"Who is he?" Esther muttered as they left the house.

"No one who intends us harm," Angleton answered tranquilly. "If I am not mistaken, Mr. Kapule will be an excellent source of information. But he will have to wait," he added as they climbed into the Jeep and braced themselves for a rough ride; the track to the heiau was unpaved and ran through fenced-off land accessed by a gate, blocked by a large man and a dog. The man, arms folded, stood unmoving and the dog barked menacingly until Angleton glared at it and sent it cowering behind its owner.

"I'm Michael Glass. Who –" he broke off. "What have you done to my dog?"

Angleton shrugged. "I suppose he doesn't like me. I am Professor Davies from the University of Exeter, sir. I believe that my department informed you about my research? This heiau is rumored to have some, ah, unique qualities and I am very grateful that you have allowed us to see it."

"Too damn many people interested in it, if you ask me." Glass shrugged. "The place doesn't have a good feel to it, kinda creepy. But your people sent me a check, so I guess it's okay. Just be sure to close the gate when you leave. We've had trouble with intruders recently."

Five minutes' walk brought the two agents to a clearing containing the ruins of the heiau: a rough outline built of lava rock. The area was silent except for the sounds of wind. Esther shivered. "It's colder here. And I don't hear any birds."

Angleton was pacing the outline of the heiau, being careful to stay outside it. "Indeed. Try moving closer to the wall."

Esther did so and immediately flinched. "My wards are heating up." She frowned. "This heiau must have been used for human sacrifice."

"Agreed. And there's more. You see these stones here and here?" Angleton pointed to the inner outline of the heiau; several stones appeared to have a trough carved into them.

"A channel. You mean for blood?"

"No, more likely seawater. Conductivity to maximize the power of the sacrifice. Whoever is using this place is building on the residual power of its history."

"And look there in the centre." Esther pointed. "Looks like someone constructed a summoning grid."

"Yes – " Angleton looked up. "Ah. We have company." A tall man in suit and fedora was striding toward them.

"You that researcher Glass told me about?" he demanded. "I'm with the U.S. government, Department of the Interior. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This site is not safe. We've detected signs of volcanic activity and we're going to have to evacuate the property."

Angleton sighed, pulled his warrant card and had the satisfaction of seeing the other man blink. "You're with Q Division? What the hell are you doing here? This isn't your purview."

"Comstock requested our presence. I understand the situation here is becoming a bit difficult and they asked for our help."

"Well, Comstock's not in charge anymore." The other agent showed his own identification. "I'm Jerry Violano, OPA. We're taking over from them." He looked curiously at Esther. "She's with you?"

"Miss Banks and I are both with Q Division, yes."

"A woman agent?" Violano squinted in surprise. "You Brits do some crazy stuff. I don't know, little lady, seems to me this problem is kind of out of your league."

Esther was far too accustomed to this reaction to waste time getting upset. "What about convincing the owner to evacuate?" she asked instead. "Mr. Glass doesn't seem to be aware that he is in danger."

"Summers was trying to convince him to leave, according to his reports. I don't know why he didn't just put a geas on the guy. I'll probably have to do that if I can't convince him but I wanted to check out the situation first…" Violano abruptly stopped speaking for a few moments, blinked, then turned away to inspect the heiau. Angleton, watching him with narrowed eyes, held up a hand to halt further argument from Esther. After a minute of silence he moved to the border of lava rock. "Shall we step in?" he asked casually. "I think further inspection might be helpful."

Violano looked blank for a moment and finally answered: "Yes, let's take a look." Together they stepped in cautiously and Angleton waved to his trainee to join them.

"Animal bones. And black hair," Esther pointed to the center of the summoning grid.

"Coarse and short. Probably goat, maybe a dog," Violano added. "They sacrificed something."

"Burned wood here," Angleton noted from the east end of the heiau. "Likely torches. The activity here seems to take place at night. I suggest we place the site under observation. Shall we take shifts?"

"I, ah. Let me check with head office and I'll get back to you. We'll likely be calling in more operatives but at least for tonight that could be helpful." Violano noted down the number of the guesthouse, shook hands and promised to call.

As they waited for the Jeep's arrival, Esther noted her boss's worried expression. "What was that all about?"

Angleton's frown deepened. "Mr. Violano's geas. I've never seen anything like that before. It's nothing short of ominous. And you noted his behavior?"

"I certainly did. Very rude."

"That wasn't voluntary; something was controlling him. Mr. Taylor was correct when he said the OPA was becoming more aggressive. We must be cautious, Esther. This situation is becoming even stickier than I anticipated."

As they returned to the guesthouse Angleton lingered behind, waving Esther inside. Kapule greeted her with a smile. "Was your visit instructive?"

"Yes, it certainly was. But I'm glad to be back here, it's much more welcoming."

"Thank you. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. Come to the dining room when you are ready."

The meal was a simple one: fish, rice and vegetables with mango and pineapple for dessert, but it was delicious. Esther was delighted with the fruit. "We don't see anything like this in London!"

"I am glad you enjoy it." Their host looked pleased. "Is it true that food rationing is still in effect in England?"

"Yes. Eggs, meat, sugar and tea are all still rationed."

"We have no shortage of chickens, pigs and eggs. I think I can promise you some good meals at least. And before we start our discussion, I will bring you tea."

With teacup in hand, even Angleton looked more relaxed. "Now, sir. What have you to tell us?"

"First, I should explain that the Comstock office told me you would be coming. As I believe you may have guessed," his eyes flickered to Angleton, "I am one of the sea-born. My father's family has lived on the island for many generations. My mother's relatives live off the coast. She was half Deep One, half human. The two species coexist here reasonably well, better than in other parts of the world, and in the old days intermarriage was unusual but accepted. Since the arrival of westerners it has become less common. There are not many like me in the islands any more." As Kai spoke, his hair became greenish and a glint of silver reflected off his skin from the light of the candles. "I use a glamour most of the time to blend in. Agent Summers was aware of my true identity and my relatives asked me to communicate their concerns to him. They are not at all pleased with the actions of the group trying to rouse Pele." He paused for a sip of tea.

"And when you say 'not pleased'…" Esther prompted.

Kai sighed. "There is a constant struggle here between fire and water. Volcanoes are a natural phenomenon and my people have learned to exist with them. There is the constant risk of underwater eruptions, but the shallower waters near the islands provide them with a reliable food supply. However, the cult's activities are increasing volcanic activity as well as attracting the attention of the Old Ones. Those from beyond the stars."

Angleton nodded in agreement. "The Deep Ones are well aware of that risk."

"They are concerned enough to threaten the existence of the islands. There is an underwater landmass near the coast here, part of Kilauea volcano which eroded over tens of thousands of years. If it were to suddenly break away and fall into the Pacific abyss, a huge tsunami would be created, enough to inundate all the islands. The potential for destruction…" Kapule shrugged. "There wouldn't be much left."

"But if we can stop the cult, surely they would have no reason to do that!"

"Presuming we can stop them, yes, of course." Kai smiled at Esther. "My people have no wish to harm anyone, but if the cult is not stopped we are all in danger, human and sea-born alike. That is the reason for their ultimatum. I presented this problem to Agent Summers. He understood the seriousness of the situation and vowed he would stop the activities at the heiau."

"What happened to him?" Esther asked.

Kai sighed. "I don't know. I warned him of the dangers, but he referred to them as 'amateurs' and assured me that he could hold his own. He had lived in Hawaii for many years, but as a haole – a white man – he was unaware of many island traditions. Most native ceremonies are benign, performed to ensure plentiful harvests and good luck to fishermen. Some are not. There is a dark side, a truly occult side, to the history here." His expression became grim. "John Summers was found dead on the side of the road leading to the heiau. I identified him. He had been tortured. Burned, and his tongue had been cut out."

"How very unpleasant," Angleton commented mildly.

"Indeed." Kapule shifted uneasily, looking around him.

"Not to worry," the older man reassured him. "I warded the house before dinner. No one can overhear us. What can you tell us about the members of the cult?"

"I don't know who they are," Kapule hesitated, "but I'm sure I know them. They could be my neighbors, even family members. I will try to find out what I can for you but I have no wish to meet the same fate as Agent Summers."

Notes: Rationing did not end in England until 1954. Also, the underwater landmass Kai refers to does exist and is known as the Hilina Slump.