“It is said that the bone of the first high priest holds the power to transform when it is wielded by one with knowledge. Unlucky for you, my beauty, I am one. I’ve heard it said that death is better than what I’m about to do to you. I would have to agree.”
Pia saw him take a lighter from his pocket and hold a flame under the bowl. As black smoke rose from the bowl, an acrid stench began to fill the room that was so putrid she turned away. The man began to recite words in a language Pia didn’t know, but she had heard the men in the other room speak the same.
Continuing to look away, she heard him retake his seat in front of her. Fear dripped from her pores as he yanked her head towards him. She was surprised when he tore the blindfold from her eyes.
“My name is Onyx,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who or what you see. Chances are my pretty face and this room will be the last thing you ever see.”
Her fear no longer contained, bled through her jeans, warm and wet as he sneered. She was paralyzed by her emotions as he continued speaking in a melodic fashion in the strange tongue.
Onyx yanked the gag from her mouth and pulled back on her hair. When he was finished speaking, he pinched her nose closed forcing her to breathe through her mouth. As soon as her lips parted, he blew the thick, black smoke from the bowl into her mouth.
The smoke burned her lips like the weed she smoked the night she was taken, but worse, harsher. As it passed through her mouth, her tongue grew thick.
She struggled not to inhale, but he punched her right below the ribs, forcing her to exhale then inhale in response. She saw him smile, the lone light reflecting off the silver and black grill that covered his front teeth, as he watched her take a deep breath. Her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside as the smoke made its way to her lungs.
The fire spread from her lungs through her entire body. She convulsed against her binds, causing her torso to jerk forward, her butt rising from the chair. The convulsion and subsequent jerking motion resulted in the ropes that bound her to cut her flesh. She could feel a sharp sting as the humid air touched the tears in her wrists and ankles as she continued to struggle against the ropes. The more she fought, the weaker she became until there was no fight left.
Onyx watched as the girl fought against the pull of the herbs and spell until she slouched in the chair, a mere ragdoll. Her bindings kept her from sliding to the floor. He removed her restraints and pried open her eyelids. Her eyes were glazed and opaque. Drool frothed at her lips dripping onto her shirt. Without even a tinge of remorse, he stood, packed his supplies, opened the only window in the room to help clear the residual smoke, and called for Amani.
Amani entered the room, his eyes immediately watering from the stench. He waved his hands in front of his face trying to clear the air.
“There is nothing to worry about,” Onyx said. “The herb only stays active for seconds in the air. It needs a host to cling to.”
“What have you done?” Amani mouthed.
“I’ve given it a host,” Onyx sneered. “A spell has been cast. Video what you see,” he continued, pointing to the girl, “and send it to her father. This will bring him to his knees.”
Amani fished in his pocket and found his phone. “Can it be reversed?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried,” Onyx said as he walked out of the cabin.
Amani watched as the boat Onyx had climbed on to raced away, the sound fading as the boat disappeared into the night.
14
Sin checked her handgun and reholstered it.
“It’s late, Sin. Maybe this isn’t the best time,” Troy said looking at his watch.
“That’s why it’s the best time. Judging by the video footage, it’s approximately the same time Becca and Pia left Fat Tuesdays with the guys. If I’m going to get a clear picture of what the girls felt, I need to put myself in their shoes and try to trace their steps.”
“Okay, but alone?”
“I won’t be alone, Tiffany is coming with me.”
“I am?”
“Yes, you are. A girl walking by herself this time of night might seem suspicious, but no one will think twice about two girls walking downtown during Spring Break. Besides, Troy will be following from a distance.” She handed Troy an earpiece. “I’ll be wearing a mic, so you’ll know my every thought.”
“The video footage ends once they reached Mallory Square,” Troy said. “What’s your plan when you reach it?”
“Chances are the gang is still hanging out where those guys brought the girls. I’m hoping to follow the bikes.”
Troy acquiesced and agreed to Sin’s plan.
Sin and Tiffany hung out at Fat Tuesdays long enough to order a drink and see if any of the patrons matched the two guys from the video. They soon left and walked north towards Mallory Square, the entire time, trying to trace Becca’s footsteps. Nearing the square, she took in everything around her, checking for locations an ambush could have taken place.
Standing in front of Mallory Square, Sin noticed that the jugglers and fire-eaters were still performing for the thinning crowds. “There are still too many people for anything to have happened near here,” she thought aloud. She pictured the surveillance tapes, knowing that Becca, Pia, and
