The Rare Pearl (Broken Water Series Book 1) Read online

  “Get behind me!” she screamed to the last of the survivors. They scurried to comply, staring with terror at the fat approaching sea serpent. Kodiak lifted two little children, carrying them to safety.

  Screeching in fury, the sea serpent burst through the waves, twisting to pluck a running man from the shore. Harmony’s energy force faltered and she dropped her exhausted arms. Her knees threatened to buckle from fatigue. An oncoming wave nearly knocked her down. She watched as the man was consumed by the beast right before her eyes. She shook with despair. How can I defeat this thing alone?

  “Run! Take shelter!” a loud male voice bellowed behind her shoulder. Harmony glanced sideways to see Finn, his hands extended, his wrists twisting.

  “Finn!” Relief washed over her, he was unharmed and here to help her.

  His muscular shoulders bulged with strength as his handsome face darkened with concentration. Black clouds barreled in, blotting out the horizon. They ominously gathered above the rising beast. A blinding flash of lightning struck the serpent. The beast lit up like a candle. The arid air puffed and sizzled. The sea serpent wobbled, its throat exposed and tongue lolling, before it sank like a freight train straight down into the choppy waves. The ground tremors went dormant and the clouds evaporated, allowing the sun and salty wind to return to normal.

  Harmony flung her arms around Finn. “You did it! I couldn’t do it…” She realized he was truly the special one. And he was right—they needed him here. Both the tribes and the clans would benefit from a strong leader and protector. She would miss him.

  Many Aquapopulo gathered on the shore, evaluating the damage. Finn and Harmony made their way to the temple.

  “Finn, your tribe! There are so many…”

  “Dead,” he finished. “Nakoma is dead, crushed to death by her lion when they fell into a deep chasm the earthquake opened.”

  Two tribesmen called to Finn. Harmony stood numbly at his side while the men informed him that the tribe had been wiped out except for sixteen remaining men and women.

  “Thank you Umiko and Taura. As lead huntsman I plan to claim the chiefdom.”

  Both Umiko and Taura swore allegiance on the spot.

  Finn and Harmony passed through the devastation toward the muck-covered steps of the battered temple. The Wellness residents moved quickly to provide any help they could, bandaging wounds and offering aid to those in need. Harmony noticed Calder sitting on the outdoor steps, a woman applying a bandage to his forehead. He shouted instructions to passers-by.

  “Harmony!” He waved his arm when he saw her.

  “Thank goodness!” She dropped to her knees at his side. “Have you seen anyone from the village? Rio or Nami?”

  “Yes! I spoke with someone who saw them. They are all right. Do you still have the tin?” he asked urgently.

  She patted the satchel. Miraculously it hadn’t broken loose when the tidal wave swept her away.

  Calder exhaled. “Good! Good girl! I think the time has come. You must return immediately. This wooden structure, perhaps this very island, may not survive another earthquake. I’m reluctant to say I’m relieved, but the tribe’s army is now reduced to nothing, that threat avoided. But I have not seen Nakoma.”

  “Nakoma is dead.” She moved to Finn side, adding, “Finn wants to step in as chief.” Harmony’s heart was torn. She wanted him to explore life in her realm, have someone who knew of this realm to talk to, but being chieftain was what he wanted. Perhaps she wished too strongly for a companion, a friend to ease her own loneliness in her world. She had grown fond of Finn.

  Calder rose, nodding at the idea. “We will call a council meeting as soon as we are able.” He held up his webbed hand to emphasize his next words. “But first, Harmony must return to her realm. Finn, take her inside, light the herbs, and send her home.”

  Frantically, she scanned for Kodiak in the devastation around her. He was nowhere to be found. Calder leaned forward to half-hug her, patting her shoulder kindly. “Good luck, Harmony.”

  Finn clasped her hand and pulled her inside the temple. They passed the birthing rooms. The pools were filled with debris and the floors covered in puddles. The wall of seawater had smashed the windows and flooded the entire lower half of the building. They ascended until they reached the library. It was chaotic, books all over the floor, shelves overturned, but it was dry.

  “Hand me the tin,” he instructed.

  She wrestled with the buckle and then pulled out the tin. Finn righted a knocked-over table and scooped up a container that once had held bookmarks. He popped the lid off and dumped half the herbs into the container. “Is that enough?”

  “Yes, but where is Kodi? I can’t leave without saying good-bye.” This is too soon. I need more time!

  The floor shook for a moment and then stopped.

  “Something is happening—you’ve got to go now! Where are the matches?” She held open her hand to reveal them. “I’ll tell him good-bye for you.” Finn brushed a kiss across her cheek and then plucked the match from her hand. He struck it against the leather band that circled his wrist. The match ignited and he tossed it into the container holding the precious herb blend. He dashed from the room.

  Harmony snapped the lid back on the tin and stuffed it into the satchel. As the smoke rose she tightly gripped the satchel around her torso.

  All she could think about was Kodiak. How could she leave without saying good-bye? She started to cough. She imaged his beautiful copper-flecked eyes, his lazy smile, his voice… She coughed again and again.

  In her mind she could hear his voice… She could hear him calling her name—

  He is calling my name!

  Kodiak burst into the room, waving away the smoke as he reached her. She was beyond coughing and couldn’t say anything. She was happy to see his face one last time but knew he was in danger if he inhaled the toxic smoke. Wanting to keep him safe, she tried to push him away, but she had no strength left and dropped to her knees. He tried to catch her, but he was overwhelmed by a fit of coughing. She fought to keep her eyes open, even a sliver, to watch him for as long as she could, but it was little use. She reached blindly for Kodiak as the blackness engulfed her.

  31

  Awareness surged through Kodiak’s body, waking his senses. He was under water, his lungs tight, like when he stayed under too long. He was in the ocean. He remembered inhaling the herbs and he realized this wasn’t his ocean. He swirled around, looking for Harmony.

  He saw her struggling nearby, her body slowly sinking. He swam to her, grabbed her hips, and propelled her up. Breaking the surface, they each sucked in deep gulps of air.

  “Kodi! You made it through!” She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him, the kind of kiss rooted deep in gratitude and reverence. They were together—they made it.

  Kodiak shot his gaze away from his beautiful wife’s face to see a boat speeding directly for them. He quickly pulled Harmony under the water. Seconds later the boat zoomed over their heads. The dangers of this realm suddenly overwhelmed him. He was a fish out of water.

  Bursting to the surface again, Harmony coughed several times, expelling seawater. Kodiak gasped and said, “Let’s get out of the water.” He was unnerved by his need for air so soon. The thought of losing his ability to remain underwater in this realm alarmed him.

  “This way,” she said through blue lips. He noticed goosebumps on her arms as she began to swim toward land.

  Following her, he noticed a building on the bluff resembling the Wellness. “Is that where you found Calder’s satchel?”

  “Yes, that’s Wentworth-by-the-Sea hotel. But something’s not right.” She swam with diligence.

  He swam alongside Harmony underwater and surfaced, inhaling heavily, after a couple minutes. He tried again and again until his suspicion was confirmed—he could no longer hold his breath for an extended period of time. This human world suppressed what he loved most about his race, what made him special. Kodiak Night was a Diver, a treasure
hunter, but now he felt disconnected. I’ll have to figure this out later. Right now I must focus on what caused the earthquake. And if there anything we can do to prevent another one from happening?

  Winded from the long swim, they slouched on the beach. She immediately said, “You came back with me! I’m glad you did, but I thought it wasn’t allowed. We didn’t know if it would work.”

  “I wasn’t ready to let you go,” he admitted.

  “You risked your life…”

  Kodiak, not ready to analyze his actions, glanced at his surroundings, trying to absorb the strangeness of her world. He realized as soon as the herbs began to choke him what was going to happen. His priorities were to figure out what to do about the disturbances and get Harmony to a safe place. “We’ll figure everything out. Right now we need to know what is happening. Did something here really cause a disturbance on the sacred site?”

  She nodded, wild-eyed. “I believe so.”

  “Do you know the way?”

  “Of course.” She slicked her sodden hair back from her eyes. “It’s up there.” Leading the way, she glanced at the setting sun. “It’s strange, but day and night are slightly off when you cross. Maybe it takes hours to pass through,” she guessed.

  Kodiak looked out to sea. The familiar moving dark waters calmed him, but he tensed at the strangled cry emerging from Harmony. He rushed to the top of the hill to stand at her side. Her hands covered her mouth, and tears shone brightly in her eyes as she stared at the devastation before her.

  Rubble littered the ground. The breeze kicked up dust. No one was around. It seemed the army that took this place down had moved on.

  “Oh no,” Harmony moaned. “Look at how much they tore down. They’ve taken most of it…maybe eighty percent. At least they left the original structure. That must mean something!”

  Kodiak wiped dust from his eyes and squinted at the vast wasteland of wreckage. Large, yellow contraptions loomed in the dwindling light. “What are those?”

  “Those are what brought this place to ruin,” she snarled, but she continued more softly when she remembered he’d never seen such things before. “Sorry. That’s the construction equipment.” She named each monster.

  “I’m sorry, Harmony. I know you care about this place.”

  “I was just here! Well…” She calculated. “I guess that was five…six weeks ago. It must be April by now.” She rubbed her arms against the cold, a faraway look in her eyes.

  “The portal is very close. This teardown must have caused the earthquake in my realm,” Kodiak speculated.

  Harmony sniffed and dashed away her tears. “It’s getting dark. Let’s go.” She led him down the paved road to her house. The beach was not accessible because of private properties and swimming was not even worth considering. The evening traffic was light; only a few vehicles passed them. She tugged him along after each went by, because he stopped and stared in wonder.

  “This place is wild,” he repeated a few times.

  They walked toward the back of the house. The porch door screeched on its hinges. After stepping on Astroturf, he reached down to touch the fake grass.

  “It’s a silly concept.” She shrugged, wondering how to explain it? Inside the screened porch, she lifted a vase and retrieved the hidden key.

  Dying of thirst after swallowing seawater, she filled two glasses at the sink. There she saw the lunch plate she left there long ago, just before she went to the other realm.

  Kodiak gratefully accepted the glass of water and downed it twice as fast as she did. She set her empty glass on the counter and he did the same.

  “I was in my grandpa’s den when the herbs caught fire. Let’s check it out.” She still carried the satchel; her hand instinctively checked for it when she reached the beach. The tin Calder gave her remained safely inside.

  She opened the den door gradually, sniffing for that acrid smell. Nothing. Crossing to the desk, she inspected the letter tray that still held the paper and herbs. They didn’t even appear burned. Wow, that’s strange.

  She carefully cupped the paper nesting the herbs and returned it to the original tin. Tucking the tin into her satchel, she paused, scanning the room for a place to keep the satchel safe. Pivoting toward the desk, she decided the desk drawer would at least hide it.

  Closing the drawer, she said, “Let’s get out of these wet clothes. Then I’ll fix us something to eat.”

  Kodiak, who examined a model ship inside a glass case, said, “Great. I’m hungry.”

  She led him through the living room, past the half-filled boxes, to the stairs. She flicked on the stairwell light, illuminating the framed photos hanging on the wall between the first and second floors. Kodiak stalled on the steps, a smile tugging at his lips. She could tell he recognized her at various ages.

  She cleared her throat at the landing. “I have something for you to wear. Some of my grandfather’s clothes are still here. He was tall, like you.”

  “You grew up in this house?” His hand rested on the newel post when he stopped.

  She stepped back, suddenly feeling too close to him in the tight space. “Yeah, my grandparents raised me here. Now that they have passed on, I own this house.” She pointed her chin down the hallway, signaling the direction she wanted to go. Sighing at the surreal feeling of returning from another realm, she entered her grandparents’ room and opened the closet. Luckily she hadn’t gotten around to giving away all her grandfather’s clothes. Several of his shirts and pants hung next to her grandmother’s things. She selected appropriate garments and led him to the tiny bathroom off the bedroom.

  Harmony pointed out various products and handed him a towel. “My room is down the hall. I’m going to take a shower in the other bathroom. Do you have everything you need?”

  She knew exactly how he felt in a strange world, but her world had much more in the way of modern conveniences. She would explain what he wanted to know soon. Right now she needed the basic comforts in her home—a shower, clean clothes, and hot food.

  Kodiak raised his eyebrows and blasted her with his luminescent eyes. “Stay close by. Don’t leave this house without me.”

  “I won’t leave. I promise.” She thought at first he was panicky about being out of place in this realm, but then she realized he was being protective of her. In truth she felt she owed him protection.

  “I won’t leave you, Kodi.” She stepped close, taking his hand. His face tilted down. Those strange, beautiful eyes seemed brighter in the dim room. “You are safe in this house. We can rest here while we figure out what to do.” She reached up, touching his chin and running her finger along his angled jaw. “Are you okay?”

  His eyes fluttered closed for a moment and he rested his cheek in the heat of her hand. “I am fine. It is you I am worried about.” His whispered words were filled with anguish. “Back in the Wellness library, when I saw you choking, I didn’t realize they were sending you back.” He squeezed her hand and drew it to his chest. “And you were going to leave me without saying good-bye,” he accused.

  She shook her head. “That’s not what I wanted. Calder rushed me to go back and see if I could intervene with whatever was causing the earthquakes. I’m not sure what I can do to help. Kodi, the thought of leaving you without saying good-bye killed me—and then you showed up.”

  They stood together, familiar, and she wondered how two such different people could have such strong feelings toward one another. It wasn’t as if they were born on different sides of the tracks, they were from completely different realms—they weren’t even the same species. She might carry some of the same genes, but she was mostly human. At least he could pass for human—and a fine-looking specimen at that.

  He responded after a long pause. “Okay. Well, I am here with you now. I will do what I can to help you.” He released her hand. She nodded a thank you, turned, and left the room.

  Harmony needed some time alone to think. Kodiak’s presence was distracting and she had important things to figu
re out. In her bathroom, she stripped down and climbed into a steaming shower. Opening her shampoo bottle, she inhaled deeply. The coconut scent was deliciously familiar and comforting. She experienced a fantastic journey and came away with a husband. But was he here accidentally? After all, it wasn’t like he made an active choice to come with her. Instead, he saw her choking and came to her…rescue?

  After her shower she toweled the steam from the mirror and gazed at her reflection. Why me? Why my family? Am I the only mixed-blood freak in two realms? She raised her hands and examined them. Here in this realm, she wouldn’t need her strange ability to repel sea serpents and water gods like a Jedi knight or lethally burn sirens—unless Suijin came after her again. But she wasn’t planning on ever going back into the ocean or any deep body of water. She hoped he’d stay away from her since she burned him when he tried to drown her during the tidal wave.

  The devastating scenes played out in her mind: the invasion of Nakoma’s army, the quake and tidal wave, the return of the sea serpent and the water god. With Finn’s determination to help the people what would become of everyone?

  She pulled on jeans and a tee-shirt and mindlessly wandered into the kitchen. She explored the cabinets for food. She opened two cans of vegetable soup, dumped them into a pot, and set it on the stove to heat. Scanning the room, she noticed the answering machine on the counter. The red light blinked. Gosh, I’ve been gone for almost six weeks. Someone might think I’ve gone missing!

  She hit the button and leaned in to hear. Four calls from Samantha, who by the last message sounded worried. Harmony picked up the wall receiver. As the dial tone sang its stale tune, she paused. What could she say to her dearest friend? Remember those tea leaves? Well, I burned them and they took me to another realm, where I met family and fought off sea serpents and sirens… And by the way, I’m married.

  She hung up the phone and returned to the stove to stir the soup.

  32

  Kodiak leaned against the doorjamb, filling the frame, while he watched his wife make dinner. “Smells good.”