Beside A Burning Sea Part 22

Joshua nodded. "I've still got the matches from the lifeboat. And I'll have a good fire going by the time you arrive. Just get everyone there in one piece, and then this storm can do whatever G.o.d intends."

Jake and Nathan followed Joshua back to the lifeboat. They helped Isabelle climb over the high gunwale. Ratu had already seated himself at the bow. "Let's go!" he said excitedly. "I want to get out in those waves!"

About to launch the lifeboat, the men paused when Annie suddenly ran down from camp. She carried two giant leaves, which she handed to Ratu and Isabelle. "Try to stay dry," she said to her sister.

"I've been dry and hot for ten days," Isabelle replied, though she held the leaf above her. Smiling despite the ache in her stomach, she added, "You should get going, Annie. Don't forget to keep heading due east after you cross the third stream. And when you hit the beach, walk-"

"We've been over all this before," Annie said, putting her hands against the lifeboat. "Now off you go!"

Annie, Joshua, Nathan, and Jake pushed the lifeboat into the harbor. When the water was up to his thighs, Joshua put his hands atop the gunwale and hoisted himself aboard. He sat down, turning his back to the bow, so that he faced the sh.o.r.e. Taking an oar in each hand, he began to row into deeper water.

"Please be a dear and turn back the sheets for us!" Annie said melodramatically in a thick British accent. "And do get some music going. And a few c.o.c.ktails, if I may say so!"

Knowing that something had made Annie quite happy, Isabelle laughed. "Shall I ring the maid and have her tidy up before we arrive?" she asked in a similar voice.

"Oh yes. Please do! That would be most lovely."

"What are you talking about?" Ratu wondered. "And why do you b.l.o.o.d.y sound like that? I tell you, women are crazy."

The sisters laughed as the boat pulled away. "I do so adore your umbrella," Annie shouted. "Did you encounter it in Paris?"

Isabelle lifted her giant green leaf. "Venice, my dear! Venice! It's the latest Italian fabric. Quite charming, isn't it?"

Annie held her sides and grinned, waving good-bye. "I love you all!"

Isabelle blew her sister a kiss and watched her grow smaller as the lifeboat continued into deeper water. She couldn't help but wonder why Annie was so happy, standing in the rain. What had happened? Had Akira done something for her? Or was she simply excited to be moving to the cave?

Pleased for Annie but not possessing any answers, Isabelle turned her thoughts elsewhere. The ache in her stomach wouldn't leave her in peace, though she didn't pay it much heed. Aches were a part of her life, after all. If she didn't hurt at the end of the day, that meant she hadn't worked hard enough, hadn't seen enough patients.

"How long will it take?" she asked Joshua, who appeared to be straining at the oars.

"I don't know. Two hours. Maybe three."

"Don't overdo it," she replied, noting his smile, but also that his knuckles were turning white on the oars, and that a vein bulged in his neck each time he leaned back and pulled.

BENEATH THE BANYAN TREE, the rain seemed less oppressive. Nathan, Annie, and Akira sat at its base, watching the distant lifeboat become fainter. Roger stood a few feet away, facing the trio. He said nothing, but stared at them as if he were a predator and they his prey. Jake had left to find Scarlet, and though Akira was at her side, Annie wished that Jake would return. Roger's eyes unnerved her, almost immediately spoiling her good mood.

"I'm taking a walk," she said suddenly, unable to bear Roger's presence. "Would anyone like to join me?"

"In the rain?" Nathan asked, wanting to accompany her but suspecting that she hoped Akira would rise.

Akira bowed slightly and stood. "I would most enjoy a walk."

Nathan smiled. He believed that Annie and Akira were falling in love, and was greatly pleased for them. Watching them reminded him of his own courts.h.i.+p. "Don't get washed away," he said, thinking of his wife.

Annie said good-bye and led Akira down the beach. They deviated briefly from their intended path to pull two immense leaves from a rambling bush. Strolling beneath the leaves, they edged closer to the water.

"Please do not let Roger bother you," Akira said, watching the rain roll off her leaf.

"That's impossible. I'm not a Buddhist, you know."

"Well-"

"But I can let other things occupy my mind."

"Like what, may I ask?"

"Like last night."

He saw a beautiful sh.e.l.l but didn't pause to pick it up. So intent was he on her words that he could consider nothing else. "You asked me to show you how I felt," he said, trying to keep his voice from revealing his anxiety. "Did I do this?"

Annie wanted to take his hand, but knowing that eyes were upon her, she merely walked closer to him. "I don't know . . . I don't have any idea how to describe it, but last night . . . last night I felt like a different person. Like I was reborn."

"Maybe you are a Buddhist after all," he replied, overjoyed with her answer.

She looked at him, her face tight with incredulity. "How did you do that to me? I had no idea . . . that someone could do that to me."

"Make you feel reborn?"

"Yes. That little thing."

Smiling, he watched a miniature wave plunge upon her toes. "You were not the only one who felt such things."

"What did you feel?"

"Alive. So very alive. And I felt a sort of . . . wonder at being so alive. I did not ever expect to feel that way."

"I'm glad, Akira. I'm so glad you felt that way."

A sudden and powerful gust of wind sent rain flying horizontally into their faces. "We should go back, yes?" he asked.

Annie shook her head. "I don't like that man."

"That is because he tries to frighten you."

"Why? Why does he do it?"

"Because he is a coward, and that is what cowards do best."

"He doesn't look like a coward. He's strong and cunning, and I don't think he enjoys seeing us together. And that scares me."

Akira stopped. "Please do not worry about him, Annie." He looked to the west, following the lifeboat as it disappeared, noting how the rain seemed to rise after striking the sea. "There is . . . a side of me that I have not shown you," he said, his voice reticent. "The side that war made. And although I . . . I despise this side, it can overcome a man like Roger."

Despite the strengthening storm, she dropped her leaf and took his hand in hers. "I just want to see the side that I saw last night."

He watched raindrops race down her face. She looked so exposed, as if her old fears of the future had suddenly resurfaced. He touched a tiny piece of the sky as it tumbled down her cheek. "You said you have been searching for me, yes?"

"I have been."

"Unlike you, I did not know that I was searching. But for a long time I have been jealous of that gardener. And now . . . now I no longer am."

"Why not?"

"Because I too have found something precious. Something that eclipses all else. And I will take care of it as best as I can."

BEYOND THE PLEASANT CONFINES OF THE HARBOR, the sea's true pa.s.sions were revealed. With the wind picking up substantially, three-foot waves slammed into the side of the boat, inundating Ratu, Isabelle, and Joshua with spray. His hands already blistering against the oars, Joshua rowed as hard as possible. At the bow of the boat, Ratu leaned forward, so that his head and chest were above the water. With each rise and fall of the craft, he let out a jubilant cry.

Though Isabelle felt nauseated, she tried to hide her discomfort from Joshua. She could tell that he was quite worried about the storm, and she didn't want to burden him with additional anxiety. Instead, she managed to catch his eye on occasion and give him a nod of encouragement. Each of them had put on a life jacket, and Isabelle constantly adjusted the straps of her vest, trying to get comfortable.

Looking at the island, Isabelle was surprised to see how morose it appeared in the rain. The vibrant jungle and sparkling beaches were rendered to near insignificance by the storm. The wind howled, and as she faced the island, Isabelle's back was struck by rain and spray that strong gusts drove against her.

Joshua had planned to round the southern end of the island and then head north to the eastern beach. Glancing south, Isabelle saw that the tip of the island was still fairly distant. They didn't seem to be making particularly good time, and she wondered how much stronger the storm would become.

"Another two hours to the cave?" she asked, shouting above the wind.

"Hopefully less," he replied, grimacing as he pulled on the oars. "If it gets too bad, we'll head ash.o.r.e and walk."

"No, no, no!" Ratu interjected. "Why would we walk when we can ride these b.l.o.o.d.y waves? I tell you, that makes no sense. And this will be such a cracking good story!"

Joshua eyed the sea. "It certainly will."

"Are you knackered, Captain? Would you like me to help? I'm good at rowing."

"Knackered?"

"Are you tired, Captain? Do you need a break?"

"Oh. Well, maybe later, Ratu. But thank you for asking."

A large swell caught the starboard side of the boat, tilting it up, letting it roll into the trough. "Mother Mary," Isabelle whispered, fighting back the urge to vomit. Joshua glanced at her and then paused for a moment to look at his raw hands. Seeing her husband's discomfort, she tried to ignore her nausea. Opening the medical kit, she used the scalpel to cut two strips of cloth from her s.h.i.+rt. "Wrap these around your hands," she said, handing the strips to Joshua.

He did as she said. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. "You look awfully pale."

"I'm fine. Just a bit seasick."

Joshua strained to propel the lifeboat even faster. He now felt almost certain that a typhoon was on its way, as they were at the height of the storm season, and the elements that a.s.saulted them were behaving so strangely. Already since they'd been at sea, the temperature had dropped considerably. And the wind was strengthening by the minute. Knowing that nowhere on the island would be safe but the cave, Joshua hoped that the rest of the group had started their walk. He debated putting the lifeboat ash.o.r.e, but believed he could get Isabelle to the cave quicker by sea than by land.

"Is the worst over?" she asked when a sudden lull in the wind quieted the world about them.

He started to lie but realized that she always dealt in truths and always sought truths. "The worst is yet to come," he said simply.

"Oh."

"So we need to get to our cave. Everyone needs to get to our cave."

"What can I do to help?"

Despite his pain and fear, Joshua felt a sudden sense of pride at her strength. "Hand Ratu that canteen by your feet so that he can bail out the water we're taking on. It's slowing us up."

Within a minute, Ratu was ridding the lifeboat of water almost as fast as the storm was dumping it in. Seeing that Ratu couldn't keep up, Isabelle stuck a finger down her throat, made herself vomit over the side of the boat, and then picked up another canteen and started to help.

SCARLET AND JAKE finally appeared at the banyan tree. A few words were uttered, and the group headed into the jungle with Roger leading the way. The storm followed them into the foliage, beating against their backs. Trees writhed as if being tortured. Coconuts dropped like bombs. A parrot tried to fly into the wind and was sent backward, exploding in a burst of green feathers against a boulder.

"Watch out for them darn coconuts!" Jake shouted, after one narrowly missed Nathan's head.

The storm gathered its strength and truly began to a.s.sault the island. Trees bent like gra.s.s. Branches, nests, and animals tumbled from the jungle's canopy as if the world had been turned upside down. Streams that had been inches deep now flowed like small rivers, cascading over rocks and fallen branches. The ground was littered with debris or occasionally was nothing more than a deep layer of mud.

Scarlet had already climbed up and down the hill, and now moved slower than everyone else. Jake held her hand. He used his strength to pull her up rises, to lift her over obstacles. The deeper they got into the jungle, the harder it became to make progress. Storm-generated water-falls tumbled from heights above. Rain and debris pelted them with alarming intensity.

Roger, who walked at the front of the group, debated leading everyone astray. They were blindly following him, and he doubted that any of them remembered the captain's instructions on how to find the cave. How easy, he thought, to lead the pigs to the island's center and to leave them there. And how wonderful to watch them from afar and listen to the screams of the skirts as the typhoon descended upon them. They'd be scattered like insects.

Immediately behind Roger, Akira helped Annie forward. Though his leg was still slightly stiff, it didn't hamper him. Akira had survived typhoons while in the woods of j.a.pan, and knew how to navigate the jungle, knew which trees were unduly stressed and would likely fall. He ushered Annie ahead, somehow simultaneously staying aware of dangers above their heads and at their feet.

Though such a scene would have once overwhelmed Annie with fear, she wasn't unreasonably afraid of the storm. On the contrary, with Akira leading and protecting her, she felt rather safe. She'd never felt so secure with a man, even with Ted and his seemingly infinite talents. The difference, she knew, was that some friends and loved ones would sacrifice her before themselves. Even Ted might. However, such self-preservation was not the case with Akira. He'd never leave her when she needed him, and that belief was of great solace to her.

At the rear of the group, Scarlet stumbled, banging her knee into a slick rock. Wiping blood and dirt from a deep cut in her flesh, she began to cry. Without a word, Jake picked her up and gently draped her over his shoulder. "It'll be fine, miss," he promised, carrying her as carefully as he could.

Though Jake was strong and sure, maintaining the pace of the rest of the group soon became impossible. He started to lag, which prompted Nathan, Annie, and Akira to slow. Seeing that everyone was falling behind him, Roger cursed and hurried back to the group. "What the h.e.l.l's wrong with you?" he shouted at Scarlet, enraged that someone's weakness could put his life in danger.

"She's hurt-"

"That's nothing but a scratch!" he yelled, interrupting Nathan.

"She's already climbed to the lookout point and back," Annie replied, her fists on her hips. "She's tired and hurt!"

A tree groaned beside them, fighting the strength of the wind. "Don't you maggots see what's happening?" Roger shouted. "A typhoon's coming! If she can't keep up, dump her! We'll be better off without her anyway! She's a worthless old hag!"

Annie put her hand on Scarlet's back. "You leave her alone!"

"We all know it's true!"

"Get away from her!"

"Scarlet is coming with us," Akira said, lifting her from Jake's shoulder so that he and Jake could carry her between them. "We are much better off with her."

"You're a fool, monkey man," Roger said, roughly b.u.mping into Akira. In a few seconds, Roger was back at the head of the column. Akira and Jake each put an arm around Scarlet and helped her move forward. Annie walked behind them, hating Roger, trying to protect Scarlet from falling limbs.