Chapter 10: Eresh

The next few weeks were spent getting to know each other and preparing for what we feared would come.

We learned about normal, human attacks and defenses. Tiennie taught all of us the basics of using weapons and our bodies against attackers. Zulie helped us practice the drills after Tiennie finished; she also set up a weapons range on our property so we could really practice with pistols, shotguns, and rifles. I got in shape such as I had not been in my life and I enjoyed watching all the ladies practice, too. Some days, I was turned on just by seeing one of the ladies in her gi.

Freya and Chellie taught all of us about our minds. They showed us how to set up shields against thought attacks, how to detect attacks, and how to create attacks. Hand to hand combat was simple compared to mind to mind combat, but we all practiced and strengthened as much as we could. Complex tasks, such as splitting our minds into separate areas and defending or attacking with multiple centers, were very tiring. Some time ago, Rati had asked how she could control multiple forces at the same time, when she learned the art of creating separate mental centers, she was able to direct a dozen or more forces at the same time.

Magic seemed to work very similarly to mental control. Brandy and Bas taught us attack and defense spells. Chellie worked extremely hard on them and became fairly proficient, although not nearly as good as Brandy and Bas. Between classes, the two 'Killer Bees' as I jokingly named them, studied the volumes in the company library to develop their skills.

Also, Tiennie and Rati showed us how to control forces and energies. Now I understood physics in a way that was far beyond anything taught in school, even in college. The ladies and I especially learned to focus energy from the environment and use it to make our attacks and defenses stronger. As long as there was energy somewhere around - heat, electricity, light: the type didn't matter - we could attack and defend, regardless of how weak we were individually. We even advanced to where external energy could power our mental warfare and our physical assaults.

The skills which Zulie and Hana possessed were more difficult to teach, but we all practiced. Being able to grasp the 'big picture' - as Zulie called it - turned out to be very useful when multiple attacks were occurring, especially when those attacks combined styles, crossing over between martial arts, mental assaults, magical spells, and physical energies. None of us were able to conceive how Zulie's abilities could become a weapon, but Hana's skills greatly improved our defenses and attacks in the other arts.

Mostly the company was left to mind itself. Each of us took only the minimum time from our practice to keep it functioning. Lots of money was available, but we generally ignored it.

At the end of every day, I was so tired that there was little energy left to give to my lovelies. I collapsed into the huge bed and found eight women around me every night. Someone must have been making a schedule, since there were different women next to me every night, but I didn't pay any attention to that, only to the beauties surrounding me. Nights when I had energy enough to feel desire, there were always one or two who were willing partners. Nights when I was too tired to move, I was given a massage and left to sleep. Every morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and someone was there, lovely, naked, and wanting to share her body with me. I did manage to keep track for a almost week, and every one of my women gave to and received love from me, but I wasn't coherent enough to keep the schedule straight.

As we strengthened our skills, the separate triads attempted to search for whoever was watching us and trying to kill Chellie. Brandy and Bas used something called scrying to attempt to reveal the magic user's locus. Freya and Chellie linked minds with me and tried to 'feel' the mind of whoever was responsible for the attacks; they were sure they could feel it, but could not assign it a position, not even a direction. Zulie thought that Tiennie might be able to track the person if she had more power, so Rati absorbed all the power she could and linked with Tiennie and they still could not spot the attacker. Hana suggested that we hire a private detective, someone that might have more experience in locating people who were trying to stay hidden.

A local PI probably wouldn't have enough experience in unusual and occult situations to find someone this powerful who really wanted to stay hidden, so we decided to look on the internet. As usual, Freya did the searching and found a company called Kigal Holistic Investigations. Even on the internet, the company's advertising was far out of the ordinary. It claimed to use 'paranormal and psychic' abilities to find 'lost and hidden objects and people.' Since the offices were in the next city over, barely a half hour by freeway, we decided to ask for an interview. The lady on the phone said the company owner would be at our house the next morning, precisely at nine AM.

Most of the women I have known in my life have absolutely no sense of time. Some few actually knew and cared when a party or meeting started and sometimes they arrived near the appointed time. Larger numbers of women neither knew nor cared about time and couldn't be bothered with schedules. However, I now knew of eight who were precise and meticulous in their promises to arrive at exact times. Based on that small sampling, I would have to say that the most intelligent women were very punctual. (I would also say that they were the most beautiful and sexy women I had ever met, but that is too subjective and I am rather biased in their favor.) From my paltry non-representative group, I would have to say that Ms. Kigal, who rang the front bell at exactly 9:00 the next morning, was very intelligent.

When Zulie escorted her into the living room, I added beautiful and sexy to her adjectival list, as well. Her dark skin spoke of life in a warmer, possibly desert climate. She was tall and looked stronger than Zulie, as if she used her muscles often. Her body moved with leonine grace, the curves of leg and hip, breast and shoulder swinging with assurance and power. Dark hair just slightly longer than Hana's surrounded an oval face with sensuous lips and deep enigmatic eyes. This was a person who knew no fear and who inspired it in others. I was glad Tiennie and Zulie were there.

She introduced herself as Eresh Kigal, owner and chief investigator of Kigal Investigations. After Freya had her seated and refreshments offered, she went to work. "What problem needs my special talents?"

The expected nod from Freya let us know that she 'felt' this person, this presence, was being honest.

Chellie began to explain the details. "I have been attacked, more than once, and fear for my life. The first two attacks were fairly conventional, and were thwarted by my security staff, mostly Captain Chuang, here. The next attack was a directed tornado and we only managed to survive because it swerved at the last minute and missed us. We suspect that only one person is behind the attacks, but have had no luck in tracing that person. We must stop him before he succeeds in killing me, or all of us. That, Ms. Kigal, is why we need your help."

"Call me Eresh." A note pad appeared from her pocket, a pen from another pocket. "I will need some background information on each of you. It is probable that you are correct in your assessment of your attacker, but it is also possible that one of the others is the actual target. Could you each give me your names, places of birth, and a synopsis of how you arrived at this place and time?"

"I am Freya to my friends. I was born in a small town called Umea, Sweden. I came to this country to study. After graduating, I got a residency permit and began work at a computer company, where I met my husband, Johnny. We have one child, John Junior. He and I joined up with a school chum of mine, Chellie, and started a company that is currently making rather a lot of money. The rest of the people here are our friends and part owners of the company."

"Thank you. I will want to get the information on the rest in their own words."

She interviewed each of us, keeping her questions and our answers short. At the end, she had our complete names, the dates and places of our births, and how we ended up in California working for Itzamna, Inc. After less than an hour, the pad and pen both disappeared back into their pockets and she rose to leave. "A most interesting case. I will be happy to take it. And now, Ms. Ixchel, if you would accompany me back to my office, I have several devices which will help me ascertain who is attacking you, and how."

Hana insisted on writing a check for Eresh's fees. Zulie was on guard duty that morning. Freya needed to stay home to take care of John Junior. Rati had a practice scheduled, and Brandy and Bas were deep in the middle of some arcane research they couldn't delay. But Tiennie and I insisted on going with Chellie, for protection. We followed the detective's car out the gate in our bulletproof vehicle with Tiennie driving and Chellie and I sitting next to her. We turned in the direction of Eresh's city and were just out of sight of our property when everything went black.

The world was spinning when I opened my eyes again. It really was spinning, because I was suspended by my wrists from a cable which went up to a beam in the ceiling. From there, the cable passed through an eye bolt, snaked several feet along the beam and through a second bolt, then down to where Chellie was hanging. We were both moving gently, as our bodies awakened and the movement of our limbs caused us to swing. I could only see Chellie sometimes, because my rotation let me view her once each time around.

As my gyrations slowed, I looked up to see that the cable was made of metal, which gave me an idea. I grabbed it, praying that Chellie was touching it too. "Chellie! Keep your eyes closed, but think at me if you are awake."

What I got back was more of a grunt than a word, but I understood that Chellie was alive and waking. The cable would let us communicate without anyone hearing us. Next, I needed to communicate with the rest of my family. I was tied, suspended, supposedly helpless. This was just like a magic trick I had once taught myself: the hanging man escape. What would I do if I could get loose? Certainly not get away with Chellie. As soon as we began making noise, someone would come to see what we were doing. But I could grab my phone, currently hanging around my neck, and communicate with my family.

I grasped the cable with my right hand and lifted my weight enough to release the pressure on my wrists. That let my left hand slip out of the loop holding me. Slowly, I slid my hand down into my shirt and grabbed my phone. One yank broke the chain, which slid further down my stomach and hung above my belt line. With one thumb, I managed to open the case and turn the phone on. I found the security dial button by touch and pressed it, then closed the phone up again. While it was ringing, I slid my left hand back through the loop and let my weight back down. The phone was hidden - palmed, as magicians say - in my left hand, which was tied with my right hand by the cable.

It only took two rings before someone answered. Hana, bless her heart, was quiet as usual. I thought at her and warned her to use only thoughts, as someone might hear. Ever smart, she pressed the mute button on her phone and we could talk mind to mind without making a sound. I could feel her running as she was telling me the status. "Tiennie blacked out less than a mile from here. We found her an hour ago but didn't know what happened to you two." I could feel the others join Hana as she contacted them.

"We are OK so far, but are hung like sides of beef in a warehouse somewhere. When whoever kidnapped us comes back, I don't give much for our chances. Can anyone locate us?"

"Freya is trying, but not having much luck. Maybe the building is metal or shielded" There was a general confusion as several people thought at once, then, "Tiennie and Rati managed to trace your phone's radio signal. It will take us about a half hour to get there, but we are all coming."

"Maybe this person can sense forces, too. I need to shut off the phone to keep it hidden. You know where we are and I will try and call if we get moved. Just hurry!"

My fingers opened and shut off the phone, then hid it again. Just in time.

The sound of a lock opening and a door unlatching and swinging told me that our captor had returned. The spinning had stopped with my face turned partly towards Chellie, but mostly in the direction of the door, so I turned my head and watched Eresh Kigal stride in.

"Finally awake? Good. I am ready to begin."

She saw my mouth open to speak and moved her hands. My voice no longer worked. "Be silent. I only want to hear from the girl." As she approached, I could see her hand form a fist and saw the swing begin: I tightened my stomach muscles. The power behind the blow was incredible, but my muscles held. Pretending that the air was knocked out of me and that I was in pain, I moaned and writhed. Silently, I thanked Houdini for his lessons in body building.

Ignoring me, she turned to face Chellie, hanging with her eyes still closed. Another hand motion and Chellie screamed in pain. The hands moved again and the screaming stopped, leaving Chellie panting.

"Don't try to fool me. I know you are awake." The voice was chilling. "You will tell me everything I want to know. Then you will give your powers to me. If you are lucky, I may keep you alive after that."

Through her sobs, Chellie tried to answer. "I don't know what you are talking about." Then she screamed again and her body writhed in excruciating pain.

"No lies. They will be punished." She stopped the pain again. "Let us begin."

Evaporated. That is the only word to describe it. All of Chellie's clothes began to evaporate. The hard parts, buttons and zippers, fell to the floor, but the fabric disappeared gradually.

Eresh's eyes spotted the chain hanging around Chellie's neck, and the phone attached to it. "Ah! A communicator hidden beneath your clothes. It will not help you." Three hard steps and she reached to break the chain off of Chellie's body. Then she looked at me. "I wonder?"

My clothes began to evaporate as well. The belt was leather and stayed on, but everything else except for my shoes was gone. Fortunately, the thin phone chain was unseen behind my belt.

Eresh smirked at my naked body. "No phone - good. But a nice body. Perhaps I will keep you to play with, for a while." Then turned her attention back to helpless Chellie. Her strong fingers quickly removed the shoes and belt from Chellie's body. All of her jewelry followed. "Now I can see what I am working on. You will tell me about your power, either before I rip your body apart, or after. I will get what I want either way. The first way is easier for you, the second is more fun for me."

"I will give you time to consider my request. Do you have any questions before I leave?"

"P ... please. What do you want to know?"

"You have a power, I have felt it. Months ago, I felt it shouting out to me. I followed it back to your mind. Then I sent men to capture you. The fools! They failed. As did the second set. I'm still not sure why the tornado I sent failed as well, since it was supposed to kill all of your friends and seem as if you were killed as well. And the mind control I had on you was broken: you must be even stronger than you seem. But now I have you and you will explain to me what power you have and why I can no longer feel it. You have learned to hide it. The secret of your powers, including how to hide them will be valuable to me, perhaps even worth enough to spare your life." Eresh marched back to the door. "I will give you fifteen minutes to think about this. Meanwhile, you will hang there where your friend's husband can see your naked body." A solid slam and the latch and lock rattling closed signaled the end of the interview, for a while.