Coffin Girls (Elegantly Undead: Book 1 of the Coffin Girls Witch Vampire Series) by Aneesa Price Page B

master. Either Conall was deliberately deceiving them or he was
more familiar with his minions that most royalty were. Given her current level
of intelligence on him, either was a possibility. “Mystic Madam is just around
the corner.” She waited for Marie and V to join them and then hurriedly turned
and walked off with them.
    Closely on their heels, the men followed them down past
bars, jazz clubs and a myriad of tourist buildings. There were less residential
houses in this part of the Quarter but tell-tale signs of homes peeked out from
above buildings where the top floors housed apartments. A woman on a balcony,
intent on reading, actually managed to concentrate despite the noise below.
Another window offered a glimpse into family life where a woman was gently
scolding a little boy for some well executed mischief. Windows and balconies
were immaculately kept in contrast to the revelry below. Pots of flowers, the
occasional window adornment or gris-gris, a voodoo charm, offering protection,
indicated a different perspective of life, part of the fabric of the quarter
but compartmentalized to above the buildings. Below, the streets were thumping
with life and living and they had to occasionally side-step the evidence that
littered the sidewalk. 
    “It is a strange place, isn’t it? But wonderfully so with
its lights, laughter and soul draping us.” Anais offered, watching Conall step
over a ‘to-go’ cup that undoubtedly housed a beverage of the non-coffee variety
before it found itself on the paving. “Don’t let a bit of dirt put you off. The
streets will be cleaned before the day begins when the mayor’s cleaning crew
comes around.”
    “It is a magical place,” Conall nodded, waving an arm
around, “not just in the pull of real magick I sense here and there but magic
in the surreal human energy that pulls here.”
    They made their way through the famous Bourbon Street where
a historic hotel displayed a group of guests partying on its balconies. A particularly
inebriated man shouted from the balcony, “I love New Orleans!” He bent over the
balcony and beckoned at them. “The women are gorgeous…” Slurring with drink, he
kept his sentences thankfully short. “We’re having a party up here. The best
view in town. Come on up!”
    Marie grinned, “No thanks. We’re off to a friend. But thank
you for the compliment. Now, you step back from that balcony, we don’t want our
friendly tourists to hurt themselves.” Because she really was worried, she
summoned a friendly ghost friend to remain invisible to him and the witches
while gently nudging the man back. The man was startled, thinking he’d lost his
balance. Blanching at the possibilities that suddenly hit him, he abruptly
stepped back. Marie smiled satisfyingly; you could always count on the presence
of a few ghostly inhabitants in the Quarter. Growing up here, she knew most of
them.
    Niul stared at Marie, “Yes, it is magickal.” And not just
magical, he thought, in the popularly misconceived manner. Marie didn’t pick up
the innuendo in the statement, laughing at the spectacle, her enjoyment of the
Quarter evident in her light step as she continued down the road. Niul put away
the bit of information to share with Conall and Sylvain later.
    Conall continued watching the spectacle on the balcony. The
other revelers were so drunk that they were oblivious to the scare their one
friend had had. Anais caught the look and grinned, “Don’t worry. It’s like
those pubs you have in Ireland just on a Quarter balcony instead of a pretty little
town. And no matter how drunken people get, they never seem to over-step the
mark. We’ve had very few accidents in my long life here. Mardi Gras happens
next month, it’ll take the merry-making to a whole new level and even that is
managed well. Locals and the authorities won’t let harm come to its people or
visitors. Come, Madame Mystic is just around the corner. Rumor has it that she
is a witch.” Her