Heart of a Dragon Read Online Free Page B

  They walk and they talk through the living, and then they depart.   That is how it has always been."
    Donovan said nothing. He knew all of this, and knew that Cord was only building to his point.
    "Anya Cabrera is summoning the Loa ," Cord said, "but they are not departing as they should.   Some have remained days, possibly weeks.   Each time she holds her ritual, the portals remain open longer; the veils have grown thin.   She controls them – the living, and the spirits who inhabit them.   She plans a war."
    "You have seen this?" Donovan asked.
    Cord nodded. "Last night in Santini Park, there was a battle. You may have heard?"
    Donovan nodded.   He'd known there was to be trouble – two local gangs – but it hadn't seemed of importance.   There were many such groups in the city, and quite a number in the Barrio.   Power was a tenuous thing, and always under contention.   Donovan kept tabs on such activity, but rarely found a reason to get involved.
    "Anya Cabrera was in Santini Park?" Donovan asked, at last.
    "Not in person," Cord said.   "But she was also not far distant, and before the battle, there was a ritual.   Some of those who fought were the possessed."
    Donovan thought about this for a moment.   When he didn't respond, Cord continued.
    "Several of The Dragons fell.   One of them was Vasquez.   If the storm hadn't broken when it did, it would have been worse.   Anya Cabrera intends to run any power from the Barrio that is not under her control.   The boundaries between the Barrio and the rest of the city are already tenuous.   This could be a problem."
    Donovan nodded.   He withdrew a second fifty from his pocket.
    "Vasquez?   You're sure?   The one they call El Gigante ?"
    Cord nodded.   He didn't look up as Donovan passed over the money.   "If anything changes, I'll be in contact."
    Donovan remained seated as Cord slipped off his stool and faded into the shadows.   There was only one exit from the room, and it led into the phone booth.   There were chambers in the back, and darker alcoves where larger groups could sit and speak in silence.   No matter how loudly you conversed at The Crossroads, the sound didn't carry.   The bartender continued quietly polishing beer glasses and watching the door. Probably, if one looked carefully enough, there were other exits.   Donovan had never questioned it; he appreciated the privacy afforded, and was pretty sure he didn't want to tangle with whoever provided it.
    After giving Cord time to make his departure, Donovan rose and left the bar.   The alley was as empty as it had been when he arrived.   He straightened his jacket and stepped out into the street, turning uptown toward home and blending into the growing evening crowds.
    During the day, Donovan avoided the streets as much as possible.   His striking appearance and slightly antiquated wardrobe tended to attract too much attention with the sun high in the sky.   At night, a different city emerged.   Those who were out and about had their own agendas, and their own concerns.   They had no time to worry about a tall, lone figure walking quickly away into the city.   Donovan didn't feel like taking the portals … he wanted to think.
    His knowledge of Anya Cabrera, and of voodoo, was rusty.   There had been no reason to pay attention to the old woman for some time; the more active power in the Barrio was an old man named Martinez, and Martinez was content to remain within comfortable borders.    San Valencez was a large, sprawling city with many levels of apartments and ghettos surrounded by outlying suburbs.   The Barrio was only a small, southern quarter, home to poor Latino families and bordered by the territories of two gangs – The Dragons, and Los Escorpiones .   The form of Voodoo practiced by Anya Cabrera had a very small following in the city, but it was concentrated in and