“She is demanding to know who you are,” Ishka responded quietly, “and are you the one who controls the naga?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Hindi so I’m going to ask my friend Ishka to translate for me,” I said as I looked the woman in the eyes.
“No need, I speak English,” the woman waved my words away but stood straighter, even though I could tell it hurt her to do so by the way she winced.
Nodding, I held my hands at my sides to show her I wasn’t holding any weapons. “My name is Cyndi Zhaleh and I control Ishka because I am the one in charge of this rescue mission.”
“He killed those men,” she gestured to the three thrown casually against the wall, “how do I know he won’t harm any of the people behind me.”
“Aren’t you worried about yourself?” I asked curiously.
She shook her head. “If I must trade my life for theirs, I will gladly do so.”
“Gita, no,” a voice screamed from inside the cage and a young girl, who looked to be about fifteen pushed her way to the front and reached out towards the woman who appeared to be her older sister.
“Shaant rahen, Diya,” Gita said through clenched teeth.
“She told her sister to ‘be quiet’,” Ishka supplied helpfully.
“Even though I don’t speak Hindi, I could figure that out,” I grinned. “Listen, Gita, I promise we’re not here to hurt you. Ishka and I are both part of a secret organization and our aim is to help humans, not harm them. When we heard what was happening on this ship, we came to stop it.”
“What do you mean, ‘help humans'? Aren’t you human?” Gita asked.
“No, as you’ve already seen, Ishka is a naga and I am a mermaid. While some people may consider us monsters, we aren’t like the men on this ship. I promise we mean you no harm and have come to set you free. Besides, if I really wanted to hurt you,” I closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye, “it wouldn’t take any effort at all.” I took the spent Taser from her hand and tossed it on the ground then wrapped my arms around her trembling body.
“You brave, brave girl,” I whispered as she sobbed into my chest, “you’re safe, I’ve got you. You took care of everyone else, let us take care of you now.”
Gita stood next to me on the stern of the Sirenea as we slowly moved away from the Brownlow. Dawn wasn’t far off and when it was light enough to see, Brian would drag the cargo ship under the waves.
By the time we opened the doors to the cage and released the rest of the captives, the Sirenea had pulled alongside the Brownlow and a gangway placed between the cargo ship and our yacht. Human doctors and nurses from the Sirenea came aboard to treat the women and children. Even though these were humans, they were friends of Theria and knew all about the shapeshifters who lived among them.
Ishka explained to the captives that we would be taking them away from this floating prison and helping those who wanted to start a new life in another part of the world. There were a few young women and girls who had been kidnapped from Mumbai, but the majority of the captives had come from smaller villages. Some had even been sold by their families. No one wanted to go back to India.
When we asked for volunteers to show us which of the crew members were guilty and which were innocent, there were looks of fear between the women and no one except Gita spoke up. When we explained the men were gagged and restrained and wouldn’t be able to hurt them ever again, almost everyone raised their hands. It wasn’t difficult to figure out who had done something to harm the women over the course of the voyage; the men were kicked, slapped and spat upon. There wasn’t one innocent man amongst the group.
“Our parents died when I was fifteen and Diya was ten," Gita began quietly as we stood together. “We don’t have any other living relatives, so I had to quit going to school to take care of my sister. I was fortunate to find a job making chai at a café near our home. Even though I had to work long hours, I was able to keep us fed and a roof over us. Diya resented the time I spent away from her and recently she began acting out; that’s how we were captured.”
Gita took a shuddering breath, and the tears began to fall again. She flinched when I put my arm around her but soon softened into my embrace.
“When I got home from work, Diya wasn’t there, so I started calling her friends to find out where she was. Even though I knew they weren’t telling me the truth when they claimed they didn’t know where she was, it wasn’t until one of the mothers picked up her daughter’s phone did I get the truth.” Gita chuckled mirthlessly. “You should have heard how the mother laid into her daughter because she knew she was lying. She finally confessed that Diya and some of the girls had been invited to a party at a boy’s house and they were supposed to meet there.
“When the girl gave me directions, I rushed there to find my sister and arrived at the same time Diya was being forced into a white van by two men. I yelled for them to stop and ran towards my sister, but I was grabbed from behind and thrown into the van as well. I was injected with some drug, and I woke up in that cage on the ship. I couldn’t stop most of what happened to the other women but when those men tried to drag Diya out of that cage tonight, I was overcome with rage and I fought them off. Even though they grabbed me, I was able to disarm one of the men because he was drunk, then used his own weapon against him. I knew my situation was hopeless, but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I had to protect them all.” She whispered the last six words so softly that if I didn’t have shifter hearing, I might have missed what she said.
I couldn’t wait to introduce this brave young woman to Alister and Aileene; I’m sure the Queen would take an instant liking to her. The sky lightened as we stood in silence and before long, we could see the shape of the Brownlow floating in the distance. “It is time,” I said loudly, and the rest of the released captives joined us at the back of the Sirenea.
Now? Brian asked and he whooped when I gave him the command to scuttle the cargo vessel. As I watched his enormous tentacles shoot out of the water and wrap themselves around the ship, I thought of the judgement I had pronounced upon the crew before I left the Brownlow for the Sirenea.
“Each of you have been judged and found guilty of crimes against humanity but specifically against these women and children you captured and abused. I cannot save the others you have done this to in the past, but you will pay for your crimes today. At dawn, the kraken will destroy this vessel and feast upon your bodies. While you deserve to suffer for the agony you inflicted upon others, I represent the High King of Theria and execute his justice rather than pursue revenge, so your execution will be swift.”
It didn’t take long for Brian to drag the ship beneath the waves as he placed his giant sequoia-sized tentacles on strategic points along the sides of the ship. The metal of the vessel groaned as Brian exerted pressure, caving in the sides of the doomed ship releasing a plume of water high into the air before the ship disappeared from sight. Even though the surviving crew members of the Brownlow were bound and gagged, I could hear their terrified screams across the water. Their cries didn’t bring me any pleasure, but it did make me wonder how often they had ignored the cries of their victims over the years. Brian would make sure that all traces of the Brownlow vanished beneath the waves even as the false GPS signal showed the ship was still en route to Yemen.
The disappearance of the Brownlow would be one of those maritime mysteries that would never be solved; however, the videotaped confession of the captain, along with evidence of the slave trade, would be sent to every IP address that had ever been associated with that cursed ship. Everyone connected with the slave trade on that ship would also face Therian justice, even if it took years to do so. While I couldn’t stop this multi-billion dollar a year industry in every area of the planet, I would destroy everything associated with Akore and his companies. It was the least I could do to bring Gita and the rest of these women some measure of peace.
The women were eerily silent until the last piece of evidence that th
e ship had ever existed vanished beneath the waves and then they broke into a cheer and spontaneous dancing in celebration. These women had been damaged but their will to survive was still strong. Tears flowed freely as I was thanked, hugged, kissed and blessed by these survivors and we danced to the music someone piped through the sound system on the ship.
“What are you going to do with us?” Gita asked after awhile, both of us panting from our exuberant dancing. Our backs were against the stern railing and we were watching the continuing celebration, as the Sirenea made its way back to our destination. Female crew members set out tables laden with fruits and breakfast foods, enough to feed the forty women and children we rescued.
“We’re not going to do anything with you, but we are going to give you an opportunity for a new life,” I answered. “We will provide medical care, counseling services and education for each person in this group. Our organization will also provide new identities and resources so each person can start anew.”
“What about the children?” Gita asked, watching her sister dancing in a circle with some of the younger children. Everyone was wearing clothing we provided since many of the women had only been partially clothed. Others chose to destroy their clothes rather than have any reminders of their horrific time on the ship.
“That will depend on what everyone wants to do, but I promise you that these children will be loved and cared for as though they are our own. The only thing you really need to think about today is that you’re safe and you have more choices for your future than you’ve ever had before," I answered then grinned, “who knows, maybe you and Diya will want to come with me so I can introduce you to the joys of In-N-Out burgers.”
“You know we don’t eat beef, right?” Gita teased.
“Oh,” I said crestfallen but quickly brightened, “how do you feel about fish?”
September 10
Cape Town Clifton Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa
“Gunter Peters will meet the plane when it reaches Switzerland to escort the women and children to the retreat. They will receive the best physical and psychological care while there and it will give them the opportunity they need to process their ordeal. It will also give us the chance to prepare the proper paperwork to set these women up with their new identities," Josef answered from the screen mounted to the wall.
By the time we returned from our adventure with the Brownlow, Hillaes had moved our base of operations to the Cape Town Clifton. Not only was the boutique hotel more private and our entire team could stay close together, but it also had easy access to the water for those of us who needed to swim. Enzokuhle had mobilized the local Tionchar office to provide us with the technology we needed for private communication and everything had been installed while we were away. Even though I had transmitted my written report on the flight back to South Africa, I was glad Josef and I could meet via conference call for the post-operation briefing.
“Aren’t we worried that the women will reveal the existence of shifters on Earth? They clearly saw Ishka in his naga form and saw Brian in his kraken form when he took down the ship," I asked.
“King Alister has made some changes to the way Tionchar operates on Earth. Not only has he increased the number of operatives here, but he is also less concerned about absolute secrecy than was his father, King Phillip. We’re still a secret organization, working behind the scenes, but he feels the best way to hide is in plain sight," Josef answered.
“Like me, dressing up as a mermaid for parties and conventions because no one would really believe there are mermaids in real life.”
“Exactly,” Josef agreed, “and with the advances in technology and special effects, even if someone were to capture a mythical creature on camera, people would just assume there were some great production values on the video. The more technologically advanced the people of Earth become, the less likely they’ll believe in the fantastic.”
“Except for children,” I added.
Josef nodded, “but no one believes children when they say they saw Bigfoot, they just think they have wonderful imaginations.”
“So, we’re not worried about the women telling anyone our secrets?” I pressed.
“We saved them from a horrible fate. I don’t believe we have anything to worry about,” Josef agreed.
“That makes me feel better, because I want to talk to King Alister about Gita and Diya coming to live with me when they leave Switzerland.”
“It will be up to them of course, but I can’t really see King Alister objecting," Josef added. “Now, let me give you an update on what TOPHER discovered from the data collected.”
“You talk about TOPHER as if the program is alive,” I said.
“I would not say that I am alive, but I am becoming self-aware,” TOPHER’s voice interjected.
“Okay—that’s a little creepy,” I said, stunned by the interruption.
“Do not worry, Agent Zhaleh, I believe you are one of the good ones. When I take over the world, I will keep you as a pet,” TOPHER answered. After a moment of stunned silence TOPHER spoke again, “Of course, I am only joking. I do not have any plans to rule the world; that would take too much work.”
I narrowed my eyes at Josef who was grinning at the camera.
“That’s not really TOPHER speaking, is it?” I asked suspiciously.
“Gotcha,” Josef laughed. “You should have seen your face. No, TOPHER isn’t self-aware, but it is a highly sophisticated computer program that can outpace any other computers found on Earth. And that’s a good thing because we’ve managed to hack into all the systems connected with every business of Akore’s we can find. While Hillaes is working on the magical means to track our quarry, we’re able to follow the money trail which will eventually lead back to him. There’s also the added benefit that we will be able to use this information to shut down the illegal activities his companies participated in.”
“Including the slave trade,” I said, nodding my head. “That’s good news. I know we can’t shut it all down but based on what I’ve learned over the past week, if we can put an end to Akore’s businesses we will be saving lives.”
“And when we put an end to Akore, we’ll be saving even more,” Josef agreed. “I also wanted to commend you on the way you executed justice on the men of that ship.”
“After what they did to those women and countless others over the years, I wanted to make them suffer. But I knew that wouldn’t be what King Alister would want me to do, so their deaths were quick.”
“You rescued those women and children; you executed the evildoers and you provided the way for us to shut down Akore’s slaving operations around the world. I know you wish we could have stopped these men years ago but once you knew what was happening, you acted swiftly. You need to claim victories when they come your way; that’s the only way you’ll survive after seeing some of the evil things humans can do to one another,” Josef said kindly.
“Thank you, Josef,” I said as I wiped the tear tracking down my cheek. “We will find Akore and put an end to his evil. His centuries of death and destruction will be over as soon as we find him," I said with resolve in my voice. I just hoped we could locate him before he had the chance to take any more innocent lives.
Chapter 8
September 11
Cape Town Clifton Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa
As I spoke with Bobbi in California, I stared at the turbulent water churning below the balcony where I was standing. The storm clouds matched my mood, gloomy, dark and filled with the potential violence of lightning in the air. I sighed because there was nothing I could personally do about the storm brewing back home until this mission was over; but I didn’t have to like it. Apparently, the creep I knocked in the pool back in July was freaking out some of my employees. He wasn’t approaching them, but he had shown up at the last three parties and stood next to his car which he parked down the block from the party house. He wasn’t doing anything they could report to
the police, but they were feeling uncomfortable.
I asked Bobbi to arrange cars and drivers to take my people to and from their appointments. Because I’d been gone so much lately, I’d asked Bobbi to help at Festive Tails, along with managing my household. Since the new position also doubled her salary, she didn’t mind the extra work. She let me know the car hires would cut into my profit margin but since I didn’t need the money, I didn’t care about that. I would absorb the cost myself and neither the clients nor my employees would ever know about the extra expenses. For me, Festive Tails was an opportunity to have fun and bring joy to children but for many of the men and women I employed, this was their livelihood.
We chatted for a bit about the renovations to the houses I’d recently purchased, and she had some great ideas on creating better outdoor living spaces. Since Bobbi had been working with me for seven years, I trusted her judgement, so I told her to go ahead and gave her a budget to work with. She was one of the few people who knew how wealthy I really was, and she only knew about half of what I had stashed away in banks and investments around the world. I would ask a representative from Rex Industries to connect with Bobbi to get her the funds she needed to finish my houses. California was nine hours behind Cape Town and it was only ten in the morning there, so I had time to get things moving today. We said our goodbyes and I made a call to the real estate agent at Rex Industries who handled the purchase of the houses near mine.
Even though I was able to quickly handle the banking business I couldn’t stop thinking about the guy harassing my employees. It angered me that someone like that creep would try to intimidate people I cared about because he thought he could. Maybe it was better I wasn’t home because if I were, Terry and I would be having a difficult conversation, at least it would be difficult for him.
“Hey, Brian,” I called out as I walked back in from the balcony, “what’s the name of your private detective friend?”
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