Ma?l swung the backpack on his shoulders and turned to Kaori. She was still looking out to the ocean. Framed by cliffs on both sides, the shallow waters were pierced by the silver rays of the moonlight, small crests of white froth riding the translucent waves. Deep shadows increased the almost dramatic quality of the scene. This was a night for vampires and werewolves.

  “It’s beautiful.” she murmured, leaning on him. He hugged her firmly against his chest. Soon, they would return to civilization and she’d of course realize he wasn’t worthy of her. This was but the last of a long, beautiful dream. He should let go, but he knew he wouldn’t, not until she tore herself from him. It would happen soon enough.

  “We should go.” Kaori said softly and he released her. They had quite a walk ahead of them.

  “Do you know the place?” he asked.

  “Not really, but like you said, as long as we go West, we’ll find a road at some point, it shouldn’t be too far. Then we can just follow the road.”

  It was too bad they couldn’t take the compass from the ship, but it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Ma?l looked at the sky once more, then pointed to an opening in the lush forest. A river of rocks and gravels had carved a path through the vegetation.

  “That’s probably our best bet.” he said, letting her pass with an exaggerated gesture. “After you, my lady.”

  “Why, thank you, kind sir.” she replied, opening the way and climbing on the rocks. He followed close behind.

  If she fell, he would be there to catch her. This was, after all, his place.

  The incline was steep and the partial light made it hard to find a solid footing but they were both in great shape and kept a good pace. Soon they reached the edge of the forest. Moonlight disappeared within and they could not see more than a foot ahead of them. It was a portal into darkness. She grabbed his hand and pressed onward.

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  He once again couldn’t help but admire her courage. This, however wasn’t smart.

  “Wait.” he said, pulling her back to him.

  “Are you afraid of the dark?” she asked playfully.

  “No, but there is no point, and if you twist an ankle, we’d be in trouble.”

  “Well, you can always carry me, right.” She wore a mischievous smile. He deserved that one.

  “Sure. You barely weigh as much as a feather anyway. What’s a 10k climb in the middle of the night? But if I twist an ankle you have to carry me, and I weigh a bit more than a feather.”

  She looked him over, as if sizing him up.

  Good lord, don’t tell me she thinks she can carry me! Ma?l thought.

  “You’ll have to show me the bird you get your feathers from, one of these days.” she said, chuckling. “But you’re right, I underestimated the ocean, and we lost a ship. Let’s not underestimate the mountain too. We can wait here for dawn.”

  “Oh, we can do better than wait, we can sleep. It’s just too bad we don’t have a hammock. Come.”

  He led her to a somewhat flat area overlooking the ocean below. It was a mess of sharp rocks.

  “You can sleep on that?” she asked, puzzled.

  “Sure I can, and you will too!” he answered, laying down the life jackets they had used for the raft. He wrapped the piece of sail around the jackets, rolled one up to form a pillow, and laid down.

  “Care to join me, captain?”

  She snuggled up to him and he wrapped his judo jacket over her body.

  Judo was the best!