by Alexie Aaron
In Burt’s estimation, Fergus was to Kevin what Cid was to Ted. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, the two would continue existing as long as the boat didn’t end up on the seabed. Saltwater didn’t help the ghosts who had perished on land. He didn’t know much about what happened to the dead who died at sea. He would ask Orion these questions when he returned to Big Bear Lake.
Mason looked up and made eye contact with Burt. He excused himself and walked over. “How are you feeling?”
“Aside from the ringing in my head? I’m fine. I’m glad I didn’t eat anything. You?” he asked.
“Don’t know why, but sea travel seems to suit me. Maybe I should look into becoming a gigolo on a cruise ship.”
This caught Burt by surprise. He had to suppress his laughter behind his hand like a kindergartener at naptime. When he had recovered, he asked, “Not a sailor, a gigolo?”
“Yes, can’t see wasting these good looks toiling away, tying fancy knots and the like.”
Burt twisted his mouth.
“Go ahead, I won’t pop you if you laugh.”
“I don’t think laughter would be appreciated right now,” Burt warned.
“You mean because knucklehead is upset because girly-girl has done a runner? Come on, she’s the bravest and smartest of all of us. She’s not book smart, but she’s street smart. If she thinks taking that creature to hell with her is the best play, then by golly, I’m going to support her. She rarely gets it wrong.”
“She’s probably not coming back,” Burt said.
“You don’t know that. Seems to me, if she’s so disruptive that Saint Michael regularly kicks her out of heaven, then Lucifer isn’t going to want that wily woman causing chaos in his realm.”
“That thing could have already killed her,” Ted said from the corner.
“It speaks,” Mason commented. “Why don’t you go back to your corner and add up the against-the-odds adventures the lady has already survived.”
“She’s always had help. Murphy, Angelo, Roumain, Michael, PEEPs, and you two,” Ted pointed out.
Mason snorted. “Give me a fucking break. She just brought everyone else along for the ride. Remember who she is. Mia’s like a fine sword, well-crafted and beautiful, yet so lethal that it can’t be used without the utmost skill. She’s a mother protecting her brood. In this case, she’s protecting us dumb shits.”
“Who are you calling a dumb shit, eejit?” Patrick said taking offense.
“Burt’s already pointed out why I’m a stook. I totally botched the research. Come on, Patrick, a treasure hunt? Was this the best use of your time? You could have been ripping off rubes with your deals on wheels. You can sell the eye out of your head without missing a beat.”
“You weren’t olagonin’ when I was putting food on the table,” Patrick pointed out. “I should have let the socials raise you.”
Mason didn’t take the bait. He waited.
“Patrick, Mason is just trying to reassure me,” Ted said.
Mason’s eyes twinkled.
Ted continued, “Mia didn’t want Burt to remind me of the rule of sending a demon places. So, she shut him down. If I had voiced my concern, then she would have stayed, because I would have begged her to. Mia is a lot of things, but she would never intentionally hurt me. She left Murphy here because she needed someone to fight the beast if it came calling. With his power and axe, he’s a match for a hundred krakens.”
“Do you really think so?” Murphy asked, manifesting.
“Mia thinks so. That’s enough for me,” Ted said. “She knew that I would be very upset and maybe our marriage would suffer because of it. She also had to deceive her best friend in order to protect us here. But she had to make these sacrifices. She didn’t see any other way. Burt, tell him. You know her.”
Burt considered the request a moment. He cleared his voice and began, “Stephen, even before you met her, Mia has been collecting knowledge. She went from being a victim of her genes to being able to control most of the powers allotted to her. She could have gone into hiding when the embarrassment caused by the demon inside of her took away her credibility with most of us, but she hung in there. She kept working, learning, and living. But she’s still human. She makes mistakes. Not in fighting evil but…” Burt stopped talking. He realized he had gone too far. Be it the storm or the feelings he fought so hard to suppress, he just couldn’t trust himself to speak.
Murphy waited.
The boat rose and fell as the storm surge moved in. The wind howled, and yet no one spoke. Patrick put a hand on Mason’s arm. He saw the anger building between Burt and Murphy. Ted never would have suggested Burt step in if he knew what was about to happen.
“Okay, let’s look at that treasure map,” Ted suggested, his voice odd. “Seems to me, Mia is going to want a distraction when she returns.”
“YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!” Murphy shouted.
“She’s my wife…” Ted started.
Patrick pulled Ted away. “He’s not talking to you. Look.”
Ted did and saw that Stephen Murphy and Burt Hicks had locked eyes. “Get some salt,” Ted hissed.
Patrick slid away.
“She wasn’t yours to have,” Burt pointed out. “You’re dead.”
Murphy continued to stare.
“She came willingly to me, Stephen. She was love-starved and scared. I gave her comfort. I boosted her confidence. She gave me her heart in return,” Burt said. “She never gave me any inclination that she was in love with you.”
“She’s always loved me. Ever since I protected her from the heartbreak Whitney caused. But she was too young. She needed to grow up.”
“She left you, Stephen,” Burt said.
“But she came back. Do you think she came back to take more abuse from the townspeople? No, she came back for me. She loved me.”
Ted picked up on the past tense of love. He wondered why Burt didn’t too?
He didn’t. Burt argued, “She and I were perfect for each other. If it hadn’t been for the flitch…”
“The flitch? How about your ego?” Murphy offered. “Flitches take time to influence you. Your ego was already established. You and Mia weren’t going to survive.”
“You didn’t give us a chance,” Burt said. “You kissed her, you bastard. She was mine, and you kissed her!”
“I don’t understand. Ghosts can’t kiss humans, can they?” Mason asked.
Murphy turned and explained, “I had just saved her by pulling her out of a vortex. The elements were just right, and I could feel her. I could feel her in my arms…”
“So, you admit you kissed my girlfriend and took her from me,” Burt accused.
“Nothing happened after that. I’m a gentleman. Besides, she was mine first,” Murphy argued.
“It’s the curse,” Ted said. “The Cooper curse.”
“What’s the Cooper curse?” Patrick asked.
“It’s a binding curse. Those who have been born under or have taken the Cooper name will be forever bound to the first person they fall in love with,” Ted said quickly. He wanted to add that Mia broke the curse, but did she? The way Murphy clung to the hope of them together said otherwise.
“But he’s dead,” Patrick argued.
“Exactly,” Burt said. “But she was so guilt-ridden after that kiss that she didn’t fight for our relationship. She ended up with that fucking asshole on the island…”
“Which asshole? The demon?” Patrick asked.
Burt, Murphy, and Ted yelled, “Whitney!”
“Shit. Okay, I’m on the page. Come on, fellas, Mia wouldn’t want you guys to be upset, let alone fighting over her. She’s not that type of girl. I always thought String Bean took her from you, Burt. So, she ends up with the twerp that Murphy saved her from when she was a child. I admit, now, I’m back to being confused.”
“You’re not helping,” Mason said. “Now, they are all involved.”
“Ted, you’re the winner here, step away,” Patrick said. �
��Don’t look so smug or that ghosty will take offense. I admire you for not dumping Stephen in the salty sea while you have the chance. It takes a lot of restraint.”
Ted’s brows knitted together. He was moments away from doing just that, followed by Patrick.
“Now, you two, I came into this late. Or let’s face it, Mia would be slaving away working two jobs while raising our nine kids while I sat in front of the television drinking beer, instead of transporting demons to hell. But since we can’t reverse time, we need to sort this out. It’s a wound that never got to heal. It has trapped Stephen here into a fantasy world where Mia would be washing his spectral underpants if Burt here hadn’t come along. Stephen, there’s a reason why the priests say, ‘till death do you part.’ Death parts us physically from our loved ones. Oddly enough, in your case, death made it possible to get to know a young woman who desperately needed love but, more importantly, needed a friend. I think we all can agree that it’s your friendship with Mia that is most important to her.”
Murphy nodded.
“And you love those Martin children with your whole heart. Even I, a callous bastard, can see that. So, there’s no going back in time and wishing things different.”
Murphy frowned but nodded.
“Burt, my man, it happened. This kiss that not only rocked Stephen’s world but evidently Girly-girl’s too. Enough that she felt she had betrayed your trust. Mia doesn’t go hilly-nilly from man to man. She needs to trust the fella that lies beside her. The kiss, who initiated it? Now, be honest.”
Murphy raised his hand.
“Your da should speak to you about getting permission first,” Patrick counseled. “Sorry, this kiss happened. It’s done. Your relationship blew up, and Mia rebounded to… I guess the Fed, who may or may not survive the storm out there. And String Bean took her from him. Is that Agent Whitney Martin?” Patrick clarified.
“Yes,” Ted answered.
“Did Mia just marry you for the surname?” Patrick asked. “It can’t be for that nose.”
“Yours is going to match mine in a moment,” Ted growled.
Mason laughed.
Patrick touched his nose briefly before continuing, “Back to you, Burt. There’s still a friendship between you and Mia, isn’t there? At least on her part. Be happy for that. Stephen may have upset the applecart, but I really feel that she was destined to be with Ted. She’s married, so she’s off the market. Till death they do part. Even in this modern age, she’s never leaving Ted. She didn’t make the commitment without thinking things through. Plus, they’re good together.”
“Thank you,” Ted said. “And for the record, I don’t own Mia. I know she never quite lets go of those she loves, but she is a loyal wife, and I trust her. I also know that she would be sad to know that the three of us were at odds with each other over her. She is risking it all to save us. Whitney too, I guess,” Ted added. “I’ve been at a loss without Cid to talk me out of my craziness, so I thank you Callens for stepping up. Burt, I’m sorry. I didn’t know how deep the hurt went, but I don’t think it was personal when Murphy acted. I think it just happened. I know that he still loves her, but I bear him no ill will. I count on him to keep her safe. If Murphy wanted Mia that bad, he would not have saved her life time and time again. In the equation that is Mia and me, the only thing that I fear is me screwing it up.”
Burt turned to Murphy, “I’m sorry. I had no idea of your feelings when I met Mia.”
“I apologize for my ungentlemanly behavior,” Murphy said, extending his hand.
Burt took it and shook it.
“So, we can be done with this malarkey then,” Mason commented. “I don’t know about you, but if I had to hear this argument again, I was going to puke.”
“I better go and check on my father,” Murphy said and disappeared.
Ted pulled out his whiteboard and began running some numbers.
Burt joined the Callens, interjecting his thoughts about where a treasure could possibly stay hidden on an island which saw as many as 15,000 tourists a day in the summer months.
Burt stopped a moment and asked Patrick, “Did you really say, Mia would be working two jobs and raising nine children while you drank beers in front of the television?”
“Just stating the facts as I see them,” Patrick answered.
Chapter Twelve
Mia scratched the moss off the slab before she started to draw a rectangle using the green chalk. She chanted the well-remembered words, using her name in place of the demon. She stopped just shy of finishing the rectangle. Mia would wait to close it when she had the demon aboard.
“That’s an unusual portal,” the demon said walking back to her. “Aren’t most portals vertical?”
“Yes. But you do want to leave the island, don’t you?”
“Yes. What is the origin of this portal?”
“The origin is here, and the destination…”
“No, you misunderstood me. How did you learn how to do this?”
“I’ve watched it done and then successfully performed it a few times. Why?”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s not that you would, unless you’ve digested a priest from this century and from New Orleans?”
“Can’t say I have,” he responded. “So, am I welcome aboard, Capt’n?”
“What happens to Anders?” Mia asked.
“I suppose he either rises to the occasion or he dies of starvation inside the cavern.”
“That seems a little harsh,” she said. “Can’t you pull him out of where you have locked him?” she asked.
“Is this a trick? I assure you I will not put up with tricks. Vessel or no vessel, I will kill you and enjoy eating your brain.”
“Are you threatening me?” Mia feigned indignation. “I withdraw my offer.”
“Wait,” the demon said. “I’ll do what I can. I promise.”
“Fine. I know the promise of a demon is a promise kept.”
He looked at her, his orange eyes searching her face. “You’ve been in the company of demons before.”
“I’ve been in demon court before. I know what you must have gone through even if you don’t remember.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ve been broken with the whip. If it weren’t for the care and magic of others, I would not have survived. But I learned that there is an honor amongst demons. I don’t know if this is universal throughout the community, but I paid dearly to get my honor back.”
“I see the truth in your face, Mia. Open your mind. It’s time I left this place. I do hope you’ll survive the journey.”
Mia stood still as the demon filled her from toe to just below her heart. His consciousness swirled in and out of the open areas of her mind house. Mia knelt, closed the rectangle, and repeated the rite.
The trap opened, and Mia marveled at how much the tentacles of the searching pit minders resembled Lamia’s arms. As she stepped into the opening, she reached out and caught the edge, smudging it just enough to close the trap after her.
~
Whit encouraged his team to seek out refuge in the large shallow cave behind the falls until the eye passed over. Then they would, hopefully, make their way to the Azure before it tried to cross the reef. There was no point in staying on the island. They had a small chance, if any, to kill the beast. The island was rumbling underneath them, but the monster did not reappear.
Anders crawled over and searched for the hole he saw the woman step into. All he could find was the remnants of a green chalky substance. He lay there until he had enough energy to stand. The cavern was different from the first time he had woke in it. The walls seemed to be slowly falling in on themselves. The piles of bodies containing his crew and passengers were gone. Anders adverted his eyes to the swirl of biological matter that was draining into the lake in the center. He had but one thought that repeated in a voice he would not have recognized as his own. It said, “Get out of the cave!”
A knock preceded
the first mate entering the passenger’s cabin. “We are going to try to cross the reef when the eye passes over,” he announced. “There is a small isolated isle with a deep, protected harbor that we can make on our existing fuel. Before we do this, we must get rid of the explosive devices you have put together. Captain’s orders.”
“Yes, I understand, but you realize we may be vulnerable to the beast,” Patrick said.
“We’ll have to take the chance. Also, we are inflating our last Zodiac to try to bring the Feds to the boat. We’ll deposit the C4 on the beach before we take on passengers. Please start to dismantle the weapons. We will be moving in fifteen minutes.”
They waited for the first mate to leave before talking.
“Ted, we can insist they stay or we can stay on the isle and wait for her,” Burt offered.
“No, if it worked, she’s in the Pit of Despair. And if she escapes that, I don’t think she’ll return to the island unless she thinks we’re in danger. It’s best we leave,” he reasoned. “I need to find Murphy. I’ll meet you in the hold.” Ted walked down the passageway calling out Murphy’s name.
“I’m here,” Murphy said, appearing in front of Ted.
“We’re going to be leaving the island when the eye settles over the water.”
“I heard.”
“Where do you think Mia is?” Ted asked, leading Murphy into the cabin he had shared with Mia.
“The Pit of Despair.”
“What is the Pit of Despair?” Ted asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but I do know that demons don’t normally spend too much time there. Sticks arrived back in time to save us in New Orleans. The priest said that it gives the populace a brief rest from their shenanigans.”
“Like a time out?”