The Legend of the Phantom (10 page)

The
n the water calmed a bit. A collective sigh escaped from the trio as the raft steadied itself once again.

Then came
the lower falls.

Before they had time to really study it, they found that
the river bent to the left; the current quickening. However, Kit recognized this. It meant that they were about to enter a ledge rapid, as the last twenty or thirty of them all offered the same make-up.  On a ledge rapid, a ledge would extend much of the way across the river, and by experience Kit knew the best course was to follow the fastest current. He hoped to sneak around the large waves created where the ledge ended in the channel and the main force of the current dropped quickly through the narrow opening between the ledge's end and shore.

Unfortunately, he was caught wholly unprepared for that most menacing drop on that side of
the lower falls. 

The raft followed the bend to the left as the majority of the river poured over the ledge, but when it reached the spot where the opening typically was, Kit found a terrifying sight.
 

At the opening, the river made a two-stage drop, each one steep.
  The first ended in large waves, and immediately below it, which he saw too late as he battled to stay upright in the large waves, the river divided around a massive, barely submerged boulder which evenly divided the channel. 

Directly below the boulder, the river charged right into the shore, and a deep tree trunk divided this push
as the inside lane eddied back to the base of the drop. 

The outside lane offered the only escape.
  Meanwhile, all the waves pushed toward the inside lane. 

Kit fought for an instant, as an instant was all he had, but then realized he was about to go right over the boulder.
His strength was failing. Throwing his weight against the rudder in an attempt to make a quick correction the raft narrowly made the inside of the steep drop, swamping the craft as it hit the eddy.

As the water poured through the slats between the logs, the raft rode the circle of the eddy back to the base of the drop and
passed again across the front of the dead tree.  With a loud crunch as the last of the craft swung past, Kit was able to bring back the rudder under control and align his craft once again. Finally they were able to get into the correct channel and shortly the rapids were behind them, with nothing but clear calm waters ahead of them.

Kit slumped to the deck and pull
ed a somewhat surprised Miya to his side. She didn’t resist. Caribo watched in amusement and wasn’t surprised when Kit weakly called out, “Caribo, take the rudder. I need to rest.”

“I’m sure you do…” Caribo said under his breath as he purposely looked the other way. Kit took the opportunity to slide his
arm under Miya’s head. Shortly Miya’s leg draped itself over his own. Comfortable and close the two relaxed in the lolling craft as the sun dried out their sodden bodies.

That was the last of their hair
-raising adventure as the rest of the 236 miles of river was wide, slow, and (following their near death in the canyons) rather appealing to them. Finally, the trio found the salty water of the Caribbean.

As the raft left the fresh muddy water of the
grand river, the salty air off of the Caribbean caught hold of them.

It took Miya only a moment to recognize where they were. As she realized how close she was to home, her heart quickened.
Pushing her more macabre thoughts aside, she insisted to Kit and Caribo that they should go back home with her, to which Kit readily agreed as he had his own personal agenda.

However, Caribo wasn’t so excited about it. “Wasn’t she betrothed to someone else? What do you think they will do to us when they find out that we had her with us this whole time?” Caribo’s reasoning was sound, but
though Kit had the same thoughts echo through his own mind, vocally Kit rebuked it.

So it was that the majority ruled and Caribo found himself in company on his way to Miya’s home
… and possible death.

The journey back was an uneventful one. They hugged the shore and kept close to land as often as possible. Kit improvised a
deer skin sail from which Miya had removed all of the hair. By hugging the land, they were able to avoid most of the current that would bear them the opposite direction. In a few days’ journey they were close to the land of Miya’s birth and she was growing more and more excited. That night they decided to rest a little distance from the city to give them a good rest and a chance to refresh themselves.

As the trio bedded down, Kit and Miya held a whispered conversation as she told him of all the wonders of her home land that surrounded them. Unfortunately
, they didn’t realize that warriors from her home city were also out that night and had surrounded them.

Chapter 1
3

Caribo woke to a long spear thrust up against his throat.

The man that carried the spear motioned for him to rise. Caribo looked around and saw that two others held Kit in the same manner. Caribo did as he was beckoned.

As Miya awoke a cry escaped her lips. Then, as quickly as the first cry came forth, she realized who the men were and the cry turned to relief. She suddenly hugged the man that was standing over Kit and started crying.

While Miya was artfully steered away from her companions,
the man in turn pushed Kit into the arms of the other brave who made quick work in tying Kit’s wrists together behind his back. A gag was quickly stuffed into his mouth. Kit’s cries for Miya were stifled.

Caribo and Kit were roped together and tied
s if they were slaves. The rope was then gathered up at one end by a large man and a spear point prodded the two of them forward.

Working out the gag with his tongue, Caribo angrily spat,
“Your girl friend gave us up as slaves.”

“No talking!” barked the command from behind
and taking a stride forward the man who said it struck Caribo in the sides with a large stick. Caribo fell, but was up on his feet quickly, helped by the point of the spear carried by his captor. The guard recovered the now very dirty gag and forced it back into Caribo’s mouth.

Kit’s mind was reeling, wondering how Miya could allow this to happen.

As it was, Miya was lost in her own little world, oblivious to what happened to her companions as one after another of her relatives, friends and subjects came up to her to welcome her home and ask where she had been.

R
emembering Kit and Caribo, she turned toward her brother, the first brave she saw, and asked, “Where are my traveling companions?”

“They have been taken to the city,” replied Tihuac, her brother. “Your father will be very pleased to see you, Miya,” he added, changing the subject.

“Ah, yes, father… I may have some explaining to do to him.”

“I’m sure he will expect it,” agreed Tihuac.

When Kit and Caribo arrived at the city they found themselves marched down a long street that ended near a large pyramid temple. There they were pushed into a small room that was heavily guarded from the outside. Having no other recourse, Kit resigned himself to sleep.

The next morning,
Kit and Caribo were forcefully kicked awake.

“Time to die,” announced the guard.

“Yeah,” Kit responded feebly.

Meanwhile
, in another part of the city, princess Miya was rubbed with sweet smelling fruit oils and prepared for a special ceremonial return. Additionally, there was talk of a special surprise for her, and she could hardly quell her enthusiasm. She knew her parents and could only imagine how well Kit and Caribo were currently being treated. Likely pampered even as she was. She couldn’t wait to see them.

The crowds gathered at the base of the large temple to find to their astonishment that the rumors of the white beast were true. There, stretched out and strung up by his arms hung Kit, with Caribo alongside of him.

“Why do they wish to us kill, my friend?” Caribo asked.

“I suspect they believe we are the ones
who abducted Miya in the first place. And I believe they think the only reason we were close enough for capture was for an attempt on our part to gather ransom from them. After all, she is a princess.”

“Abduction and ransom of a princess? We are doomed, Kit. Doomed. This will not be a fast death.”

Caribo’s statement left them both pensive and mute.

Tihuac came to escort his sister to the temple. He was
ornately dressed. The two of them came in from the back side of the temple in order to avoid crowds, opposite of where Kit and Caribo hung ready for their execution. So it was that Miya wasn’t even aware of the situation until nearly the last second.

On the back side of the temple
Miya and Tihuac climbed the many steps that led them to the area that held the seats where their father and mother would be waiting. As they approached the edge of the temple that would show them to the crowds, Miya’s mother rounded the corner in great anticipation of seeing her daughter.

The queen was dressed in
splendid finery, and walked with a grace that becomes part of the natural fluidity of all nobility. Yet when she saw her daughter, the queen left her regality behind and rushed forward with her arms outstretched. As they embraced, Miya cried. Not alone in the wave of emotion, the queen joined her with tears that only a mother’s love could shed.

Finally
pulling themselves apart, the queen insisted that Miya come sit with her and her father. As Miya rounded the corner, she practically ran into her father as he turned the corner to see what was taking his wife so long.

“Oh! My daughter! My daughter!” he began.

Miya burst into more tears.

Finally wiping eyes, the king said, “I have missed you Miya. I do not know what happened that caused you to stray from the city and allowed the
se vermin to capture you. I will make things right for you,” he promised. “Come let us deal with your captors and their corpses will send a message to all that dare trespass here!”

As they headed for their seats, Tihuac pointed out Kit and Caribo to his sister.
“See what we have done to your captors!” he proclaimed proudly.

As her eyes
took in the lifeless looking form of Kit, Miya let out a loud scream.

“No! No! No!” she exclaimed becoming hysterical.

“There, there, daughter. We will dispatch them immediately,” replied her father embracing her.

As the words s
ank in, her hysterics softened. “They’re alive?”

“For the moment,” replied her father. But I can remedy that right now.”

“No, father. Please don’t kill them! No father! Please!” she begged him, clinging to his garments as she dropped to her knees in front of him.

The watching crowd quieted as this spectacle of mercy unfolded.

“But why daughter?” he half whispered as he helped his daughter back to her feet.

“Because I love him,” she replied, eyes turned up, with tears streaming from them.

The king was taken aback.

“Love him?” he said incredulously. “Which one? Why? Have
n’t they threatened you? Haven’t they harmed you?”

“Please father, set them free. Please. They have never threatened me. They have never harmed me. In fact, they have saved my life repeatedly.” Then taking a deep breath she replied to his former question, “The white one, father. I love the white skinned one. His name is Kit.”

Kissing his daughter, the king’s voice bellowed from above. “Cut the captives loose.”

The guards looked up in surprise but did as they were told.

“What is the other’s name?” the king gently asked his daughter.

“Caribo,” she replied, a smile starting to form on her face.

Turning to the crowd, the king’s voice boomed out once again as the crowd silenced. “Kit. Caribo. Come up here at once.”

Kit and Caribo exchanged glances and Kit started off, Caribo immediately in step behind him, with the guards trailing them a few feet behind.

As they approached the final steps towards where the king and his family stood, the guards reached out to stop them; but princess Miya took that moment to run down the few steps toward them and flung herself at Kit, wrapping him in her arms while sobbing, “I’m so sorry! So sorry! I love you! I love you!”

The crowd exploded in cheers!

Kit used the only devise available to him to quiet her, and planted a long passionate kiss on her mouth.

Feeling the effects of the
near-death adrenaline, he swept her up into his arms and carried her back to place her gently at the feet of her father. Then, dropping to one knee, he bowed his head to the king, and said, “My king!” Caribo followed suit.

King Tuluk immediately liked him.

“Stand,” he commanded them. Turning to Kit he continued, “My daughter tells me that you have saved her life.” He paused, eyeing Kit; reflective in thought. “Further, she says she loves you.” He paused again, thinking. “Can you tell a good story?” he asked, directing the question to both of them. “I would like to hear of your encounter with daughter from the beginning until this moment.”

“Yes, king,” replied Kit and Caribo in unison. Kit looked pensively at Miya, but she only nodded her head.

“So be it.” The king faced his subjects and spoke loudly to them, “We will now hear of the story of how our two young explorers met and returned the princess to us.”

Taking turns
, the two of them told the story of their many adventures. Kit paid attention to the king’s expressions as he spoke. As he watched the king, he noted that the king did likewise and watched his daughter’s expressions. But in the end, the story finished and the king embraced his daughter while tears streamed down his eyes.

“Is that how it happened, daughter?”

“Exactly how it happened, father. They did not boast one single word.”

“Then I owe them… and you…my grandest apologies. Will you ever forgive me
, my daughter?”

“I already have
, father!” and having said that Miya found herself smothered in kisses from both parents.

“What would you have me do?” he asked his daughter.

“I wish your blessing on our union father. I wish to join myself in marriage to Kit.”

“Then it looks like we have need of a different type of ceremony!”
bellowed the king. “Come let us prepare!” and, gathering his family and his new soon-to-be extended family, he led them around the side of the temple and back to the palace.

That night a great feast was laid out and the two were again asked to relate their many adventures. Kit included a bit of his own history this time and told of the many cities on the far side of the world.

By the rise of the moon, they were exhausted and ready to sleep a lifetime.

They stayed with the king’s family for many days.

It was a short time later that Kit asked King Tuluk for Miya’s hand in marriage. Kit gained his consent and preparations were made, during which time Kit and Caribo learned much of their hosts. For the whole of the kingdom was made up of miners, smelters, and traders of gold; having found themselves in a place that was rich with the veins of that particular ore.

Yet
, the very fact that they had so much in abundance made the commodity seem common.

So when the king came to Miya asking what she wished as a dowry, he was shocked to find that she wanted
her father to give him gold. She insisted that the gold was something that was of great worth for Kit in his land, and, as she wished to see the other lands, she wanted Kit to be able to provide for the two of them.

The
king consented, yet insisted on making a die for Kit, and used Kit’s rings as a type for producing two matching coins as the prototypes for the rest.

Thus
, the smelting and production of the dowry began. It was a short time later that Kit was able to see his gift.

The ceremony was luxurious
and never were a man and a woman so lost in love as those two.

On the day of the ceremony, Kit was presented with two coins
on gold chains. Miya placed his around his neck, and Kit placed the other around Miya’s neck. Then stating their undying love for one another, the king pronounced them wedded.

Caribo was not
too concerned about being a third wheel during this period of romance; for he had found some romance of his own. The difference was that Caribo left his love behind when the day finally came to depart. Shortly, the three were outfitted to return to Cuba.

A large wooden chest was constructed and filled with some of the dowry coins, as a hope to help the young couple on their
journey through life. Setting off once again in their trusted raft, the three set sail via the currents to Cuba.

The trip was not a difficult one. The currents caught them and pushed them past where they had been deposited by the Rio Grande, past the shoreline and right back to Cuba.

Upon arrival in Cuba, Kit found that his uncle had returned and was on Hispaniola. He said a fond farewell to his travel companion, Caribo, promising to return, and, taking his young princess bride with him, struck out for Hispaniola.

Once there
, he found a bustling outpost called La Isabela and Kit was surprised to find not only his uncle Christopher, but his father Bartholomew there as well.

The reunion made Miya’s heart leap out in homesickness for her own family that she recently
had kissed goodbye. Especially for her wonderful father.

Little did they realize that future reunions would be fraught with
heartache and pain.