Scales of Justice

by Brett Humphrey

  Since Alister was the only one who could create gates between dimensions, and he was unavailable to do so while he was on his honeymoon, Hillaes gathered the magical items she needed from Claw before returning to Earth. When she arrived at the palace, I smiled to myself, because she reminded me of a returning Hogwarts student with her trunks, spell books and bags full of arcane crystals.

  “Where’s your broom?” I snickered.

  “Where are your shells?” she shot back with a grin.

  Everyone laughed. I guess she got tired of the stereotypes about magic users the same way I got tired of those about mermaids. I mean really, whoever thought swimming around with a bikini top made from shells sounded like a good thing? Not only would that be uncomfortable, but it would also rip off the first time I got up to speed underwater. However, I guess a certain company that specialized in entertainment for kids couldn’t really make an animated movie about a mermaid swimming without her top on; that might cause some problems.

  Even though we didn’t know Akore’s location, yet, we learned a lot from the spells Hillaes cast at his ruined compound. The magic available on Claw was easier to tap into than the magic on Earth. Not only was the amount of magic available on Earth less than Claw, it wasn’t as potent; apparently it had to do with the amount of steel and iron humans used to build their civilization. Akore needed the arcane crystals to store the magic it took him decades to gather. With the destruction of the crystals at his compound, his magical power was greatly lessened.

  This didn’t mean we were taking his abilities lightly; he did create a missile-like spell that traveled thousands of miles that would have destroyed us if Hillaes hadn’t raised her shield. Hillaes was tremendously powerful in her own right and she had worked with King Alister to expand her magical reservoir, but she still had to deal with the lack of magic on Earth, the same way Akore did.

  But we had one advantage he didn’t, Hillaes brought hundreds of arcane crystals with her from Claw which she and King Alister had charged in the days before the wedding. These fully-charged crystals were protected by the best spells Hillaes and Alister could come up with and now she had a vast reservoir of power at her disposal to combat Akore.

  We also learned that while the charm I’d taken from the Flor do Mar could give us a general direction towards Akore, the last time we removed it from the pocket dimension on Earth, it linked with Akore’s charm and infused him with magic before I could store it again. We both decided I’d keep it in my pocket dimension and only remove it as a last resort because none of us wanted to face Akore at full power. We would find him, but it might take us longer than we hoped. Josef had all the members of Tionchar searching for any news but sent us home for a week so I could work on the wedding. He really is a big softy, even if he is a gargoyle when he shifts and looks like ‘The Rock’ in his human form.

  I pulled into the Pavilions Market on 32nd Street and Balboa Avenue and popped the latch on the hood so I could grab the recyclable bags. It was a minor inconvenience to remember to bring them into the store each time but anything I could do to keep more trash out of the ocean was fine by me. Besides, Nick always had use for the bags after I gave them to him. It was so good to be back in the city I’d adopted as my home. There had been times in years past where I’d been away from home for longer; but never in so many consecutive months.

  It was rather ironic that I shopped for Nick because I rarely did my own grocery shopping. Bobbi, my home manager, did that for me, and had offered to shop for Nick, too, but I really enjoyed shopping for Nick. I liked choosing the things I knew he would like. Living on the street is rough enough; if I could give him some small comforts, it made me happy. I had to be careful to choose things that wouldn’t spoil without refrigeration, but I also wanted to buy things that were healthy. An exception were the toaster pastries—they weren’t necessarily healthy but Nick loved the breakfast treat and I always bought any new flavors the store stocked.

  It was also important for him to have fresh fruit, so I bought apples, bananas and two bags of fresh peaches. I’d learned that he didn’t like grapes of any kind, but I bought some for myself because they looked so delicious. It took me an hour to do the shopping, but I loved every minute of it and found myself singing along to the music playing through the store as I stood in line to pay. As usual, I didn’t bring in enough bags, so I had to buy more to hold my purchases and I laughed when my cashier, Carol, teased me about it.

  I knew I had to worry about finding Akore, but it was such a beautiful day that I couldn’t help enjoying myself as I drove around the city I loved on my way to deliver food to someone I cared about. And of course, I hadn’t had an In-N-Out burger for over a month and I was salivating just thinking about how good it would taste.

  Would you like me to bring you a Double-Double back to the house? I sent to Jason. I was grateful that the thought medallion amplified my mental sending or I wouldn’t be able to speak with Jason so far away.

  No thank you, you always eat the fries before you come home and the smell of fries I know I’m not eating drives me crazy, Jason laughed.

  Ha-ha, I did that one time and you’ll never let me live it down.

  Nope, you’re just too fun to tease. How was the dress fitting?

  It looks amazing but you’ll have to wait another two months before you get to see it.

  Actually, it’s only another forty-nine days, but who’s counting? Jason countered.

  Hold on, I got lucky and found a parking spot in the lot. I sent and then maneuvered my Bug into the spot recently vacated by a white Escalade. Okay, I’m back, I’m going to grab a bite to eat, give Nick his groceries then come back home.

  Don’t forget I’m taking you to dinner tonight at The Crab Cooker, Jason reminded me.

  I didn’t, that’s why I’m only going to have two burgers. Love you, I sent then dropped our connection and got out of the car.

  “Sweet car,” a tall, tanned and blond-headed surfer called to me. He was lean and muscular and looked to be in his early twenties. He was getting into his own car, which was an older model Honda with a surfboard rack on the top which held two boards: a long and short. “What year is it?” he continued.

  “A ‘69,” I answered brightly.

  “Yeah, the waves are going off at The Wedge and a bunch of us are heading up there to shred, do you want to come?” he asked.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be hanging with my fiancé later,” I said and waved as I continued walking to the counter to order.

  “No worries, it never hurts to ask,” the guy said as he got in his car.

  “Good luck,” I called over my shoulder with a laugh and practically skipped up to the counter. I couldn’t wait to tell Jason he has some competition, maybe he’ll buy me two desserts to stay on my good side I thought as I laughed to myself. If the young surfer only knew how old I really am he’d never give me a second look; I could be his great-great-great grandma for goodness sake. Thankfully, my shifter physiology kept me looking like I was in my mid-twenties and would for centuries to come.

  I ordered four Double-Doubles with fries in separate containers, just the way Nick liked them. Bobbi came down two times when I was gone to add more money to Nick’s account, but the cashier was new and didn’t know what the balance was. When I asked Kai the cashier to let Enrique know I was there he got nervous until I explained we were friends and I thought he was doing a great job. Once he took my money and assured me he would pass the message to Enrique, I sat at an outside table.

  While I waited for my food to arrive, I looked around, surprised that Nick wasn’t already here. I’d been gone for a month but even Kai knew who Nick was, which told me he’d been by recently, or at least since Kai started working here. I smiled up at Enrique as he brought my food over to my table, but my expression fell as I took in the serious look on his face. I was even more surprised when Enrique sat across from me.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He just shook
his head as he looked at me, his eyes sad.

  “Tell me,” I said hoarsely and placed my hand over his.

  “It’s Nick,” he finally got out, his voice cracked with emotion.

  Jason and I weren’t going to make it to dinner after all.

  August 28

  Poseidon Society Mortuary

  Newport Beach, California

  Brian, Jason, Enrique and I sat in the front row of the mortuary chapel as Pastor Sabo talked about Nick’s life. Pastor Sabo had white flyaway hair on his head that matched the short beard on his face. He was only five-feet six-inches and had the tanned skin of a native of this area. Nick and Pastor Sabo grew up together in Newport Beach and he frequently took care of Nick when he was having one of his bad days. Nick had a room at the church he could use but he always preferred to sleep outside. I learned that Nick was a highly decorated war hero, but his PTSD was so severe he couldn’t function in society and preferred to live on the streets.

  Nick died the week before, of a heart attack, sitting at our table at In-N-Out. Enrique found him around midnight when he returned to the restaurant because he’d forgotten something. At first, he thought Nick was sleeping but knew he was gone when he tried to wake him up. Enrique called Pastor Sabo before the police arrived because Nick had his name and number written on a cardboard sign which was sitting in plain view on his shopping cart. Pastor Sabo arrived shortly before the coroner’s van and took possession of Nick’s belongings since Nick had asked him to.

  One of the things in the cart was a book entitled, “I’m Dead Now, So What?” and in it he had written his final wishes. He must have done this in one of his more lucid moments since there was only one reference to having a unicorn sing at his service. Luckily for Nick one of the newest members of Tionchar living near San Francisco was a unicorn, had a beautiful singing voice and was willing to do me a favor.

  Jason held my hand as I silently wept at the loss of my friend. I felt guilty because I wasn’t there when he died, and Enrique didn’t have my number to call to let me know; my heart was breaking. I was so lost in my dark thoughts I wasn’t really paying attention to what was being said and was startled when Pastor Sabo mentioned my name.

  “Cyndi, I want you to know how much you meant to Nick and how he looked forward to your lunches. I’ve known Nick since we were kids and was grieved he was so damaged when he came home from the war. Whenever he talked about the times you spent together, I would get glimpses of the friend I lost. You made him feel like a person and he really loved to eat the food you provided for him.” He chuckled and I smiled as I looked into his kind, ice-blue eyes. “You gave Nick something to look forward to and for that I am grateful.

  “I believe Nick knew his time on Earth was coming to a close because he came to my house a few hours before he was found at the restaurant. He was thinking clearly, and we sat on my front steps and talked, like we did when we were younger. He looked so peaceful and was full of joy. Before he left, he gave me a hug and asked me to give one to you when I met you, along with a message. I would like to fulfill Nick’s wish, if that’s okay with you?” he asked.

  I know I looked like a blubbering mess, because I’m an ugly crier, but I stood as Pastor Sabo walked to me. He opened his arms and I embraced him. My tears fell even faster as I grieved for my loss.

  “Shh—it’s okay, don’t be sad.” Pastor Sabo spoke softly, and I knew these were Nick’s words he was using. “You made my life better, and I am grateful you decided to be my friend. My only regret is we never got to take that swim together.”

  Pastor Sabo and I let go at the same time and he placed his hands on my shoulder and by the way he looked I knew Nick had told him my secret. He smiled crookedly and said, “Nick asked that his ashes be turned into an Eternal Reef and when it’s done, he wanted you to place it somewhere meaningful to you. It looks like he might get that swim after all.”

  Chapter 6

  August 29

  Table Mountain

  Cape Town South Africa

  The man who was now calling himself Ramesh Acharya watched the men tearing down the rock cairn on the furthest side of the cable car station. The rocks had clearly been piled atop one another by human hands to create the sixteen-foot triangular structure that created the monument called Maclear’s Beacon. The freezing rain was lashing him from all sides and it reminded him of the times he stood at the wheel of a ship, piloting around the Cape of Good Hope. He smiled grimly as he thought of the weaknesses of modern humans and their addiction to comfort. However, in this case it served him well because there were no witnesses to his larceny.

  It took seven days to establish himself again in his compound in the upscale Llandudno Estates. He purchased the land overlooking the ocean over two-hundred years before and transferred the title each time he needed to change identities. This was one of his properties that was isolated, separate from his other companies and couldn’t be traced back to him using normal means.

  Apparently, his previous caretaker had gotten lazy and hadn’t kept the property up to the standards expected of him. The fact Akore hadn’t been on property for twenty years was no excuse for the lout to allow things to deteriorate as they had; a point he made to the man as he conducted his exit interview. It was more difficult to dispose of the caretaker’s body since the area surrounding his fifty acres had been built up with lavish estates, but he still had unobstructed access to the ocean though, via the smuggling tunnels that led from a hidden area on his property to the water. It wasn’t a sophisticated means of disposal, but the local sea life feasted on his former caretaker’s body.

  “It’s hard getting good help these days,” Akore muttered to himself as he watched the men’s progress, which was slowing.

  “I’m not paying you to stand around,” he shouted at Daniel as he ran up to him.

  “I’m sorry sir, but the men are growing weary,” Daniel said, unable to meet his employer’s eyes.

  “I want that chest found today, while the weather is keeping others at bay. This is the third time we have come here to retrieve my property and this has been the only time without witnesses. Tell the men they will receive three times what we agreed upon, but I want this finished today. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Daniel bowed and hurried back to the demolition crew. After a hurried conversation, the men went back to work with renewed vigor. Akore chuckled as he watched his supposedly exhausted employees attack the cairn enthusiastically. It was amazing how money could motivate desperate people.

  He picked up the bronze plaque which had fallen off the face of the monument as the rocks were cleared and read its history.

  “So, this was built in the year eighteen-sixty-five by Sir Thomas Maclear to mark the highest point on Table Mountain, eh?” He shrugged his shoulders and tossed the plaque away in disinterest. Rather than stand around and watch the excavation progress, Akore wandered around in a small circle remembering what it was like to escape through the portal from Claw all those centuries ago. He shuddered as he thought about the fire, explosions and pain as he was caught in the backlash of his own defensive spells.

  The only thing that kept him alive as he was cast out of Claw onto this primitive planet was the knowledge he had destroyed the members of the ruling council when his fortress was destroyed. At least, that’s what he had believed until recently. He didn’t know how they had managed to find him, but at least one of the ruling council members must have survived and reproduced. He shuddered as he remembered the feel of the discovery spell that brushed against his shields in Goa. Whoever came after him is powerful, and unlike any other magic user he’d come across before. He had to create a better defensive shield with the arcane crystals buried here.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a cheer from his men, and he made his way to where they were standing. The cairn had been disassembled and the rocks tossed haphazardly away to show the ground underneath. The rain fell harder, and the water pooled on the exposed dirt, creating m
ud.

  “What are you waiting for? Dig,” Akore barked and each of the men grabbed their shovels and started digging furiously. Soon the sound of metal hitting wood and four of the men got down on their knees and started scooping out mud from the hole with their hands. After a few more minutes of digging, two of the men struggled to bring a chest out of the hole and place it on the ground before their employer.

  He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a bundle of two-hundred Rand notes to pay the men. They had agreed to work for fifty Rand but would be given two-hundred Rand which was three times the amount agreed upon plus fifty extra to assure their silence.

  When he looked back up with the money in his hand, the men were standing before Akore in a semi-circle and Daniel was holding a machete and waving him to move away from the chest.

  “So, this is how it’s going to be?” he sighed and began to draw power from the crystal around his neck, moving back and to the side as he did so.

  “We want to see what’s in the chest before we renegotiate our contract,” Daniel smiled wickedly as he took Akore’s place before the chest.

  Each man nodded in agreement and Akore was suddenly furious because this would complicate matters. The men would need to be killed quickly; he would not be able to harvest any of their life-force for himself.

  “Patefio,” he whispered and the lock on chest clicked open. Daniel nodded to one of the men and he reached over and opened the lid.

  Daniel took one look in the chest and began laughing, “You get to keep what’s in the chest, and we will take your money, clothing and everything else you have. After all, a dead man doesn't’ get cold,” he said as he raised the machete in his hand.