Page 10 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

"I've never been to Acapulco before." Jacki spread jam over her toast. "I'm excited." She glanced at Kalugal. "And I'm even more excited about visiting the Tehuacalco site."

Kian turned to Kalugal with a raised brow. "What's in Tehuacalco, and why do you want to take your wife into dangerous territory? After reading about the cartels ruling the entire area, I didn't even want to stop at this port, but my sisters twisted my arm." He cast Sari an accusing look. "With you being the most vocal one."

She shrugged. "David and I were planning to just tour the area near the port, which is safe. I wanted to do some shopping, but now that Kalugal's mentioned the archeological site, I'm intrigued."

Kian groaned. "Don't. Do you have any idea how bad it is in this area? Not too long ago, four dismembered bodies washed up on a popular beach."

"That's terrible." Alena put a hand over her pregnant belly. "I'm not leaving the ship."

Sari leaned over and put her hand on Alena's. "You and Orion are welcome to join David and me. I think we are going to stick to our original plan for the day."

Kian was relieved. "Smart."

Kalugal waved a dismissive hand. "Tehuacalco is a popular tourist attraction, and it's only an hour's drive away. I don't expect any trouble. I hired a reputable local guide with a converted truck that can take seven passengers, so we can easily accommodate one more couple and three Guardians. If more want to join the expedition, I can arrange for drivers with more vehicles. The more of us go, the safer we will be, right?" He smiled at Kian. "Not that I really need much help. With my compulsion and shrouding ability, I can handle any human threat. But I don't want you to worry, so I will ask several Guardians to join us."

Kian had forgotten about Kalugal's compulsion ability. However, for it to work Kalugal needed to be heard, and if thugs ambushed him and started shooting, would they hear him above the gunfire?

"Can we come?" Negal asked from the table next to theirs. "Aru and I are fighters, and we can easily handle a gang of human criminals."

"Speak for yourself," Aru said. "I'm not risking Gabi. She's a newly turned immortal, and her transition is not complete yet."

Negal shrugged. "Then I'll go alone or with Dagor if he wants to join." He pulled out his phone. "I'll ask him."

"Excellent," Kalugal said. "The more the merrier."

Kian wasn't sure about that, but he couldn't forbid them from going. Thankfully, Syssi didn't seem interested at all.

After a quick exchange of texts, Negal leaned toward Kalugal. "Dagor asks what's so interesting in Tehuacalco?"

"Aha." Kalugal leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile. "A while back, I bought an ancient treasure map. Supposedly, a powerful amulet is hidden under the ruins of Tehuacalco. The source and authenticity are questionable, but since I'm already here, I want to take a look." He lifted Jacki's hand and kissed the back of it. "The amulet is supposed to magnify a seer's ability to see the future. It will be the perfect gift for my lovely wife."

She smiled. "Provided that we find it, which we most likely will not. But it's a good excuse to have a little adventure. I also want to try the Xtasea. It's supposed to be the world's longest zip line. I haven't done anything daring since turning immortal, and this seems like a great opportunity to confront my former fears."

Kian shook his head. "You don't have the time to explore the ruins beyond a brief tour. Amanda and Dalhu's wedding is tonight. You need to get back in time to shower and get ready."

"The reception starts at eight in the evening," Sari said. "That's thirteen hours from now. We have plenty of time to enjoy both attractions and get back by six to get ready for the wedding."

"Dagor says that he would love to come." Negal looked up from his phone. "He also wants to bring Frankie along."

"Not happening." Kian crossed his arms over his chest. "She's human. Too vulnerable."

"Dagor and I can protect her." Negal's smile never left his mouth, as if he were mocking Kian's concerns.

"Let me give you some more information about what's going on in the lovely city of Acapulco and its surrounding area. It is experiencing one of the highest levels of violence in Mexico as gangs fight over control of the port with the support of much larger cartels that operate on a national level. At least sixteen crime syndicates are active in the Guerrero state. They engage in drug and human trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, and they have such control over the local communities that when two drug lords were arrested, thousands of residents showed up in the state's capital, demanding their release."

"Why?" Syssi asked. "Don't they want to get rid of the cartels?"

"They do." Kian uncrossed his arms and put his hands on the table. "But they were told to do that, and if they hadn't, the repercussions would have been horrific. The cartels are so powerful that the police and even the Mexican army are afraid to engage them."

Kalugal didn't look impressed or frightened in the slightest. "That's the reality of this region, and there is nothing they can do about it, but we don't need to worry."

Kian took a deep breath. "I can't stop you, but I hope that you have enough sense to leave your son on the ship."

That wiped the smug smile off Kalugal's face. "What do you take me for? An irresponsible fool? Darius is still human. He will stay on the ship with Shamash."

"Forgive me." Kian dipped his head in mock apology. "But you seemed so certain there was no danger that it worried me."

"To immortals and gods, there is no danger, and we can probably keep one or two adult humans safe, but that's as far as my risk tolerance goes."