“I’m called Hillaes, it’s nice to meet you. King Alister speaks highly of you. So does rock-butt over here,” she tilted her head towards Josef with a smile, “but since he’ll never tell you to your face, I thought I should let you know.” She laughed then sat on the couch next to Josef.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. You’re some sort of cat shifter, right?” I asked puzzled.
She laughed, “I get this a lot on Theria. Yes, I’m a tiger shifter but I wasn’t born that way. An’Ceann gifted me with that ability so I could marry Wu, who is one of the King’s Inner Circle.”
“I’ve never heard of that before,” I said amazed.
“It’s very rare, and an enormous honor to become one of you. I was actually born on Middle Earth—”
“Middle Earth?” I interrupted her, confused.
She laughed, which was such a pleasant sound I laughed with her, “I’m sorry. You’ve met Shelley, correct?”
I nodded. Shelley was one of King Alister’s best friends and quite a character. He was a grizzly bear shapeshifter, and his true mate was Bernie, Alister’s other best friend. She was a unicorn.
“I’ve gotten so used to calling the planet Middle Earth because that’s what Alister, Bernie and Shelley called it when they first got there. That’s how I refer to my home planet now; you might know it better by its proper name, Claw.” Hillaes explained.
“Oh,” I said surprised, “I was briefly on Claw about fourteen years ago. I fled with the others who lived in and near the palace when we thought King Phillip and Queen Beatrice had been killed. We only stopped in Claw long enough to open a gate to Earth.”
“Well, I was born and raised on Claw and only recently moved permanently to Theria after meeting and marrying my husband,” Hillaes finished.
“You may or may not know this, but Claw has a higher concentration of magic than either Earth or Theria. Hillaes is a sorceress of some renown and originally relocated to Theria so she could tutor Alister in magic,” Josef explained.
“Although to be honest, I learn more from him than I can teach him these days. His natural capacity for magic is astounding, and because he’s a Royal Dragon he can tap into an almost limitless reservoir of power. What he doesn’t yet understand in technique, he makes up for with sheer power and force of will,” she smiled indulgently.
“Anyway, when I contacted the King about the charm you found on the ship, he thought it would be wiser to have Hillaes come here to examine it rather than send it to Theria,” Josef said.
“We thought that would be safer since it has been in this dimension for hundreds of years and had less likelihood of causing major issues.” Hillaes added as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“What did you find out?” I asked, bursting with curiosity.
Hillaes pursed her lips in distaste. “First of all, the spell used to create the charm was both a blood and death spell. The caster more than likely took the lives of the crew of the Flor do Mar to power the protection spell.”
“That’s horrible,” I gasped.
“That’s not all,” Hillaes continued, “just as the spell was active in preserving the ship, it is still protecting the person who created the original spell; presumably the man calling himself Afonso de Albuquerque.”
“So, you’re telling me this Afonso de Albuquerque is still alive after five centuries? How is that possible for a human?” I asked.
“I’m not positive but if I had to guess, he’s been stealing the life-force from victims for at least half a millennia to feed his evil spell,” Hillaes answered quietly.
We sat in silence while we considered the ramifications of what Hillaes told us.
“How many victims?” I asked quietly.
She shook her head before answering, “I’m not sure but if we assume the minimum of one per year, that’s still over five hundred murdered since the sinking of the ship.”
“And if we add the four hundred members of the crew, he’s killed over nine hundred people to prolong his life,” Josef added.
“Do we have any way to find this Afonso?” I asked.
Hillaes shook her head, “I can’t get any kind of reading from the charm you found on the ship other than what I’ve already told you. I believe the link between the two charms was broken when you placed the one in your pocket dimension. I’m not sure what that means for Afonso de Albuquerque, but he has to know the ship was found and the charm recovered. However, even though the original connection was severed, I’m concerned that it could be reestablished over time. I think it would be wise for you to store the charm in your pocket dimension for safekeeping.” Hillaes explained as she handed me the charm wrapped in a length of black velvet covered in symbols embroidered in gold thread. My fingers began to tingle the moment I touched the magical item.
“Okay,” I said as I placed the wrapped charm into the pocket dimension. “Afonso de Albuquerque has to die for his crimes but before we can take him out, we must find him.”
“You’re right,” Josef said with a grin, “and you’ll be taking Yolanda and Carlos with you.”
“I don’t need bodyguards—” I began but Josef stopped me with a glare. “But I’d be happy to have them come with me as an opportunity to further their training,” I finished brightly.
“You remind me of Bernie,” Hillaes said as she tried to suppress a giggle.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I preened, then sobered when I thought of the seriousness of the mission. “Where do we start looking for Afonso?”
“How do you feel about traveling to Malaysia?” Josef asked mysteriously.
July 28
Malacca City, Malaysia
Jason grabbed my arm and pulled me back on the sidewalk before the car coming from the right could hit me.
“They drive on the other side of the road here, remember?” Brian chuckled behind me.
“That would have been a helpful reminder about thirty seconds ago,” I grumped.
“Don’t blame me,” Brian laughed, “Carlos and Yoli are supposed to be the ones guarding you.”
“We didn’t think we’d need to keep her from walking into traffic,” Carlos snickered.
“Listen furball, I don’t need you giving me a hard time, too,” I ground out as I turned around and glared at my werewolf bodyguard, “I get enough grief from this lunk right here,” I said and pointed to an unrepentant Brian.
Jason leaned in and kissed me on the temple. “I’m afraid it’ll take all of us to keep Cyndi from walking into traffic while we’re here. She has enough trouble staying on her feet when she’s used to the cars driving on the proper side of the road.”
“Thanks, I think,” I said and gently elbowed Jason in the side.
I really wasn’t upset with their teasing since I hadn’t been expecting to see Jason and Brian for another three weeks or so. I was pleasantly surprised when they picked us up from the private hangar where our pilot parked the luxurious corporate jet, a Gulfstream G650, we had flown from Phoenix. Josef had radioed ahead to them on the boat, which I’d named Tails Away and instructed them to dock at the port in Malacca. He had arranged for a crew to bring my new boat the rest of the way to California. Jason and Brian were more than happy to join our party on land.
We stayed at the five-star Casa del Rio Melaka hotel the night before since we were still exhausted from the flight over. Of course, we hadn’t checked into the hotel under our own names but the aliases we’d been assigned for this mission. Josef had the proper documentation prepared for each member of our team and we brought those with us in a diplomatic pouch. We didn’t want any potential enemies to trace our activities back to our lives in the US.
Carlos, Yoli, Hillaes and I stayed in the Melaka Suite while Brian and Jason stayed in the River Suite. We gathered on our balcony and had a delicious breakfast while we decided our course of action.
“Help me understand why we met here. Josef didn’t give many details other than he wanted us to join you to look for th
e guy who cast the spell on the ship we found,” Brian said between bites.
Hillaes watched him eat for a moment before answering, “I’ve only seen Alister eat as much as you do.”
Brian grinned, “It takes a lot of calories to keep this body in tip-top shape.”
“Anyway,” Hillaes continued, “we’re in Malacca City because there’s a replica of the Flor do Mar at the Melaka Maritime Museum just over a mile from here. Josef and I thought it would be worthwhile for Cyndi to go through the ship and point out exactly where the charm was located. According to the museum’s website, the replica of the ship has a mooring cleat that came from the original Flor do Mar that broke off the ship before it set sail on its fateful voyage.
“The harbor master at the time kept the cleat as an heirloom for his family and it has been passed down to successive heirs throughout the centuries. According to family legend, the cleat brought them wealth and great fortune. The last surviving heir was the one to commission the building of the Flor do Mar replica and displayed the cleat in the captain’s cabin on the ship.”
“That’s a fascinating piece of history, but how will that help us find Afonso de Albuquerque?” I asked as I stole a piece of bacon from Jason’s plate.
“Since Afonso de Albuquerque’s life is tied to the original Flor do Mar, I’m going to perform a spell on the cleat to gather any energy I can from it to see if I can get a location for Albuquerque. If not, we’ll need another piece from the Flor do Mar to try again.”
“The replica, or the original?” Jason asked.
“The original,” Hillaes answered and finished her orange juice.
“Oh, something easy then,” I joked, and we finished eating in companionable silence.
“Are you still tired?” Jason asked as we walked along the street after my near-death experience with the car.
“Not really,” I said, squeezing his hand and looking up at him. “I’ve just been thinking about the last couple of days and how wonderful it is that we’re here together; I wasn’t expecting to see you for weeks.”
Jason looked at me with a self-satisfied smile. “You just can’t live without me, can you?”
“No, I can’t,” I laughed and enjoyed the moment as we walked to the museum. It was already hot and humid but that doesn’t bother me as much as the dry heat of Arizona. “I wasn’t expecting this sort of thing when we discovered the ship.”
Jason shrugged, “Me neither, but adventure seems to follow us around. At least we’ll be able to stop Afonso, or whatever he’s calling himself now, from killing more people. It makes me angry to think how much death he’s caused over the centuries.”
I hugged Jason’s arm then kissed the back of his hand.
“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining, mind you,” Jason chuckled.
“Just another reason for me to love you; your desire to protect the weak.” I said lightly then tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. If Jason hadn’t been holding my hand so tightly, I would have fallen on my face.
“Does she always trip like that?” Yoli asked quietly.
“That’s nothing, you should see her trying to walk down a beach. I once saw her trip over a small wave. For someone so graceful in the water it’s amazing she’s so clumsy on land,” Brian laughed.
“I can hear you, you know?” I said shaking my head.
“I know,” Brian said loudly, “hearing isn’t your problem—it’s being able to walk and think at the same time.”
Everyone in our party laughed and I narrowed my eyes at Jason.
“Go ahead, laugh—I dare you,” I dared my fiancé who was trying not to crack a smile.
“There’s nothing to laugh about. I’m completely serious,” Jason said solemnly.
“Seriously in trouble if you can’t keep that smile off your face,” I threatened, unable to keep the grin off my own.
He was saved by an exclamation of “we’re here” by Hillaes and we stopped before the entrance to the maritime museum. The museum was built along the river and was decorated on the outside to look like a seventeenth-century wharf. There were museum employees outside, dressed in period costumes cajoling passersby into coming inside. On either side of the museum building there were also street performers entertaining the crowds with music and feats of acrobatics. There was a definite party atmosphere around the building.
We paid the entrance fee and went inside. We’d already discussed how to proceed. Rather than go straight to the replica of the ship, we would tour the museum to see if we could find any other clues to Afonso’s whereabouts. Hillaes didn’t have an exact plan of attack but we were ready to adjust our plans on what we discovered.
The museum was fascinating as it chronicled the history of the Port of Malacca and how it had been a hub of trade and exploration for India, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Southern China, Australia, Viet Nam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Billions of dollars of gold, silver, jewels, spices and other goods were shipped from this part of the world to Europe. Ships from Europe would also bring goods, but mostly brought people to settle in the colonies established by England, Spain, Portugal and France.
There was an interesting exhibit of ‘mysterious’ items found in this region of the world and I recognized some pieces of machinery that came from Atlantis. Thankfully, they were so corroded no one could tell what they were, but I took some pictures with my tablet and sent them to Josef. Hillaes also identified a few magical items in the display, and she wanted to check them against the charm once we finished our tour. I’m not sure if any members of Tionchar had been keeping an eye on the museum but I’m sure they would after receiving our full report.
“Is anyone else hungry?” Carlos asked as we were heading outside to tour the replica of the ship. “Something smells delicious and according to this, there’s a cafeteria inside the museum.” Carlos pointed to the left after consulting the map he had in his hand.
“It won’t be In-N-Out,” I grumbled, “but I can eat.”
“Just think about how good a Double-Double will taste once we get back home,” Brian teased.
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered. “Make fun of me all you want. I like what I like.”
The food in the cafeteria was surprisingly good and we each tried a different Malaysian dish. I had a spicy dish called Mee goreng mamak which was a mixture of yellow noodles, egg and veggies tossed in a chili sauce and added shrimp as the protein. Jason tried the Nasi lemak which is a traditional breakfast dish made of rice cooked in coconut milk with a side of hard-boiled eggs, peanuts and seafood, all covered in a spicy sauce. I had a few bites of Jason’s and liked it so much I went up to get my own order of the Nasi lemak. As I stood in line waiting for my food, I felt a tingle at the base of my neck which always let me know something dangerous was nearby.
I’m sensing danger, can any of you see anyone suspicious? I sent to my companions.
Before anyone responded the sensation passed as though it had never happened.
The woman behind the counter handed me my food and I sat at our table, quickly looking around to see if I noticed anyone staring in our direction.
Did you notice anything? I sent to my companions, each person responding in the negative.
I don’t want to use any magic until we are on the ship, Hillaes answered, and I nodded.
“Mmmm,” I hummed after I took the first bite of the Mee goreng mamak with beef, I’d ordered, “this is delicious.”
“As good as In-N-Out?” Brian teased.
I just glared at him and continued to eat my second breakfast.
The replica of the Flor do Mar was moored in a berth behind the museum. In its day it was a magnificent ship. While not huge compared to modern ships, it was the largest built at the time. According to the information on the plaque at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the entrance at the side of the ship, it was one-hundred eleven feet high at the top of the main mast, one-hundred eighteen feet long and twenty-six feet wide. The ship swayed gently in the ri
ver’s swift current and the timbers creaked as it moved. There were costumed actors playing crew members and we stood on the main deck and watched an exhibition of what it would have been like for the riggers to unfurl and hoist the mainsail.
Four sailors rapidly climbed up the rope ladders attached on either side of the main sail. Two of them stopped there then stood on the cross beam three-quarters of the way up the mainmast. The other two climbed into the crow’s nest where one remained but the last continued to climb up to the top of the mast where he stood on the final crossbeam. On deck, the first mate called out instructions to the crew who were singing a sea shanty while holding ropes attached to the sail. It was bunched at the bottom of the mast, ready to be hoisted at the proper time.
Are you ready? Hillaes sent to me. While I really wanted to finish watching the fifteen-minute show, the two of us planned to slip away and search the ship for any magical resonance. We were already standing towards the back of the crowd to make it easier to disappear. I partially shifted my face to use my mermaid singing powers to distract humans from noticing we left the show. I put on sunglasses so no one would notice how my eyes turned solid black and held my hand in front of my mouth to hide my sharp teeth as I sang my song. Within seconds the people surrounding us were mesmerized and wouldn’t notice our absence.
We backed away until my back was pressed against the door leading into the passage that would lead directly to the captain’s cabin. Hillaes opened the door and as we slipped inside, I reverted to my human form.
This way, I said and led the way to the stern. The ship was an exact replica of the Flor do Mar and I could see the similarities even though the last time I saw the original ship it had been under hundreds of feet of water. When we entered the cabin, we were met with a wax figure dressed in the captain’s uniform. There was a placard beside the figure explaining that it had been crafted using a portrait Afonso de Albuquerque had commissioned six months before the fateful voyage that led to the sinking of his ship.
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