*Crashes through wall onto scene* Nobody panic! 0_0 I'm still alive! 0_0
Seriously, I am soooo sorry for the super-late update. :/ I have no excuse besides my usual one, which you've already heard too many times. So without further ado, doughnuts all around, drinks on the house, and here's another chapter! :D (After nearly two and a half months... :l)
"The jungle's no good; it's swarming with Cobra's men. They're especially thick around the place where we were first spotted; I guess they deduced that we hid the medallion there."
Huko rubbed his forehead distractedly, digesting the information with a worried frown."That rather impedes any attempts of escape," he remarked grimly. "With the jungle crawling with soldiers, we're trapped here indefinitely."
A small group of the Aumakua islanders, including Huko, Mohea, and Allie, were gathered under a makeshift canvas lean-to, sheltered to some degree from the nighttime rain that drizzled relentlessly over the island. Mohea had just returned from a clandestine scouting trip - well escorted by the warlord's men, of course - and now the group of compatriots were discussing their options.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much to discuss. It was unanimously concurred upon that slipping away from the village-cum-fort was pointless if it meant smacking right into bands of soldiers scouring the jungle. Clearly, Cobra wasn't taking any chances this time - groups of his lackeys were posted seemingly around every tree and waterfall.
"I suppose all we can do is wait here, try to amass some weapons, and fight from the inside out," Ohtara said disconsolately. It was a pitiful scheme with a thin chance of succeeding, and everyone knew it. Their captor learned from his mistakes, apparently, and all tools that could be used as makeshift weapons were closely monitored. If so much as a single chisel went missing, it would be noted and reported.
There was a long moment of silence as the little gathering contemplated their fate. Then Allie, who had been quiet the entire time, spoke up.
"What about the ocean?"
All eyes turned to the young blond girl, and Huko blinked. "What?"
"The ocean," she repeated. "Mohea said Cobra's men were patrolling the jungle, which, as we've all agreed, lets that out. We'd be too visible running along the beach, so that's out of the question as well. Which leaves," she pointed in the direction of the water, "the ocean."
There was another long moment of silence, heavy with incredulity. One of the village warriors - the late Kani's twin brother, Prai - cleared his throat. "An excellent plan, no doubt," he said, "but it contains just one minor flaw. None of us are amphibious." Allie rolled her eyes.
"I'm aware of that," she responded, exasperated. "That's why we use an air pocket."
More blank stares greeted this statement, and the fourteen year old resisted the urge to bang her head against a tree. "The boats," she elaborated. "You know, the fleet of outrigger canoes Cobra's been having us build for who knows how long now?"
Confused silence. She gave up resisting and thumped her forehead against the trunk of the tree that made up one wall of their lean-to. 'No wonder these people were so easy to conquer!'
Huko's eyes lit up suddenly, and he gently grabbed her hair, keeping her from bashing her brains out on the tree. "I think I know what she's saying now," he told the others. "But, Allie, how on earth are we supposed to steal one of the boats without getting caught? It's not like we can just plop one over our heads and waltz into the ocean without someone noticing!"
"It's a simple matter of causing a diversion," she answered. "Obviously, we can't steal more than one of the boats, certainly not more than two, so it'll just have to be all of us here, now, who escape. Some outside help is better than none," she pointed out, forestalling Prai as he opened his mouth to protest. "Last time we accomplished it with just four of us."
"Last time, Cobra could not use the medallion," the warrior countered unanswerably. "And last time, you had Anui, who could put the guards to sleep with a single drop of those potions he used to concoct. Now, we have neither in our favor."
"What's more," piped up another of the slaves - a young man named Ynaka, who was of an age with Prai, "your father will still be here, with the other older adults, and Cobra's still holding your brother inside the fort somewhere. If you were to disappear, he might punish them."
Allie's face closed off, and her eyes grew fearful. Mohea put a comforting arm around the younger girl's shoulder, glaring at Ynaka, and Ohtara whacked him for his blatant lack of tact. Huko frowned at all three.
"We all have family and friends that we will be leaving here," he pointed out. "It's going to be hard on all of us, but if we are to help them, we must go. And we need Allie's brains and knowledge - clearly, she's the only one among all of us that can formulate a decent plan." He rubbed her back gently, his voice softening a trifle as he addressed her. "Cobra knows there would be no point in hurting Billy and your father, Allie. If we manage to escape successfully, he'll need them as leverage against you, and as long as he keeps them alive, there's a chance we can rescue them."
Prai shifted position, chewing his lip as if he were suppressing a desire to inject his opinion. The sharp eyed young king didn't fail to notice.
"Prai? Have you something to say?" The warrior inclined his head briefly.
"Yes, my king," he answered. "Look here, everyone, I hate to be the one to always bring up what could go wrong, but the fact remains that Cobra still has the medallion, and that cursed witch doctor reversed its power. What is to prevent him from wishing us back - or dead - as soon as he discovers we're gone?"
Mohea spoke up. "That's a chance we're going to have to take," she said firmly. "We're all going to die eventually - at least if Cobra wishes us dead, it might be quick and painless, unlike our future at the hands of him and his sadistic henchmen. Besides," she added, "he has not yet used the medallion for anything, which, don't you think, is rather strange?" She looked at them all very pointedly, and Huko nodded in agreement.
"It is," he confirmed. "Perhaps the medallion's power has not been reversed at all? Or perhaps it has been disabled altogether?" He looked around the small gathering. "There must be a good reason he has not used it yet, and we had better use that to our advantage before he figures out what the problem is, if indeed there is one." Ynaka blinked.
"Meaning, your Highness?"
"Meaning," Mohea answered, glaring at him again, "we need to escape while we have the chance."
"I was asking King Huko," he returned hotly, and tension filled the enclosed space as the two young adults glowered at each other, before Prai sternly tapped them both on the shoulder.
"Fight among ourselves, and we might as well try to assassinate Cobra in broad daylight while surrounded by guards," he admonished. "I suggest you nip it in the bud before it develops further, and listen to Allie and the king."
Mohea and Ynaka murmured half-hearted apologies to each other, and attention was once again turned to their leader. Huko was absentmindedly tugging one of his curls, lost in deep thought, and completely unaware of the minor scrap that had almost broken out. Everyone remained respectfully silent, waiting for him to speak.
"If we could steal the version of the medallion he's got," he said abruptly, "he would doubtless double the number of men he's got searching the jungle, and while that would further impede us, it wouldn't be as bad as that kind of power being in his hands." He looked up at his people, still frowning thoughtfully. "If that witch doctor has, indeed, corrupted it somehow, it would have to be destroyed," he said slowly. "I wouldn't know how to change it back, and it must be kept from him at all costs."
"That's assuming we manage to steal it in the first place," Allie stated, almost apologetically. "We tried that before, remember, and it didn't work so well. You almost got burned at the stake, and Billy nearly went into the fire pit with Cobra."
Huko acknowledged this with a grimace, but Ohtara stirred impatiently.
"We're going to have to assume a lot of things if we're going to pull this off," she declared, her normally soft voice firmer than usual. "We can't just sit around here forever, speculating about this and that, if we're going to make a break for it before Cobra decides to put his newly acquired power to use." She pointed a slender, brown finger at Allie. "You said a diversion is needed to aid in our escape; that means one of us will have to remain behind. It will be nigh impossible to steal the medallion and get away with it, but truthfully, we don't even need to steal it, we just need to destroy it. Now, suppose that is the diversion?" She glanced around at the minute convocation, all of whom were hanging onto her every word as she continued to outline her plan. "We've learned something very useful in our captivity: Cause trouble on the beach, and all the guards within seeing and hearing distance will convene to subdue it. The louder the ruckus, the more guards will come. Cause enough commotion, and Cobra himself will come to investigate." The young woman tapped the moist ground for emphasis. "Whether the medallion works for him or not, he is never without it now. Whoever stays behind to cause the diversion will have to yank it off his neck and destroy it, with whatever they happen to have in hand at that very second. At the very least, throw it into the ocean. By that time, all attention will be focused in the one spot, and the rest will be able to sneak away under the boat."
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they all considered her words. It seemed like it should work, but...
"You realize whoever stays behind to destroy the medallion will probably be killed on the spot?" Allie said in a subdued voice. Ohtara swallowed, but nodded.
"Yes," she replied quietly. "I had considered that. And that's why I'll be the one to stay behind."
There was immediate protest from all present, but she halted them with an upraised hand. "No, listen! I am the only logical choice. Allie is needed, as my lord said, for her brains and knowledge. She is from the future, she knows things that we do not, things that can be used against Cobra and his men. Prai, you and Ynaka can fight; you are the oldest and, undoubtedly, the strongest among us. Mohea, too, is quite the warrior when she puts her mind to it, and everyone knows there's no better metalworker." She smiled fondly at her friend, whose dark eyes glistened with unshed tears. "And we all know why King Huko cannot stay behind. Which leaves me." She paused, glancing around at the other five. "What use could I be, anyway? I am not a fighter, I do not think I could kill anyone, not even the soldiers. Nor am I particularly adept at being stealthy. I am no good at making weapons, and even worse at wielding them." Ohtara shook her head, her long, dark hair swinging around her face. "No, my friends, I will stay behind, cause a distraction, and, if at all possible, destroy the medallion."
Silence fell yet again, broken at last by Huko. "Alright then. Ohtara will stay," he said tiredly, rubbing a weary hand across his face. Mohea let out a strangled sob, and Prai's jaw worked, as if he were chewing on a diatribe he longed to throw at the younger boy.
"King Huko, please," he said, his voice carefully respectful. "You surely cannot be considering this? To leave her behind-"
"Do not think it is easy for me to condemn one of my people to death," Huko snapped, "particularly a female. But neither can I condemn the rest of them out there, men, women, and children alike! They need help, and we are all the help they will get." He pressed his palm to his forehead, staring down at the dirt between his knees. "Sacrifices will have to be made, and some of us will die. That is the ugly truth of it; we cannot escape it."
Allie glanced quickly between the two young men, noted the warrior's expression, and hastily changed the subject in an attempt to alleviate the building tension. "Then I guess the only question remaining is...where do we go?" She glanced around the group, looking for suggestions. After a minute of pondering, Ynaka tentatively raised his hand.
"There's the caves under the cliffs, about half a mile south from here," he suggested, but Huko shook his head.
"Those caves fill with water at high tide, we'd be trapped like birds in a cage."
"Or people in a snow globe," Allie muttered. Huko looked at her inquiringly, but she merely gave her head a small shake. "Irrelevant."
The young king shrugged and returned to the problem at hand. "We need somewhere hidden, easily defended, and within walking distance - underwater walking distance, that is." He paused, clenching his teeth as a tongue of flame raced across the cut on his back. No one seemed to notice the brief spasm of pain that crossed his face, and he continued, barely missing a beat. "Unfortunately, I don't think such a place exists. Would anyone else happen to have any ideas?"
The six conspirators reflected for a moment, frowning intensely as they all considered and discarded possibilities, one by one.
"There's always Cobra Island," Mohea said suddenly. Everyone looked at her in shock, but she stared them down with a quiet kind of stubbornness. Huko propped his chin on his fist, mulling it over.
"It's possible," he admitted thoughtfully. "Not much edible vegetation grows there, but there's animals we could hunt for food. Easily defended, too - we could build some ballistas on the mountainside, and there's plenty of rocks and boulders to be used. Yes!" He clapped his hands together, warming to the plan. "It's an excellent idea! We can use the forges in the caves beneath the old lair to craft weapons, and there's plenty of metal ore that can be mined. It's ideal!"
"Not to mention it's the last place in the world Cobra would expect us to go," Allie added excitedly.
"I hate to throw cold water on your euphoria - again," Prai interjected, "but what happens when Cobra decides he wants to go home, and it's five of us against an army of them?"
"Ballistas," the blond haired girl reminded him. "Catapults. And failing that, we can always make longbows and arrows and pick them off from the mountainside, out of range of their little crossbows." The tall, handsome warrior crossed his arms, nodding.
"Fair enough. But what about getting there. We can't walk underwater all that way!"
"Won't have to." All eyes swiveled to the Aumakua king, like spectators at a tennis match. "Cobra Island lies on the opposite side of our island. We've just got to walk northwest from here 'til we reach those large rocks that lie between the islands; then we can surface and paddle the outrigger the rest of the way. If this rain continues like this, we won't be visible from the beach here." He looked around at them all, proud and strong, and seeming much older than his fifteen years. "It's our only chance. Are we all agreed?"
There was a collective murmur of assent, and Allie leaned forward. "Right, then. Tomorrow may be our best chance; we've all got to be on the beach, crafting the outriggers, and all nearby each other. When," she swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump that rose in her throat, "when Ohtara starts making a commotion, be ready to get to one of the canoes, as quickly and unobtrusively as you can."
They all nodded, but Ynaka noticed Huko sitting stiffly, his face rigid. "King Huko? Are you alright?"
The boy's lips scarcely moved as he spoke. "Mohea, you lead the others to Cobra Island. I'll meet you there as soon as I'm able."
Mohea looked startled, and slightly frightened. "Where are you going?" The young king flinched, his hands balling into fists as the blazing pain on his back reached an almost unbearable crescendo before subsiding into a dull throb.
"I'm going to try to make it to Faleaka's hut; perhaps I can find something there to neutralize this-" His sentence was left hanging as the poison sent another tongue of fiery agony across the scratch. He locked his teeth together, sweat trickling down his temples as he fought the cry of pain rising in his throat. The other five were looking at him with varying degrees of concern or terror.
"We will not go without you, your Highness!" Prai declared, but Huko shook his head vehemently, still unable to speak. Mohea, though the look in her eyes plainly said she agreed with Kani's brother, stepped in.
"He's right, we can't all go with him. Five people are more easily tracked than one." She pried one of her friend's fists open and took his hand, allowing him to squeeze her palm as the poison's effect once again peaked before simmering down. "But, Huko, you cannot go alone. Let me go with you." The king shook his head again.
"No," he gasped, gradually relaxing his iron grip on her hand. "I leave you in charge, Mohea. If something happens to me, you will be Aumakua's new leader." He considered a moment, still panting slightly. "You, Prai, and Ynaka go on to Cobra Island. Allie and I will meet you there as soon as we can." He looked at the youngest girl present. "If you are willing to come with me, that is."
"Of course I'm willing," Allie answered, though her heart pummeled at the thought of sneaking through the soldier-infested jungle. "I'm no doctor, but I've read about medicine. Maybe we can find something to help you." Huko nodded once.
"Then that's it, I believe. We'd all best get some sleep."
"Wait. There's one more thing we need to do." Everyone looked at Mohea, who took Ohtara's hands, tears spilling down her beautiful face.
"We need to say goodbye."
