Haunted by Myth by Barbara Ann Wright

Author:Barbara Ann Wright [Wright, Barbara Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2023-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

The trouble with Remora Island was that the dense foliage extended nearly to the water, impossible to see through. But a long speedboat had been anchored just offshore, along with what looked like a modified fishing boat that had seen better days. No one stirred aboard them, not that Helen could see through her binoculars as she bobbed in the water with four nereids.

Ligeia swum in lazy circles around her, clad in nothing but her skin, and the sun glinted off her blue scales and golden tattoos. “See anything?”

“No.” And it was getting toward afternoon. Helen didn’t want to go stumbling through enemy territory at dusk. “Maurice, do you feel any glamour?”

His weight shifted on top of her head. He’d flown from the sanctuary instead of swimming, perching on Helen now and again as the nereids brought her up for air. They could swim nearly as fast as he could fly, so they’d made good time, though Helen could feel the parts of her not covered by her short-sleeved wet suit starting to prune.

“Nope,” he said. “Not from this distance, anyway.”

Shit. They’d have to get closer. They swam down the shore from the boats and came in near some rocks and a steep ledge rather than the beach. Ligeia, Maurice, and Maera clambered up with Helen while the rest stayed in the waves, kicking out a bit, readying a whale song in case they spotted anyone.

It was hot and muggy inside the trees, and every inch was alive with bird and insect calls. Helen waved for Maera to stay near the shore and relay any signal if necessary. She could leap in the water with the landing party and pull them away faster than anyone could follow, but she’d dry out on land for any length of time.

Inside the trees, Maurice settled on Helen’s shoulder, muttering under his breath as he extended his glamour around her and Ligeia, rendering them invisible for a short time, at least to outside eyes. Taking them under his magic took a lot out of him, and he wouldn’t be able to do much more than concentrate, but this way, they could move quickly and not have to worry about anyone spotting them.

Helen scoffed. The Sphinx shouldn’t have worried.; they moved like a well-oiled spying machine.

Helen headed in the direction of the boats and spotted several little trails. Someone had broken through the foliage. She followed the clearest, her ears straining. Voices and a low electrical hum made her slow. She drew the kladenet before creeping ahead. Through a break in the bushes, she spotted something beige, metal.

A small clearing past the broken bushes looked ragged, the plants still oozing sap as if someone had hacked them from existence no more than a few days ago. Three portable buildings stood under the hot sun, one draped in ivy as if it had been there much longer. Two generators hummed outside the newer buildings, and a larger trail snaked through the trees on the other side of the clearing.

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