Bethany woke slowly, her head filled with fog, her mouth dry and nasty tasting. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her, and it took her an immeasurably long time to get to the point where she was certain she wasn’t going to throw up. Reasonably certain, anyway.
Unfortunately, that was about the only thing she was sure of. The space she found herself in was completely unfamiliar, tiny and claustrophobic, with only a dim light coming from a lantern hanging from a hook far overhead and no windows that she could see. She seemed to be lying on a folded mass of white cloth than smelled damp and moldy, and the vague shapes of boxes, crates, and bags surrounded her on all four sides.
Bethany thought she could just barely make out the outlines of some kind of hatch in the ceiling. It was that and the subtle swaying motion of the floor underneath her that finally registered in her groggy brain as something she could put a name to: she was on a boat, somewhere at sea. Probably locked in the hold.
Shit.
She dug into the fog, trying to find the last things she could remember, looking for a clue as to how she had ended up here. She could remember being eager to head home to Alexei; that brought a pang of loss and sorrow so powerful it threatened to swamp her like the waves she could hear brushing up against the hull. But she pulled herself together. There was no time for emotion now. Nobody knew where she was. No one, not even Alexei, would be coming to rescue her, although if she knew him, he would probably be moving heaven and earth to try to do so.
No, she was going to have to rescue herself. And for that she needed all the information she could get. Think, Bethany, think. Hard to do when your head throbbed in time with the swaying of the ship, but eventually she recalled locking the back door, then turning around. She’d seen something…someone.
That man. The one from the bar. The one who had tried to pick a fight with Alexei. He’d been standing there by her truck, right before someone had grabbed her from behind. But why?
A cold hand of dread grabbed her by the throat. Was the man stalking her? Had he locked her up so he could rape and torture her for weeks without interference? You heard about those kinds of things on the news. All women lived in fear of it happening to them. Was she going to join those horrible ranks?
She forced herself to breathe again. Thought about the way he’d looked at her across the bar. No, that hadn’t been lust, for all that he’d made such a production of staring at her breasts. Not lust. Not even interest, really. But if it hadn’t been about her, then what? Where had his real interest lain?
Alexei. He’d come for Alexei. She’d seen him purposely try and provoke Alexei into a fight, although it hadn’t really dawned on her until later that that’s what the stranger had been doing. So his goal probably wasn’t rape and murder. She tried not to sob in relief, suddenly aware that she’d been biting her lip so hard it had bled.
But why kidnap her if he really was after Alexei?
The thought of Alexei being in danger made her try to sit up, only to be thwarted by the thick ropes that tied her wrists and ankles. It took her ages to struggle into an upright position, but she was motivated enough to ignore the discomfort the movement caused in her head and stomach. She had to get out of here. She just had no idea how she was going to do it.
* * *
An eternity later, the hatch creaked open and a slim figure clambered awkwardly down the ladder into the hold, carrying something in one hand and clinging to the rails with the other. Not the huge stranger. There was something about that guy that was…sinister. An old-fashioned word, but one which seemed to fit. Bethany felt a rush of tension leaving.
The man who approached her was slightly scrawny and sallow, with a scruffy three-day beard and a haunted look in his brown eyes. He wore a typical sailor’s gear of a waterproof jacket and a dark woolen hat, and a net bag swung from one callused hand.
“Oh, good,” he said. “You’re awake.” There was relief in his voice as he knelt down in front of her. “I was worried I’d given you too much chloroform. You’ve been out for ages.”
Bethany craned her neck to look up at the crack of sky revealed by the open hatch. “What time is it?” she said, her voice raspy. Her mouth felt as though she had been crawling through the desert, and despite her best efforts, she felt a surge of gratitude when the man handed her a bottle of water.
She grasped it the best she could between her bound hands and managed to get some of it down her throat without spilling it. But she’d be damned if she’d say thank you.
“You. You were the one who grabbed me,” she said, when she had enough saliva to speak. She recognized the familiar odor of fish mingled with cheap cologne. “You son of a bitch.”
“Hey,” he said, holding up a hand as if to keep her from attacking him. As if she could. “It wasn’t my idea. Red made me do it.” A pout rendered his homely face even less attractive. “It was another one of his brilliant ideas.” An eye roll accompanied this statement, but he looked over his shoulder at the hatch as if to be sure he wasn’t overheard.
“Who the hell is Red, and why on earth would he have you kidnap me? I haven’t done anything to either one of you.” Yet.
Her captor just shrugged his narrow shoulders. “Red, he’s, well, he’s my partner. We’re treasure hunters.”
“Partners, huh?” Bethany raised an eyebrow. “Sounds to me more like he’s the boss and you’re the flunky, if he’s the one giving the orders.” She figured she’d better learn as much as she could as long as this guy was willing to talk.
He straightened up, scowling at her. “He doesn’t give me orders. I told you, we’re partners. He just, well, he’s kind of um, forceful. So sometimes it’s easier to do what he says.”
“Red wouldn’t happen to be a big man with a weird haircut and gold earrings in his ears, would he?” she asked. “If so, I think I met him. Not impressed.
“Yeah, well you should be,” the man said. “He can do things you would never believe. And he’s going to make us both rich.”
“Sure,” Bethany said with mock patience. “With this imaginary treasure of yours.”
“Ha. Shows what you know.” The man looked over his shoulder again. “We’re this close to finding his lost pirate treasure.” He scowled again, dark eyebrows drawing together. “But your damned boyfriend is getting in our way, so Red figured that if we grabbed you, he’d have to leave us alone.” He started walking back toward the hatch. “You’d better hope your guy does what he’s told. Red is a bloodthirsty bastard, and he doesn’t have much patience when his plans don’t go the way he wants them to.”
On that cheerful note, he scrambled back up the ladder and shut the hatch with a thud. Bethany could hear the sound of a bolt being thrown.
As if being tied up wasn’t enough, they had to lock her in. Apparently they had more faith in her ability to escape than she did. She thought of the way Red had looked at her across the bar, as if she were an object, not a person, and shuddered. Maybe she was going to have to prove them right. She sure as hell wasn’t going to sit down here and wait for Alexei to do something this Red didn’t like, since that was almost a guarantee that sooner or later, that’s exactly what would happen.
She didn’t like her odds if it did, either. She took one more swig of water and then started looking around for something to use to cut her ropes. Barring that, she’d settle for a weapon of any kind. Unfortunately, she doubted her captors had been kind enough to leave a nice sharp knife lying around, so she was probably going to have to improvise.
* * *
Alexei pulled the motorcycle into the driveway so abruptly it skidded on the gravel, probably only staying upright because at heart it was a magical steed and not mere metal and gears. He slammed in through the back door, startling Beka into dropping the book she was reading at the kitchen table, and let loose with a string of Russian curses which thankfully, she couldn’t understand.
“He took her. The bastard took Bethany.” Alexei handed Beka the note. “I found this under her windshield.”
Beka read the few, not very helpful words and visibly restrained herself from hugging him. Just as well, since he probably would have exploded at the smallest touch, no matter how well intentioned.
“Who took her?” Beka asked. “The note isn’t signed.”
“It has to be Blackbeard,” Alexei said with a growl. “Or the man calling himself that. I’m pretty sure he is the one behind the kraken, and I got right in his face the other day. Laughed at him. Bethany was there. I thought I was being so clever, baiting him into showing his true colors.” He sagged, leaning against the doorframe so hard, the whole house groaned. “Now he’s taken her, and it is all my fault.”
“Blackbeard?” Beka said. “As in Blackbeard the famous pirate?”
Alexei nodded. “Impossible, I know. But he was appearing to the local sailors as the ghost of Blackbeard, and I don’t know what else to call him.”
Beka raised an eyebrow. “Actually, it might be more possible than you think. I found out some interesting tidbits in the Otherworld, although it took me a lot longer to chase them down than I expected.” Her normally cheerful expression took on an unusually grim tinge.
“First, somebody better tell me where the hell my daughter is and what the devil has happened to her,” Calum said, rolling into the kitchen. He was still wearing his pajamas and his forehead was damp with sweat, but he’d gotten there under his own power.
“How did you get out of bed by yourself?” Alexei asked, once he’d closed his mouth.
Calum scowled. “Apparently all those damned exercises you’ve been making me do finally paid off,” he said. “Now, what the hell is going on? Where is Bethany?”
Alexei and Beka exchanged glances. There was clearly no way they could keep the truth from him, no matter how much they might want to, and besides, she was his daughter. He deserved to know. Alexei braced himself for the recriminations he assuredly deserved.
“She’s been kidnapped. Grabbed outside the bar after she closed up, as far as I can tell,” Alexei said as Calum wheeled himself up to the table. Alexei sank into a chair, telling himself it was so that they could all be on the same level, and not that it was because his legs wouldn’t hold him up any longer.
“The door was locked, and I found these on the ground next to it,” he said, tossing her keys onto the table in front of Calum. “The truck was still parked in the lot, and this note was under the windshield wiper.” He pushed it over so Calum could read it.
“Huh,” Calum grunted. “Not much to go on. I take it you have an idea who did this?”
“Probably. Maybe.” Alexei sighed. “I’ve pissed off a few people since I’ve been in town. But there is only one I can think of who would want me to leave badly enough to kidnap Bethany to force me to do it.” He waited for the yelling.
“So where do you think he’s holding her?” Calum asked.
“You’re awfully calm about this,” Beka said, leaning forward. “Aren’t you freaking out? I’m kind of freaking out and she’s not my daughter.”
“Yeah,” Alexei said. “Go ahead and yell at me. It’s all my fault. I got her involved with this. It’s my fault she’s in danger.”
To his surprise, Calum actually laughed. “I know my girl. There’s no way you pulled her into anything she didn’t want to be caught up in, and there was no way to keep her out of it if she decided she wanted in. She’s as stubborn as her father, and makes her own decisions.”
He stared at Alexei. “But I expect you to find her and bring her back to me in one piece, or chair or no chair, I’m going to make you sorry.”
Alexei nodded. “Oh, I intend to, believe me. As for where he’s holding her, that’s a problem. I’m guessing he took her to his boat, and that could be anywhere.” He restrained himself from banging his head on the table - just barely, and only because he didn’t have time to mend another piece of furniture.
“Not just anywhere,” Beka said, furrowing her brow. “If he’s the one who has been controlling the kraken, and I think he probably is, then we know he has been sighted in a certain area. It’s a big ocean, but we can narrow it down a little bit.”
“You said something before, about how it wasn’t impossible that he was Blackbeard’s ghost,” Alexei said. “Want to explain that?”
“Not Blackbeard’s ghost,” Beka said, a small smile playing at the edges of her mouth as she dropped her bomb. “Blackbeard himself.”
“What?” Calum sputtered. “Blackbeard lived and died hundreds of years ago. Are you suggesting this guy is some descendent of the original pirate?”
“Not at all,” Beka said. “Let me start at the beginning. When I got to the Otherworld, I started asking questions about how it would be possible for a Human to control a kraken. There were a few folks who had vague memories of hearing about something like that, but they were long enough ago that no one was sure where they’d heard them.”
“I’m not sure it is a Human,” Alexei interjected. “When I confronted this guy who calls himself Blackbeard, or Blackbeard’s ghost, he knew who I was. So he had to have connections with the Otherworld. I’m pretty sure he was a Paranormal, because he didn’t look happy when I threatened to tell the queen he was here.”
Beka waved her hand at him. “Oh, I believe it. I’m getting to that part. Give me a minute.” She waited for him to settle back down.
“So I finally tracked down a slightly shady centaur who specialized in growing exotic herbs for, shall we say, less than savory magical users. He told me that years ago, he traded some herbs to a witch for a handful of gemstones and a golden goblet. Kyler, that was the centaur’s name, still had the goblet, and he showed it to me. It was definitely from this side of the doorway. Spanish, maybe.”
“What does this have to do with our supposed pirate?’ Alexei grumbled. He’d never had much patience with long stories, unless he was the one telling them.
“I’ll tell you, if you let me finish,” Beka said. “I asked him what the witch wanted the herbs for, pretending that I didn’t believe she would have trusted him enough to have told him.” She grimaced. “Centaurs have huge egos and they are so prideful. Anyway, he swore that the witch bragged to him about being hired by - wait for it - a dragon.”
“What?” Alexei sat up straight. “You’re kidding.”
Calum’s eyes grew even wider. “A dragon? Seriously? How is that possible?”
“It’s possible,” Beka said. “They used to live on this side of the doorway, long ago. There’s a reason there are stories about them in just about every culture. But most of them retreated to the Otherworld long before the queen issued her decree forcing all the other Paranormals to move there, because it is a lot harder to hide a twenty foot dragon than it is a two foot tall sprite.” She shrugged. “Of course, they can change shape, so in theory they could have lived among Humans as long as they wanted to. But they’re much more comfortable in their own skin, for the most part, and even more proud than centaurs.”
Calum blinked a few times, digesting this. “Alexei told me that your dog, I mean, the one you travel with, is really a dragon. But I thought he was kidding.”
Beka laughed. “He is. But he’s a Chudo-Yudo. They’re dedicated to spending their lives living here and traveling with their own chosen Baba Yaga. You might say they are a breed unto themselves. And they’re used to staying in disguise most of the time, either as extremely large dogs, like mine, or occasionally a really, really large cat like my sister Bella’s Koshka.”
“Never mind that,” Alexei said, impatient to hear the rest of the tale. “What does this dragon and his witch for hire have to do with Blackbeard and Bethany?”
“According to Kyler, the dragon in question had hired the witch to create an enchanted amulet. One which could be used to control a kraken. Mind you, this was before the queen’s edict, back when Paranormal folks lived on this side of the doorway and traveled back and forth freely between the worlds. Kyler said the witch, who was apparently a regular client, bragged that this dragon was famous for taking on the guise of various Human pirates, including…”
“Blackbeard!” Alexei and Calum cried in unison.
“Exactly so,” Beka agreed. “The witch said that this dragon wanted a way to control a kraken so he could use it to attack ships carrying treasure. Dragons are big on treasure,” she explained to Calum. “It’s kind of their thing. They’re seriously into shiny objects.”
“So the witch made this amulet for a dragon,” Alexei said. “Dragons don’t leave the Otherworld much these days, although the queen gives them a little more leeway than most of her other subjects, as long as they stay within the rules. Did your new centaur pal know where the amulet ended up?”
“No,” Beka said. “He barely remembered the entire transaction until we started talking about it. That’s one of the downsides to a very long life. Lots of memories, and it is easy to misplace ones that aren’t important. The last he knew, the witch had given the dragon the amulet, gotten paid in gemstones and treasure, some of which she used to pay the centaur for his herbs, and that was it. And before you ask, he said the witch died years ago, so we can’t ask her either.”
“Crap,” Alexei said. He thought for a moment. “So according to the centaur, the amulet that controlled the kraken belonged to a dragon who perhaps used to disguise himself as a pirate. Is it possible that our Blackbeard is this dragon? They can do small magics, so that might explain the illusion of a ghost ship.”
Beka shrugged. “This is the Paranormal we’re talking about here. Anything is possible. You met this ah, person. What do you think? Could he have been a dragon in Human guise?”
Alexei clenched his fists. He just wanted to get his hands on whoever this guy was and make him give Bethany back. “He was arrogant enough. Could have been. I’m sorry, I just don’t know.” He grimaced. “If I’d known it was a dragon, I wouldn’t have provoked it. Dragons aren’t exactly known for their even tempers.”
Beka laughed. “Alexei, you would have provoked this creature if it had been the queen of England.” She sobered. “But if it is a dragon, that does put a different spin on things. We’re pretty tough, but we’re not really equipped to take on a dragon in a direct fight. Especially not in the middle of the ocean, where my powers are at their weakest.”
“What about your dog?” Calum asked. “I mean, he’s a dragon, right?” He grunted. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”
“He is,” Beka said. “But although Chewie is a very large dog, he is actually a pretty small dragon. All the Chudo-Yudos are, since they have to be able to take on reasonable size forms. If our mystery pirate really is a traditional dragon, Chewie would be way out of his weight class. But I sent word to an old friend - well, an old friend of my sister Barbara, to be more exact. We’ll see if he shows up. In the meanwhile, we’ll just have to do the best we can, and pray that the dragon who commissioned the amulet lost or sold it years ago, and it is currently in the hands of someone more manageable.”
“And what do you think the odds of that are?” Calum asked, sounding discouraged.
Alexei and Beka exchanged glances. “Not great,” Alexei admitted. “It would be out of character for a dragon to give up anything valuable. But you never know. Denizens of the Otherworld do a lot of barter and swapping, so anything is possible.” He ground his teeth. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’m going after Bethany.”
“We’re both going after her,” Beka said, crossing her arms and looking determined as only a Baba Yaga could. Even one who was blonde and perky.
“I’m going too,” Calum said. “I know I probably won’t be much help in a fight, what with these.” He patted his useless legs. “But she’s my daughter, and if there is any chance she might need me, I’m not staying behind.”
“Neither am I,” said a deep voice from the doorway. An extremely large black Newfoundland stood there, the door still swinging behind him. “If you’re up against a dragon, and Beka’s backup doesn’t show, I’m your best chance at coming out on top.”
“Chewie,” Beka said, affection and admonition warring in her voice. “How many times have I told you that it isn’t polite to eavesdrop?”
The dragon-dog gave a barking laugh and came the rest of the way into the room. “About as many times as I have told you not to leave me out of important discussions. So which one of us isn’t teachable?”
Calum’s jaw was open so wide, Alexei thought he might accidentally unhinge it.
“I can understand what he’s saying,” Calum said with amazement. “Holy shit. I’m hearing a dog talk. Have I lost my mind? Or have I caught whatever it is that Alexei has that lets him understand animals?”
Beka laughed. “You’re hearing a dragon talk. That’s completely different. Only Alexei can actually hear dogs talk, as far as I know. It’s probably something to do with the huge dose of The Water of Life and Death he got.” When Calum looked like he was going to ask her what she meant, she waved a hand in his direction to stop him. “Sorry. We don’t have time to get into that. Chewie can make himself understood by anyone he chooses. Obviously, he has decided it will save time if I don’t have to constantly translate for him.”
“Speaking of time,” Alexei said. “We should get going. We don’t know what that bastard is doing to Bethany while we’re standing around talking about who or what he might be.”
“Going where?” Calum asked plaintively. “We don’t even know where to look.”
“I have a couple of ideas about that,” Beka said. “Do you have a map of the local waters?”
“Of course,” Calum said indignantly. “I’m a fisherman.” He pointed Alexei toward a drawer in the living room, and Alexei went to fetch it. He unrolled it on the table in front of them and Beka grabbed a pen.
“Alexei, do you have any idea where this so-called Blackbeard’s boat was when you confronted him?”
He nodded. “Around here somewhere,” he said, circling a spot on the map.
“I see what you’re doing,” Calum said, holding his hand out. “I should be able to add in most of the spots where the local fishermen saw the kraken, or said they spotted this pirate.”
When they were done, they had about a dozen places indicated on the nautical chart, in a rough triangle.
“That narrows it down quite a bit,” Alexei said, tugging on his beard. “But it still leaves us a lot of ocean to cover.” The thought of Bethany waiting for him to come and rescue her, while her captor was doing who knew what to her, was making him crazy. He wanted to tear the room apart with his bare hands and acid churned in his stomach.
“I had a thought about that too,” Beka said. “Once we get close to the area where this mystery ship might be, hopefully we can find a dolphin or a shark or some other sea creature who has seen it, and can direct us to where it is.”
Alexei took a deep breath. “Oh. That might even work.” It had never occurred to him that his new gift might end up being so vital.
Calum blinked. “I forgot about Alexei being able to talk to sharks. It’s such a bizarre thing.”
“It’s an Alexei thing,” Beka said. “He’s still figuring it out. But it may come in very handy under these circumstances.” She stood up decisively. “Well, if we’re going to do this, I should go out to the bus and get some supplies. No point in going up against a pirate without a few swords.”
She grinned happily at Alexei, who gave her a ferocious smile back. Beka might look like a harmless California surfer girl, but the walls of her reconditioned bus were decorated with an extensive and completely usable sword collection. Along with the shells and driftwood, of course. The Baba Yagas didn’t much like guns, but they were quite fond of sharp pointy objects.
“Uh, I hate to point out the obvious,” Calum said, gesturing at his chair. “But we’re not all going to fit on the back of Alexei’s motorcycle. Or in my truck, even if it weren’t still parked in front of the bar.”
“Hmmm. Good point,” Beka said. “Besides which, we want whoever left that note to think that Alexei might have done what he was told and left town.” She turned to Alexei. “You should probably put the Harley away in Calum’s garage, out of sight.”
“How are we going to get to the boat then?” Calum asked. “Call a taxi?”
“I think a taxi driver might object to a bunch of people carrying swords, accompanied by a talking dog,” Alexei said. “I’ve had problems with things like that before.”
“Of course you have,” Calum said in the tone of a man whose credulity has been stretched to its limits for one night.
“We’ll just have to take my bus,” Beka said. “It’s not exactly inconspicuous, what with having mermaids and ocean scenes painted on the outside, but once we get to the docks, I can use a ‘don’t look over here’ spell to make it blend in better. And it will carry all of us, plus Bethany once we get her back.”
Alexei heard the words she wasn’t saying: no matter what kind of shape Bethany was in when they found her.
“What are we waiting for, then?” he said, grabbing up the map.
Beka bit her lip, looking at Calum’s wheelchair. “The bus might be magical, but it isn’t exactly handicapped accessible. Sorry,” she said to Calum.
“No problem,” he answered. “This big bear has been carrying me around for weeks. He can carry me and the wheelchair onto the bus, and back off of it onto the boat.” He swallowed hard. “I might have let my pride get in the way of my pulling my weight around here up until now, but I’ll be damned if it is going to get in the way of my going to rescue my daughter.”