Chasing Xaris (14 page)

I glanced around, trying to get my bearings, but I couldn’t see houses to the right or left. Thick patches of palms and hibiscus trees blocked the backyard on both sides. I definitely didn’t recognize this neighborhood. Had we driven north or south?

Up ahead, the grass gave way to sand. We all stepped onto a wooden pier that jutted out over the waves on stilts. Wind whipped at my tank top. Out here, I could see a few other buildings studding the shoreline, all dark with broken windows and peeling paint. No lights shone from within them.

Where were we? I’d never seen this place before.

Mr. Whit flicked his gun to a white speedboat tied to the dock. “Time to take a trip,” he said.

“Everyone get into the boat,” Gene said, “and be quick about it.”

We climbed in—quickly—and Gene tied the three of us to a bench seat at the stern. He untied the boat from the dock, then settled onto a seat along the boat’s side, still holding the gun.

Mr. Whit sat down at the wheel and started the engine. He steered the boat into the black sea, accelerating quickly.

“What an adventure.
Sí
?” He smiled over his shoulder, but his face was strained.

“Indeed,” Gene shouted back, laughing.

I stared at him. The guy didn’t get it. He seriously didn’t get what waited for us on that island.

A small part of me thought about my first trip to
Aletheia Island. I’d been just as eager as Gene. But no one had warned me like I’d warned him. I would have listened to them if they had. Probably. Possibly.

“Almost there,” Mr. Whit said.

I felt of rush of panic. He had to remember to circle around to the east.

Mr. Whit glanced at the boat’s computer screen. He cursed and sharply turned the wheel. I slammed into Jordan while Winnie gave a muffled scream.

My head swayed. I would have flown overboard if I hadn’t been tied to the bench.

Mr. Whit grunted and kept turning the wheel, his forearms swe
lling.

The boat zipped forward.

Salt water sprayed my face. The boat hummed beneath my legs. This had to work.

In a blink, the red shield appeared. Mr. Whit yelped and held out the xaris.

I

felt the familiar pressure of the shield, that splitting force. Then, a release. The boat raced toward a beach with a single kayak on its sand. The east beach.

I exhaled slowly. They had listened. Maybe we would have a chance.

“
Maravilloso
,” Mr. Whit said, slowing the boat.

Gene let out a ripping laugh. “We found it! I told you we’d find it!”

He rushed forward and slapped Mr. Whit on the back. “You’ll see your ship.”

“At last,” Mr. Whit replied, turning off the engine. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.” Gene dropped an anchor overboard. “Now, let’s go find my stone and your ship. The stone first, of course.”

“Of course.” Mr. Whit wiped his cheeks and shook off his backpack. He pulled out the leather journal, flipping through the pages. “I may need Chandler’s help finding the Chronis House.”

“Right.” Gene strode to me and leaned in close enough for me to smell the salt water and sweat on him. “You’ve thrown us quite the curveball, Chandler. If you say the vault keys are in the Chronis House, they better be there.” His eyes drifted ahead to Winnie. “Understand?”

I nodded. I understood that we’d only have one chance to escape.

“Good.” Gene ripped the tape from my mouth.

My skin stung, but I fought the urge to cry out. I didn’t want to give Gene the satisfaction.

“I’ll keep them at gunpoint,” Gene said to his brother. “You can untie them from the bench.”

“Fine,” Mr. Whit said, and he went to work untying me.

I shuddered at the touches of his fingers, so cold and fast. Like little fish bites. I wanted to shrink away, but there was no room. Thankfully, he cut through the tape binding my hands and re-bound them in front of me. My shoulders sighed at the release of tension.

“What was that for?” Gene asked.

“We’re hiking across an island, Gene,” Mr. Whit said. “But we’ll keep the rope around their necks, all right?”

“Fine. Just make it quick.”

Mr. Whit began to switch Jordan’s bindings, and Gene stepped even closer with his gun. He aimed it at Winnie.

Jordan didn’t cause the slightest fight, but he did rip the duct tape from his mouth.

“You’re insane,” Jordan said. “Totally insane.”

“Jordan, if you can’t talk in a reasonable tone, then the duct tape goes back on,” Mr. Whit said. “Understand?”

“No, I don’t understand,” Jordan said. “You killed Chandler’s parents? And then you kidnapped us? You are seriously—”

“Enough,” Mr. Whit said. He grabbed the duct tape and pressed it back onto Jordan’s mouth. “If you try to remove it, Chandler or Winifred will answer to my
hermano
. Do you understand?”

Jordan’s eyes flashed, but he nodded.

Mr. Whit went to work on Winnie next. “Winifred, I expect you to keep your mouth covered as well.”

Winnie made no argument
, and once we were all freed from the bench, Gene took the free-end of the rope connecting us. Together, we climbed into the water and onto the sand.

“Which way?” Gene asked me.

“Straight ahead,” I said.

“I believe that’s correct,” Mr. Whit said, glancing at the journal
’s pages.

“We’ll grab a key at this Chronis House and then head to the vault,” Gene said.

“Yes,” Mr. Whit said, still looking at the journal.

Gene eyed me. “And you’re sure the key is there?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Then let’s go.” Gene extended his hand for Winnie to take the lead. She flinched, but she obeyed, and Jordan and I followed her. The rope had a way of enforcing that.

I had to get Gene away from us. With him gone, we’d have a prayer of escaping. I didn’t believe that Mr. Whit would actually shoot us. I’d bet money that Gene had sat behind the wheel the night they killed my parents. But I couldn’t think about that night now. My mind was hazy enough.

Up ahead, our path split into three separate, identical trails: sandy soil for the ground, palm fronds for walls, and a dark sky for a ceiling. One led north, one south, and the one in the middle, west. At least, I was pretty sure it was west. I didn’t have my phone.
             

“Take the middle path, Winifred,” Mr. Whit said, walking up beside me. He looked even taller on
Aletheia Island, more assured. “We need to keep heading west, correct?”

“Correct,” I said.

Winnie followed Mr. Whit’s orders, and so did Jordan and I. Naturally.

As we walked, my pulse pounded faster and faster. We were almost there, and we would find nothing but a deserted house. Why had I brought them here? It had seemed like a good idea, keeping the brothers away from the
Aletheians, but at what cost? Gene would totally freak out.

We couldn’t be around when that happened.

I cleared my throat, trying to get Jordan’s attention, or Winnie’s. Our escape would be way easier if they actually knew about it. But neither of them looked back.

Before long, the path led us to the familiar limestone manor.

Winnie slowed the group to a halt.

“The Chronis House?” Mr. Whit whispered beside me.

“Yes,” I said. “They’ll ring the alarm at even the slightest threat of trouble. The entire house will wake up.”

“We’ll be quiet,” Gene said.

“We have to be silent, not quiet,” I said, letting my gaze drift to Jordan and Winnie.

Mr. Whit frowned. “We don’t all have to go in. Gene, you could stay here with the
estudiantes
, and I could—”

“I’m going in,” Gene said.

“It’s a suicide mission if we all go,” Mr. Whit said. “We’ll wake them.”

“Then stay behind with the kids. I’m going in.”

“But we could tie—”

“Let me do this, Alex,” Gene said. “I’ll sneak in and out before you even miss me.”

“But we promised not to separate. That was the plan.”

“Neither was landing on this side of the island. Plans change. Keep up, Alex.” Gene fixed his eyes on the limestone house. “I’ll circle around and see if there’s a back entrance.”

Mr. Whit sighed and took the rope from Gene. “Be careful.”

“I will.”
He clapped his brother’s back and then hurried to the old house.

A tingling sensation spread up my back and down my arms. We had one chance.

Up ahead, Gene disappeared behind the manor.

I inched my hands up to the rope.

“Wipeout!” I called, diving to the ground.

Jordan dropped too, pulling Winnie down with him.

I yanked the rope forward, and Mr. Whit gasped. I kicked my feet back with all my might, colliding with his legs. He tumbled to the ground.

The rope went slack behind me, and I knew he’d dropped it.

“Run!” I hissed, pushing myself to my feet.

Jordan broke into a sprint. Winnie and I followed him straight into the jungle, each of us right on his shoulders.

Mr. Whit shouted after us.

My ears pounded. My legs strained beneath me.

Then I heard Gene’s shouts.

We ran harder, staying close, ducking under branches and charging through brush.

More shouts. They were getting closer.

And then Winnie fell, dragging Jordan and me
down with her.

Had she been shot? No. That couldn’t have happened. That wasn’t allowed to happen.

With a quick turn, Jordan yanked the two of us toward a giant palmetto clump. Winnie and I followed him, crawling into the darkness under the palmettos.

She had
crawled. That must have meant she was okay. I searched her chest, her arms, her legs. Her eyes were wild.

“Are you shot?” I asked.

She shook her head as Jordan reached for the rope around my neck. He worked quickly, even with his hands bound. His eyes flitted to mine, and I saw the depth of his worry.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered, glancing from him to Winnie. I tugged at the knot near her neck. My fingers trembled. We had to hurry.

The stomping grew louder. It sounded closer.

Jordan yanked the rope from around my neck and pushed me forward, away from him and Winnie.

He shooed me away with his hand.

“No way,” I said.

He ripped the tape from his mouth.

“Go get help,” Jordan said. He shoved me again.

I hesitated. Tears were streaming down Winnie’s cheeks.

“Chandler,” Jordan said. His voice was hushed, but clear and strong. “
Go
.”

I turned. He was right. I knew he was right.

I scurried forward, keeping to the ground, dodging brush and trees.

“Found them!” Mr. Whit yelled somewhere behind me.

“Where’s the little liar?” Gene asked.

Blood rushed to my cheeks.

“Speak,” Gene said. “Where’s the Bloom girl?”

“She’s gone, dude,” Jordan said. “We tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. She just left us.”

I froze. Leaves and sticks pressed against my skin. Mud squished under my knees.

“She’ll pay,” Gene said.

“Which way did she go?” Mr. Whit asked.

“She took off that way,” Jordan said.

Gene cursed and muttered something to Mr. Whit.

“But what if she’s gone to alert the natives?” Mr. Whit said.

“Then we’d better move faster,” Gene hissed. “We’re wasting time. And even if she returns with help, we still have hostages. So which way to the real house?”

“I have to get out the notebook.”

I waited, my heart thudding, as there was unzipping and rustling sounds.

“This way, I think,” Mr. Whit said at last.

“You think?” Gene asked.

“We’re in the middle of a jungle, Gene. It’s a little hard to find my bearings.”

“We should have hired a professional translator. You’re hardly fluent—”

“I know enough.”

“We need that key.”

“I know that,” Mr. Whit snapped. “This way.”

Footsteps padded away from me, growing fainter by the second.

With a deep breath, I forced myself to crawl forward. And keep crawling.

Eventually my pulse began to slow, and I pulled myself to my feet. Everything in me wanted to follow after Winnie and Jordan, whichever way that was. Jordan had been right, though. I had to get help.

But I couldn’t ask Ari. No way could I face him after what I had said.

Delphina wasn’t my biggest fan, but Nikandros had seemed nice enough—maybe he would help me. Or maybe he’d be just as furious as his brother would be.

Well, I had to do something. And Nikandros was clearly the better option.

I guessed which way was west and broke into a sprint. I listened carefully for any hint of footsteps or conversation, but all I heard were crickets and the occasional owl’s hoot. In the quiet, my thoughts turned to Gran. It had to be close to ten or eleven o’clock. She probably wasn’t home from her gala yet, but she’d come home eventually. If she found me missing again…

I focused on running. My chest was heaving, and my legs were stinging. I felt like I’d been running forever, but I hadn’t passed the olive orchard or anything. Maybe I was going the wrong way. Or maybe I just wasn’t on the right path.

Finally, I spotted the Galanis House over a bunch of mangrove trees, a flash of white in all that moonlit green.

My body sagged with relief. I kept to the brush and found the lattice leading up to the room where I had been kept the night before. I assumed it was still unoccupied, which would make it the perfect entry point.

I mounted the lattice, fighting through tangled vines, and climbed to the sill. The windows were open, as usual. Did it ever rain here?

I raised my head to peek inside and found the room empty. With a strong heave, I pulled myself up and over the sill. My feet smacked the tile floor, breaking the silence. I winced.

Within seconds, the bedroom door flung open. A man with a spear rushed forward. His fierce gray eyes stole my breath.