Chapter Thirteen
"Split up! Split up!" Jack yelled to his group. "We've got to confuse that thing!"
"Got it!" Darby replied. He reached out and grabbed the nearest person by the arm. It was Bruce. "Come on, lad! To the left!" Then he ran to the left, dragging Bruce with him.
Ann and Jack kept running straight, and the rest of the party headed right.
The giant lizard remained trained on Jack and Ann.
Suddenly, Ann tripped on a root and fell, sprawling on the jungle floor. "Jack!" she screamed hoarsely.
Jack immediately ran back, firing his Tommy gun at the lizard. The lizard slowed down, giving Jack just enough time to scoop Ann up and throw her over his shoulder. Then it closed in once again.
Ann, slung over Jack's shoulder, watched in terror as the creature chased the couple through the jungle. "Jack! It's catching up! It's catching up!" she screamed.
Jack looked ahead for any place of safety to run to. At first, his search seemed hopeless, but finally, he spotted something that looked promising. "Hang on!" he called to Ann. "This could get rough!"
(LINE)
"All right, everyone--to your feet," Englehorn announced to his party.
Clytie stood slowly, brushing off her clothes. "I'm ready," she said, drawing her pistol and giving it a twirl.
Englehorn smiled crookedly as he watched her. He was ready, too--ready to kiss her again, but he knew that the time was not right. "All right, Clytie. Come on."
She walked beside him in the front of the line as they once again set out to look for David. The group advanced more slowly and cautiously this time, everyone being quite shaken and disturbed by Maxwell's sudden, violent death.
Englehorn touched Clytie's shoulder gently. "Clytie," he whispered, "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now."
Clytie glanced up at him in surprise. She smiled at the look in his brilliant blue eyes. "I'd like to kiss you, too," she said. "But… This isn't exactly the right moment, is it?" She glanced back at the men behind them. Jake was frowning at them. Jimmy winked at her.
"No, I guess not," the captain replied with a smile. "But as soon as we find your brother…" He left the sentence unfinished.
Now Clytie had lots of reasons to want to find David fast.
(LINE)
Jack, still carrying Ann, suddenly darted to the side and began climbing swiftly up a steep hill. Quickly, he set Ann down and took her hand. "Come on! There's a cave up there!"
"How do you know it will be safe?" Ann asked worriedly, climbing as quickly as her skirt would let her.
"I don't," Jack replied. He turned momentarily to send another round of fire at the tenacious lizard. "But it looks a heck of a lot safer than the mouth of that lizard!"
Just as Jack and Ann reached the crest of the hill, the giant lizard suddenly collapsed and rolled back down, bleeding heavily from the gunshot wounds and exhausted by the frantic climb.
Ann breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on Jack's shoulder. "Oh, Jack. That was too close."
Jack wrapped his arms around her. "But we're safe now," he whispered.
They were about to kiss, when a sudden yell startled them. Ann screamed, and Jack brandished his gun as a tall figure rushed from the cave atop the hill.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" the man cried.
Jack lowered his gun and smiled suddenly. "Well I'll be darned. David Seaborne, am I right?"
"Yes! That's me!"
Ann instantly recognized the young man from the photograph in the paper--tall, slim, strong, dark-haired, with twinkling hazel eyes. Very attractive. The only difference from the photo was his scraggly red beard and the ragged condition of his clothing. "We're here with your sister," she spoke up.
"Excellent! Excellent!" He put his hands on his hips, grinning broadly. "I knew she would come through for me!" Then he frowned. "Where is she, by the way?"
Ann and Jack exchanged a glance. "She's with the other search party," Jack explained. "We're not really sure where they are." He looked back over his shoulder. "Once it gets dark, we can use a signal flare to try and locate them."
David shook his head. "I knew something like this would happen." He turned to his cave and motioned for the Driscolls to follow. "Come on. I was getting some supplies ready for this kind of thing. Once we get everything we need, the three of us can set out to find my sister."
Jack nodded, and he and Ann followed David into the cave.
(LINE)
Clytie was beginning to get worried again. Evening was falling fast, and still, there was no sign of David other than his boot. Was it possible that he had not survived? She shuddered as she thought of Maxwell's death. Had David died in such a violent manner? God, if David's up there in heaven, could you please let him know that we're down here looking for him? Clytie sighed. And that we'll probably be joining him soon?
"I don't want us to be searching at night," Englehorn said to his party, signaling for them to stop walking. "This place seems to be the safest area we've found on this accursed island. We'll camp here for the night."
It wasn't long at all before the small group had set up camp. Jimmy had managed to start a fire in the middle of the small clearing, and there were pallets laid out in a circle around the fire. The captain quickly assigned watches, and everyone began to settle down for the night.
Clytie laid down on her pallet beside the fire. Her watch was in four hours, so she decided to go ahead and catch some sleep. A few feet away, Englehorn sat with his back against a tree, a pistol on each hip and a Tommy gun in his lap. Clytie rolled over so that her face was to him and her back to the fire. "Good-night, Eric," she said quietly.
"Good-night, Clytie," he replied. "Rest well. I'll get you up for your watch in a few hours."
She smiled at him, then closed her eyes.
It seemed that it had been only seconds until he woke her up for her watch by gently shaking her shoulder. "Clytie! Wake up!"
She sat up slowly and blinked. The sky was dark and spangled in unfamiliar constellations. It was beautiful. "Has it been quiet?" she asked, standing and stretching.
Englehorn nodded. "Only a few large insects to bother our sleep, and they were scared of the fire." He settled down against the tree again and patted the earth beside him. "Sit down with me."
Clytie sat beside him, her eyes on the starry sky. "Is it just you and me?" she asked, turning to the captain.
He smiled. "Just you and me."
"You're not on watch all night, are you?"
He nodded. "I have to be. These are my men." He reached to touch her face and his voice softened. "And this is you, the woman I care about."
She closed her eyes for a moment and placed her hand on his. "The woman you care about…" she repeated dreamily. When she finally opened her eyes, the look that she saw in Englehorn's eyes startled her a bit. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered.
The real answer to her question shook him up inside. Because I love you, Clytie Seaborne… But he said, "Because you're beautiful." Which was true, but not the real reason for his adoring gaze.
Clytie smiled and bit her lip. "Well, you're very handsome yourself," she said. "You have the most beautiful blue eyes…"
The captain gently drew her close, and their lips met in a tender kiss, which soon developed into a more passionate one. Clytie felt a bit dizzy as she kissed him. She had never been kissed like this before.
Englehorn felt dizzy himself. He had kissed other women, but he had never felt so strongly about anyone like he did for Clytie. The depth of his feelings for her frightened him. He drew back from her, his eyes raking in her features. Her green eyes were huge, tinged with gold in the flickering firelight. He suddenly realized that she felt quite strongly for him, as well. She doesn't need someone like you, Eric Englehorn, he thought abruptly.
Suddenly, the sky lit up with a bright, pinkish light, then went dark again. Clytie and the captain leaped to their feet.
"A signal flare!" Englehorn exclaimed. He watched the sky for another, but none came. "That must be someone who doesn't know the code. Clytie."
"Yes?"
"Get a flare from my pack and bring it to me."
"All right." Clytie quickly located his pack and sifted through it for a flare. She quickly found one and brought it to him.
The captain quickly set it off and tossed it out into the jungle, making sure to throw it high enough.
For a moment, the two of them waited in silence. Clytie reached to take the captain's hand.
Then, another flare lit up the night. Englehorn quickly noted where it had come from. "Clytie, get the men up. We need to get moving toward that flare."
(LINE)
"They should be heading this way soon," Jack said to David. He peered out over the jungle. "They're in a part of the island I've never seen before."
David frowned as he looked toward the place they had seen the flare come from. "I've not been over there much myself. I've basically stayed in this area. Seemed a bit safer to stay in one area." For a short while, he stared out at the jungle, toward where his sister was, worrying about her safety. Then he shook himself. "I'm sure--I'm sure Clytie can take care of herself. She might not seem like it, but she's one tough young lady."
"We've come to realize that," Ann said with a smile. "She helped the captain a lot on the way over here."
"I'm glad," David replied. "She likes to be a part of something, helping out and all. And any ship's captain would be a fool to refuse her help. She's an excellent navigator and very good with maps."
"Actually, I think Englehorn asked her to help," Jack said with a smile.
"Really? I'm sure she liked that."
"Oh, she did." For a moment, Jack considered telling David about Clytie's relationship with the captain, but he realized that Clytie and Englehorn should be the ones to tell him about that. "She did," he repeated quietly.
Ann glanced at him quickly, glad that he didn't reveal more of the situation to David. That was up to Clytie.
(LINE)
Once again, Englehorn's party was on the move. Clytie stayed close to the captain. Her heart pounded loud and hard in her chest. She was worried for the other party, worried for David, worried for herself… But, for some reason, she was especially worried for Englehorn. Something unexplainable made her want to cling to him--and not for her own safety. Unwillingly, she remembered an incident in her childhood when she had gotten a strange feeling about her brother's safety. She had searched their house for him and finally discovered him in one of the bathrooms, crying because he had accidentally locked himself in…
As they were nearing the hill that the flare had come from, a voice called out, "Clytie! Captain!"
"Driscoll!" Englehorn called. "What's going on?"
Ann and Jack swiftly came into view, running down the hill. "We've found David!" Ann exclaimed.
A tall, slim young man emerged from the trees behind them.
Clytie gave an unintelligible shriek and darted forward, flinging herself into his arms. "David! Thank God! Are you all right?"
David grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arms' length. "I'm fine, I'm fine." He glanced over his sister's shoulder. "So who are you? I've met the Driscolls."
Clytie turned around and saw the captain standing there. "David, this is Captain Eric Englehorn. Eric, this is my brother."
The fact that she used the man's first name was not lost on David. Neither was the way that she said it, the way she looked at the captain… David held out his hand. "David Seaborne." He studied the other man carefully. Strong, tough, in control… I think I'll like this man…
Englehorn shook the young man's hand, instantly noticing how much his expressions were like Clytie's. "Good to finally meet you, Mr. Seaborne. Now we can all get out of this accursed place." He looked around. "Where's Galyon?"
Ann and Jack exchanged a glance. "We don't know, Captain," Jack said. "We were split up."
Englehorn cursed under his breath. Not again.
While the captain was talking to Jack and Ann, Jake walked forward to stand by David. "I'm so glad you're all right," he told his godson quietly. "It won't be long now before we're all safe at home."
"Sounds good to me, Jake," David said with a smile.
Beside him, Clytie frowned. Home… Suddenly, she felt sad. Am I so insane that I'm actually enjoying this adventure? She glanced at Englehorn, who looked quite upset. How could she ever go back to her old life, after having met him? Surely, they wouldn't have to separate…
Englehorn noticed her watching him. "Clytie, Darby Galyon, Mr. Baxter, and some of the others are still out there," he explained, his voice low and laced with frustration.
"Oh no," Clytie breathed. She moved to stand close to the captain. Gently, she touched his shoulder. "We'll find them, Eric," she said quietly. "We found David."
David watched the two of them closely. Obviously, there was more between his sister and this German captain than a captain and passenger relationship. As they set out to find the missing rescuers, he determined to find out what was going on.
(A/N: Thanks again for all of your awesome and inspiring reviews! I love you guys! I am having so much fun with this story that I honestly don't want to ever stop writing it!)
