The Island

by Clarissa Johal

  “We’ll call the police—”

  “No! They can’t help us, Nathanial! Plus, Thim and Itu can make that cave disappear. I don’t know how, but they can do it. I’m pretty sure that’s why the police never found Fae. I don’t want to chance that Paisley will end up like her.” She pulled out her phone.

  “Emma—”

  “Paisley would probably ask Gideon to take her out.”

  Nathanial ran his hands through his hair. “He’s visiting his sister on the mainland this weekend.”

  “Dammit!” She hung up again. “Gideon doesn’t own a cell phone. Do you know his sister’s number?”

  “No.”

  “Sebastian said Paisley left last night. She’d find a way to get out there. I know she would.”

  “I’ll go out to the island. You stay here.”

  “I will not!”

  “How safe do you think you’ll be?”

  “How safe do you think you’ll be? I’m coming with you,” Emma argued. “I know it’s dangerous, but Paisley is my friend. You would do the same if she were yours.”

  He paused. “You’re right. So singing to lure the one.” His eyes registered concern. “Are you sure about the other?”

  “I think so. The pouch is around his neck. I’ll grab it, run to the cave and toss it in. You can be waiting with the mirror.”

  “Great,” Nathanial said. “This is nuts. How are you going to get close enough to him without putting yourself in danger?”

  Emma desperately tried to think of what to say and couldn’t. “They will kill Paisley, Nathanial.” She set her jaw. “I have to do this.”

  “We have to do this.” He grabbed his jacket. “And I can sing with the best of them. We’ll do this together.”

  She grabbed his hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.

  “We have the bell on my boat too. We can use it against the one demon,” he added. “And we have the charm.”

  “Keep it in your backpack. I don’t think I can have it near me.”

  Nathanial nodded, a worried expression on his face. “I’m going to call my friend and tell him a little of what’s going on.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I hope he believes me,” he muttered. “If he doesn’t hear from us by tonight, I’ll tell him to call the police.”

  If it comes to that, tell them to start digging, she thought grimly. Emma knew what they were about to do was risky and dangerous. Neither one of them knew if it was going to work. She also knew they had no other choice.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  THE BOAT CUT THROUGH choppy ocean waves. Emma scarcely registered that she wasn’t sea sick for once. Fear gripped her insides instead.

  Nathanial switched the boat to autopilot. He undid his necklace. “I want you to take this.”

  Emma was taken aback. “Your father gave that to you.”

  He fastened it around her neck. “I want you to wear it, Emma.” He looked deep into her eyes. “Please.”

  Speechless, she fingered the small bell.

  He reached up and rang the ship’s larger one. The sound was swallowed by the morning fog. “I’ll unhook this one as soon as we dock. We’ll take it with us.” He eyed her with concern. “I’ll put the charm in my back pocket. If anything happens—”

  She nodded, refusing to acknowledge the rest of his sentence.

  The island stood on the horizon, an almost indiscernible blur. As they approached its shores, she could see the outline of a speed boat anchored to the dock.

  “That looks like the boat Derek rented,” Emma whispered.

  Nathanial maneuvered his boat alongside it. “Shit.”

  Splayed across the cockpit, a look of terror was frozen on Derek’s lifeless face. His fingers had been eaten away. Blood soaked his t-shirt and the front of his jeans. One of his eyes was missing.

  Emma hit the dock running. “Paisley!”

  “Emma, no!”

  She reached the tree line and heard a yell from behind. Emma turned just in time to see Nathanial go down.

  Thim tossed the piece of driftwood he’d hit him with aside.

  Emma started forward and caught Thim’s expression. Stupid! You walked right into that. What did you think was going to happen? She turned and fled into the forest. The trees closed in around her. There was a distant sound of inhuman laughter. He’s going to kill me.

  Panicked, Emma had no idea which direction she was going. She hit rocky terrain and skidded to a stop. The cliffs loomed in front of her. She turned, unsure of which direction to run.

  Thim’s footsteps pounded to a halt. His look of triumph and greed caused a chill to creep up her spine.

  “What now?” Her breath rasped in and out of her lungs. “If you chase me off the cliffs, that’s it. Your little game will be over.”

  His smile slipped a little.

  He doesn’t want to kill me, then. A sliver of hope arose inside her. Not yet, anyway. Emma put distance between herself and the rocky edge. “All right, you bastard, let’s do this.”

  Thim cocked his head to one side and raised a white eyebrow.

  “Me versus you.”

  A slow grin spread across his face. “Me…versus you.”

  Emma burst out with the first song that popped into her head. “Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!”

  Confusion marred the albino’s features.

  “And on this farm…” Emma blanked for a second. “Sing, Emma,” she whispered.

  The demon’s look of confusion was quickly followed by an expression of cold fury. He took a step toward her.

  “On this farm, he had a…demon.” She took in the smile that crept across the demon’s face. A smile that could cut glass. Or skin.

  Thim leveled his translucent gaze at her. His fingers elongated. The skin on his fingertips peeled back to expose long claws.

  It’s not working! Her thoughts screamed. Emma stumbled backward and Nathanial’s bell shifted inside her t-shirt. Grasping the chain, she pulled out the bell and shook it as hard as she could. The sound, light and clear, echoed across the ocean breeze.

  Thim fell to his knees.

  Emma turned and ran through the trees again, clutching the bell for dear life. Orienting herself, she headed for the cave. I’ll ring the bell, and if Thim follows me, I’ll push him into the cave. Her plan suddenly hit a glitch. After I get Paisley out, that is. She has to be in there. She has to be. I’ll keep ringing it and…please let her still be alive. She approached where the cave should have been and stopped. Nothing but fallen trees and ferns covered the area.

  “Paisley!” She dropped to her knees and searched the forest floor. Digging with her fingers, she came up with nothing but dirt and debris.

  “I told you. You have sealed her fate.”

  Emma jumped at the sound of Itu’s voice behind her.

  Itu materialized like a dark nightmare. At the same time, Thim ran into the clearing and slowed, eying Emma’s necklace.

  She clutched the bell and glared at them. “You let her go, you bastard!”

  “We will offer a trade.” Itu’s eye sockets gaped, empty and terrible. “You stay…and we will let your friend leave.”

  “What about Nathanial?”

  “He must stay as well.”

  “No deal.” Emma continued to clutch her necklace like a lifeline. “You let Paisley and Nathanial both go, or I’ll ring this bell until your brains leak out of your ears.”

  A small manic smile touched the corner of Thim’s mouth. Immediately, he turned and disappeared through the forest.

  “Where is he going?” Catching the tension in Itu’s body, Emma backed away, but it was too late.

  Lightning fast, Itu grabbed her. “Bells don’t work on me.” He searched blindly until his fingers closed around the necklace. “Thim, however, does not like the sound anymore. Our people made sure of that,” he added bitterly.

  “No!” Emma struggled.

  “You will cease to cause him pain.” Itu snapped the chain and tossed the neckla
ce away. “Thim will find the man you came with. Most likely, he will kill him.”

  “Please don’t let him do that!” Emma cried.

  “Thim has no mercy, as I’m sure you know. Your friend begged for death in her final moments.”

  Emma felt her insides crumple. A small whimper escaped her lips.

  “She wasn’t a fighter like you. A screamer, perhaps.” Itu searched her face eagerly with his hands.

  Itu’s pouch pressed against her chest. Emma’s thoughts focused again. If she could maneuver her hand without him suspecting, she could grab it.

  “Desperation and terror, these are things she experienced in her final moments,” Itu murmured. “Pity you weren’t there.”

  Emma brought her hand up to his chest as if to push him away. Her fingers brushed against the cord. She hooked a finger around it.

  “Soon, you will join her—” Itu slid his hands through Emma’s hair.

  She gave the cord a yank. The pouch dropped to the ground. Itu’s hand went to his neck, a look of surprise on his face. Emma snatched the pouch from the ground, and ran.

  Fleeing into the forest, she heard his angry roar behind her. She prayed she wouldn’t encounter Thim along the way. I’ll drag Nathanial onto the boat and we’ll leave. Please let him be okay. Emma bit back a sob. She reached the rocky beach, and her heart fell. Nathanial was nowhere in sight.

  She clutched the pouch in her hands and continued toward the water. Emma turned just in time to see Itu run out onto the beach after her. He may have my scent, but I have his eyes.

  Emma waded into the ocean up to her waist, her heart pounding. She held the bag over her head. “Stop, or I’ll throw this pouch into the ocean!”

  A look of panic crossed his face. “Do not!” Itu attempted to enter the water, stopping short at the edge. He tried again and stopped, as if hitting a wall.

  Realization dawned on her. Fae’s bowls of sea water. Oh, my god, why didn’t I think of them? He can’t go into the ocean or cross it. The realization left her elated. Itu used to drown his victims. That must be what the tribe used against him.

  “Stop where you are!” She spoke above the sound of the waves. “I’m not kidding, I’ll throw this fucking thing so far, you’ll never find it.” Icy cold waves slapped against her.

  “What do you ask of me?” His face was etched in desperation.

  “You give me Nathanial, and…Paisley’s body. Then we’ll talk.”

  Itu turned in confusion. “The girl. I can give her to you. I do not know where your man is. Thim has him.”

  “Then you tell Thim to get his pale ass in gear and bring him to me!”

  “The girl is not dead.”

  A wave of relief rushed through her. “Both of them, Itu. I want both of them.”

  “I will call Thim. Please. Do not…do anything rash.” He clenched his hands and bowed his head.

  Moments later, Thim broke onto the beach. The albino glanced at the pouch Emma held over her head. He murmured something in a language she didn’t understand.

  Itu shook his head in response. “Where is her man?”

  Thim murmured something in reply.

  “Get him.”

  The albino gave him a quizzical look and uttered several harsh syllables. Getting no response from his counterpart, Thim shot Emma a look that made her stomach knot. He turned and disappeared back into the tree line.

  “Thim will bring him,” Itu said.

  “What about Paisley?”

  Itu paused before answering her. “If I leave to gather your friend, you will stay here?”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Emma’s teeth chattered from both nervousness and cold. “But one wrong move, and the pouch becomes fish food.”

  Itu tensed, his expression pulled into that of a grimace. “I will return shortly.” He left her.

  Emma was swept off her feet by a wave. Coughing salty ocean water, she held the pouch to her chest and struggled to right herself. I’ll grab the other bell from Nathanial’s boat. Just for backup.

  Emma fought her way through the waves. Her attention was captured by a figure emerging from the tree line. “Nathanial?”

  His jacket was gone and his sweater was ripped across one arm. A bleeding gash striped his forehead. Nathanial limped down the beach toward her.

  Hesitant, she started toward him. Emma took several steps back into the water and held the pouch over it, waiting. “Say something,” she said once he was within earshot.

  “I tried singing,” he said between breaths. “It didn’t work as well as a punch in the face.”

  Emma sloshed toward him and threw herself around his neck. “I have Itu’s eyes.” She showed him the leather pouch. “At least I think that’s what’s in here.” She quickly opened the pouch. Grimacing, she closed it again.

  “Where is he?”

  “He went to get Paisley. He says she’s still alive.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “I don’t know. He seemed intent on getting his pouch back.”

  Nathanial looked behind him. “The other one tracked me, but I lost him. We need to get out of here, Emma. This isn’t going as we planned.”

  “They’ll kill Paisley just like they killed Fae,” she argued. “I figured out what Itu’s weakness is. They used his connection with the ocean and turned it against him. He can’t go into the water or cross it. As long as I stay in the ocean, I’m safe from him.”

  He gave her a doubtful look. “What about the other one? Singing didn’t work.”

  “I know. The bell does, though.”

  His gaze fastened to her neck. “Where’s the necklace?”

  “Itu took it from me.”

  Nathanial’s face fell. “The bell on the boat is gone.”

  “One of them must have taken it.” Emma clutched the pouch. “I have the pouch, though. Itu won’t risk me throwing it in the ocean.”

  “And I have the charm. For whatever that’s worth,” he muttered. “Maybe if they see it... Look, I’ll lead the one away from you. When the other brings your friend back, get her on board. The boat is surrounded by water, which should be enough to ward him off. If you don’t see me right away…I want you to leave without me.”

  “I’m not going to leave without you—”

  “You have to, Emma. These things aren’t fooling around. They’ll kill you, and they’re stronger than I thought.” He saw her look and continued, “I have the charm. Don’t worry about me.” Nathanial stopped her argument with a brief kiss and then left.

  Seemingly seconds later, Itu returned carrying Paisley. He unceremoniously dumped her onto the beach. “Here is your friend. Give me what is mine.”

  Paisley’s fingers had been chewed raw. One of her earlobes was missing. Blood streaked her face and clothing. “How do I know she’s still alive?” Emma couldn’t keep her voice from shaking.

  Itu kicked Paisley in the leg, eliciting a faint moan. “She is alive.” He held out his large hand. “Give that to me. Now.”

  “Thim hasn’t returned with Nathanial yet. I plan to be on the boat with both of them before I give you anything.”

  Itu’s face darkened into a furious scowl.

  Thim returned seconds later, a frown etched into his smooth brow. He uttered something in a guttural language.

  “How difficult can it be to find one human?” Itu replied, an edge to his voice.

  Thim repeated the same phrase.

  “It seems Thim has misplaced your friend. Which means he’s running free on the island, as I’m sure you already know.” Itu’s empty eye sockets bored into her. “I have lived up to my end of the bargain.”

  Emma’s gaze flicked over to the tree line. She clutched the pouch. “I need you to put Paisley on the boat before I give this to you.”

  Itu was like a stone statue, his muscles taught. “Take her to the boat,” he said abruptly to Thim.

  Emma held her breath. If Thim could have struck her dead at that moment, she had no doubt he wo
uld have.

  Plucking up Paisley’s limp body, Thim effortlessly threw her over one shoulder. The demon gave Emma a sly smile and slid his hand up Paisley’s leg.

  “You’re a bastard,” Emma said through gritted teeth.

  He raised an eyebrow and ran a sharp claw along Paisley’s tights, shredding the fabric and her skin with it.

  Itu clenched his hands at his sides. “I am losing my patience.”

  The albino shot his counterpart a deadly look. He turned on one bare heel and loped across the rocky shore.

  Emma sloshed through the waves and followed him. Fear and cold had rendered her body numb. Itu paced her like a cagey animal, occasionally tilting his face as if he caught her scent. What am I going to do if Nathanial doesn’t show up? I can’t leave without him. This pouch is my only bargaining chip right now. I can’t give it to Itu, no matter what I told him.

  Emma sloshed past the speed boat where Derek’s body was sprawled. Now that she was closer, she saw that the buttons on his blood-soaked jeans had been ripped off. She averted her gaze to catch Thim watching her.

  A smile touched the demon’s pale lips. He tossed Paisley’s body onto the deck of Nathanial’s boat. Standing on the dock, he looked down at Emma, scrutinizing her progress with each incoming wave.

  “You have your friend. Give me what is mine.”

  She felt the power and rage behind Itu’s order. She clutched the bag tightly. I could throw it into the ocean. I’d only have Thim to deal with then. She caught the albino’s predatory look. I’d be dead in a second. Her gaze sought the tree line behind the demons. Where are you, Nathanial?

  What followed happened in the blink of an eye. A large wave came in, larger than the ones she’d been struggling with. It threw her off balance and she lost her footing. Emma was dragged under. She heard her own yelp of surprise as the water closed over her head. There was a loud splash, and the pouch was torn from her grasp. Thim yanked her to the surface. Coughing and gasping for air, she fought him. Salty water stung her eyes.

  The demon’s fingers dug cruelly into her arms as he dragged her from the water. Thim tossed the pouch to Itu, who caught it.

  “That was a mistake,” Itu said as he tied the pouch around his neck. “And one you won’t be making again.”