I found myself smiling and shaking my head at the memory. Even I had to admit it was the right move.
“Is there something funny?” William asked as he placed the wrapped Magnum bar on a plate in front of me.
“I was just thinking about something a friend said to me,” I said as I unwrapped the ice cream bar and took a bite. I was in heaven. “Mmmm—there’s something about the chocolate here that makes it so much better than what we can get back home. Thank you, William.”
He refilled my coffee and went inside while I continued to enjoy my ice cream.
“It’s the fat content,” a voice from the table next to mine interrupted my moment with my dessert.
“Pardon me?” I asked, confused.
“One of the differences between chocolate in the US and here is the fat content. The higher the fat content, the richer the chocolate.”
I turned to look at the smiling man sitting next to me. His accent gave him away as a South African national and his friendly smile was disarming.
“Based on your accent, I’m assuming you’re from the United States. I hope that’s not presumptuous of me.”
“Not at all, based on your accent, I’m assuming you're from here,” I grinned back at him while I took another bite of the ice cream bar.
“Very astute,” he said. “Have you been in town long?”
“Not too long,” I answered, “this really is a lovely city, and the people are so friendly.”
“It’s easier in this part of Cape Town because we all know how important tourists are to our livelihood.” He stood and placed some Rand on the table to cover his bill. “Enjoy the remainder of your visit,” he said as he walked away.
“Thank you,” I called to his back and lifted my hand in a wave. As I took the last bite of my dessert, I thought about what he’d said about the difference in chocolate and felt fortunate that I’d learned something new today.
Even though the street was packed with tourists, I didn’t feel rushed and continued to enjoy the sunshine on my face while I sat on the patio until my phone buzzed with another incoming text from Brian, You still have another hour before you can come back. Don't even think about returning early.
I laughed because that’s exactly what I was planning to do. Oh well, maybe I’ll walk around a bit to do some window shopping. I signaled to William and asked for my bill. After he brought it over, I asked him to send over the manager and I assured William I was completely satisfied when he got a worried look on his face.
“Ma’am, William said you wished to speak with me,” a woman in her mid-thirties said to me when she came to my table.
“Yes, I just wanted to let you know that the meal was wonderful, and William provided me with excellent service. In fact, he went above and beyond, and I wanted to share my compliments with you.”
The woman relaxed and her smile widened, “Thank you for letting me know. William is one of my best waiters.”
I laughed at her apparent relief, “I’m sure most of the time you are asked to come to a table, you are met more with complaints than compliments.”
“You are correct,” she agreed.
I nodded, “I like to make sure I point out excellent service whenever I find it, I appreciate being able to enjoy a nice meal out and am grateful for places like this.”
We chatted for a few minutes until she excused herself, saying she had to get back to the other customers. William came back out after the manager left and I handed him my credit card and told him everything I had shared with his manager. He was pleased and thanked me for the kind words.
It takes so little effort to be kind to others, but it always makes a huge difference. I paid the bill and left a large tip; kind words are important but since I could afford to bless William financially, I wanted to do that, also.
I looked at my watch and saw I had another forty-five minutes before I could call an Uber to take me back to the hotel, so I decided to wander and do some window shopping up and down the street. I’d been in many cities around the world and always enjoyed the similarities and differences in the people. Adderley Street was a wealthier area of Cape Town but many of the shops were the same as anywhere around the world. Another similarity was the jostling of people as we waited for the light so we could cross the street.
I stepped to the side of the crowd so I could pull out my phone to call for an Uber after all. I could always ask the driver to take the scenic route back to the hotel so I wouldn’t arrive before I was supposed to. Before I could open the app, my arm was bumped, and my phone was knocked out of my hand. As I reached to keep it from hitting the ground, I felt a sharp sting in the back of my right arm, and I turned to see the man from the table next to mine at the café bend down to pick up my phone for me.
“Hello, Darling,” he said, “you’re so clumsy. Are you feeling okay? You look a little flushed.”
Shaking my head, I opened my mouth to let him know he had me mixed up with someone else but couldn’t form the words and my eyesight began to narrow.
“Let’s get you home,” he said, and I felt another set of strong hands on my left arm and I was propelled towards the open door of a van that had just pulled up. I tried to pull away, but my muscles weren’t responding properly, and I was hustled into the van. The door shut behind the three of us and I was roughly pushed to the floor. The last thing I thought before darkness overtook me was, I hope Brian was happy because I wasn’t going to be coming back early.
My eyes popped open and I heard the sound of someone moaning softly. My head felt fuzzy and the room spun around me as I sat up on an unfamiliar narrow bed. I looked around and found I was in a cell of sorts. I stood to take stock of my surroundings and after the wave of dizziness passed, I assessed where I was. The room was bare, with only the bed, a bucket in the corner and an overhead light. The steel door was locked tight and there was a closed opening, at eye level that would allow someone outside to peer into the room.
My purse, smart watch and cell phone were gone but I was relieved to discover they hadn’t removed my necklace. I felt the back of my arm where I’d felt the sting on the street, and I remembered the face of the man who had been at the table near mine in the café. I’m not sure why he had kidnapped me, but I didn’t want to wait long enough to find out. I pressed my ear against the door and heard the same moaning that woke me up earlier.
“Shut up or I’ll come in there and shut you up,” a man’s voice sounded from the corridor followed by the sound of wood hitting metal. The woman screamed in fright and the man laughed but the moaning was replaced by gentle sobbing.
My shifter metabolism had flushed the drugs out of my system and my anger at the treatment of my fellow prisoner brought clarity to my mind. I gently pressed on the door, looking for weaknesses and planned my escape. It would be easy for me to use my claws on the door, but I wanted to leave this place without bringing attention to myself, if at all possible. I pressed my ear to the door and could hear the sobbing woman, two others who were breathing deeply and the guard walking outside my cell.
Jason, can you hear me? I sent. It was probably a long shot but I didn’t want to waste the opportunity if Jason was close enough to hear me. Alister told me that he and Aileene could communicate over a thousand miles because they were true mates and I figured I wasn’t anywhere that distance from Jason.
Where are you? Jason answered immediately.
I’m not sure, I was drugged and kidnapped when I was in town. How long have I been missing?
You were supposed to be back two hours ago, Jason replied, relief evident in his voice.
I’m in some sort of makeshift cell and there are others in here with me. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can guarantee it isn’t anything good. I’ve got my necklace, the camouflage spell Hillaes added to it worked, so I have access to my trident. I’m going to break out of this cell and figure out where I am then let you know.
Be careful, Jason replied.
Always, I answered
and lay back down on the bed and began to moan loudly.
“Don’t make me come in there,” the guard shouted and after a moment something slammed against the door to my cell. I needed the guard to open the door, so I continued moaning then began shaking like I was having a seizure when I heard the guard slide open the observation hatch.
He muttered a curse in Afrikaans then I heard him fumbling with the lock on my door. Before he could open the door, I dashed to the wall so he wouldn’t see me. The moment the door opened, he charged into the room with his club raised. Before he could comprehend I wasn’t in the bed, I punched him at the base of his skull and he crumpled to the floor. I grabbed him by the belt and tossed him onto the bed and covered him with the blanket. It wouldn’t fool anyone who came in the room but if someone just looked from outside, they would see a body in the bed.
I moved out of the cell, locked the door and closed the observation hatch. The hallway was long and narrow, with five locked rooms on each side and a window near the ceiling at one end of the hallway and a door leading outside at the other. I moved swiftly to each room and looked through the observation hatches. Three of the rooms were occupied, two of the women were probably still sleeping off the drugs in their systems but based on the odor coming from the cell of the moaning woman, she had been there for a few days. Jason and I kept in mental contact as I explored, and I kept a running commentary of everything I was doing.
I hated to leave the other prisoners locked in their cells but I needed to get out of this building so I could get help. I looked around to see if there was anything indicating where we were, but the hallway was bare. Even though I could use my claws to cut through the door leading outside, I decided to try climbing through the window first. I jumped up and grabbed the windowsill and pulled myself up. I held myself in place with my left hand while I felt around the window with my right to see if I could get it open. Unfortunately, the window had been screwed shut so I wasn’t getting out that way.
The instant anyone is in range of my mental sending, I’ll let them know what’s going on. Jason said after I’d eliminated the window as a means of escape.
That’s a good idea, I answered while I examined the door leading outside. I think you and Brian should stay where put until we have a better idea of where I am. I’m going to get out of here soon, and I want to know where you are. I’m about to Wolverine the door, I said and partially shifted so I could release my claws. Just as I was about to slash a hole in the door, I decided to try the knob and was surprised when it turned in my hand.
I’m pretty sure I’m dealing with amateurs, I sent as I transformed back to human and opened the door wide enough to slip through.
What makes you say that?
The door was unlocked, and I was able to escape outside. I said as I sprinted away from the building into the shadows under some nearby trees. I can hear the waves crashing on rocks nearby, I sent as I looked at my surroundings and sent the description to Jason. Since the moon was only one night past full, there was plenty of light for me to see where I was, just as if I’d been standing in the yard at noon.
I’m on a large estate with an opening to the ocean opposite a huge house with acres of lawn between the two. There is a jungle to either side of the lawn, and that’s where I’m hiding. There is a winding drive between the side of the house and the makeshift prison where I was held. Hold on, someone’s coming.
Lights of an approaching vehicle swept into the yard and a van drove past the huge house and stopped in front of the prison building. The front doors opened, and two men got out of the van, one of them was my seat mate from the café. They opened the sliding door of the van and pulled out a young woman, who appeared to be unconscious. One of the men said something in Afrikaans and both men laughed. The larger of the two men carried the woman over his shoulder and the driver opened the door and they both went in.
My kidnappers have arrived with another prisoner, it’s time for me to slip into the water and figure out where I am. I said to Jason and backed further into the dense jungle.
Wait, something’s happening, I sent to Jason as the men rushed out the building and the driver jumped into the van and drove rapidly up the drive and stopped next to the huge house. A side door opened and an old man with a cane shuffled out the door and got into the passenger seat. The van made its way from the main house back to the makeshift prison.
Cyndi, get out of there, Jason’s voice sounded in my head, a sense of worry and urgency came clearly through our connection.
One more minute, I pressed, I’ve got a feeling I need to stay to find out who these people are.
I could tell Jason wasn’t happy with my decision, but he trusted my judgment.
The van stopped and the old man in the passenger seat said something to the other kidnapper. He spoke too softly for me to hear what he said, but the man went back into the building and I heard a scream of pain. After a minute he came back out, dragging the moaning prisoner by her hair, while she cried in pain.
“Shut her up,” the old man said as he got out and stood next to the van. The thug put his hand over the woman’s mouth and said something to her that caused her to yelp in fear and pain, but she stopped making so much noise.
My heart sank when the driver got out of the van and handed my purse to the old man. He dug into the bag and pulled out my passport, tossing my bag on the ground. He held the passport up to the light to better see the picture and then looked around the yard until he seemed to look right at me. He stepped into the light and I got a good look at the man behind my abduction.
Jason, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is I’ve found Akore’s hideout. The bad news is he’s the one behind my kidnapping and he’s got a hostage.
You need to get out of there, right now, Jason’s panicked sending came through our connection. You can’t help anyone if you’re dead. Get to the water, then we can come back to capture him at another time.
“I recognize you as the woman who was injured aboard the replica of the Flor do Mar. Come out and let’s have a discussion like civilized people,” Akore spoke to the darkness where I was hiding. I was confident he couldn’t see me in the shadows but I’m sure he knew I was still in the vicinity. I was tempted to partially shift so I could use my mermaid song on the men, but I wasn’t sure if it would affect Akore, so I hesitated to do so.
“Come now, I know who you are and where you’re from,” Akore said smoothly. “You have no idea how I’ve longed to reunite with a fellow resident from Claw.”
Jason, he thinks I’m the sorceress, I believe I can use that to my advantage. If I get the opportunity to take Akore out here, I’m going to take it.
I can’t lose you, Jason sent.
“This is your last chance to show yourself before this young woman pays for your stubbornness,” Akore said, his voice hardening with the threat.
“We both know you’re going to kill her anyway to prolong your life,” I called from the shadows.
He nodded his head, “that is true, but you’re the one who will determine whether her death will be swift and relatively painless, or prolonged.” I looked at the stooped form of the sorcerer and believed he would prolong her suffering, and I knew I couldn’t let that happen.
“I’m going to put an end to your reign of terror, Akore the Butcher,” I called as I stepped from the shadows and began to stalk towards Akore and his henchmen.
“I see my reputation precedes me; that’s close enough, Sorceress,” Akore called and held up his hand.
The thug did something to the woman to make her cry out in pain, but I took two more steps to let Akore know he wasn’t really in charge of this situation. I wanted to save the woman’s life but if I didn’t kill Akore here and now, hundreds would die in the future.
“What now? We both know that your power has waned, and your arcane crystals aren’t fully charged. I doubt that you have enough magical energy left to fight," I said as I turned so only part of my body was facing t
he evil sorcerer.
“Where is the talisman I left on the ship?” he asked as his right hand glowed red.
“I sent it back to Claw and the ruling counsel took possession of it. Your time on Earth is finished,” I said and took another step towards my foe.
“Mortem,” Akore shouted, and a red beam shot from his hand and streaked towards me. Before I could move out of the path of the spell, the red light hit me in the chest, and I was thrown backwards. I hit the ground hard and the wind was knocked out of me but that was all. Hillaes wasn’t sure if her shield spell would work if we came up against Akore; I would have to let her know it was successful. I’m just glad I was still alive to be able to do so.
“My turn,” I said as I stood. Akore had used up the last of his magical reserves with that spell and he had collapsed on the ground.
Before I could pull my trident from the pocket dimension on my necklace both henchmen moved to place themselves between me and Akore and leveled guns in my direction. I’d been so intent on watching Akore I hadn’t seen them grab weapons. The men weren’t the best shots, but they were sending so many bullets in my direction they were bound to get lucky, and they did.
As I turned to run for the water, I felt the bullets riddle my body. I cried out to Jason when the first bullet hit my right leg and it buckled under my weight. Before I collapsed to the ground, I felt pain along my ribs and back on my left side. I kept trying to crawl to the water as I heard the pounding feet of the men running towards me. I heard another shot and felt my body jerk with the impact of the bullet. If I was going to die, I refused to do it face down and with a supreme effort managed to turn over, so I was looking up at the men standing above my battered body.
I’m sorry, Jason I apologized mentally as the man from the café pointed his gun at me and smiled grimly, “what a waste,” he said and pulled the trigger.
My head jerked with the impact of the bullet and a bright light filled my vision, then blackness overtook me and I plunged into nothingness.
Scales of Justice Page 17