Chapter 13
Egyptian wasn’t the first word that came to mind, at least not for Will, but he could see where Gwen might make that assumption. His first thought had been that these natives looked Middle Eastern, possibly Arabic. But he supposed Egyptian was close enough to his assessment that he and Gwen were in agreement. The fact that this island was inhabited, and by people who bore no resemblance to the natives of Central and South America, puzzled him. Although dark-skinned, neither were they descendants of the African slaves that populated so many of the Caribbean islands.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” Gwen snapped around to face him, a look of astonished joy on her face.
“Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“It’s not much of a jump to assume that this is the island my father discovered fifty years ago and these are the people who live to be two hundred years old.”
“We don’t know where we are or who these people are, so—”
“So there’s one way to find out. We go meet them and find out if anyone speaks English.”
When she turned around and took a step forward, Will grabbed her. “Not so fast. We have no idea if these people are friendly. For all we know they could be cannibals.” Okay, so that notion might be a little farfetched, but his concern about their friendliness was perfectly logical.
Gwen grinned at him. “Cannibals? Look at them.” She pointed toward the village. “Do they look uncivilized to you?”
“We can’t just go walking into their camp,” Will told her. “First we need to observe them and get some idea what’s what.”
“Aren’t you being overly cautious?”
“It pays to be cautious. Let’s get out of sight and discuss this. Okay?”
She hesitated, then replied, “Okay. I yield to your superior knowledge and experience in situations like this.”
He drew her farther into the jungle, away from the village. When they were far enough away to be neither seen nor heard by anything other than the colorful birds dotting the trees, Will paused.
“No matter who these people are, we know nothing about their culture, their laws, their religious beliefs. Their culture could be radically different from anything we know. We can’t walk into their camp and automatically know what is and is not acceptable to them. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “Yes, of course. It’s as if we’ve landed on another planet, isn’t it?”
“Sort of. And that’s all the more reason to be cautious, to take our time making contact.”
“At least another day. I want to observe them, get as close as possible without them noticing me. Once I determine a few things, I’ll approach a single person and use sign language.”
“You mean, we will approach—”
“No, I mean I will. Once I determine there’s no danger, I’ll come back for you.”
She shook her head.
“For God’s sake, Gwen, now is not the time to be stubborn.”
“And now is not the time for you to go all macho protective on me,” she told him. “If something happens to you, just how long do you suppose I could survive on my own?”
“I think you’re a lot more resourceful than you think you are.”
“Maybe, but it would be only a matter of time before I encountered the natives or had to go to them for help, right?”
Will knew this was a losing battle. “All right. I’ll observe these people today, then we’ll camp in the jungle, and tomorrow morning we’ll go into the village and let the chips fall where they may.”
“I have a good feeling about this. If we’re friendly and courteous, I truly believe they will not see us as their enemy.”
“I hope you’re right.” Without more knowledge of these people, Will wasn’t going to assume anything. “Let’s set up a campsite and get you situated, then I’ll go—”
“I’m going back with you,” she interrupted him again. “I’ll be quiet and I’ll follow your orders, but I want to observe them, too.”
Will groaned. “Whatever you do, stay out of sight and don’t leave my side.”
By late afternoon they had been watching the village for several hours and had seen nothing suspicious, simply the daily activities of a people who apparently had no modern conveniences. They baked in huge central ovens and roasted meat over central open fire pits.
Staying on the outskirts, Gwen and Will were able to ascertain that the village was comprised of maybe thirty-five well-constructed huts, the exterior walls whitewashed. In the center of the village was what Will assumed might be a meeting house. Not far from the village, huge fields of grain grew profusely, along with several large gardens filled with a variety of vegetables. In another area, there was a grove of trees, all heavily laden with ripening fruit.
Gwen quickly studied the fields, gardens and the fruit trees, trying to identify the various plants. Without closer inspection, she could only guess, and although some appeared nothing out of the ordinary, typical tropical vegetation, others were unfamiliar, perhaps hybrids of some type.
While they watched what appeared to be a daily routine of men coming in from the fields and being met by their wives and children, a sudden disturbance caught their attention. Escorted by two guards, both carrying spears, a man whose appearance set him apart from the others walked into the village. Although obviously of the same race, he wore a tunic of deep scarlet and carried a case fashioned out of some type of leather. The man Will had picked out as the village leader met the visitor, greeted him with a hand signal that was probably the equivalent of a handshake, then led him inside one of the large huts.
Whispering, Gwen said, “Who do you suppose that is?”
“Someone important. A ruler from another village or a tax collector or a witch doctor. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“I wish we understood their language.”
“Yeah, that would help.”
“If we knew what they were saying, it would help us to know how they might feel about us being here.”
“We’ll just have to hope that when the time comes, we can communicate by using some sort of sign language, and if we’re stuck here indefinitely, we should be able to learn their language.”
Gwen looked right at him. “In the excitement of discovering that this island is inhabited, I’d almost forgotten that we’re all but marooned here.”
“There’s no ‘all but’ to it, honey, we are marooned here.”
She sighed. “If this turns out to be my father’s island, it won’t be fair that we found it, not unless he somehow can make his way here, too. He’s the one who should be rediscovering this place, not me.”
Will admired her devotion to her father, even if he felt it was somehow misguided and certainly not earned. No matter what great deeds a person might perform in a lifetime, if a person failed as a father, they failed at their most important job. If he ever had a child, he’d try his damnedest to be a good parent. Better than his old man had been and for sure better than Dr. Emery Arnell had been.
“Look, someone’s coming out of the house where that man went in.” Gwen’s attention focused on that single hut.
Will narrowed his gaze when he saw a young man—a slim, brown-haired, fair-skinned man in his late twenties, emerge from the hut. Definitely not a native. He wore tattered jeans, a dirty shirt and had heavy beard stubble.
“Look.” Gwen grabbed Will’s arm.
Before Will could reply, a young woman followed the man from the hut. He put his arm around the redheaded girl, who placed her head on his shoulder as she cried. Will recognized her immediately from her photograph.
“Oh, my God! That’s Cheryl Kress, isn’t it?” Gwen tightened her hold on Will’s arm.
“Yes, I believe it is. And my guess is that the man with her is Jordan Elders.”
“Then that means my father—”
As if on cue, a tall, distinguished white-haired man, his shoulders slumped and tears glistening in his eyes, emerged from the hut.
“Daddy,” Gwen cried loudly.
Will cursed through clenched teeth.
Gwen released his arm and shoved aside the foliage hiding them from view. Will reached for her, but she managed to escape before he grabbed her. Damn! Why couldn’t she think with her head instead of her heart? She was heading straight into the village.
Will rushed after her, catching up with her only after they were spotted by Gwen’s father’s shipmates, as well as numerous natives. Coming up behind her, Will clasped her hand. She paused and smiled at him.
“It’s my father. He’s alive. He’s all right.”
Dr. Arnell’s head jerked up, his gaze scanning the area. When he saw Gwen, he did a double take, then cried out her name.
“It’s my little Gwendolyn!”
He broke away from the others and hurried toward her. Despite the man’s age and the weariness that etched his features, Will saw a strong resemblance between the old man and his daughter. Same dark eyes, same square jaw and prominent cheekbones, same high forehead.
Gwen broke into a run, rushing headlong into her father’s open arms. Will stood back a few feet, his gaze darting from them to The Professor’s shipmates to the large group of natives collecting around them. He didn’t see any weapons, other than the spears held by the two escorts who waited outside the hut where the scarlet-robed man had entered. But considering the odds, unless he had a machine gun, he wouldn’t be able to take out more than a few natives before their sheer number overcame him. Maybe, just maybe, these people were friendly and not hostile. The Professor, Jordan Elders and Cheryl Kress seemed unharmed, even if they all looked tattered, worn and upset about something.
Gwen’s father pushed his daughter back, clutched her shoulders and stared at her, apparently happy to see her. “It’s another miracle, your being here. But it was meant to be, wasn’t it? It is only fitting that you’re here to share this magnificent discovery with me.”
“Then this is your island,” Gwen said. “The one you’ve been searching for all these years?”
“Oh, yes, this is my island. And it has a name, you know. It’s Umi. It’s an Egyptian word meaning life.”
“Egyptian?”
“Yes. The village elder, Sebak, has been very kind to us. He is trying to help us. He even sent to another village for a healer for Molly.”
“Molly Esteban is with you?” Gwen glanced at the guarded hut.
“She was … injured … and there seems to be nothing that can be done for her. It’s too late.”
“Daddy, how did you communicate with this man named Sebak?”
The Professor turned and motioned to the tall, broad-shouldered man with a dark, lean body and thick black hair braided to one side. “Please, come and meet my daughter and—” He glanced at Will.
“My friend Will,” Gwen said. “He and I have been one step behind you all the way from Puerto Nuevo.”
“If only I had known you would actually come to Puerto Nuevo, I would have waited,” Dr. Arnell said. “But you were so adamant about not joining me.”
The man called Sebak approached, his eyes alert and inquisitive as he surveyed first Gwen and then Will. “You are welcome to Oseye and to the great land of Umi.” His English was excellent, spoken with only a slight accent.
Startled, Gwen said, “You speak English.”
“Sebak speaks English and French and Spanish,” Emery Arnell explained. “As do one or two of the other villagers. But most do not.”
“The scholars of Umi are fluent in many languages,” Sebak added.
“Are you one of these scholars?” Will asked as he moved protectively to Gwen’s side. Although he sensed that Sebak didn’t pose a threat, at least not right now, Will did pick up on something negative, some odd gut-instinct type of warning.
Sebak smiled. “No, I am simply a village elder. But my eldest son, Darius, is a scholar.”
“Look, I don’t mean to be rude,” Will said. “But exactly where are we? Where is Umi located? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on any map. Why is that?”
“Please, the questions can wait until later.” Dr. Arnell took Gwen’s hand. “Come with me and let me introduce you to my assistant, Jordan Elders, and to—”
“No, I don’t think the questions can wait.” Will looked directly at Sebak. “I’ve asked a simple, uncomplicated question. Where are we?”
Sebak’s facial expression didn’t alter, not by a twitch or a nod. He met Will’s determined stare and replied, “Your question is simple, but the answer is very complicated and best left until later, until we have dealt with the woman’s death.” He glanced toward the guarded hut. “My people are unaccustomed to one so young dying. It will be difficult for them to understand, and I must explain to them that she and all of you who are visitors from outside Umi, are people who do not share our gift of longevity.”
Gwen’s gaze connected with Will’s for a split second, silently communicating. He could almost hear Gwen saying, “This is my father’s island and everything he has told us about it is true.” And although he was pretty damn sure she was picking up on his doubts and concerns, he was certain that she thought he was overreacting, that he had no reason to distrust Sebak.
But he wasn’t overreacting. Something wasn’t quite right here. And it was a lot more than the weird factor, more than his when-did-we-enter-the-Twilight-Zone reaction to this entire situation.
“Sebak is right,” Dr. Arnell said. “There will be time enough to ask questions, to study the island, to explore the wonders of Umi, once we’ve tended to my dear Molly.” Tears glazed the old man’s dark eyes as he squeezed Gwen’s hand. “I didn’t tell you about Molly because I wanted you two to meet in person and for our engagement to be a surprise for you. I haven’t cared for a woman as deeply as I do Molly since your mother.”
The curious natives who surrounded them began whispering in their unique language, but they quieted the moment Sebak’s dark gaze circled the crowd. He spoke to them in their native language, his voice loud and authoritative, his words dispersing them, sending them back to their evening routines.
“Emery, please bring your daughter and her—” Sebak looked to Will. “Emery’s daughter is your woman, is she not?”
Without giving his answer a moment’s thought, Will replied, “Yes, she’s my woman.”
Sebak nodded. Dr. Arnell smiled faintly and sighed, as if greatly relieved that Will had given Sebak the correct answer. Another red warning flag popped up in Will’s mind.
“Come along. We will prepare a place for you,” Sebak said. “If you wish to stay with Emery until his woman’s earthly life ends, you may do so. I will send someone with food and water.” He then spoke to The Professor. “I will make preparations for your woman’s farewell.”
“Thank you,” Dr. Arnell said.
After Sebak left them, Gwen stopped her father before he returned to the guarded hut. “What was that all about, that business of my being Will’s woman?”
“Apparently, it is the custom with these people,” Jordan Elders said, as he and Cheryl approached. “A woman’s identity and status is based upon the man to whom she belongs.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, he’s not kidding,” Cheryl said. “We found out pretty quickly that around here, if a woman doesn’t already belong to a man, they will give her to someone. Otherwise she has no identity and quickly becomes an outcast.”
“Don’t go all Women’s Lib on me,” Dr. Arnell told Gwen. “Please don’t judge these people until we get to know them and understand them.”
“I don’t want to get to know them much more,” Cheryl said. “They’ve been nice enough, but I swear, they creep me out.”
“You’re Cheryl Kress,” Will said.
“Yes, I am. How did you know?”
“I’m Will Pierce, a private detective. Your father hired my agency to track you down and bring you home.”
Cheryl’s eyes widened. She smiled warmly, and fresh tears sprang into her eyes.
“You can’t imagine how ready I am to go home.” She glanced from Gwen to Will and back again. “How did you two hook up?”
“We met in Puerto Nuevo and quickly realized we were on the same quest,” Will told her. “Once we found out that both the girl I’d been sent to find and Gwen’s father were connected to Jordan Elders, we simply followed Mr. Elders’s path.”
“I wish you’d found us sooner,” Jordan said. “I’m afraid we got ourselves hooked up with a criminal and then hit a freak storm and wound up on Dr. Arnell’s island.”
“I assume you came by boat,” Dr. Arnell said. “Dare I hope it survived the storm?”
“It survived,” Will replied. “But unfortunately the engines aren’t working and neither is the radio or anything else.”
Dr. Arnell waved his hand, as if brushing off any worry. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure Sebak will provide us with a boat when the time comes for us to leave.”
Will noticed Cheryl rolling her eyes heavenward. Apparently, the young woman was as skeptical as he was about this island being some kind of magical paradise. On the other hand, Gwen and Jordan Elders were probably so devoted to Emery Arnell that, despite any misgivings they might have, they both wanted to share his enthusiasm over finally rediscovering his Utopia.
Utopia by any other name.
Umi. An Egyptian word meaning life. Isn’t that what The Professor had said?
The Egyptian connection puzzled Will as much as anything else, adding to his list of questions. Questions that Sebak seemed very reluctant to answer.
Gwen had stayed with her father in the hut where an unconscious Molly Esteban had been cared for by a healer. In those quiet, somber hours before Molly died, Gwen’s father had explained not only how Molly had been shot saving his life, but also about the abilities of the man he referred to as the adom, meaning one who receives help from God.
“The people of Umi are never sick, and all live to at least two hundred,” her father had told her. “But they are not completely immune to accidents, to bodily injuries, and therefore they require a healer. The adom is somewhat like one of our doctors, only these men have a combination of medical and spiritual knowledge.”
“Witch doctors,” Gwen had said before thinking. “Sorry, Father.”
“No, no. It’s quite all right. In a way, that’s what the adom is. But unfortunately, since Molly had never been given the Eshe plant before, giving it to her now would do little to help her. One dose doesn’t heal. Only repeated doses over several years achieves the desired effect.”
“The Eshe plant? Is that the youth-serum plant?”
Emery nodded. “Just as umi means life in Egyptian, so does eshe. The island provides life for the people and the plant prolongs that life.”
Molly Esteban died shortly after nightfall and was taken by the natives out of the hut and through the village. When Gwen questioned her father, he shook his head, requesting her silence. Then he walked away from her and went with Sebak, the two men walking slowly behind the small procession carrying Molly’s body away from the village.
How at home her father seemed here, how easily and quickly he had adapted to these people and their customs. Had he, all those years ago, learned more about them than he’d ever told anyone?
A young native woman came up beside Gwen, touched her arm and motioned to her. When she spoke, Gwen did not understand a word she said, but followed the girl to a small hut on the far side of the village. When she drew closer, she saw Will, Jordan, Cheryl and another man standing outside near an open fire pit that gave off heat and light. Odd how soon after sunset the temperature had begun dropping. Not that it was cold by any means, but with each passing hour, it became chillier.
“Where’s Dr. Arnell?” Jordan asked.
“Molly Esteban is dead.” Gwen went straight to Will, who slipped his arm around her waist.
“Molly’s dead?” the scraggly middle-aged man asked.
“Yes, and you killed her,” Cheryl told him.
“He’s Mick McGuire.” Gwen spoke her thoughts aloud.
“And you’re The Professor’s little girl, huh?” Mick moved in closer to the others and gave Gwen a once-over. “You’re not so little, are you? You’re all grown-up and filled out pretty good.”
Mick McGuire made her skin crawl. Not only did he look sleazy and dirty, his attitude gave away his white-trash background.
Will stepped between Gwen and Mick. She thought she heard Will growl, a sound deep and low in his throat.
“Don’t get bent out of shape, buddy,” Mick said. “I get it that she’s yours. Besides, I’ve got my eye on one of the native girls. One of the young ones. You know, one with a firm little ass and a pair of big tits.”
“Why don’t you shut up, McGuire. You’re disgusting,” Cheryl said.
“You’ll be sleeping out under the stars on a pallet again tonight,” Jordan told Mick. “You’re not sharing a hut with either of us.” He hitched his thumb toward himself, then toward Will. “Only couples have their own huts. Single men who have been ostracized are expected to sleep outside, and since Dr. Arnell explained to Sebak that Molly’s injuries were caused by McGuire here, he’s persona non grata.”
Mick glared at Jordan. “I’ll find a corner for myself, but you just remember that when it comes time to go for the gold, I expect to get my share.” Mick turned around and walked off.
“What’s he talking about, what gold?” Gwen asked.
“He’s talking about the Eshe plant,” Jordan said. “It seems there is a special plant that grows on this island, the one The Professor told us about, and Mick wants his share of the money when we take the plant back to the rest of the world.”
A tight knot of apprehension formed in Will’s gut. “Does Sebak know about Dr. Arnell’s plans to take the plant off the island and share it with the world?” Will asked.
Jordan shook his head. “We’ve been on the island about twenty-four hours, and in that time Dr. Arnell’s main concern has been saving Molly. He thought certain the Eshe plant could be used to heal her.”
“What have you found out about this place, this island? And about Sebak and these people?” Will asked.
“Not a great deal.” Jordan nodded to Cheryl. “As you already know, a woman has no status unless she belongs to a man. First to her father or eldest male relative and then to her mate. Every woman is placed with a man as quickly as possible. That’s the reason I claimed Cheryl.”
“I understand,” Will told him.
“As far as I know, only Sebak and a couple of other men in the village speak English. The others speak some ancient tongue that not even The Professor is familiar with.”
“Have you been able to figure out exactly where we are and why this island has never been charted, why it’s not located on any map?”
“We’re in the Atlantic Ocean, inside the Bermuda Triangle. This island has never been charted and isn’t on any map because—” Jordan paused “—because it isn’t visible to the outside world.”
Will squinted as he glared at Jordan. “Run that one by me again. If it’s not visible, how come Gwen and I were able to see it? Why were you—”
“I’m not sure, but I believe that Dr. Arnell’s theory that the island is only visible once every so many years, maybe every fifty years, might be correct. And that means people can land on the island and depart only during a specific time frame.”
“Which would be how long?” Will asked.
“When he was twenty, The Professor stayed here three weeks, then he was sent away. My guess is that the window of opportunity to arrive and depart is connected to that three-week time frame.”
“If Dr. Arnell’s theory is correct, that means if we don’t leave this island within a specific time frame, be it three weeks or four, then we’ll be trapped here for years, maybe for the rest of our lives.”