Luno and James looked at the map wall in Luno’s study. Luno ran his fingers over the painting.
“Six temptresses that I’ve been forced to look at since my arrival yet have never been able to reach. No man who has come to this place has set foot on one of the six islands that sit just offshore. We are surrounded by water, yet we are so cursed that we cannot cross even the narrowest channel. One in particular has always drawn my attention.”
He ran his hand over the island drawn on the far southeast corner of the map. The far sides of the satellite islands were incomplete, left blank until Luno could map them properly. He hoped today things would change.
“And what of the Ammoncourt map?” James asked.
For a moment Luno grinned, then his grin changed to a look of frustration. He turned away from the map wall and walked to the table behind him. He carefully moved the nest of scrolls from the tabletop, save one. He unfurled the lone scroll, revealing the map of a small town. There was a main street with structures lining both sides. Each of the buildings had names. The names were not typical of a town and lent no description as to their function. James saw the names “Marcus,” “John,” and “Thomas” beside the three southernmost buildings. He’d guessed the names were the occupants. Luno sighed.
“I fail to understand its relevance. It appears to be a small town like any other. The names assigned to the buildings are a bit odd, but apart from that, I see no significance. It must have been important, or I don’t believe Ammoncourt would have created it and kept it hidden. And then there is this,” Luno said pointing at the drawing in the far corner of the scroll. The intricate maze was smudged from the numerous times Luno had run his finger over it.
“It’s some sort of labyrinth, There’s a way in, but no way out.” Luno stepped back from the table and looked up at James, who was staring intently at the labyrinth. He felt the call of the black castle. It became stronger the longer he studied the circular maze.
“Now that we have it from that bloody bookcase, I’m not sure what to do with it. I hope in time, its use will present itself.” Luno put his hands on James’s shoulders. “Let us not lose focus, my boy. Today is a big day.”
James snapped out of his trance. “Help me again understand why you believe I have the ability to cross the water when all others cannot.”
Luno’s eyes darted back and forth for a moment then settled themselves once more.
“I’ll have you know, I am not a strong swimmer,” James said.
“You are not swimming across, my boy. You are sailing.”
James did not look the least bit reassured.
“The island has not let anyone cross its waters and reach any of the six satellites. Many have died trying, and those who did not die were thrust back onto the island like a fish on a dock. You told me upon your arrival that you entered the ocean feeling its healing powers. You have entered and not been cast out. And that is once more than any man or woman who has ever been banished. You, my boy, are meant to travel over the water. We’ve gone over the rudimentary seamanship skills you’ll need, and I believe you are ready,” said Luno.
Luno’s experiment made James nervous. Despite his growing fondness of the man, James found it quickly apparent that he was quite mad. The pair made their way down the pier where the men had been laboring on the boat since his arrival. It hovered over the water, held by large ropes strung through davits that allowed it to sway gently in the breeze. The dark purple shore birds, which at first made James more than a bit uncomfortable because of their size and lack of feathers, hovered overhead in hopes of procuring an afternoon meal.
The ship itself was no longer than twenty-five feet. It was beautifully crafted by William and Roger, both shipbuilders in their former lives. The pair stood with proud expressions on their faces as James and Luno approached.
“Absolutely magnificent,” Luno said, running his hand across the smooth wooden hull.
“Zee’s perfect in every way,” William said in his thick French accent. “Best wood I ever verked vit.”
“And the sail?” Luno asked.
“That were a bit more tricky, yet we managed just t‘ same. We didn’t want any seams in ’er so we skin’d a croc monster. Big feller, too,” Roger replied.
“Your sure zis vill verk, no?” William said, looking nervously at Luno. He and Roger had spent the better part of the last year constructing the little ship, and based on past experiences, it was about to be destroyed.
“Only one way to find out, isn’t there, my boy?” Luno said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Lets lower her into the water, shall we?”
Each man doubled up on one of the two ropes strung through the wooden davits that rose above their heads. The ship soundlessly entered the water jostling side to side until it found its equilibrium. William and Roger looked nervously at the ship like parents seeing their child off to school for the first time.
James knew if he didn’t act quickly that fear and doubt would prevent him from acting at all. He descended the small wooden ladder and stepped into the ship. He noticed it did not give even an inch under his weight as he boarded. He glanced up at Luno, who nodded reassuringly. James quickly untied the ropes they’d used to lower the ship into the water. He grasped a third line and tossed it up to William. James took his position behind the wheel as the three men began to pull the rope along the pier. Slowly, it began to move. It took but a moment before the bow passed the last pylon. James noticed a crowd had gathered to witness this epic event. Once the stern cleared the pier, James began pulling the lines and raising the sail.
The water was calm and the wind negligible. By the time the sail was up and secured, he’d come to a dead stop. He could hear the voices from the crowd behind him on the pier before he quieted his mind. Luno had gone over the wind incantation with James until he had finally gotten it. The language of the land was a mystery to all the residents except for three words, which had been found written on a piece of dry hide along the northern coast. Even after the hide was discovered, it took years of experimentation to discern the correct pronunciation and function of each word.
After much patience, two of the three words could be used in an incantation. The third simply swirled water as if it were being mixed with a spoon. Even now, after all his practice, he found himself ready to use the words he would have back home. He thought of the island, The Never. Alive and aware.
He extended his hand and said, “ Poikelo.” Immediately the sail filled with air. He grasped the wheel, turning the ship to the east. The plan was to head east inside the harbor until reaching the leg of the eastern horseshoe. He would then come about and return to the pier. As the ship picked up speed, his apprehension began to dissipate.
James was amazed at how quietly the ship moved across the water. He could hear faint cheering from the pier, but he didn’t take his eyes off his destination, the distant cliffs on the eastern shore. The water beneath him was more green than blue and visibility, as always, was limited to only a few inches below the surface. He extended his hand and repeated the word “ poikelo,” and was nearly thrown from the boat as it lurched forward at amazing speed. He righted himself and grasped the wheel, relieved that the ship hadn’t gone off course. He was so close to the shore that running aground was a very real concern.
Just as he was about to slow his progress he began to feel a sense of euphoria. The wind in his hair and the smell of the sea reminded him of his childhood. His father had taken him on several sea voyages when he was younger. They were among his fondest memories. James only discovered later that they were actually fleeing their pursuers. This made the adventures all the more special because his father had gone to such great lengths to make James believe they were going on holiday.
The ship drew closer and closer to the eastern cliffs, and James began to make the turn back toward the pier. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure standing on the cliffs waving its arms. Despite not being able to make out her face, he knew it was Kilani. He smiled, and his heart warmed. Once he had lined the bow up with the distant side of the western harbor, he looked back over his shoulder. She was gone. Slightly disheartened, James focused on keeping the ship on the proper heading and marveled at how infatuation could have such an immediate impact over his moods.
Off to his left, he saw movement. At first he thought it was one of the purple seabirds. As the object began to move past, actually overtaking the speeding ship, James realized it was Kilani soaring by on her glider. She moved parallel to the ship’s path just over the beach. James smiled. She let out a yell as she passed and continued down the beach toward the pier.
“ Poikelo,” James said, asking the wind to push harder against the sails, and the wind acquiesced, helping him quickly bridge the gap and then finally pull ahead of Kilani. James let out a yell as he passed. Because nobody knew the antithesis to the wind command, the only way to slow the speeding boat was to drop sail. James released the halyard, allowing the sail to fall over the boom as the gust of wind blew past and out to sea. The ship’s speed decreased as he approached the pier. It looked as if every resident of Harbor Town crowded the dock. Some cheered, and all smiled.
James realized that his brief journey across the harbor had given these people something they hadn’t felt in years: hope. He knew what Luno had expected of him. The pressure of living up to someone else’s expectations wasn’t foreign to James. His entire life people had expected him to be special. As he grew older and understood what exactly that meant, it began to eat away at him. Some days, his overwhelming desire to be normal consumed his every thought. Eventually, he realized all the sacrifices people had made. More than a few had given their lives, and he was determined not to turn his back on their memories. He pushed away his anxieties and insecurities and continued.
James eased the ship to the pier. William and Roger were there to toss him the mooring lines. Both were smiling. He could hear Luno barking at everyone to back away from the ladder. When James stepped onto the pier, the crowd erupted into cheers. Smiling, he tried to find Kilani’s face among the crowd, but he didn’t see her. Luno put his arm around James and quickly escorted him down the pier to his house.
The pair stood, once again, in front of the map wall. Luno paced in front of it excitedly. James watched and waited.
“Well, my boy, it looks as though a new adventure begins today. Finally, I will complete my map and hopefully we will unlock some of the island’s secrets in the process. I think our first destination is obvious,” Luno said, pointing to the three small islands off the northeastern part of the main island. “The three widows.”
“We?” James asked.
“Well of course, we. You didn’t expect me to let you do this all on your own, did you?”
James looked at Luno as a parent might after his child had proposed something utterly ridiculous.
“My boy, we cannot spend our lives in a state of inaction simply because there is risk involved in action. Where would we be then? Besides, I have a plan, a theory, as it were. We shall test it before we embark on our voyage. Now stop interrupting me and let us continue plotting our journey.”
“Once we’ve visited the Three Widows, I think our next stop should be the Severed Heart.” Luno now pointed to a large landmass off the northwest coast of island. “After that, we will move south along the coast and around the cape to Prey Island.” He pointed to the island that lay inside South Harbor. “Then to the Resting Man,” he said, pointing to the smaller island just to the east of Prey Island. “Then… then, we have a go at the black castle,” he said, with a smile on his face.
“Kilani has procured everything we need. Now it is simply a matter of testing my theory and setting your ever-cautious mind at ease.
James sat in a small rowboat barely wider than his shoulders. He looked up nervously as Luno descended the ladder. Cautiously, Luno stepped inside the boat as James hugged the closest pylon for stabilization. Luno quickly sat, giving James a “told you so” smile as the tiny boat found its equilibrium. Luno tossed off the mooring line and gave James a nod. Both men were glad they had decided to wait until the crowds had dissipated before setting out.
James pushed off and began to row. With each stroke, he became more and more nervous. Luno sat facing him with a relaxed expression. James thought he could hear him humming a quiet tune.
The boat lurched violently in the water. James quickly lifted the oars and looked behind him to see what they had hit. He saw only a few bubbles just off the bow. He looked back at Luno who nodded at him. Slowly, James dipped the oars into the water and pulled. Less than a minute later the small boat lurched again. This time James saw something breech the water just off the starboard side. Its skin was grey and sparkled in the sun like nothing James had ever seen. He only caught a glimpse before it disappeared beneath the surface.
“Something is beneath us,” James said.
“Continue,” Luno said sternly. “If it hits us again, do not stop rowing.”
“Do you know what it is?” James asked.
“I have my suspicions.”
“Care to share?”
“Be silent, boy, and row the bloody boat! Our destination is not far, and if I am correct, we have nothing to fear.”
James, once again, nervously dipped the oars into the water and began to pull. After a moment, he looked over his shoulder to make sure they were on course. He could see the large boulder Luno had spoken of, which marked the entrance to the cave beneath the cliffs on the western side of the harbor. He increased his pace.
Off the stern of the boat, behind Luno’s left shoulder, James saw a rapidly expanding circle of bubbles on the surface. Luno could tell by the expression on James’s face that something was happening behind. He turned slowly. Instinctively, James raised the oars from the water as the green bubbles off the stern came to a boil. The area covered by this boiling disturbance on the surface rapidly grew until it was three times the size of the small boat.
James started to speak, but Luno quickly raised a silencing hand. Without warning, the bubbles ceased. Luno slowly turned his head and looked at James. Luno’s dumfounded expression concerned James. Both men sat for several moments in silence. Finally, Luno nodded and James dipped the oars into the water and gave them a pull. The boat did not respond. He repeated the motion with the same result.
“Have we run aground?” James asked.
“No,” Luno said, inspecting the water on each side of the boat.
The boat trembled. Something broke the surface of the water on the port side. Initially it appeared to be the tentacle of a giant sea creature, however it slowly began to separate from itself, unwinding like a piece of rope. First there were a dozen small tendrils pulling away from the main body of the tentacle. Then hundreds. Then in seconds the body had been replaced with thousands of grey tendrils. They rose above the boat then arched down above James. He quickly reached for the knife in his belt.
“No,” Luno commanded. “Do nothing.”
James lowered his hands as the tendrils approached. He could feel an energy from them, almost as if they carried an electric current. They stopped just above his head. James looked up and saw that they had begun to swirl around him. They continued to circle his body, a whirlpool of sensory extensions, until James found himself completely encapsulated by them. Not one of the tendrils actually made contact with James. The center mass, just above his head began to glow red. Bolts of what appeared to be lightning reached out from the source of the red glow. James felt no fear. He raised his arms and the tendrils immediately changed their swirling course to avoid contacting him. James then greeted the creature silently. To his surprise, the creature replied, “As it was foretold, so it has come to pass. Thou art granted that which has been denied all others.”
As quickly as they came, the tendrils retracted and disappeared into the water without so much as a splash. Luno stared wide-eyed at James.
“Do you know what that was?” James asked, lowering his arms.
“It is a guardian of The Never,” Luno replied.
“Have you seen one before?”
“No, I have only heard of them. Tell me boy, what happened to you?”
“I’m not sure. I felt energy. Then it began to glow blood red. Then… it spoke to me.”
“Spoke? I heard nothing. What did it say?”
“I could hear it inside my head.”
“For the love of Okon, what did it say?”
James told him, and Luno stared off into the distance, deep in thought. A smile crept across his face. “I was right. You are the one who will get us off this rock.”
“I thought you already knew this.”
“I was quite certain, but nothing is ever for sure.”
“Quite certain? You risked my life on a hunch?” James said, indignantly.
“My boy, I am a clever man, far cleverer than most folks you’ll ever meet. My ‘hunch’ as you so aptly put it, is as good as the certainty of a normal man. In the end, I was right and that is all you need dwell upon. Now, let us make our way to the cave without fear.”
Without another word, James once again began rowing the little boat toward the large boulder that marked the entrance to the cave. As they approached, the waves increased in power and ferocity. It took all of James’s strength to make it through the entrance of the cave without being thrust against the rocks.
Once inside, the water immediately calmed. The entrance, which was barely wide enough to fit the small boat, opened into a large cavern. Light spilled in from several holes in the ceiling of the cave. Vines hung from the holes like green curtains. The blue water lapped gently against the sandy shore. The water was so clear that James could see that the large, smooth stones grew smaller as they neared the shore, until they themselves were “nothing but grains of sand.
The boat ran aground in the sand, and Luno quickly hopped out. James was hesitant to follow.
“Rule number one, my boy. No rules, especially the rules that govern this bloody place, are finite. Now get out of the boat and help me drag it ashore.”
Cautiously, James stepped into the water. He and Luno grasped the bowline and pulled the boat onto the sand. Once the boat cleared the water, Luno released the rope and began walking further into the cave.
“Aren’t you worried about the tide?” James asked.
“No tide in here, my boy,” Luno replied without looking back.
James shrugged, released the rope and hurried after Luno. The sandy beach stretched deep into the cave. The walls of the cave were dry and looked to be made of rough granite. The white grains of sand beneath their feet were flawless and uninterrupted by shells or debris. James could not see any tracks other than those Luno left in his wake.
“I suppose you are wondering why I have risked both our lives to bring you here before our journey and why I insisted on not telling you until now,” Luno said, continuing to walk deeper into the cave.
“If you’ve taught me anything, Master, it is that no amount of prying will convince you to share information with me until you are ready. The answer to your question is yes, I have been wondering why we are here, but I am willing to wait until you are ready to tell me. I am confident that you will when the time is right.”
Luno stopped and turned toward James, having reached the back wall of the cave.
“If that guardian knew what we were doing here, it would have killed both of us instantly. Now, step up to the wall.”
James did as he was commanded and remained silent.
“Open your hands,” Luno said.
James turned over his hands and raised them as if accepting a gift. Luno moved his hands over James’s. After a moment, James’s hands began to glow an amber color. James held steadfast despite the rapidly chilling sensation.
Luno fished out a small silver medallion from the pocket of his satchel and placed it in the space between James’s hands. The medallion hovered in the air. As the amber glow slowly turned pink, the chill was replaced with warmth.
“Close your hands around the medallion,” Luno said.
“Master, are you sure-”
“Close your hands around the medallion,” Luno repeated beginning to lose patience.
James turned his palms toward each other and slowly moved them over the medallion. As they drew closer, he could feel an energy radiating from the medallion. He tried to enclose it in his hands, but an invisible barrier blocked him. James ran his hands around this barrier searching for a weakness in the energy field. It appeared to be completely encapsulated.
“Now, cast it at the wall,” Luno said.
James tossed it as he would a ball to a child. The medallion arched upward before contacting the wall. It stuck flat against the wall. Immediately pink veins extended out from the medallion in all directions until they formed what looked like a doorway.
“Only you can open this door, James. Command it to open in native tongue,” Luno said, obviously pleased with how things were going.
“ Voriko,” James said. Nothing happened.
“No, you must command it. Not ask it.”
“But you said-”
“Damn it, boy, a command requires no greeting spoken or unspoken. Tell her to open that door,” Luno said impatiently.
“ Voriko!” James said more emphatically, certain it would not work. The ground trembled beneath them as he barked the command, and James thought for sure The Never would bury them in this cave for such disrespect. The veins drawing the arched doorway turned a brilliant purple, forcing the pair to shield their eyes. When James dared look back the glowing veins were gone. There was now an opening in what had once been a solid-rock wall. James saw the medallion on the ground at the threshold of the door. He stooped to pick it up.
“No! Leave it. That cannot come inside,” Luno said, offering no other explanation.
Luno reached into his satchel and removed a thick piece of wood that was wrapped on one end with a cloth. The cloth smelled of petrol. He set the wood on the ground and stooped over it after removing two bright orange leaves, one from his satchel, the other tucked neatly under his belt. He brought the leaves together just over the wood. Immediately the leaves burst into flames, igniting Luno’s torch. He lifted the torch and stood by the entryway giving James a wry smile. Without a word, Luno stepped through the doorway, and James followed.
The corridor they traveled was not the roughly cut rock of a natural cave but smooth, meticulously hewn granite, perfect in every detail. James could see images carved into the walls, but Luno was moving too quickly for him to inspect them. The corridor was wide enough for four men to walk shoulder to shoulder. They did not travel far before Luno stopped and turned to James. “While I have never been inside, I know what awaits us. Clear your mind, James. Look sharp, and prepare yourself.”
“What am I preparing myself for, Master?”
“Prepare for battle.”