The Shining Stallion (12 page)

Hoku walked heavy-hoofed, sparing a glance at Jonah, but she didn't shy or spook.

“I guess you told them,” Darby whispered to her filly.

Hoku had not only broken up the stallion fight, she'd saved Luna, the ranch's main moneymaker.

Darby glanced at her grandfather to see if he felt as proud of Hoku as she did. He looked up from the cut on Luna's neck and looked over the stallion's gleaming back just long enough to make an “okay” sign with his fingers, and Darby gave a little skip of joy.

 

Hamburger patties sputtered in an iron pan as Darby, Megan, and Auntie Cathy leaned against the kitchen walls, watching Jonah make them all his favorite big breakfast.

Her mother often cooked hamburgers medium rare and served them on whole-wheat buns for dinner. But Darby could see that Jonah had nothing like that in mind.

In a pan next to the meat, Jonah fried a bunch of eggs sunny-side up, and in the pot next to that, he stirred something that looked a lot like brown gravy.

The rice steamer was plugged in and cooking up what Jonah called sticky rice, too.

Darby had never had hamburgers for breakfast,
let alone all that other stuff, and Jonah must have caught the dubious look on her face, because he laughed.

“Tell you what, Granddaughter,” he said, plopping a scoop of rice on a plate. “If you don't like this
loco moko
, there's no hope you'll ever grow up to be a paniolo.”

Next, he placed one of the hamburger patties on top of the rice. Atop that, he balanced an egg.

Wide-eyed, Darby said, “I'll like it.”

But then, as he ladled brown gravy over everything and handed her the plate, Darby thought cold pizza—the weirdest thing she'd ever had for breakfast up until now—didn't even come close to being this exotic.

Streamers of steam brought all the aromas, plus ginger, up to Darby's nose and she looked at Jonah in amazement.

“It smells wonderful,” she told him.

Kimo and Cade would be sorry they'd volunteered to settle Luna down and return him to his pasture if they could smell this amazing dish.

“Dig in,” Jonah urged as he made up a second plate for Megan, so Darby did.

It was delicious. They all stood eating in the kitchen, too enthralled with Jonah's creation to make the short walk to the next room, when Kit knocked at the door.

“Come in,” Auntie Cathy called.

Holding his Stetson in his hands, Kit stepped inside.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said.

“Nonsense, come have something to eat,” Auntie Cathy said.

“No thanks,” Kit said. “I've got work, but I thought the boss would like to know Kona and I ran that black stud and his band off the ranch.”

“That wasn't the plan,” Jonah grumbled.

Darby glanced at Kit, but his expression told her nothing.

“Couldn't get close enough to him to do much else,” Kit said, not apologizing or making an excuse, “and his mares were near as fast as he was, so I headed them up toward Two Sisters.”

Darby had the feeling that Kit wouldn't have changed the plan if he hadn't been pretty sure Jonah would go along with him.

But then she thought of what Kit had actually said and protested, “That's the opposite direction from their home.”

“And steep going,” Auntie Cathy put in.

“But maybe they'll be safer up there,” Megan pointed out.

Jonah aimed his index finger at her and said, “Mekana's always been quick.”

Megan didn't seem to mind Jonah calling her by her Hawaiian name, even though she refused to let Cade do it. But Darby didn't mention the contradic
tion. Actually, it would have been hard to do, anyway, because she couldn't stop eating her exotic breakfast.

Megan was right, Darby thought as she spooned up a bite of rice. The farther the horses moved away from Manny, the better.

And Kit had made a temporary solution for the ancient necklace possible.

Possible,
Darby repeated to herself,
but not probable.

Before she'd even come to Hawaii, her mother had told Jonah that she was timid, and she was right. Darby wasn't sure she had the nerve to do what she should.

Physically, she could do it. All she had to do now was overcome some really scary thoughts.

 

“This is against my better judgment,” Megan said the next morning as they rode into Crimson Vale.

The dawn sky was silver, pink, turquoise, and as iridescent as the inside of a shell.

Even though the sea was out of sight, far-off waves purred as they washed over the sand.

Darby shivered with anticipation.

“Since you're kind of doing it for me, I won't complain. Much,” Megan added, stifling a yawn.

She
was
sort of doing this for Megan, Darby thought, but not really to make amends, as Megan believed.

Darby had known last night, when Hoku was bedded down with extra hay, and Luna had gulped
down his bran mash, that she had to make herself do one last thing before she and Hoku left for the rain forest.

Cade had told Darby that Manny was lazy, so Megan had ridden away from ‘Iolani Ranch before the smuggler would be up. Once she'd explained the discovery of the
lei niho palaoa
to Jonah, he'd agreed with her idea and promised to make contact with Uncle Kindy, a friend skilled in the sacred ways of old Hawaii.

But Hoku was the one who had challenged two stallions and shown Darby that she had to find the nerve to do this.

Navigator and Conch drew loud breaths as the girls rode through a low-lying cloud that surrounded them with silver mist.

“How about waiting here?” Darby drew rein and prepared to dismount.

“I know it's not my job to be proud of you, but I sort of am,” Megan said. “It's cool you understand how I feel about letting the ancestors remain in peace.”

“I'll be right back,” Darby promised, and Megan leaned over to take Navigator's reins so that she could slip out of her saddle. Actually she fell the last foot to the ground, but she didn't lose her balance. “And this time I mean it.”

Megan made a “go on” gesture, as if she didn't even remember the time Darby had fooled her in this place.

Darby had passed a crook in the trail and jumped over a mossy green stream when Megan's faint shout reached her.

“Darby!” Megan shouted. “Watch out for that black mustang. He could have circled back.”

“Okay!” Darby yelled, and then she sprinted toward the waterfall.

Darby slowed to a walk, breathing hard and still taking long strides. She watched for the stallion with the sapphire eye. If he'd circled back, she saw no sign of him, but that didn't mean he wasn't hiding in his cave.

That's where she was headed, and when the stallion did return, as she knew he would, he could be the guardian of this precious necklace.

If the stallion was there now, she'd know in a minute.

Pressing herself against the rock wall that held the waterfall, Darby got soaked.

She hadn't meant to. She'd thought she could sneak into the stallion's cave more quickly, but she slipped on foam and ferns before she made it, and then the cave floor slanted down as steep as a playground slide, growing colder with every foot she walked.

Shivering, Darby tried not to think of what might lie ahead.

Hoku hadn't asked herself if she, a delicate two-year-old filly, could break up a fight between two
mighty stallions. She'd simply acted as if she could. And she'd done it.

If her horse could take on such a challenge, so could she, Darby thought. She moved on as the cave floor slanted ever more steeply and the damp air pushed into her nose and mouth.

The ancient necklace had traveled with Darby wrapped in a leaf, deep inside her pocket. Darby crab-stepped her way down to the level cave floor. She sighed and stood still, letting her eyes adjust to what she saw.

No way. It wasn't possible that a ring of blackened firewood, turned to charcoal, sat before her. But there it was.

She remembered her dream and for a minute, she let her eyes drift up from the long-dead fire. For the duration of a single heartbeat, Darby thought she glimpsed
things
back there, deeper in the cave behind the waterfall.

She didn't spy on them. It was enough that Jonah had said the bones of her ancestors rested around this ranch. She believed him. She knew some of them slept right here.

If this fragment of jewelry belonged to one of them, she'd brought it home. If not, it would stay in their safekeeping, for now. Bending down, Darby considered a few unburned chunks of driftwood. One piece was smoother than the others and honey-colored. Darby tucked the necklace under it, out of
the way of the Shining Stallion's hooves.

I did it,
Darby thought as she climbed out of the cave.
All I did was act like I could, and it worked.

Darby climbed out of the cave, watching dawn's light turn the waterfall into a curtain of gold.

Soaked to the skin, she stepped through it into the sunshine and gazed skyward at a rustling sound. The owl was passing overhead, returning to his ohia tree next to Hoku's corral.

At least that's what Darby decided to believe as she jumped, smiling, back over the green stream and jogged in her squishy boots.

Before Navigator could see her, he neighed, welcoming her, eager to carry her home to ‘Iolani Ranch.

I
n case anybody reads this besides me, which it's too late to tell you not to do if you've gotten this far, I know this isn't a real dictionary. For one thing, it's not all correct, and for another, it's not alphabetized because I'm just adding things as I hear them. Besides, this dictionary is just to help me remember. Even though I'm pretty self-conscious about pronouncing Hawaiian words, it seems to me if I live here (and since I'm part Hawaiian), I should at least try to say things right.

‘aumakua
—OW MA KOO AH—these are family guardians from ancient times. I think ancestors are supposed to come back and look out for their family
members. Our ‘aumakua are owls and Megan's is a sea turtle.

chicken skin
—goose bumps

da kine
—“that sort of thing” or “stuff like that”

hanai
—HA NYEE—a foster or adopted child, like Cade is Jonah's, but I don't know if it's permanent

‘iolani
—EE OH LAWN EE—this is a hawk that brings messages from the gods, but Jonah has it painted on his trucks as an owl bursting through the clouds

hiapo
—HIGH AH PO—a firstborn child, like me, and it's apparently traditional for grandparents, if they feel like it, to just take hiapo to raise!

hoku
—HO COO—star

ali'i
—AH LEE EE—royalty, but it includes chiefs besides queens and kings and people like that

pupule
—POO POO LAY—crazy

paniolo
—PAW KNEE OH LOW—cowboy or cowgirl

lanai
—LAH NA E—this is like a balcony or veranda. Sun House's is more like a long balcony with a view of the pastures.

lei niho palaoa
—I think that's it—a necklace made for old-time Hawaiian royalty from braids of their own hair. It's totally kapu—forbidden—for anyone else to wear it.

luna
—LOU NUH—a boss or top guy, like Jonah's stallion

pueo
—POO AY OH—an owl, our family guardian. The very coolest thing is that one lives in the tree next to Hoku's corral.

pau
—POW—finished, like Kimo is always asking, “You pau?” to see if I'm done working with Hoku or shoveling up after the horses

pali
—PAW LEE—cliffs

ohia
—OH HE UH—a tree like the one next to Hoku's corral

lei
—LAY E—necklace of flowers. I thought they were pronounced LAY, but Hawaiians add another sound. I also thought leis were sappy touristy
things, but getting one is a real honor, from the right people.

luahala
—LOO AH HA LA—some kind of leaf in shades of brown, used to make paniolo hats like Cade's. I guess they're really expensive.

kapu
—KAH POO—forbidden, a taboo

tutu
—TOO TOO—great-grandmother

menehune
—MEN AY WHO NAY—little people

honu
—HO NEW—sea turtle

Ellen Kealoha Carter
—my mom, and since she's responsible for me being in Hawaii, I'm putting her first. Also I miss her. My mom is a beautiful and talented actress, but she hasn't had her big break yet. Her job in Tahiti might be it, which is sort of ironic because she's playing a Hawaiian for the first time and she swore she'd never return to Hawaii. And here I am. I get the feeling she had huge fights with her dad, Jonah, but she doesn't hate Hawaii.

Cade
—fifteen or so, he's Jonah's adopted son. Jonah's been teaching him all about being a paniolo. I thought he was Hawaiian, but when he took off his hat he had blond hair—in a braid! Like old-time
vaqueros—weird! He doesn't go to school, just takes his classes by correspondence through the mail. He wears this poncho that's almost black it's such a dark green, and he blends in with the forest. Kind of creepy the way he just appears out there. Not counting Kit, Cade might be the best rider on the ranch.

Hoku kicked him in the chest. I wish she hadn't. He told me that his stepfather beat him all the time.

Cathy Kato
—forty or so? She's the ranch manager and, really, the only one who seems to manage Jonah. She's Megan's mom and the widow of a paniolo, Ben. She has messy blond-brown hair to her chin, and she's a good cook, but she doesn't think so. It's like she's just pulling herself back together after Ben's death.

I get the feeling she used to do something with advertising or public relations on the mainland.

Jonah Kaniela Kealoha
—my grandfather could fill this whole notebook. Basically, though, he's harsh/nice, serious/funny, full of legends and stories about magic, but real down-to-earth. He's amazing with horses, which is why they call him the Horse Charmer. He's not that tall, maybe 5'8", with black hair that's getting gray, and one of his fingers is still kinked where it was broken by a teacher because he spoke Hawaiian in class! I don't like his “don't touch the horses unless they're working for you” theory, but it totally works. I need to figure out why.

Kimo
—he's so nice! I guess he's about twenty-five, Hawaiian, and he's just this sturdy, square, friendly guy. He drives in every morning from his house over by Crimson Vale, and even though he's late a lot, I've never seen anyone work so hard.

Kit Ely
—the ranch foreman, the boss, next to Jonah. He's Sam's friend Jake's brother and a real buckaroo. He's about 5'10" with black hair. He's half Shoshone, but he could be mistaken for Hawaiian, if he wasn't always promising to whip up a batch of Nevada chili and stuff like that. And he wears a totally un-Hawaiian leather string with brown-streaked turquoise stones around his neck. He got to be foreman through his rodeo friend Pani (Ben's buddy?). Kit's left wrist got pulverized in a rodeo fall. He's still amazing with horses, though.

Megan Kato
—Cathy's fifteen-year-old daughter, a super athlete with long reddish-black hair. She's beautiful and popular and I doubt she'd be my friend if we just met at school. Maybe, though, because she's nice at heart. She half makes fun of Hawaiian legends, then turns around and acts really serious about them. She can't stand Cade and he always blushes around her.

The Zinks
—they live on the land next to Jonah. They have barbed-wire fences and their name doesn't sound Hawaiian, but that's all I know.

Tutu
—my great-grandmother, but I haven't met her yet. I get the feeling she lives out in the rain forest like a medicine woman or something.

ANIMALS!

Hoku
—my wonderful sorrel filly! She's about two and a half years old, a full sister to the Phantom, and boy, does she show it! She's fierce (hates men) but smart, and a one-girl (ME!) horse for sure. She is definitely a herd-girl, and when it comes to choosing between me and other horses, it's a real toss-up. Not that I blame her. She's run free for a long time, and I don't want to take away what makes her special.

She loves hay, but she's really HEAD-SHY due to Shan Stonerow's early “training,” which, according to Sam, was beating her.

Hoku
means “star.” Her dam is Princess Kitty, but her sire is a mustang named Smoke and he's mustang all the way back to a “white renegade with murder in his eye” (Mrs. Allen).

Navigator
—my riding horse is a big, heavy Quarter Horse that reminds me of a knight's charger. He has Three Bars breeding (that's a big deal), but when he picked me, Jonah let him keep me! He's black with rusty rings around his eyes and a rusty muzzle. (Even though he looks black, the proper description is
brown, they tell me.) He can find his way home from any place on the island. He's sweet, but no pushover. Just when I think he's sort of a safety net for my beginning riding skills, he tests me.

Joker
—Cade's Appaloosa gelding is gray splattered with black spots and has a black mane and tail. He climbs like a mountain goat and always looks like he's having a good time. I think he and Cade have a history, maybe Jonah took them in together?

Biscuit
—buckskin gelding, one of Ben's horses, a dependable cow pony. Kit rides him a lot.

Hula Girl
—chestnut cutter

Blue Ginger
—blue roan mare with tan foal

Honolulu Lulu
—bay mare

Tail Afire (Koko)
—fudge brown mare with silver mane and tail

Blue Moon
—Blue Ginger's baby

Moonfire
—Tail Afire's baby

Black Cat
—Lady Wong's black foal

Luna Dancer
—Hula Girl's bay baby

Honolulu Half Moon
—Honolulu Lulu's baby

Conch
—grulla cow pony gelding, needs work. Megan rides him sometimes.

Kona
—big gray, Jonah's cow horse

Luna
—beautiful, full-maned bay stallion is king of ‘Iolani Ranch. He and Jonah seem to have a bond.

Lady Wong
—dappled gray mare and Kona's dam. Her current foal is Black Cat.

Australian shepherds
—pack of five and I have to learn their names!

Pipsqueak/Pip
—little, shaggy, white dog that runs with the big dogs, belongs to Megan and Cathy

PLACES

Lehua High School
—the school Megan goes to and I will, too. School colors are red and gold.

Crimson Vale
—it's an amazing and magical place,
and once I learn my way around, I bet I'll love it. It's like a maze, though. Here's what I know: from town you can go through the valley or take the ridge road—valley has lily pads, waterfalls, wild horses, and rainbows. The ridge route (Pali?) has sweeping turns that almost made me sick. There are black rock teeter-totter-looking things that are really ancient altars and a SUDDEN drop-off down to a white sand beach. Hawaiian royalty are supposedly buried in the cliffs.

Moku Lio Hihiu
—Wild Horse Island, of course!

Mountain to the Sky
—sometimes just called Sky Mountain. Goes up to 5,000 feet, sometimes gets snow, and Megan said there used to be wild horses there.

The Two Sisters
—cone-shaped “mountains.” A borderline between them divides Jonah's land from his sister's—my aunt, but I haven't met her. One of them is an active volcano. Kind of scary.

Sun House
—our family place. They call it plantation style, but it's like sugar plantation, not Southern mansion. It has an incredible lanai that overlooks pastures all the way to Mountain to the Sky and Two Sisters. Upstairs is this little apartment Jonah built for my mom, but she's never lived in it.

Hapuna
—biggest town on island, has airport, flagpole, public and private schools, etc., palm trees, and coconut trees

‘Iolani Ranch
—our home ranch. 2,000 acres, the most beautiful place in the world.

ON THE RANCH, THERE ARE PASTURES WITH NAMES LIKE:

Sugar Mill
and
Upper Sugar Mill
—for cattle

Two Sisters
—for young horses, one-and two-year-olds they pretty much leave alone

Flatland
—mares and foals

Pearl Pasture
—borders the rain forest, mostly two-and three-year-olds in training

Borderlands
—saddle herd and Luna's compound

I guess I should also add me…

Darby Leilani Kealoha Carter
—I love horses more than anything, but books come in second. I'm thir
teen, and one-quarter Hawaiian, with blue eyes and black hair down to about the middle of my back. On a good day, my hair is my best feature. I'm still kind of skinny, but I don't look as sickly as I did before I moved here. I think Hawaii's curing my asthma. Fingers crossed.

I have no idea what I did to land on Wild Horse Island, but I want to stay here forever.