits of pizza topping went flying his way courtesy of the others at the table, Hey, It's just the truth. Not like you guys are still eating either. Taking another bite, Jayce added "I'm the only one still eating so I should be yelling gross at myself."

Seated across from Jayce, Rebel smiled, If we had to wait for you to have an empty mouth before speaking no-one would have ever heard a word from you since the day you were born! Finish your damn dinner already Jayce. We got some fun things to do tonight courtesy of Roni's talents!

Max raised his wine glass in a toast to Roni. In complete contrast to Jayce he stood only five foot five with a wiry frame and thin, oily hair. In a slightly wheezy voice he added, To Roni, superstar witch conjurer and potionist!

Roni joined in everyone's laughter and returned Max's mock salute with one of her own, "And don't none of you heathens ever forget it! But pray tell, what in hell is a damn potionist? You been reading Harry Potter again Maxi boy?"

Rebel raised her eyes on mention of her favorite character. The self-proclaimed Harry Potter expert of the group she piped in, Don't recall seeing that particular non-existent word in the books... Plenty of others though.

Roni caught the quick smirk which crossed Jayce's face, a smirk no doubt mirrored on her own face, Let's clear the table of this mess and get to work my little witches. We can discuss the merits of non-existent words in the esteemed Harry Potter series later. I'm dying to see if this incantation actually works or not!

Less than five minutes later, the table had been cleared of all dishes, food and glasses. The tablecloth moved away to reveal the faded woodwork underneath. All four seated at the different compass points; north, south, east and west. Roni began to pour salt onto the table in a circle covering the entire top, A magic circle of salt to prevent any unwanted energies or spirits to get through and something to focus our energies on.

As soon as the circle was finished she drew a pentagram within it, before grabbing the cards from the table in front of her. At the head of the pentagram she placed a card with a circle, within it was a sun, The Spirit to guide us on our journey. Before quickly adding the other four cards to the different points of the pentagram, Water, Air, Fire and Earth. The Four Elements of all creation.

She looked over at Rebel signaling for the water filled bowl to be placed in the center, Pure water to harness all the good energy. Max took this as his cue and placed a black candle on the side of the bowl, lighting it. A black candle to hold every speck of negative energy or power that would hinder us in our endeavors. Taking the locket in her hands she gently lowered it into the waiting bowl of water, Now, as we discussed and practiced earlier. Close your eyes and focus on the protection circle. Hold hands and say the chant out loud three times, together. Ready?

Each one of them reached out a hand to the person next to them and held it tight. Closing their eyes, they focused their minds until they felt the time was right. As one they all began, We banish the bad, banish the ugly, banish the distractions and banish the evil. Remove yourselves from this locket and let the goodness shine on it.

Their final words faded into silence before Roni opened her eyes slightly to peer at the locket. The water in which it lay had begun to glow a dark, eerie smoky gray, slight wisps of smoke rising from the entire bowl. In the short moment where they had been performing the chant the black candle had burned out completely, not a drop remained to be seen. Looking around at the others she was met with the same amazed look of incredulity on each face, no one willing to break the silence. Her voice shook slightly as she whispered to them, Whatever you do, don’t break the circle. Something is still happening. Continue concentrating all your energy on the locket. Picture it opening and revealing its history to us.

Rebel locked eyes with Roni her features wary, Uhm babe, Is that really a good idea? Look closer at the bowl, it’s starting to shake.

Before Roni could form an answer a flash of light blew out of the bowl, shattering it into a thousand shards. Water blew out in a huge splash only to stop suddenly as it hit the protective barrier in place. The loud noise of the bowl smashing and the subsequent splash of water caught them all by surprise as each took an involuntary step back and let go of each other. The light dimming to nothing before their very eyes. Roni looked closer at the remains on the table once her eyes had cleared. Fear and confusion etched across her face as she stared at the protective circle of salt on the table. A circle which had turned completely black. This does not look good. Any of you guys have any idea about what’s going on? The confused looks on all the surrounding faces gave her the answer to her question. "Okay then. Let’s clean this mess up before