Grasiella was unable to rest; the island was too quiet for her. The stars above cast a light but the quiet, it was unnerving. She turned onto her side to find that Kana’i was still away from the camp that he had set up earlier. He said he wanted to recheck the area.
Perhaps they were picking up on each others uneasiness, so much so that neither one of them could rest. Grasiella sat up as she heard an approach. “Kana’i?”
He emerged with more wood for the fire, “You’re still awake? You’re not going to be any good tomorrow if you’re too tired to make the hike.”
“You’re still up.”
“It’s different for me.” He tossed more wood onto the fire.
“Whatever, how far is it?””
“Not too far. It’s avoiding Pele and her minions that will be the challenge.”
“Do you think she knows I’m here?”
“She might.”
“Hina told me that there are other gods on the islands. Is that true?”
Kana’i kept his gaze centered on the fire as he answered, “There are many.”
“Do you think we’ll see more of them?”
“No.”
“Do they all dislike Pele?”
“It doesn’t work like that. They don’t hate or like anybody.”
“Hina had a lot to say about her.”
“Hina is different. She’s a trickster. She lives mostly on the moon. I don’t even know why she was at the falls this time of year.”
“She’s helping Mnemosyne find the Painite.”
“She is?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm,” Kana’i gaze shifted from the fire onto Grasiella, “Makes me wonder.”
“About?” Grasiella was curious.
“Can’t say yet.” his eyes darted into the wilderness, “Could be anything.”
She wasn’t sure if he was referring to what he was thinking of, or if his words were based on what made that noise.
“Could it be hikers?”
“Not out here. Tourist don’t come out this far.”
“You said tourist! You didn’t say Haole!” Laughing she said, “Oh, my God!”
“Quiet. Stay here!” He got up to leave again. Grasiella inched closer to the fire.
He was gone for a few moments. “It was nothing.” He lied down, closing his eyes.
Grasiella wasn’t ready to fall asleep. What had made that sound? Could it have been Pele? Had Pele found her? Kana’i had no reason to help her, so why was he?
“Kana’i, I need to know why you’re doing this for me.”
Without opening his eyes he replied, “Can’t you just accept my help?”
That was her issue; she couldn’t accept his help because she wasn’t sure if she could trust him, but who else did she have out here. Looking around, she felt alone, yet she couldn’t trust him.
At an entrance to the cave leading into Mauna Kea stood a young man. He wore his brown hair long around his shoulders. He was a bit scruffy. His name was Reggie. He was from one of the other islands that were group in the pacific. The faeries there had sensed that something was taking place on the islands of Hawaii.
He had come to take a look for himself, seemingly drawn by a force he couldn’t explain. He had always been a bit more curious then the others on his island. He couldn’t help it. He always wanted to learn more.
After his arrival on the big island, he was immediately drawn to Mauna Kea. Inside the inactive volcano Mauna Kea were several tunnels leading in different directions. He was drawn towards one in the far left corner. Reggie shrunk himself down to the size of a bug and flew down the tunnel. The tunnel opened up into a room.
The room was empty inside. He grew to his full size. Standing in the center of the room, he closed his eyes. His body turned on its own. As he opened his green eyes, he found himself standing in front of a wall. Reggie placed both hands against it. He gave it a push.
A small section of the wall vanished, revealing a stone resting on a volcanic shelf.
Reggie took the stone into his hands. He had never seen a stone with this color. It was a fiery red. On the inside, the heart of the stone glimmered as if it had a heart beat of its own.
Reggie placed the stone in his pocket. He would take it back to his home.
He carefully made his way to the entrance of the room. He was ready to leave but something called out to him. The voice spoke inside his mind. He could not understand what was said. He had never heard the language before. The tone of the voice shifted. He was able to tell that it belonged to a woman. A vision of a woman emerged in his mind’s eye.
She was blonde, petite, and he was drawn to her. He knew where she would be on the island.
Reggie shrunk back down to the size of a bug and flew away from Mauna Kea. He had a strong desire to get to this woman as soon as possible.
He found her in a glen. She sat by a pond. Her eyes had turned to liquid as she looked up at him. He was frightened for a moment, yet he could not turn away from her. She gave him a sweet smile as she rose. She held out her hand to Reggie; her palm rose up. He knew what it was she wanted. He reached into his pocket.
As he did, the image before him evaporated. He looked around the glen to find the woman. She was gone. Where had she gone?
Reggie knew then that what he had seen had been a vision. He held the stone tight in his hand. How would he be able to find her?
Mnemosyne gazed upon her reflection in the pond. She saw the vision Reggie had seen. It had been Mnemosyne who had summoned him to the island. She had complete control of him. He held the Painite in his hand. She would soon have it in her possession. Let Reggie hold onto it a little bit longer.
Mnemosyne had been unable to retrieve the Painite on her own. Pele had the dormant volcano charmed. No one from the Hawaiian Islands would be allowed entrance to the tunnels within the volcano.
Mnemosyne had made several attempts to get inside, yet each time she was blocked by Pele’s charm.
She came up with the idea to have an off islander retrieve the Painite for her. He was the one most open to her manipulations. It was easy enough for Mnemosyne to lure Reggie to the island.
Now she wouldn’t have to fear Grasiella finding the Painite first. She no longer needed to concern herself with Grasiella or her sister, Tatiana.
Mnemosyne would wait for the arrival of the general. She had a special gift for him.
She was going to offer the general a trade. She would give him the Painite. Then she would take his life. She wanted him to enjoy the Painite for a moment. She wanted him to envision his victories’ across the galaxies.
Then she would take his life, and his dreams, as he had ended hers. He left her trapped in the crystal for thousands of years. She called out to him. She screamed out to him yet he had refused to come to her.
She had been so far away from her home for so long. She wanted the general to feel what she felt.
The more time Mnemosyne spent outside of the crystal, the more her feelings changed. She no longer loved the general as she once did. She now wanted vengeance, vengeance for everything. Mnemosyne was setting up everything perfectly.
After the death of the general she planned on returning to her home land. She would crown herself the new supreme military leader. She would soon sit at the seat of power. Anyone who rose against her, she would immediately execute, just as the general had once done.
Mnemosyne had one visit to make. She headed back to the island of Kauai. She would visit her dear captor Anna. All those years that Mnemosyne had spent under her watch, under the watch of that family.
The brown house was empty. She checked the garden but she found it empty except for the flowers. Mnemosyne closed her eyes and waited. She was looking for Anna throughout the island. With her eyes closed, she was able to search without leaving the spot where she stood.
Anna was gone. She next searched out the gr
anddaughters. Mnemosyne would have searched for Tatiana, but Anna had placed blocks on her granddaughters, in order to keep them hidden from prying eyes. It was a charm that one could place on others, not on themselves. It had been the reason why Mnemosyne had been unable to find Grasiella on the Big Island. “Where are you hiding Anna?” There was a noise at the front of the house drawing her attention.