Before the sun rose, James was awake. He had stowed all the gear they would need on the small boat. He was climbing down the rope ladder to board and make a trip alone when he heard someone stirring on deck. Kilani leaned her head over the side. The bright moon meant that even at this hour James didn’t need a light orb to see.
“In a hurry, are we?” asked Kilani.
“Anxious is a better word, I think,” replied James, settling into the stern of the canoe. “Care to come along?”
Kilani looked over her shoulder to see if anyone else was awake then quickly made her way down the ladder. James positioned the boat with his paddle so the bow seat was just beneath her feet. She stepped cautiously inside and sat. James handed her a paddle, and they began pulling at the water.
“I’m curious, James,” said Kilani.
“So I’ve learned,” he replied.
“I’m curious why you are paddling this boat when you have the knowledge to use probably a dozen incantations to get us where you want to go without all the work.”
“I shall satiate your curiosity by telling you this. Even when I was at home both my body and mind required some physical exertion to get going in the morning, which is why at the present moment, I am paddling us across the harbor.”
“So it’s got nothing to do with a fear of your newfound abilities?”
James couldn’t tell where Kilani was going with this line of questioning and decided to tread cautiously. Kilani never asked questions for the sake of conversation.
“What makes you think I’m afraid of my new abilities?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. Just a feeling I’m getting.”
“Worry not, my lady. If you’d prefer, I’ll propel us across this harbor at maddening speeds,” said James. He extended his hands over the water and said, “ Tertiri ze Manukto ahlnas svartbek.” Immediately the boat lurched forward. James let his oar drag in the water as a rudder.
Within minutes the small boat ran aground on a beach. Kilani had to hold onto the sides to keep from being thrown over the bow onto the sand. She laughed out loud. That’s a wonderful sound, thought James. They quickly unloaded the supplies and readied the canoe for another trip. Kilani volunteered to stay behind.
“I forgot to tell you some exciting news,” James said, looking over his shoulder at Kilani as he prepared to push off the sand with his oar.
“It’s so exciting you forgot to tell me?” said Kilani.
“The natives can transport,” James said, immediately pushing off the sand and gliding across the water toward the Queen Mary. Kilani stood dumbfounded, staring after him. A smile crossed her face as she watched him paddle back to the ship. Things are about to change for the better, she thought.
James first returned with William and Roger and then made another trip to bring Luno. As James steadied the canoe beneath the ladder for the last time, Luno stepped inside. A small satchel, which James had never seen before, was slung over Luno’s shoulder. James was tempted to ask what was inside, but he decided against it. He turned the boat and began to paddle. Instead of reaching for the paddle lying beside him to help, Luno simply sat staring at the sunrise.
“Amid all your excitement yesterday I didn’t get the opportunity to tell you about our travels,” Luno said, looking over his shoulder at James. “We reached the abandoned village that overlooks the northern coast.”
“And what was your impression?” asked James.
“I agree with Roger’s and Kilani’s assessment. It has been abandoned for about a year. Its constructors were European, masters of their trade for sure, who were quite possibly abducted from their homes.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Their belongings are still inside the buildings. Several of the beds are turned down. One house had long-rotted food on a table, and outside there were the sun-bleached bones of some kind of creature tethered to a pole.”
“Do you believe the natives have something to do with it?” asked James.
“My list of suspects at the moment is short.”
“Do you think we’re walking into a trap?”
“If they wanted us captured or dead, my boy, I believe they would have already taken or killed us.”
“So what do you believe?”
“I believe, my boy, they are not so different from us. Based on what you’ve told me, they too have been waiting for someone of unprecedented abilities to come along and deliver them from whatever it is they need delivering.”
Luno had confirmed that James’s suspicions were rightfully founded. He had spent most of his life being that person and was rapidly growing weary of it. Neither spoke for the remainder of the paddle across the harbor.
By the time they arrived, Kilani, Roger, and William were standing ready. They had divided the supplies among them and left two piles for James and Luno. James sheathed his dagger and slung his bedroll over his shoulder. He looked up and down the beach for any sign of Peroc. The beach was empty in both directions. He decided to drink from the stream before they got going. Luno joined him as the others had already had their fill while waiting for the pair to return from the Queen Mary.
James knelt at the edge of the stream, his long hair dangling in the water. He splashed some in his face before drinking. As he drank, he suddenly noticed a reflection in the water that hadn’t been there before. He looked up. Peroc stood on the opposite side grinning down at him. James smiled back and looked over at Luno, whose entire head was submerged in the water.
“Today is a good day,” said Peroc in his native tongue, “I bring you and your friends to my village.”
“My friends are happy to meet you and the members of your tribe,” said James.
“And I am happy to bring Chief and his friends home,” said Peroc.
At this James could only smile awkwardly. He reached over and tapped Luno on the shoulder. Luno lifted his head from the water and gave James an irritated look. James tilted his head toward Peroc. Luno’s expression quickly changed to a smile.
“ Muojarvi,” Luno said in the native language James had taught the group.
“ Muojarvi,” said Peroc. “It is an honor to meet friends of the Chief.”
Luno looked at James for a translation.
“He said it’s an honor to meet you.”
“Where are the others?” asked Peroc.
“Down the beach,” replied James, pointing behind him.
“We must gather and go,” said Peroc. “It is a long walk, and we don’t want to be out after sunset.”
He nodded and the trio walked back to where Kilani and the others stood. James introduced everyone and they set out heading west. No words were spoken as they moved through the jungle. Peroc was pleasantly surprised to find out they could all keep pace with him with little effort. What he didn’t know was this pace was still not as fast as they usually traveled.
They followed a well-worn game trail for some time, until it broke through the jungle into a grassy field. James recognized the field immediately from the hill with the weary-looking tree perched on top. Peroc gave a slight bow in the direction of the hill and kept moving in a westerly direction. Not long after crossing the western edge of the grassy field back into the jungle, Peroc came to a halt.
The group looked down into a crater. Rather than being barren and void of life, this crater was full of trees and plants. So dense was the vegetation that one couldn’t see the bottom. Trees grew inward from the sides of the crater, stretching impossible distances before bending slightly up toward the sun. The edges were steep yet plant life was still able to cling to the sides. James noticed there were birds here as well. Thousands of them moving about from tree to tree.
“Our home is at the bottom,” said Peroc.
He quickly turned and ran along the rim of the crater until he reached a narrow path on the far side of a giant tree. They made countless switchbacks and traveled over and under numerous trees, all growing from the sides of the crater rather than the bottom, before reaching flat terrain. Everyone in the group was awestruck when they came to a stop. The bottom of the crater was completely treeless. Only a closely-knit groundcover grew on the crater floor. Looking out across the expanse, James was reminded of the manicured lawns of manor houses he’d sometimes stayed in back home.
In the distance, he could see several structures, but there was no sign of people. Peroc beckoned them on and moved across the clearing toward the structures. Roughly halfway from the crater walls, the deep shade provided by the trees disappeared. James realized they all stopped growing in exactly the same place, creating a perfect circle of sunlight. A large rectangular stone platform sat in the center of the circle. About to step into the light, Peroc’s arm swung out across James’s chest.
“We do not step into the light,” Peroc said, with a most serious look on his face. James relayed the message to the others.
The group made their way around the circle of light and on to where the structures sat.
“This is our home,” said Peroc. James translated for his group. “Where is everyone?” asked Luno.
James translated Luno’s question. Peroc studied the sky for a moment before answering.
“They are hunting. I did not expect us to make such fast time. They will be surprised to see us here when they return. It won’t be long now,” said Peroc.
James translated.
“Why can’t we go in the sun?” asked Kilani.
James relayed the question.
“He calls it the circle of fire. Anyone who steps inside while the sun is overhead will burn,” said James.
“Intriguing. I wonder if it is anything like the sun at the top of Mt. Misery,” said Luno.
Peroc looked at James questioningly. James translated and found that Peroc was unfamiliar with the lone mountain on the main island.
“We do not travel there,” said Peroc. “We are forbidden to travel to the main island.”
“By who,” James asked.
“By the island,” said Peroc, pointing to the ground.
“How many are in your tribe?” asked James.
“There are thirty four of us. You are the thirty fifth,” he said with a smile.
“All of the others went hunting? Why?”
“What we hunt requires many men. We’ve yet to send a hunting party where at least one man has not returned.”
“What is it that you hunt? We have traveled far on this land and seen little in the way of life.”
“We hunt the tampere. You did not see them because they did not want to be seen. They were watching you, of that I’m sure.”
James took some time to relay everything they’d discussed to his group. When he was done, he noticed Kilani had an impatient expression on her face. He knew she desired to know one thing. James turned back to Peroc.
“When you left yesterday you vanished. How?”
Peroc reached into the small satchel, which hung from his belt, and removed a pinch of orange powder. He smiled and tossed it over his head. In a flash of orange smoke and light he was gone.
“So it’s true,” said Kilani, more excited than James had ever seen her.
“We call it travel powder,” Peroc said, startling the group when he appeared out of thin air behind them.
“Where do you find this powder?” James asked.
As Peroc opened his mouth to answer the question he was interrupted by a loud horn sounding from somewhere on the rim.
“They’re back,” said Peroc.
He took off at a run, careful not to step into the circle of light, and made his way toward where James and his group had followed him into the crater. He yelped, his hands cupping his mouth. There was a reply from somewhere between the rim and the bottom.
“They have slain a tampere. We will eat well tonight, my Chief,” Peroc said excitedly.
He began running in circles shouting with excitement. It took quite some time for James and company to see the first of Peroc’s tribe make their way out of the undergrowth. All members, including the women, were similarly dressed (or undressed). All save one stood even shorter than Peroc. The tallest led the line. She was a stern-faced warrior whose war paint was mixed with blood. They were all marked in bright yellow paint and each carried on their shoulder a part of the large creature.
The animal part, still unidentifiable, was massive. From end to end, the tribesman spaced about three feet apart and still the creature hung past the last man in line by a good four feet. The skin was smooth in texture with a marbled green and black pattern. The carcass left a trail of blood in its wake. With each step, the hunters let out a short celebratory shout. Despite the size of their burden, they moved with apparent ease.
When finally the tribesmen had all stepped onto the flatlands they stopped.
“They’ve slain a bloody croc monster,” said Luno “Biggest one I’ve ever seen.”
The hunters wore expressions of pride as they began to march toward the camp, shouting with each step. Peroc let out a joyous cry and raised his bow into the air several times as they headed toward camp.
A horn sounded from behind. Peroc stopped his dance and turned toward the sound.
“What is it?” James asked.
“Meloc’s been injured. They’re bringing him down,” he replied.
Despite the troublesome news, Peroc continued to dance to the rhythm of the hunter’s song back toward the trailhead. James relayed what Peroc had told them. Shortly, two tribeswomen appeared. Between them they held a crude stretcher made simply of sticks and leaves. On the stretcher lie an older man, Meloc. His hair was white, his skin was ashen, and his legs were torn apart and bloodied. The two women carrying the stretcher trotted off toward the camp. Peroc followed still calling out his celebratory cries despite the return of the injured man.
James exchanged concerned looks with the rest of his group and fell in behind Peroc as they headed to the camp. When they arrived, the hunting party had already begun cutting pieces of the creature and setting them on stones positioned around a roaring fire. They had set the head of the creature just outside the ring of fire. Its lifeless green and amber eyes looked on as its flesh was prepared for a feast. Everybody continued about their business as if James, Kilani, Luno, Roger, and William were not there.
The injured man was propped against the head of the creature and left to himself. He appeared to be fading in and out of consciousness as he attempted to remain seated. James called to Peroc several times, who was still dancing around celebrating, with no luck. Finally he grabbed him by the wrist.
“What will you do with him?” he asked, pointing to the injured man.
“Meloc is our eldest. It is an honor to die in the hunt for tampere. He will live to see us feast on its flesh then join our ancestors,” said Peroc.
“Will you not tend to his wounds?” asked James.
“It is against our laws,” said Peroc. “It appears you are upset by this. Please don’t be. Meloc has accepted his fate and will die with honor.”
“But there is no need for him to die at all,” said James.
“We only have the skills to prolong his death with injuries so severe,” said Peroc.
“I would like to try. I believe I can heal him,” said James.
Peroc’s expression changed immediately. He looked over at Meloc, who appeared to be teetering on the brink of unconsciousness again. Luno watched the exchange curiously. While he couldn’t understand what they were saying, it was easy enough to infer what the conversation was about. James said something that made Peroc’s casual tone and posture change immediately. Peroc turned and shouted at his reveling tribesmen. The music and festivities immediately came to a halt.
James turned away from Peroc and made his way to the dying man, who had slumped to the ground beside the teeth, which were exposed in an endless snarl. James put his hand on Meloc’s forehead. Immediately, the little man’s eyes opened. He smiled at James. James took his hand and helped him sit up.
“ Tertiri ze Manukto tupasarri ojala,” said James. A pink light rose from the palms of his hands and rolled in on itself like a wave in the ocean as it hovered above them. James moved his hands apart. The light stretched and finally broke into two pieces. James sent each piece toward Meloc’s legs where they quickly wrapped themselves like bandages covering a wound. Meloc let out a terrible cry and fell to the ground.
“Tupasarri,” said James. The pink light lifted like a mist from the grass, revealing uninjured legs. Meloc stirred on the ground. Behind him, James could hear the cheering of his tribesmen as he helped Meloc back to a sitting position.
The old man smiled again at James but remained silent.
“Rise,” said James. “You are healed.”
Taking Meloc by the hands, he helped him to his feet. He was unstable for a moment but quickly found his equilibrium. Before he could say anything, he was swept away by his reveling tribe mates who’d reconvened the celebration. Still no one, with the exception of Peroc, had directly addressed James or anyone else in his group. It made James feel almost as if they were invisible. James returned to where Luno, Kilani, and the others stood watching everyone prepare for the feast and celebrate.
“Well done, my boy,” said Luno.
“Does anyone else find it the least bit odd that we’ve been invited here only to be ignored?” Luno asked.
“Oui, zis is not right,” said William.
James looked at Kilani, who appeared to be daydreaming and not paying the least bit of attention to the goings-on around her. The revelry continued for some time-as did the ignoring-until James finally lost patience and went in search of Peroc, who’d wandered off behind one of the structures, each slung with dried animal hide. At the peak of each tent, James saw stacks of human skulls, one on top of the other, skewered by a pointed spear. The sight was unnerving and for the first time since they’d arrived, he was concerned for their lives. He dodged men and women dancing in circles as he made his way in the direction he’d seen Peroc walk. James noticed the tall, stern-looking woman he’d seen at the head of the hunting party staring at him as he passed.
A loud boom froze James in his tracks. Everyone around him appeared immobile as well. The afternoon light went dark as if someone had thrust the sun behind the horizon in mere seconds. The fire, which had been low and steady, grew until its flames reached high into the air. The native closest to James brought her hands together. Her claps resounded as if she were banging on a large drum. Soon all the tribe were clapping in rhythm and forming a line on each side of the fire. James could not see Kilani, Luno, and the others.
The tall woman stepped out from her place in one of the lines and stood with her back to the fire, facing James. She continued to clap as she spoke.
“Since our mother’s, mother’s, mother dwelt here, the island foretold of the coming of one who would lead us. All this time we have, by law, never had a rightful chief. All this time we’ve waited for the one foretold. Peroc, our brother, believes this day will see us our leader. He could travel across the water, it was said. He would speak the language of the land. He would master the spirit of the island. Peroc believes he is found. Peroc, step forward.”
The clapping stopped and in a burst of orange light and smoke, Peroc appeared just in front of the woman.
“Show us why you believe,” said the warrior woman.
Peroc turned to James and beckoned him to come forward. Reluctantly, James stepped into the center of the rows of tribesmen and walked toward Peroc.
“You speak our language, do you not?” Peroc asked.
“I speak your language,” James replied in the native tongue.
“Tell us how you arrived here.”
“We traveled from the main island,” said James.
“And by what means did you travel?”
“My friends constructed a ship,” James said, realizing as he heard himself speak the word “ship” he’d spoken in English because there wasn’t a word for something that travels over the water in the native tongue.
“I traveled over the water,” James said to the curious expressions of the crowd.
“Now,” said Peroc, “show us.”
James believed if he refused to display his powers, none of them would ever leave alive.
“ Tertiri ze Manukto vinka,” said James.
Thousands of pinpoint light orbs rose from the palms of his hands. He sent them into the air with a tossing motion. They rose into the overhanging trees above their heads, where they hung like stars. They grew brighter and larger until the ground below was lit like the day. James could hear reactions coming from the onlookers. The lights dimmed and shrank. They began to fall like snow all around the tribe. Several men and women reached up to catch the falling stars.
With a wave of his hand the miniature orbs quickly rose and began to swirl above their heads. They swirled closer and closer until they had all joined together. The single orb shot high into the air and exploded like a firework. This drew applause from the onlookers.
“We have been watching them since they’ve arrived and seen things we cannot explain. Now you must believe the explanation is simple. Before us stands our new leader. Our chief. Are there any who doubt this proclamation?” asked Peroc, looking at his tribe. Nobody spoke. James could see the warrior woman looking at him. She was the only one with a hostile expression.
“Then let us welcome he and his friends,” Peroc shouted.
Cries of approval were shouted as the tribe quickly ran about. Someone placed a gentle hand on James’s back and coaxed him forward. The darkness that had consumed the area at the beginning of the ceremony lifted slightly allowing James to see Kilani, Luno, Roger, and William being ushered in his direction. A blanket was unrolled just in front of him and hands from all directions placed food of various types upon it. Soon James’s group stood surrounding the blanket. They sat upon request. Each of them was adorned with a headdress similar to the one the warrior woman had been wearing when she’d returned from the hunt. James wore by far the largest and most ornate.
The group was instructed to eat while the tribe danced around them in a choreographed display.
“Ho, Chief,” Luno chortled. “Seems you’re wanted just about everywhere you go.”
“Ze are cannibals,” said William. “Did you see ze skulls? Nique te mere!”
“We’d be premature to pass such a judgment. They could simply be how they honor their dead. Let us not jump to conclusions,” said Luno.
“This place gives me an uneasy feeling,” admitted James. “I’m not sure William isn’t right.”
“No sense ’n lettin‘ a good meal go to waste, I dare say,” Roger said, picking up a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth. “Fantastic,” he said, chewing.
Reluctantly, James reached down and selected a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. It was, without a doubt, the tastiest thing he’d eaten since he’d arrived in The Never. The others quickly dug in, enjoying the feast. All except Kilani, who slowly picked at the food. When they’d had their fill they were led to the center of the clearing. The ring of fire was long gone as the sun fell below the rim of the crater. The tribe sat in a large circle around the stone platform.
Three women seated just behind the circle played on three drums. Torches stood in the ground around the platform, casting eerie shadows. James and company were seated facing the front of the platform. The drumming changed rhythm the instant they sat. There was a cry of fear in the distance. James looked into the faces of the tribe folk nearest to him and saw no concern. The cries continued. He looked in the direction of the cries and spotted two torches steadily moving closer to the platform.
The warrior woman stood and walked to the base of the platform. She waited silently as the torches approached. The cries had ceased until the two torches, being carried by two members of the tribe, reached the ring of people surrounding the platform. James looked on in horror. They were dragging a woman whose feet and hands were bound. What clothes she wore were tattered and torn. She was very thin and dirty. She had the complexion of a European. Her hair was long and mousey brown. The woman pleaded in a language James was sure he’d heard before but couldn’t understand. She then began screaming and struggling against the two men dragging her toward the platform, but she lacked the strength to gain any real headway.
They finally reached the base of the platform. The drums stopped, and the warrior woman took a step up onto the first level and began to address her tribe. “The island demands this gift in exchange for our good fortune, and tonight we are fortunate indeed,” she said, looking at James. “What was foretold long ago has come to pass.”
The tribe cheered at this. The captive woman looked on in terror at the warrior woman as she spoke.
“Tonight the moon passes for the twenty-second time since our last gift. The time for another has come. The island has been good to us. In return, we must be good to her. If we are not, death will befall us all.”
The drums started again, this time the beats struck in quick succession. The members of the tribe began to sway from side to side. Four tribesmen, two men, and two women, with bodies painted entirely in red, stepped through the circle and grasped the woman. Two lifted her under her arms and the others held each leg as they raised her onto the platform.
James looked at Kilani and Luno, who wore horrified expressions. The red-painted tribesmen reached the top step of the platform. They placed the woman on the table-size stone, which James realized was hovering slightly over the top step. The woman kicked and spat and cried until she touched the stone. The moment she contacted it, she fell silent.
The red-painted tribesmen turned, leaving the woman on the stone. She did not make any attempt to escape. James again looked over at Luno.
“What the bloody hell is going on? Luno asked.
“They said they’re giving the island a gift,” said James.
“Human sacrifice,” said Luno.
James looked back at the platform. The warrior woman had removed a long dagger from her belt and was making her way up the steps toward the woman. James couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He wasn’t about to let it happen. He quickly stood as the warrior woman leaned over the stone table with knife in hand. The woman on the table hadn’t moved.
“Stop,” James cried in the native tongue. “This is not acceptable. You must not hurt this woman.”
“Chief, I have no intention of hurting this woman,” the warrior woman said with a mirthless smile. She took her dagger and cut the bindings on the woman’s wrists and ankles. Held by an invisible force, her arms immediately snapped outward and her legs opened. The warrior woman lifted her head, again smiled at James with her evil smile, and retreated back to the base of the platform.
Perhaps I’m wrong, James thought. The drumming stopped again and the torches surrounding the circle extinguished synchronously. For an instant, they were enveloped in darkness. Then a bright light shone on the platform. It was a perfect circle, its edge fell just one step below the stone table. The moon was aligned perfectly through the center hole in the trees and cast a beam of light more focused and intense than James or any in his group had ever seen.
The light was somehow mesmerizing and James couldn’t help but look in wonder as it crept ever so slowly closer to the edge of the table. The warrior woman stepped completely off the platform, careful to avoid the light, and returned to her place in the circle as the light came within inches of the edge of the table. James remained standing, ready to act.
The round beam of light struck the woman’s outstretched fingers first. She immediately let out a blood-curdling cry. Smoke began to rise from her hand as the flesh on her fingers quickly turned to dust. In an instant, James realized that the warrior woman wasn’t going to kill this woman, but the island was. Beside him, Luno, Kilani, William, and Roger had all gotten to their feet.
James ran toward the platform as the cries continued. Nearly her entire hand was now nothing but bleached bone. A slight breeze blew away the gray powder that moments ago had been her flesh. In the distant darkness the cries of a man echoed those of the victim.
As James reached the edge of the platform, he felt energy similar to that which came from the stone tower he’d touched in the cave on the Second Widow. He tried to surge through it, but he was unable and fell back to the ground. The others in his group hit the ground as well.
He quickly stood. “ Tertiri ze Manukto norge,” he said, sending a surge of electric energy that looked like a miniature lightning storm toward the barrier. The invisible wall absorbed the spell and did not yield. By this time the beam was creeping toward the woman’s elbow and her cries continued at an earsplitting volume. They could also still hear the unknown man’s cries in the darkness.
“You are defying the will of the island,” the warrior woman said calmly.
“The island did not put her on this table. You did,” said James. “ Tertiri ze Manukto suomi,” he said. Several large rocks lifted from the dirt beneath the ground outside the circle. He sent them hurtling toward the invisible barrier. Upon impact, each of the rocks shattered into sand. He then lifted a large amount of dirt into the air. It began to swirl like a hurricane creating a dense black cloud. James again directed it toward the barrier but this time sent it high into the air in hopes of blocking the moon’s rays from hurting the woman further. Unfortunately, regardless of how high he went, the barrier continued even higher.
James abandoned this idea, letting the dirt fall to the ground like rain on the tribe. The light had passed the woman’s elbow and was steadily moving closer to her torso. He knew he had only seconds before any intervention wouldn’t matter.
“ Tertiri ze Manukto suomi,” he said, concentrating on the stone table inside the barrier. To his surprise, the table rose into the air. James sent it as far from the circle of light as he could inside the barrier. The woman immediately stopped screaming and looked around, confused. The stone table struck the far side of the barrier and came to an awkward rest on the steps. James knew this was merely a temporary solution. The moonlight was steadily making its way in the direction of the woman. He had time, but not much.
The warrior woman ran to James’s side, an incredulous look on her face.
“You dare defile the ceremony? If this woman does not die, the island will seek its revenge upon us all. Especially the one who interrupted the ceremony.”
“I will not stand by and watch her die,” James said. “If I am truly your chief, I order you to help me.”
The warrior woman stood looking at James with a defiant expression. It was clear that regardless of his title, she had no intention of bringing an end to the ceremony. Kilani, who James had forgotten was even there, reached down to the warrior woman’s belt and ripped away a small sac. She tossed it to James. The warrior woman turned on Kilani, ready to fight. Kilani brought herself to her full height, over a head taller than the warrior woman, and the warrior woman paused, realizing she was outmatched. Infuriated, she turned and walked away.
As this was happening, James reached into the sac, pulled a pinch of transporting powder from the bag, sprinkled it over his head and said, “ Tertiri ze Manukto ahlnas.” The next thing he knew, he was standing inside the barrier beside the table. The woman looked up at James in surprise. She whispered in a language James could not understand. Tears streaked her face. James tried to lift her from the table, but she was held there by an invisible bond.
“ Tertiri ze Manukto lehtinen,” said James. The table immediately fractured, then crumbled. The woman’s body was free. What was left of her right arm was bright red and burnt but James thought it would be okay. He lifted her into his arms, took another pinch of the transporting powder, and tossed it over his head.
Both the woman and James had disappeared. Kilani, realizing they were now alone, nervously looked at Luno. The four of them stepped closer together as the tribe recovered from the shock of what it had just witnessed. Several of the tribe were shouting angrily and moving about pointing at the platform.
“Now vut?” William asked, eyeing the increasingly hostile tribe.
“Hold our ground. James will return,” said Luno.
The warrior woman marched quickly back toward the group carrying a spear. Over her back she’d slung her bow and quiver. She stopped just in front of the group and looked right at Kilani. She shouted in the native tongue.
“I will not fight you,” said Kilani.
The warrior woman clearly did not understand, because she grasped the spear and pointed it at Kilani, just inches from her chest. Before Kilani could react, Luno stepped in front of her, snatched the spear from the warrior woman’s hands and broke it over his knee. Enraged, the warrior woman began to pull her bow from her back.
“ Tertiri ze Manukto reisa,” Luno said. Both bow and arrows immediately caught fire. The warrior woman quickly pulled them from her back and dropped them to the ground, where they burnt to ashes. She looked at Luno in shock and fear. Several tribe members began disappearing in orange flashes while others made their way back to the encampment on foot. The warrior woman, who’d retrieved another sac of transporting powder, disappeared in an orange flash. Within a minute, they were alone.
“Without James I fear we are extremely vulnerable here. We should leave at once,” said Luno.
“Into the jungle at night? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. At least here we know what we’re facing,” said Kilani.
With a flash, James appeared not three feet from where they stood. He was alone. He looked around, surprised to only see his friends.
“What’s happening,” he asked.
“The tribe has fled back to the encampment. I don’t believe they’re particularly happy with us at the moment,” Luno said.
“Where did you take her?” Kilani asked.
“Back to Harbor Town,” said James.
“What now, Capin’?” asked Roger, looking at James.
“I’ll take us back to the Queen Mary. Who first?” James asked.
Without waiting for a response, James put his arm around Kilani and they were gone. A moment later, they were standing on the deck of the Queen Mary. Their faces were less than an inch apart and in that instant, James wanted nothing more than to feel her soft lips against his. She quickly withdrew and James disappeared, leaving Kilani standing alone. Seconds later he returned with Roger, then William, and finally Luno. The group relaxed when Luno and James arrived. Before he could explain or the group had a chance to object, James disappeared again.
He transported to the spot where he had healed Meloc, beside the tampere’s head. Several tribesmen, who were running about with their weapons, jumped back as he appeared. James sent light orbs overhead, lighting up the entire encampment. A dozen orange flashes immediately brought more tribe warriors to the scene.
“Where is Peroc?” James demanded.
“You disgraced our tribe and damned us all,” said one of the armed tribesmen, pointing his spear at James.
“You disgrace yourselves with your murderous ways. You will not go unpunished for your years of brutality. Now tell me where I may find Peroc before I get angry.”
The ground trembled beneath their feet. Immediately they dropped their spears. Two of them turned and ran toward their tents. The others huddled in a tight group.
“For the last time, were is Peroc?”
“The ring of fire,” one of them shouted.
James immediately transported just outside the ring. Twodozen tribesmen looked on as the moon shone its deadly rays onto the platform. Inside, Peroc stood against the far wall in the rubble of the stone table. The circle of light was inches from reaching him.
On the Queen Mary Luno, Kilani, Roger, and William paced nervously on deck. No one had said much after James disappeared without announcing where he was going. In a flash, James returned, accompanied by a man none of them knew. He was shorter than James-most men were-with broad shoulders and matching golden hair and beard. He looked drawn, thin, and weak. The man collapsed on deck. Kilani and Luno ran to help him up and ask what was going on, but before they could get in a word, James was gone again.
The man muttered something before falling unconscious. Luno and Kilani exchanged looks of confusion. There was another flash and James was back. Beside him stood Peroc. James held an ornately carved tree stump under his arm. He set the stump on the deck and removed his arm from around Peroc’s shoulder. Peroc stayed close while eyeing the others as if expecting them to attack.
Exhausted, James sat on the stump and looked up at the group.
“Speak up plain, Capin’ what in t’ bloody ’ell is going on?” Roger asked.
“I knew they’d turn on Peroc, so I returned for him. He told me about the prisoner-the other screaming voice we could hear-and we rescued him as well. He is the woman’s brother. They are the last survivors of the village Kilani and Roger discovered on our first day here. The others, sixteen in all, were killed in a ceremony just like the one we witnessed tonight.”
“Murdering savages. C’est des conneries!” said William.
“Peroc, tell us about the ceremony. When did it begin?” James asked.
James translated as Peroc told the tale. “He says that as far back as our stories go, there has always been mention of the twentysecond ceremony. Every twenty-two days, the island requests a sacrifice. His tribe was required to provide it. Throughout their history, it’s usually been one of their own who would go on the stone table. They would hold games to decide who among them would go. Legends were born from these games.”
“Within the last generation, others began to arrive on this island. At first they came in small numbers, one every several years. Eventually larger groups began arriving.”
“Rather than capture and hold them, they would simply watch the newcomers until one was needed. Then, one at a time, they would take from the group. This man and his sister are the last of a very large group that arrived roughly ten years ago. The group built their own camp by One Tree Hill and appeared to thrive. Peroc’s people taught them rudimentary magic. They taught the group their words. They showed them where to find water and how to avoid being preyed upon by the tampere. They encouraged them to breed, but no visitors have ever been with child in this place. Essentially they raised them like beasts to slaughter. The newcomers trusted Peroc’s clan. When one went missing, there was always an explanation for their disappearance.”
“Finally they stopped coming. As their numbers dwindled, Peroc’s people realized it would soon come time for one of their own to go back on the table. The games were set to be held on the day we arrived. One of their tribe spotted our ship. The games were cancelled, and Peroc was sent to bring us to their camp. Everything changed when Perocheard me speak their language. He knew then that the legend of the outsider coming to lead his people to a better place was true.”
“What of the children? Why weren’t there any children at the camp?” asked Kilani.
James translated the question. “He said that they do not take the children to that cursed place. The children stay at another camp, one that is equally protected but not infested with the stench of death and murder. When the children are old enough, they make the journey to Peroc’s camp.”
“Your tone implies that you do not agree with the sacrificing. Please explain,” said James.
“He says that as long as he has lived, they have never missed a ceremony. The elders spoke of a time when the tribe decided not to sacrifice someone for the island. They said before that day, their people, the Belator, were the deadliest hunters on the island. The day the sacrifice was not made the elders say the land shook in anger. The ground parted and released terrible creatures from the underworld. The tampere. Peroc has always lived under the shadow of the tampere, so he cannot confirm whether there was once a time they did not exist.”
“When he passed the test and became a warrior, he made the journey to the new camp. He was the first of four to arrive from the children’s camp. The last to arrive-the slowest and weakest-was immediately taken to the stone table. He was Peroc’s brother. Since then, Peroc has always had disdain for the ceremony and all it represents.”
The group sat in silence for some time. Each of them digesting what Peroc had told them. Finally, William spoke up.
“What is under ze stump, Capitan?” he asked.
James had forgotten entirely about the stump upon which he’d been sitting for the duration of Peroc’s story. He stood, removed the dagger from his belt, and pried open the lid.
The group craned their necks to see what was inside. James thrust his hand into the barrel and lifted a handful of orange powder and let it spill through his fingers back into the barrel.
“Transporting powder!” Kilani said, her eyes fixed on the powder. “What is it made of?” she asked, looking at Peroc.
“It comes from the root of the tree on One Tree Hill. It is ground to powder and cured in the ring of fire for ninety days. It can only be harvested once a year, which is why the Belator have such a vast supply,” James translated.
“I think ‘had’ would be more appropriate,” said Luno.
“What are the transporting laws of this place?” Kilani asked.
“One must have physically been there in order to transport there,” James translated. “They’re just like our laws of transporting.”
“What the bleedin‘ ’ell is happenin?” said Roger, looking over the side rail at the island.
The island was shaking in the water. James had heard stories of how earthquakes appeared from the water, but he had never witnessed one first hand. It was an eerie sight. Several large chunks of rock slid from the side of the nearby cliffs into the water, sending waves that rocked the Queen Mary from side to side. Monstrous roars erupted from the jungle, causing the hairs on the back of James’s neck to stand. He wondered now whether the legend Peroc’s ancestors told him about the tampere were true, and if they were, what monstrosity had the island unleashed this time.
“I would fight a thousand tampere to have my brother back,” Peroc said as if he could read James’s thoughts.
The island settled and everything was still.
“Capitan, you ’ave a plan, no?” William asked.
James and Luno exchanged glances, neither sure who he was addressing because he’d referred to both of them as captain at some point during the trip. James nodded at Luno.
“We shall return to Harbor Town, regroup, and depart from there, well rested and fully supplied. Are there any who disagree?” asked Luno. To the silence that followed he said, “Very well. Harbor Town it is. At first light we shall set sail and leave this cursed place behind.”
“And what of Peroc?” asked James.
“I believe we should offer him a choice. We could learn much from him, and he is no threat to us. He may return to his home at any time,” said Luno nodding at the crate of transporting powder, “but he is welcome to join us on our journey. I’m not sure he would get such a warm welcome if he decides to return home.”
James translated. Peroc looked at the moonlit island with a stern expression. It was clear that he was not in a hurry to give an answer immediately, so James told him they would depart at sunrise. The group went about preparing their bedrolls on deck. Kilani saw to the unconscious man while James took his position on the crow’s nest for first watch.
James noticed Kilani constantly looking over her shoulder at the barrel of transporting powder. He grew increasingly worried she would try something rash. What was it that drives her to want to leave this place so desperately? he wondered. Akil had told James the dangers of attempting to transport somewhere you’d never physically been. Neither was sure it could be done and both had seen people try and fail. Some simply vanished and never returned. Others ended up going nowhere.
James saw Peroc finally turn away from his long gaze at his home and make his way across the deck to beneath the mast. He looked up at James.
“I shall join you on your journey if you will have me,” he said.
“We will be honored, warrior Peroc,” replied James.
James found the subtle sway of the crow’s nest relaxing as he looked out over the island. In his pocket he fingered the cold steel of the key and could hear the black castle’s call. He turned to the southeast, imagining he could see its curved spires on the horizon. He imagined himself standing on top of the keep, his colors flying in the wind. The need for it steadily grew inside him, becoming most apparent when he had time to reflect upon it as he did now.
James thought of Akil, his mentor, his father for all intents and purposes during their years together. The vision he’d had after falling in the cave came back to James. Akil had been here, James was sure of that now. That meant he’d found a way out and James was certain the way out was somewhere inside the black castle. A shadow quickly passed in front of the moon. James turned to see what it was but saw only empty sky and the brilliant orange moon. For an instant, a sense of foreboding washed over him. Before he could determine its source, the feeling was gone and James quickly forgot it had been there at all. Tomorrow he would see that all preparations were made for the journey to the black castle. There would be no more delays. He would have his absolution.