PoraBora

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Part 4

Miimikani slipped through the forest, bananas in hand. They weren't Makaia's—Miimikani doubted U'ekeo would be able to stomach those—but they were still good fruit, a little green, but hitherto perfectly edible.

Early morning came with early birds, local thrush and flycatchers whistling that it was time to get to work. Work hadn't stopped for Miimikani. After hiding U'ekeo in Maye's cave, she'd hurried to Li'hili for comforts, food, and Pe's shells. She hadn't doubted her home would be the first place they checked, and she hadn't wanted them confiscating anything while she had been away.

But upon meeting with Iumili at her father's farm, where she got the bananas, it seemed there had been no news. The party had continued and was continuing even at that hour, and Iumili had passed Kunuhakoa's message on: they knew, but they didn't know who.

They would have their guesses, Miimikani knew. The Navigator of Taipala had already been suspicious of her, as she expected he was suspicious of everyone, and her missing in the night would only confirm what they thought they knew: that she'd been there at the brig.

Probably they would sentence her too.

The thought bothered her less than she'd thought. Maybe her last Don't worry had actually worked.

Or maybe I'd hung black coral and only forgotten.

The awful scream of a hawk startled Miimikani nearly to her feet. Or maybe not.

Maye's cave was not the same without its little fowl standing guard. The interior was empty of anything but corpses and feathers, and Miimikani scowled. Our god! Our warriors and our people and our god. Who knew they were all for the taking?

Perhaps the hawk was angry about the same thing. Or perhaps he was frustrated his regular food source seemed to be missing entirely.

U'ekeo laid on his back in Maye's cavern.

She placed a banana on his chest. "Hungry?"

He grunted but didn't take it. "See what Maye's blessing is good for: I get to call his cave home."

"Don't get too attached," said Miimikani.

"No," said U'ekeo. "I expect they'll find us soon enough. It is what I deserve. All of it. My people slaughtered, my warriors beaten, my god stolen, all of it because I didn't know what I was doing."

"Stop it," growled Miimikani. "You're being stupid."

"And death by sharks," said U'ekeo. He made a horrible smirk. "Did you see him? The boy I had sentenced to death, and he was here trying to save our god."

"I saw him," said Miimikani. "Now eat. It's going to be a long day."

"He was tiny, Miimikani. He was a kid. Just a kid. Not even thirteen. And I said death by sharks. By sharks, Miimikani! I said put him into the water and have the beasts chew him apart, piece by piece, until there was nothing left of him."

"And you made Pe watch."

U'ekeo covered his face. "I deserve it. You shouldn't have risked your life for me."

Miimikani unpeeled the banana and put it back on his chest. Her eyes found the lines of his tattoo and the face of Maye. She sighed.

"You did what you thought you had to," she said. "You just didn't have the right navigators to guide you through it."

"What would you have had me do? Navigator of the Landed."

"Not kill him," Miimikani snorted. "I'd have told you to make him a guest. Restrict him from leaving the island, if you're so worried he's going to tell people the color of your thatching, but not kill him. Samuelu could have learned who he was, where he came from, and what his intentions were before you made him your enemy."