Mad Woman Rambles

‘He can’t hide from me forever,’ I thought as I stalked through the shabby Washington D.C. neighborhood. I grimaced as I stood on the broken sidewalk with its cracks filled with weeds and long forgotten grass. I huffed as I squared my shoulders and set off across the minefield of potholes and debris littering the street to my destination.

Hair Oracles.

‘You would think Cassandra would have picked a nicer spot or at least come up with a better name for her business.’ I scoffed. ‘So unoriginal.’ Then again, she was only a conduit for the gods without an original thought in that bird brain head of hers.

As I approached the building, the Hair Oracles sign was partially peeling from the blacked out storefront glass window. There was a definite stench in the air of unwashed people and urine. Gross!

The door swung open with the flex of my finger. My magic tingling along my hand. ‘No way I was touching that germ ridden handle. There was no telling who could have passed through these doors. Cassandra wasn’t discerning in her clientele either. Which makes sense why she is in this rundown side of town.’

The bell chimed announcing my arrival as I stood in the doorway taking a minute to examine the room. Women with braids in various stages of washing, blow drying, or styling hair laughed with customers. The vibe was relaxed with an underlying buzz of energy humming throughout the space. But I knew what the hapless women in those chairs didn’t. Cassandra was the worst kind of blood sucker. She stole energy from those women without their consent or knowledge. If you didn’t know to bring something in exchange, she would bleed you dry.   

“In or out, Minerva,” Cassandra called out to me. “You are letting out all the AC. That’s costly in this summer heat,” she stated as she buffed her nails from the chair she sat in directly across the room from me. The air stilled and I flicked my eyes to the women who had gone utterly still, watching me. Their clients frozen in place none the wiser to this conversation.

I took a couple of steps forward and the door shut behind me. The lock sliding into place putting me on edge. I hated being cornered. I especially hated being cornered by an enemy who knew way too much about me. Instead of showing my unease at her power move I simply stood there and crossed my arms. My face a mask of indifference. I could power play with the best of them. Cassandra’s eyebrow rose as she smiled looking over at me.

“Well, well, well. I see someone has gotten her magic back. It looks good on you, Delphine. Welcome! Come in and tell me what you want,” she purred unraveling herself from the chair and beckoning me to sit. I knew the drill. I had come to her before to seek out information I couldn’t get elsewhere. ‘Sit in the chair, provide my offering and get my future path laid out for me. Easy enough.’ I thought as I moved forward cautiously and sat in the offered seat. I placed a large tear drop pearl in her waiting palm. Her fingers wrapped around it as she gasped and hummed happily.

“What a beautiful offering. Mermaid tears are especially delicious,” she purred before spinning me around to face her. “Now tell me little djinn, what brings you to my doorstep again?”

But before I could answer her face to face, she spun me around again so that I was facing the mirror looking at her reflection. She never liked face to face conversations. Always hiding behind a veil or screen and now a mirror it seems.

“Shouldn’t you already know that,” I smirked causing Cassandra to cackle and time restarted. The buzz and energy from the women in the room returning.

“You were always a smart one, weren’t you?” she hummed to herself. “Some might say too smart. Always getting into trouble you had no business getting into in the first place.”

“Maybe.” I paused in thought. “However, I always found a way out of it. Besides I never went looking for trouble,” I retorted.

“Yet, it always seemed to find you,” she chuckled to herself before running her fingers through my long ebony hair. Those long spindles massaged my scalp relaxing me ever so slightly until I heard Cassandra’s voice whispered in my ear. “What trouble brings you my way today then, hmm?” I flinched as she plucked at the gold chain around my neck.

“Looks like someone is wearing stolen power from the gods,” she whispered. “Tsk, tsk. You know that won’t do. They want it back.”

“They can kiss my ass,” I hissed at her reflection, causing the women in the store to pause again momentarily. I pulled away from her as she straightened glaring at me through the mirror. She crossed her arms as a low hissing sound started around us. The floor beneath us vibrating with power.

“You come into my temple and blaspheme against the gods!” she declared, her voice amplified echoing off of the walls. I glared right back at her reflection which seemed to have grown larger and more imposing.

“I am djinn. Your gods are not mine. Either hear my plea and let me be on my way or give me back my offering and let me be on my way,” I demanded. “Make no mistake I am not the youngling you once knew. I am a force to be reckoned with.” We continued to glare at one another for what seemed like forever before she broke into a smile. She cackled again as the women around us resumed their normal banter.

“I can see why the gods favor you,” she smiled at me before running her fingers back through my hair pulling me back into my seat. “You would defy creation if it stood in your way, hmm.” Her braids shook around her shoulders as she shook her head with laughter. I crossed my arms and huffed at her.

“Come child, tell me what you desire?” she asked in earnest.

“Revenge and protection,” I stated plainly thinking of what both Korbin and Mallec had put me through. Cassandra smirked at me because she already knew, already saw the many paths my future led down. A comb appeared in her hand as she began combing through my tresses. She sighed and looked me in the eyes through the mirror.

“Know this, you have a part to play in what is to come. Revenge is not yours,” she began and I started to protest. She held up her finger. “Though revenge is not yours directly as long as you carry that relic around your neck you will have all the protection you need.”

“What do you mean I have a part to play?” I asked a little confused and pissed off I wouldn’t be getting my revenge.

“Take heart dear sweet summer child,” she began. “Your part is this will set into motions the necessary steps that will serve the greater good.”

“Who cares about the greater good?!” I whisper yelled. “I only care about my good. I was wronged and I want to right that wrong.”

“I know,” she paused as she stopped combing my hair giving me her full attention. The weight of it spoke of a deep sorrow. “I know what Korbin did. I know what Mallec did. I know the suffering you have experienced over your lifetimes. Your grief is great but if you do not play your part in this there will be no tomorrow for you seek justice.”

“This was a mistake coming to you for answers,” I said rising from my chair only to be shoved back down. She glared at me, her mouth a line of determination to make me hear her.

“No mistake made coming here but if you leave, I fear that will be a mistake none of us can come back from,” she cautioned me.

“Fine,” I relented. “What is the message from the gods that is so important that I have to stay my hand for revenge?” With a deep breath, she stilled the comb she had been using falling from her hand as something took over her.

The lights dimmed around us and with a gasp an otherworldly voice rose from Cassandra, “In this time of man, we beseech you Delphine of the Djinns. Find a book of ancestors and deliver it to a man of softened feathers. This will finish the war of the gods. If you are unable to do this all is lost. Find the book, save the world.” With a shudder, the lights returned to normal, and Cassandra looked weary and ancient for the first time ever since I had known her.

 “That’s it?” I questioned. “Find a book and deliver it to what a swan shifter?! What do I look like, Amazon?” I asked as I shook my head and got up from the chair. Cassandra looked visibly shook and grabbed my arm before I could leave.

“That was the first time they have ever channeled directly through me in thousands of years. Heed their warning. Something is coming. Something will change and not in our favor. Do this task and you will have your revenge though not directly. Three must rise to power through this action. Those three will get your revenge better than you ever could. Trust me on this,” she finished and then waved me off.

I stalked through the door and into the night. “How the Hells was I supposed to find a book of ancestors and a swan shifter?” I asked out loud.

“Maybe I can help you there,” a tall figure stepped out of the shadows, and I stilled. “You are a hard woman to find Minerva. Come with me and let’s have a chat.” Detective Craig White of the S.N.O.B said, motioning me forward with a gun in his hand.

“Frack!” I uttered hands raised. This day just went from bad to worse.