by Alexie Aaron
“Burt or Ted will update you and your brother on who, why, and where, but I need to ask you, where are Kevin and Fergus? I don’t sense them here.”
“They wanted to stay on the island. Kevin gets seasick.”
“Shit.”
“You sure cuss a lot when you’re not around the little ones.”
“Shut up. Where on the island do you think they are?”
“The low cave behind the waterfall. We found a piece of a French uniform there.”
“Bait,” Mia said to herself and continued her one-sided conversation, “Fergus is wily. He’ll keep Kevin out of trouble. We’re going to extract Sabine now before she can be used as a vessel. I was hoping the ghosts could travel with her, but we’ll have to improvise.”
“You’re going to have to tell me what’s going on,” Mason insisted.
“You were moments away from being part of the biggest jailbreak in the history of the world. You and your idiot brother were going to give the demon-with-no-name a way of exiting the island of Lucifer’s Lip.”
“How?”
“By way of Sabine. She’s a very powerful vessel. She can open herself up and carry entities over water, more importantly, over saltwater.”
“Do you think this was all planned?”
“No. I think it got lucky. There was no way for it to know you three were coming here or that you were going to come ashore. Although, I’m sure it read your intent before you disembarked. It planted a clue to draw you into the caves. Fortunately, Sabine felt something was wrong and alerted me. She made me call Angelo, and that set me off on a mission to find out what this island is. Long story short, there are more people headed here. We have to extract Sabine and keep the Feds from stepping foot on that island or plan C is going into effect.”
“I haven’t heard anything about plan A or B, and now you’re talking plan C. Girly girl, you’re worrying me.”
“I need to go down and make sure Nicholai is fed and rested before he leaves with Sabine. He has to leave before first light. I’ll leave Murphy up here with you,” Mia said and left.
“What’s a Nicholai?” Mason asked.
Murphy, who was watching Sabine sleep, said, “A flying fortress. Big wings and an ego to match. Don’t be smarting off to him, or you’ll find yourself picking your teeth out of your eyebrows.”
“Ouch. So, you guys didn’t parachute in?”
“No, we were flown.”
“Did this guy fly all of you here? He must be ginormous.”
“No,” Murphy said but didn’t elaborate.
Mason knew that Murphy sometimes traveled inside of Mia, so he just had to account for two more people’s transportation.
Mia climbed up the ladder and dropped a pile of clothes on top of Sabine’s sleeping form. “I think Komal is holding on to her to make sure the demon can’t hitch a ride. How about one of you gentlemen helping me dress her?”
“Not it,” Murphy said, getting up and disappearing.
“You know I can’t see you, Murphy, but when I do, I’m punching you in the mouth,” Mason said, picking up some underthings and tossing them to Mia. “You do the under, I’ll do the over.”
Mia snickered. “Coward.”
Patrick woke to a hand shaking his shoulder. “Mason, what’s wrong?”
“Not Mason, and plenty is wrong,” Burt Hicks said, staring down at him.
“Jesus, Mary, Joseph, how did you get here?” Patrick asked. “Sabine, she shouldn’t have called you. The ghosts here we can handle.”
“It’s not because of the ghosts that we’re here. We’ve come to save your butt.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Evidently, if you took more time researching, you would have never gotten in this position. The treasure is nowhere near here.”
“Mason found proof it was put on the America. They came to Guadeloupe, but they didn’t leave anything there. However, they were going to stop on a private island before heading to someplace in North America. After questioning a few of the locals, we determined that Lanfé is the island in question. There, we found clothing from a French seaman in a cave behind the waterfall.”
“The America went on to the port of New Orleans. Did you follow up on what the America unloaded in New Orleans?”
“No.”
“Or where the ship headed next?”
“No.”
“Or that it was seen heading down the Saint Lawrence seaway to Montreal a few months later?”
“No. We were here and decided to check out here first,” Patrick defended.
“Probably what most people would have done, I’ll give you that,” Burt said. “The situation is, you placed Sabine in jeopardy by landing on Lucifer’s Lip. It’s a place where they exiled a flesh-eating demon. Who they are, I don’t know. Why they thought a Caribbean island was a good place to imprison it is beyond me, but it’s there. It has in its employ a kraken type of beast that has hundreds of tentacles. It can pull a ship out of the sea. It eats humans, as does its master, a demon who was stripped of his name.”
“Why is Sabine in danger?”
“She’s a vessel. She can transport entities. With Sabine, the creature can leave the island. She won’t survive long. As soon as the creature sets foot on a continent, it will cast her away and take on another form, most likely bringing its pet monster with it.”
“You’re telling me a good tale, Hicks,” Patrick said. “I don’t get why you’re here.”
“The Wall treasure is part of the Bea White investigation. I have the legal paperwork to put me here filming your little treasure hunt. Ted’s setting up a secure satellite link. The phone you’re using, the Feds have been monitoring since you got here.”
“Why?”
“A six-boat beach excursion from a cruise ship has gone missing. There are forty people unaccounted for who were last seen headed towards Lanfé, which is otherwise known as…”
“Lucifer’s Lip. So, our secret treasure hunt is no longer a secret. I’ve roused a beast, and the fair Sabine is in peril. Well, if that doesn’t beat all. It’s my luck doing this. There is no unluckier feller than Patrick Callen.”
“Hey, you got the fair Sabine to go on a cruise with you. Seems to me you’re doing quite well,” Burt commiserated.
“I suppose you’re here to put a stop to the investigation.”
“No, just to redirect you.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Film. I’m sure you’re going to run into some ghosts or other paranormal things that I can present on our show.”
“Things can’t be that bad in the ghost-hunting business that you have to cross the sea to get some pictures.”
“I’m trying to salvage and legitimize your being here. If you want to face Whitney Martin and his federally funded paranormal investigative group on your own, then we’ll pack up and leave you to it. But we’re taking Sabine with us.”
“Heartless creature,” Patrick said. “My boat is your boat. Just try to keep your mitts off the gold doubloons.”
“Doubloons are Spanish coins. You’re looking for whole and half guineas. You do need us, Callen.”
“Forgive me if I’m not exactly pleased to see you.”
“Mia wants to get you up to speed. We’ll meet in Sabine’s stateroom in a few minutes.”
“Mia’s here?”
“Yes.”
“So, Sabine asked you guys to come?”
“Not exactly. Mia was all but ordered to by Angelo.”
“I don’t remember her working for him?”
“She doesn’t, but it did light a fire under her and spoil her vacation from the kids.”
“So she dragged you guys in too.”
“That’s one way of looking at things. I volunteered. Ted too. We believe in what you’re trying to do. We’re just worried about the wasps’ nest you ended up sticking your head into. I’m going to get settled in one of the empty rooms. See you in a few minutes.”
Pat
rick waited for Burt to shut his stateroom door before he climbed out of bed. He looked in the mirror, and although he could use a shave, he had better not take the time. Mason was on his shit list. Where was he? Why hadn’t he raised the alarm of intruders onboard? How did they all get onboard in the first place?
Mia lifted Sabine into Nicholai’s arms. “Take her to the farmhouse. Cid will call Orion if she doesn’t come out of this funk soon.”
“I’ll turn around and come right back.”
“As much as it would comfort me to have you by my side, after you are well rested, I would appreciate it if you would speak with Angelo and let him know what exactly is going on down here. Wings or no wings, that’s a hell of a trip, and you’re doing it back to back.”
“Until we meet again, Little Bird,” Nicholai said and took off.
Mason watched Mia as she walked down to the cabins, relighting the deck lamps as she went. “How does she do that?” he asked Murphy.
“The bulbs just needed to be resettled. Mia’s not a wizard. She’s just using basic telekinesis.”
“When Sabine was extinguishing the lights, I thought she was a wizard,” Mason admitted.
“Have you ever seen Mia’s trick with a knife?” Murphy asked the young man.
“No.”
“She tosses the knife behind her attacker, and then she uses her mind to return it to her hand after bisecting the combatant.”
“Remind me to treat her with better respect,” Mason said, fighting off the chill that had settled in after realizing that Mia was indeed a trained fighter. “When you look at Mia, how do you see her? Do you see a warrior or a woman?” Mason asked.
“I see a friend,” Murphy answered. “One who has had a hard life but manages to find something to laugh about every day. She is loyal and proud. Mia changes frequently, and it takes her a while to get used to the changes and accept that she will never be normal. Sometimes, I see how sad this makes her, but I dare not try to comfort her.”
“Or you’ll be picking your teeth out of your eyebrows?” Mason asked.
“Exactly.”
Chapter Six
Mia picked through Sabine’s clothes, trying to find something to wear that wouldn’t cost her an arm and a leg to replace. “At least it’s not cashmere,” she said, tugging on the expensive activewear Sabine must have sunk a mortgage payment into.
Ted looked over and shook his head. “Minnie Mouse, aside from Tauni, Sabine doesn’t have any friends to shop with.”
“What about Holly, her sister in-law? She seems pretty down to earth.”
“But busy. I fear that your cousin gets most of her ideas about clothing from social media and Ralph.”
Mia sighed. “Ralph can err on the side of fashion instead of comfort. K, before you answer, I need to look like Sabine from a distance. It has to fool Whit.”
“Then you need to wrap your chest down,” Ted said bluntly. “There’s a roll of compression wrap in my go-bag.”
Mia dug through the bag, and sure enough, there was a wide band of self-adhesive bandage wrap. She walked over and waited for Ted to finish typing a command into his laptop.
“I used this to secure the wires of the recording devices to our announcer. Then Mike started using it to secure his stomach.”
“I thought he looked rather solid, and here I was, thinking he was going to the gym,” Mia said, holding her breasts flat until Ted rolled the tape over them.
“It’s criminal to tape these babies down,” Ted said, pulling the tape tight as he wound it around her body. “Can you breathe?”
“Yes. If I release my wings, the armor will cut through it, but I expect, if I do use my wings, the jig’s up anyway,” Mia mused.
“Tell me what you’re thinking?” Ted asked, worried by Mia’s knitted brow.
“That I need you here but would be happier if you were back home. You’re way too distracting.”
Ted chuckled. “I guess it’s the price you have to pay for having all this at your disposal,” he said, striking a pose.
“I love you, Teddy Bear.”
“I love you too. Now put on some clothes before the others get here. What are you going to do with your hair? Last I saw, Sabine’s hair was long, and yours is still growing out of the Victor bob.”
Mia laughed at her impulsive self-haircut. The mighty birdman Victor had mentioned that her long hair was a hazard in battle, so Mia took her long braid and sliced it off. Upon reflection, she should have just secured it to her head. She pulled her shoulder-length hair into a ponytail and secured the saved, severed braid to it with a few elastic bands before releasing the braid. The long hair trailed down her back. “I knew this would come in handy. Waste not, want not.”
Mia tugged on a waist-length yoga bra and topped it off with a filmy tunic. She adjusted her walk to be less athletic and more graceful.
“Remember, Sabine is very pale.”
“Not much I can do about it, wait. I’ll just mix a little zinc… Shit, too much. I look like a kabuki dancer.”
Ted shook his head and walked back into the main part of the suite. “I’d say, if you have achieved kabuki, then you’re on the right track.”
Mia washed her face and started again. This time, she chose a sunscreen for faces that, if she read the directions correctly, was supposed to give her a dewy look. “It takes a lot of effort to look like Sabine,” she mumbled.
Burt walked into the suite. “I thought this was supposed to be a sports-class yacht, but the luxury never ends.”
“As long as the engines on this thing are fast and their electronics are up to date, I couldn’t care less how many flat-screen televisions it has,” Ted said.
“Where’s Mia?” Burt asked.
“Coming,” Mia called. “How do I look?”
Mia walked out into the sitting room of the suite and around the room before posing.
“Not bad. You won’t fool anyone close up because your lips and eyes are different, but ten feet away, you’re Sabine,” Burt said.
“What about Sabine?” Patrick asked, striding into the room and stopping. “I thought you were gone... Wait, you’re not Sabine.”
“I think I’ll take that as a success,” Mia said.
“Where is Sabine?” Patrick asked.
Mia looked at her watch. “Probably over Tennessee. Nicholai has amazing wings.”
Mason ran in. “Murphy said you’re ready to… I just saw you leave.”
“That’s not Sabine,” Patrick said through his teeth.
“Damn, is that you, girly girl? Where’s your boobs?” Mason asked.
Ted started coughing. The situation was too funny for him to be offended.
“Brother, you always know how to impress people,” Patrick said. “K. Now how about your telling us the whole story, and don’t gloss over the masquerade part Mia is playing either.”
“Mia?” Burt asked.
“Burt, I would be more comfortable if you handled this.”
“Really? Okay, Callens, have a seat. I’ve got a long story with lots of details and not much time to tell it in.”
Patrick and Mason sat down. Mason’s head kept turning Mia’s way, especially when Burt related where most of this information was retrieved from.
“If it were anyone but you PEEPs that were relating this story to me, I’d swear you were liars,” Patrick said. “But it makes sense, especially seeing the specters that we’ve seen already on the island. We were warned not to step on anything but solid rock. This is why we started looking on the cliffside of the island first.”
“Do you still have the sailor’s shirt?” Mia asked, taking her gloves off.
“Sabine confirmed it came from the America,” Patrick said.
“I brought it,” Mason said. He lifted up a salt-filled Ziploc. He opened the bag and pulled out a smaller bag. He handed it to Mia.
“Smart guy,” Mia commented.
“I did not take my internship with PEEPs for granted,” Mason said.
“Shit,” Patrick said.
“There’s more,” Mia said, her eyes glossy.
“Please go on,” Burt encouraged.
“I would tell you his name, but he refers to himself in many derogatory terms. The owner of this shirt swam back but wisely settled atop the rocky outcropping. He stayed there for a while, but the thirst for water drew him to the waterfall where he refreshed himself. He ate whatever he could catch on and from the rocks. He lasted two moons. Unfortunately, there was a big storm, and it washed him from the rocks and onto the beach. He woke to find himself a hundred yards from the rocks. He started running. It didn’t take long before the sand in front and behind him shimmered. He avoided the first tentacle but was caught by one behind him. The slimy arm wrapped around his legs and pulled him straight down under the sand.”
“Did he suffocate?” Mason asked.
“No, he survived the pull through the sand. He had coughed out most of the sand by the time whatever was pulling him stopped dragging him through, what he could only assume was, the oozing remains of the other sailors. He felt human hands lifting him and tossing him on a pile of dead and decomposing men. He saw a lady’s bonnet and shuddered as the skull it was attached to had a big hole in the back. Not a quitter, this man rolled off the pile and got to his feet and sought out a way to escape. That’s when he heard the voice.”
