Encala : Book 3 of the Heku Series Page 7

  “Is the island inhabited?” she asked Kyle.

  “No”

  Just before the rafts reached the beach, two of the guards jumped out and pulled the rafts onto the sand. Emily stumbled out of the raft with Allen and dropped down to her knees. It felt amazing to be on solid ground again.

  “You two, walk the perimeter of the island. We’re looking for fresh water and something to eat,” Kyle ordered two recruits. “Mark, you take another guard and head inland to see what you can find.”

  Emily watched as the guards set off. Allen opened his eyes slowly and looked around, then went back to sleep. Kyle took him from Emily and she followed them into the cover of the trees to get out of the sun.

  She curled up against Allen and drifted in and out of sleep. The shade felt good, but her dry throat was painful.

  Mark was the first of the guards to get back, “I found a cave with a fresh spring inside.”

  Kyle picked Emily up and cradled her as Mark took Allen, and they headed into the dense trees. About a mile inland, they came to the mouth of the cave. Kyle sat Emily down by the stream and she cupped her hand and brought it up for Allen. He opened his eyes and drank quickly.

  “Not too much, it’ll make you sick,” Kyle said as she leaned down and began to drink.

  Emily sat up and looked around the cave. The water was pouring out of a crack in the wall. The cave was just a single room, but the cool air felt good against her burned skin. Allen was now on the ground, splashing in the water.

  The guards checking the island’s perimeter came into the cave.

  “Nothing much to report. We didn’t see any signs of life other than birds, and so far, no food,” he said, sitting down against the cave wall.

  Kyle sighed, “Maybe the others will find something.”

  With her thirst quenched, Emily was able to lean back against a rock and shut her eyes. The sound of the wind through the trees was soothing, and she soon fell asleep.

  “Emily?” Kyle said, touching her hand gently.

  Emily opened her eyes and saw the banana in his hand. She quickly peeled it and went to hand it to Allen, but he was already eating. She ate it and picked up another.

  “These are so good,” she said, starting in on the second one.

  “There are plenty, some coconuts too,” he told her. “Now, what to do about those burns.”

  She looked over her arms and legs and saw the bright red burns and blisters. She could only imagine what her face must look like, “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do about it.”

  “Well at least stay out of the sun.”

  She nodded.

  “Have you… tried to contact Chevalier?” Kyle asked.

  “Yes,” she said, leaning back against the cave wall.

  “The storm blew us off course. We weren’t where we said we would be,” he told the guards. Everyone was gathered in the small cave.

  After a sleepless night in the cave, Emily headed out into the trees to explore the island. She didn’t even care that four members of the Cavalry followed her. She watched the birds fly away from her and marveled at the huge green trees. The island was beautiful with the lush, green, mossy ground and thick palm trees. It was also quiet and peaceful after the hustle and bustle of the palace. Multi-colored birds flew above them as they walked, and the guards pushed large flowers to the side to clear a path.

  Emily pulled apart some palm leaves, stepped out into a clearing, and smiled at the small pond. A fresh water stream emptied into it, and she stepped in after she slipped off the guard shirt, leaving only the bikini. The guards watched her carefully. The cool water felt good against her burns.

  “Come on in,” she said, smiling at the guards.

  They looked at one another and one answered, “Not sure we’re allowed.”

  “To swim?”

  “With you,” he said, laughing.

  “I say you are… come on in, it feels great,” she said, ducking down under the water. When she emerged, she saw the heku guards in the water fully dressed. They were walking toward her and splashing one another playfully.

  “See, feels good!” she said, swimming toward them a little.

  Emily pushed one guard under the water and laughed. He came up and they heard a throat clear beside the pond. The guards looked over at Kyle, who was watching them with his arms crossed.

  “Sorry, Sir,” they each mumbled, and swam toward the land.

  “I asked them to come in,” Emily told him, following them.

  “We have work to do. I want a signal fire and a message etched into the beach. Then we’re going to need more food,” he said as they stepped out.

  Emily pulled on the shirt Kyle had given her on the raft, and followed him back to the cave as the guards headed off to get some things done. He reached over and put his hand against the small of her back. Before they reached the cave, he pulled her close to him and looked into her eyes.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked, touching her cheek lightly.

  “I’m ok, really. We have food and water, that’s all we need.” She pulled away from him, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

  “He’ll come for us.”

  “I know,” she said, smiling.

  Before she could protest, Kyle’s lips pressed against hers. She tried to pull away, but he held her close to him. She put her hands against his shoulders and he finally let her go.

  Kyle smiled at her, “Sorry about that.”

  “No you aren’t. I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” she said, moving a step back.

  “I know that.”

  “I also don’t want you to get caught overstepping. You know the guards would tell him,” she said, watching him.

  “I know that, too, but maybe it’s worth it,” he told her, and took a step toward her.

  “Kyle, don’t.” She stood her ground and watched him.

  He nodded, “Come on, let’s go back to the cave.”

  She followed a few steps behind him. She could hear Allen laughing as they approached the cave. One of the guards had collected some twigs, and they were building houses with them on the floor of the cave. Allen had a banana in his hand as he watched his guard build a miniature town.

  Emily sat down and grabbed half of a coconut and a sharp rock. She scooped the pulp out and ate it while watching Allen play.

  ***

  “Sir, we’re at the location the coast guard said they found debris,” the Captain of the boat said to Chevalier. He was standing on the bow of the ship looking out over the water.

  Something out on the water caught his eye and he watched it closely as the boat moved slowly towards it. He reached the hook into the water and pulled up a chaise cushion. He knew the debris was from Emily’s yacht, he had these cushions made especially for her in her favorite color. He knew she was alive and safe, he could feel that. He couldn’t, however, figure out where she was, and that infuriated him.

  “Are there any islands around here?” Chevalier asked the Captain.

  The Captain pulled out a map and started calculating their location, “Nothing close by. Maybe they are out on a raft?”

  Chevalier couldn’t explain to him that they weren’t on a raft. He knew that Emily was too content to be hungry or thirsty, which she would be if they were still out on the water.

  “Head for the closest island. I want to check all of them in this area,” he said to the Captain. The captain was getting paid well enough, that he just nodded and headed east toward the closest island.

  “We should be there tomorrow afternoon.”

  Chevalier nodded.

  ***

  “It’s worth a shot, it can’t hurt, right?” Kyle asked, gathering the coconut milk into the empty husk.

  “Yeah I guess,” Emily said, and slipped her shirt off. The burns were painful and she was getting a fever and a body ache.

  Kyle slowly poured the coconut milk over the back of her neck, arms, and legs. He wanted so badly to reac
h out and hold her as she gasped in pain. He noticed her color was off and he knew she was running a fever. He felt extremely helpless as he watched her slowly getting sicker.

  “That does feel good,” she said, shutting her eyes.

  “Get more,” Kyle ordered one of the guards, who began refilling the husk.

  After Kyle poured more milk on the blistered burns, Emily could finally lay down without so much intense pain. The guards had piled palm leaves in the corner of the room and then layered their shirts on it for a bed. She fell fast asleep, aided by the fever. Kyle sat by her and watched her sleep, no longer caring what the guards told Chevalier about their time on the island.

  Allen tried to wake her a few times, but the guards stopped him and eventually took him out to the fresh water pond for a swim. Kyle was now alone in the small cave with Emily. He gently pulled a shirt over her, and then sat back again.

  “Stop,” she whispered in her sleep, jerking slightly.

  Kyle put his hand against her shoulder to try to calm down the nightmare.

  “Don’t please,” she mumbled.

  “Shhhhh,” he whispered, and kissed her forehead lightly. He was worried about how hot her skin felt against his lips.

  Kyle got up and soaked a shirt in the cold water, and then put it against her forehead. When the guards returned with Allen, they kept him busy while Kyle took care of Emily. She stopped stirring and fell into a fever induced sleep. He kept a cool rag on her forehead and held her hand through the night. Allen fell asleep curled up with Kralen, one of the guards he had become attached to. The night air turned cold as it began to rain. The cave kept them dry, but the wind was coming in from the opening. Emily shivered slightly and Kyle pulled another shirt over her.

  The rain stopped just as morning came and the cave began to warm up. Kyle changed out Emily’s cold rag and began to get more concerned when she didn’t wake up. Even when Allen started to cry after falling and scraping his knee, she didn’t move.

  “Is this because of the burn?” one of the guards asked.

  “I don’t know enough about burns to know, but I’m assuming it is,” Kyle said, watching her breathe.

  “Want more coconut milk?”

  “Yes, let’s try that again.”

  The guard returned a few minutes later with a husk full of coconut milk. Kyle dipped the shirt into it and gently ran it across the burns on her legs, then moved to her arms. She groaned softly when he touched her neck, and he pulled his hand back quickly.

  “Can mortals survive off of bananas and coconut?” he asked Kyle.

  Kyle shrugged, “I don’t know that either.”

  “I could try to catch a fish.”

  “That’s a good idea. Take a shirt to use as a net,” Kyle suggested.

  “Mommy?” Allen asked, walking over to Emily. Kyle pulled him into his lap to keep him from touching her.

  “Mommy’s sleeping,” he whispered into Allen’s ear.

  “Wake up Mommy!” Allen yelled, before Kyle could cover his mouth. Kyle frowned when she didn’t respond.

  “Is Mommy sick?” Allen asked Kyle.

  Kyle nodded and sat him back on the ground

  “Do you think it would help if we took her into the pond?” Mark asked.

  Kyle thought for a moment, and then shrugged, “I guess we can try it. So far, nothing’s working to get the fever down.”

  Kyle picked Emily up gently, but she still moaned in pain. He carried her limp body to the pond and then stepped in, fully dressed. He walked in until she was submerged and only her face was out of the water. He could feel the heat from her body even under the cool water. As her body began to cool, she blinked a few times and opened her eyes.

  “Hi,” he said, smiling down at her.

  She looked around confused, “Where are we?”

  “In the pond. I’m trying to get your fever down.”

  “I hurt everywhere.”

  “I know, does the water help?”

  She nodded and then shut her eyes again. He brushed his lips lightly against hers and held her close to his body. It wasn’t until darkness set in that he took her back to the cave and laid her down on the palm leaf bed. Allen was already asleep on a makeshift bed in the opposite corner. The guards listened to the rain fall all night and watched over their charges.

  For the next few days, Emily was in and out of consciousness as the guards played with and fed Allen. Kyle stayed by her side and helped her drink water and try to eat when she was awake. Even awake though, she was dazed and couldn’t remember where they were. Kyle stopped telling her about the island, it upset her, so he lied and told her they were at the palace.

  The morning of the thirteenth day on the island, Emily sat up and looked around. Her fever had broken in the night, and the blisters had either dried up or burst. The skin on her legs, face, neck, and arms was peeling.

  “How are you feeling?” Kyle asked, handing her a coconut husk full of water.

  “Ok,” she said, her voice cracking. “What day is it?”

  “Friday”

  “So we’ve been here for six days?”

  Kyle pushed the hair off of her shoulder, “Thirteen days.”

  “No sign of anyone else?” She sat up and reached out for a banana.

  “Nothing, we have a guard on lookout with a bonfire, but so far he hasn’t seen anything,” Kyle explained.

  Emily ate in silence and watched Allen playing with Kralen. When she was done, she laid back down, feeling tired again.

  “How are you all holding up?” she asked.

  “We’re fine.” He smiled.

  “Not thirsty?”

  He shrugged, “It’s manageable.”

  “Hmm, I’m so tired.”

  “Then sleep,” he suggested, smiling down at her.

  ***

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mark said, frustrated.

  “I just need some time alone,” Emily explained, heading out of the cave.

  “You have thirty minutes, and I’ll come looking for you.”

  “I’m not a child, and there’s nothing on this island to hurt me. Stay here and watch Allen,” she said, and disappeared into the jungle.

  Emily walked through the dense trees and looked around. She needed time to think, and the tension in the cave was stifling. She knew the heku were getting thirsty. It’d been three and a half weeks since the shipwreck, and as she was the only adult mortal on the island, she could feel them watching her closely. She knew they wouldn’t attack unless it came down to too much pain, but she wasn’t sure when that would be. She also wasn’t sure she could sustain fourteen thirsty heku and she worried about dying and leaving Allen alone with them.

  Emily walked for about an hour and then sat against a tree on the spongy moss. She pulled her knees close to her and wrapped her arms around them, “Where are you, Chev?”

  She sighed when she heard footsteps, “What?”

  Kyle stepped out from behind a tree and sat by her, “Are you ok?”

  “Fine,” she snapped. How hard was it for him to understand that she needed some alone time?

  He put his arm around her, “I’m worried about you.”

  “Why?”

  “The bad dreams. It’s obvious you’re worried about us.”

  “Of course I am. How long before you can’t control your thirst anymore?”

  He smiled, “A long time, you’re safe here. Look at me.”

  She glanced away, fighting back the tears.

  Kyle put his hand under her chin and pulled her to face him, “You’re safe.”

  “For how long?”

  “We can go years without eating, Em.”

  “You can… but how long before instincts kick in and …” He cut her off with a kiss. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her tightly. He leaned her back against the soft moss and trapped her wrists above her head with his hand.

  “Kyle, stop,” she said, trying to get out from under him. He was kissing
her neck softly and using his body weight to hold her down.