“You carry a heavy burden, James. You have almost your entire life. Part of me wishes that could be different for you. Remember, all of us have expectations for our lives. Some are greater than others. We carry these with us until we’ve seen them through or until the day we die. Don’t let yours be a weight. Let them lift you. Believe in yourself. Believe you can accomplish more. Even more than others believe. Go with confidence and strength. If you do this, James, you will become more than you ever could have imagined. You have two choices, son. You can let these feelings, the guilt, the fear, the weight of expectation drag you down and be nothing or you can let them lift you up and be more than anyone could possibly fathom. It is up to you, son. I’ve taught you never to give up. Your father taught you never to give up. The decision is yours.”
With that, Margaret quickly stood and left the room. James stared into the fire. How can I be more than what people already expected of me? he wondered. His head was swimming. Part of him wanted to run away, to rid himself of all of this. The prophecy, his father’s death-he wanted to leave it all behind and never have to think about it again. He stood, having made up his mind.
He walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway toward the room where he slept. He stopped outside the door to the room where his mother had retreated. He knocked. She opened the door, red eyed. He could tell she’d been crying.
“I’ve made my decision,” he said. Margaret stood, waiting for more but more never came. The troubled-looking boy turned and went into his room.
Later that morning, Tabitha Ogilvy returned. Margaret discussed the conversation she’d had with James briefly then went to get James from his room so he could start the day’s lessons. She stepped inside his room and for the second time in her life, her heart felt as if it had been torn from her chest. James was gone.
— 28 -
Before the sun rose, James was awake. He had stowed all the gear they would need on the small boat. He was climbing down the rope ladder to board and make a trip alone when he heard someone stirring on deck. Kilani leaned her head over the side. The bright moon meant that even at this hour James didn’t need a light orb to see.
“In a hurry, are we?” asked Kilani.
“Anxious is a better word, I think,” replied James, settling into the stern of the canoe. “Care to come along?”
Kilani looked over her shoulder to see if anyone else was awake then quickly made her way down the ladder. James positioned the boat with his paddle so the bow seat was just beneath her feet. She stepped cautiously inside and sat. James handed her a paddle, and they began pulling at the water.
“I’m curious, James,” said Kilani.
“So I’ve learned,” he replied.
“I’m curious why you are paddling this boat when you have the knowledge to use probably a dozen incantations to get us where you want to go without all the work.”
“I shall satiate your curiosity by telling you this. Even when I was at home both my body and mind required some physical exertion to get going in the morning, which is why at the present moment, I am paddling us across the harbor.”
“So it’s got nothing to do with a fear of your newfound abilities?”
James couldn’t tell where Kilani was going with this line of questioning and decided to tread cautiously. Kilani never asked questions for the sake of conversation.
“What makes you think I’m afraid of my new abilities?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. Just a feeling I’m getting.”
“Worry not, my lady. If you’d prefer, I’ll propel us across this harbor at maddening speeds,” said James. He extended his hands over the water and said, “ Tertiri ze Manukto ahlnas svartbek.” Immediately the boat lurched forward. James let his oar drag in the water as a rudder.
Within minutes the small boat ran aground on a beach. Kilani had to hold onto the sides to keep from being thrown over the bow onto the sand. She laughed out loud. That’s a wonderful sound, thought James. They quickly unloaded the supplies and readied the canoe for another trip. Kilani volunteered to stay behind.
“I forgot to tell you some exciting news,” James said, looking over his shoulder at Kilani as he prepared to push off the sand with his oar.
“It’s so exciting you forgot to tell me?” said Kilani.
“The natives can transport,” James said, immediately pushing off the sand and gliding across the water toward the Queen Mary. Kilani stood dumbfounded, staring after him. A smile crossed her face as she watched him paddle back to the ship. Things are about to change for the better, she thought.
James first returned with William and Roger and then made another trip to bring Luno. As James steadied the canoe beneath the ladder for the last time, Luno stepped inside. A small satchel, which James had never seen before, was slung over Luno’s shoulder. James was tempted to ask what was inside, but he decided against it. He turned the boat and began to paddle. Instead of reaching for the paddle lying beside him to help, Luno simply sat staring at the sunrise.
“Amid all your excitement yesterday I didn’t get the opportunity to tell you about our travels,” Luno said, looking over his shoulder at James. “We reached the abandoned village that overlooks the northern coast.”
“And what was your impression?” asked James.
“I agree with Roger’s and Kilani’s assessment. It has been abandoned for about a year. Its constructors were European, masters of their trade for sure, who were quite possibly abducted from their homes.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Their belongings are still inside the buildings. Several of the beds are turned down. One house had long-rotted food on a table, and outside there were the sun-bleached bones of some kind of creature tethered to a pole.”
“Do you believe the natives have something to do with it?” asked James.
“My list of suspects at the moment is short.”
“Do you think we’re walking into a trap?”
“If they wanted us captured or dead, my boy, I believe they would have already taken or killed us.”
“So what do you believe?”
“I believe, my boy, they are not so different from us. Based on what you’ve told me, they too have been waiting for someone of unprecedented abilities to come along and deliver them from whatever it is they need delivering.”
Luno had confirmed that James’s suspicions were rightfully founded. He had spent most of his life being that person and was rapidly growing weary of it. Neither spoke for the remainder of the paddle across the harbor.
By the time they arrived, Kilani, Roger, and William were standing ready. They had divided the supplies among them and left two piles for James and Luno. James sheathed his dagger and slung his bedroll over his shoulder. He looked up and down the beach for any sign of Peroc. The beach was empty in both directions. He decided to drink from the stream before they got going. Luno joined him as the others had already had their fill while waiting for the pair to return from the Queen Mary.
James knelt at the edge of the stream, his long hair dangling in the water. He splashed some in his face before drinking. As he drank, he suddenly noticed a reflection in the water that hadn’t been there before. He looked up. Peroc stood on the opposite side grinning down at him. James smiled back and looked over at Luno, whose entire head was submerged in the water.