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Thirty-Nine

O ur party of misfits gathered on deck making ready to scour Bone Island for the King’s key. Ace handed me a knapsack. “This has some of those biscuits in case you get hungry.”

“The ones hard as hockey pucks?” Sasha leaned over my shoulder to see the contents.

Ace wrinkled his nose. “I’ve only got so much to work with, doll. Pretend they’re Pillsbury. There’s fresh water in a skin, too.”

“Don’t you want to come?” I closed the knapsack and looked up at Ace.

“Bloody ’ell, no. Islands of this sort contain big, bushy thickets, spiders, snakes, and all sorts of wildlife I prefer to avoid. Besides, someone has to stay aboard and keep watch.”

Black Bard smiled wide at Ace. Ace gave me a wink. “I’ve got me lucky undies, remember?”

We rowed ashore carrying shovels, lanterns, fresh water, and the rock-hard biscuits, leaving Ace and the crew behind to keep a lookout for Rogers, Vane, Mortas, or whatever else might threaten our mission.

We were on the last step of solving our mystery. The King’s key had plagued our grandparents and families for centuries. This was our time.

Ace was right about the island. We bushwhacked our way through a thick landscape, stopping for a water break when we found ourselves at the highest point of the land. The white stone beneath our feet told me we had found the skull.

“There.” Rowan pointed to a spec of sails in the distance. “’Tis the naval fleet. They’re pacing at a good clip, so I imagine chasing that scoundrel, Vane.”

“That’s good news,” Marco said. “Now we only have to worry about Mortas.”

“Why would Captain Crunch strand hisself on a deserted island?” Max wanted to know.

“He’s no stranded,” Caiyan answered. “But I doubt he jumped home. He cannae get the King’s key withoot us, but he’ll try for it.”

“You can time travel withoot a ship?” Max’s face filled with intrigue.

“Not exactly.” I looped an arm inside his elbow. “I’ll explain everything after we find the King’s key.”

Sasha shot us a grin over her shoulder. “Wait until you see Jen’s ship.” And then she gave a boisterous laugh. Yep, most definitely Fredericka’s sister.

We scaled down the side of the skull, dropping into the top eye socket. Rowan lit one of the lanterns, and we walked inside. After a short distance, the cave ended.

“It’s a dead end,” Marco said, holding the other lantern high and illuminating the walls.

We lowered down into the next eye socket. The entrance wasn’t as large as the one above it. The earth covered half the opening, almost as if the skull had a minor head bashing before falling to the ground.

“Another dead end.” Sasha scowled at me.

“Dang. I was sure the key pulled me here.” I ran my hands against the vine-covered rocks that formed the end of the tunnel. “It’s like I have a rope around my waist, and someone is tugging it from the other end. I can still feel it.”

“Look for an opening.” Caiyan reached for a wall.

We searched the small cave for any openings. A parrot identical to the one that landed on Ace in Nassau flew into the cave.

“Where did you come from?” I asked the parrot after it settled on a nearby rock. It didn’t respond, only stared at us with black, button eyes.

“There’s light coming through these cracks.” Rowan, who had the highest view in the room, pushed away vines at the top right corner of the cave.

Caiyan pressed his hands against it. “This rock came from the surface. There’s grass growing on it.”

“And lots of annoying vines.” Sasha disentangled herself from one.

I placed my hands on the rock and felt the familiar pull grow stronger. “This is the way.”

“I cannae lift it.” Rowan pressed against one of the larger stones. It didn’t budge.

“Gatekeeper. Squawk!” The parrot’s screech echoed off the cave walls. “Squawk, give us a kiss.”

“Did that parrot just say what I think it said?” I asked. Caiyan’s grandfather told him that he was the gatekeeper of the King’s key, but we had no idea what that meant.

“Aye.” Caiyan moved closer to the bird. “He said…gatekeeper.”

“He also wants a kiss, McGregor.” The right side of Marco’s mouth kicked up, and he motioned for Caiyan to oblige the bird.

Caiyan eyed the bird, then the wall. “I think I can move it, but ye weel need to stand clear. If it caves in, I’ll need ye to dig me oot.”

“Caiyan, that sounds dangerous.” I placed my hand on his arm. “What if you get hurt?”

“Sunshine, we’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now. For the greater good, yeah?”

“For the greater good.” I pressed a kiss to his lips. “And that’s for luck!”

Our group moved to the mouth of the cave. The parrot landed on Rowan’s shoulder with a “Squawk!” Rowan rolled his eyes and shooed it off, making everyone chuckle.

The parrot took a turn on Max’s shoulder, and he let it stay.

“This may be a bit noisy. Ye may want to cover yer ears.” Caiyan placed one hand on the most significant rock and one on his key. A boom I can only equate with dynamite echoed across the bay. The ground shook. Rocks exploded and rolled.

I jumped aside as they tumbled past us. A white dust filled the air. When it cleared, Caiyan stood in the center of the cave, resembling a snow-covered Rasta Santa Clause.

“Whoa!” Max stumbled back. “How’d ye do that?”

“’Tis how I open locks. It’s about moving the energy around the object and then using my mind to see it move.”

“Can ye teach me to do that?”

“It’s his gift, kiddo,” Sasha pushed past him. “There’s a tunnel. Let’s see where it goes.”

We followed Sasha into the tunnel. Rowan took the lead with one lantern, and Marco caboosed our train with the other. It wasn’t a dark, scary cave like in the horror movies; light filtered through crevasses in the ceiling and reflected off the limestone walls.

“It’s kind of pretty,” I said, running my fingers against the smooth stone and feeling a tingle. A sizeable spider crawled out from between two rocks, and I yanked my hand back, stumbling into Caiyan.

“We’re in a cave, Sunshine. Be mindful of the natives.” He righted me and interlocked his fingers in mine, leading me forward. We came to another dead end.

“So much for your good vibrations.” Sasha squinched her face. “If McGregor Hulks the rock in here, we could end up buried alive.

The parrot flapped its wings and abandoned Max’s shoulder for a rock ledge. “Gatekeeper. Squawk!”

“Can you do your Superman thing and get us inside?” I asked Caiyan.

“Superman, eh? I like the comparison, Sunshine, but I’m afraid Sasha is right about this one. ’Tis unsafe in a confined space to break through a solid stone such as this.”

Rowan held the light up next to the parrot. “’Tis a carving in the stone.”

“What is it?” Marco brought his lantern to add more light.

We gathered around, and Caiyan gasped. “My family crest.”

“Is that a handprint?” Sasha placed her hand inside a scalloped cutout in the rock. “It is. See how my fingers slide into the grooves.”

“Gatekeeper!” the parrot squawked exceptionally loud. Using its beak to scratch under the brightly colored wing.

We moved aside. Caiyan placed his hand on the stone. The wall trembled, and like some whacked-out version of an Indiana Jones movie, it crashed open.

Our jaws dropped. If it weren’t for the spiders and creepy crawlies, mine would have stuck that way. “I’m speechless. These things don’t happen in real life.”

“This is real life for us.” Sasha brushed past me and stepped over the fallen stone to enter the cave.

“Good job, dude.” Marco gave Caiyan a congratulatory slug on the back and walked through the opening. Rowan ducked in behind Marco, and the rest of us followed.

We walked down a passage that grew so skinny Rowan had to shuffle sideways to squeeze through.

We stopped short as we exited the narrow passageway into a cavern. The cavern extended deep into the ground with many chambers hosting stalactite chandeliers and stalagmite furniture.

An orbicular hole at the top of the cave allowed for a spot of sunlight. In the center of the cavern, a crystal-clear pool glowed fluorescent blue.

“’Tis one of the flower pools.” Max looked delighted.

The water swirling under the natural skylight beckoned me.

“God’s teeth,” Rowan said, holding the lantern high so its light reflected off the treasure surrounding us. It was as if the Spanish fleet had upended one of their ships into the cavern. Stacked against the walls and covering the cave floor were paintings framed in gilded gold, chairs, sacks of coins, cannons, anchors, a maidenhead shaped like a mermaid, and rows of ornate chests.

“How did they get all of this inside?” Sasha brushed a cobweb off a nearby chest and lifted the top. She scooped up a handful of silver coins and precious gemstones.

“Careful. It might be a trap.” Marco looked around the cavern for any possible threat.

Sasha dropped her fistful of treasure and groaned. “This isn’t a George Lucas movie. It’s been waiting on us.”

Max peered into the chest. His eyes widened, and he smiled at Rowan. “You’re going to be set for life.”

Max and Rowan did a fist bump and a complicated handshake I can only guess they learned from Ace.

“These are all from masters of the Renaissance.” Marco poised a graceful swipe of his hand toward a group of paintings. He pointed to the painting of a woman. “This one is by Leonardo da Vinci.”

My attention was elsewhere. We found the lost Spanish treasure, but where was the King’s key? It was here. I felt it with every bone in my body. Every step I took pulled me closer to the blue pool.

“’Tis there, yeah?” Caiyan stood next to me by the edge of the water.

I glanced up at the circular opening at the top of the cavern. The full moon, barely visible in the afternoon sky, hung like a beacon leading us to this place. At this moment in time. “Yes, I think so.”

He pulled his shirt up from the back, ready to strip it over his head.

“What are you doing?”

“We dinnae have much time. I’m going in.”

I’d felt the squeeze, too. That little pain that told me the moon cycle was ending. “It can’t be that easy. My gut tells me diving into the pool isn’t the way.”

Caiyan stopped undressing. The others joined us.

“I don’t see any fancy armor.” Sasha bent over the pool and squinted her eyes.

“’Tis clear water. I cannae see the bottom. It must be deep.” Max squatted and stuck his finger in the water. “And cold as a northern wind.”

The parrot landed on Max’s head. “Get off me head, ye beast.”

“Eye, Squawk.” It flapped its wings. “King’s eye. Squawk.” More wing flapping. “Give us a kiss. Squawk.”

“I’m no kissing the bird.” Max made a sour face. The parrot flew off Max and landed on a rock ledge.

Sasha stood and pulled the pink diamond out of her pocket. It shone brightly in the cave, and my body buzzed with a sensation I could only compare to passion. I put my hand over my heart.

“Jen?” Marco asked me. “You’re face just flushed like…” His words trailed off, but I knew. He meant flushed like I was in the heat of passion. Finding the key was my passion. Caiyan frowned at Marco, but Marco knew my passion. We’d never been intimate, but we’d come close so many times. He knew me. And now, I knew Giorgio’s love affair with my aint Elma would end with them. Marco was meant to be my friend, not my lover. One of my best friends, my soul brother.

“Here,” Rowan called out next to the parrot. He held the lantern up to another carving in the stone.

Sasha climbed up and stared in awe at the picture. “It’s the symbol carved into my grandfather’s castle. The one above the door.”

Caiyan leaped onto the rock next to Rowan and ran his hand over the stone. “’Tis Rogue’s crest, but I dinnae feel any place for yer hand.”

Sasha touched the crest as if she held Rogue’s hand one last time. “For you, grandfather.” She slid the pink diamond into a depression at the top of the crest.

A wind swirled in the cavern, lifting years of cobwebs, dirt, our clothes, and our hair as it churned the blue pool into a tornadic waterspout shooting up and out of the skylight like a whale exhaling air from its blowhole. A whistle roared in my head like a thousand trains pounding the rails.

“Take my hand.” Caiyan gripped my hand, each of us reaching out for the other, joining hands as the wind whipped around us. We stood as one solid force against an energy bound for centuries. The air compressed from my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe. I gasped, trying to suck in oxygen but inhaling nothing.

Maybe we weren’t supposed to find it. Maybe the Ancalites had a reason for keeping this key from us. Had I come this far only to die trying to finish Aint Elma’s quest?

Thunder cracked. A lightning bolt hit the cave, knocking us to the ground and the air back into my lungs.

And then, silence.