by Alexie Aaron
~
Ted used his time on the train to make calls and rally the troops. Alan Jeffries’s secretary Brenda met him at the station. She knew the Chicago University area well and soon had Ted deposited in the front of the building where the Coopers had their condo on the second floor. He pushed by the surprised Charles as he answered the door.
“Where is she?”
“Who?” Charles asked.
“He’s looking for Mia, you idiot,” Amanda said from the doorway of the kitchen. “Santos called while you were in the shower. He’s coming over and bringing another couple with him. I asked him to bring some breakfast. All we have is coffee. Would you like some, young man?” Amanda asked before flicking the ash of her cigarette in the sink.
“Yes, please,” Ted said, remembering his manners. He looked around him and decided to follow Amanda into the small kitchen.
She handed him a cup laced with sugar and milk. “Mia said you liked your coffee girled up.” She looked up at him. “My, you’re a tall one. They grow them tall in Kansas don’t they, Charles?”
“Anthropologically speaking, no. He’s from good stock, dear. I bet both parents are tall.”
“Tall as an elephant’s eye, or is that corn?” Amanda mused.
Ted was about to express his dislike for being discussed as if he wasn’t there when a knock on the door ended the discussion.
Charles answered the door. Father Santos walked in, followed by Judy and Ed. Judy was dressed in comfortable clothing and Ed’s attire was vastly different from the clothes he wore when he was traveling through time.
Judy walked over to Ted and pulled him into her arms. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get her back.”
He-who-walks-through-time or Ed, as Judy was fond of calling him, stood sentinel in the corner of the room. He declined coffee and eyed the smoking woman with dislike. He shook Charles’s hand.
“You sure look different. How are you finding the island?” he asked.
“Quiet. Kamal is a good host. We are acclimating well.”
Ted was amazed at the way Charles let bygones be bygones. The time walker had abducted him and dragged him around three states for the best part of a week, dining on whatever Ed could catch. Charles vowed never to order rabbit again on a menu even if a master chef prepared it.
Father Santos returned from the kitchen, a coffee in hand. “Ted, I want you to tell them firsthand what you found and leave not the smallest detail out.”
Amanda took a seat next to her husband and linked her hand through his. Judy walked over and perched herself on the corner of the sofa.
Ted began his tale and answered all questions that the five people in the room voiced. “When it became apparent that Angelo Michaels had taken Mia, we called Father Santos.”
“Did Mia go willingly? Did she have the calling?” Judy asked.
“No. We were to be married this autumn. She had a strong dislike for Angelo and would not leave without telling me first.”
Judy nodded. “The reason I ask is that there are only two ways for the people of my religion to be taken into the Brotherhood of the Wing. I was a gray lady, so I speak from experience,” she informed Amanda. “You have to volunteer. Give yourself over. Or your family can bind you to a member of the Brotherhood. Since Mia is not married yet, this can be done.”
Amanda looked over at Ted and got up and walked over to him. “You came here because you thought I sold my daughter into this slavery, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did,” Ted admitted.
She winced. “I assure you, that yes, I’m a self-centered old hag, but I love my daughter. My husband is more suited to nurture, but I do care. We would never bind her to an antiquated group of terrorists.”
Judy gasped in indignation.
Amanda looked at her sharply, holding her hand up. “Let me speak, you can defend your dogma after I’ve had my say.” She turned back to Ted. “The Coopers when they are in love, as I believe Mia is, love very deeply. They bind themselves to those they love and never let go. As you’ve seen, Charles is still, after all this time, besotted with me. Mia is this way with you. She would never leave you. It would break her heart in two. So we can rule out her going with Angelo by her own choice. Charles and I didn’t bind her. It only leaves another, someone who fell in love with a French magician in the circus, a certain Guillaume Bouché. He died from a wasting illness he caught early in life. He died in Beverly’s arms. She tried in vain to bring him back from the dead in Haiti and failed.”
“Angelo could have offered her Guillaume back,” Judy said quietly. “It is uncommon for an aunt to bind a niece, but it is permissible, if the parents were deemed unsuitable by the Brotherhood.”
“Bev sold Mia? I can’t believe that. She has been helping Mia, nurturing her talent. She did go a bit mad and… When did Guillaume die?” Ted asked.
Amanda held up her hands and looked at Charles.
“I think around this time of year,” Charles said and explained, “Too many years have passed. Bev seemed somewhat settled with that business fellow. Yes, Ted, we knew she was faking her death. We Coopers feel each other when we are on this plane of existence. I felt her but also knew that she had her reasons for staying away. I didn’t bother contacting her. I assumed incorrectly that she was doing better.”
“Bev went a bit nuts and… Oh my god, I should have put it together before now.” Ted related the story of the prostitutes and Murphy finding a feather on the deck. “He must have brokered the deal with Bev. She felt guilty and went off the deep end. After all, I do believe she liked Mia.”
“Whatever her motives, she has to be found to have her unbind Mia,” Father Santos said.
Judy shook her head. “The bargain has been made. Mia is bound. But…”
The other four people hung on her word.
“But what?” Amanda demanded.
“If you kill Angelo, then his concubines are released. If she has not gone through the ritual of the feather yet, then she is still considered Angelo’s property, his concubine,” she explained.
Ted paled and asked, “How do I find him and challenge him?”
Father Santos put a hand on Ted’s back. “You would not survive the fight. Angelo is a superhuman.”
“I will do it,” Ed announced. “I will kill the birdman and bring Mia back home.”
They looked over at the confident demi-god standing there in his polo shirt and plaid shorts.
He glared back at them and asked, “Is this not permitted?”
“Why would you risk yourself this way? Ted’s her fiancé, he has a vested interest,” Father Santos asked.
“Mia saved my life. I save hers. Judy will take me. I kill the birdman and bring Mia home. Afterwards we will have this wedding between Ted and Mia, and I will give Mia to Ted. Simple.”
“Judy, does Angelo have to die?” Father Santos asked. I know he is a good man. He has fought valiantly against the dark side of this world. He has been a friend. Can he not release her from the binding?”
“It is unusual but permitted. I just don’t think he will. I saw him when he first brought Mia to be healed by the gray ladies. He had us wipe her emotional memory. He was preparing her to be a warrior.”
“You wiped away her memories?” Amanda asked, appalled.
“Emotional memory only. She can remember things and people but will feel nothing for the events. I am sure if he has not done so already, Angelo will order the gray ladies to wash away the remainder of her memory. If we do not act soon, even if Ed succeeds and defeats Angelo, the Mia he brings back will not be the Mia you knew, and she will not know you,” Judy warned.
Father Santos looked over at the man who would proudly kill his friend and asked, “Can you defeat him?”
“I will need weapons, but I have killed birdmen before when I was young.”
“What kind of weapons?” Ted asked.
“Spears with poison tips. He is a man after all. Judy told me about a big house you have with a sto
re of old weapons in it.”
“Museum. The Field Museum,” Ted clarified.
“We go there. I shop.”
“I’ll call Bernard and warn him,” Ted said.
Charles cleared his voice. “If you would hold up a moment. I’d like to speak.” He waited until he had their attention. “First of all, I know my daughter is a fighter. She is smart and able to defend herself if she’s able. Second, you tell me that Murphy is missing too. He could no longer be with us, or he could be with her. From what Bernard has told me, those two together are a force no one has ever bested. Santos, Angelo is your friend and he trusts you. Contact him, and let him know that Mia’s parents are suitable. He has been misled by Beverly. Tell him her mother and I are upset that he has taken our daughter. We would like her returned. In the meanwhile, Ted, you make sure Ed is outfitted with the best the museum has to offer. Ed, I’d look at some of the Aztec equipment; they knew how to make a balanced blade. Judy, you be prepared to transport Ed if Santos’s diplomacy fails.”
They looked at each other and shared a common thought, saving Mia.
Chapter Twenty-five
Bev sighed as the Miami bound jet took off from O’Hare. There, she would transfer to a small plane that would take her to Haiti. She had arranged to meet Angelo in twelve hours. Just twelve hours until Guillaume Bouché would rise from his grave to become whole again. Twelve hours to push down the betrayal of her niece. Twelve hours to justify what she had done. What was Mia anyway? She served no real purpose. Bev stopped her train of thoughts, knowing her last was a lie. She pushed away thoughts of Mia and concentrated on being in Guillaume’s arms again.
Benito watched the plane as it soared into the sky. He picked up his phone and dialed Gerald’s number. He smiled as it went to voicemail.
“Beverly Cooper has boarded a flight to Miami. I believe she is going to Haiti. I have taken her passport, but I am concerned she may have another,” he reported. “I am heading back into the city. Call if you need me.” He smiled, ending the call. He wasn’t sure what his boss’s paramour was up to, but he was happy that she was heading out of the country and hopefully out of Gerald’s life. He would probably be fired, but in Benito’s mind, it was worth it. Getting that viper’s hands off of that kind man was well worth looking for another post.
“I don’t understand, tell me again?” Gerald asked Cid.
“We think that Beverly has either been taken by Angelo or is missing,” Cid repeated.
Thoughts of the parole violations Bev would have to face on top of the IRS inquiries made Gerald’s head spin. “You said Mia’s gone, and you think Angelo Michaels has her?”
“Yes. Ted’s gone into the city to consult with her parents.”
“Honestly, I have no idea what is going on. Give me a few minutes to touch base with my driver and Bev, if she’ll answer her phone. I promise I’ll get back to you.”
“Thank you, sir. I would appreciate it,” Cid said and disconnected the call.
A soft tone alerted Gerald that he had a voicemail message on his private line. He accessed it and listened to Benito’s report.
“Haiti?” Gerald said aloud. “What the hell… Guillaume. She’s gone to pay her respects. That’s all. I better warn my sister.”
His phone rang again. This time it was Father Santos.
“Father, how are you this fine day?”
“Gerald, we need to find Beverly. Do you know where she is?”
“May I ask why you are looking for her?”
The priest gave Gerald a concise report on the discussion at the Coopers’ apartment: Angelo’s suspected abduction and the realization that Beverly may have traded Mia for a supernatural favor, one dark enough to bind her niece’s soul to the Brotherhood of the Wing for eternity.
He closed his eyes tightly before replying, “Father, Beverly is on her way to Haiti. My driver said her flight to Miami has just taken off. I could have someone waiting for her and stop her from boarding her flight to Haiti…”
“What good will that do?”
“She’s breaking the terms of her parole,” Gerald informed him.
“Incarcerating her will only inflame her desire.”
“I am at cross-purposes here,” Gerald admitted. “My love for Beverly and my love and respect for my sister. My sister, whose husband will be ripped from his rest to walk this earth again as… what?”
“I don’t think we have to say the word. I’m going to do my best to contact Angelo. I will also make a call to a good friend in Jacmel. Perhaps we can stop this from happening. If Angelo cannot complete his contract, then Mia will have to be returned.”
“What will happen if we are too late?”
“Angelo will die, and she will be returned. Or Angelo lives, and Mia will be lost forever. Guillaume Bouché will be damned forever, walking on borrowed time. Beverly, I fear, is lost to us, Gerald. The Cooper curse has consumed her reason.”
“Father, the child, Guillaume’s and Bev’s daughter…”
“Sabine. We’ll keep her in the dark for now. She is on a deathbed watch with Brian. Let’s not disturb her with our problems,” Santos advised.
“I will do what I can from this end,” Gerald promised. He ended the call and redialed Cid Garret. He needed to get a handle on this problem before it escalated and innocent lives would be lost. He regretted the moment he entered into an agreement with Angelo Michaels. He wished he never owed him that original favor.
“Cid Garret here.” The young man’s voice snapped Gerald out of his lamentations.
“Beverly is on her way to Haiti. I would say the fears you have of her participation are founded. I will put my resources to use in finding a way to bring Mia Cooper home,” he promised.
“If this is a favor, sir, please put it on my books,” Cid requested.
“No, son, it is a favor I owe her,” Gerald said and disconnected the call. He scrolled down his list and pressed send.
“Bernard. Gerald here. Whatever the time walker needs, I’ll pay for.”
“I appreciate it, but she is my goddaughter, I’ll take care of it. On paper, the items will be on loan to another museum, later to be figured out. Ralph is hysterical. I couldn’t stop him. He’s headed over to Charles and Amanda’s.”
“Oh boy, Amanda and Ralph, I don’t envy Charles at the moment.”
“Who knows, maybe it will do them all some good,” Bernard said, not believing his words. “Gerald, my secretary just notified me that Ted is here with the time walker and the bird woman. I’ve got to go. Keep me in the loop.”
Gerald sighed and looked at the clock. There was one more call he had to make. This one he had been dreading. Marie would have to be warned. He knew she would connect with the old ones. Perhaps they could stop Bev from her unholy task. He entered the numbers and waited to be connected.
“Marie, Gerald, I have some disturbing news…”
~
The crunch of the leaves on the path woke Mia up. She quickly unwound the cloth and disconnected herself from the fig tree. The rough bark had left her bruised, but she had not fallen from her perch while she slept. Looking down from her roost, she identified Angelo by his brilliant black hair. He was wearing a flowing robe of the palest blue. The sandals on his large feet were tooled of the finest Italian leather. He looked up at her.
“Little bird, you are making the ladies uncomfortable. Sleeping here instead of the quarters they have prepared for you.”
“Leave me alone, Angelo. I have no wish to be here or appreciate the hospitality of the gray ladies.”
“If you could just see reason. You were not meant for the life you have chosen. You have been born with an extraordinary mind. One that can be trained. Abilities that not even you can imagine. We have been watching you this last year. We have seen what you are capable of.”
Mia kept her mind locked and resisted the attempts Angelo made to read her.
“I have chosen to be a wife. I have been promised. You had no right to tak
e me. Bev had no right to sell me. No amount of brainwashing will ever wash away my love for Ted or for Murphy. I have the Cooper curse. I will love them forever. Take me home where I belong.”
“You underestimate the gray ladies. There is no curse that they can’t cure…”
“Then why didn’t you help my aunt?” Mia spat. “Why did you let her stay tied to a rotted corpse instead of freeing her? She is stronger, more able than I.”
“She has a weak self-indulgent character,” Angelo said, putting his hand on the trunk of the tree. “She is not suitable.”
“Ah ha! If she is not suitable, then she isn’t suitable to bind me to the Brotherhood!”
Angelo smiled slyly. “No, she bound you to me. I will bind you to the Brotherhood.” He put his other hand around the tree and shook it.
Mia grabbed for support just in time. All Angelo got for his trouble was being pelted by loose figs.
“You are a liar, Angelo. You told me you like large women.”
“I do. Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want you for a wife. You will be a warrior. Fight beside me like you did with that pathetic farmer.”
“Watch your mouth,” Mia growled. “He is worth a thousand birdmen.”
“I am tired of talking to you. Stay in your tree. I have something to take care of. I must study, and I will see you before I leave. I promise to not bother you. Enjoy the rest of the courtyard, you will not be disturbed,” he promised. “Prepare yourself for your future, little bird.” Angelo took one last look at her and turned heel and walked away.
She still felt him probing her mind. She sensed his anger at the barriers she put in place. She pushed out and grasped a bit of information from his before he became aware and shut her out. Mia smiled. He was afraid.
