One Life Well and Truly Promised

by Richard D. Parker

  The breakwater was close now and the wa’a was rising and falling wildly. Ke’alohi took one last look around for sharks, but only spotted a couple farther out in the ocean. There was little he could do about them now, the reef was approaching quickly.

  Just minutes later the wreckage hit the breaking waves. They rode up high for a moment before crashing down on the far side. For a long moment, Ke’alohi remained on top of the overturned wa’a with Io’lana cradled between his legs, but then water washed over the pair and Ke’alohi’s hold on the wreckage was lost. The power of the enormous wave forced the two men down and under, but eventually the force abated and Ke’alohi was free. He kept a frantic grip on Io’lana and kicked hard for the surface. The water was not terribly deep however, and together they quickly broke the surface on the far side of the breakwater.

  Ke’alohi only had a brief moment to glance about and get his bearings before another wave rolled over and buried him in seawater once more. Experienced, he rolled with the force and was soon kicking toward shore, the injured Io’lana in tow. The next wave broke well behind the two and actually helped Ke’alohi make headway. Floating around him were several shattered planks, but nothing that he could use to help support Io’lana’s dead weight. He saw no sign of the wa’a and kept one eye out for the boat and one eye out for sharks. Thankfully the area around him remained clear, and despite the lack of sleep, Ke’alohi swam hard and fast toward shore. Fortune smiled on them however, for the natural harbor was quite shallow, and Ke’alohi found that he could stand while he was still some distance from shore. Even so he continued to swim for nearly a hundred feet before he finally settled his legs underneath. He was shaky at first and had trouble keeping Io’lana’s head above water, but he quickly found his legs and stumbled his way to the beach. The waves were relentless. Moana refused to release them easily, but Ke’alohi was young and strong, and despite the dead weight of the prince he finally managed to struggle up onto the soft, white sand. He tried to gently lower Io’lana down but dropped him hard nevertheless, and then fell onto his knees beside his injured prince.

  Exhausted but safe, Ke’alohi’s eyes rolled back in his head and he flopped down only dimly aware of the warm sand on his face before he slipped into unconsciousness.

  Several hours later Ke’alohi woke with a start, he sat up quickly, looking around for sharks before realizing that he and his prince were safely ashore. His body quickly recovered from the ordeals of the journey, but he knew he would not survive long without water, and Io’lana would last even less time in his current condition.

  Ke’alohi slowly climbed to his feet, still wobbly from the sea, and studied his surroundings. All along the curve of the harbor, the beach was beautifully white and vibrant, while farther inland little tuffs of beach grass blossomed among the soft sand until finally all was hidden behind the thick, lush canopy of the surrounding jungle. There was no sign of any human settlements nearby, which suited Ke’alohi just fine. Young as he was, Ke’alohi realized that he was more likely to find enemies than friends on an unknown island. There were stories of islands to the west, stories filled with fierce tribes that would gladly sacrifice any captives, killing them in horrible ways…or worse, eating them. The thick foliage was just fine with Ke’alohi, both as a refuge from prying eyes and a shelter from the sun. The green of the land raised his spirits considerably after the endless blue of the ocean. Plus, where there was jungle, there was fresh water.

  Before he went in search of it however, he had to find shelter and shade for Io’lana. The injured man would not last long lying prone under the hot sun. Ke’alohi knelt and grabbed his companion under the armpits and lifted his torso off the sand, and though the prince’s eyes fluttered momentarily he did not utter a sound. Ke’alohi took this as a bad sign, rather than be deceived that his careful handling caused Io’lana no pain. Still, there was little more he could do so he pulled his friend off the exposed beach. Io’lana’s calves and heels made little rifts in the soft sand as Ke’alohi gradually made his way closer to the jungle. When he finally moved into a patch of shade Ke’alohi sighed, still exhausted from his fight with the sea, and completely oblivious to the eyes watching him intently from the safety of the trees.

  Chapter Seven

  Ke’alohi and Leilani

  873 B.C.

  Leilani watched intently as the tall, beautiful man pulled his injured friend up the beach. Despite her training as a healer, the unconscious man only drew a fleeting glimpse from the young woman; even so, she instinctively knew that his injuries were very serious. The shard of wood that passed through his shoulder was hard to miss, even from a distance, but try as she might Leilani’s attention remained fixed on the healthy young man pulling him to cover.

  “He’s hurt,” Lukikina whispered and then stood and headed toward the beach.

  Leilani grabbed her younger sister by the shoulder and quickly pulled her back into a squat. “They are not Hewa,” she scolded.

  Lukikina frowned. “He’s hurt,” she repeated and wondered at her sister’s reluctance to help. It was obvious that neither man was part of the Kaluli tribe, the Hewa’s mortal enemies. Lukikina shook off Leilani’s hand and stood again; her face clearly visible through the foliage if either man looked her way.

  “Lukikina!” Leilani hissed and snatched at her arm, yanking her down hard.

  “What? Even you can see they’re not Kaluli?” Lukikina argued, just a bit too loud for Leilani. The Kaluli lived in the south, much too far away for the strangers to be part of that hated tribe. Plus, the strangers didn’t have any tattoos at all, which made them look strange, almost naked to her young eyes. The fact that they wore very little clothing hardly registered with her, that was normal, but the lack of tattoos was odd indeed.

  Leilani hissed. “Keep your voice down,” she admonished quietly. “Just because they’re not Kaluli, doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous,” she added, her mouth almost touching the smaller girl’s ear. “Now listen, let me worry about the injured man, you need to run back and warn Ali’ikai.” Leilani knew she had to get Lukikina away from the strangers. Her sister had a kind, trusting heart, and was for the most part oblivious to the extreme dangers of the world despite the constant threat from the Kaluli.

  Lukikina gazed back at the beach for a moment, eyes shining with exhilaration. This was her very first overnight outing and the farthest she’d ever been from her home. To come across wounded strangers staggering out of the sea was more excitement than she could have ever expected. At the moment they were about an hour’s hard run from the village, a distance Lukikina could cover with ease despite the fact that they’d already been on the move for most of the morning, heading for home.

  “Ali’ikai will know what to do,” Leilani coaxed, desperate to keep her sister safe. Ali’ikai was one of the tribe’s best hunters and warriors. He was arrogant and reckless, but brave and relentless in the defense of his people. Lukikina was infatuated with the young man, and if thoughts of him could not lure her away, Leilani was not sure what would.

  For a moment Lukikina’s eyes lost focus and Leilani knew she was thinking of Ali’ikai, and how he would react to the news of strangers coming to their shore. A small smile played across her sister’s face, and Leilani knew she’d hit the mark.

  Lukikina finally nodded. “You’ll be careful?” She asked, worried about her sister but suddenly anxious to be on her way. Ali’ikai would finally notice her, notice that she was no longer a young girl. He would have to pay attention to her if she led him back to the strangers.

  Leilani nodded. “I’ll not leave the trees,” she promised. Lukikina took one last look at the men on the beach.

  ‘It’s really only one man,’ she thought, ‘the wounded one is no threat.’

  “Run if they see you,” she advised her older sister and then was gone, gracefully sprinting through the trees.

  Leilani watched her go until she was completely lost from sight and then sighed. Lukikina was young, and
like all young people she had a tendency to be rash. Leilani would keep a close eye on the strangers, and by the time Ali’ikai arrived she would know if they were the enemy or not.

  By now the tall, beautiful man had pulled the injured one far up the beach and under the shade of the trees. At the moment he was completely hidden from Leilani’s view. She shifted her position and craned her neck but she still could not see them, so she began to carefully move up the narrow trail that followed the beach just inside the jungle. She moved cautiously, taking only a few small steps at a time until she caught sight of the pair lying side by side in the sand. She moved closer very slowly, and it wasn’t until she was within a hundred paces that she realized that both men were fast asleep.

  She watched the beautiful one for a time, silently enjoying the way his large, muscular chest rhythmically rose and fell.

  ‘I know him,’ Leilani thought wildly, but instantly knew it could not be true. He was most definitely a stranger.

  As the morning grew warmer, Leilani settled down to watch, always keeping a close eye on the beautiful one, her eyes only leaving him when a large, overturned wa’a appeared in the shallow surf farther up the beach. She did not recognize the markings. Clearly it was not Hewa…or Kaluli, and it explained a great deal about the men sleeping in the sand. Obviously their wa’a wa’a was wrecked at sea, probably during the storm that swept through two days prior.

  Leilani’s eyes returned to the beautiful one and she wondered what island he called home. Undoubtedly he was traveling the ocean from a far off magical place, filled with lush fruits and animals. His island had to be abundant to create such a large, perfect representation of a man.

  Her eyes slowly traveled the length of his prone body, and she paid particular attention to his bare muscular thighs and calves. He would be a fast runner and a strong swimmer. Of course he would have to be an excellent swimmer to have survived the powerful breakwater, especially while helping an injured comrade to shore. He was obviously a man of stature within his own tribe, perhaps a chief, certainly a great warrior and adventurer.

  As she contemplated the sleeping man’s attributes, Leilani began to daydream about the possibility of leaving her home and sailing off with the beautiful one, of voyaging to his enchanted island…and finally of becoming his wife. It was a happy dream, so happy in fact that the man was kneeling next to his friend before she even realized he was awake.

  Leilani jumped, but made little noise and did not give away her position. The beautiful one’s attention was completely on his friend, and after a moment Leilani realized the injured man was groaning and crying out in delirium. The beautiful one looked panicked for a moment and then he foolishly tried to pull the splinter of wood out of the man’s shoulder. The injured man screamed loudly and the beautiful one jerked his hand off the splinter. He clearly had little skill in healing but luckily the injured one fainted once more.

  Leilani half hoped that the stranger would remove the splinter now that the injured man was unconscious, though doing so would probably kill him. Still, the wood would have to be removed or the man would surely die. Despite being a healer, something inside Leilani wanted the process to speed along. She wanted the beautiful one to herself and she couldn’t shake the notion that he was somehow familiar.

  The beautiful one however, let the sleeping man be. Instead he stood and searched the surrounding beach. For a brief moment he stared directly at Leilani’s hiding spot. Leilani ducked down and held her breath, but the stranger’s attention quickly drifted away before finally settling back down on his injured friend. After a moment, Leilani realized that the man was torn. He started to leave, only to come back momentarily, before finally turning and starting north, up the beach, angling toward the tree line. Thankfully he was heading away from Leilani’s hiding place. Leilani knew instantly where he was going. He needed water, which was too bad, since he would not find any close by in that direction. The nearest fresh water was nearly a quarter of an hour to the south. Leilani had a skin nearly full at her waist, but she was not about to go after the stranger and offer it to him. For all she knew he would just kill her and take it.

  For an instant Leilani was mesmerized by the stranger’s beautiful, running form as he jogged toward the tree line. He moved with effortless grace and she instinctively knew that he could run very fast. It would be futile to flee from such a one. These thoughts were floating around in her mind, when she suddenly realized that if the man happened to reverse course and turn south on the trail, he would easily spot her. She felt a moment of panic as she lost sight of the stranger. Her ears pricked and she tried to pick up the sound of an approaching runner. Leilani’s luck held however, and jungle around her remained quiet. The beautiful stranger must have continued to the north.

  Without hesitation Leilani crossed the trail and headed deeper into the surrounding jungle, vowing that she would not leave herself in such a precarious position again. She eased about; searching for the spot where the stranger entered the trees and after a quick search came across a pair of large tracks heading north. She took a moment to study one particularly clear print. The entire footprint was visible in the soft, bare earth. It was enormous; very long from heel to toe, but quite thin, with perfectly shaped toes.

  A low moan from the beach pulled her from her reverie. She checked one last time up the trail to the north, but the beautiful one was not in sight. After a moment of indecision, she gathered her courage and began to collect several large leaves of the ‘Ape plant. When she was finished she crept from the trees and across the beach to the wounded man.

  He was delirious but no longer unconscious. His eyes were open, but did not focus on her face as she knelt down beside him. As gently as she could she rolled him over onto his left side and examined his wound from both the front and the back.

  “Ke’alohi?” The man mumbled, but Leilani was intent on his injury and remained silent. The splinter of wood was much larger than she’d expected. The wound was gruesome, but thankfully bleeding very little. She knew that would change however, when she removed it.

  “Ke’alohi!” The man said louder, almost a scream and she realized he was calling out the name of his friend. As she tried to calm the man, she noticed that his lips were red and his teeth were smeared with blood. Not a good sign, but not surprising either.

  ‘So the beautiful one was called Ke’alohi,’ she thought. ‘It’s a good, strong name, though strange and slightly exotic.’

  “Ssssh,” she hissed softly at the man. “My name is Leilani. I will help you,” she added and watched as the man’s brows furrowed and his eyes darted about.

  “Ke’alohi?” He repeated, though quieter this time and Leilani sighed.

  “Yes, it’s Ke’alohi. I’m here,” she lied. “I’m going to see to your wound now,” she added and the man immediately settled down, though he still had a confused look on his face.

  “Ke’alohi?” The man repeated and Leilani instinctively knew he did not understand.

  “Yes, Ke’alohi,” she repeated.

  “Thank you Ke’alohi…thank you. You’re a good friend,” the man replied in a strange language, his voice growing steadily weaker until once again he fell unconscious.

  ‘Just as well,’ Leilani thought and without hesitation grabbed the splinter of wood and with gradually increasing pressure pulled it smoothly out of the man’s back. She expected the wounded man to cry out, for she knew he must be in a great deal of pain, but thankfully he remained oblivious.

  She felt a moment of panic as blood poured from the wound, but knew there was no other way. If the piece of wood remained, the injury would fester and the man would certainly die. Blood or no blood, Leilani could not let the man die without at least trying to save his life. She quickly applied one of the large ‘Ape leaves to try to staunch the flow. She wrapped the leaf around his upper torso and pressed down as hard as she was able to both sides of the injury. She knew that if she didn’t get the bleeding under control within the n
ext few minutes, the wounded man’s life would quickly end. She pressed harder, one hand on his upper chest, while the other pressed against the entry wound at his back. She resisted the temptation check on the success of her efforts, realizing that constant pressure was needed, and all through her ministrations the beautiful one danced about in her mind. Despite the distracting thoughts, all she cared about now was easing the blood flow of the wounded man.

  It was not long before her forearms began to ache and tremble from the exertion, but she refused to let up until she was satisfied she done all she could. Finally, with her arms shaking badly, she relented and peeled back the leaf that covered the wound at the man’s back. At first she thought the flow had ebbed, but all at once it picked up and poured steadily from the man’s back. Feeling the first moments of despair, Leilani reapplied the ‘Ape leaf and pressed as hard as she was able. For five more minutes she pressed, until she finally had to stop, her strength spent.

  Slowly she removed the leaf, and felt a moment of trepidation when she saw that the wound still bled, but after several moments it was obvious that the flow had slowed considerably. Leilani dabbed at it a few times with the now saturated plant and then used some water from her skin to clean the area. When she was finished she threw the leaf away and used another to cover both entrance and exit wounds. Finally, she bound the large leaf to the man’s torso with a long, thin vine and gently laid him onto his back. When he was settled Leilani used just her fingertips to drip a bit of water into the man’s mouth. Despite being unconscious the man drank it up readily and Leilani even went so far as to pour a small amount directly into his mouth. It was a risk, but the man did not choke.

  When she was finally satisfied she’d done all she could, her attention returned to her surroundings and her heart began to race. She had no idea how much time she’d been tending to the man’s wounds, but thankfully the beach remained empty. The beautiful one was nowhere in sight. Leilani sighed and touched the wounded man’s forehead lightly; he would live or die, but now it was in the hands of the gods. She quickly gathered up the remaining leaves, left her water skin by the man’s side, and headed back into the jungle to wait for the beautiful one’s return…and for the coming of Lukikina and Ali’ikai.