Take Me Forever (14 page)

“Captain, it’s another arrow.
 
It’s pointing up,” Luke yelled as he pointed
to the bottom of the bridge.

“Anything else,” Cain yelled back to him.

“No.
 
I think I see
something on one of the steps,” Luke yelled as he began counting the steps on
the bridge to where he thought he saw something.

Once Luke was safely back with the group, he told Cain about
how many steps they should take on the bridge before checking underneath.
 
Cain asked Mercy to remain on the ground
while Luke and he checked out the clue from the bridge.
 
It could be a booby trap and he didn’t want
to risk danger to her.

Cain and Luke walked and counted seventy wooden planks
before stopping at about the middle of the bridge.
 
Cain noticed that the plank they were at was
different from the rest.
 
He carefully
removed it and turned it over.
 
Written
on the bottom of the plank was yet another clue.

Cross the bridge and
face the mountain.
 
Stop.
 
100 paces east.
 
Stop. 100 paces north.

Cain went back to show the crew what was found and too
personally escort Mercy across the bridge.
 
She was relieved he was there to hold her steady as they crossed the
swinging bridge.
 

“Don’t look down,” he told her as she began to shake with
fear.

When they were all safely on the other side of the bridge,
Cain stood at the end of the bridge and started counting his paces.
 
They traveled east, and then went north.
 
Before they could search for anything, night
was upon them.
 
They made camp but no one
was able to get much sleep.
 
The entire
crew was anxious.
 
At first light,
everyone was up and ready to get started.
 
Mercy went to relieve herself behind some bushes and she found a rock
with a big “X” carved out of it.

She called for Cain and showed him what she found.
 
He kissed her and told her that she found
it.
 
He called for Luke to start digging
at the spot where the rock was.
 
Moments
later, Luke unearthed a small box.
 
Cain
broke the lock with the hilt of his sword and opened the box.
 
Inside, he found a gold coin and another
clue.

Continue North until
the path ends.
 
Use the coin, it will let
you in.

“What does that mean?”
 
Mercy asked.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Cain said as he handed Mercy the
coin for safe keeping.

They continued north and traveled all.
 
Mile after mile they walked.
 
The terrain became rocky as they trekked up
the side of the mountain.
 
At last, the
path ended in front of an enormous rock wall.
 
They stood and stared in awe at the monstrous wall.
 
The texture was smooth and solid.
 
It ranged at least one hundred feet high and
the width unknown.

“There has to be a secret way through the wall,” Cain said
as he began touching the surface for a hidden door.

“Perhaps…,” Mercy muttered as she removed the coin from her
pocket and began searching the wall.

Within ten minutes, Mercy found a circular indention in the
surface.
 
She placed the coin in the slot
and the wall began to move.

“I’ll be damned,” Cain said amazed.

Slowly, a gateway emerged in front of them.
 
Once the wall stopped moving, Cain stepped
through.
 
Cautiously, he examined the
immediate area for traps.
 
Finding none,
he told the others to join him.
 
With
Mercy as his side, Cain searched the area for the next clue.
 
They searched the inner wall, the grass, the
trees, and the flowers.
 
They found
nothing.

“Now what?”
 
Mercy
asked.

“I don’t know.
 
You
found the way in here, so which way do you suggest we go?”

“This way,” Mercy said as she started walking north.

Thirty minutes later, Mercy stumbled on a rock and fell to
the ground.
 
Cain immediately rushed to
her side and asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.
 
I tripped
over this rock.”

As Cain looked down he noticed that it was not a rock she
had tripped over but a human bone.
 
“It
seems that we’re not the first to cross this path.”

From that point on, Cain assumed the lead.
 
A hundred yards from where Mercy fell, Cain
found a trap.
 
It was a pit six feet deep
with spikes lining the bottom.
 
It was a
grave to a few unfortunate treasure hunters whose remains were dangling on the
spikes.
 
They circled around it and
cautiously took each step as they moved forward.

“Cain, look,” Mercy said as she pointed to a carving in a
tree.

This is it.
 
You are here.

Cain began digging just below the base of the tree.
 
About four feet into the ground, he hit
something hard.
 
Quickly, the men
unearthed a large chest.
 
They pulled it
to the surface and dusted off the dirt.
 
Cain used the shovel to break the chains covering the chest.
 
He glanced at Mercy and motioned for her to
open the box.

Mercy paused at the box with her hands trembling.
 
She opened the lid and tears of joy began to
fall.
 
Before her were emeralds, rubies,
sapphires, gold, silver, and diamonds.
 
She ran her hands over the smooth textures and retrieved a large
heart-shaped emerald.

“Cain…,” Mercy said as she held up the stone.

“It’s yours,” Cain said as he examined the treasure and
added, “Men, we have been handsomely rewarded.
 
You can each have one piece of your choice now, and the rest will be
divided amongst our people.”

Eagerly, the men searched the chest and took their one
item.
 
After the men chose, Cain took a
bag of diamonds for his prize.
 
He
intended on using them as accents to make Mercy a necklace using her emerald.
The chest was so heavy that the crew loaded the contents of the chest into
burlap bags so it would be easier to transport back to the ship.

Over the campfire that night, everyone was talking about
their treasure find.
 
The crew had been
apprehensive about having a woman along, but now they were cheering her for
finding the treasure.
 
Cain could not
stop smiling as he watched Mercy’s face light up as she discussed this
adventure with the crew.

Early the next morning, the group prepared for the long trek
back to the ship.
 
They now had extra
weight to carry, but they didn’t mind.
 
The journey had paid off.
 
Before
leaving the site, Cain took his dagger and etched the words,
Cain was here
, underneath the last clue
on the tree.

The group quickly paced themselves making only a few
stops.
 
They cut their journey back to
the beach by a day.
 
They were all
exhausted when they boarded the
Devil’s
Dilemma.
 
Once aboard the ship, Cain
offered the crew that remained onboard a piece of the treasure and told them
what he was planning to do with the rest.
 
The treasure was stored and preparations to set sail had begun.
 
Mercy and Cain retired to his cabin once the
ship was under way.
 
They were both too
exhausted to make love, so instead they went to sleep intertwined in each
other’s arms.

The crew had smooth sailing on the return trip to Corbin’s
Crow.
 
Six days later, the island came
into view.
 
The entire village gathered
on the beach to welcome them home.
 
As
Cain stepped onto the beach, he informed his people of the treasure and told
them that Mercy was the one who found it.
 
The islanders cheered and decided that a gala was in store in her
honor.
 

Everyone departed to begin making preparation for the feast
and word quickly spread to Cain’s home where Elese had remained. She thought
Mercy had been missing all this time.
 
She did not want to have to tell Cain about his missing bride when he
returned.
 
She was relieved to hear the
news.

“I thought something terrible had happened to you.
 
Why didn’t you tell me that you were going
with Cain,” Elese scolded as she hugged Mercy dearly when she and Cain entered
the house.

“I’m so sorry I worried you.
 
I thought if I told you that you would have tried to stop me.”

“Next time you get a crazy idea like that in your head, tell
me,” Elese whispered.

“I will,” Mercy promised as Cain pulled her toward the
bedroom.

Cain told her to rest before the feast because when they
returned home later that night, she would not be sleeping for a long time.
 
While Cain and Mercy were resting, everyone
was busy making preparations.
 
Lights
were strung up, flowers were arranged all around the festival area.
 
Two chairs were arranged at the head of the
area for Cain and Mercy.

That night, Cain and Mercy joined the rest of the islanders
on the beach.
 
They were escorted to
their seats as the music began.
 
For
hours they drank, ate, and danced the night away.
 
Once the festivities were over, Cain and
Mercy adjourned to the house where Cain had arranged yet another surprise.
 
He told her to go inside and he would join
her in a few minutes.

The hallway was full of twinkling scented candles.
 
Rose petals made a path along the floor.
 
Following the path, Mercy ended up near the
balcony doors.
 
On a table by the door,
Mercy discovered a dozen long-stemmed white roses.
 
She pulled a rose from the vase and was
taking in the sweet aroma when a shadow illuminated the doorway.
 

“That doesn’t begin to compare to your beauty,” Cain said as
he took her hand and kissed it lightly.

He took her hand and led her outside onto the balcony where
he sat led her to sit on a white bear skin rug.
 
He closed the curtains on the door so only the stars could see
them.
 
When he joined her on the rug, he
brushed her hair back and exposed her neck and ears.

“Gorge yourself on me.
 
You’ve created a hunger in me that needs a constant feeding,” he
whispered as he nuzzled her neck with his lips.

Mercy ran her hand across his chiseled jaw and replied, “Oh
Cain, you say the sweetest things.”

Grasping his face, she pulled his lips to hers and kissed
him with all of her passions.
 
She
unbuttoned his white shirt and ran her nails down his rippled chest.
 
The sudden rise and fall of his flesh brought
a smile to her face.
 
Without a word,
they slowly undressed one another.

Carefully, Cain laid her back onto the bear skin rug and ran
his fingers over her sensitive body until he came to her toes.
 
He softly kissed each one then took her big
toe in his mouth and sucked on it.
 
It
brought an unusual sensation to her.
 
Then, he worked his way up her thighs whispering her name over and over
again.
 

Cain gave a long moan as his lips found hers.
 
His mouth was warm, and his kiss was
sweet.
 
They both hungered for each
other’s touch.
 
She felt his tongue
probing her mouth as his hands caressed her hair.
 
Tremors swept her body as his lips left hers
and moved down her neck as he blazed a path of kisses toward her ear.

He teased her sensitive spots with his tongue and massaged
her breasts.
 
His lips nibbled on her
round nipples as his fingers found her hot moist center.
 
He teased her until she was ready to
climax.
 
Then and only then, did he mold
her soft body to his huge arousal.
 
In
seconds, Mercy found him riding her orgasm.

Once their bodies stopped soaring, Cain and Mercy stared up
at the twinkling stars.
 
The mood could
not have been more perfect.
 
Tonight
would be a night that would be etched forever in their memories.
 
They both drifted off to a well needed sleep.
 
A few hours later, Cain awoke and
carried Mercy to the bedroom.
 
He smiled
as he drifted back off to sleep.
 
The
last two weeks had been remarkable, and he couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow
would hold for them.

Early the next morning, Cain was disturbed by Luke.
 
Cain put on his trousers and went into the
dining room to meet him.

“What is so important that you had to disturb me this early
in the morning, Luke?”