by Lakes, Lynde
He stared at her for a moment. “Makes sense. But now we’re both stuck down here.”
“But we’re alive,” she said.
“I’d feel better if you were safe. It’s getting dark. We have to get back to the path.” Cort struggled to his knees and tried to get to his feet, but staggered.
Lani grabbed his arm to keep him from toppling over the edge. “Sit still. Even if you
were able to climb,” she said, “which you’re not. You couldn’t see the toeholds. Look, the ravine wall is a mass of dark shadows. We’ll just have to stay put until help comes.”
“Help?” Cort’s laugh was mirthless. His eyes, his whole face told her he found her statement utterly naive. “Who knows to look for us?”
She didn’t have an answer. Silence fell between them. Sky and sea met as darkness settled around them like a shroud. The moon cast an ominous silvery reflection, outlining the white caps as they rolled to shore. It was a hushed contrast to the fiery pace of lava flowing into the sea farther down the beach.
Hunger gnawed at Lani’s stomach. Not even a mint in her pocket. She hugged herself against the chilling sea breeze.
“Cold?” Cort growled.
“I’m fine.” She lifted her chin, refusing to let him know how miserable and scared she was.
“Yeah. I can see that.” He positioned himself against the cliff wall and pulled her against him, curving around her and shielding her from the blustery night.
When he touched his lips to the back of her hair, she turned and looked up at him. He bent and stilled her slightly trembling lips with a kiss. For a few moments, she forgot the cold, lack of food, and their treacherous surroundings, finding warmth and comfort in him. Then they just held each other until sleep came.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Lani didn’t know how long they had slept before an intensified smell of sulfur caused her to cough herself awake.
Below, a ball of fire cut through the night. It lowered and hovered over the beach, riding the sand, spreading a wall of fire. Lani shook Cort to wake him.
Pele stepped from within the center of leaping flames, the filmy muumuu she wore barely veiling the smooth flow of her glowing body. She strolled along the shore with her goddess grace. Fire dripped from her waist-length hair and left a trail of flames behind her. Over the rumble of the lava flow and its hissing as it hit the water, an eerie chant of male voices rose in the wind and echoed up from the sea.
Lani felt Cort’s arms tighten around her. She looked up at him. He stared, motionless—
“Admit it. You see her, too! I have to get down there!”
“No!” Cort trapped her in his steely arms.
“Let me go!” She struggled with all her might. “I must talk to Pele! I need to know if she’s my mother.”
“Stop struggling, dammit!” Cort growled. “Or we’ll both end up down there with those dagger rocks piercing our chests.”
The image of them both careening over the side and falling on the stony spears brought Lani to her senses.
She watched Pele’s form gather its trail of flames and roll into a ball of fire. The blaze painted a fiery gash across the sky, leaving bursts of fireworks. Lani buried her head against Cort’s chest, grateful he’d stopped her.
****
Cort relaxed his hold on Lani. She was so excited about what she saw he hated to bring her back down to earth, but it was for the best for both of them. “It was just a lava flashback, a mirage,” he said softly.
He hadn’t seen Pele or any human form, but there had been something down on the beach, something glowing. It had rolled along the sand, then burst into a wall of flames. Was he right? Was it only a flashback from the lava flowing into the sea? Everything within him fought the idea that it might be something supernatural.
One of his men had told him a tale about lovers being tortured by the gods. The couple had performed a ritual to release the spell. Cort stared out at the night, without really seeing. If only he could remember how the ritual went. What was he thinking? It was all preposterous. Instead of letting himself believe the unbelievable, he should be planning a strategy to get them off the ledge and to safety.
He fought a rise of anger. If Lani had waited for him at the hotel they wouldn’t be in this mess. But no, she had to come here. She’d been walking down the treacherous path as if on a Sunday stroll, her yellow jumpsuit looking bright against the backdrop of black lava rock, her turquoise scarf and flame hair blowing in the breeze. Incredibly lovely, but damn foolish. And now they were stuck here for the night.
****
Time crawled by for Lani. She pressed close to Cort. He’d finally fallen asleep, but she couldn’t. He was wrong. What they’d seen wasn’t a mirage. She shifted to relieve the stiffness that had crept into her body. She moaned as an uneven part of the ledge dug into her hip. Another change of position eased the sharp pressure.
She sighed. She’d set out to find out about her family and in the process she’d learned surprising things about herself. For so many years she’d suppressed, even denied her pain, played the happy, well-adjusted young woman while the hurt simmered, ready to erupt. But she was stronger than she’d thought. Lani glanced at Cort’s body, relaxed with sleep. Perhaps she was more vulnerable too, at least where he was concerned.
Lightly, she touched the firm line of Cort’s wide shoulders. It was a relief to learn she had a great capacity to love one man in that magic, forever kind of mating. Being abandoned as a child didn’t have to mean she’d be forsaken if she dared to love all the way. She’d proven to herself she was a good judge of character. It had been a punishing process to accept that Cort could love her as deeply as she loved him, but he wouldn’t be with her if he didn’t.
She huddled closer to him, knowing it was safe to trust her heart. She wasn’t sure what sorcery had lured her into this mess, but she would finish the journey, regardless of where it led, regardless of the danger. But how long could she expect Cort to hang in there with her?
Out of nowhere, a ball of fire hovered in front of her, spitting bits of flame to the ledge. Lani shot upright. Rigid with terror, she brushed the flames away with a stick. She tried to call out, but her vocal cords refused to work. She jostled Cort. He didn’t stir. Oh, God. The ball of flames moved closer. It hovered less than a foot away now, suspended in air, changing shape, becoming womanly—becoming Madame Pele!
Pele lingered there, adorned in a filmy red muumuu. A lei of o’helo berries, ferns and scarlet lehua pom poms circled her head. Flames fell from the tips of her long tresses. She placed her fingers to her lips, shaking her head.
Lani understood. Pele didn’t want her to awaken Cort. Lani touched the lava stone around her neck, and it calmed her.
The goddess’ hips began to sway, but it was her graceful hands that told the story of Pele and Pono. How their lovemaking conceived a baby—the magic of the birth. When she finished the dance, Pele bowed to Lani.
“A bow indeed! You can’t be my mother. A real mother wouldn’t abandon her child—wouldn’t terrorize her.”
****
Cort awoke at Lani’s shouts, but he didn’t move a muscle. He realized he was seeing dual royalty in action—goddess and demi-goddess. It might have been amusing if it didn’t scare the crap out of him. Damn. This couldn’t be happening. He had to be caught in a nightmare.
Pele glared at Lani, then raised her arms and sent bolts of lightning into the sky.
****
“You don’t scare me,” Lani said, trying to hold her voice steady. “I’m too angry.” Her armor was the resentment that had simmered within, imprisoned for years by the stony wall she’d erected around her heart.
The Goddess looked stunned for a moment, then she drew back an arm and threatened to throw a bolt of lightning at Cort. Lani blocked him with her body. “Do what you want with me, but he’s off limits. Got that? And cut the lightning show.”
****
Cort realized Lani was protecting him. Easy,
babe, you’re pushing too hard. His nightmare was so real he felt the heat from Pele’s flames.
The goddess stopped all movement, looking thoughtful. After a moment, she drew in the lightning bolts, quieting the sky.
“That’s more like it,” Lani said with a trembling voice. “Why are you trying to terrorize me, anyway? And why threaten Cort?”
****
Pele signed fiercely, relating that it was to prove she meant business.
“Totally unnecessary,” Lani said. “I got the message. And as far as I’m concerned, we’re finished here.”
Pele made no move to leave. “What more do you want from me?” Lani demanded with all the courage she could muster.
When the goddess touched her heart, Lani’s bitterness dissipated into the wisps of smoke surrounding Pele. Warm tears rolled down Lani’s cheeks. She didn’t want to feel anything for this spirit, but unbidden, love bubbled up inside her.
Pele danced on, acknowledging Lani’s turmoil. Some of her graceful finger gestures and arm movements puzzled Lani, but she understood enough to know that she was born to be a bridge to the mortals, to help Pele in her fight to protect the land, its treasures. Pele pointed to Cort then to Lani, linking her long fingers in a circle of unity.
Pele removed her crown lei and floated forward, her flames dying away as she came closer. She placed the lei on Lani’s head and kissed her cheeks, leaving a fiery warmth where her lips had touched. Lani couldn’t stop trembling, but she didn’t flinch or back away.
It was Pele who retreated. She recoiled into a ball of fire, hesitated, then soared away into the darkness. A warm glow of love wrapped around Lani. She was loved by the goddess, perhaps as much as the goddess let herself love anyone.
The sky was dark now. Had she dreamed it? Oddly, she felt different, as if her mental attitude had been turned inside out. Her obsession to learn the identity of her mother was gone. All she wanted was for them to get to safety. It was as though the possibility of harm coming to Cort and his unyielding hold on her earlier had broken the spell. She had made her link to the past. She touched the lava stone and relaxed, her thoughts drifting away on the breeze, her breathing deep and even.
Night passed and the sky lost its blackness. Cort’s kiss, though featherlight, stirred her. Lani opened her eyes to meet his loving gaze. The barely visible golden stubble on his face had a reddish cast to it. She touched it lightly with her fingertips and smiled. When he grinned back, Lani was a little less aware of the cold and her hunger.
His smile faded. “What’s that on your head?”
She touched her hair. Trembling, she removed the lei of berries, ferns and pom poms and stared at it. Her dream had been real. “Pele gave it to me.”
Cort paled. He stared at Lani as though not wanting to believe what they’d seen had been real. Without further mention of the crown, he said, “It’s light enough. Let’s get climbing.”
Lani heard something strange in his tone. His voice was strong, but he looked tired. Was he recovered enough to make the climb? He rolled away from her and stood. She huddled, cross-armed, missing his warmth, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. He shifted his massive shoulders up and down and rotated his head, loosening his tensed neck muscles. Like a brave warrior, he was preparing to take on his most formidable foe.
She touched the leafy crown. “We need to talk about this, Cort. Ignoring it won’t make it go away.”
“Later,” he muttered. He extended his hand, and she allowed herself to be pulled up. Pain shot through her. His grasp on her hand pinched the cuts on her palm. As she tried to straighten, she groaned at the stiffness in her back and legs.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine. Just fine.” She rubbed her aching back and studied the ravine wall they had to scale to reach the path. It was a series of jutting jagged rocks hanging over a scarred precipice.
It was even more dangerous than before because some of the toeholds she’d used climbing to the ledge had crumbled away. “There’s no way we can make it across there.”
“We have no choice.” His voice softened. “Come on. The sooner we get going the sooner we can get something to eat.”
“There’s no place to put my foot.”
“I’ll climb to that ledge first and find a firm toe hold,” he said pointing. “Then, you come.”
She stood waiting, stiff with fear. He stepped out, testing the footholds. A loosened rock made a hollow thud as it bounced against the cliff before crashing to the rocks below.
“Okay, I have firm footing here. Follow my lead.”
“Cort, I can’t. Please, go on without me.” She’d never felt so inept before.
“You take on Goddess Pele, but you can’t climb a mere precipice?”
Did he believe now? His scorn was like sandpaper on her nerves. The blaze of the early sun beat down on her back.
“Don’t hurry me.”
“I don’t know how long I can hold on, and I’m not leaving without you. So get your cute little okole out here. Now.”
His comment about her butt fired her anger and determination. She stretched, but the distance was too far.
Cort reached toward her. “Take my hand and give yourself a push-off.”
“A push-off? Are you crazy?”
“Do it. Dammit.” His eyes were flint and steel.
She moved her foot out, extending into nothingness. She swayed. And leaped.
Cort groaned as she grabbed him. She felt his strong arm steady her as her foot made contact with the narrow ledge. She slid slowly sideways. Cort helped her, step by step and inch by inch. The rocks were slippery from the morning dew, and her cut hands were damp from trickles of blood mixed with perspiration. Halfway between the ledge and the path she was leaving, part of the cliff gave way. She froze, afraid to move. Jagged rocks protruding from the beach below seemed to be spinning. She inhaled deeply to hold back a wave of dizziness. “Cort. I’m stuck.”
He inched backward. “It’s okay. Reach out as far as you can. Slowly. A little more.” Sweat seeped through his shirt. Water dripped from his forehead. He wiped his hand on his jeans and stretched the maximum distance. Any further would have sent him tumbling to an eternal sleep.
Lani struggled to meet his hand and couldn’t. One sway at this point, and they were both dead.
“Okay, sweetheart, not much further.” His voice was hoarse. “Let’s do it together. Nice and easy. Just slide your right foot a little way, then bring your left foot up close.”
Lani nodded again and moved her right foot a few inches.
“Good girl. You’re doing great. Now slide a little more.” She wavered. Terror gripped her, but she didn’t make a sound. Cort grabbed her hand, and her fingernails dug into his palm. Had Pele drawn them here, hoping they would plunge to their deaths? No, this was her own doing. She’d acted impulsively, and now they both might have to pay with their lives. If they survived this, she vowed to curb her impulsive nature.
Cort looked across the chasm to the main path. “One more jump and we’re home free.”
Nerves taut, she waited for his lead. Cort leaped. The ground crumbled. He teetered.
Lani screamed.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Too far away to do anything to help, Lani stared in panic at Cort hanging onto the cliff, one leg dangling off the edge. His white shirt, now open, flapped in the wind. Sweat darkened the turquoise scarf around his head. Gritting his teeth, he clawed at the mountainside, grabbing at embedded rocks. Hang on, Cort, hang on. God, please help him. With amazing strength, Cort pulled himself up completely onto solid ground. From there, it was only a few steps to the path leading to the top of the cliff and safety.
Lani sighed in relief. Now it was her turn. She glanced down and shivered. Below waited a cemetery of giant dagger-rocks.
“Come on,” Cort called. “Step right there.”
Lani eased herself along to where he was pointing. As she clung to the stone wall, sand and t
iny pebbles ground into the abrasions on her hands, and blood oozed from the cuts, leaving a trail of red smears. Wind swept away her crown lei. Her hair fell loose, out of the hasty knot. Stray tresses lashed about her face, restricting vision. A strand of hair tangled with her necklace, then caught in a rocky crevice. Unaware, she stepped forward, yanking her hair. She screamed and almost slipped. She closed her eyes and willed away the rising fear.
As she pulled free, her necklace snapped. Helplessly, Lani watched her cherished stone fall to the sea. She imagined it sinking to the bottom, returning to the lava from which it came. Lani blinked back a rush of tears. Oddly, her sadness was followed by a sense of release.
“You okay, Lani?”
“Fine.” Now wasn’t the time to talk about it, and she couldn’t anyway. Not without crying.
“Good.” Relief deepened his voice.
She eased to the rim of the ledge.
“You’re doing great.” His voice was her lifeline. He wiped his hands on his jeans. “Okay. Now jump. I’ll grab you.”
Don’t look down, she warned herself. Her knees and legs felt like rubber. Her heart pounded in raw fear.
A quick prayer, then she was airborne, spanning the emptiness between the two ledges with a wide, split-like leap. When her left foot hit the edge, the ground crumbled.
Cort’s hand locked like steel around her wrist. He grunted and yanked her forward. She swayed hard into him. The force almost knocked him off balance, but he righted himself and his strong arms closed around her. Sliding her hands inside his open shirt, Lani clung to his solid waist, comforted by the welcome heat of his chest and the steady pumping of his heart.
Loose rocks fell, making a resounding cascade to the bottom.
Cort exhaled. “Whew. Close one.”
After a moment, he laughed, a deep laugh that carried on the wind and made her doubly glad to be alive. “Why are you laughing?” she asked.
He kissed her forehead. “What were you trying to do, join your spirits?”