"Let's avoid the uphill bit, my calves still haven't forgiven me for yesterday," Simon groaned, as they made their way through the trees.
Magnus glanced back at the younger man with an eyebrow raised. While to outward appearances Simon might look like the scrawny nerd type, Magnus suspected he was in fact in pretty great shape. The day before he'd been lugging sacks of rice and heavy crates like they were feather-light. Still, they had plenty of time to explore so they may as well not completely torture themselves on day one.
They pushed through trees & bushes, being cautious to take the least dense path to avoid causing too much unnecessary damage.
"Watch your step, the animals on this island probably aren't used to too many humans around," Maia warned quietly.
The light filtered down through the trees, allowing them to see their surroundings but everything was bathed in an ethereal green hue. Above them, every shade imaginable intermingled together, from brilliant emeralds to deep mossy shades to those with a yellowish tinge. Adding to the immense beauty of the nature around them were the flowers, some growing from the ground some from the trees themselves. Spectacular shades of reds, oranges and pinks, as well as vibrant purple blossoms cut through giving the area an otherworldly appearance.
Magnus carefully eased a leaf the size of a dinner plate out of the way, gently manoeuvring it back so he could step around the tree that bore it. Alec, who was following him, reached forward to hold the leaf back as well as he followed in Magnus' footsteps.
A few seconds later Magnus heard a startled cry, followed by a frustrated "Simon". Clearly, the young man had failed to warn Maia of the leaf and had instead allowed it to ping back to hit her in the face.
She looked indignant as she wiped the dew from the leaf's surface off her face.
Magnus chuckled to himself but carried on his way - they were both adults and could settle it amongst themselves.
Inhaling deeply, the smell of slightly damp earth filled his nostrils and gave him an overall sense of the remoteness of their location. OK, he could still hear Simon and Maia bickering and the quiet breaths of Alec behind him, but he could tune that out to focus on the quiet song of birds that he couldn't quite see echoing down from the treetops and the gentle running of water somewhere in the distance.
"Hush a minute," he gestured behind him to his companions. When they'd ceased their noise and movement he could focus more on the sound of the water. Identifying the direction, he corrected his course slightly to find the source of the sound.
The ground beneath their feet became soggy as they moved through the trees and the undergrowth gave way to clearer ground for them to walk through. Each step splashed mud up the back of Magnus' calves but he didn't mind so much - it was cooling after trekking through the jungle.
Movement caught Magnus' eye as a frog leaped from tree to tree, its luminous green skin and bright eyes a contrast to the dark bark its webbed feet stuck to.
The trees soon broke to reveal a gentle river cutting through the jungle, its waters appearing murky in the shade of the trees.
They moved along the bank of the river, following the water upstream until the river opened out to a beautiful pool of water. Almost exactly circular and approximately 20 meters wide, the water was deep blue in colour. A rockface cut through the jungle with jagged precision, the harsh lines of the dark stone a contrast to the large smooth leaves that littered the ground. Huge ferns sprouted from the mud, their leaves arching over the surface of the water.
A waterfall fell over the rockface, tumbling into the lagoon beneath creating spray which shimmered in the sunlight, rainbows glistening instantaneously from droplets and sparkling through the air.
Magnus only had to observe the scene for a few moments before reaching the inevitable conclusion that he absolutely needed to see if the water felt as divine as it looked. Toeing off his shoes, he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped them in a pile on a nearby rock and, without sparing a glance to his companions, waded out into the water.
He released a happy sigh at the feeling of the cool liquid against his hot skin. He turned to face the edge of the lagoon before leaning back and sinking his shoulders underwater, arms stretched wide. He floated there, not moving a muscle with his eyes closed and a wide grin stretching his face, letting the gentle waves from the waterfall rock him as he felt all the tension seep from his body.
After a few minutes he opened one eye to see the others standing on the edge of the lagoon looking at him as if he'd fully lost his mind.
"Come on in guys, the water is lovely," he encouraged.
"You have no clue what's in there or if it's even safe!" Simon's voice was high pitched and concerned, his eyebrows almost reaching his hairline.
"Didn't Maia say there was safe drinking water on the island? This is the first water we've found. I'm sure it's fine." Magnus was far too relaxed to take the young man's panic seriously in any way. He continued to float until he realised that they were still just watching him. He raised his head from the water, opening his eyes to fix them with his best 'really' stare, arching his eyebrow to emphasise his point. "Look, the water is cool and clear. Nothing is nibbling at my toes yet. You're the ones who are crazy for not joining me."
He relaxed back, shrugging his shoulders despite the movement likely being lost to the gentle rippling of the water's surface. It was only a few moments later that he was joined by Alec. Peeking to one side he marvelled at the strong shoulders and back glistening in the light breaking through the trees.
Simon and Maia barely waited before they were also removing their shoes and wading in to join them in the cool water.
Simon groaned as he ducked under the water. "OK, you were right. Even if there are piranhas that will eat me alive, it'll be worth it!"
Over the next few days, they got into a routine - starting their days with a swim in the lagoon to wake up and clean off the sticky feeling that sleeping in a tent in this heat inevitably left them all with. They would then set off to explore the island further. After the first day's wanderings, they'd spent the evening poring over the map and deciding that they needed to be more organised with their exploration.
By mutual agreement, they began working through the southern sections of the island first, where the terrain was flatter and thus easier to navigate. They'd start on the beach in the morning, moving into the shade of the trees as the sun reached its peak in the sky. Then they'd work through the jungle in rough sections, trying to stick loosely to the grids on their maps despite no one having any experience in navigation. Come evening, they would make their way back to the beach to wander back to camp as the tide retreated and the sun set.
It was in these moments that Magnus was at his most content. While they were almost through their first week on the island and had so far discovered nothing to suggest the treasure was indeed here, the evenings were proving to be the most enjoyable time.
He'd gathered together this group knowing that the mix of personalities would balance each other out. While he and Simon were very much on the outgoing and excitable side, Maia and Alec both brought a level of rational, calm introspection to the group. He knew they both would let their guard down and enjoy themselves at the right time but he'd needed them to balance out his ability to get carried away and help keep them on some semblance of plan. So far, his expectations for how this would work had been far surpassed. They'd fallen into a rhythm of working as a team more seamlessly than he could have predicted. And so far, Alec hadn't seemed to get too aggravated by Simon's presence, despite his initial reservations. In fact, Alec was the most relaxed Magnus had ever seen him. Well, the most relaxed he'd ever seen him sober. There were a couple of parties he could recall where Alec had fully let his guard down but he definitely wouldn't remind him of those - it would almost certainly make him shut himself off again. Magnus was enjoying watching him interact with the others and the interactions he was having himself. It was a bonus that he still got to make Alec blush at least three times a day. Even the most innocent of innuendos would set his face aflame in the most delightful way.
"What's got you so lost in thought?" Alec asked, nudging his shoulder against Magnus' to catch his attention.
"Just feeling very thankful right now," Magnus responded with a soft smile.
Alec didn't push for more detail, just allowed Magnus his time to think. To consider how to put into words the feelings that were threatening to overwhelm him.
Up the beach he could vaguely hear Maia and Simon messing around in the surf, kicking water at each other. He hadn't realised how much he'd slowed down he was so lost in his own thoughts. But Alec had waited with him. Alec, the man with the patience of a saint, who's put his life in New York on pause to travel to this island with him. Alec who looked the picture of peace right now. Sneakers in hand, walking just at the shoreline with the waves occasionally lapping at his ankles. Magnus didn't have to pretend very hard to see this as just the two of them, on a romantic trip together, the sun fading to pink in the sky, reflecting off the surf. He shook himself slightly and smiled up at Alec.
"I just, I made something of myself. Something that went against everything my father wanted for me. And when he died, I guess I expected to feel some relief. And I didn't." He ran his hand through his hair, turning out to stare out to sea. "I didn't feel anything if I'm honest. And I suppose that's to be expected. Asmodeus wasn't exactly a father figure after all, I had Ragnor for that. But the fact that I've managed to turn his passing into something that means something? That I've taken what he left me and used it for something for me? That means something. That means something really big. And you're here, sharing this 'something' with me. I can't begin to put into words how grateful I am to have you by my side." He breathed deeply, the weight of his confession hanging in the air. "And Maia and Simon of course."
"Of course," Alec agreed, his voice low.
Magnus looked up at him, trying to decipher what Alec had interpreted from his words but the other man's face was entirely unreadable as he gazed out into the sunset. They stood there until the sounds of Maia and Simon's laughter entirely disappeared, no longer carried by the breeze.
"We should head back to camp," Magnus suggested, barely resisting the urge to reach out and take Alec's hand.
They continued to walk up the beach in silence, the wet sand squishing between Magnus' toes making him feel young and free. It was strange when he thought about it, he was only here because of his father's money. Asmodeus had never done anything in life to make Magnus feel anywhere near the way he'd inadvertently made him feel in death. It had been over six months since it happened and Magnus still hadn't fully processed his feelings around his father's passing. It wasn't that he was grieving, it was more that he was feeling confused about whether he should grieve.
His father used to accuse him of being selfish, arrogant and uncaring for not wanting to follow in the 'family business' of making dubious deals and praying on the gullible to make money. He'd tell him about how he was besmirching the family name by following a fantasy, that he'd never amount to anything and end up penniless and starving. Well, his father had ended up bitter and alone, at least Magnus assumed as much given he'd had to leave everything to a son he cared so little for. More fool him.
And being in this paradise, using his father's money for something purely for himself, being selfish for what felt like the first time in forever? That felt good.
"OK, we can't avoid it any longer. We need to find out what's on top of the cliffs," Magnus declared over breakfast about a week later. They'd explored everything the southern half of the island had to offer and had so far found nothing to even hint at the presence of pirates, let alone the treasure's location. Admittedly, there had been a couple of centuries and probably more than a couple of tropical storms to change the landscape since Raziel would have set foot here.
Simon groaned and dropped his head dramatically forward on the table in front of him.
"Relax, Stephen. You can stay here if you want to," Magnus offered.
Simon just continued to grumble under his breath as they tidied up their breakfast things and packed bags of water and snacks, getting ready for their day.
They set off into the jungle, and very soon found themselves moving up a steep incline. It was slow moving, despite the trees sheltering them from the worst of the midday sun, the humidity was claustrophobic. Magnus was grateful for the tree roots littering the ground, giving him ample footholds in amongst the slippy floor littered with fallen leaves and mud.
He focussed on his breathing, watching the ground to find his footing and occasionally heaving himself along using bits of tree and undergrowth where the ground was too steep or the footing felt less stable. No one spoke, they were all too busy concentrating on the climb. Despite the burn in his calves and the exhaustion he could feel washing over him, he could understand why people did this for fun. He'd never considered himself particularly outdoorsy, preferring instead to get his exercise through a combination of exuberant dancing and more meditative yoga or tai-chi depending on his mood. The hike felt like it was healing his soul - something he hadn't even realised he had needed.
As they broke through the trees at the top of the hill they were treated to the glorious sight of the sun glistening off the deep blue of the sea. There wasn't another landmass as far as the eye could see. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff face below them drifted up as they waded through the tall grass towards the cliff edge.
"Careful," Maia warned, "you don't know how stable the ground will be."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Magnus responded breezily, "This island has stood for thousands of years, I'm sure it'll stand for a thousand more!"
"Hmm, sure. All I'm saying is landslides happen," Maia said, her arms folded over her chest as she maintained a respectable distance from the cliff edge.
Alec didn't seem to agree with her though, he had already moved to the very edge and was staring out to sea, eyes squinting in the sun. Sometime during the hike he'd seen fit to remove his shirt and had wrapped a bandana around his head, presumably to stop his hair plastering itself to his forehead in the sticky heat. He looked a mess, like they all did after struggling through the trees. But Alec pulled it off in a way Magnus was pretty sure no human should be allowed to. He was resigning himself to the fact that in any given situation, he would just find Alec to be the most beautiful thing he could lay his eyes on. Even surrounded by some of the most exquisite scenery Magnus had been lucky enough to see in his life, Alec still outshone it all.
The problem Magnus had was that he was getting to know Alec even better. Sure, they'd studied together and he'd known him well enough to bring him along. But every interaction with Alec since they'd arrived had just cemented the fact that he was perfect in Magnus' mind. Sure, he was stubborn and grumpy at times, but he was also generous and thoughtful. He cared about the little things, from not stepping on the tiny crabs scuttling on the beach to making sure that Simon, however annoying he found the young assistant, remembered his sunscreen every morning. When they'd relax back at camp in the evening, occasionally passing around a bottle of spirits or a couple of beers, Alec would listen intently to everything the other's wanted to share, his eyes holding steady to whoever was speaking at any given time. Magnus knew deep down that every word they had shared had been filed away and that Alec would treasure their stories. That's just who he was. And it was making it entirely impossible for Magnus to avoid falling for him.
They wandered the top of the cliffs until the sun reached its peak in the sky. There were fewer trees up here though the ones that did grow seemed to tower even higher over the jungle below, whether due to the height of the land or them actually being taller. The bushes and the grasses on the other hand were shorter, beaten down by the weather seemingly. They paused for lunch, taking shelter in the shade of a tree to eat and drink.
Magnus pulled out the map he'd taken to carrying around in his rucksack and smoothed it out on the ground in front of them.
"I think, based on the terrain, that there is unlikely to be anything worth exploring here," he gestured to the area between where they'd walked up this morning and the waterfall they'd found a few days prior. "But according to this, the east side of the cliffs should be less steep so I think we should make our way back down that way and then loop round the beach to get back to camp."
"If it's less steep, why didn't we come up that way?" Simon groused.
"One, that side of the island gets more sun in the mornings. Even with the shade of the trees I thought it wasn't worth the risk. Two, I figured it would be safer trying to get down the less steep of the two." Magnus ticked them off on his fingers as he counted. "Three, because I said so."
They packed their belongings back up and followed the line of the cliffs until they found a break in the trees to begin their descent. Magnus found himself taking even more care with his footing on the way down - seeing how far he would fall should he stumble and knowing all the obstacles he would hit was making him even less sure footed. He moved from tree to tree, his pace being increased by gravity and causing his heart rate to rise slightly in anticipation of the moment he would inevitably fall.
He was busy calculating just how many trees he would bounce off if he were to fall at that moment when his foot slipped on a loose leaf on the ground and he began to slide downhill, arms flailing in an undignified fashion.
"Whoa there," Alec said, grabbing his elbow and slowing him to a stop. Alec had one arm looped around a tree trunk to steady himself as he pulled Magnus upright. "You ok?" His eyebrows were knitted together as he looked Magnus up and down, concern exuding from his hazel eyes.
"Fine," Magnus gritted out, feeling his face heat with embarrassment. "Thanks for the catch."
"Anytime," Alec grinned at him. "Think you can make it down the rest of the way without falling over?"
Magnus just stuck his tongue out petulantly in lieu of an actual answer. But the rest of the way down the hill he was much more careful with his footing, sighing with relief when they finally reached the safety of the beach.
"Hey, we've not been on this part of the beach at low tide before have we?" Maia questioned, her back to the group as she looked out towards where the cliffs met the sea.
"I don't think so, why?" Magnus turned to follow her line of sight and whistled, "Oh!"
"Oh indeed," Maia grinned back at him. "Want to check it out?"
"Of course," Magnus practically skipped up the beach towards where a rocky path led around the edge of the cliff face. At high tide, it would be obscured by the waves but now, a flat section of rock a couple of meters wide led around the corner and out of sight. It could be nothing of course, but Magnus could feel it in his bones that it wasn't. This had to lead to something, how could it not?!
They followed the newly revealed path round until they reached a large opening in the cliff face, over 10 meters wide and several meters high. Water filled the entrance to the cave but the path they were following continued to bend into the inlet. Magnus bounced up on the balls of his feet, a grin splitting his face and his heart rate increasing, this time not from fear.
"I think this could be it," he whispered, barely daring to say it aloud.
"Lead the way then," Alec grinned back at him, his eyes sparkling with joy.
The cave was big and spacious and, while less bright than outside, well lit by the light from the entrance. They could see crates stacked up on rocky ledges towards the rear, with burnt out stubs of candles and wax drips littered around the place. Magnus had to resist the urge to run straight in there.
He reached the first crate and knocked the dust and sand from the top. A stamp on the lid bore the customs mark of the Port of Nassau, dated 1703. He lifted the lid to find dry straw which almost disintegrated at his touch. Rifling through he pulled out a bottle of rum which he held up to the light to inspect. The bottle itself was in pristine condition, though the label was illegible. The wax seal holding the cork in place appeared to never have been broken.
"Well, looks like we have something to celebrate with tonight then!" he declared, placing the bottle down and moving on to the next container.
Alec, Maia and Simon hurried forward and began opening crates of their own. Each turned out to contain multiple bottles of seemingly the same rum.
"So do you think this is it then? Is this Raziel's treasure?" Simon asked.
"I'm not sure," Magnus admitted, his words slow and careful. "It is certainly a very stereotypically pirate-y hiding place. But I don't think it matches the clue."
"All these crates also pre-date Raziel by up to a century," Alec pointed out. "While generally people did reuse useful items like containers back in the 18th and 19th century, I'm not sure he would have stored everything in 100 year old crates. It's more likely that we found the stash of some rum runners from before Raziel's time."
Magnus felt his face fall as disappointment washed over him. He collapsed back against a rocky ledge and sighed. Of course it was too good to be true. Though he was glad to find out Raziel's gifts weren't anything as mundane as alcohol, it was still a blow to think that they hadn't actually found the treasure.