Alkimiya - A Fantasy Mystery Series

TWENTY~SIX - Survival

Scarlett did not seem to consider her tale of survival important. "That is not much of story. The storm blew me off-course. By time I learn this, I could not control Scalawag. I could not see much either. There were little black insects crawling into navigation room. They were trying to touch me, I think. Then I hit water and black things washed away. Once free of water, Scalawag was only bones. I had to jump."

The wall of water rose high above the mist. Neck craning to search the clouds, Zenetra's mouth went numb. "You jumped from up there?"

"I had parachute, I had flasher bag, and I had emergency kit." Scarlett shrugged. "I landed on far side of island and slept in cave."

Zenetra already admired Scarlett for her travels, but more so now that she knew about the young explorer's fight for survival. It rejuvenated her hope that Xuxa was out there, surviving on her own and waiting to be rescued.

"Have you found any bodies? Or shapes of bodies lying in the streets?"

"None," said Scarlett, her fingers playing with the lens of her flasher.

They turned the corner at a building with three stories discussing what could have happened to the islanders and paused. Before them stretched an open field of white. On the other side was the base of the pyramid. Steps leading up to the main entrance had become a slippery slope that was wide enough to fit three roamers side by side. The salt that had broken away at the peak collected like an avalanche at the base, but the entrance remained visible behind a sheet of dripping salt stone.

"It is like melted candle," observed Scarlett.

Zenetra could not formulate the proper words for what the pyramid reminded her of, as she had only ever seen something like it in books. She answered with, "Hmm," and hoped it sufficed.

When she and Scarlett arrived at the bottom of the sloping steps, they saw Mimi examining the blocked doorway high above. Zenetra did not wish to startle Mimi as Scarlett had done to her, so she yelled her name loud enough to hear over the roaring water and pitter-patter of rain.

Mimi swiveled from the sheet of salt. At the sight of Scarlett alive and whole, she jump, exclaiming, "Scarlett!" with arms held wide.

In answer came a loud, rumbling noise.

The island vibrated. Ground cracked underfoot and filled with water. A large crevasse zipped up the sloping stairwell to Mimi, splitting through the sheet of salt that blocked the entryway. The crust covering the outer wall of the pyramid went from smooth wax to splintered ice.

Mimi threw herself down the slope of stairs. Chunks of crust detached from the pyramid and fell, shattering on the landing Mimi had seconds ago occupied. Shards tumbled like broken glass down the stairs.

The nails of Mimi's crampons left little claw marks down the slope. The last step, which had formed into a large hump from centuries of pooling water, sent Mimi soaring. She landed with knees bent and bounded up in one fluid motion. 

"Back!" she yelled to Scarlett and Zenetra. "Get back!"

Zenetra grabbed Scarlett and dragged her away from the falling debris. When they were a quarter of the way across the field, they saw Carver, James, and a deeply frazzled Tilde running to them. They met in the middle of the white field.

Tilde was the first to recognize Scarlett. Her forehead smoothed over, her eyes went twice as large as they naturally were, and her jaw hung open. "Oh!" she said, pointing a finger at Scarlett. "You're alive!"

James turned to Carver then, anger and triumph molding over his face as he presented Scarlett. "See! And you thought I was overreacting."

Introductions were brief, and after Mimi asked the others if they experienced the same quake, Scarlett added, "I never heard such sound before."