Free Don't Label Me! by Arwen Jayne

Sakla made his
decision.
    “ Do it.” Sakla spun on his heels and
stomped out, back to the security of his office.”
    “ I'll see to it personally.” Polemarch
whispered behind his boss's receding back. In fact he'd make damn
sure that the site became his own personal bunker and base of
operations, from which to start divesting Sakla of his global
empire. Now he just needed to work out which of the Din infected
souls in the organization he trusted enough to offer the Goddess's
mercy and take them with him.

    7 Boswell
     
    George finally found Simon in the most
likely place, the kitchen working with a mortar and pestle. “Mixing
herbs?”
    “ I’m not much into commercial curry
mixes. They put cayenne pepper in them. The stuff adds bite to be
sure but it can also damages human cells and make people inclined
to anger.”
    “ Hot under the collar.”
    “ Yes exactly. Chillies are from South
America. They weren’t part of the original ancient Indian Sattvic
cuisine. Not that I’m a purist but I think really hot peppers are
best used for external purposes, neuralgia and the like, unless you
desperately need a herb to thin the blood. Anything that causes
contact blisters, like the fresh juice of cayenne peppers can do
isn’t meant for human consumption. Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon,
cloves, cumin, cardamom, coriander seeds, black pepper, fennel and
caraway seeds were the spices commonly used in the ancient
recipes.”
    “ You don’t use much black pepper
either I’ve noticed.”
    “ It’s alright to help open up the
energy meridians but too much on its own tends to disturb the
mind’s clarity and peace.”
    “ If you’re immortal why worry about
what you eat?”
    “ It’s all energy on some level.
Everything has a vibrational quality. Like all Malakim I seek to
raise my vibrational frequency, to evolve ever closer to the
all-spirit.”
    Made sense to George but something nagged
him. “Then why did the Aztecs use hot chillies?”
    “ For the exact reason I avoid them.
They were cultivating an aggressive warrior culture that worshiped
blood and death. Even though we visited them and tried to teach
them to give offerings of flowers and fruit rather than human
sacrifice.”
    “ The legend of Quetzalcoatl. He gave
up in the end didn’t he?”
    “ The time wasn’t right. Black magic
sorcerers ruled them then. Their descendants still control the
organised crime gangs in Mexico city and beyond, the Din taking
their cut of the profit from their crimes.”
    “ What’s the difference between Aztec
human sacrifice and the sacrifices that have been made to free
Thex’s team?”
    Simon glared. “There’s a rather big
difference between risking your life, as an offering, to save
someone you love to the wholesale mass murder of the unwilling. And
you’ll note that all those who offered their hearts blood to save
the Malakim are still alive.”
    George didn’t like that he might have
offended his friend. Time to steer the subject to what he really
wanted to discuss. “Speaking of saving Malakim...”
    Simon nodded to a map at the end of the
kitchen bench. “I’m not offended George. It was a reasonable
question. Take that map to Doc, he’ll know where to go. I’ve marked
the spot.”
    George unfolded the map and smiled when he
spied the highlighter marking ‘X’. But aren’t you coming?”
    “ I need to do my regular check on
Kaleem and Trian. You don’t need me. Take Melissa with you
though.”
    “ Melissa? Why? I doubt Rob will let
her out of her sight anyway and then there’s Adin.”
    “ You’ll need her, trust me. Rob’s
quite capable in the bush, even if he’s never seen a jungle. He’s
been learning even more bush skills off Sarah. As for Adin, it’s
time he visited with Crystal and Sky. Sally won’t mind.”
    “ Won’t Kit want to come if Doc’s
going?”
    “ Kit’s got her hands full for a few
days, giving some of the town’s kids a fuller understanding of
Asian history. I expect