Hunt for Cadima: Part Three

 "She is hear, my Master," Melissa replied in a monotone. Cadima gasped. Melissa was being hypnotized so that it was Melissa who really kidnapped her, but she was under the control of this traitor all the time!

      "Perfect!" the figure replied, then the shifty eyes turned to Cadima. Cadima screamed as the figure walked up to her. As the figure finally stepped out of the shadows, Cadima gasped.

      "The full sacrificial moon is tonight," a Kyrii Shaman told her. "You will be pleased to know that you are in this sacrifice." He laughed. "Long live the satiki-isledi."

      There was nothing she could do; the Yellow Peophin just stared and watched as the shaman advanced on her poor sister.

* * * * * * *

     "What are you doing?" demanded an Island Local. Many people muttered with complaints.

      "I, I, I," Koro stuttered, but just then he spotted Jiri and Juk. Juk was busy calming down the locals, trying to explain something to them besides the real story. The islanders, though, would not take it.

      Just then a tree shifted in the cool breeze. "Koro, regain your confidence. What would Cadima say?" the tree said, swaying in the wind. The islanders gasped at the plant that just talked to the Skarco of Cadima. Koro blinked and dumfounded, squeaked, "Excuse me?"

      Two bright Scarlet Pink wings fluttered out of the tree. Koro and the natives sighed as Jhuidah the Island Faerie stepped out one of her favorite hiding places.

      "Isn't it a great place to hide in?" Jhuidah boasted to several groaning villagers, then walked up face-to-face with Koro. "You were always such an adventurer, dear Koro. Why do you give up so early on what you search for?"

      "I wasn't going to give up," Koro protested. "You know why I'm after the Tiki Amulet, Jhuidah. I just don't want chaos to erupt like before."

      "Perhaps," Jhuidah said as she gently placed her hand on the Sacred Tiki Amulet. It began to glow. "I allow you to take this, but be careful with it!" She hissed in his ear. "Do not give it to the foolish kwosdo who stole from us our great princess, or you will be hearing from me, got it? This contains great power, Koro, so use it wisely."

      "But what about the sacrifice?" two small Island and Coconut Jubjubs asked, looking at the altar.

      "It will continue!" Jhuidah boomed. She gently shoved Koro and whispered what might be Koro's last words of wisdom. "Now go! Do what you must for the satiki-isledi! For the moon is tonight!"

      Koro's eyes widened. "No way!" he cried, and with that beckoned Jiri and Juk to follow him.

      Jiri sighed. "You will have to stay here, Terakee," she told her Island Pawkeet sadly. Terakee squawked. "I know, but it's far too dangerous," Jiri told her. "Please, I need you to look after Siilika." Siilika was Jiri's helpless grandmother who couldn't move much but was an expert at Mystery Island's history.

      After their good-byes, Jiri joined the duo as Koro struggled to enable and untap the powers of the Sacred Amulet.

      "Give us some sign where Cadima is held within!" Koro commanded. With that the Tiki Amulet glowed, and to Koro's horror he heard the familiar scream to which the Island Uni had called him for help.

      "Cadima!" Jiri gasped. Koro placed the Tiki Amulet over his head; it began to give off a glow, and then a beam of soft light shot out to the right of Tiki Forest. He followed, along with Wiseman Juk and Jiri on the hunt for the satiki-isledi.

* * * * * * * *

     "I know you," Cadima hissed at the Kyrii Shaman, kicking him back with her bronze hoof. "You were the one who betrayed our Island, you kwosdo!"

      The shaman laughed. "Indeed I am," he told her in his native tongue. "You thought I was gone long by now, haven't you?"

      Then the shaman asked Cadima a strange question. "Cadima, young tamuru-tiki-isledi," he said wickedly, "what would you do if Liialah still ruled on this island?"

      "Liialah?" Cadima replied. "Who is Liialah?" Just then a rush of visions filled Cadima's head...

      ...A radiant Island Uni watching over the Island...

      ...the Island Uni talking to some locals...

      ...the look of the Uni's horror in a volcano...

      ...A baby Island Uni looking over a strange grave sadly...

      ...Tears began to fall, and the anger rushed inside Cadima. "Mother," she sobbed, then stared at the shaman. She growled, and unexpectedly a stream of light shot out of Cadima's horn directing to the shaman. "YOU!" she snapped. "How dare you!"

      The shaman was thrown to a wall, because not expecting that would happen, he groaned and stood up. With that he lay his staff at Cadima's face. "One more stunt like that and you're gone, you native lakei," he hissed. (Lakei means "annoying person") Cadima breathed harshly.

      The Shaman stood straight. "So," he said, "you finally figured it out. Smart princesses like you should be punished." He told Cadima, "Ever since your mother was lost in these ashes, several islanders, of course my followers, decided to get rid of you for your safety, of not avenging your stupid mother. Now that you are back," he continued, "I can finish what I meant to do with you before."

     Just then the shaman chuckled. "Oh, look. It's almost night. When the full moon rises," - he pointed his staff at Cadima - "you and your mother can join the same grave like before."

* * * * * * * *

     "Just a minute there, you kwosdo!" a familiar voice rang out. Cadima, Melissa and the shaman turned to find an Island Kacheek standing there, holding a brown bag and a defiant look on her face.

      "Jiri!" Cadima cried happily. "I need your help! This guy's gonna-", but the shaman thwacked Cadima in the face, causing the poor Uni to wince in pain.

      "Hey, quit it, you!" Jiri demanded, shaking her fists angrily, but when she saw the shaman she slowly backed away. "Juk," she whispered to the breathless Coconut Jubjub, "wasn't this Kyrii supposed to be dead long, long ago?"

      Juk nodded worriedly as Koro burst in, clutching the Sacred Tiki Amulet in his paws. When he saw Melissa, however, he hissed. "So YOU'RE the kidnapper."

      "My master says all, I obey all," Melissa the Yellow Peophin responded with no emotion in her voice. Koro seethed and came to realize the evil Kyrii shaman had hypnotized her.

      Just then a silvery light shone upon a hole in the volcano walls. Jiri gasped. It was the full moon. "No!" she choked.

      "How pitiful," the shaman grinned in his eerie native voice, "you're too late."

* * * * * * *

     "You, you traitor!" Koro screeched and rushed towards the shaman, but just then the shaman swirled his staff, causing rings of fire to encircle the poor Island Shoyru. Koro groaned and hissed angrily, trying desperately to break free. Jiri screamed in fury and threw the bag at the shaman. The shaman caught it, then threw it fiercely at Jiri. Managing to pull Jiri out of the way, Juk grabbed the bag and emptied it out. Small boulders and stones tumbled out and onto the ground.

      "You cannot prank me with that bag of rocks, you fools!" the shaman boomed as the shaman tried to throw Koro into a hot burning lake of magma. Koro struggled, but finally the shaman aimed to throw him into a hot burning wall.

      "Koro!" Cadima and Jiri cried desperately.

      At that moment a strange vision filled Cadima's mind again. It showed the Volcano Fire Faerie from long ago, the one who helped betray the Island.

      "I am helping you like no one has helped me before," the Faerie spoke, and with that she suddenly appeared in front of Koro, creating a wall with her body from the burning lava. Catching Koro in her arms, the Faerie sighed, then glared at the bewitched Kyrii. The shaman's eyes widened.

      "What?" he cursed in the native tongue. "I thought you were long gone, Fire Faerie!"

      "You promised that the power you gave me would not backfire! So then you plotted to kill me by feeding me to a Moltenore!" the Faerie retorted harshly at the awkward shaman. "I thought you were on my side, but I was wrong. Jhuidah always told me to listen to my soul, not others. Today I do that again in this ghastly form."

      "So you're dead already," the shaman smiled wickedly. "You're just a pitiful ghost wandering in this volcano, watching over the Island," he mocked.

      "Yes," the Faerie said, "but I am a reincarnated Faerie spirit with my powers back as well!" And with that she shot a beam of fire at the shaman, but the shaman just cackled and blocked it with his special incantations of fire.

      Koro seized this chance to snag back Melissa and get her back to her normal self. He thrust the Amulet onto Melissa's neck. Melissa screeched and tried to remove the string; all that were hypnotized by the shaman knew the Amulet could dispell the hypnotization as well.

      "The elemental powers of fire, wind and water," Koro chanted in the native tongue, "encircle you with great healing power." The strange Tiki Amulet's glow surrounded Melissa. She squirmed uncomfortably. "You shall no longer be under this spell of weakness, may you return to the living now!" The Yellow Peophin shrieked as the Amulet's soft glow turned and felt like fire and surrounded her. Koro's eyes widened as her whole body seemed to be in flames. The Peophin snarled and cursed, but it was no use. The spell was taking effect. When the incantation was complete, Melissa turned and glowered at Koro.

      Koro backed away. Had the incantation worked? he panicked as Melissa advanced on him.

      Just then Koro noticed that the shaman had managed to pin down the Fire Faerie, Jiri and Juk and was advancing on Cadima.

      "Long live the satiki-isledi," he cackled, and threw Cadima over the ledge.

      "No!" Koro cried, but just then the shaman thrust his staff at Koro, causing a ring of fire again. He couldn't hear the screams of "Get up!" as he sank to the ground.

To be continued...