Primitive Flame

by Lakes, Lynde

  “To talk to Chinn and Wang!” he shouted, climbing into the truck.

  She couldn’t let him leave like this. It was as though an unscaleable wall had risen between them, and she’d just piled on the last brick. “I’ll go with you.”

  He revved the motor. “You’re the last person they’ll want to see.” And he drove off, leaving her in his dust.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Lani exited the taxi and hurried toward Grandfather’s open mailbox. A package was sticking out. She touched the lava stone she wore around her neck and crossed her fingers. Let this be the wrappings that had protected it, and let the tapa paper and twine lead me to the sender. She read the return address and smiled. Her friend, Bev, hadn’t failed her. At least the first part of her wish had come true.

  With the package under her arm and her overnight bag in her hand, she managed to unlock the door and step inside the house. Lil’ Guy met her at the door. He wove a loop around her ankles, then looked up and greeted her with a loud “Meow.”

  “I’m glad to see you, too.” She dumped her things on the counter and petted the kitten. After putting fresh food and water down for him, she headed for the bedroom, unwrapping her package as she went. After making sure everything was there, she gently re-wrapped it and placed in a safe place at the back of her closet. She was about to unpack her overnight bag, when the ringing phone stopped her.

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Hello?” she said, hoping it was Cort.

  “Lani, glad you’re home,” Grandfather said. “I’m over on Maui with Lako. I’m helping him repair the damage to one of his apartment units. There’s more work than we thought. I won’t make it home until tomorrow night. Is everything okay there?”

  “Yes. And I have some exciting news.”

  “About your meeting with Pono?”

  Lani twisted the telephone cord. She wanted to tell Grandfather that Pono was her father face to face, not over the phone. “They found ancient Hawaiian bones and relics at the construction site,” she said, avoiding a direct answer to his question.

  “Then your premonition was true,” he said incredulously.

  She’d never doubted it.

  “That is good news.” Grandfather’s words had a happy bounce to them. Yet, she sensed an underlying tension. “How did it go with Pono?” he asked.

  “I’ll tell you all about it when you get home.”

  “Now you’ve really got me curious.”

  “Please. Later will be better.”

  “Okay, honey, Ua aloha olua.”

  “I love you too.”

  As she unpacked her overnight bag, she wondered what Grandfather’s reaction would be when he found out Pono was her father. Had he ever suspected it? And could the fire goddess be her mother? The discovery of the buried relics and the other things that had happened up to now made her believe anything was possible. She wished she could go to the Big Island today, but she’d started something at the construction site and had to see it through to the end.

  As afternoon turned to evening the same question kept popping in her mind—was there still a chance, after all these years, to find a clue that would lead her to the woman who called herself Pele?

  Lani stayed busy laundering clothes and cleaning up the house, but her mind wasn’t on chores. When she wasn’t wondering about the woman, she was wondering what happened at Cort’s meeting. She understood his position, and he probably understood hers, but unfortunately they had different goals.

  Lani had just finished folding the laundry when the familiar roar of Cort’s Porsche sent a surge of adrenaline through her. She peeked out the window and caught a glimpse of him coming through the darkness. She wanted to race into his arms, but fear of rejection stopped her. She perched herself on the couch and sat still, hardly breathing. Footsteps pounded the porch, followed by the firm rap of knuckles on the door. “Come in,” she called.

  The door opened slowly, then Cort filled the entry with his powerful presence. He wore a yellow dress shirt, long sleeves rolled to his forearms. His stonewashed jeans had a sharply ironed crease. He held something behind his back. He didn’t smile. He just walked in and crouched down in front of her. She had an urge to brush back the strands of golden hair the trade wind had tumbled onto his forehead.

  “I’m sorry.” He took her hand to his lips and kissed it with incredible gentleness. “I know what finding the bones and artifacts means to you.”

  The misery on his face tugged at her heartstrings. He brought his other arm from behind his back and handed her a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. When she inhaled their sweet fragrance, the petals felt cool and velvety against her nose.

  Cort touched her knee, sending shivery sensations up her thigh. “I shouldn’t have been so abrupt with you.”

  Lani shrugged. “I guess you felt we’d ganged up on Mr. Wang, and he wasn’t there to defend himself.”

  “That’s part of it, but frankly I’m having trouble with how you learned about the relics, and all the rest of this mysticism. It’s so damned hard for me to accept that you’ve fulfilled some kind of destiny or something.”

  Her heart throbbed with deep love. It had cost him to admit that.

  He raked his hand through his hair. “The visions and the rest of it are against everything I know and believe. I need a logical explanation.”

  Her gaze locked with his. “What if there isn’t any?”

  “I have to try to find one.”

  Lani shivered. Cort had come to need answers as badly as she did. She put the flowers down and slid her arms around his neck. “I don’t understand all that’s behind the visions, but I have faith that together we can uncover the secrets.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, then leaned forward and tenderly brushed her lips. “There’s too much at stake to fail,” he said huskily.

  His mouth closed over hers. She relaxed against his chest and absorbed the warmth and comfort of his arms, while he traced his fingers slowly up and down her back. His touch relaxed something inside her that had been wound too tightly for the last few days. It felt so right to be with him. Her doubts about their future faded under the heat of his gentle hands. He buried his lips in her hair. She slid a hand inside his shirt and toyed with the silky hair on his chest.

  “I love the way you touch me,” he murmured. “It’s familiar, right.”

  His warm breath feathered over her cheek, sending waves of heat to her core. He nuzzled her throat, guiding her downward until her head rested on one of the throw pillows. His weight settled on her, the strong muscles of his thighs pressing into her own. A powerful hunger overwhelmed her. As she returned his kisses, now hot and seeking, she encircled his neck, one hand tangling in his hair.

  She was trapped beneath him, a willing captive, heated by a fever that rose and mingled through their clothes. His kisses weren’t enough. She moved against him.

  He moaned. “You’re so sweet, soft, warm.”

  “And ready.” She laughed, feeling drunk with desire.

  He laughed too, deeply and lustily. Then, in a heated frenzy, they shed their clothing and faced each other, naked and without defenses. His kiss was so gentle it brought tears to her eyes.

  The shadows in the dimly lit room danced around her as Cort lowered her again to the couch. Then she felt only his adept hands, his mouth. She forgot everything except how much she loved him, propelled forward until they brought each other to a precarious edge. Finally, crying out in pleasure, they let themselves ride the crest and then plummeted back to a hazy reality.

  For a while, they remained in the comfort of one another’s arms, spent and content.

  Cort smoothed a long tress from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “My lovely Hawaiian goddess,” he teased.

  She laughed softly, trying to take it as a joke. But would he accept her if she were really a demi-goddess, really Pele’s daughter? Could he embrace her heritage, whatever it was? She desperately wanted to believe he’d be there always. B
ut would he tire of her visions and warnings of danger?

  Lani shifted in his arms and looked up into his eyes. “Does finding the relics mean you’re out of a job?”

  “No. The firm has other projects they want me to do, but some of my men will be laid off, and Wang will lose a bundle.”

  “I wish we could make it right for everyone.”

  “Life doesn’t always work out that way. If someone wins, usually someone loses.” He smiled sardonically.

  “What a depressing thought.” She traced his firm jaw line. “Better perk up, or I’ll think lovemaking puts you in a dark mood,” she said, untangling herself and leaving the couch and the warmth of his arms.

  “Don’t make any snap judgments,” he said, surprising her as he followed her to the bathroom and slipped into the glass enclosure right behind her. She quickly decided that having someone to soap her down until she squealed in pleasure was well worth the loss of privacy.

  After they had both showered and dressed, she in shorts and a halter, he in his yellow shirt and jeans, Lani gathered the roses that had fallen to the floor in their first moments of passion. When she headed for the kitchen, Cort followed.

  “How about a soda?” she asked. “Or would you rather have coffee or tea?”

  “Tea sounds good.”

  Lani turned on the electric burner under the teapot and began arranging the flowers in a tall crystal vase. “These are lovely, Cort. Thank you.”

  Lil’ Guy came bounding into the kitchen and headed straight for Lani’s ankles. He rubbed his body back and forth against them, weaving a figure-eight pattern.

  “Lil’ Guy knows a great pair of ankles when he sees them.” To prove his words, Cort bent and slid his hand up Lani’s leg from her ankle to her knee, leaving her skin tingling from his touch. Then as he lifted the cat into his arms, Cort told him, “Touching those legs makes me feel like purring too.”

  Lani smiled at his compliment and the sight of the two of them. Cort was good with the cat. Probably he’d be good with children, too. After all, he coached them and seemed so natural with the baby at the party. Any man like that who played with bubbles on the beach would have to be.

  When the tea kettle whistled, she removed it from the stove and placed it on a tray with cups and some cookies.

  “Let’s have this in the living room. It’s cooler in there.”

  Lil’ Guy followed them and hopped up on the couch next to Lani. She poured a cup of tea and handed it to Cort.

  After a few sips, Cort shook his head.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Tea and cookies are okay for a snack, but let’s get some real food.” He kissed her forehead. “How about we grab some burgers at Willi’s place?”

  “Sounds good. Just give me a few minutes to change.”

  Lani stepped into the darkened bedroom. Before she could switch on the light, an image of the construction site flashed onto the wall. It was luminous with a ghostly haze.

  “Cort!” she screamed.

  He was at her side in an instant. “What is it?”

  Lani pointed at the fading image. “There on the wall!”

  Cort turned on the light. “Where?”

  She stared at the now blank wall. “It’s gone.”

  Cort surveyed the room. “Images again?”

  “Y…yes.” She breathed deeply to calm her racing pulse.

  He grinned. “Are you serious, or is this just a clever ploy to get me into your bedroom again?”

  Lani couldn’t smile. She was too scared. But she appreciated his attempt at humor and walked gratefully into his arms. He held her close for a few moments, then said, “There’s nothing to hurt you now. Get changed and let’s get out of here.”

  As soon as he left the room, Lani pulled on a red wraparound skirt and a matching button-down sweater. After she ran a comb through her hair, she rejoined him in the living room. “Cort, I’ve been thinking, the image appeared for a reason, and I can’t ignore it.”

  He grasped her hand and pulled her down next to him on the couch. “Are you sure you saw something?”

  She nodded. “There was a hazy glow over the archaeological dig, like steam rising from hot concrete after a summer shower.”

  Cort held her gaze. “When I first came to Hawai’i, I heard all the warnings. My men told stories of people who disappeared with no trace after they’d angered the Hawaiian gods. I never took any of the stories seriously. I can only deal in logic, and all this is totally illogical.”

  “Let’s go to the site, now!”

  “It’s dark. We won’t be able to see anything.”

  “Ever hear of flashlights?”

  “The State posted a guard to see that no one breaks the stop-work order or does any digging on their own. The guard might not like us wandering around.”

  “We can handle him.” Lani stood up and gave Cort’s hand a firm tug. “Please, we have to check this out.”

  Once they were on their way, she urged Cort to drive faster. He sped up a little, but she feared he was losing patience with her. She crossed her fingers. Let this new vision give me direction, and don’t let it send Cort away.

  As Cort pulled up in front of the construction site, he said, “I don’t see any sign of the State’s security guard.”

  Cort got out of the car and unlocked the gate. The construction night lights cast the site in an eerie patchwork of bright lights and black shadows. The wind thrashed and bowed the stately palms, their fronds swishing the darkened sky.

  Cort parked near the new trailer and helped Lani from the car. Before he could close the door, the wind slammed it shut. He put his arm around her. With effort, they made their way against the strong wind toward the diggings.

  “The glowing land should be right over there.” Her tone was more confident than she felt.

  “Not even the twinkle of a firefly, babe. Now will you admit it was a waste of time to come here?”

  She sent him a sharp look. “I don’t give up that easily.”

  Darkness leaped from the shadows. Lani rubbed her arms. Something wasn’t right. “Look, Cort! Someone’s lying on the ground by that stack of lumber.”

  A portly man of about sixty, fat fingers curled around a bottle of whiskey, lay sprawled under one of the site lampposts.

  Lani shivered. “He’s not dead, is he?”

  Cort checked the man’s pulse. “Just passed out. Some reliable security guard the State hired.”

  “What should we do?”

  “I’ll call the paramedics to be sure he’s all right.”

  Cort flipped open his cell phone, but it wouldn’t work. “I’ll use the phone in the office,” he said. “Stay with him.”

  Lani watched Cort jog into the semi-darkness. After several seconds, the trailer’s inside lights went on. Too bad Wang had gone to the expense of moving the portable office here. It wouldn’t be needed now that the project was stopped.

  A Hawaiian drumbeat caught Lani’s attention. At first she thought Cort had turned on a radio inside the trailer, but the pulsating throb came from the opposite direction.

  An icy chill whispered over her skin. She looked through the moonlit darkness toward the diggings. Her breath caught. A glowing orange haze hung over it. Skeletons thrashed about, dancing in a frenzy, chanting. The hollow sounds echoed around her. Garbed in gray tapa cloth, they leaped and circled while their stark white bony fingers beckoned her. They could be her Hawaiian ancestors. Had the intrusion on their burial ground destined them to wander forever in that nether world? Somehow she had to help these restless souls find peace. As though in a trance, Lani began her walk toward the dead.

  When she stepped into the glowing area, the ground shook under her feet. She grabbed a bush to keep from falling. Blood hammered in her ears. Before her eyes, a large mound of dirt erupted into a raging mini-volcano. Lani opened her mouth to scream, but the sound froze in her throat. Molten lava spilled down the sides of the crater and flowed in a narrow, fiery
stream around the perimeter of a glowing area. Lightning and thunder filled the sky. From the steam above the volcano, Pele stepped forward. The ground quaked with her every step.

  She carried a fiery torch, and as she walked toward Lani, pieces of fire fell from the torch and ignited a path of flames behind her. Lani wanted to run, but her feet remained welded to the spot. The fleshless dancers circled her, coming closer and closer. They stripped her sweater and skirt from her body and, dancing wildly, they wrapped a tapa cloth around her.

  Pele came closer. A circle of o’helo berries and scarlet lehua pom poms crowned her head. She had another haku lei in her left hand and placed it on Lani’s head. Then she forced the base of the blazing torch into Lani’s hand. Its hot energy surged down through Lani’s body, a body that no longer felt like her own. Pele faded into the mist, but the skeletons danced on.

  Primal chants rose in the night and mingled with the whining wind. The rhythm of the gourd drums matched Lani’s heartbeat, their vibrations seeping into her pores. Involuntarily, she began to twist and twirl beside the dancers. Boiling lava seared the perimeter of the burial grounds. Touching the torch to the ground, she added more flame to the fiery lava stream that licked the black shadows of night. Firelight shimmered on her body as she undulated. She felt no heat and wondered if her heart had stopped from the terror. Perhaps she, too, was as dead as the beings thrashing around her.

  Cort ran toward her, stripping off his shirt. “Lani, what the hell are you doing?”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Lani heard Cort call to her. Dazed, she struggled to focus her eyes. No images remained. Low flames marked the long, wide perimeter where she’d danced. Her sweater, skirt and undies lay strewn about her like red and black ribbons of wool and lace, leaving her covered with only a film of glistening perspiration.

  Dodging the scattered burning brush, Cort ran to her and yanked the torch from her hand. He thrust the fiery beacon into a mound of red clay, and the flame flickered out. His searing gaze traveled over her body. He tensed and paused, as though fighting the effect of seeing her nudity, then he wrapped his yellow shirt around her and swept her into his arms. Sidestepping flames, he carried her to the car and roughly deposited her inside. Instantly, she missed the protection his closeness had provided. Don’t leave me, her numb mind called as he disappeared into the night.