Chapter 13
It only took Iphigenia a couple of days to realize two very specific things. Neither realization surprised her much, but it still took them longer to sink in than it should have.
The first was that she hated sand. She muttered that to some random Muggle in some town and the young man had thought it was one of the funniest things he'd ever heard. He laughed at it for far longer than necessary. And then again whenever he saw her. It was so annoying that she made sure he would laugh uncontrollably whenever he saw sand.
Two days later on a trip back through whatever passed for a village she had an annoying epiphany about it. He was being ostracized, clearly thought to be mad, and struggling for any semblance of sanity. So she took pity on him and lifted the curse.
His response annoyed her.
He didn't laugh when he saw her. He did something infinitely worse.
He hugged her.
It took every microcosm of her rather substantial willpower to not hex him again. She honestly thought they should have pinned a medal on her once he started jabbering in Farsi and she allowed him to keep his tongue.
He was only slightly more tolerable when he switched to English. And he had this annoying idea in his head that he owed her something for her assistance. Which may have been the dumbest thing she'd ever heard in all of her lives.
Unfortunately, it quickly became obvious that there was very little chance of him leaving her alone until he thought he'd paid back whatever he owed. He did at least have one use, as he continually fetched her tea as she sat in a lodge in his small village.
Her presence drew quite a few stares from people in the village. She wondered how much of that was because she'd long since stopped wearing the head covering. No one had said anything to her about it yet. But she wasn't known for her aura of approachability.
And, well, she had magic. Magic also helped to keep them away. Even if they didn't know it. But really, why did they matter anyway?
Somehow, that didn't dissuade her current companion. Which made her want to break his mind even more. But doing so the first time made her feel bad so she didn't try it again. She sipped her tea and did her best to ignore him as he asked a million questions about why she was there and why she kept passing through the village.
She grunted and ignored his questions. But like a confused puppy, he kept barking up the tree, not taking the slightest of hints that she wanted no part of him.
In the end she figured she'd just have to kill him. It wouldn't be that hard. Hell, she could do it in the middle of the lounge and just Obliviate anyone who bothered to notice that she'd done it.
It would only take her moments to be rid of the body and then she could be on her blissfully silent way. She could picture herself zapping him, and then washing her hands of him, and not caring at all about it.
Except the thought sent an annoying pang through her chest. He was obnoxious, misguided, and utterly idiotic. But, unfortunately, none of those traits, not even when combined, warranted a death sentence.
Which led her to her second realization of her short journey.
Priya Patel was the Devil.
She wasn't even going to quantify it with 'a' no, she was pretty sure she was The Devil. Capitals all around. She wasn't even sure what the other woman had done that resulted in this sudden surge of morals.
All she really knew was that it bothered her. It shouldn't have. She'd killed that part of herself many years and many murders ago.
But now she had this strange idea in her mind that what she did reflected on Priya and, by extension, Harry, and that meant she had to act in a way that she thought they would. Otherwise anything she found could be scrutinized more than necessary.
At least that was the excuse she told herself as she decided to retire back to a rented room in the hovel that evening.
It was a miserable excuse for a hotel. But she was a supremely talented witch, so she made due. It would have taken less effort to simply pop back to her hotel room in Tehran, but she was enjoying stretching her magical muscles, as it were, so she changed every single possible bit about the room to suit her needs.
The bubble bath and the fifty-three Bordeaux may not have been strictly 'needs' but, well, when in Rome. Or Iran. Or who cares, really. Just like she didn't technically need a King sized bed. But, you know, screw it. She wasn't going to risk lice or bed bugs, or who knew whatever misery could be waiting for her there if it could be avoided. And it could be avoided. Easily.
She thought she covered her tracks by the time she left in the morning. But she didn't care enough to double check, or really, check at all, while she left the room. If the next person was surprised by the thread count on the sheets, well, so be it.
Karim found her less than two hundred meters outside of the village. At least she thought his name was Karim. Well, it was probably more correct to say that his name was now Karim, regardless, so.
"It is not wise to travel the desert during the day," he said with a tone that reminded her far too much of an infatuated minion to ever be palatable.
"I'll be fine," she responded.
"It is not you I am concerned about," Karim said while sparing a brief glance toward the rising sun.
"That sounds like a you problem, not a me problem," Iphigenia said. To her annoyance, he still decided to follow her. Although he kept his mouth shut for the first portion of her aimless trek into the desert. She knew the supposed vanished Iranians were from somewhere in this region. And she knew the magic used to disappear them had to have left some type of a trace. Even if she hadn't been able to sense it as of yet.
She ran through every possibility of what it might feel like when she found such a magical signature, or of what could be done to cover up the same signature, letting thoughts and theories fill her mind as her boots propelled her deeper into the desert.
It was an hour or so later, and a million thoughts of just what could be masking the magical signature when he finally grew sick of the silence and asked a question. "You could at least tell me your name."
"Em—Iphigenia," she said, cursing her manners and wondering what the point of practicing the cover story was if she was going to blurt out the truth without any hesitation.
"And what brings you to Iran?" Karim asked, keeping a bright smile on his face as he spoke. Iphigenia didn't bother looking at him. Instead she continued trekking through the desert. He continued to follow her. She continued to ignore him.
It occurred to her she wasn't being strictly fair by referring to every single region as a desert. It was the sand, she knew, but even that wasn't really the topography. She was somewhere in the Kerman mountains, and while she was close to the desert of something or other, the ground was really more dirt than anything else. Continuing up into the villages seemed to be her real only option, so it was what she kept doing.
"I can lead you to the next village. Or a specific village if you had one in mind," Karim said, genially, from behind her. He didn't seem dressed for trekking through the region, but he was having no difficulty keeping up with her.
She continued to ignore him. He kept quiet until the sun reached its zenith. Then he interrupted her highly productive musings, just when she was near a breakthrough, by speaking once again. "It is midday. Let me prepare some food for the both of us."
"I don't have any food," she said.
"Ah but I do," Karim said, shifting a back that was slung around his shoulder toward his waist. She figured that so far ignoring him had yielded the best results, so she continued to do so.
She was growing quite good at it. So good that she managed to continue to do so even while she took water from him an hour later. It was slightly less of a hassle than conjuring it herself. He would have probably questioned that. Which would have been fine, she would have ignored him.
But he, and the water, was there and she was thirsty so it seemed rude not to drink. It had one drastic consequence though.
"Thank you," she said, cursing herself as she realized she'd failed to ignore him.
"It is no problem. Perhaps now it is time to rest for a few minutes and eat?" he asked. Again he shifted his pack around and smiled at her. She was going to completely ignore him but her stomach was starting to debate with her, and there wasn't a village in clear view yet.
"Why are you following me?" she asked as she sat on a nearby rock and continued to drink the water.
"You saved me," he said. She laughed at him.
"From what?" she asked.
"I don't know. Something crept into my mind and I couldn't do anything about it. It was like an insidious evil spirit. All I could do was laugh. No matter what anyone said, or what I tried to do. And then you came back and suddenly my mind cleared," Karim said. "I owe you my sanity."
"You know how insane that sounds, right?" Iphigenia said. Karim had placed his bag down on the ground and was organizing small pouches of food. He took out a thin plastic plate and arranged some dried fruit, nuts, and jerky for her.
"Of course," Karim said. He stood and carried the plate of food over toward her. "But my head wasn't my own. And then I saw you staring at me and I was myself again."
"I did nothing," she lied. She took the plate from him and peered down at it. She touched all of the food, enjoying the tactile sensation of it beneath her fingers. He walked back toward his pack and started to make a plate for himself.
"I am sure you think that. But there is a Will greater than our own," Karim said. She snorted and went back to ignoring him.
"You do not seem very well prepared for your trek," he said, doing his best to not sound like a total jackass. She continued to try to actively ignore him, picking at some of the dried meat and wondering if it would be difficult to hide the body. Eventually her annoyance spurred her to comment.
"You know, if you think I had any power to 'save' you then I could also have the power to curse you," she said. She took another sip of water and waited to see what mental gymnastics he'd use to work his way around this one.
"That is true," the man agreed, taking the wind right out of her argument's sails. She plucked up a banana chip, glared at it as if it were disgusting, and ate it anyway.
"So I could have been the reason you were having issues. It could be my fault. Following me could merely lead to more of it," she argued.
"That is also true," Karim agreed.
"Then stop following me," Iphigenia ordered.
"No. I don't think so," Karim said. He continued eating his lunch, turning his gaze across the hills as he spoke. He wore a patient smile but wasn't willing to turn his gaze fully at her.
"I am the one who cursed you. I did it because I'm petty and vindictive and you annoyed me. If you continue to follow me I will almost certainly hurt you. It's a minor miracle that I have not already," Iphigenia said.
"I do not believe you," Karim said. She only just resisted the urge to throw a shockwave at him, just because. Part of her wanted to hear his explanation for that.
"Well that's stupid of you. I only undid it because I felt bad. I wasn't even planning on coming back to that village," she said.
"But Allah brought you back," Karim said. "Even if you were the cause. Which I do not believe."
"Why not?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and readying her magic. She ran through the list of possible shock and awe style spells. Terrorizing a Muggle wasn't a particularly difficult proposition, but how to best do it always led to some debate.
"Why do you think?" he asked.
"You're obnoxious," she retorted.
"So are you," he said. She paused as she tried to think of a snappy comeback. If she was being honest, he had her there.
"It's because I'm a woman," Gina said.
"Why would that matter?" Karim asked.
"Because I've seen how your culture treats women."
"But you know nothing of how I do. I question your preparedness more than your capability," Karim said.
"I'm more prepared than I seem," she countered.
"I am beginning to suspect that. But no, if you must know, I've seen enough of the world to know that both men and women are capable of anything," Karim said.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"No one special," he said.
"And you get out of Iran often?" she asked.
"I spend more time outside of Iran than inside," he said.
"Where?"
"Pakistan, Europe, China, Nepal," he shrugged. "I get around. I'm only home to see family in the off seasons."
"You like mountains," she said, after a moment trying to link all of the countries together.
"I do," he agreed. "I have since I was a child. Pillars reaching to the highest depths of the sky. Their majesty is splendid."
"Biggest one?"
"Cho Oyu. Without Oz."
"Impressive."
"Thank you," he actually smiled at the compliment.
"Next season?"
"Makalu and Lhotse," he said.
"Not Everest?"
"Everest is a yak trail," he scoffed. She raised her brows at him.
"Required for all fourteen," she countered.
"You are very knowledgeable," he said.
"I read a lot and I have a good memory," she shrugged. Unlike her, he wouldn't have remembered hearing the announcement of Hillary and Norgay's first ascent.
"And none of that reading told you to at least bring a bag?" he asked, raising his own brows and nodding toward her and her distinct lack of equipment.
"I have everything I need," she said.
"I don't see how that's possible," he said.
"And yet I made it this far, all the way from Tehran, without any issue," she said.
"You walked from Tehran?" he asked, looking startled.
"No," she said.
"Are you just out here to die trekking on some trail? There's easier ways to get yourself killed. And ones that won't end with half a village trying to rescue you out of the goodness of their hearts," Karim said, his tone growing harsh as he stared at her.
"If only it were that easy," she laughed.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm looking for something," Gina said.
"And what's that?" he asked. He stood and washed off his now empty plate with a splash from the water bottle. He walked over to her and gestured for hers. She took the last couple of pieces of meat off of it and offered the plate to him.
"The people who went missing," Gina said.
"The village?" Karim asked.
"I believe they were in a cave system," Gina responded. Karin shook his head.
"No. There are cave systems near their village but it's the village itself where something has clearly gone wrong," Karim said.
"That's not how it was reported," Gina commented.
"Does it shock you that no one bothered to get the facts correct?" he asked. "Especially when western journalists are involved?"
"It wasn't only western reporters," Gina said.
"No. And they were right. The caves are empty. They didn't used to be. But the village isn't. And no one can quite seem to remember the last time anyone actually used the caves. They're not sure what the big deal is. But it's been a few days and the interest is already rapidly waning," Karim shrugged as he repacked his gear.
"Where is this village?" Gina asked.
"A little over a day's trek that way," Karim said, nodding toward the north, where the hills rose even higher. Gina frowned and thought over her options. She debated apparating away. She could calculate that distance easily enough based on his words and apparate about what she thought. Or she could simply fly.
But there were advantages to having a local guide. And at this point time didn't feel like the biggest factor. She could use him to learn more about the region as well. He might know something that would spur her in the right direction.
"Okay," she said.
"We should head back," he countered.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"I don't want to be out here much after dark if I don't have to be," he said. "And I didn't pack a tent."
"Scared?" she teased and started moving off toward the north.
"Intelligent," he snorted. "Your lack of preparedness is beyond shocking."
"If you're that worried about a tent I have one but I see no real reason to stop," she said.
"It's more than just a tent. You're missing flashlights, headlamps, cool weather gear, anything to make getting around in the dark easier. It's, well, it's stupid to continue at this point," Karim said.
"I've managed my way through dumber situations before. You can go back if you like, it's no matter to me," she said. She knew full well that he would continue to follow her. Perhaps she might show him just how much danger he wasn't in from anything on the trail. Perhaps she'd kill him. Both situations had their own merits.
"I'm not going to leave you out here," he said.
"Then keep up," she ordered, hopping over a rock and continuing on her way. He did more than keep up. Within ten minutes she was trailing behind him as he expertly moved up the trail. And, to her annoyance, it was her who finally broke down for the evening.
"Are you tired?" he asked, turning around to see she was trailing further behind him than previously. She glared at him but nodded.
"I really must stress that I do not think a bivouac here is not a fantastic idea. It will be a cold night," Karim said.
"It'll be fine," Gina countered. She grew her bag and reached inside to hide her hand as she conjured two collapsible tents and tossed them onto the ground. Karim walked over toward them then peered at her.
"Where were you hiding those?" he asked.
"I told you I'm more prepared than I look," she said. She sat on a rock and dug through her bag once more as she conjured a tea pot and some mugs. Karim went about setting up the tents. He did so with incredible efficiency. She leered at him while he worked.
He wasn't ugly, although she'd have rid him of the beard. She'd never liked facial hair all that much. He was tanned, lean, and in very good shape. She watched his arms in particular as he set up the tents. It was an entertaining enough show.
When he was nearly finished with the second tent she set up a small fire and started to boil water for tea. He looked rather alarmed that she'd done so but he didn't comment. She let him take over sorting out food and the tea while she conjured a more comfortable rock to sit on. She had to wonder if conjuring a chair would be too much.
He arranged another plate of food and approached her with it and a cup of tea. She took both without a word. He paused as she took the items.
"When did you change?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice.
"When you were cooking," she said. She brought the tea to her lips to hide her smirk. She'd changed into plain, comfortable pajamas that were clearly not appropriate for trekking. Fur-lined moccasins replaced her boots.
"Am I being punked?" he asked, peering around as if looking for something hidden around them.
"Not intentionally," she shrugged as she sipped her tea.
"Do you work for Capsule Corp?" he asked.
"I don't know what that is," Gina admitted.
"What are you?" he asked.
"You're every day, generic, twenty-something woman," Gina responded dryly. She paused for a moment to sip more tea. Karim stared at her.
"I do not believe you," he said. She shrugged her shoulders hoping to indicate just how much she valued his opinion of her.
"Tell me about this village," she said.
"There isn't much to tell. It's a small village. It's so unsubstantial that most trekking tourists don't even bother with it. There are rumors that the area is dangerous but I've never felt they were anything more than rumors," he said. "The people aren't much different than any other small village I've been to."
"But they were harboring a terrorist cell," Gina pointed out. It was Karim's turn to shrug his shoulders.
"Perhaps they were," he said.
"You don't sound convinced."
"I never paid much attention to that. I am gone far more than I am here. And when you see the rest of the world, many geopolitical arguments feel small. But it strikes me as foolish to hide out in a cave system when it is equally easy, perhaps easier, to disappear in a city. And one option has running water and functioning plumbing," Karim said.
"Yet no one seems to refute it," Gina said.
"No one seems to be confirming it either. They are just publishing speculation and hoping the story moves on," Karim sounded rather bitter about the whole thing. It was worth noting, she thought, but she doubted there was anything more there.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked.
"I certainly cannot claim to be some brilliant strategist or anything. But it seems to me that if you were running an international ring intent on causing havoc in various parts of the world that you would, well, do it in an area where there is mobile reception. I doubt the village we're heading to even has a sat phone," he said.
"Perhaps," Gina agreed, not really understanding what he was implying but figuring it had to do with those small devices most people seemed to carry now. She should have paid closer attention to Muggle technology. But frankly, it was less interesting when it wasn't leaving the planet.
"Caves are great if you're fighting off an onslaught of missiles or something. But why would you want to run an organization from one when it takes days to get information? I'm sure you could set up all the infrastructure if you wanted to, but why bother? It already exists elsewhere," Karim said.
"A fair assessment," Emily said. She wasn't sure if it really was. Maybe for Muggles. But it had never been a concern for her. Then again, she was capable of waving her hand and having exactly what she'd need. And, in general, people seemed less likely to wander into caves. Although there could be issues with egress points.
"I have always felt it backwards that they think that. Like we are some antiquated people from centuries ago because we do not value the same things they do. But it is not so. We understand the world as well as the rest of them. Perhaps better, in some cases," he continued. She wondered if this was particularly good conversation on mountains but decided it best not to broach that subject.
Although, she did expect with only moderate prodding that she'd be able to get him talking about feats of alpinism and that could easily occupy him for the rest of the night while she paid it zero attention. It would be one rather easy way to get his attention off of her. And then she'd be able to meditate and try to get a better sense of magic in the area.
Still, she didn't feel like listening to someone talk about people not understanding his country when half the people she encountered looked at her hair as if it was some type of sinful mark on her. She changed the subject.
"We never finished our conversation earlier," she said.
"Which one was that?" he asked.
"The one about curses,"
"That one?" he frowned. She thought she saw him blush.
"It was interesting," Gina said, plucking at her food as she spoke. He looked away from her, toward where the sun had already set.
"I was being overly whimsical," he said. "I don't think we should think more about it. I may like stories of goddesses residing at the top of mountains. But curses, like mountain goddesses, are not real."
"Well fine, but not until you answer my question," Gina teased.
"Which question was that?" he asked.
"Why didn't I curse you?" she asked.
"Why would you have?"
"You laughed at me. I don't like being laughed at."
"No one does," Karim said.
"I really don't like being laughed at," Gina added, her tone hardening.
"I don't recall laughing at you," Karim admitted.
"When I said I didn't like sand you laughed," she said. He furrowed his brows and thought back to the comment in question. It took a moment before he answered.
"Were you not quoting the movie?" he asked, looking genuinely confused as he spoke to her.
"What movie?" she asked.
"So you know of the fourteen peaks but not of Star Wars?" he asked.
"Star Wars?" she asked. In all of the books she'd looked up about Space no one had ever mentioned an actual war there.
"Not much of a moviegoer I take it."
"I haven't been to a movie in…decades," she said.
"Take one in the next time you're in a city. They're fun," Karim said.
"I am not the biggest fan of going to movie theaters," she admitted. She'd liked it well enough the first few times she'd gone as a child. But that experience had been ruined like all of the other things they'd taken her to.
"Really? I love them," he shrugged. "I might have a crucial weakness for popcorn."
"Well that I can use to my advantage," she smirked.
"If you pull out a bag of popcorn I am going to assume everything I think about mountain goddesses is false," he laughed. He finished his tea and gathered up her plate.
"Is there an evil one?" she asked.
"K2," he answered.
"Well that's me then. I'll save the popcorn for the way back." He took her plate from her and shook his head.
"I can't tell if you're kidding," he said.
"I'm not a very big jokester," she admitted. "You haven't answered my question."
"Why do I think you saved me but didn't curse me?" Karim asked.
"Especially when all evidence points to me being the culprit," Gina said.
"I've always been a very good judge of character," Karim answered. "And I do not sense any malicious intent from you. Merely curiosity."
Whatever he'd expected her response to be, it wasn't laughter. She shook her head as she struggled to regain her composure. It went on for a full five minutes before he gave up at trying to get an explanation from her and started to put away the camp.
She watched as he put out the fire. The embers faded away about as quickly as her giggles. When she could compose herself she decided to sneak to her tent and retire for the evening. It only took her a few minutes to change the interior to more suitable accommodations and crawl into bed.
She let the blankets pool around her waist and closed her eyes. It only took her seconds to focus her magical energy and reach outside of herself. She used her power to look all around the area. Karim had finished cleaning up and disappeared into the second tent.
Gina let the power take her north, taking in the terrain as she scouted ahead. She kept the pace slow, pausing every few moments to scan for any sign of magic. She found nothing and continued north.
It took her over an hour to find what must have been the village. It was small, nondescript, and didn't seem worth the time. There were some people milling about what must have passed for a restaurant of some type but past that there was nothing going on.
She focused in every direction, searching for anything out of the ordinary. She didn't sense anything overtly magical but something seemed off about the entire thing. She circled around the village, looking for what felt off about the entire situation.
But the more she focused the less concrete any of it felt. She blinked the village away as her mind returned to the tent. It was a good enough start, she thought. She at least knew where she was going.
She lay back in the bed, staring at the orange ceiling of the tent for a few moments before rolling onto her side. She couldn't place what she'd felt, but something about it bothered her. She debated trying again, but she knew it would merely be the equivalent of banging her head against the wall.
She spooned her blanket and let sleep come for her. It took far longer than it should have.
She woke early in the morning. Before the sun was even peaking over the peaks. She'd intended to sneak out of their makeshift camp well before he woke up. If he was smart he'd simply take the camping gear and call it a day.
She doubted he was smart.
A morning shower seemed like the best way to start the day. She didn't linger for too longer under the water, knowing it would just waste time. After, she opted for something less muggle, changing into a black riding dress with black leather boots. It wasn't quite one of her old ensembles, but it was close enough for the moment.
She pulled her hair back and spent a few moments making herself look presentable, finishing by sliding the silver watch onto her wrist, before she left the tent and walked right into breakfast.
"This must be your client," a boisterous, German-accented voice greeted her. Karim stood cautiously between her and a young blonde man. The new addition wore dusty hiking gear and a rather large smile. Karim's eyes narrowed as he spoke.
"Good morning, Miss Iphigenia," Karim said.
"Who's this?" Gina asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the new man. He was handsome, probably in his early twenties, and had a face that looked as if it had never known worry. He wore his blonde hair in a ponytail and had a few days growth of facial hair.
"I'm Jochen," he said.
"Nice to meet you," Gina said.
"He brought eggs," Karim said.
"Nice of him," Gina noticed he already started a fire and was attempting to scramble eggs in a large skillet. One that seemed rather out of place with what she considered to be Muggle camping gear, but she was basing her knowledge of that on nothing more than assumptions.
She peered toward the sun, wondering how much she'd missed her goal departure time by. It was barely rising up over the horizon. She couldn't have been far off of slipping out unnoticed. The man must have found them during the night. Which made even less sense to her.
"I thought so too," Karim said. She picked up on the skepticism in his tone easily enough. She paused for a moment. He'd introduced her as his client. So the assumption must have been some type of guided trek. Which meant she had some type of authority in the situation. He'd at least been smart enough to cede that to her.
"And where did you come from?" she asked, adopting the sweetest tone she could muster. Caution spread through her, every instinct she had telling her to be careful. But her instincts always told her to be careful. They had since she was little. Really, it was all she did.
And while it was a bit of a coincidence to run into someone else out on a trail, she didn't think it was unheard of. She'd seen some others milling around a few of the villages, talking of treks in the desert and in the mountains. And she knew it was a hobby that many people enjoyed.
And, while he'd stumbled onto their campsite, it seemed fairly clear he was offering a token gesture to them in the form of breakfast. There seemed to be a sort of courtesy in it that she could understand. She forced herself to relax as he responded.
"Just a bit east of you guys. I saw your fire last night and figured I should come say hi. I camped when I saw it go out but was up early enough this morning to catch some of the trail. I hope I'm not intruding. I haven't run into many people on these trails," Jochen said as he swirled the eggs in the skillted.
"Not at all. You've been out here long?" Gina asked.
"A couple of months," he said as if he knew it was a stupid answer. "I head to a village for supplies here or there. But, you know how it is when you get the urge. Sometimes you just have to keep going."
"Amen," Karim chuckled, his shoulders relaxing at the familiar sentiment. Gina didn't understand it. Honestly the entire endeavor felt like wasted time. But pretending to enjoy one of their hobbies would put them more at ease so she nodded as well.
"What brings you out this way?" Jochen asked.
"We were trekking to the town north of here," Karim answered. Gina turned toward her tent, doing her best to smother the growing annoyance at the entire situation.
"Ah," Jochen said. Gina started disassembling her tent. It was a long and arduous process that involved stalling for time and acting like she was busy. Then, when she figured enough time passed, she waved her hand and let magic do all of the work.
"Have you been there recently?" Karim asked.
"Not too long ago," Jochen said. He waved a hand at Karim and the Iranian brought over the small plastic plates they'd been using. He divided up the eggs and handed the plates back to Karim. His eyes didn't leave Gina as she ate.
"And?" Gina asked. The eggs were passable but needed salt.
"I didn't like the vibe. I left after half a day," Jochen admitted.
"Why?" Gina asked.
"Something just felt wrong," he said.
"Helpful," Gina said.
"I couldn't place what it was. But when I was there something felt wrong. And I trust my gut," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "So I got out of there."
"I see. Well we should be going," Gina said with a look toward Karim. "Thank you for breakfast."
"Let me come with you," he said.
"I don't see how that would be necessary," Gina said, attempting to sound as dismissive as possible. It didn't deter Jochen at all.
"Three people is safer than two," he smiled. "And I have all my own equipment."
"And will follow us anyway if we tell you no," Karim said.
"I hadn't made that decision yet," Jochen said. "But I do think another pair of hands will be helpful. I can't stress enough how much the village creeped me out."
"It's just a small village," Karim countered.
"Something isn't right there, man," he said. Karim rolled his eyes and turned back to his own tent. He packed it up and offered it back to Gina. When she merely stared at him he shrugged it over his shoulder and started off toward the north.
"Were you at the village before or after the disappearances?" she asked.
"What?" he blinked.
"Before the people disappeared," she said, not even attempting to keep her annoyance at having to repeat herself.
"I wasn't aware that anyone disappeared," Jochen said. Gina stared for a moment, trying to judge if he was telling the truth or not. Her gut told her he was being genuine. She didn't trust her gut all that much, but at the moment it was the only real tool she had.
"Follow us if you want but I doubt anything interesting comes of it," Gina said. She stalked off after Karim, catching up in just a couple of moments.
"I do not like him," Karim said quietly. They could hear the other man a few meters behind them.
"He's fine. A bit of an idiot," Gina said as she stalked ahead of the Iranian.
"I get a very bad feeling when I look at him," Karim continued.
"I don't care," Gina said.
"I really do not like the way he looks at you," Karim said.
"I'm used to it," she said. Karim frowned at her and went to say something else but she ignored him and continued on the way. He paused for a moment before continuing after her.
The German talked most of the way to the village. He spoke about nothing of interest. Merely trails he'd walked, places he'd been, and places he wanted to go. Karim, despite his reservations, participated far more in the conversations than she did.
Of course, he'd been to some of the places, and they shared stories of mountains. Gina did everything in her power to move faster, trying to distance herself from the both of them. Unfortunately they had no issue keeping up with her.
They made it to the village shortly after noon. The men were sweating from the exertion, which she didn't mind looking at from a distance. But that was the only positive quality of their journey. She'd spent the last few hours debating if she should force their silence with magic.
But once she entered the town she forced herself to focus. The energy in the area felt much like it had when she'd scouted the night before. She could see how it might be disconcerting for a Muggle. The air felt charged, almost like there was magic shooting around.
Except that she couldn't sense any actual magic. She frowned. That part didn't make sense to her. It was as if something was both generating and covering it at the same time. She closed her eyes and looked for a source, or a pattern, or anything to spur her in the right direction. Nothing stood out.
She opened her eyes and peered around the town. Everything in sight felt dusty, for lack of a better term. There weren't any people milling about the streets.
"Erie, is it not?" Jochen asked as he walked up to her side. She frowned and forced herself to not look at him.
"It does feel off," she agreed. "But I can't place what."
"Fourth house at the end of the street," Jochen said. Gina raised her brows and turned her gaze toward the building in question. They were stone structures, built off of eachother. The only real differentiating markers between them were the doors.
"What about it?" Gina asked.
"It's where I had my trouble the last time I was here," he said.
"You didn't mention trouble," she said.
"I didn't want to brag about being run out of town by a teenager," Jochen said.
"How did that happen?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. I got to that building. And then the next thing I knew I was sprinting out of the town. I lost my favorite backpack," Jochen said.
"How disappointing," Gina said.
"Was hoping to find it again," Jochen nodded solemnly.
"Right," Gina shook her head. "And what do you expect me to do about all of this?"
"Nothing," Jochen shrugged. "I just figured you should know."
"May as well see what scared you so much," she said, stepping toward the building in question.
"I do not think this is a good idea," Karim said.
"I'll be fine," Gina said.
"I do not like it," Karim repeated. Gina ignored him and opened the door of the house.
The smell hit her first. The unmistakable mixing of stale sweat and sex filled her nostrils to the point where she nearly gagged. She debated blowing the door off of the hinges, just so there would be airflow in the room.
The home was little more than a one room hovel. A trio of girls lay in a heap near the doorway. They weren't wearing anything. Two more were milling, equally naked, a few feet away. Their eyes were glazed and they stared at each other like they were having a conversation. But no words came from either of them. They swayed back and forth as they stared.
Toward the end of the room a young man reclined on a large pillow. Two more girls lay across him. One appeared to be sleeping, the other stared off toward the door with the same glazed eyes.
Gina walked into the center of the room and the young man noticed her. He said something in a language Gina didn't understand. She ignored it and stared at him. It took very little focus to see that he was exactly what she'd been looking for.
The weird energy in the area, the feeling of suppression, it was all coming from him. Almost like an aura off of him. And whatever it was, it was clearly affecting the will of the women around him.
"This is wrong," she said. She turned over her shoulder to see that Karim and Jochen had not followed her in the building. In fact, they were backing away from the still open door, looks of fear rising on their faces.
"Join. Me," the boy said in heavily accented English. Gina turned back around to face him.
"No thanks," she said. The boy's eyes widened and she felt the odd power wrap around her.
"Join me," he repeated, harsher. For a moment it seemed like a wonderful idea. She would be fine here. She'd be cared for, loved, pleasured. She'd never have to worry again.
She snorted.
"That works?" she asked. The boy looked startled. She felt the pressure surround her again, pushing more on her as she resisted. She raised her brows.
"You're corrupting yourself and them," she said as he forced more power into his ability.
"Join me," he growled.
"It's not quite magic but it's not quite not," she said, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him. "Very interesting. But you'll never amount to anything laying there and doing, well, this, with it."
"What do you know," he spat.
"Far more than you, apparently," she said.
"You will be mine," he growled. She shook her head.
"That's not going to happen," she said. She let her own magic flare, tossing his aura aside without any difficulty. He shot backwards, startled as his power failed him. "What is going to happen is that you're going to let them go. And then we're going to go to Tehran, and find you some help."
"I don't need help," he said.
"You might think that," she said. "But you'd be wrong. You're hurting yourself by letting this run rampant as much as you're hurting them."
"I'm not hurting anyone. They're all happy to be here," he argued, crossing his arms over his chest. "They could leave if they wanted to."
"Let them go," Gina repeated, letting the niceness fade from her voice.
"No," he said.
"Yes," she ordered.
"You can't make me," he said.
"I'm not going to play this game," Gina said. "I do not take kindly to someone imprisoning and raping women. Let them go and come with me to get help or face the consequences of your actions. Those are your only two choices."
"You can't do anything to," he started. And then his chest exploded.
The air in the area changed immediately. The odd charged sense faded and she found her head clearing. The women stiffened for a moment. Gina watched as the color returned to their eyes. The two on the corpse recovered first. They saw where and started shrieking. They scrambled to their feet and fled from the building. She turned and watched them exit.
Jochen dodged around them in the doorway, smiling at her as he walked into the building.
"Well done," he said.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"A like minded individual," he said, eyeing the trio of girls sleeping near the doorway. The noise had started to rouse them but their progress was slow. Gina focused on them and sensed surprisingly little going on in their heads. She balled her hands into fists and resisted the urge to do something destructive but ultimately futile.
"There's not enough of them left to hear you," she said.
"Still an unnecessary risk," he said. He stepped around them and picked up a bright green backpack. It had been rummaged through but it only took him one glance at the contents to seem satisfied. He shrugged it over his shoulder.
"Where's Karim?" she asked.
"The Muggle? I took care of him," Jochen said.
"What did you do?" Gina asked, letting the magic flare off of her. The German's poker face was too good for her to tell if was concerned at all. Instead he walked away from her and conjured a small glass vial. He moved to the corpse and cut open the arm with a quick hex and filled the vial.
"Sent him home," Jochen shrugged.
"If you hurt him," Gina started but the other man merely laughed.
"What kind of monster do you think I am? I merely sent him home with a slightly modified memory and enough cash in his pocket to assume his client was satisfied. Perhaps I'll put in a request to help fund his Himalayan dreams if the investigation is successful. It's the least we can do." He said as he turned back to face her. He cast a preservation spell on the vial. One she knew Healers often used when studying magic and blood. He pocketed the vial.
"You used me as bait," she said.
"I did. I apologize for that but when I approached alone the aura got the better of me. I assumed if he focused on you I'd be more free to work. I'm not overly thrilled with your methods here. But given the circumstances it's easy enough to write off as self-defense," Jochen said.
"Who are you?" Gina asked again, narrowing her eyes as she glared at him.
"I work with the German ministry," he said. He walked past her and moved to exit the building, gesturing for her to follow him. "I suspect we're here for similar reasons. Now come. There's someone I want you to meet."
Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing, I do appreciate all of the feedback and support that I receive. If you wish to support me further I can be found on PAT RE ON at TE7 writes. The next two chapters of CTS + the first chapter of my next Harry/Daphne fic are already live over there.
Thanks again!