Demon Within, page 18
part #2 of Book of Shadows Series
“That was some trip,” Brad spoke, breaking the silence. “I think I’m going to vomit.”
The medical crew quickly pulled the woman from the wall, carrying her unconscious form to the waiting boat outside and carelessly throwing her in. They shoved off, and soon the whine of the engine filled the air.
“Portia! Hand me the night vision goggles in my bag, quick!” Sean said, his head snapping up.
She did as he asked, hurriedly rummaging. “Here!”
Sean quickly slid them on, and glanced about, trying to find the boat. “There!” he said pointing across the bow, but it was too dark to see them. It sounded like the motor had switched into a lower gear, though.
“They dumped her into the water!” he shouted.
“Dad! We have to go get her! She’s too weak, and she’ll drown!” Portia was on the verge of hysterics.
“It’ll take too long to get this thing started! And if we fire it up right now, it’ll alert them!” Still, he ripped off the goggles and glanced at the controls.
There was no time for this! Running from the cabin, I dove head first into the water, silently wishing my dolphin pals were still around. I was swimming blind, using sound to guide me. Hopefully, they hadn’t seen me coming.
Using my magic, I added a burst of power, moving in the direction the boat was now speeding away from.
“He’s swimming to her!” I heard Portia yell through our mental link.
“They’re leaving now, in a hurry,” Sean added.
I put my focus back on the victim as a considerable commotion was continuing on the fisher, Portia trying to get the men to raise the nets.
I couldn’t listen to them, I needed to look for the woman in the water. Suddenly, I felt a surge of magic race through both the water and the air. I didn’t know what was going on back there, but every cell inside me recognized the force of Portia’s sorcery.
Shit! All hell was breaking loose. I kept up my pace, though I was tempted to look back, but I didn’t dare. For all I knew, this woman could be drowning. Time was of the essence.
I bumped into something. Pausing, I grasped around in the dark, my hands grazing what felt like a skirt. I quickly dragged it toward me, sighing in relief when I realized it was the woman I was searching for, but she was face down in the water. Flipping her over, I tried to hold her head above the waves, and turned toward the fishing boat, which now seemed to be headed full speed in my direction.
“There!” I heard Portia holler, and I knew she could see me somehow. Soon the boat slowed, stopping beside me. Brad and Portia grabbed for the lady, pulling her on deck as I climbed up behind them, breathing heavily.
The crewmen were staring in stunned shock, at the woman on deck before glancing at me. All at once they started screaming, and I realized in dismay that my eyes must be glowing. Enrico jumped overboard.
“Oh, good grief!” I threw my hands up and dived back into the water. I had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.
20
Screaming ensued as I climbed back onto the boat, dragging Enrico onboard behind me. I was beginning to feel like I was in the middle of a horror movie. These guys had no idea that the real horror was happening in the house we’d been watching on shore.
I hauled Enrico over to the others, their screams all growing louder as they shrank away from me. Magic had made this mess, and I was going to have to use it to subdue it. I couldn’t have any attention drawn to us. I quickly placed a finger in the middle of each forehead, forcing a spell that would cause them to basically freeze, while still allowing them to breathe.
Immediately, their cries ceased, and I turned, seeing Portia and Brad were frantically doing CPR on the woman I’d recovered. Dripping across the deck, I tried to catch my breath, feeling like I’d just competed in some Olympic swim meet.
Leaning over, I placed my hands on my knees, panting. “How is she?”
“She isn’t conscious yet,” Portia replied. “She had a lot of water in her lungs.”
“Heal her,” I said, wondering why she hadn’t done the obvious.
“What?” She stared at me like I was crazy, and I realized at that moment how completely unnatural her magic still felt to her. What was clear to me hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“Heal her,” I said again, dragging an arm across my forehead to wipe the dripping strands of hair away from my face. “I don’t want to try it while I have these demonic reactions. I don’t know if they affect my magic.”
Portia paused a moment, looking a bit unsure of herself before placing her hands on either side of the woman’s head. I watched as the soft white magic flooded into the lady, who appeared to be a native of India, based on her apparel and coloring. Her ashen skin began filling with warmth, returning to a more natural hue and I found myself marveling once more at the strength of the power Portia possessed.
Once the light had filled our new passenger, Portia removed her hands, and we all peered at her, waiting. I felt a moment of trepidation when nothing happened, but suddenly she took a breath and her eyes fluttered open.
Thank God! I felt somewhat elated until she saw me and flinched, fear clouding her eyes. I’d forgotten about my damn eyes. I must look terrifying. I took a step backward, not wanting to threaten her.
Portia rested a hand on her shoulder. “You’re all right now,” she said, her tone full of compassion, and she gestured to me. “He saved you from drowning.”
“What happened?” she asked in English, though with a distinct accent.
“You were the victim of dark magic tonight, and you’ve lost all your powers through something called a demon kiss. Your body was discarded into the ocean afterward,” Portia replied.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in Mexico, on a fishing boat in the Sea of Cortez.”
The woman’s eyes flickered to me, filled with trepidation. “He isn’t a demon?” she asked, refusing to address me directly.
“No.” Portia rushed to assure her. “Someone tried to change him, though, and he still suffers from reactions to the near conversion.”
I appreciated Portia trying to make me sound better than I really was. I didn’t want to scare this woman any more than she was already. Apparently, the explanation was good enough.
“Thank you,” she replied, addressing me. “I’m sorry for your suffering.”
She had nearly died and was worried about my suffering? I shook my head, flashing a slight smile. “I’m fine. I just want to make sure you’re all right.”
“Would you object to coming back to shore with us and telling our coven what has happened to you?” Sean asked. “We’re trying to stop the person who did this.”
“Not at all.” She struggled to get up. Portia and Sean helped her to her feet and led her into the cabin, sitting her at the table. Brad dug around in one of the benches, finding an old, clean blanket and wrapped it around her.
“What are we going to do about this other mess we’ve made tonight?” Sean asked, glancing at the crew still huddled together, unmoving.
“I have no idea,” Portia replied, biting at her lip in worry. She’d made a mess of things, from what I could see, using magic to bring up the full nets so Sean could move the boat and chase after me.
“Sorry about the show of power out there,” Portia added. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Sean sighed. “Don’t worry about it, Pumpkin. We’ll think of something to tell them.”
“I suggest we try honesty first and see if that works,” I said. “If it doesn’t, we’ll try Plan B.”
“It can’t hurt, I guess,” Portia said, walking back onto the deck, taking the initiative. I wondered if she remembered she didn’t speak the language. Either way, this should be interesting. I folded my arms and leaned against the doorjamb, watching.
She took a deep breath and dove right in. “All right. First of all, I want to apologize for scaring you to death. That was truly never my intention.”
Brad moved next to her and started translating what she was saying. I had to keep myself from laughing, as their eyeballs jumped back and forth between them, the only things able to move. I’d unfreeze them if I didn’t think the hysteria would resume.
Portia plodded on. “We never meant to expose you to any of this. I need to tell you some things that will be difficult to believe. Do you understand me so far?” She paused as if waiting for some kind of acknowledgment, before turning to Brad. “Do they understand what I’m saying?”
“I’m not even sure they know who they are right now,” he replied, clearly amused, but trying to hide it. Good, at least I wasn’t the only asshole.
Portia glanced at me “Now what? I don’t think anything I’m saying is computing.”
Enough of this. It wasn’t working. I left the doorway and joined them, touching their foreheads in turn and whispering the incantation to put them to sleep. When I finished, I faced the others, sighing heavily as I glanced around at the damage. “We need to construct a believable scenario—something they can wake up to that will allow them to think they’ve just experienced a horrible dream.”
“Like what?” Portia asked, casting me a doubtful look.
“Well, I think we should call your grandma and have her meet us at the marina. She can take our new lady friend back to the condo and get her taken care of.”
“Yeah, then what do we do?”
It was time to fall back on my expert lying skills. I studied the mechanical arms holding heavy nets full of fish, and an idea began to form. It wasn’t the greatest, but we might be able to pull it off. “After we drop her off, we should go back to the original coordinates where we were watching the house. We’ll drop one of the nets back into the water and construct an ‘accident’ with the other. I think we could make it look like one of the arms broke and the net fell on these four knocking them out. When they wake up, hopefully, they’ll just think they’ve had a crazy dream while unconscious.”
“But both nets were still in the water when this happened. And what about when they start telling each other about the nightmare they just had?” Portia asked, in a worried tone.
“I find the human mind tends to accept the most plausible reason it can find.” I shrugged, understanding her hesitation. “I’m sorry, but it’s what I’ve got. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it.” She put her hands on either side of my head. “But we have to get rid of these red eyes for it to work.”
Her white power flowed briefly into me, and I immediately felt calmer, less agitated. I was so grateful for this girl and her healing abilities. She was the balm to my soul.
By the time she dropped her hands, Sean was already on the phone, speaking with Milly.
“How’s . . .” My voice trailed off. “Did anyone get her name?”
“Shoot!” Portia exclaimed, rushing back to the cabin.
Apparently not.
“I’m so sorry,” she said to the woman. “In all the excitement, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Portia, and this is my dad, Sean. He’s the leader of our coven.” Placing a hand on Brad’s shoulder, she introduced him. “This is one of my best friends, Brad, and your rescuer,” she pointed to me, “is my fiancée, Vance. We’re all from Sedona, Arizona, but we’ve come here trying to find and stop the man who attacked you.”
The woman smiled and nodded at each of us. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Sarit. I’m from India.” Her eyes rested specifically on me. “Again, thank you so much for saving me.”
“I’m just happy we were nearby. I’m sorry we weren’t able to help you sooner.” I paused, wondering if I should continue. “Can I ask you something? Can you use your magic?”
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, apparently trying to summon her powers. Nothing happened, and she blinked back tears. “What did he do to me?”
I sighed. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. We’ve never seen magic like this, but you aren’t his only victim.”
“Will my powers return?” she asked, shock obvious.
I shook my head. “I don’t know enough to answer definitively, but others who have gone through this have lost all their abilities.”
“We’re so sorry,” Portia said compassionately.
“I promise you if we find a way to restore your powers we will be happy to help with that,” Sean added. “But for now, let’s get you to shore. My mother is coming for you and will take you to our coven while the four of us try and fix things with the crew. They have no knowledge of witches, and this has been very traumatic for them, I’m sure.”
Sarit simply nodded, and Sean turned his attention to the controls, steering the boat in the direction of the marina. Brad and I kept watch over the men on the deck while we traveled, and Portia continued speaking with Sarit, attempting to divert her attention by asking her questions about India and her life there.
I was relieved to find the other fishing boats secured in port, with no signs of activity as we entered the marina. Hopefully, we could slip quickly in and out without attracting attention. Milly and Shelly were waiting, parked in a vehicle near the pier. After a quick introduction, we left Sarit in their care and headed back out into open water.
Once we reached the coordinates we’d been stationed at before going after Sarit, we set to work staging our accident scene, trying to place everything back the way it had been at the time of the attack. Standing in the breeze as we traveled had gone a long way to help dry me, but Enrico was still somewhat damp, so I used a bit of my natural magic to heat our clothing and dry us both.
Sean dropped one of the fishing nets back into the water, while I used my powers to snap the other one at the joint as if it had broken under severe strain.
Carefully, we repositioned the crew, laying them about the deck and strategically draping them in the massive net, making sure not to smash them as we scattered the long-dead fish about the floor.
“You guys ready?” I asked as the others resumed their previous positions near the spyglasses.
“Yes!” Portia said, and I quickly waved my hand over the men, to wake them before running into the cabin. Glancing backward, I shot a small burst of power that sent the fish flipping around as if they were a fresh catch.
“Ahhh!” The screaming recommenced as one of the men struggled against the netting, the other’s voices soon joining him. All of them squirmed about, trying to get up and calling for help. We stood frozen inside the cabin as if caught off guard until we were sure they saw us all inside.
“Oh my gosh!” Portia suddenly shouted, running onto the deck and furiously tugging at the net. “What happened? Dad, Vance, Brad, come quick!” I was sure she forgot they couldn’t understand her, but her performance was spot on and believable.
Running from the cabin, we worked together to try and pull them out. Once free, they huddled protectively together, staring at us and glancing around confused.
Brad began speaking in Spanish, excitedly pointing up to the broken mechanical arm. Instantly, their expressions turned to horror.
“No! No!” Enrico shouted. He paced about the deck, grabbing fistfuls of hair as he stared upward.
“Ask him what happened?” I told Brad, trying to keep the story rolling. He did as I asked, but the men were confused, jabbering to each other, all clearly upset.
“Tell them we’ll pay for the damage to their boat since it happened while they were trying to help us,” Sean instructed. Brad did so, and Enrico immediately grabbed his hand, shaking it profusely.
“Gracias! Gracias!” he repeatedly said, gesturing to each of us. I knew these men lived and died by what they made on this boat. His gratitude was real, but I still felt terrible that we’d had to resort to such shenanigans.
Sean smiled. “No problem!” He spoke in a low tone to Brad. “Tell them we’re done with our investigation and ready to leave whenever he desires.”
The men carefully raise the other net, opening the hatch in the deck and storing the fish below. Once they were finished, we all helped to gather the scattered fish, and tossed them into the hole as well, while Enrico steered us back to shore.
Once docked, Sean pulled a gigantic roll of cash out of his bag, all one hundred dollar bills. I knew exactly how much it was since I was the one who’d gotten it for him, thankful we’d had the foresight to bring along more than enough cash. The locals here liked American money. Sean handed it to Enrico who again pumped his hand profusely.
“Gracias!” he repeated once more, and we left the men smiling and counting the funds as we disembarked with our belongings.
“Do you think they bought it?” Portia asked, laughing once we were far enough away.
I grinned back at her. “I think so. They were awfully friendly there towards the end when they saw all that money.”
“I hated breaking their boat,” she added, regret evident in her expression as she glanced back.
“Well, we couldn’t let Sarit drown, and we couldn’t leave them there freaking out like they were,” Brad said, in a matter of fact tone.
“What’s done is done,” Sean agreed. “Thankfully, it seems to have all worked out. This has definitely been one crazy night.”
My thoughts immediately turned to what happened with my dad. “I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse from here.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Sean said.
We’d witnessed a serious clusterfuck of events. I didn’t even know how to process it all, let alone explain everything to the others.
Arriving back at the condo, I wasn’t surprised to find the entire coven waiting for us with Sarit. She appeared clean, in fresh clothes and was eating some hot soup on the couch.
“So we’ve all heard Sarit’s side of the story. How about yours? It sounds as if you’ve had a dreadful experience this evening,” Milly said, and suddenly I felt extremely exhausted.
Thankfully, Sean started talking, filling in the details. I couldn’t take any more.
Leaning closer to Portia, I whispered, “I’m going to go get in the shower. I absolutely reek of fishy saltwater.”
