by S. E. Akers
I hightailed it out of the cab and darted into the shadowy jungle. I needed to put as much distance as I could between me, and whoever those men were back there. Supernaturals… That’s for sure.
I ran as fast as I could through the dense tropical forest, despite not knowing what was up ahead, and got smacked by every large-leafed plant in my path. The golden aura around my body and the waning moon offered little help, especially at the speed I was cruising. Curiosity eventually slowed me to a stop. I had to see if anyone was on my tail. With a vigilant eye, I scanned the murky jungle scene. I didn’t hear or see any signs of movement from any direction amid the massive shady sea of dark green. Winded and still processing what had happened back at the house, I decided to catch my breath for a second. I leaned against a towering palm tree to get my bearings and clear my rattled head.
I don’t know who that was, but I’m pretty daggone sure they’re not supposed to have that stone! How did Helio know I was there? And why did he slam me up against the wall? Just as I pulled away from the tree, something whizzed behind my back. Another arrow was sticking out of its bark. It had missed me by less than an inch. One thing was certain: No matter how fast I ran or how hard I tried to get away, these things would track me effortlessly. I took off again, increasing my speed as I weaved through the thick jungle brush.
Sucky, sucky luck!
I could tell the landscape was starting to shift. The leafy plants were becoming more sparse and the ground’s slope was gradually leveling off. I hit a clearing and found myself several yards from the lake I’d seen earlier — finally a silver lining.
I can follow it back to Catemaco. I spotted a dock up ahead. One lonely boat was tied to it. Or maybe catch a ride?
Just as I was about to veer right, the sound of leaves rustling quickened my pulse and suspended my departure. With a vigilant eye, I scanned the leafy line of plants that bordered the jungle. Something was definitely coming, and it was almost here. Not knowing exactly who was chasing me, I chose to remain invisible and wait. It didn’t matter anymore. With the distance I still had to trek and my hunter’s tracking advantage, this meeting was inevitable.
I smiled as my muscles relaxed. To my relief, it turned out to be nothing more than a jaguar, a sleek black cat innocently prowling his territory. I turned and headed towards the dock with a more coolheaded gait. My optimistic stride was short-lived when my eyes began to twitch. My watch was glowing again. I stopped and scanned the banks of the lake. Nothing — nothing but the predatory animal that now seemed to be following me. The curious cat sniffed the ground and air relentlessly. It prowled closer, forging a path straight towards me. Taking out an innocent animal was the last thing I wanted, so I shot the jaguar a curt, mental picture of it turning around and going the other way.
That didn’t work.
I tried again, concentrating harder, but the jaguar remained on its current path like it was locked on my scent. I was totally stumped. The gris-gris prevented anyone from sensing my energy (surely that included animals too), and the golden topaz concealed my visible appearance.
What is it?
I looked down at my jacket — Kara’s jacket — the one I’d grabbed by mistake and reeked of her perfume. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’d always thought Kara’s overbearing fragrance sucked the air out of a room.
The jaguar stopped right in front of me, so close that I could count the faint black spots patterned around its menacing face. It inhaled a deep snort of air. Breathlessly, I watched and waited to see if my hunch was correct. Sometimes it sucks to be right. Within an instant, the jaguar’s piercing yellow eyes began to swirl violently with flecks of an eerie blue-green light, and it let out an ear-splitting roar. This wasn’t a common jungle cat, not by any means.
That’s enough for me. Just as I turned to make a break for the dock, the jaguar pounced and wrestled me down to the ground. It clawed at me, over and over, tenaciously trying its best to deliver a fatal blow as we rolled around on the ground. I’d finally gotten a firm enough hold of its paws to throw it off me. I jumped up and checked myself while the cat grappled around in the bushes, trying to untangle itself from some vines. I was scratch-less, though I couldn’t say the same for Kara’s jacket. It was a shredded mess.
The jaguar leapt out of the bushes and prowled towards me again. It stopped and spat a piece of fabric out of its mouth to sniff it. I swore I thought the crazy cat was smiling at the now visible scrap that was out of the protective reach of the topaz’s golden aura. Its fierce blue-green eyes whirled as it stared at its trophy. Without delay, the jaguar whipped up its head and threw a threatening stare my way. I took off with the sound of its deep, throaty growls on my heels. I reached the dock and shot down the rickety planks that led to the boat. I prayed for keys, but I prepared myself for one hellacious swim.
Jackpot, I praised when I spotted a sliver key slid firmly into its ignition. I hurried to untie its line. Unfortunately, the jaguar knew where I was and started a high-speed run down the dock towards me.
Without a second to lose, I threw my hand up to the sky to summon some lightning — but nothing happened. I tried to hail another bolt and still NOTHING! I looked up. The skies weren’t even cloudy.
You’ve got to be kidding me… NOW?
The jaguar was almost upon me. Totally flummoxed, I clenched my fists and let out a frustrated scream. Suddenly, my palms felt warm and turned hot in an instant. I opened my quivering hands and the next thing I knew, two flaming streaks shot out of them that knocked me back on my ass. The scorching bursts hit the jaguar and sent him cowering back several yards. I broke out of my mystified daze when I realized I’d just set the daggone dock on fire! With the wooden planks blazing fiercely, I hurled myself into the boat just before the ones below me collapsed. I turned the key and jerked up on the throttle. Not a second later, I was speeding off across the lake, trying to put the crazy supernatural cat and the even crazier fiery scene behind me. I glanced back only once. My eyes urged me to look ahead while my mind replayed every detail of my last harrowing minute back at the dock.
What happened to my lightning? It’s never done that before! Did it have something to do with the curse? I didn’t think so. I’d felt it leave, but I wasn’t a hundred-percent sure if voodoo hexes carried any side effects. I stared down at my hands clutching the steering wheel, unable to look away. My grasp was so tight that the tips of my knuckles were almost a blinding white. I raised my head and steered the speedy craft towards a cluster of stationary lights shining on the horizon.
But where did the fire come from?
Chapter 18 — Three Visions to the Wind
Seven jarring minutes was all it took to reach the shores of Catemaco. Civilization. Crowds of people. Transportation. I was so relieved to see land that I ran the boat straight up on the sandy beach (that, and I didn’t know where I was going to dock this thing). Luckily, I found a cab that was willing to take me all the way to Veracruz. Of course, he wouldn’t take less than triple the price of what the other guy had charged, but I was so ready to get back I would have carved out a diamond for him right there on the spot (probably wrapped it in a big red bow for him too). I found myself sitting quietly in the backseat, restlessly staring at the new cabbie’s head. Maybe I was waiting for another arrow to shoot through his too? I wondered if the driver I’d left skewered back up on the side of that mountain had a wife? Or children? I wondered what his name was? His death was my fault. I wondered if he blamed me in that split-second when the sharp, piercing tip struck his head? I’m sure that wasn’t how he’d thought his night would end. I hoped wherever he was, he was at peace. I wondered a lot on the drive back to Veracruz, mostly about what kind of fresh Hell I’d managed to get myself into — AGAIN!
Two long and troubled hours later, I arrived back at the hotel. As soon as I hit the suite, I threw Katie around my neck and started rattling off every gut-wrenching, distressful detail.
“So, let me get this straight,” Katie beg
an. “You dropped off the pouch and got rid of the curse… Then you crashed some supernatural cult’s party, because they had a stone from one of your dreams… They chased you out of there with magical turquoise arrows… A jaguar that couldn’t see you, tried to maul your impervious hide because it smelled like Kara’s eau de Ho cologne… And you were only able to get away after flames shot out of your hands? Is that it?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled as I raked my fingers through my hair.
“Huh,” Katie grunted.
“Is that all you’ve got to say?”
“Oh, and you wouldn’t think of taking the cash out of Lazarus’ safe, but you stole a boat? Do you see what kind of crap happens to you when you don’t let me tag along?”
“This isn’t funny,” I scolded. “I’m REALLY worried.”
“Why? You’re safe now,” Katie reasoned.
I swiftly rose to my feet, almost in a stomp. “For how long? And from WHOM?” I charged as I paced back and forth. “I don’t feel safe. It’s weird. I mean, I know I wasn’t followed. I don’t think. But something’s not right. I feel…different.”
“Because your lightning zapped out?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, “but it’s more than that.” An itchy chill rocked my body. “That energy did something to me,” I added with a nervous certainty as I tugged at my shirt.
“Have you tried your lightning again?”
“NO…Not yet,” I rephrased. “I really couldn’t do it in the cab.” I plopped back down on the sofa. “I’m scared to. What if it doesn’t come?”
“You won’t know until you try,” Katie insisted.
“Well, I can’t do it in here either,” I replied. I didn’t know which would be worse? Having to explain a lightning singed carpet burn to the hotel or paying a fire-damage cleaning bill.
“Just calm down, Shi.”
“I can’t!” I bellowed as I jumped up and began to circle the room, staring at my watch. “You know I have to tell him. I just wish he’d get back already. I don’t feel like being alone right now.”
“HEY!” Katie objected.
“You know what I mean.”
“Have you heard from Tanner?”
“No,” I huffed, still fuming about the fact he failed to elaborate on his whereabouts, and not to mention, the attractiveness of his “plus-one”.
“Check the hotel phone,” Katie urged. “Maybe he left you a message?”
I let out an unamused laugh. “He wouldn’t do it on the phone.”
“Just check,” Katie ordered.
I walked over to the desk. To my surprise, the little red light on the phone was blinking. I did have a message.
“Someone called,” I said, sort of surprised. I gave the according button a firm tap. It wasn’t Tanner. It was Ty, telling me they were back from the carnival and in the hotel restaurant if I felt up to coming down.
“You should go,” Katie urged.
“I don’t know. I’m supposed to be here when Tanner gets back.”
“You’ll be in the hotel…with your group. He shouldn’t have a problem with that.”
“I guess, but—”
“And I know you’re hungry. I can hear your stomach growling,” Katie confirmed.
“True,” I agreed. I grabbed a room service menu off the desk and flipped through it. “I’ll just order something and have it sent to my room. They have burgers…for 850 pesos,” I added in a gasp.
“Just get dressed and get your butt down there,” my BFF grunted. “You’re the one who said, ‘you didn’t want to be alone’.”
She was right, and I was starting to feel like the walls were closing in on me.
“You win,” I conceded. “But just for a little while.”
Still smelling like a mix of wild jungle and Eau de Whore, I hopped into the shower. It took five good passes to get that crap off. Within thirty minutes of describing outfits to Katie, I was dressed to the nines in one she had picked out, a colorful halter-top and flowing white gauzy skirt. I figured it was dressy enough for a late-night bite. I could probably walk naked through the swanky lobby as long as I had my $1000 shoes strapped to my feet. Considering the mess I’d made just hours ago, being fashionable and selecting the right outfit was the last thing on my mind. I hopped on the fancy, mirror-paneled elevator and headed down to the lobby, slightly dazed by all the grandeur I’d experienced on this trip so far.
I bet it tastes a whole heck of a lot like a five-dollar burger back home.
The restaurant was packed when I arrived, but I didn’t see Ty, or anyone else from our group.
“They’re not here,” I whispered to Katie.
A hostess approached me immediately. “Are you dining?” the young woman asked with a gentle smile.
“Sí,” I answered. I figured practicing my Spanish would be a good mental distraction. Maybe even keep me on my toes?
The hostess didn’t take the bait. She continued in English, “We only have a seat at the bar right now. Is that acceptable?”
Maybe she’s practicing too? “Sí,” I mumbled again, like a lethargic robot.
“What’s wrong?” Katie asked.
“This trip has been one big disaster after another, don’t you agree?”
“I guess,” Katie admitted. “But aren’t you having a little fun?”
I couldn’t even dignify that with an answer, so I brushed it off. Far be it for me to ruin her good time.
“Katie…I keep thinking about Padimae’s card reading. She was right about the boat…and she wanted me to be prepared for what could happen on this trip.”
“So?” Katie posed.
“So I wish I knew what was going to happen…next,” I grumbled.
“What makes you think anything else bad is going to happen?”
“The cards said so…and my gut isn’t helping things.” The hostess stopped and pulled out a barstool. “I guess I just wish I knew what was coming so I could be better prepared.”
“Good luck with that,” Katie chuckled.
“Yeah,” I mumbled as I hopped up and scooted my stool under the ledge. I scanned the wall of liquor bottles as I reached for my menu. Like a blinding ray of hope that had been herald by the cosmos, I spotted my bronze bottle of salvation, gleaming underneath one of the overhead spotlights. It was the same size, same shape, and donned the same sparkly green gem on its cap. The only thing different was the hand-painted words on the bottle. Even though it read, “Esmeralda Ojos”, I knew its translation.
Emerald Eyes Whiskey… My “saving grace”.
“Katie, I think I’ve found my answer. Give me a minute.”
“I’ve got plenty of those,” my on-ice bosom friend cracked.
Like I’d seen in countless movies, I waved my hand to signal to the barman. He hurried over straightaway and greeted me with a smile.
“Esmeralda Ojos,” I enunciated correctly, in my big-girl voice, and thanked my lucky stars that I was a legal Latin eighteen.
“Sí, Señorita. ¿Cuál es tu número de habitación,” he replied with a swift tongue. My brain raced for a translation. “Number” and “hotel” stood out, so I assumed the bartender planned on charging it to my room.
“Ochenta y tres.?.” I posed, like I was taking an oral exam.
“Suite eighty-three,” the bartender stated with a grin in English, clearly to put me at ease. “Very good.” He returned with an elaborate crystal glass and dropped in two chunks of ice. With a wave of his hand, the server presented me with the decorative bronze bottle. He poured out roughly two fingers of the pricey whiskey, hardly enough to cover the ice, and laid it on a napkin near my hand. He grabbed a small leather book and totaled my bill. “Mil pesos,” he announced as he handed me the book and pen. “Sign,” he instructed with a courteous smile.
Mil pesos? That little dab? A thousand daggone pesos… A hundred dollars, I brooded, while pretending the steep price hadn’t shocked me the least bit and inked my name on the line. I threw back the glass before the bar
tender could even spy if I’d included a tip. It tasted just as sweet as before. I gave the ice in my glass a quick swirl and placed it back down on the sleek mahogany bar top, now dry. I didn’t know how much I needed to drink. Would that little dab even do? And, how long would it take before the premonitions kicked in? Sensing my conflict, Katie threw her suggestion into the ring.
“If you’re that worried, just drink as much as you did last time,” she urged.
“I drank the whole bottle last time,” I revealed. “But the visions started as soon as Mike and I got to the dance.”
“Well, all I can say is…bottom’s up!” Katie giggled.
“Leave it,” I insisted to the bartender in my native tongue, but followed it up with a touristy, “Por favor?”
He took a moment to pause. Actually, my mind had already revealed what he was really doing — sizing me up. My label-less purse didn’t cost enough and he assumed my watch was a fake. The haughty-eyed barhop didn’t think I could afford the $3,000 a bottle price tag, so he shook his head and started to walk away with it.
“Kick your feet up on the bar. Show him your shoes,” Katie contended.
Since he knew some English, I didn’t even bother with the local lingo. Stop, I ordered, mentally sending a clear message to his brain. I snatched the padded leather book out of his hand. The bartender stood as frozen as a block of ice. In fact, he looked so eerily still that I had to watch his mouth for a second, just to make sure he was breathing.
I dug some money out of my purse. “Cuarenta mil pesos,” I assured him as I shoved the stack of colorful bills into the folder and waved it in the air. With his mind released and his doubts axed, the bartender placed the bottle down in front of me. I could hear his mind churning curiously, questioning how in the world the young American lady knew the whiskey’s correct price.