The Rare Pearl (Broken Water Series Book 1) Page 7

  Thank goodness they’re done!

  But instead of her friends, she saw a bulky snake-like body adorned with fins skim the water’s surface before disappearing under the water. Oh no, the sea serpent! She wanted to scream a warning, but it would be futile.

  The serpent headed toward where Binda said the cave was—right for Kodiak! Minutes passed. Harmony was beside herself with worry.

  Finally two figures stood in the breaking waves—Rio’s arm was slung around Kodiak’s neck, his body slack. Kodiak lifted Rio into his arms as he marched onto the beach. Harmony rushed forward. “Get back!” Kodiak yelled.

  “Where’s Binda?” Harmony froze, wildly searching for her.

  “Get back!” Kodiak yelled louder, heaving his burden into a more secure hold. He continued up the beach fast as he could. “It’s coming.”

  Harmony reluctantly followed him.

  About one hundred yards out, the sea begin to bubble and foam. The noise that followed made her knees shake. It sounded like a tree knocking, cracking, and splintering before falling. Her heart pounded and tears welled. Oh, Binda, where are you? You can’t be lost because of me!

  As if answering her silent plea, Binda surfaced, the waves pushing her to her knees and dumping her into the surf. She dragged herself to her knees again, pausing in the waves as they battered her.

  Something’s wrong.

  Binda stood and staggered forward, stumbling, limping, pain evident on her face.

  Harmony ran to her.

  Binda hoarsely screamed, “Stay back.” The surf knocked Binda underwater again. When she lifted her head sand plastered her cheek.

  Harmony refocused on a spot behind Binda, trying to see what made that awful sound. The cove water bubbled and foamed and then erupted as the sea serpent reared its massive head. It towered above them as sea spray misted the air. Seawater slosh at Harmony’s sandaled feet as she stared in horror at the monster. The cry it made was between a barking seal and a jackhammer, louder than an eighteen wheeler’s horn. It swung its head sideways, one coal black eye visible. It narrowed that eye on Binda.

  The beast rose above the water in a giant S shape. Maroon scales, shimmery as an oil spill, covered its body. Its head resembled a dragon from ancient folklore, with several sets of wickedly pointed horns above its eyes, under its chin, and from its jaw. A dorsal fin extended from the top if its head, down its back and disappeared into the sea. It snaked forward, opening its mouth and exposing sharp teeth. It drew up, ready to strike at Binda.

  Without thinking, Harmony ran in front of her kin. Searing heat flushed down her arms, igniting her palms with a burning sensation. She aimed her pulsing palms at the sea serpent, screaming.

  The sea serpent recoiled with an indignant cry. It swung its head from side to side, like a bird, to give each of its eyes a better look at what blocked its advance.

  Harmony continued to push this sudden energy flow toward the beast.

  Kodiak dashed past her and helped Binda up and out of the water. The sea serpent made a second attempt to strike but was unable to penetrate past the energy coming from Harmony.

  “Harmony!” Binda cried as Kodiak dragged her up the beach.

  “She is blocking him somehow,” Kodiak huffed. “It won’t go near her.”

  It was miraculous! Harmony walked the shoreline with her arms up as the sea serpent followed, agitated. It would not come closer. Finally, it rose up snorting and bellowing, only to dive with a violent downward thrust into the water, leaving a loud splash in its wake. Its snake-like body rounded the surface until the point of its tail made the final plunge, leaving the ocean fizzing.

  Harmony dropped her arms, shoulders sagging. They were heavy with exhaustion as the tingling dissipated. Her ears rang from the deafening blasts the monster terrorized them with. She shook with adrenaline.

  The waves become calm as her heart rate returned to normal. What was that? How did I do that? It was strange, but she wasn’t afraid—not of the energy she emitted or the sea serpent after she engaged it. It seemed she knew what she was doing. She numbly shuffled toward the path, a safe distance from the sea.

  Rio lay barely conscious in the grass. Binda sat next to him, examining the severe burn on her leg.

  Harmony roused at the sight of them. “What happened down there?”

  Kodiak pulled a tin from Binda’s bag. “I was on my way out of the cave with the leaves when Binda and Rio swam up. I thought we were clear, but the serpent came out of nowhere and wrapped his body around Rio. I was able to cut him free and hide him between some rocks. Binda lured the monster away so I could haul Rio out.” Kodiak popped the lid off, stuck two fingers into the greenish-brown goop, and smeared it across Rio’s red, blistering chest.

  Rio moaned before his body went limp.

  “What is that? I thought he was squeezed by the sea serpent?”

  Binda sucked air through her teeth when she touched the infected skin on her calf, the same blistered flesh as Rio’s. Through clenched teeth Binda said, “The serpent can secrete poison through its dorsal fin. It looks like a burn, but it can be deadly. We need to get Rio back as fast as we can.”

  “How can I help?” Harmony kneeled at Rio’s side, smoothing a strand of hair from his forehead.

  After applying three more smears to Rio’s chest, Kodiak handed the tin to Binda, who applied the salve to her leg. Kodiak grabbed Rio’s shirt and tossed it to Harmony. “Help me get this on him. The sun will make it worse.” Kodiak lifted Rio to a sitting position, and Harmony carefully pulled his tunic into place.

  No one spoke again.

  Kodiak and Binda slipped their tunics on and slung their satchels across their bodies. Harmony secured Rio’s bag around her chest and collected the net filled with a seaweed-type plant Kodiak removed from his belt. Kodiak squatted and eased Rio into his arms. He lifted him and adjusted his weight, nodding at the girls when he was ready. Harmony offered her arm to Binda who reluctantly accepted it as she hobbled along on her damaged leg. They climbed the path to the clifftop and circled inland through the trees until they reached their canoe. Harmony and Binda pulled the canoe into the water. Kodiak stepped in and placed his friend inside. The girls hopped in and settled as Kodiak started paddling downstream.

  Binda stared at Harmony. “How did you do that? How did you hold off the sea serpent?”

  “She saved you. She saved us,” Kodiak responded.

  Binda ignored Kodiak. “How were you able to shield us?”

  “I don’t know.” Harmony admitted, gaze shifting from Binda to Kodiak. “I don’t know how I did it. I just knew I could.” Anger, fear, and desperation sparked that flame. Reliving the feeling, Harmony shook with trepidation, realizing how amazing her new power felt.

  ***

  They returned before nightfall, shaken and anxious. Moving with efficiency, Calder applied fresh salves and bandages to his grandchildren’s burns. Then he sat with his hands stretched over Rio’s body, eyes closed. Like a shaman, Calder used spiritual energy to heal him. Soon, Rio opened his eyes. Kodiak remained by his side.

  Calder turned to Binda who sat with her leg elevated. They bowed their heads together and closed their eyes in concentration while Calder made waving motions over her calf.

  Harmony paced, chewing on her nubby fingernails.

  Pain subsided; Binda told her mother and grandfather about the day’s events. Most notably, the talent Harmony seemed to possess.

  Kodiak left Rio to get the plants dumped and forgotten at the doorway.

  Harmony swooped in, knelt next to Rio and took his hand. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Yes, cousin, and I want to thank you. Kodi told me about how you blocked the sea serpent with your magic energy.”

  “I didn’t say magic,” Kodiak corrected, handing Calder the net bag.

  “I’d do anything to help you guys.” Harmony turned to Calder and asked, “Do you know anything about that kind of ability?”

  Calder understood
times were changing and this group needed to be in the know. Their very lives depended on it. “I don’t have an answer for you. But remember, you are not only human. Perhaps your unique blend of our two races has afforded you this gift. Never underestimate your abilities, Harmony. Holding Suijin’s sea serpent at bay is no small feat and I can’t even imagine how Suijin would react if he knew.”

  Instead of answers their discussion brought more questions. Could Suijin, a god, be threatened by a girl? What else might Harmony be capable of? Would her power help them get through the dangerous missions they faced in the future?

  Kodiak wandered outside onto the deck. The ocean lapped around its stilted legs. Cloaked in stars, the air had cooled considerably, and he welcomed the evening breeze. The moonlight reflected off the water, beckoning him to go for a swim.

  “Kodi?”

  Hearing a feminine voice, he recognized it. Harmony’s vocal sound was pleasant, her slight accent barely detectable. He gave her his attention, but remained silent. Approaching, she wrapped her arms around her slender shoulders, the breeze lifted her hair.

  “Wow, the temperature really drops here at night,” she said, “but I guess you don’t get cold.”

  “Not really.” He flashed back to when he touched her warm skin and wondered again what it would be like to engulf her in his arms. She stopped near him and leaned against the rail. The moon cast her face in glowing light. Kodiak didn’t waste the opportunity to study the heart shape of her face, the delicate eyebrows that gave her unique expressions, and her mouth—so full and pouty and pink. He blinked several times, focusing on what she was saying.

  “…and risked so much helping us. So I wanted to say thank you.”

  Harmony started to tug her lavender pearl ring from her finger, but Kodiak placed his hand over hers. Immediately he felt the heat. He knew he should pull his hand away, but instead he clasped her fingers, gazing at the lavender pearl. “You keep it until we have completed all of our missions. You can give it to me before returning to your world.” As the corners of her mouth lifted, he added, “I will do what I can to help you get home.” He wasn’t sure why he told her to hang onto her ring for now, but it felt like the right thing to do.

  “Thank you!” she gushed and flung her arms around him.

  Caught off guard by her emotion and overwhelmed by the sensations of her body against his, he remembered she was not here of her own choosing. She stood on her toes with her torso flattened against him, her arms wrapped around his tense shoulders. This is what her heat feels like…all-pervading. He didn’t want it to stop. His hands, in brief confusion, had paused in midair, but now they dropped to the small of her back. Harmony’s hug lingered. In their intimate embrace he felt her body relax, secure in his arms. When he slid his arms tighter, encircling her, she sighed. His body rapidly responded when her nose brushed the taut column of his neck and he bit his lip to control his sharp intake of breath.

  She tilted her head back and they regarded one another. What was this energy between them? They were like two magnets locking together with a force difficult to dislodge.

  They heard someone inside summon them.

  She stirred.

  He reluctantly let her go, turning toward the rail, gripping it for support, and allowing a blast of fresh air to cool the skin she left uncomfortably warm.

  She cleared her throat and barely whispered, “I also came out to tell you Calder is leaving. He said he’ll be back tomorrow to go over the details for our next two quests.” She slipped back inside.

  Alone again, he raised his brows and blew out a long breath. That intensity left him tingling all over. Forget bending the rules, or breaking the rules… He was playing with fire!

  ***

  Something about Kodiak’s closeness set her at ease. Harmony felt secure for the first time since crossing. Encircled in his arms, she longed to remain there. She recalled when her nose brushed his neck and she inhaled his earthy smell of sand and surf. For the second time that day she felt an awakening within her.

  Lying in bed, listening to Binda’s soft breathing, Harmony wondered how she would make it through or if she’d ever get home. In the human realm, everything was familiar, but here, she had family…and an ability, or gift—she didn’t know what to call it. All she knew was it made her feel powerful—and she wondered if she would get to feel that again.

  Harmony gazed at the face in the fur-lined parka. She sensed her mother smiling at her, but the sun, trying to burn through the overcast sky, blinded her. All was quiet, except for the scraping of the ice-skate blades. Then she heard the cracking, her mother’s cries, and her own screams as she plunged into the frigid water.

  He swam toward her, smiling, his milky white skin and teeth glowed in the murky water. She sensed he wasn’t there to rescue her. He watched her struggle to resurface.

  Unable to ascend, she noticed her mittens wave bye as they disappeared into the darkness. Heat built in her arms. She grew wary of the man approaching and when he reached for her she shot a pulse from her palms.

  Drawing his arms up, a flash reflected against his onyx and silver scales. His eyes darted around, trying to figure out where the sting came from. Floating his fingertips toward her outstretched hand, he jerked at the second pulse.

  He swam around her, attempting to reach her, but somehow she deflected his touch. He paused like a ghost before her, studying her face, and then he swam away. Before she was pulled from the water she caught sight of him dragging away a body in a blue parka. Mother!

  Harmony woke with a start, shaken as always when she dreamed of being in deep water. The man’s face was a clear image in her mind. This man…he’d been in her dreams before.

  11

  After a long morning swim, a remarkably healed Rio sat at breakfast with his sister, Kodiak, and Harmony. Calder arrived, happy to see his grandchildren restored. The fruit plates and tea cups were pushed aside, and Calder spread a map across the table.

  “To start, you will travel by canoe to the closest trading village and then acquire elk to take you overland for the remainder of your journey.”

  “Elk—as in reindeer?” Harmony tried to picture that.

  Each of her companions grimaced at the thought. “We avoid traveling overland. We prefer bikes to animals,” Binda groaned.

  “The elk are useful and fast, easily covering fifty miles a day while carrying people and goods.” Calder pinned his eyes on Binda, who shrugged. “They are underutilized here, in my opinion. I think our aquatic ways have given us little tolerance for the terrestrial animals.” He further clarified Harmony’s confusion. “There are no horses in this realm.”

  That was profound. Where would humans be without horses? Empires were built because the horse traveled great distances revolutionizing warfare and transporting people and goods. But here apparently the elk replaced the horse. She focused on the map.

  “This journey is long and dangerous.” Calder surveyed the group. “You need to travel near the Great Falls, four hundred miles away, and back, a total of eight hundred miles.”

  “That far!” Harmony cried. “That’s going to take weeks without a car. Maybe there’s another way to send me back.”

  “This is the only way,” Calder assured her. “It will take approximately eight to ten day to reach your farthest destination, if all goes well. And then the return journey.”

  Harmony fell silent, numb at the thought of being trapped in this world for so long.

  “Before you go as far as the Great Falls you will stop to collect the next component from a swamp. It lies in a small, dense valley just before you intercept the Muhheakantuck River.” He pointed to a place on the map so everyone could follow along.

  Harmony leaned in, recognizing each point. In her world the Great Falls were Niagara Falls, and the Muhheakantuck River was the Hudson River, both located in New York. Muhheakantuck was the original Native American name for the river, meaning the river that flows both ways. She narrowed her gaz
e where Calder’s webbed finger indicated a swamp. Frowning, she thought, There definitely aren’t any swamps in New York.

  “Heed great caution. Dangerous creatures lurk in the swamp.”

  Not another creature! This worried Harmony, especially after yesterday’s disaster.

  “What you seek hangs from the indigenous trees that only grow in this particular swamp.” He flipped open a journal to a hand-drawn picture.

  Harmony thought the long gray tails resembled Spanish moss.

  “Well, at least it’s in the trees and not in the swamp water. I’m sure that smell is hard to get out of your hair.” Rio bared his teeth in disgust.

  “Yes, the smell lingers,” Calder commented and then snaked his finger along the route. “The southern road will keep you in the foothills of the mountains, where the roads are well maintained and flatter. Every fifty miles is an outpost where you can get fresh mounts.”

  Binda said, “There are two large trading ports on the river with bridge access.”

  “Indeed, but you should avoid the large trading ports.”

  Binda frowned at Calder’s remark.

  “I advise you to cross the river here instead. We don’t want the tribe seeing you cross into their territory, for once you cross the Muhheakantuck River you are on their land. If at all possible avoid the tribespeople that far out. The plant we need is on their land, east of the falls. If you stay on this side of the falls, well within the surrounding forest, you should be able to pass undetected.” He looked pointedly at each of them and held up a hand to emphasize the importance of his statements. “If they find you I do not know what they might ask for, but if you find yourselves in their city, before their chieftain, you will need to decide the right thing to do. Be warned.”