The Oracle's Message

Spier smiled broadly. “Why, keeping up appearances, of course.”

Hans helped Annja get aboard. “Joachim knew the dive master would be raising a commotion this morning. And if it looked like Dr. Tiko had given in too easily, then he might lose his job. So they acted out a little melodrama for the sake of the other staff workers.”

Annja laughed despite herself. “All of this just for me? You guys are making me feel a little more important than I think is warranted.” Still, she was pleased by the fact they valued her participation so much.

“I consider it money well spent,” Spier said, climbing aboard behind her. “Dr. Tiko is a good man, and a good doctor. It’s always wise to keep such people on friendly terms. One never knows when they’ll prove especially useful given the right situation.”

Mueller was the last man aboard, releasing the ropes that held the sloop to the dock. Heinkel gunned the engine and they reversed and then shot out toward the bay.

The early sun felt hot on Annja’s skin, but the cool splashes of water kept her from sweating too much. The sloop, designed for fast movement, seemed to jump the waves as they zipped away from Club Noah toward the area where Annja had been diving the day before.

“I wonder if we’ll see more tiger sharks,” she said aloud.

Hans looked at her. “If we do, we’ll be sure to point them in your direction since you seem so adept at killing them.”

Annja frowned. “I didn’t want to kill it, but it left me no alternative.”

“We’re not judging you, Annja,” Spier said. “I think we’re all quite a bit in awe of you actually. It’s not every day that you meet a woman who is able to kill a fourteen-foot tiger shark.”

“I suppose not,” Annja said. Good thing they don’t know what I used to kill the damned thing, she thought.

They made good time, and within twenty minutes they’d arrived at more or less the same location as the day before. Gottlieb got them all squared away with gear, and Hans helped Annja into her rig. She tested the regulator, found she had good oxygen flow and then prepared her mask.

Spier spoke quietly in German to his team, who had huddled a bit closer to one another, effectively meaning Annja couldn’t hear them.

“Excuse me?”

Spier glanced at her. “Forgive me, Annja. I don’t mean to exclude you.”

“Secrets, Joachim?”

“Hardly,” Spier said. “We always have a small prayer before we go diving. It’s nothing secretive at all, just more of a personal tradition that we enjoy doing. We like to think it keeps us safe.”

“Has it so far?”

Spier nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, then, that’s a good thing,” Annja said. She glanced at Hans. “Maybe I could have used something like that yesterday, huh?”

Hans grinned. “I don’t think you needed any prayers, Annja. You seemed quite capable on your own without divine intervention.”

“I needed you guys, though.”

Hans shrugged. “We were just passing through. Anyone else in the same situation would have done the same thing.”

“You’re being modest.”

Spier cleared his throat. “I hate to break up this little gathering, but we’re wasting time. I don’t want to lose the day. The weather report says we could get some rain this afternoon, which means our window for proper exploration is a small one.”

“Sorry,” Annja said. “You’re right. We should get going.”

Spier nodded. “If you get into trouble, look for Hans. He’ll be close by your side today.”

Well, that’s not a bad thing at all, Annja thought. She glanced at Hans, who gave her the thumbs-up and a smile around his mouthpiece before falling backward over the side of the sloop.

Annja heard the splashes as, one by one, the team dropped over the side of the boat and vanished into the sea below.

She took one final look around.

Here we go again, she thought.

She dropped back into the ocean.

8

Annja felt the bright blue waters of the sea envelop her once again as she turned over and got her bearing. She saw Spier and the rest of his team ahead of her, but off to her right side floated Hans, watching her protectively.

She gave him the thumbs-up sign and he nodded, pointed and they descended together.

A world of bubbles rose from the team as they dove deeper toward the coral reef. Annja found that she had a small feeling of uneasiness in her stomach, but quickly decided it was due to her fear that there might be another tiger shark lingering in the area.

She needn’t have worried. She could already see that the activity around the reef was far greater than it had been yesterday. She spotted a few blacktip sharks meandering around the reef, snatching up smaller fish when the opportunities presented themselves.

Hans eyed her as she looked at the sharks, but unlike yesterday, they were only six-footers. Hardly the massive size of the tiger shark. And while they’d need to be mindful, she knew that the blacktips posed little threat.

Still, she glanced down and reassured herself that she’d replaced the diving knife she’d lost yesterday. The new knife sat snug in its sheath alongside her right calf.

All of the other divers were similarly outfitted. And unlike yesterday, being in a group gave everyone a much better level of protection.

Why did I go diving by myself yesterday? she wondered. It was really reckless of me.

Hans pointed ahead at the coral reef and Annja saw a moray eel poking its head out of the crevice in the formation. She nodded back at Hans and they continued on.

Spier seemed only marginally interested in the reef life itself. He never paused and Annja could see the strength of his leg muscles as they slowly powered him deeper into the depths. For an eighty-year-old man, Spier had remarkable strength and he seemed to have an endless supply of it.

Annja might have wondered what his diet was if she hadn’t seen him devour a ton of fish, beef and pork last night. He seemed to eat whatever he pleased and not suffer for it. But then again, he was also extremely active for his age. Maybe his metabolism had something to do with his extraordinary health.

Spier led them along, past the part of the coral reef where she’d met the shark. Annja was surprised. I thought we’d start with exploring this part of the reef, she thought.

She glanced at Hans, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Annja poked him and he turned. Annja gave him an inquisitive look but he only winked and then pointed for Annja to follow Spier’s lead.

What was going on here?

Annja kicked her legs, pleased that her head hadn’t started aching once she’d descended. The last thing she wanted was to prove Dr. Tiko right by coming back ashore with a worse headache than how she’d shown up yesterday.

But she felt good. Powerful.