Page 14 of Up in Smoke

“Impulse?” I asked.

“To sing. This whole place just resonates in the bones,” Sandro told me. “The city itself sings, and it’s tempting to sing along with her. She’s as much a living thing as you and I.”

“And she’s dying,” Ryleigh said. “We feel her in our bones, too, but in a different way. Jade sees and hears the ghosts. We all communicate with New Orleans in a different fashion, but that’s what makes us queens. New Orleans chose us. Perhaps New Orleans chose you as well. She understands she dies, but she doesn’t know how to save herself.”

While I’d expected things to get hairy in New Orleans, I hadn’t dreamed of the city itself being a sentient being, although Ryleigh’s words made sense to me.

The ghosts had ultimately pushed me to her. And the pulses had resonated in my bones—and had woken my fox, too.

Before I’d ventured to New Orleans, my fox had been quieter and far more subdued.

“How long would it take you to build the levees?” I asked.

“About ten minutes if I have the raw material here and a map of where all the current levees are. And it would take an hour more to get the water out safely. I’d have to essentially make a channel for the water and eject it from the city without hurting anyone. But if I can sing a part of a symphony, or play an instrument while singing, I can bewitch the water to avoid human and animal life while also making sure the fish and aquatics safely leave.”

Ryleigh sighed her relief. “What instrument do you need?”

“A piano would be best. It allows for more complicated music.”

“There is a piano in the music hall, and it was recently tuned. We have brought every gem we could get our hands on, so we have the material. We keep a map of the levees, including the ones that are still working and the failed ones. We have a detailed map of the city, accurate as of a few days ago. We just did the work on it. We needed to confirm our districts. We always confirm our districts at the start of a pulse.”

Sandro nodded. “I can’t promise people will be happy when I’m finished. With magic being amplified? They’re going to feel this song in their bones. I’ll try to mitigate the risks, but the choice is to silence them or start a choir.”

“Start a choir,” Ryleigh instructed. “If you control the song, then the song goes to the city and saves us all. And it might keep the struggling songbirds quiet for a few days. Is there risk of death for those caught in your magic?”

“There is always a risk when you sing here,” Sandro rebuked, although he did so in a gentle tone. “But the price will be worth the salvation, however temporary that salvation may be. But at least for a few years, until the ground itself settles below what I built, New Orleans should be safe enough. I will warn you, if there are hybrids who were not aware they are hybrids, they’ll be discovered. And this might create hybrids. Frankly, you will be at ground zero, and I wouldn’t be surprised if all of you start singing even without being gifted with that sort of magic.”

“Then we sing,” Ryleigh replied. “And may our magic breathe life back into our city so we can breathe life back into yours, somehow.”

Saturday, May 30, 2043.

New Orleans, Louisiana.

The South.

The Voodoo queensof New Orleans placed a fortune of gemstones in boxes around a grand piano, which was set up on one side of the music hall stage. By the time they finished, gemstones littered every available surface except for a few walking paths.

Sandro patted the bench beside him. “Jade, you can sit with me. I don’t care where the Voodoo queens sit, but I want you nearby.”

While I’d unclipped the leash to help with the preparations, my fox appreciated being able to return to guarding the man we viewed as ours. I joined him, but rather than sit on the bench, I sat on the piano, and I placed Peace beside me. “I’ve always wanted to sit on a piano,” I confessed. “It’s the ultimate symbol of female power and allure.”

Sandro chuckled. “If I put you in a slinky dress and put you up there, I wouldn’t be at all interested in playing the piano, that’s for certain.”

The Voodoo queens sat in the front row, and I suspected there was some form of hierarchy to their arrangement, as Ryleigh took the centermost seat. “How long will this take?” she asked.

“Not long. Don’t be surprised if my song shatters the gemstones here or they head out somewhere else. Mage workings here are all about intent, so the magic will do what the magic wants to do to accomplish what I need. For all I know, the mud and dirt outside might crystalize and leave the gemstones intact, or the gemstones may duplicate—that’s the problem with us songbirds. We have an intent when we sing, but magic does as magic does. We can’t really control it that much. I have better control than most because I’m used to controlling my intent carefully.”

“That’s not scary at all,” I muttered.

“I’ll be working with Beethoven’s music for this, and since most people know Ode to Joy, I suspect that’s what will be sung by most, although it’s possible they’ll sing the original German version. The magic is easier to work with if the singers are familiar with the song. Magic works in mysterious ways, so who knows what we’ll get? We might end up with a mishmash of various songs and languages. I was taught the German version, so that’s what I’m going with. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up singing the English gospel variant of Ode to Joy instead.”

“I know the German version,” I admitted. “Before I ran away, it was deemed an appropriate thing to learn. To pretend we were more prestigious than we actually were, I guess. An die Freude. I don’t know what any of it actually means, but I learned so I could sing it properly in a choir if I were ever invited. Guess what? I wasn’t.” I gestured at my ears. “Some people still think hybridism is contagious.”

“Well, don’t be surprised if you start singing—and should you, all hell will probably break loose. I’m a strong enough singer that nobody within a block at a minimum will be safe from my song. And as the queens want me to let loose and work like I mean it, well, I’m going to give New Orleans a show they won’t be forgetting any time soon.”

“Why An die Freude?” I asked, wondering what had made Sandro pick such a notable song.

“It is a triumphant symphony. It inspires. It cultivates joy. People hear it, and they are uplifted. Above all, it creates hope. Since I’m creating hope for a dying city, it fits. Part of what makes music mages so dangerous here is that there are so many choices of how to go about something. Let’s just say things would not go well if I picked a dirge instead of something a little more upbeat. Beethoven’s songs have significant potency anywhere in the South, too.” Sandro eyed the piano, although he didn’t play any notes. “I wish I could warm up, but it’s not wise. Fortunately, I made a point of practicing my piano while you were resting, so this shouldn’t go too badly.”

“You can play it from memory?” I asked.

“Well, this one wasn’t really meant for piano in the first place, but I found a version that was as true to the symphony as it gets, which is what I’ll be playing. Some pianists like trying to make the piece their own, where I prefer to be as true to the original as possible. For what I need to do, that’s ideal.” Sandro picked up the map from in front of him and waved it in my direction. “This is the complicated part, but since all the levees and water zones are marked, I’m hoping it won’t be too bad. Don’t be surprised if I’m ready for a nap after this is over. This sort of work is exhausting.”

I understood. Working with my Voodoo exhausted me, too. It never seemed to matter how large or small the working, I emerged on the other side a tired mess. “I have no idea if I can carry a tune in a bucket,” I warned him. “I’ve never listened to a recording of myself sing, and I never asked—and nobody ever told me if I could sing well. And I wasn’t supposed to sing at home.”

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Why does that sound like a threat?”

“Because it is.” Sandro flashed a smile at me. “Everything will be all right. This sort of work is child’s play for me, especially after having spent so long working in Asylum. I’m just using a different sort of music to power my workings there. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”