Return To Primordial Island, Rick Poldark [top non fiction books of all time .TXT] 📗

Mary was licking her fingers. Tracey wiped her mouth with the back of her forearm.

Jason looked up at him and smiled. “I saved some for you, mate. It’s not so bad. A little gamey, but edible.”

“That sounds good,” said Peter. He sat next to Jason, who handed him a skewer of cooked meat. “Should I even bother asking what this is?”

Jason winked at him. “I wouldn’t.”

Peter took a bite of the meat. It was chewy, but it wasn’t bad. “So, how do you propose we handle the Zehhaki?”

Jason furrowed his brow. “You’re asking if I should just wipe them out.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“They died out for a reason,” said Tracey, breaking her silence. “Maybe they should be sent back into retirement, in an evolutionary sense, of course.”

Mary averted her gaze from the group. She was still obviously pissed off at Peter. She lay down, reaching back and tucking her hands behind her head, looking up at the canopy.

“I think the bigger threat, at the moment, is this demon,” said Jason.

“I’m relieved you see it that way,” said Peter. “She’s obviously very manipulative.”

 Jason looked down at the ground. “She’s definitely very persuasive. The whole time I knew she wasn’t my little brother, Joey, but I didn’t care. It felt good to be with him again, even though in the back of my mind I knew it wasn’t right.”

“So, how do you propose we handle her?” asked Tracey.

“Well, we sure as heck aren’t freeing her,” said Peter.

“But even imprisoned, she’s still powerful,” said Jason.

“Just wait till Poseidon Tech brings more people to this island,” said Tracey.

“Just wait till she gets off and enters our dimension,” said Peter.

“We have to deal with her,” said Jason. “But how? I don’t see any exorcists around here.”

Peter took another bite of his mystery meat. The savory flavor was a welcome sensation in his mouth. “I think the real question is, why isn’t she dead? She’s imprisoned, but her spirit remains free to roam.”

“Maybe she anchored her soul to an object, and that object needs to be destroyed,” offered Tracey.

“How the hell do we know which object she’s anchored to?” asked Jason.

Mary sat up looking exasperated. “You need to destroy her body. Duh.”

“How do you figure that?” asked Tracey.

“She was mortal once,” said Mary. “She’s imprisoned. Death is her prison. That explains her connection to the death orb.”

Jason arched both eyebrows. “She did say the death orb was the only thing that would free her.”

Mary nodded. “Destroy the body, and she’s gone for good.”

“That’s an interesting theory,” said Peter. “But how do we know it holds water?”

They all exchanged looks. “We have to go to the Temple of the Simian King,” they all said in almost perfect unison.

“Great,” said Peter. “Just great. And, we have to do this without freeing her from her prison.”

“What if I didn’t go?” suggested Jason. “I’m the real danger. Just keep me away from her.”

Peter nodded. “That’s right. You can take Mary and Tracey back to base camp. They don’t have to be a part of any of this. I’ll handle this.”

“By yourself?” Tracey was beside herself. “How do you expect to do this alone? Who knows what perils are in that temple? Remember the Temple of the Lizard Men? It was riddled with traps.”

“Tracey, I can’t ask you to come along.”

“She’s right,” said Mary, making eye contact with Peter for the first time since their argument. “You can’t do it alone. Another thing…we’re assuming we need to keep Jason away from Nazimaa’s body. What if we need the power of both of the orbs to destroy her body?”

Everyone looked at her, stunned at her insight. She flashed a snotty look at them. “You’re not the only ones who play tabletop RPGs.”

“That would make sense, if we were in a game,” mused Peter. “The risk is too big. Having Jason there could be catastrophic.”

“Not having him there could also be dangerous,” said Mary.

Jason furrowed his brow. “Peter, Nazimaa told me she saw to it that you and I would both be there. She wants us both there.”

“So, then maybe Mary and I should go to the temple,” said Tracey. “Maybe the both of you need to stay away.”

“Round and round we go,” muttered Jason. “One thing’s for sure…we can’t just sit here debating this for all eternity.”

“He’s right,” said Peter. “We need a plan that would cover all possibilities. I say we all go. If Jason and I prove to be a problem, we’ll leave, and you two can destroy the body. This way, if we’re both needed, we’ll be there.”

Jason smirked. “Better to have us and not need us than need us and not have us.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Tracey. “After we rest, we go to the temple.”

Everyone nodded their agreements.

“We take shifts on watch,” said Jason.

“Neither of us should be awake alone,” warned Peter. “I have a feeling Nazimaa’s going to be paying us a visit, trying to manipulate us.”

“Great,” said Mary. “I’ll take a shift with Jason. Tracey, you take a shift with Peter.”

Peter felt hurt by her immediate pairing up with someone other than him. However, this was not the time or place to discuss whatever they were going through in their relationship. “Okay. Jason, you hunted. Get some rest. Tracey and I will take first shift.”

Jason tipped his hat to Peter. “Much appreciated, friend.” He stretched out, laid back with his hands folded behind his head, and was snoring within minutes. Peter figured he was wiped out, and it probably wasn’t the first time Jason slept outdoors, in the open.

Mary followed suit, laying back and closing her eyes.

Peter sat across from Tracey in silence, keeping watch. Time passed slowly, and Peter began to feel the weight of his