20. It means the wise do not toy with the occupants of this vehicle.
TWENTY
It means the wise do not toy with the occupants of this vehicle.
As expected, the vaccinations needed to safely venture into the Amazon kicked my ass.
I spent the time latched on to Emerick, making his life difficult as he’d already been vaccinated for the various ailments the jungles had to offer.
When he dared to leave bed, I either captured his hand, wrapped myself around his leg, or followed him with the same determination of a young puppy in dire need of attention.
Two nights later, while I still battled some of the symptoms but could almost function, we flew to Mexico in an attempt to take the same route Breckenan had on his previous venture to his jungle estate.
The plane, a private jet belonging to my father’s empire, carried a force of two hundred vampires, three werevipers, a witch, a reformed necromancer, and a priestess.
The priestess, who worshipped the Egyptian sun god from before he had a name, held my father in disconcerting reverence while giving his uncles a great deal of side-eye. The Originals found the woman to be amusing, which likely had spared us from dealing with an inflight brawl.
The reformed necromancer, who had been born in Mexico and had traveled and lived through much of South America, long before the Conquistadors had stepped foot on the continent, had built his power through sacrifice.
His people had believed the bleeding hearts of humans could delay the end of the world.
In his day, in his time, many of the sacrifices had been willing, often of those who had become ill and understood their days would soon come to an end and wished to make their deaths have value and meaning.
The gods they had brought to temporary life had seen beauty in those deaths—and strength in the men and women who fought, in their way, to see the future prosper.
And so he endured long after his people had fallen to conquest and his gods had faded away to nothing.
Both the priestess and the reformed necromancer gave me much to think about during the flight.
Upon landing in Salina Cruz, Mexico, my father went to work while grinning, made a phone call, and summoned a fleet of armored SUVs with a strange icon fashioned of a circle, a rectangle, an oval, and a triangle overlaying each other.
I gestured to the symbol. “What does that mark mean?”
“It means the wise do not toy with the occupants of this vehicle. It is the emblem of my less savory operations. Salina Cruz is my port city, and I do not tolerate violence, drug dealers, and similar ilk on my turf. This port is the cleanest port in Mexico, it is avoided by smuggling operations, and the wise do not make even a ripple in my waters. It is also the safest city in Mexico with a robust hospital and strong tourism center.” My father gestured to one of the larger SUVs.
“We will take that one. I have been promised the information we need on Breckenan is readily available, and the ship he used is in our port—now under our control. Upon learning of Breckenan’s crimes and being presented with the proof of his demise, the Mexican government was kind enough to seize the vessel.
They had a bounty on him, and I suggested that we receive the vessel and all his holdings instead of cash.
I gave them his many false identities and proof they were his, and I—meaning you, in this case—have been given the land and operations to do with as you please.
Emerick, perhaps this is more of a gift for you, as my daughter would rather just not, I suspect. ”
My husband grinned. “Are any of the properties suitable to be a vacation home for us?”
“His most prestigious property is near Oaxaca, which is roughly five hours from here. The casa in question is dedicated to the cultivation of tepeztate mezcal, a special variety of agave that thrives up in the mountains. Magic offers a well to the casa, and it has a flourishing garden where the agave isn’t being grown.
He has an entire field of matured tepeztate, and he has started a business for artisanal mezcal.
There are vampires there in need of rescue, for Breckenan turned them and demanded he make their sacred spirits for them using the tepeztate he acquired legally but unethically.
That will be a mess I will handle, but should you wish to oversee their operations moving forward, Pepper, your husband may be best capable of working with these young vampires and the trauma they face.
Fortunately, the people here are not prejudiced against vampires, but they were all turned against their will. ”
Would we ever truly escape Breckenan’s evils? Even after his death, the miscreant found ways to vex me. “Right. Emerick? All I know about agave is that it can become tequila, and tequila is not my friend.”
Emerick snickered. “You with even half a shot of tequila is a marvel and a delight. I have learned to make certain you do not have any access to alcohol unless I am prepared to restrain you in some fashion or another. Your excitability is something, that’s for certain.”
Ben, who had taken charge of making certain we didn’t lose anybody in the chaos of travel, broke out laughing.
“Let’s avoid the tequila until we’re home.
Nobody has time for Pepper to work out her nerves when she’s under the influence.
But I will look into some good bottles to take home with us and for the wedding ceremony. ”
Would I even survive the wedding ceremony if anyone expected me to consume any alcohol? I became a menace with a fixation on getting Emerick out of his clothes. I bowed my head. “Just get some fancy bottles so at least I can enjoy looking at them.”
Ben laughed at me. “I can do that. Charlie, why do you think Breckenan came here if his goal was to get to the Amazon? Mexico is nowhere near the Amazon.”
My father dipped his hand into his suit jacket pocket, grabbed his phone, and pulled up a map of the Americas.
We huddled around the device while he brought up a pin of a location in the Amazon near the borders of Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru.
“While there are airports close to his fortress—well, close being relative, of course—I suspect he has dealings in Columbia, which makes it sensible for him. He didn’t have problems traveling through Columbia because he was part of the drug network there.
He just stuck to his turf and kept off the radar of the other drug lords.
I have a rather simple arrangement with the Columbian drug runners; if they leave me alone, I won’t have a reason to drain every last one of them dry. ”
I snorted at the thought of my father draining anyone dry. “Sure, Dad.”
“I’d donate the suitable blood to a blood bank and use the rest for medical research. I personally dislike the taste of tainted blood.”
I’d gotten a hold of a vampire or two who had either used or consumed drugged blood, and as a general rule, I agreed with his stance. “I am making a note to myself to avoid drinking down miscreants while in Columbia. I do not have a taste for drugged blood, either.”
“Wise,” my father praised. He gestured to the pin near the border of the three countries.
“This is where his fortress is, and there are numerous waterways that can be used to travel through the Amazon there. There are also a few roads that can get him fairly close to the start of those waterways. I am confident I know which territories through Columbia he used to get to the most accessible of the waterways leading to his fortress. It is probable he has vessels suitable for the waterways there, making the journey less burdensome. There will still be a hike through the jungle, alas.”
“Mosquitos,” Ben complained.
“Among other things willing to taste-test vampires,” my father stated in an amused tone. “You will survive. You may not like it, but you will survive.”
The priestess, who simply addressed herself as the Greeter of the Sun when a name proved necessary, smiled.
“The lands of my home were not always a hostile desert, and I am versed with protections against predators. It would be an honor to bless your venture. My god, in all his many names, shines upon you.”
“You have my thanks,” my father replied as he always did whenever the woman offered him any form of compliment or assistance. “Is your god, in all his many names, near manifestation?”
Well, that was new. I’d wondered how my father felt about an old god possibly coming back.
“The old ways are all but gone, and you have no worries of a manifestation now. There is enough belief for him to remain, but not even the more modern gods have sufficient faith to cause such a surge. The darkness is still near its peak, but it begins to ebb. It is better it ebb and ease gradually so that other forces do not surge forth to replace it.”
“Your wisdom is appreciated.”
“You and your family have paid many prices for many generations for the folly of mankind. I sympathize with you and understand your concerns. And while I do enjoy jabbing at your uncles, they understand I do so because I can, not because I hold any malice towards them. They are like me, a product of their beliefs and upbringing. My god was merely kinder than yours in his manifestation.”
My father nodded. “I appreciate that.”
“I know. I didn’t understand you and your family until my god manifested and legend and myth became reality. I never expected immortality, nor did I desire it. But like you, that is why I am here. And as for the rest of your family? True misfortune.”
I wondered a great deal about the woman who refused to share her name, but I remained silent.
Should she ever wish for me to know her truth, she would share it with me.