The VooDoo King (Keegan Thayer)

The VooDoo King

No family was more loved, nor more feared, in Louisiana in the 1830’s than that of the Thayer family. The patriarch of the family, Joseph, was a prominent thief who stole from those who had everything and gave to those who had nothing. His wife, Marie, was one of the proud voodoo queens of New Orleans. Marie sold charms and spells to those who needed them. Completing the family were three sons: the oldest Jeremiah, the middle Jean Luc, and the youngest Keegan.

Jeremiah had been born in the summer and Marie claimed that’s why he had such a fiery personality. He was always standing up for what was right and for his siblings. His passion was for justice and he became a high officer of the Navy, captaining his own ship. He found little joy in the things that his father and mother did for a living. He turned a blind eye to their professions so he would not be forced to turn them over to the authorities.

Jean Luc had been born in the spring, Marie claiming that was what made his personality so calm and bright. He loved what his father did, stealing from those who had everything to give to those who had nothing. He followed his father into the profession of thief, risking life and limb to do as well as his father. It was on a job with his father that Jean Luc was shot and killed. His death affected everyone. Joseph gave up thieving and went to work as a simple cobbler, making shoes mostly for those who could not afford to buy their own. Jeremiah was outcast from his family for not defending his brother’s death and instead letting Jean Luc be shot. Marie started looking for ways to bring her deceased son back to life.

Keegan was born in the winter, yet again Marie claimed this affected Keegan’s personality. Where his brothers were passionate, bright, and friendly; Keegan was the total opposite. Keegan was sullen, quiet, and often dark thoughted. He was not close to Jeremiah, for he claimed that a man should always stick by his family even if their ideals differed. He was, instead, close to Jean Luc and thought that his brother held a higher ideal for the world that he found to be inspiring. When his brother died, Keegan grew closer to his mother in an attempt to help her find a way to bring Jean Luc back to life. Whereas his mother used slight of hand and lies to convince clients that she had magical qualities, Keegan naturally possessed them. He started training small, with the ability to move things and simple protection spells. As his ability grew, so did his clientel. It seemed as if the entire state of Louisiana wanted help. He wasn’t even sure all of them were human, but he didn’t care. Be they demon or human, werewolf or vampire, he’d help them all the same.

But everyone knows that demons are fickle creatures. If you fail to meet their expectations, they will harm you. Keegan had meant well when he sold the demon a protection spell. The charm, however, had broken and thus the spell had ended. The demon had hunted Keegan down, and with one harsh swoop of her feral claws, had struck his heart and killed him.

Instead of going to Hell like he had expected, he ended up in a plane of existence. There was nothing there except for him and a young woman. She was beautiful with pale skin and black hair braided down her back. It was her eyes that drew Keegan in. Her eyes were purely black, demonic in their appearance. “I’m dead,” he spoke plainly, “so who are you?”

“I go by many names,” the woman smiled as she conjured up a table and chairs, “I believe your people call me the angel of death.”

“And I’m here why, love?” Keegan smirked as he sat down in the chair and put his feet up on the table, “I’m dead, it’s too late for you to save me.”

Using magic, the angel moved Keegan’s feet off of the table, “Do you think you were born with magic? No, I helped you Keegan Thayer, grow for magic. The way I view it, Thayer, you owe me. You owe me a debt. All magic has a cost.”

Keegan gave her a disbelieving look, “Me? I owe you something? What is it?”

“For eons I have served as the angel of death, only able to move on when someone accepts the role of death’s angel,” she smiled, “And you’re going to do it.”

“You’re making a crack, aren’t you?” Keegan snorted as he produced a flask of whiskey from his pocket. He took a swig, grinning, “I can’t be tied down love.”

"Keegan Thayer, the fate that awaits you is worse than death," the angel spoke clearly. "If you become the angel of death, I will allow you to live in the mortal-"

"How will you have any say, love? Isn't that Satan's job?" Keegan laughed.

"Because the angel of death has always been the friend of Satan as long as there has been an angel," chuckled the woman, "Will you do it Keegan? You will posses command over death itself as well as your prior magics."

"Can I bring loved ones-"

"No," the angel responded, knowing Keegan's question. "Death cannot be reversed if one is truly dead."

He thought for a second, before nodding his head, "Aye, aye I will."

The woman smiled as a blinding light took over the area, Keegan feeling an immense pain in his chest. When he opened his eyes, he was back home. From that moment on, Keegan grew to have an appreciation for life. He knew the souls he helped transport over the years would find peace in their after lives. Perhaps the most heartfelt bringing of a soul to it's final resting place was bringing his brother to the gates of Heaven. They had forgiven each other for their pasts and told each other how much they loved one another. Keegan always hated saying goodbye.

As the centuries passed, Keegan saw how people who were different were shunned. Be it for their skin color, the way they thought, or the fact that they were powered he hated it. It inspired him to operate a bar where the mutants and meta-humans could go to unwind once women and those of other racial backgrounds were granted their own rights.

After all, death welcomed all kinds.