Subj: A More Consistent Origin, Parts 19-20
Date: 12/30/98 6:32:03 PM Central Standard Time
From: Whitey Pale

Part 19

Angelique gasped. Her throat constricted so that she could not scream. Slowly, the figure began lumbering towards her, and she could see that it was totally covered with gray fur, appeared to be nearly seven feet tall and over 300 pounds with long claws and a tail. Angelique began to back away as it advanced.

Then, impulsively, she reached down and grabbed the lit candle and threw it at the creature. She made a direct hit and the creature caught fire. It wailed and lunged towards Angelique, who jumped out of the way.

Outside the front door of the building, Gavroche heard noises coming from upstairs. He opened the door and yelled up. "Angelique! Are you all right?" Gavroche instinctively began to run up the stairs.

At the sound of the footfalls, the creature, still aflame, jumped out of an open window. Gavroche continued to yell for Angelique as he ran up the stairs in the darkness. When he reached the top of the stairs he blindly ran into the room, tripped on the barrel, and fell flat on the floor.

Angelique heard this, of course, but she was more concerned with the window from which the creature escaped. She had not remembered the window being open when she entered the room. Surely, she could not have been so engrossed in her search to not have noticed the creature entering through the window. Moreover, the creature was gone. She did not think that a fall from a second story window would kill it, but she also did not think that a large wounded creature on fire could escape into the night without anyone noticing. She also thought it curiously lucky that the room had not caught fire, and curiouser still that the
creature left at the sound of Gavroche's voice.

"Angelique! Where are you?" Gavroche said, in a somewhat pained voice.

Angelique turned to her fallen comrade. "Gavroche! Did you see the monster?" she exclaimed.

"Monster? What are you talking about? I heard some noises upstairs and thought that you had fallen and hurt yourself. . . like me."

Angelique realized that Gavroche knew nothing of the creature that attacked her and that it would be futile to explain. "I--I thought I saw something in the corner. It must have been my imagination."

"What are you doing here in the dark?"

Angelique thought quickly and said, "I opened the window to get more light and the candle blew out. I then bumped into some furniture, like yourself. Are you all right?"

"Just bruised, I think." Gavroche said as he pulled himself up. "Did you find anything?"

"No. Monsieur Dawson appears to have picked up and left without a trace," Angelique lied. No sense telling Gavroche about the list and the map.

"Then let us go back home. I'm sure that Monsieur Du Pres, once he learns of what has happened, will let you resume your position."

This was not what Angelique wanted to do. She wanted to follow up on the map and the list. "Gavroche, it is late. If we leave now, we will not be able to get back until near morning. Let us stay overnight somewhere and return tomorrow."

"I don't think that the master will want us out with one of his carriages all night, and besides, it will be hard enough to explain where the money you spent went without spending more on lodgings somewhere."

Angelique followed Gavroche's voice and grabbed his arm. "Gavroche, please. I'm sure that we can find someone to let us stay in a stable somewhere for the night at little cost."

Gavroche was adamant. "The master will not be pleased--"

Angelique put her arm around Gavroche. "Please, Gavroche. I told you before that I have thought about you often. Let us have one night together, away from the prying eyes of the other servants."

Gavroche reddened. He felt a sense of excitement come over him. "Very well, I will see what I can do." Angelique embraced Gavroche and kissed him full on the lips. "Let us go." he whispered and turned to go.
Angelique began to follow, but feigned a trip by the barrel and fell to the ground.

Gavroche asked if she were all right and bent over to help her, but before he could do so, Angelique reached down and grabbed the map from off of the bottom of the barrel. Gavroche helped Angelique up and they left Evan Dawson's deserted offices.

Gavroche had little difficulty finding an inexpensive stable to spend the night. He and Angelique ate the remainder of the provisions they had brought with them. In the back of her mind, Angelique thought of the creature, but had a gut feeling that it would not be back to bother them that night. Then Gavroche turned to the important matter at hand. "I was surprised and, uh, very happy to hear that you have been thinking of me all this time," he began somewhat nervously.

"Why does this surprise you?" Angelique smiled.

"Because, I mean, I never thought, I mean I never dreamed--"

Angelique enjoyed Gavroche's discomfort. "Why not? After all, you are a handsome and desirable man."

"Thank you," he stammered, "it's just that, I mean, I've always wanted to get to know you better, I mean, I've always admired you."

Angelique feigned surprise. "Me? Why?"

"Because you-you are different from the other servants. You seem to, I mean, you are more like the masters," he blurted.

Angelique laughed. "You cannot be serious, Gavroche."

"Yes!" he said, suddenly finding firmness, "in fact, sometimes, I see you and Josette together and, were it not for the difference in clothes, I could not tell that you were her maid!"

Angelique beamed at this compliment. "Why, Gavroche, what a lovely thing to say to me!" She advanced on him and began caressing the back of his neck. Gavroche embraced Angelique and began to kiss her. Angelique began playfully untying the scarf around Gavroche's neck. Gavroche began to unbutton Angelique's dress. Angelique threw the scarf behind her and she began unbuttoning Gavroche's shirt.

When Gavroche had gotten to the last button of Angelique's dress, she pulled away from his embrace. "Wait, Gavroche," she smiled, "my mother gave me something for protection." Gavroche nodded and watched Angelique move into the dark corner of the stable towards her belongings. He was flushed with excitement at what he thought was to come.

However, a few minutes later, Gavroche felt a different sensation. He began to choke. He collapsed to the ground gasping for breath. "Angelique help me! Please help me!"

Angelique slowly walked up to the choking figure, buttoning her dress with one hand. "Yes, Gavroche. I will help you, but not just yet. You see, my mother did give me something for protection, but it is not quite what you had in mind." With that, she pulled from behind her back a clay doll with Gavroche's scarf wrapped tightly around its neck. "But you are indeed very observant," she smiled, "I am a master. Yours!"

Part 20

Gavroche wrapped his hand around his throat and gasped, "You're--you're a witch!"

Angelique tightened Gavroche's scarf around the clay figure. Gavroche could no longer speak and could barely breathe. "Don't you dare call me that again, Gavroche!" Angelique said severely, "Or it will be the last thing you will ever say!" She then loosened the scarf somewhat to allow Gavroche to speak.

Gavroche panted what little air he could get. "What are you going to do with me?"

Angelique smiled. "Well, I can tell you what I am not going to do with you. I am not going to make love to you, and I certainly am not going back to the Du Pres plantation with you."

Gavroche pleaded. "Please let me go! I will leave you here, won't tell a soul about you! Just let me return home!"

Angelique frowned. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, Gavroche. I still need you. We are going to take a little trip, you and I, to the far end of the island so that I can find some answers."

"But why do you need me?" Gavroche asked.

"Because Gavroche," Angelique explained as if to a child, "I need someone to drive the carriage. Besides," Angelique smiled at the irony, "a woman needs a man to protect her from highwaymen and cutpurses."

"You'll never get away with this! Monsieur Du Pres will send someone out to look for his carriage! To look for me!"

Angelique again tightened the scarf, cutting off Gavroche's ability to talk. "Enough! I do not want to hear one more word! You must go to sleep, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow." Angelique loosened the scarf and Gavroche stared ahead in silence.

Angelique then reached into her bag and pulled out an herb, handing it to Gavroche. "Here, eat this." Gavroche looked alarmed. Angelique shrugged in annoyance. "It is not poison. I already told you that I need you. It will only make you sleep. Now eat it."

Gavroche hesitated, but as Angelique reached for the scarf, he swallowed the herb and was soon fast asleep. Angelique sat in the corner of the stables and thought. She realized that Gavroche was right. Andre Du Pres would send someone to look for his carriage and for Gavroche and then she could be exposed--including to her beloved Barnabas. She realized that she had overplayed her hand. She had to think of some other plan.

Angelique smiled. She had enjoyed toying with Gavroche. She had never before used witchcraft on another person and found that she took pleasure at the power she could wield over others. Angelique ruefully thought of how her mother, Alexis, despite her powers, cowered in the presence of Nathalie Du Pres. She was determined never to cower to any mortal again.

Angelique then began to think about the revenge she could wreak using her powers, starting with the man who had insulted her earlier that evening. She glowered as she remembered the landlord's comment about how she could make money at the docks. Angelique longed to go back and make him pay. Then she paused. The thought of the docks gave her an idea.

Angelique excitedly rummaged through the burlap bags containing her belongings and pulled out the only article of clothing that her mother owned that she had taken. It was a blue dress, hand sewn by Angelique's grandmother. The dress was for a very young girl, but Angelique's mother had always kept it as a memory of her mother. Angelique had remembered that during Alexis's tirade the other day she had mentioned that she had been turned out of an inn by her mother and then almost drowned herself.

Angelique went outside the stables and picked up some dirt. She sprinkled it on the blue dress and began an incantation asking to see the woman who had created the dress. Angelique knew that the spell would only work if her grandmother was alive--and close by. Angelique's heart beat faster with excitement as she continued the incantation.

Soon a vision began to appear before her, an elderly woman, who appeared to be in her late 50s or early 60s lying on a straw bed in a basement. Angelique knew that the woman was actually in her late 40s as she immediately noticed the resemblance. Excited, Angelique called on the vision to expand so that she could locate the woman. Presently, Angelique saw a somewhat dilapidated inn called the Lion's Roar near the docks.

At that point Angelique dissipated the vision and leaped up. She wanted to start off immediately. But Angelique then remembered that she had put Gavroche to sleep and that he would be asleep for several more hours. Angelique did not have or know the antidote, which was very frustrating to her. She sat back down and began to study the map and the list that she had found at Dawson's deserted offices. Then she came up with a plan.

_______________

Gavroche rolled over and slowly opened his eyes. Standing right in front of him was Angelique.

"It is about time that you woke up. Get up! We have a lot of work to do," she said.

Gavroche rolled in the other direction. "Angelique. Ohhh! Then it was not a dream." he groaned.

"No, it was not." Angelique said crossly. "And the sooner we get done with everything that needs to be done today, the sooner you can go home and be rid of me. First, give me the rest of the money that Monsieur Du Pres gave us."

Gavroche meekly pulled out a bag of coins from his pocket and handed it to Angelique. "Will you really let me go?" he asked as he arose from the ground.

"I bear you no ill will, Gavroche," Angelique said. "You got in my way and I had no choice but to place you under my control. Now, if you follow my orders, you can be free tonight. But if you do not. . ." Angelique pulled out the clay doll from a pocket in her coat, which still had Gavroche's scarf around its neck.

"You do not have to tell me twice." Gavroche said, rubbing his neck which still felt the light tightening from his scarf around the doll.

After inquiring directions from several townspeople, Angelique and Gavroche went to the local Apothecary shop, operated by a Monsieur Blanc. Angelique told Gavroche to wait outside--and that if he left or asked for help, he would die. Gavroche meekly obeyed.

Angelique walked into the shop and rang the bell. Out from a back room came a stern looking, pinch faced man, about 45. When he saw Angelique, his expression melted into a grin. "May I help you, Mademoiselle?" he asked.

Angelique smiled as Blanc called her Mademoiselle. It reminded her of her beloved Barnabas, who she longed to return to. But business came first. Angelique pulled out the list she had found at Dawson's the night before and handed it to Blanc. "I would like to order these items." she said cheerfully.

As Blanc began looking at the list, his face returned to its original sour expression. He began to raise his eyes to look at Angelique, but quickly returned them to the paper. After a few moments, he looked up and shook his head. "Sorry. I have never even heard of most of the items on this list."

Angelique was undaunted. "Please Monsieur. I know that you do not know me, but Monsieur Dawson asked me to come to pick up these things. He said that it was very important."

Blanc looked straight at Angelique. "Is that supposed to mean something to me? I do not know anyone named Dawson."

Angelique countered, "I can understand your reluctance. As you know, Monsieur Dawson had to leave rather suddenly. I was sent to pick up some final items for the trip. I regret that all Monsieur Dawson has to pay for them is this." She opened the small bag and poured the remaining coins from Monsieur Du Pres out on the counter. She half hoped that the apothecary would call her bluff, thereby admitting that he knew Dawson.

"Well, it is nice to know that you have money, Mademoiselle," Blanc said dryly, "but I do not have the items you wish for sale."

Angelique was running out of ideas. She decided to pull her last ace, although for some reason she did not know, it made her nervous to use it. "Please Monsieur, if I cannot obtain these items for Monsieur Dawson, Judah Zachary will be very angry with me."

Blanc grew angry. "Hold your tongue!" he hissed. "I do not know why Dawson left, nor do I know why he did not tell me that you would come here. Needless to say, I must be careful."

Angelique bowed her head and stifled a smile. "Of course," she said.

The apothecary went into a back room and returned presently with the items Angelique had requested from the list. Then he went back to the room and returned with a large brown book.

"Here, one of Dawson's women left this with me last week. You can return it, I do not want it here. Moreover, you can tell Dawson that our relationship is finished. With him gone, it is much too dangerous to keep these supplies in my shop."

Angelique was curious about the book, but thought it wise to wait until leaving to look through it. "Of course, Monsieur Blanc. I will tell him."

Suddenly, Blanc became agitated. "No! No, do not tell him! I will continue to serve!" Angelique could tell that Blanc was lying. She figured that he would get out of town soon after she left, but this was no concern of hers.

Angelique left the apothecary shop and ordered Gavroche to get the carriage. When Gavroche arrived, she directed him to drive to a certain inn near the docks.

During the ride, Angelique leafed through the book that Blanc had given her. Much to her delight, it was a book of spells, herbs and talismans. Now she could really learn the powers that her mother had begun to teach her to use. Angelique was so engrossed with the book that she did not notice when Gavroche stopped the carriage.

"Angelique, we are here." Gavroche poked his head in, snapping Angelique out of her reverie.

"Thank you, Gavroche." she said, closing the book. "Now I want you to listen to me carefully. I want you to sell one of the horses for the best price you can get."

Gavroche gasped. "But Angelique, we cannot drive the carriage back to the Du Pres with only one horse."

Angelique said sternly, "We need money Gavroche. I spent the last of Monsieur Du Pres's money at the apothecary's. Are you questioning me again?"

Gavroche sighed. "No, of course not." Gavroche sold one of the horses and gave the money to Angelique. They then bought some food and waited until dark. Gavroche asked Angelique what was going to happen, but Angelique warned him not to ask questions.

When night fell, Angelique said, "Now, Gavroche listen to me carefully. I want you to take the carriage out of sight, tie up the horse, and then destroy the carriage and drop the pieces in the ocean. The pieces must never be found."

Angelique pulled out a mirror and picked up some dirt. "I can see you always using this mirror, your scarf and this dirt. I will know if you defy me, and you know what that will mean." Gavroche looked anguished at the thought of destroying the carriage, but nodded his head. "Then, ride the horse back to me." Angelique said. "I will be hiding by the stables."

About an hour and a half later, Gavroche returned on the horse. "Now I want you to tie up the horse, and go into the inn." Angelique smiled, "I want you to tell the innkeeper that we are married and that we plan to spend the night here." She pulled out some of the money that Gavroche had obtained for the horse. "Here, this should cover it."

Gavroche dutifully did so. "Now," Angelique said. "I want you to find someone and sell the horse." She pointed at the remaining horse.

Gavroche could stand no more. "Please, Angelique!" he begged. "You promised that you would let me go tonight! I have done everything that you have asked! You promised that you would let me go home! Now I see that it was all a lie! You plan to keep me prisoner!"

Angelique looked at Gavroche with pity. He was a completely broken man. She felt remorse for the way she had treated him, but she knew that there was no other way.

"I am sorry, Gavroche. Truly, I am. But if you are to leave, I need money. I said that I would allow you to go home. And I will. But I did not say that I would make it easy for you. Now go, this is the last thing that you will have to do for me. I promise."

About a half hour later, Gavroche returned and gave Angelique the money he got from selling his remaining horse. "Well, Gavroche, there is one more thing that you can do for me. You can take my bags to my room."

Gavroche took Angelique's bags to her room, and set them by her bed. Although he had told the innkeeper that they were man and wife, he knew that he would not be sleeping there, nor did he want to. He just wanted to get away from Angelique.

Angelique turned to Gavroche. "Now, I want you to go. Walk all night. Tomorrow morning I will remove your scarf from the doll. You will tell everyone that after you left me at Dawson's, you were set upon by highwaymen on the way home. They stole the carriage and all of your money. You must never tell anyone the truth about me. I will know if you try. No one will believe you anyhow. Then when I know that you are alone, I will place the scarf back around the doll's neck and I will turn it hard."

She jerked the scarf tightly around the doll's neck for effect, causing Gavroche to choke, then she released it. "And you will die a horrible death. And Gavroche," she added, "when I have finished with my mission, I WILL be back. Now go!"

Gavroche began to run, but Angelique admonished him to be discreet, at least until he left the town. Gavroche began walking briskly, not looking back.

As Gavroche left, Angelique felt another twinge of remorse for her treatment of him--which she still felt had been necessary. She knew that she had been bluffing. Once she removed the scarf from the doll and once Gavroche reached a certain distance she could not know if he would betray her. But she felt confident that Gavroche would be too scared to do so, and that, even if he did, no one would believe him.

"Now," she thought with a frown, "I think that it is time that I went to meet my grandmother."