by Nella Tyler
“Noah and Beni haven’t rounded Kona Peak yet,” he said. “Come on. We can sit on those rocks and wait for them.”
He guided her to the huge rocks and helped her climb up. He took off his backpack and they sat on a smooth boulder that protruded over the water. Ashlee leaned into his shoulder as she looked at the water.
“It’s so quiet and peaceful here. Where are the people?” she asked. “You would think that this place would be crawling with parasailers and hang gliders. The wind is perfect for it.”
“I think Kona Peak is farther out than most folks want to travel,” he said. “A lot of people want to stay closer to the center of town; especially tourists.”
“Well, I’m glad that I’m hanging out with a local who knows where all the hidden gems are,” she smiled.
“Glad to be of service … in more ways than one,” he murmured as he captured her mouth for another kiss.
Ashlee responded immediately. Kai was a wonderful kisser who took pleasure in pleasing her whether it was loving her or ordering her meal. His attentiveness was something she was not used to. But it felt so very good to be catered to. He was such a good guy and she was finding that she didn’t want to lose him. Could she be falling in love with him? Her heart fluttered at the thought.
“Look! There is Noah and Beni,” he said. He waved his arm at them.
Both Noah and Beni waved back. They landed their glider near Kai’s. After removing their harnesses, they ran to join Kai and Ashlee on the boulder.
“That was so fabulous. I could fly like that every day for the rest of my life,” Beni exuded.
“I know how you feel. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Ashlee agreed. “It’s too bad that Meggie didn’t come with us. She would have loved it.”
“Yeah. Maybe she’ll come next time,” Beni sighed as she laid back on the smooth surface of the rock. She turned her head to the side and saw something glinting from rocks. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” Ashlee asked distractedly.
“That.” Beni sat up and pointed to the bright shimmer nestled in a crevice between two boulders. She got up and moved to kneel before the gleaming area. Everyone followed her.
“It looks like a piece of metal,” Noah said. He tried to pull it away from the rocks.
“Be careful,” Beni advised anxiously.
Noah pulled gently until he had extricated it from the rocks.
“It’s a hand mirror,” Ashlee said in surprise.
“And it’s heavy” Noah said. He dusted dirt and debris from it with his hand.
The gold mirror was intricately crafted in twisting coils. He turned it over in his palm to see that it had an emblem of a key on it. The key was silver in coloring.
“It’s beautiful,” Beni said in awe.
“It seems old. The style speaks of an earlier time. Perhaps eighteenth century,” Ashlee mused.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing if the mirror really was of that time?” Beni asked.
“Yes. But it would raise the question of what was it doing here? Where did it come from?” Noah said.
“It appears to be very valuable. How and why would it end up on Kona Peak beach?” Kai said.
“We have another mystery,” Ashlee quipped.
“Or maybe the mirror is connected to the mystery we already have,” Noah suggested.
“The key on the mirror,” Beni exclaimed. “Could this key be a replica of the key that we are supposed to find on Shadow Island?”
“Is this another clue to compel us to the island?” Ashlee questioned.
“It seems so,” Beni concluded.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Maybe Drake and Meg will have some ideas about it. Let’s take it back and show it to them,” Kai said.
“We also should have it appraised,” Noah suggested.
“Good idea,” Kai agreed. “Let’s turn the gliders in and head back.”
Noah put the mirror in his backpack.
“Do you really think it is valuable?” Beni asked.
“We’ll soon find out. But I think it is,” Noah answered.
“I wonder who owned it,” Ashlee mused.
“Maybe a little research will answer that question and a lot more,” Kai responded.
They then climbed down the rocks and walked across the sand to collect their gliders.
*****
Meg sat on Drake’s balcony, reading the history about the Winds of Fire. She turned the page of the library book and gasped.
“What is it?” Drake stopped reading his documents to look at her.
“Look.” She moved to lay the book in his lap as she knelt beside his chair.
There in the center of the page was the drawing from the cave. Drake peered at the picture and read the tagline beneath it.
“Islanders raced from the city as fire engulfed the city,” he read aloud.
“Is it our mission to prevent this from happening again?” she asked softly. “Peleke said that we were meant to find the key and it would give us the answers that we seek. Is there going to be second Winds of Fire on the island? And how does it correlate to the key?”
“I don’t know, Meg. But I think the answers will come to us.”
“How can you be so sure? So far the only things that have come to us are more questions,” she grumbled.
“Because Peleke told us so. He might be mysterious, but so far he has not been wrong.”
“When he does stick around long enough to answer a question,” she grunted.
He chuckled.
“Patience is not one of your virtues.”
Her cell phone rang.
“Hey, Beni. What’s up?”
“Is this a good time for us to come up to see you?”
“Sure. We’re sitting on the balcony trying to figure out our mystery,” Meg said.
“Great! We have something to add to it. See you in a bit.”
“Wait! What are you—” Meg began, but Beni had hung up. Meg looked at the phone in consternation.
“What’s wrong?” Drake asked.
“That was Beni. She and the others want to come up. She said she had something to add to our search for answers.”
“Sounds interesting,” he said. He laid the book and documents on the side table and stood. “I’ll order some refreshments.” He went inside his suite.
Meg returned to her seat and pulled the heels of her feet onto the chair. Wrapping her arms about her knees, she pondered what Beni had to tell them. She could hear Drake on the phone placing a food order. He was so considerate. The difference between him and Doug was like black and white. There were no similarities between the two whatsoever, which was a good thing.
When Doug had broken up with her, she’d thought that she was destined to be alone. The rejection had caused her to lose all confidence in herself. But she had discovered that there was resilience in her that she hadn’t known existed. She had put Doug in the past where he belonged and that was all due to Drake. She smiled when she thought about what had happened that morning. She was glad that they had made love. And she looked forward to it happening again. She then heard a knock on the door and Drake moving to answer it. Everyone exchanged greetings and soon they were on the balcony greeting her.
“Hey, guys. How did your hang gliding go?” Meg asked cheerfully.
Ashlee ad Beni sat on the opposite couch while Kai and Noah sat in the adjacent wicker chairs.
“It was fabulous. I was flying like a bird,” Ashlee exclaimed.
“You have such a sense of freedom as you sail through the sky. You have to come with us next time, Meggie,” Beni insisted.
Meg grinned.
“I will. And so will Drake.” Her green eyes twinkled as she looked at Drake.
“I’m willing to try if you are. Although I must say my preference is to fly in a plane,” he grimaced.
“You’re not afraid, are you?” Ashlee asked in astonishment.
“Not afraid. Just reluctant,” he am
ended.
“You’ll change your mind once you’re coasting in the sky. There is no feeling like hovering mere feet above the water,” Kai said enthusiastically.
“I imagine not,” Drake said wryly. He moved to sit beside Meg on the couch.
Meg chuckled as she grasped his hand.
“What did you want to tell us?”
“More like show you,” Beni said. She looked at Noah who pulled the mirror from his backpack.
“We went to Kona Peak to hang glide and after we landed, we sat on the rocks. Beni found this lodged between some large boulders,” Noah said. He handed the mirror to Meg.
Meg took it gingerly.
“It’s a mirror. It’s lovely. It reminds me of a mirror that a woman in the eighteenth century would use,” she said thoughtfully.
“My theory exactly,” Ashlee agreed. “It’s not a modern mirror.”
Meg turned the mirror over and saw the emblem.
“A key! Is it the key that we’re to look for on Shadow Island?”
“She has the same questions that we,” Beni said.
“Great minds, etc., etc.,” Meg grinned. “But seriously, is this just something else to push us toward Shadow Island?”
“It’s a possibility. But who would know that we would be a Kona Peak to find it?” Noah asked. “No one knew we were going.”
“We had the mirror appraised,” Kai said.
“Really? It does look expensive,” Meg said. “What is its value?
“Approximately eighty thousand dollars,” Noah said.
“What!” Meg was astonished.
“My reaction as well,” Beni grinned.
“No way!” Meg exclaimed. “Are you sure?”
“That’s what the appraiser quoted. I’m taking it to another appraiser for a second opinion just to be sure,” Noah said.
“In the meantime, perhaps I should lock it up in my safe until we return from Shadow Island,” Kai suggested.
“Sounds prudent,” Drake said. “We have news as well.”
Meg went on to describe her encounter with Peleke then handed the history book to Ashlee.
“We found the picture of the drawing form the cave.”
Ashlee looked at the picture and read the caption beneath it.
“These people are racing from the Winds of Fire. And you think it will happen again,” Ashlee said somberly.
“The clues seem to suggest it,” Meg.
“But now we have the mirror. What role does it play inn all of this,” Drake questioned.
“We were hoping you would hazard a guess because we’re at a loss,” Noah sighed.
“I don’t know. But I do think that we will find some answers when we go to Shadow Island tomorrow,” Drake said. There was a knock on the door. “That must be room service with our food.” He got up to answer the door.
“All of this is so baffling,” Beni complained.
“We just have to believe that Peleke is right and we will figure it out,” Meg said wanly.
“Come on, gang. Let’s eat,” Drake called out.
They stood and moved into the suite. Good food and laughter took their minds off the coming day.
*****
Meg sat on the built-in couch on the lido deck of Kai’s yacht. She stared at the rushing water, lost in thought. Beni came to join her
“I’m glad Drake changed his mind about letting us come with you, even if we are to remain on the yacht,” Beni said.
Meg looked at her friend and smiled.
“I am too. I think it’s a perfect and prudent plan to have someone remain on the yacht. I feel better knowing that it’s not sitting unattended.”
“We’ve been talking about this moment for so long, and now it’s here. I’m excited, yet terribly nervous,” Beni said as she twisted her hands. “I’m not sure what to expect.”
“Neither am I. I can only pray that we survive this trip in one piece,” Meg said.
“You think there could be trouble?”
“Maybe. Shadow Island doesn’t have a reputation to be a fun and happy place.”
“My God! How did we become entwined in all of this?” Beni wailed.
“The mystery found us. And it seems determined that solve it,” Meg sighed. “Let’s hope this trip will have a happy ending.”
“How much longer before we get there?” Beni asked.
“It shouldn’t be too much longer. We’ve been sailing at high speed for almost three hours.”
Beni stood.
“I’ll go check with Noah.” She moved into the yacht and disappeared up the stairs.
Meg rested her arm on the back of the couch and placed her chin on it. She was worried every bit as much as Beni. But it would not have helped Beni to show it. She wondered if they would find what they were searching for.
The blue rock. The voice hadn’t given her any indication as to where they would find the rock. And what if they found it but the key wasn’t under it. Maybe someone else had beat them to it. But who else would be looking for it and why? She wasn’t even sure why they were seeking it. They had yet to put all of the pieces together. They had yet to have all of the pieces. She closed her eyes to feel the motion of the vessel. She loved the feel on the boat racing through the water. It was so calming and relaxing. Then she felt someone sit beside her.
“A quarter for your thoughts,” Drake murmured.
“I see you’ve increased your offer,” she replied without opening her eyes.
“I think it’s a good deal.” There was laughter in his voice.
She opened her eyes and slapped at his arm.
“Hardly,” she retorted.
He chuckled.
“Tell me anyway.”
“It’s the same old same old. I don’t want to rehash it anymore,” she sighed.
“We soon will have new information to decipher and dissect,” he smiled.
“Well, at least we will be making progress. New information will bring us closer to a resolution.”
“Or present us with more questions,” he countered.
“Just throw cold water on my hopes,” she chided.
He smiled and caressed her forearm gently.
“I’m not trying to spoil your party. But the possibility is there. We may come away from this place with more questions rather than answers,” he reasoned.
“I know. I just would rather hope for the best.”
He leaned forward to tilt her chin up.
“So would I, sweetheart.” His mouth then claimed hers.
Meg returned his kiss eagerly. It brought back the memory of their time together after her friends had left. They had made fierce, raging love that must have shaken the building. Drake was wild with lust which released her own inhibitions and she matched his every plunge with a feverish buck of her own. Their passion had started out against the wall near the balcony door. He pressed her against the wall and lifted her precious haven to meet his cock. She didn’t remember removing her shorts or panties as she couldn’t begin to say how he became naked. All she could do was feel the ripples of pleasure coursing through her with his every touch, kiss, and plunge. Before she knew it, they had spun out to the balcony. That caught her attention.
“Drake we can’t do this outside,” she panted.
“Why not? We’re high enough up that no one will see us.” He nuzzled her throat.
“Someone might.”
“If they do, they will wish they were us,” he growled.
He smothered her mouth in a starving kiss and she completely forgot her argument. She tightened her legs about his hips and gave herself up to the waves of pleasure that poured over her. The thought of someone seeing them seemed to heighten the experience and she reveled in it. Their ultimate climax was magical as they scaled the stars in the ascent to another world. They had collapsed on the couch in depleted of all energy. It had been hours later when Drake had picked her up and carried her to his bedroom.
“What are you grinning about?”
>
His question brought her back to the present.
Meg wouldn’t hedge or lie.
“I was just thinking about last night,” she said shyly.
A grin slowly creased his face.
“You were a wild thing.”
“So were you. But I liked every second of it,” she responded boldly.
He dipped his head in the crook of her neck.
“Just wait until I get you back to our suite tonight,” he whispered.
“I’m counting the minutes,” she returned.
He nipped her ear and she giggled. He pulled back.
“I better stopped before we put on another sexual exhibition right here on this yacht,” he sighed.
“Hmm! The things we could do on this couch,” she proposed.
“Stop it!”
She laughed.
“Look ahead. I think that’s Shadow Island,” he said.
She sat up straighter and across the ocean at a small piece of land.
“It looks so small.”
“It will grow bigger as we get closer,” he said.
The sleek, fast yacht made quick work of the remaining distance and soon Noah and Drake were mooring the boat at the dock.
“We’ll stay in constant contact by these hand radios,” Drake said to Noah.
“If things go left, get the hell out of there,” Noah said. “I’ll have the motor running.”
“We will,” Drake replied.
“Don’t waste too much time looking for that blue rock,” Beni advised.
“We’ll be careful, Beni. And we’ll be back before you can blink,” Meg smiled.
“Make sure you are,” Beni demanded.
Meg and Ashlee hugged Beni, then allowed Drake to help them off of the boat. Meg and Ashlee turned to wave to Beni and Noah one last time before they headed off into the jungle.
“I didn’t realize they would have to fight their way through a jungle,” Beni said worriedly.
“Most of Shadow Island is jungle. There’s a clearing about three miles inland that houses an old shack. But no one lives there as far as I know,” Noah said.
“Then the island is uninhabited.”
“It should be,” Noah replied.
“But you don’t know for a fact that it is.”
“No I don’t,” he said starkly.
Beni didn’t like the look on his face. He had been on edge all day, but when she asked he’d said he was fine. She had assumed it was the trip that was making him jumpy. It certainly wasn’t having a soothing effect on her. The sooner their friends came back, the better.
