And So It Begins

“The journey is the treasure.”  Lloyd Alexander

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“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things.  Things must happen when it is time for them to happen.  Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit.  The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.”  The Last Unicorn

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    Just before dawn, before the light beat back the dark, before anything or anyone stirred, Katalea found herself in the place that she considered her sanctuary.  Her terrace, all fixed and new, boasted new deck furniture in shades of sea green.  She lounged alone for a few moments, enjoying the solitude. As she watched, the sky turned pink and pale over the horizon.  The first gulls stirred and began their relentless search for food.  Her stomach rumbled in unison to signal it was time for her to eat as well.  Rather than messaging someone to bring up food, she set out for the kitchen to see what she could rustle up.

    What she found was a beautifully set table, complete with candles.  A smiling Dakari, apron still tied around his day clothes, offered her a champagne flute filled with freshly squeezed orange juice.  She smiled at him shyly, her stomach now experiencing raw nerves rather than hunger.  She smelled her favorite breakfast foods, tuna and eggs, but she suddenly had no taste for them.  Kaya, her panther, was fighting for control.  

    Fighting to control the situation Katalea spoke before Kaya could jump into Dakari’s arms.  “I am honored you would rise this early to share breakfast with me.” 

    He blushed as he answered, “I am hoping to spend every breakfast with you from now on.” 

    He went to her, arms outstretched, and she walked into his embrace.  She felt her body purr as he rubbed his hand down her arm.  He pulled back, gesturing towards the table.

    “Shall we eat?” He said, his voice sounding somewhat like a low growl.

    “When had Dakari gotten so sexy?” was the only thing she was thinking as he filled her plate.  She looked up at him to thank him, but he only grinned.  He sat, lowered his head as if in prayer, then dug into his own plate.

    “Are you packed and ready for our adventure?” He asked between mouthfuls.

    “Yes, Grandmother helped me last night.”  She looked down, clearly troubled.

    “What is it Katalea? Are you worried about being away?” He questioned.  

    “No, not at all.  It’s just…” she paused.  Kaya was inside her head screaming for control.  

    “Would it be ok..” again she faltered.  Kaya begged her to stop talking.  

    Dakari just looked at her.  She tried again, “Maybe we could get separate rooms until, well, just until….”  She finally stammered out.  Kaya wailed in disgust.

    Dakari chuckled, “Is that what you were worried about, little flower?” He said using the childhood nickname that he used to tease her with. Now the name rolled off his tongue and made her feel beautiful.

    “I have already taken the liberty to book us into their “best friends” suite.  Two master bedrooms that share a common living space.  I booked the whole floor so the security team could have a place to rest close by.”

    “Of course you did.” She sighed gratefully, smiling all the way to her eyes.  How had she forgotten how thoughtful he was?  She relaxed and enjoyed her breakfast.

    After the breakfast feast, Katalea went up to check on Dalya.  Dalya’s room was being set up like a hospital room, with her body growing at an alarming rate.  The doctor was on call to deliver the baby early, and the incubator would be ready.  At the rate she was going, she would be lucky to make four months.  

    Dalya was still sleeping, and Katalea didn’t want to wake her.  Using a trick she had learned from Dakari she conjured a cattleya flower.   This beautiful orchid is where her mother had picked her name.  It looked so pretty lying by her new sister, Katalea conjured a dozen more and put them in a vase next to the bed.  She made a mental note to call her mother and catch up, and left the room.  She didn’t notice the tear slide down Dalya’s face.

    By mid-morning, they had loaded up their gear and were ready to set out for the ferry.  Grandfather had requested a private ferry crossing for them, well, as private as you could get with half a security team on board.  The other half had gone ahead to the hotel to scout the area. Katalea was embarrassed by all the attention.

    When the ferry moved into open water Katalea jumped out from Grandfather’s secure sedan.  Reminiscent about her first ferry ride and all the energy she had tried to suppress that day, she giggled and walked over to the railing.  As the ferry soared over the water Katalea caught glimpses of something in the water.  Every time she leaned over to get a closer look, it was gone.  Dakari noticed her behavior and tilted his head in a questioning manner.

    “I feel like I’m playing hide and seek with a toddler.”  She tried to explain to him the bright blue blur she kept seeing but he just laughed.

    “It’s probably a dolphin that has some of the fisherman’s net stuck to him.”  He reasoned.

    His rationale was solid, but Katalea felt like something was out there.  Something had been trying to get her attention, she was sure of it.  She kept a watch out but did not see it again.  Her thoughts returned to the present as the ferry bumped its way into the dock.

    People on the mainland stared at them as they tried to drive off the ferry.  Katalea looked down as security people swarmed around their car and pushed onlookers away.  “There wouldn’t be a fuss if they didn’t attract so much attention,” she thought.  Remembering her time in Utah, she shuddered and let the security detail do their job.  No one seemed to notice the woman with the shock of bright blue hair bundled under a hat.

    In a surprising move, Dakari asked the driver to head straight to the university.  It was now Katalea’s turn to look befuddled.

    “That book is calling to me,” he explained.  “I feel like the closer I get the more intense the calling.”  

    Katalea knew they were here for research.  In her romantic heart she had put that all away.  Pulling up to the breathtaking tree lined campus brought her back to reality.  This was a working vacation.  From what she remembered of Dakari, she might not see much of him once he got his teeth in this project.  

    “Better to join him than to be ignored.” She thought sadly, and tried to refresh her memory on what they knew of the tattered book they had found.

    Dakari turned to the security detail. “I want to be addressed as Professor Toma,” he started.  He filled them in on his cover story.  

    Katalea pulled her long hair into a chignon at the base of her neck to give her a more professional look.  “I will be Professor Kundam.” She winked at Dakari.  Everyone chuckled as they heard his low growl of approval.

    Before they could get to the proper department, a man dressed in ragged jeans and a black sweatshirt approached.  “Professor Toma, could I get a word?”

    Glances were shared all around.  How did this man know their cover names?  Curiosity got the better of Dakari and before the security detail could move him along Dakari reached out his hand.  

    “Sure, and you are?” He said, shaking hands.

    “My name is  Beecher, and I have information about the book you are here to open.”

    Dakari got a whiff of the man’s scent.  He had tried to conceal it with cologne but the distinct aroma of a canine came through.  Could this man be a werewolf?  Intrigued, but wary, Dakari released the man’s hand and stepped back.

    “How do you know of me, or what my business here today is?” Dakari said, sounding quite scholarly.

    “I, too, seek the same prophecies as you.  If we could discuss this in a more private setting?” The man gestured to a bench under a tall palm tree.

    Dakari’s mind was spinning.  He didn’t know that the leather bound book even contained anything close to a prophecy.  How could this werewolf know so much?   Dakari felt like an elementary school child trying to navigate high school math.  He looked to Katalea for help.  She was staring off in the distance at a woman with bright blue hair.  

    Katalea sent him a mental message.  “Please don’t think I’m crazy but that woman is a mermaid!  I saw her while we were on the ferry.  She says she has information for us.  Dakari, she can talk to me inside my head!”

    “I think it’s time to find a more private place to talk, ” Dakari said, loud enough for all to hear.  

    The smallest woman Katalea had ever seen approached the group.  “My name is Zinnia, I have been sent by the University to offer you a private office.  If you would follow me.”  She turned on one very high heel, and started toward the Literature Building.

    This was way too coincidental.  The hackles on her panther’s neck rose as the woman strode away.  She felt like they were being led into a trap.  The woman wasn’t a dragon for sure, she had caught no sulphuric odor.  She smelled much like her name, open-faced flowers in a cheery garden.  Katalea opened herself to the woman and read no evil intent.  

    She nodded to Dakari.  Together they began to follow the little woman.  The werewolf and the mermaid followed.  By the look on their faces, it was obvious they knew each other.  It was time to see what the hell was going on.