DaughterofFire by Courtney Sheets Read Free Book Online Page A

she removed the
top and chunked the meat and tossed some on a plate. Carrying it back into the
living room, Kalama popped a piece of the sweet fruit into her mouth, and
moaned in enjoyment. Juice slid down her throat as she chewed the delicious
treat. Pele came from the bedroom, her hands full.
    “Save some for me,” Pele said, a smile on her face. Kalama
gestured to the kitchen and wolfed down another piece of fruit.
    “Here, take these.” Pele handed the objects in her hands to
Kalama. Grumbling, Kalama set down the plate of pineapple and took the
proffered items. She unrolled the cloth wrapped around a large lava ball. The
cloth was made of ti leaves that had been pounded and made into a fabric. The
second the roughened ball of lava touched her open palm, Kalama understood what
her mother had given her.
    “Mom, please tell me you didn’t break into the Jaggar Museum
and steal these things,” Kalama looked up at her mother, her fingers curling
tightly around the lava, the ti cloth hanging loosely in her other hand.
    “Goddesses don’t steal. We borrow and return when we feel
like it. Besides, it’s my island. Everything belongs to me,” Pele said,
munching on a piece of pineapple, a superior look on her face.
    “Jack was in a lather because of these going missing this
morning. He’s in enough trouble from all the other thefts without you adding to
it,” Kalama said absentmindedly as she examined the ti cloth. Markings had been
dyed onto the cloth in a stark black, ancient symbols telling a tale. Kalama
looked at them closely, trying to decipher their meaning.
    “What happens to that stupid boy is no concern of mine,”
Pele roared. She scooped the cloth from Kalama’s hand. “He doesn’t even
understand what this truly is.”
    “What is it then, Mom? I can’t figure it out either.” Kalama
slowly rubbed the lava ball with her thumb, enjoying the feel of the smooth,
yet porous stone. She felt the energy that remained in the object after all
these years.
    “It is a map of sorts, to the sections of the tiki. Someone
found the pieces after I smashed the carving. They were scattered around my
islands to hide them from your aunt, among others.” Pele spread the cloth out
and motioned for Kalama to join her. “You must follow these clues, and quickly,
daughter. I am not sure if Namakoakana’i has deciphered these locations yet.
That is why I took the ti cloth from the museum. I can’t risk my vengeful
sister getting her hands on it.”
    Kalama heaved a sigh. Her stomach was in knots. She couldn’t
read the so-called treasure map. A wave of uselessness gripped her again. How
was she to help her mother if she didn’t understand? She asked her mother the
question lurking in her mind. Pele draped her arm around her shoulders and
pulled her close in a hug. For a few moments the women stayed that way, Kalama
locked in the safety of her mother’s arms and Pele enjoying the subtle strength
radiating from her daughter.
    “You can do this, my daughter. I will be here to help. With
the two of us searching we will be able to stop her.” Pele’s voice lacked the
conviction usually associated with the Goddess of Fire. Kalama took a deep
breath and stared down at the cloth once more.
    “Okay, let’s study this some more and then I have to get
some sleep. I’m exhausted. When the sun comes up I’ll go and make an offering
to Kane for some help. We could use all assistance we can get and it doesn’t
hurt to ask Uncle Kane. I mean, he does command everything,” Kalama said with a
determined nod.
    Pele met her gaze, a look of despair in her mother’s eyes.
They would find the tiki pieces before Namakaokaha’i, Kalama told herself. She
felt a tightening in her chest at the idea of Hawaii buried beneath miles of
ocean forever. Her home would be gone if she failed.

Chapter Six
     
    Someone knocking on his screen door woke Jack from the
strange dream that captured his slumber. He’d spent the better part of