With the warriors fanning out in every direction, I knew running wasn't an option. I'd quickly be overtaken by their superior speed and familiarity with the terrain. And climbing another tree was out of the question. With so many eyes probing for the white girl, I'd stick out like a polar bear in the dark jungle. My biggest liability was my light skin and hair color. I needed to find a way to blend into the landscape—fast.
Picking up the stone adze Teuila had left behind, I hacked away at the ground, exposing the dark volcanic topsoil. I clawed at it with my fingertips and rubbed it all over my blonde hair and upper body, then shrunk behind a leafy bush as low to the ground as possible. Within seconds, I heard footsteps approaching my position with the sound of sticks beating the bushes.
Lying as still as possible not even daring to breathe, I closed my eyes praying that my clumsy camouflage job would keep me hidden for a few moments longer. The slapping sounds grew louder and louder until it seemed as if one of the searchers was standing right over top of me. Suddenly, something struck the ground next to me and I opened my eyes to see the sharp point of a stone-tipped spear plunging into the bush.
Jesus! I thought, realizing how serious these tribesmen were in apprehending their prey. My mind began to spin with all the possibilities. Was it really me they were after? Had Teuila's father asked for me to be returned dead or alive? Maybe they thought I was the one who'd set fire to the canoes? Or were they looking for the saboteurs from the other tribe? Had Teuila even had a chance to tell her father about their plans to attack the village?
While the tribesman continued jabbing his spear into the bush, I watched his dusty feet dancing over the ground not far from the gash I'd made with the adze. From my perspective inches away, it looked like an obvious mark inflicted by a recent intruder. As I lay on the ground with the sharp tool digging into my stomach, I wished I'd had the presence of mind to cover the fresh soil with some leaves.
But just as the tribesman stopped spearing the bush and I thought I was in the clear, I noticed some unusual movement sliding along the ground out of the corner of my eye. It was another three-foot-long snake winding through the brush! All the beating of the bushes in the surrounding area had scared it from its roost, and it was moving directly toward me. And this time, I knew that if it bit me, I couldn't count on Teuila and Nona to nurse me back to health.
As it slithered up over my arm toward my shoulder, I lay deathly still, holding my breath. At least I was aware of its presence this time. If I could just keep from flinching, maybe it would think I was another dead branch on the ground and leave me alone. I watched its forked tongue flickering in and out of its mouth like a divining rod. When it got to within inches of my face, I closed my eyes and prayed it didn't view me as a threat.
Why would it want to bite me? I thought. I'm too big for it to eat, and I'm not threatening it in any way. I remembered my father telling me on family excursions into the cottage country of northern Wisconsin that rattlesnakes were threatened by the vibrations of the earth in their vicinity. As long as I remain still, it should leave me alone.
As the snake paused next to my ear, I clenched my neck muscles unconsciously, expecting it to strike. But after a few seconds that felt like an eternity, it continued winding its body over my back and down the side of my torso, until it slithered off into the brush. The moment it left contact with my body, I gasped in a breath of fresh air as slowly as possible, trying not to make any sounds that might alert the nearby posse. I'd been so focused on the serpentine intruder, that I hadn't even realized the tribesman who'd been searching in my area had moved on. As I strained to listen for any nearby activity, I heard the sound of shouting receding into the distance, and I finally began to relax my muscles, pulling the sharp axe from underneath my body.
Now what? I thought, realizing I was still in a dangerous position, surrounded by a small army of warriors on the lookout for any suspicious movement. How long should I stay concealed in my precarious hiding place? Should I wait a little longer to see what the chief intends to do with Teuila? Will he stop looking for me when he realizes he needs to start preparing for the impending attack?
I had no way of knowing what kind of arrangements Te's father had made to prevent her escape. She'd told me to return to our lagoon and wait for her to come back, but what if she was tied up or had a twenty-four-hour guard? Maybe I could create some kind of distraction and cut her free.
I looked at my small stone adze and shook my head. With my luck, I'll get myself caught too and be no good for either one of us. I'll just have to spend the night here and see if I could find an opening at first light. I peered up at the bright moon, noticing that it was almost perfectly round.
Either way, we've got less than forty-eight hours before the crap hits the fan and someone's going to get hurt.
20
Teuila sat against the knobby walls of her hut with her hands tied behind her back, staring angrily into Manaia's eyes. He returned her gaze with equal intensity, as his lips curled into a menacing sneer. His eyes darted over her exposed body, taking particular interest in her loincloth wrapped tightly around her hips and waist.
She lifted her knees and pressed them against her chest, folding her arms around her legs. The idea of Manaia violating her made her sick to her stomach. Beyond the fact that she was madly in love with Jade, there'd always been something sinister about him that gave her the creeps.
"What do you want with me?" she asked in her native Samoan tongue.
"What makes you think I need anything from you right now?" he said.
"The way you're looking at me, for one thing. I've seen that look on men's faces before. I'm never going to let you touch me like that."
"We'll see about that," Manaia snickered, glancing back down in the direction of her crotch. "We'll soon be married and you'll have no other choice. And this time you won't be able to run off with your girlfriend. We'll either find her soon or she'll perish in the jungle. Without you looking after her, she'll die of starvation or get bitten by another snake. Either way, there's no way you're going to escape this time."
Teuila huffed at Manaia, realizing he had no idea just how well equipped Jade was to survive in the jungle with her newfound skills. As long as she could evade the search dragnet currently underway, she should have no difficulty looking after herself until Te' could make her way back to their lagoon.
"You could never satisfy me like she does," Teuila taunted. "You men are only good for two things. Making war and making babies. And I have no interest in either of your plans. Her friends will soon come back for her and when they do, you'll never see me again."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Manaia said. "Her tiny crew will no match for our tribe of warriors. We'll be ready for them if they return, then remove any sign they'd ever been here."
Teuila thinned her eyes as she studied Manaia's face. Although her father was no fan of Western interlopers, she knew it wasn't his style to kill outside visitors. As chief of the village, Manaia and the others were still bound to follow his commands.
"My father would never do that," she said. "You know as well as he, that that would just invite more external aggression."
"Only if the outsiders have reason to suspect foul play. We have plenty of ways to conceal any evidence of visitation to our island. And besides, your father won't be chief for much longer. Soon, I'll be the one calling the shots."
Teuila squeezed her eyes together, unsure what he was alluding to. But right now, she had bigger concerns. She needed to warn her father of the impending attack and make sure Jade got to safety. She'd worry about Manaia later. The smirk on his face soon disappeared when the flap covering her hut's front door swung open and her father stormed into the hut.
"Where is she?!" he shouted angrily, standing over his daughter.
"Who?" Teuila said coyly.
"The Western woman! She can't have gotten far and you must know her hiding places. Tell me now!"