Scales of Justice

by Brett Humphrey

  “Coffee?” Enzo asked as he handed me a paper cup full of the hot liquid.

  “Thank you, Enzo,” I said, then frowned.

  “Is the coffee so bad you make that face before you taste it?” he laughed.

  “No, that’s not it. I know you told us to call you Enzo because your name is difficult for many to pronounce, but that’s not good enough for me. So, please tell me how to pronounce your name,” I insisted.

  He looked at me then smiled widely, his ebony skin wrinkling around his eyes with joy. His smile was infectious, and I found myself smiling as I stared into eyes so dark brown they were almost black.

  “En-zo-kook-clay,” he said and I repeated it until I got the pronunciation correct.

  “Does your name have a meaning?” I asked.

  “My name means ‘do great’ and is of Zulu origin,” he shared. “My mother was also a member of Tionchar and served in this part of the world many years ago. She was impressed with the Zulu people and their struggles in South Africa. She wanted to give me a name to live up to, and always told me to do great things with my life.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me,” I said, then made a face after I took a sip of the coffee he gave me. “Although I could have done without you sharing this coffee. How can you drink this stuff?” I asked as I sipped it again; nope, it didn’t taste any better the second time.

  “I can’t drink it, why do you think I gave it to you?” he laughed heartily, and I turned to glare at Brian because I knew he put Enzokuhle up to give me the drink. He laughed and blew me a kiss.

  Shrugging my shoulders, I continued drinking the hot beverage, needing the caffeine to stay awake. Besides, I’d once eaten a hagfish as a dare and that was so disgusting it had taken me a full week to get the taste of mucus out of my mouth. I don’t really know why a fish needs to produce enough slime to fill a five-gallon bucket to protect itself from predators, but the hagfish can do that in minutes. Come to think of it, it was effective after all; I’ll never eat another one again. Enzokuhle and I chatted about our lives and our experiences with Tionchar, and as I described to him the miracle that is the Double-Double, I realized I was hungry.

  I’m done here, Hillaes sent, and I turned to see her stand and brush dirt from the knees of her pants. The bodies had been removed but the area had been secured by police caution tape and guards until we could examine the scene. Hillaes spoke quietly with the officer in charge while Enzokuhle walked over to where the two women were talking. After we said our goodbyes, we began the forty-five-minute trek back to the cable car station.

  Because we had human constables escorting us back to the station, we opted to avoid discussing what Hillaes found at the site until later. Even though we could communicate with our minds, sometimes people thought it strange when I would laugh for no apparent reason. I asked a constable for his recommendation for the best place to eat once we were near the station. He suggested the Licorice and Lime Café but his partner argued the Kynsna Oyster Company served better food. She admitted she liked seafood but her partner didn’t. They argued the merits of each restaurant for the rest of our walk back and we asked about other spots we should visit while in Cape Town. They remained with us for the five-minute cable car ride down the mountain, pointing out their restaurants of choice and then left us at the terminal to rejoin their team at the top.

  We decided on the Kynsna Oyster Company in the wharf area which is surrounded by shops and restaurants catering to tourists. This section of Cape Town had grown around the docks of the old city, although it didn’t look anything like it did hundreds of years ago. I stopped beside a large brass monument next to a small eight-foot by four-foot rectangular stage in the middle of the plaza. The monument explained that Cape Town had been a slave trading colony and stages like this had been used to showcase the humans being bought and sold as property.

  As I contemplated the years of misery brought about by such an inhumane practice, I thought about the men, women and children who were still being sold around the world, including those who were affected by Akore’s evil practices in India. While major countries around the world had abolished the practice of slavery on a national level, it was still an evil that was present on Earth. I was infused with righteous anger and vowed to do what I could to end this vile practice.

  Jason must have sensed my mood because he put his arm around me, kissed my temple, then urged me to follow the rest of our party to the café. Jason and I sat at an outside table with Hillaes, her husband Wu, Carlos, Yoli, Brian, Jason, Enzokuhle, our pilot Steve and our co-pilot Robert. Our waitress was named Michelle and her blue eyes, blonde hair and fair skin spoke to her Dutch heritage. When she asked if we were ready to order, the rest of my party turned to me like I was the one to make all the decisions.

  “You are in charge of our current mission,” Carlos commented with a smirk at the puzzled look on my face.

  “Michelle,” I smiled sweetly, “I’m going to leave the ordering up to you because you know the best things on the menu. Order what you think ten hungry people will eat, then double everything. Oh, and please bring six dozen of your largest oysters as an appetizer. We’ll also have bottles of flat water for everyone and whatever else they want to drink; they can make that decision for themselves, I think.”

  Once Michelle took everyone’s drink order, and after a visit from the manager to make sure I was serious with what I asked Michelle to do, Hillaes explained her findings, speaking softly enough that patrons nearby couldn’t hear her.

  “I was able to confirm that magic was used on the mountain to kill the men and the flavor of the magic informs me that Akore was the one to cast the spell. I would have to examine one of the bodies to be certain, but I am almost positive that he used another spell outlawed by the ruling council to murder those men. I don’t believe he was able to harvest any of their life-force, which may or may not be a good thing.” She stopped while Michelle and another waiter brought our drinks and oysters.

  “How can you be sure?” I asked once we had been served. Since Hillaes was busy shucking an oyster, she answered us mentally.

  As I said, without examining a body I cannot be completely sure but based on the Forensic Pathologist’s report, the men died because their hearts exploded. If he removed their life-force, nothing would appear to be wrong. I studied the spell he’s probably using when I was on Claw and the life-force cannot be removed once the person is dead. They die because their life-force is removed, not the other way around.

  I don’t understand why you said it may or may not be a good thing that he couldn’t harvest anyone from the mountain, Brian said as he ate the succulent meat found in the oyster he’d opened.

  If he wasn’t able to gain energy on the mountain, he’s likely more depleted than he was before, making him vulnerable. It’s possible he has a set-up like he had in Goa and he’s already harvesting people like he did there. However, that’s not my biggest concern. She looked thoughtful as she paused to take a drink of her iced tea.

  “Don’t keep us in suspense,” Yoli laughed, and we joined in when Hillaes gave her the stink eye.

  “That sauce is hot,” Hillaes gasped, “I just needed a moment to cool off my tongue.”

  “You should try the wasabi, it’s got quite a kick,” Brian said as he popped an entire oyster in his mouth and began to chew, the shell crunching between his teeth. When he realized what he’d done, he looked around quickly to make sure no one noticed and grinned sheepishly at me.

  “I can’t take you anywhere,” I muttered and shucked another oyster.

  “The shells are the best part, I like the way they crunch,” Brian said lamely. He was saved from further embarrassment by Michelle bringing out the rest of our meal. If she was surprised we finished seventy-two oysters that quickly, she didn’t show it. There was so much food, we had to pull up another table to hold it all.

  “Could we please get some more rolls?” Wu asked politely and Michelle hurried away to bring the r
olls and refills on our drinks.

  “What concerns me the most,” Hillaes answered softly, “is I found residual magical energy inside the chest consistent with arcane crystals. Based on the magical frequency, these crystals are quite large, most likely similar in size to the ones from his compound in Goa.”

  “So, we’ll face the same defenses here that we encountered in India?” Jason asked.

  Hillaes shook her head before answering, “Not yet. While the crystals can hold large amounts of magical energy, that energy begins to trickle away almost immediately if it’s not being used. This isn’t usually a problem in a magic-rich environment like Claw, or even Theria, but unless there is almost constant replenishing of the magic leaving the crystals, they will lose their charge over time.

  “There isn’t any way the crystals could have kept their charge since eighteen-hundred and forty-four when the rock cairn was created to form the beacon, and definitely would be empty if they’ve been in that chest for five hundred years or more.”

  Hillaes paused to take a bite of her poached Rock Cod and groaned in appreciation at the way the delicate fish had been prepared. The rest of us followed her lead and got serious about eating our meals. Lunch was boisterous and we swapped plates often so others could share in the wonderful food we were enjoying. Even though we had only recently come together as a team, we had already formed a bond. Maybe it was the fact we were all shifters, and either members of Tionchar or the King’s Inner Circle but I think it was more likely we shared the common goal of stopping Akore.

  Many people would assume that when you have the ability to live hundreds if not thousands of years you can become bored with life and don’t appreciate new experiences. I’ve found it to be the opposite. Even though I know I’ll live a long time, I know this exact moment will never come again so I savor the experience and enjoy the people I’m with. If Nick’s death taught me anything, these moments are all too fleeting, so I have to embrace them wholeheartedly.

  Once Michelle cleared away our empty lunch dishes and delivered our dessert and coffee orders, we continued our conversation about Akore.

  “I’ve worked out that we have between three and four weeks before Akore can bring his arcane crystals up to full power based on the amount of magic available to him on Earth,” Hillaes said after taking a sip of her coffee.

  “Can he fill them faster if he sacrifices more people?” Enzokuhle asked.

  Hillaes shook her head in thought, “No, it doesn’t work that way. He can only use life-force to replenish his own energy and power the spell he’s using to keep himself alive. He needs to gather magic from Earth to fill the crystals.”

  “So,” I said slowly, “at most we have a month to stop Akore before he has his magical defenses in place, and we’re not even sure he’s still in Cape Town?”

  “I’m fairly certain he is,” Wu answered, “I researched Afonso de Albuquerque’s history before he commanded the Flor do Mar and the first mention of his rise to prominence occurred here in Cape Town in fifteen-hundred and two. Albuquerque was traveling from Portugal to India and the ship he was on spent the winter in Cape Town harbor because the weather made travel past the Cape of Good Hope dangerous so late in the year. Prior to wintering in Cape Town, Albuquerque had the reputation of an entitled noble but when he arrived in India, he had a drive and zeal he hadn’t demonstrated before.”

  “When we combine that history with the fact there used to be a dimensional portal atop Table Mountain, and Akore had a chest buried there, it points to his deep roots in this area of South Africa,” Hillaes finished.

  “Then we’ll proceed on that assumption,” I agreed. “Hillaes, you said the arcane crystals emit a specific vibration. Is there a way for the rest of us to search for that?”

  She thought for a moment while she took a bite of her chocolate mousse. “I’ll have to work on something, but I believe it may be possible to tune smaller crystals to the same frequency using the residual energy from the chest. If I can do that, then I can give each of us one of the crystals which will vibrate in resonance when they get close enough to the larger arcane crystals in Akore’s possession.”

  “Will the arcane crystals on Akore’s property also vibrate and potentially warn him that someone is searching for him?” Brian asked.

  “That was a surprisingly well-thought-out question,” Jason looked at Brian in surprise. “Where’s Brian and what did you do with him?”

  “Very funny, plebeian. I can be quite erudite when inspiration strikes,” Brian answered in a haughty manner.

  “To answer your question,” Hillaes interrupted before Jason and Brian could go any further. “I don’t believe we’ll need to worry about the larger crystals. Even though the smaller crystals will resonate at the same frequency, unless Akore is actually standing next to one of the larger crystals when we get close, he won’t know what we’re up to.”

  We breathed a collective sigh of relief and even though Hillaes didn’t know these things for certain, we trusted her judgment.

  “Enzokuhle, Hillaes is going to need access to the chest, also and at least one of the dead bodies of the men Akore killed. Will you be able to arrange that?” I asked.

  “That should not be a problem. I will speak with Colonel Dlamini after lunch and arrange this,” Enzokuhle answered.

  “Good—Steve, Robert, are you available for a few weeks?” I questioned our pilots who looked to be half-asleep from the big meal they’d eaten.

  “Yes. We’re at your disposal for as long as you need us,” Steve answered with a yawn.

  “Steve, you transform into a pouakai, correct?” I asked.

  “What’s that?” Brian asked before Steve could answer.

  “A Maori great eagle,” Steve answered with another yawn. “In my eagle form, I’ve got a thirty-foot wingspan and am about seventeen feet from beak to tail.”

  “And Robert, you’re a wyvern, correct?” At his nod I continued. “I’d like the two of you to head back to the hotel to get some rest. I’m going to need both of you to do some aerial reconnaissance later. Enzokuhle, I’d like you to do the same once you’re finished with Colonel Dlamini and the Forensic Pathologist. Yoli and Carlos, are you able to separate Akore’s scent from the others on top of the mountain?”

  Carlos rubbed his hand against his chin, before answering. “Maybe? We might have more luck getting something from the chest since it’s been a couple of days and there was a lot of rain, but we can try.”

  “That’s all I can ask,” I encouraged. “Please head back up the mountain after we finish and see what you can find. If you must wait until the police leave, you can always come down the trail in wolf form.”

  “We’ll leave our SUV here for you, and we’ll take an Uber back to the hotel,” Robert suggested and Yoli nodded her thanks.

  “And what will you be doing?” Carlos asked. “Yoli and I are supposed to be your guards.”

  “Actually, that’s only part of the reason you’re here. I’m appointing you to full members of the team. I’ll have Brian and Jason with me to make sure I don’t get into too much trouble.” I smiled at my wolf friends to let them know how much I appreciated their efforts. “We’ll return to the hotel so I can make a full report to Josef and see if he has any instructions. As far as we know, we’ll be searching for Akore on land and by air; there isn't much for us aquatic creatures to do right now to help with the search.

  “Besides, I want to ask Josef about a side project I’d like to explore,” I said.

  “What’s that?” Brian asked.

  “I’d like to look into the information we gathered in India about the ongoing slave trade and investigate if there are any slavers operating around here. If there are, I’d like us to put them out of business permanently.”

  Chapter 7

  September 8

  460 Nautical Miles East of Ras Isa, Yemen

  Arabian Ocean

  Jason, Brian and I easily kept pace with the ship as it cruised throug
h the water. My sense of justice burned hot as I thought about the precious cargo contained on this ship, but I took deep calming breaths to relax. I had to stick to our plan so those on the ship weren’t alerted to our presence ahead of time. The men on this ship would pay for their crimes, I reminded myself and continued to swim and wait for the signal to attack.

  Since it would take Hillaes ten to fourteen days to complete the resonance spells on her arcane crystals, I focused my energies on discovering everything I could about Akore’s slaving ventures. Josef agreed with my decision to shut down this portion of Akore’s business and gave me the support I needed. The Tionchar operatives in India, Raksaka and Ishka, gave Josef and his cyberteam access to the law enforcement computer systems at both the local and national level allowing them to identify the businesses that participated in the slave trade. They also determined which government officials were complicit in this heinous crime. These individuals would be arrested, but not until we rescued the people who were en route to be sold.

  The cargo ship, SM Brownlow, left Jawaharlal Nehru Port on September fourth after having loaded ten cargo containers. According to the manifest, these forty-foot containers were filled with teas, spices, jewelry and medicinal compounds. What the manifest didn’t show is that two of the containers were filled with women and children destined to be transported to Yemen where they would be sold and transferred to their final destination. Unfortunately, we didn’t uncover these details until the ship was a day out of port.

  While Jason, Brian and I flew back to India from South Africa, Josef and the members of Tionchar in India quickly put a rescue plan together. Since Josef had already dispatched the super yacht, Sirenea, to India before we left for King Alister’s wedding, we had access to that boat as well as the Airbus H155 helicopter it carried on its helipad. We were more concerned about reaching the Brownlow before it docked in Yemen than we were with keeping a low profile, so we boarded the yacht the moment we could in pursuit of our quarry.