Sound and vision synchronously returned as James opened his eyes. He was alive. In his waning moments of consciousness, he’d thought, not for the first time since his arrival, that he was dying. He’d felt as if he was burning from the inside out. There was a blurred face above him. Kilani reached behind his neck and sat him up. He breathed deeply and energy flowed back into his body and the strength he’d felt as they climbed the mountain returned. Everything came into focus, and he stood. Kilani turned, expecting him to follow.
“Wait,” he said.
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“I have so many questions.”
“Soon,” she replied.
She smiled faintly, turned, and headed back toward the top of the rope ladder behind them.
It was light enough to see yet the sun had long since set, and there appeared to be no other source of light. The sky was dark blue rather than the black of night, and James could see the shadow of the mountain on the land below.
Kilani returned with the bundle of cloth and rope that had been lying by the top of the rope ladder. She unraveled the bundle and handed James two rope ends.
“What is your name, boy?”
“James.”
Kilani hesitated a moment, giving James the impression she knew something.
“Very well, James. Trust in your newfound strength for I’ve never seen its equal in one so new to this place. Follow me.”
Holding two ends of rope in her hand, she stepped to the edge. He moved beside her dragging the canvas in a U-shape between them.
“We go together.”
He nodded. James crouched, mimicking Kilani. She let out a yell and jumped from the edge. Before his brain could react to the madness his legs flung his body forward off the edge of the mountain. For several seconds, James was certain they would fall to their deaths. Then his rope, which he had a white-knuckled grip on, grew taut. He looked up and saw that the fabric had billowed over their heads. Their descent slowed, but only for several seconds as he and Kilani drifted together.
She looked him calmly in the eyes and whispered into his ear, “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Let go.”
James let go without hesitation. He had put his life in her hands more times in the past day than he cared to remember. The ropes shot from his grip and together they fell in an embrace. Her long body pulled him in tightly as they approached the ground. Beneath them James could see the lake. He tried to ready himself for what could only be a violent impact. He felt neither water nor land nor even a jolt as they came to a stop. Kilani relaxed her grip and James stood on the soggy ground. They were surrounded by darkness.
“Swim as fast as you can to the surface and make your way to the shore. Don’t wait for me. Once you reach the shore make for the large boulders.”
Before he could question her instructions, a deluge of water collapsed on his head, knocking him to the ground and tumbling him head over heels. Disoriented and blind, he fought to right himself. Oddly, James felt no desire to breathe. When the swell of the water subsided and the water calmed, he began to swim. The swimming came as easily to him as running through the forest.
A giant pale moon illuminated the land in white light as he broke the surface. He quickly scanned his surroundings to see where the closest shore lay. James noticed several waves rolling toward him. A foreboding feeling overtook him as he watched the waves draw near. Immediately he knew that something was approaching beneath the water. They drew closer at an alarming rate. He turned and swam with all his strength to the opposite shore, fighting his desire to look back. James felt his legs touch the ground, and after several more strokes he was able to stand. Only then did he look back over his shoulder. Out of the three waves broke the heads of three reptilian creatures. Together they lunged. James felt their hot breath as he jumped clear of their snapping jaws.
James landed softly on the shore and desperately searched for the boulders Kilani had spoken of, but he could only see jungle lining the pebbled lakeside. Again the beasts attacked with three powerful, coordinated lunges. They resembled crocodiles except their snouts were shorter and their legs were longer, making them much more maneuverable. James leapt high, clearing one of the creatures entirely. As he sailed over the attacker, he also noticed odd-shaped folds of layered skin along its back.
Not hesitating, he ran along the shore away from the monsters. Expecting to have left them far behind, when James turned moments later he was terrified to see they were gaining ground on him. They moved like cats in full stride, and James knew it would only be a matter of seconds before they were on him. He darted into the jungle and scrambled up the first large tree he came upon. Once he reached the canopy, James found a branch and sat waiting for his pursuers. He could see one still on the beach. It was pacing at the spot where he had entered the jungle.
The other two slowly moved into view beneath him. Their long tongues licked the ground. As they reached the foot of the tree, the larger of the two let out a guttural cough. The second began to climb. Its massive claws easily penetrated the tree bark. Without thinking, he ran across the branch and leapt, reaching for a branch on a neighboring tree. He caught it easily and pulled himself up onto it.
The creature jumped to the tree beside it, which swayed slightly under its weight as it continued to ascend. When close enough, it lunged, biting at the branch beneath James’s feet. Its crushing jaws snapped through the branch as James jumped to another tree. The creature followed, this time hurtling its entire body at James. It crashed through the smaller branches and hit the trunk headfirst. James let himself fall to a lower branch to avoid the collision. The creature fell, yet was able to orient itself and dig its claws into the trunk of another tree before hitting the ground.
James leapt again and quickly made his way to the opposite side of the tree before the creature could track him. He looked down and saw the second creature looking up at him. Again it let out a guttural cough. Almost instantly he felt the other creature’s weight hit his tree. He ran again, jumping from tree to tree searching for anything he could use to escape or gain the upper hand.
James worked his way up higher into the canopy of the larger trees. He climbed up the trunk of a massive tree that stretched double the height of the surrounding jungle. He could see the lake in the distance. The pale moonlight penetrated even the dense canopy and lit the landscape as far as James could see. A large clearing littered with boulders sat off to his left. Looking down, James saw the beast making its way toward him. James moved to the opposite side of the trunk and relaxed his grip, allowing himself to fall. As he reached the lower canopy he grasped for a branch. It broke under his weight sending him spinning toward the ground. Unable to get oriented, he flailed, grasping for anything within arm’s length. After breaking through several more branches, he was able to seize a handhold.
James looked to the ground for the second creature. For the first time since the pursuit began he couldn’t see it. James jumped quickly to a neighboring tree and made his way toward the clearing he’d spotted, moving from tree to tree. Behind him he heard the crashing of his less agile pursuer. As he continued, he realized where the second monster had gone. It was waiting for him at the base of the tree by the clearing. It coughed. James heard a reply cough and then a second. The third creature from the beach had come inland.
James saw the creature as it paused in the tree across from his. It knew he was trapped and wasn’t rushing its final attack. James spotted movement in his periphery. Slowly turning his head, he noticed the third creature in a neighboring tree. From the ground came a howl, as if the giant beast were in pain. James saw Kilani standing in the clearing facing the creature. It snarled angrily. She walked closer. The other two creatures scurried down their trees and took up position beside the third. All of them roared and howled in frustration but they did not move to attack. Kilani didn’t flinch or slow as she stepped within arm’s length. When they quieted, she spoke. “Jump into the clearing,” she said.
“Awfully long drop, don’t you agree?” James replied nervously. “Do not hesitate. Do not doubt. Know your strength, and you will live.”
For an instant her words reminded him of Akil. He jumped and sailed through the air over Kilani’s head and landed lightly in the grassy field. The three beasts howled and bayed but not one set foot into the clearing.
James laughed with relief. “What is this place?” he asked.
“It is enchanted. Only men can pass into the clearing,” she replied.
She turned and began walking toward the boulders in the center of the clearing. James followed.
“Will they wait for us?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Forever if they must.”
“What will we do?”
“There is another way.”
As they reached the first large boulder, James noticed a worn path wrapping around it. Kilani followed the path, which twisted and turned between and around boulders until it deadended at a shoulder-width crack. The pair passed through. The passageway opened onto a circular clearing encompassed by narrow, vertical stones. Several simple structures stood around the perimeter. A fire pit and what looked like a well stood in the center.
“Is this your home?” James asked.
“No, it is only a refuge. This is the only safe area within a day’s run of the lake so travelers stay here when moving about.”
“So we aren’t alone in this place… on this island?”
“No. Far from it.”
“How many others?”
“You are the sixty-first person I’ve met.”
“Where are the others? Where does everyone live?”
“There are several villages spread around the island. Many live in the villages. Others choose to live in solitude.”
“Where is your home?”
“My village is called Harbor Town. It sits in North Cove.” Kilani stepped inside one of the small huts and retrieved the carcass of an animal that resembled a small deer. In her other hand was a bundle of dry wood. She carried them both to the fire pit.
“We must eat.”
“I don’t feel hungry,” James replied.
“If you don’t eat regularly your strength will wane rapidly.”
“Do you always keep food here? How did you know you were coming back so soon? The thing looks fresh.”
“It is fresh.”
“You mean you just killed it?” he asked incredulously. “I did.”
“While I was out there with those… what are those things?”
“We call them demon crocs, and, yes, after I got out of the lake I gathered firewood and hunted.”
“How did you-we-survive that fall?”
“I have felt the sun’s strengthening rays atop Mt. Misery more times than I can remember. With each visit, I become stronger.”
“How?”
“There are more mysteries in The Never than even its eldest inhabitants could begin to understand. Do yourself a favor and allow them to remain what they are-mysteries. I have seen men drive themselves mad trying to decipher the wonders of this place.”
“So it’s true. I am in The Never.”
“We are.”
“We are,” he repeated.