Page 45 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

"I'm riding back with you." She offered Dagor a small smile. "In case my patients need further assistance."

Anandur laughed. "Liar. You just don't want to ride back with me."

She huffed. "That's a given. I'm not a fan of motorcycles on a paved road, let alone off-road."

Kalugal

It had taken Kalugal a long time to thrall away the memories of the most recent horrors the abducted women had witnessed. While he was at it, he had been tempted to also erase the worst of what they had been subjected to before their rescuers arrived, but doing so without their consent was unethical.

They were entitled to remember and mourn their families and friends, and what had happened to them after they had been taken was also their choice to remember or forget. The problem was that to do that, he would have to wake them up, and the cleanup of the area hadn't been completed yet.

The one thing he couldn't allow them to remember was how the monsters were dealt with. Upon waking up, they would remember that the cartel barbarians had run away when their rescuers arrived.

Yamanu waited for him outside the enclosure. "I spoke to Kian about what to do with the women. He wants us to take them to the neighboring villages."

Kalugal shook his head. "We can't. These people are barely scraping by and are terrorized by the cartel. They will be afraid to take them in. Besides, they need therapy and rehabilitation, and they will get none of that here."

Jacki joined him and Yamanu even though he'd told her to stay in the truck and not look at the carnage. "I agree. There is no future for them here, and I don't need to spell out the reasons for it. We need to take them to the sanctuary."

"They don't speak English," Yamanu pointed out.

Living in Southern California, where a large percentage of the population spoke Spanish, meant that most of the immortals residing in the village were fluent. The Scottish and Alaskan members of the clan less so.

The question was whether the therapists working in the sanctuary spoke the language.

"Is there any room left?" Jacki asked.

"I can check with Vanessa," Yamanu offered. "She didn't join the cruise because Mo-red couldn't come."

With so many clan members on board, Kalugal hadn't noticed Vanessa's absence, which should have clued him in that he was getting complacent. Usually, he wouldn't let a detail like that escape his notice.

"We need to enlarge the sanctuary," Jacki said. "Is it okay with you if I double the donations so the clan can add another building or two?"

Kalugal smiled. "Of course, it is. But the problem is not only where to house them. Vanessa is constantly understaffed. Therapists just don't last long there. For many, dealing with what victims of trafficking suffered is too much."

She nodded. "I get it. I'm not squeamish, but I don't know if I could do that day in and day out."

"Vanessa will make room for them," Yamanu said. "Also, most of her therapists speak Spanish because many of the girls we rescue are native Spanish speakers who were trafficked to the US."

"Good." Kalugal expelled a relieved breath. "Now, all we have to do is convince Kian to let them onto the ship." He looked at Yamanu. "You will have to shroud our arrival."

"That's not a problem." The Guardian flashed him a smile. "Convincing Kian is. I think you should call him."

"Why me? You are his trusted head Guardian. He will listen to you."

"And you are a council member." Yamanu turned to scan the two remaining trucks. "Where is Edna? We need her to help us make a case."

"She's over there," Jacki pointed. "Helping bury the evidence." She shook her head. "Edna is one gutsy lady."

"She is," Kalugal agreed. "She's lived through much bloodier epochs than you, my dear. This is nothing new to her."

Jacki's eyes softened. "It's sad. No one should get used to things like that."

He put his arm around his mate's shoulders. "Death is part of being human. One way or another, they all die. Regrettably, not all from old age."

Mey joined their group, rubbing her hands to clean them as best she could. "I pray for the day when no humans die from disease, acts of violence, or natural disasters, but I know that day will never come. Living peacefully is not in human nature."

Yamanu pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead. "Why did you go digging? We have enough males to do that and not enough shovels."