Curse of the Sea

by Joni Parker

  “Good. Maybe we can get some peace and quiet.” The Admiral closed his eyes and dozed off.

  The other men became quiet to let the Admiral sleep. Captain Jonas looked at Alex and put his finger to his mouth. She nodded and stared out the window as he worked on his computer and Nelson played a video game.

  As far as Alex could tell, they were heading south, but it was cloudy and rainy. She felt drowsy and leaned her head against the window. Her eyes closed. When she heard a noise, her eyes popped open. The Admiral was awake and staring at her with an impish grin.

  “I didn’t know Elves slept.” The Admiral tapped her on her knee.

  “We need rest just like everyone else.”

  “Do Elves eat food like us?”

  “Yes, of course. As a matter of fact, I had one of the best meals I’ve ever had last night. It was called lasagna. Have you had it?"

  “I have, but I have to watch my cholesterol.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Something in your blood that can cause a heart attack. Do Elves have heart attacks?”

  “Why would your heart attack you?”

  The Admiral chuckled. “If I don’t treat it right, it lets me know it’s not very happy with me and stops working.”

  Alex grinned. “Then you’d better be nice to it.”

  “Exactly. Why don’t you have pointed ears?”

  “I’m only part Elf.” She lifted the hair over her ears. “I do have is this blue hair in my ears that lets everyone know I’m a Water Elf.”

  The Admiral leaned closer. “Both ears?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does it do anything?”

  “It makes me feel embarrassed.”

  “It’s cute. What’s your home like?”

  “Nothing like here. We don’t have cars. We ride horses or draw carts. Our cities have cobblestone streets with lots of trees and green meadows. Most of our homes have thatched roofs and we have ships made of wood with sails.”

  “Like in the video. It sounds wonderful. I imagine you don’t have much crime.”

  “We do, unfortunately.” Alex nodded. “We still need armies and guards.”

  “What kind of crimes?”

  “All kinds. I was investigating one of our Elders, Lady Opaline. When she died, I was asked to look through her belongings to make certain she didn’t have anything that belonged to the Council of Elders. What I found was unbelievable. She was a complete fraud. She wasn’t even from a noble family, had never been selected by the governor, and had stolen all of the property she said she owned. To cover everything, she killed anyone who knew. She even tried to kill me.”

  “Unbelievable.” The Admiral shook his head. “But you are an assassin. How did she try to kill you? It must have been something underhanded.”

  “She was a Gossamer Elf and used a large, poisonous spider. It was her pet and she called it, Onix.”

  “A Gossamer Elf?”

  “As in a spider?” Nelson asked.

  “Yes,” Alex said. “Lady Opaline was quite unique—long strands of gossamer came off her body, like long thin hairs. It left a trail.”

  “How long did this charade go on?”

  “Over five hundred years.”

  The Admiral was stunned. “And no one noticed? How old are you?”

  “I’m twenty. Elves can live for a long time unless they die by some other cause, like poisonous spider bites.”

  “We’re coming into Portsmouth, Admiral. There’s the Duke’s pub.” Nelson pointed out the window at the Duke of Buckingham’s pub.

  “Let’s stop for a brew, Captain. We need to stretch our legs.”

  The Captain told the driver to find a place to park. They got out and stretched. The sky was still gray, but the rain was over and the air felt damp and humid.

  The Admiral led the way into the Duke’s Pub. It wasn’t crowded, but afternoon patrons were watching the telly or playing darts. The Admiral picked out a table in the rear and ordered a round. Nelson ordered the special plate for each of them, including the driver.

  They ate, drank more ale and became more talkative. They asked Alex a myriad of questions about Elves until they were diverted by a game of darts.

  Nelson and Captain Jonas challenged the last winning team and won. They showed Alex the fine art of darts. It took her a while to catch on and she watched the two men take on new challengers. They won one and lost the next. After they drank another round, the Admiral announced it was time to go to the Naval Base.

  They used the restroom before leaving and when Alex came out, Nelson was on his way outside. She followed him and watched him blow out a long stream of smoke from a cigarette.

  “What’s that?” Alex pointed to his hand.

  “It’s a cigarette,” Nelson said. “Try it. Just put this in your mouth and inhale. Then blow it out.” He demonstrated for her.

  Alex put it between her lips and inhaled, but choked on the smoke and coughed violently.

  He burst out laughing and took the cigarette back. “It takes some getting used to.”

  “That was awful!” Alex could barely talk; tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes and moved away from the smoke, fanning it with her hand. She coughed again and bent over, but noticed a bright red light, dancing on the ground. As she straightened, it moved to the pub entrance, just as Captain Jonas and the Admiral emerged.

  “What’s that little red light?” Alex pointed to it.

  Captain Jonas saw the red light move to the Admiral’s forehead and pulled the Admiral to the ground. “Get down!” The wood beside the pub door exploded into small pieces where the Admiral’s head had been.

  Alex glanced up across the street where the bald man stood on the roof. “It’s him!” She ran across the street into traffic. Brakes squealed and horns honked.

  “Alex, get back here!” Captain Jonas held the Admiral down. “Nelson, get her back! I’ll call Security at Portsmouth. Where’s our driver?”

  Alex closed in on the bald man. He turned back to look at her and turned right, disappearing between buildings. She stopped at the corner of a street, looking for him, breathing heavily. She sensed him nearby, as Nelson threw his arms around her.

  “Stop, Alex! Where’d he go?”

  “Between those buildings. He’s still close. I can feel him.” She turned her head back and forth, locating him, detecting his energy and fear. “He’s over there.” She pointed to the bushes next to a white five-story building. “Let me go!”

  Nelson pulled her away. “He’s got a gun, Alex. Come on, the Captain wants us back. Security’s on its way and they’ll get us to the base. They’ll notify the local cops to look for him. Let’s go.” He held Alex in his arms as they returned to the pub.

  The danger had heightened Alex’s senses. In spite of his soft hands, Nelson’s strength had impressed her and they headed back to the pub. The Admiral and the Captain were already back inside by the time they got there. Minutes later, sirens blared and three military security cars approached. Inside, the Admiral ordered a round for the house.

  Chapter 43

  SAFETY CONCERNS

  Security cleared the area without finding the man. Meanwhile, the Admiral and his group headed to the Naval Base, passing through a gate behind a car with flashing lights and another behind them. The base was full of large buildings built of corrugated steel and bricks, but the limo stopped at a two-story brick building. The door opened and everyone got out. Nelson and the driver carried the suitcases into the building while Alex picked up her duffel bag.

  Captain Jonas turned to her. “Alex, you’ll be staying in the women’s barracks across the street. Just tell them, you’re with Admiral Teller’s party.” He paused. “And Alex…thank you for what you did today. You saved the Admiral’s life.” He nodded curtly and strolled away.

  Alex smiled at the compliment. It was the nicest thing the Captain had said to her. At the front desk of the barracks, the young woman assigned her a room and gave her
a plastic card to slide into a slot on the door. It took Alex a few tries and a review of the instructions on the card, but the red light finally turned green. The door opened to a small room, neat and clean. Only slightly larger than the room in solitary confinement, it had a single bed with a thick mattress and nice linens, a sofa, desk, and chair. A door to the right opened to a bathroom with a shower and a stack of towels. A telly was mounted on the wall.

  Alex unpacked her clothes and put them in a drawer. Then she found the remote for the telly, pressed the red button, and checked the channels, relieved to find several of them. She watched for a while and went through the stations. When she turned it off, she stared out the window and thought of the bald man. What was his next step?

  The Admiral was inside an area with a lot of security. Alex had noticed the brick walls and wrought iron gates as they passed through. None of that would stop her if she had his assignment. Of more concern would be the security guards and patrols. The phone rang in her room, but she wasn’t sure what to do. She picked it up and held it up to her face as she had seen other people do.

  “Hello?” Alex wasn’t certain where to speak into it.

  “Nelson, here. The Admiral wants you to join him. I’ll pop over.”

  “Right.” Alex put the phone down and opened her door.

  Nelson climbed the stairs and took his hat off as he stepped in.

  Alex put on her black beret and he started to laugh.

  “I think you have it on backwards. Allow me.” He showed her the front of the hat and placed it carefully on her head. He nodded. “Better. We’ll make a sailor out of you yet.”

  They went across the street to the brick house where the Admiral was staying. It had a Marine guard posted at the front. Inside the parlor, the Admiral was reading a newspaper.

  “Admiral, Alex’s here,” Nelson said.

  “Good, come here and sit down, young lady. I wanted to speak to you about this afternoon. Captain Jonas told me you saw the red light in time for him to pull me to the ground. I appreciate your assistance, but I want to caution you about running off like that. First of all, you ran into the middle of traffic and those cars could have hit you. Second, this man was armed with a gun. He’s quite dangerous and determined. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Why does he want to kill you?”

  “Haven’t got the foggiest. If I go, someone else will take over whatever I’m doing.”

  “So why kill you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You must be the target, not your project. The fences here won’t stop him.”

  “You stay out of this. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He shook his finger at her.

  “Well, I don’t want to see you get hurt. It’s not right. This man has an advantage on me—I don’t know this place or how to use any of your weapons.”

  “I don’t want you to use any weapons, young lady. Now is that understood?”

  “Yes, Admiral, but--”

  “No buts. There’s some tea over there if you’d like some. Would you get me a cup?” He held up his empty.

  Alex took the Admiral’s cup and poured some tea. She put some honey in it and poured one for herself, setting it down on the table.

  “What kind of security system do they have here?” Alex sipped her tea.

  “The usual sort, lots of electronic equipment, men, and dogs. If that man gets close, they’ll see him first.”

  “Maybe they rely too much on their equipment and not enough on their instincts.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “How do you think I got out of your building in London?”

  “Good point. Very good point.” He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with concern. “Stay out of it, Alex. That’s an order.” He returned to his paper and sipped his tea.

  Alex sat back and sipped slowly on her tea, wondering how she could help without his knowledge. There had to be a way.

  “Here, read some of this paper.” The Admiral handed her a section. She took it, but wasn’t really interested. However, she was interested in the two swords displayed on the wall.

  “Could I practice with one of these swords?” She pointed at them.

  He lowered the paper and looked up. “They’re only for decoration. I don’t think they come off. We don’t practice swords anymore, like they used to. Now, we call it fencing.”

  “Fencing? Why would you use a fence?” She shook her head. “What about archery?”

  “No, we don’t practice archery either, although there is an archery range around here. Let’s ask Captain Jonas.” He touched his mobile and called.

  “Captain, I hope I’m not disturbing you. Alex is here. Yes, we’ve talked and I believe she understands. I offered to let her read some of the Daily News, but she’d rather practice with swords or shoot some arrows. Isn’t there an old archery range here? There used to be one, a few decades ago.” He chuckled. “Yes, she’s still here.” He touched the screen. “He’ll be right down.”

  He picked up the paper and read some more. Then he burst into laughter after reading an article. “Here’s an amusing story. There was this dress shop in London and someone reported that the entire storefront was blown out, but when the police arrived, nothing was wrong. The clerk was quite hysterical, however. She said that three men and a woman were inside and waved sticks at each other, like witches and wizards. Can you imagine? Ha!”

  Alex recalled the incident and decided not to tell the Admiral she was the woman with a stick. She just smiled and touched her green stone necklace, hidden under her sweater.

  A few minutes later, Captain Jonas came in. He was dressed in a casual shirt and a pair of blue jeans. “Alex, I understand you wish to shoot some arrows.”

  “I do, or practice swords. I haven’t been able to since I’ve been here.”

  “Come with me. Archery is an old hobby of mine. I think you’ll be impressed by the new bows. Do you have something else to wear?”

  “I have two camouflage uniforms.”

  “You only need to wear one.” The Admiral chuckled.

  The Captain grinned. “Let’s go. You’ll be all right in that.”

  They strolled down the street and turned to the left. The archery range was located a few blocks away on the right in a building made of corrugated steel. Inside, a young man in uniform issued two bows and two quivers filled with arrows to Captain Jonas. Alex picked up one of the bows and stared at it curiously.

  “It’s called a compound bow. I think you’ll like it.” Jonas showed her how to use it with a mechanical release aid. “This attaches to the string at the nocking point and draws it back.” He demonstrated without an arrow.

  Alex was fascinated. The bow was smaller than the ones she’d used and had pulleys on the top and bottom, pulling the string taut.

  The Captain took her inside to the shooting range. It was long and narrow, with targets on the far wall. She got an arrow out and pulled back, using the mechanical release. At first, it seemed cumbersome, but when she let the arrow go, she was impressed. The arrow flew with more speed than she’d ever seen before and hit the target with a loud thud.

  “My stars!” Alex stared at the bow. “This is really good.”

  “Good shot!” Captain Jonas said. “Try those other targets.” He nodded to the next level.

  She pulled back and adjusted her aim and let go. Another perfect hit. They practiced steadily for over an hour with targets near and far. Once she was warmed up, she showed him she could even split an arrow.

  Captain Jonas took her to another part of the range to show her the holographic targets. As the young man set up the computer program, the Captain changed out their arrows for a different set and led her into a large room with white walls. The overhead lights were lowered and images appeared on the four walls around them.

  “At the first level, the targets are like the ones we shot before. They’ll appear on the wall at random locations and you shoot them. The computer will read wh
ere the arrow hits and lets you know how close you were. The next level has animals like rabbits, pheasants, deer, and so on, but they’ll appear randomly and move as if you’re on a hunt. The third level has an encounter with people who are hunting you. This is the hardest level and once again, everything is random.”

  The first level appeared. The Captain shot the special arrows at the targets appearing on a wall around him. The screen congratulated him when he hit a target and made fun of him when he missed. As soon as he finished, he stepped away and let Alex have a turn.

  Alex hit half of the targets, thrown off by the randomness and increasing speed at which they came.

  Captain Jonas nodded at her skill level. He ran her through the next two levels, particularly impressed with her handling of the last level. She handled it better than the previous two and it confirmed what he’d been told—she was a trained assassin.

  On the way back to the Admiral’s quarters, the Captain expressed his concerns to her. “The Admiral said he spoke to you about this afternoon. I’d like to share my own concern about your safety. We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Captain, I’m worried about the Admiral’s safety. This man seems determined to kill him.”

  “It appears so. We want to catch him alive, though.”

  “Why?”

  “So, we can find out who’s behind this.”

  “Men like him don’t talk.” Alex shook her head. “Unless you give them an honesty potion. Even then, they may not talk.”

  “An honesty potion? Don’t be ridiculous.” He paused. “Would you have any?”

  “No, I don’t know how to make it, but my grandfather does.”

  “What else can Elves do?”

  “Nothing special, I guess.”

  “I trust you can make it to your room on your own. Join us for dinner at six.” The Captain waved at her.

  “Thanks.” Alex waved and went in.