wrath of the Sea Queen (231 page)

Before heading into the cave, Ben sent Max back to the hotel with instructions to wait in the lounge until his
P
apa returned. 
He
gave Max an important assignment.  Max was supposed to have his
P
apa bring Colonel Franks to the cave.  Max would have to be their guide, and he would have to hurry.  Max agreed and ran as fast as he could.

"
That will keep him safe while we locate Salma,
"
Ben said as he followed Vin into the cave.  Vin led
him
through the cave
’s interior
until they came to
a
room where ten
armed
men stood blocking their path.  Ben was getting ready to rush the men
barring his path to Salma when Vin’s hand
pulled
on his shoulder
to
hold him back.

"
Let me do this, Ben.  That's why you brought me
, and I have the pent up energy to burn right now
.  No need to go rushing in when I can
accomplish
the task
safely from here. 
I can
buy
you
enough
time
to get
by
them and help Salma.
  Be ready
,
"
Vin
s
tated confidently
as he summoned the wind to his aid.  He did
n
o
t have to reach far.  The storm outside provided more
than enough for what Vin needed, and his emotions were already pressing against
his thin layer of
restraint.

"
Hurry, Vin.  I
'm not sure
why or how
, but
Salma
receive
d
a sharp
pain a moment ago.
"
 
Ben's fear mount
ed
with each
second
.

Vin sent strong winds into the next room.  Men and guns went
flying,
tumbling
around the room
.  As he
pee
ked carefully around the corner, Vin was able to see the few who had not yet succumbed to the wind
.  He
focus
ed
his efforts
more specifically
on them.  When all the men were disarmed
or
disabled, Vin held them back
so the path was clear
for Ben
.

"
Ben, please hurry,
"
Salma’s voice in Ben’s mind sounded
frantic
and
much
weak
er than it had minutes ago
.

"
Vin!  Salma is calling
again.  She sounds desperate
.  And look how the water is rising in here.  We need to move quickly.  I remember how the other room flooded
when we found
C
a
eli.
  If Salma is trapped in there…
"
  Ben let the thought trail off.

"
Go
now,
Ben
.  I
'
ll be right behind you,
"
Vin answered
without taking his focus off the men in the other room
.

Ben ran into the next
cavern
and found Salma valiantly
struggling to get free.  Then he saw the cut on her shoulder.  Ben
was well aware of
how bad that type of injury could be due to
a
rapid lo
ss of blood. 
Yet, that was not his
only
concern.  Salma's wrist was chained to the floor, and the water
had
already
risen
to her shoulders
where she knelt
.  Th
e
room was like a swimming pool, and Salma was in danger of drowning if Ben could
n
o
t
free
her
quickly
.
  He made his way down
and
rushed
to her side.

"
Salma, I'm here.  Stop struggling,
Love
.  You're cutting your wrist
and making your shoulder worse
.
"

Ben ripped a wide strip from the bottom of his shirt and tied it tightly around Salma's shoulder.  She yelped at the pain when he pulled the knot tight,
and
then thanked him
.

"
Ben, I can't get my wrist free. 
You have to listen to me. 
Scott was here, and he had the Book of Elements.  He plans to kill C
a
eli and take her blood into himself. 
He believes that will allow him to
access the book directly.  We
ha
ve to warn her
.  You have to tell
Vin.  And, Ben, there's something else.  Scott is Chief Matthews' son.
"
  Salma was doing a decent job of keeping her panic in check under the circumstances. 

"
I know.  Apela actually mentioned his name during your seminar, but it didn’t register until
later,
"
Ben commented without looking up from his work on the lock.  Salma
filled him in on the details, but Ben could tell that she was scared and growing weaker by the minute.
 
Not having the key to the cuffs with him, Ben
had
opened a small clasp on his belt buckle and pulled out
two long, thin pieces of metal.  He
attempt
ed
to pick
the
lock on the
handcuff
beneath the water
as
Salma
talked.

A commotion erupted in the cavern on the other side of the wall. 
Vin came around the corner in a rush
, but was not in time to overhear Salma's warning about the threat Scott posed to C
a
eli
. 
He stopped short so that he didn't plunge into th
e middle of the pool of water.

"
Colonel Franks and his men
are here
.  They left Max up at the hotel with Apela
.  Apparently, we leave an easy trail to follow.  They
are cleaning up the garbage in the other room. 
Are you ok, Salma
?
"
  Vin could not see her injury or the chain attached to her wrist from where he stood.

"
Salma is hurt
and losing a lot of blood.  T
hat maniac chained
her
to the floor.  Can you get this water out of my way for a minute or two?  I need to
get a clear look at
the lock on her wrist,
"
Ben explained
with a mix of frustration, concern, and anger in his voice
. 

Vin concentrated and used the
wind
to force the water away from Salma.  It parted around her as if held back
by a
n invisible
wall
and remained that way
long enough to provide
Ben
with
the
visual
window
needed
to accomplish his task
.

Ben used the
strands of metal
to
spring
the lock on the handcuff
that held
Salma
's
wrist
.  It only took about twenty seconds
once he was able to see the lock
ing mechanism
.  Salma tried to smile at him, appreciating how lucky she was t
hat he was
a cop with such
useful
skills.  As soon as the clasp opened, Ben pulled Salma up
from her knees
to a standing position and into his arms.  The sudden rise was too much for her after the loss of blood, and she fainted.  Ben picked her up and
, with a little supportive
assistance from Vin,
carried her toward the entrance of the cave.

"
Vin, we've got to get her some help
right away
.
"

They met up with Colonel Franks near the
front entrance
of the cave where the flood
waters were not yet as deep
though
the
rain was coming down in sheets.  All of Scott's men
had been rounded up and were now
tied up and under guard along one wall, sitting in about a foot of water.  The rest of the Colonel's men, including Jeremy, were nowhere in sight. 
The colonel stopped them at the entrance.

"
Colonel, what's the problem? 
Salma
need
s
medical attention,
"
Vin asked.

"
The protestors are
out
on the beach
in force
. 
It looks like t
he entire lot of them.  There must be over a hundred, and they are all fired up.  Not even this weather
could
deter them. 
We seem to have a mob on our hands. 
Jeremy and the
rest of my men are out there
getting the situation under control
before it turns into a riot
.  I can't let you go out there until it's safe.  How bad
ly
is the
doctor
hurt?
"
  The
C
olonel asked.