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The tinny electronic chirp was incongruous, yet oddly normal as Hyienna gingerly peeped through his wardrobe door. He couldn’t remember why the mob was so angry with him, although it had made perfect sense just a moment ago. He had an inkling that their rage was something to do with his luxurious house, although he didn’t remember stealing anything. Despite all that, he still knew he’d done wrong somehow.
There it was again, that upbeat digital warble, only this time it was closer. What was that?
For a moment he thought about stepping outside to investigate, but he knew for sure the old woman would see him straight away. She was the worst.
Once more the otherworldly chime intruded on Hyienna’s nocturnal fears, filling him with a blend of hope and annoyance as it broke his concentration. Through the crack in the door, he watched his home slowly fade into darkness as the noise of the mob was drowned out by that increasingly shrill and insistent tone. It sounded like a phone, in fact, he suddenly remembered it was his phone, calling to him from the limitless darkness between waking and sleep.
Within a single breath the dream was gone, obscured orange glow of a new dawn as Hyienna blearily opened his eyes and waited for all of himself to exit the realm of night.
Once motor functions had been restored, he rolled over and clumsily fumbled for the handset, cursing silently at his own stupidity for not switching it to silent before going to bed. “Yeah?”
The voice on the line was playful, contrived...and female. “Hey sleepy head; haven’t gotten you up have I?”
Hyienna shook his groggy head to clear it. “Kate, that you? What’s up?”
“I’m an early riser y’know.”
“Well good for you.” Hyienna was torn between continuing the conversation and making some excuse to go back to sleep. In the end the decision was made for him.
“So, what are we doing today?”
He groggily looked at his phone and found it was a few minutes past six. “Are we doing something?”
“Only if you want to.” If it was possible for a voice to pout, Kate had just managed it.
Rapidly waking up, Hyienna played along. “Wouldn’t be right to disappoint such a beautiful lady. So, what’s on your mind?”
“Bikes.”
“Bikes?”
Kate’s voice was part seductress and part little girl. “Sure, silly; everyone rides bikes around here. There’s no better way to really get to know the island, and it’s good for the legs too.”
Hyienna sensed his cue. “Hey, it’s impossible to improve on perfection.”
“I know, but perfection’s pretty high maintenance and that means plenty of bike work.”
“You know I don’t have a bike, unless you’re planning a trip on my little Lambretta.”
Kate’s tone changed from a pout to a wink. “Well, that sounds like a lot of fun, but today it’s pushbikes. Yaz has got a few stashed in that old barn out the back.”
Hyienna stifled a yawn. “Oh yeah, I think she mentioned something about that.”
“There you go, sport. It’s still early so we’ve got time for some breakfast and a few miles before it gets way too hot. Just head for Sarah’s place and you’ll see that outcrop on the coast road. I’ll meet you there in a couple of hours.”
The phone went dead and Hyienna let himself fall back onto the bed. Part of him was pleased that he’d be spending some time with the alluring Kate, while part of him was slightly annoyed at being wide awake so early in the morning.
* * *
THE BREEZE ON HIS FACE was just the antidote to the previous day’s peculiar and unsettling events, almost blowing the ever-present image of that mysterious rucksack out of Hyienna’s mind as he cycled Formentera’s cracked coastal road. Almost, but not quite.
It was getting warm again, but Hyienna didn’t mind too much, especially as he was letting Kate set the pace up ahead. It allowed him to hide how out of shape he was, as well as giving him the opportunity to appreciate the athletic curves hard at work just a few feet in front of him. He was pretty sure that Kate knew full well that the glittering Mediterranean wasn’t the only view he was admiring, and he also knew that was probably her plan. He recalled Sarah’s cautionary talk and in truth he wasn’t sure if he was just being taken for a ride. He knew full well that some women got a kick out of toying with the men around them, and his easy-going nature had always made him a prime target. Still, at least he’d grown wise enough to know that he might be led a merry dance and that was fine by him. In truth there was only one way to find out and besides, Sarah had been dead right. No way was he in love, but Hyienna could see how easy it would be for anyone to fall hard for Kate. There was something very alluring in her free and easy manner, coupled with a self-assurance rooted so firmly that she said exactly what she was thinking at any given moment. Kate was trouble, that much was certain, but Hyienna figured that whatever happened, it couldn’t be worse than anything he’d been through before. He was quite happy to sit back and see where the threads of his new adventure might lead him, confident in the knowledge that they would all tie together somehow or other.
At last Kate pulled off the road and into a dusty layby at the crest of a long but mercifully gentle incline.
Hyienna followed close behind, grateful for some respite.
She grinned as she balanced her pitch-black sunglasses on her head. “Hope I wasn’t too rough with you.”
Hyienna leaned his bicycle against a sun bleached and graffiti scarred picnic table, while his eyes were drawn longingly to a battered old mobile snack bar selling ice creams and cool, freshly squeezed orange juice. “Well, I’m a bit out of practice but I’ll soon get the hang of it.”
“They say you never forget once you’ve learned how.” She winked mischievously and headed towards the time-worn little snack wagon.
Being a Wednesday morning, the rest area was all but deserted, save for the two of them and the man who squeezed orange juice and crushed ice for thirsty passers-by. There was only that constant island wind and the clatter of the snack wagon’s battered diesel generator to break the tense, sweating silence as orange juice was rapidly squeezed, swallowed, and squeezed again.
Hyienna mopped his face with the bottom of his T-shirt as they walked to a low, cracked wall separating the safety of the layby from the hazardous rocky cliffs and outcrops on the western part of the island.
For a few minutes they both sat silently, drinking in the glittering sun as it sparkled on the calm of Mediterranean, broken only by the occasional foaming wakes of powerboats and jet skis.
Eventually Hyienna broke the silence. “You know, I’m glad you called me this morning, even if it was stupidly early.”
Kate seemed to be studying the tiny speck of a sailing boat as she dabbed at her neck with a small towel she’d produced from somewhere or other. “I tried calling yesterday but I couldn’t reach you.”
“Well, you know how the signal is around here.” Hyienna immediately wondered why he was being evasive about the previous day.
Kate raised one pencilled eyebrow. “You were out of range all day? Don’t tell me you spent the whole day in bed.”
“I should wish.”
She nudged him playfully with her elbow. “International man of mystery, huh?”
“Well, I could tell you what I was doing, but then I’d have to kill you.” Hyienna frowned seriously, happy to play along.
Kate pouted. “And I thought I was bicycling with an honourable man, yet here I am all alone with an utter scoundrel.”
“A bounder.”
“A cad.”
Hyienna imagined himself holding a martini glass and put on his best bounder expression. “Well, I guess you’re not the only one in demand around here. If you must know I was having lunch with a friend.”
Kate suddenly looked crestfallen, and it was impossible to tell if her expression was feigned or genuine. “A lady friend?”
Too late did Hyienna realise he’d been outplayed and checkmated. “It could’ve been, but it wasn’t.”
Seemingly satisfied, Kate turned back to the middle distance. It was a while before she spoke again. “I can’t see you having lunch with Solomon or Seth; in fact, I don’t see you as the lunching type at all, so who is this mysterious stranger whose claim on your time rivals mine?”
Hyienna knew the struggle was over, so he just went with it. He had nothing to hide and so he wondered why he was feeling nervous about revealing his whereabouts. “If you must know, I had lunch at La Mari Ses Roques with Nathaniel.”
For a few seconds Kate was silent, although a crease had appeared above her right eyebrow. “The Nathaniel. How did you end up having lunch with him, and what did he want?”
Hyienna thought for a moment. “You know, now you mention it, I’m not really sure if he wanted anything, although he said something about collecting people’s stories or some such.”
“Did he now? Well, it looks like you’re settling in and making new friends.”
“Yeah, I guess he’s an okay kind of guy. Do you know him?” Hyienna couldn’t shake the feeling that Kate wanted to say something specific, as though she already knew a great deal more about the mysterious Nathaniel than she was letting on.
“Only by reputation. A lot of people think he’s kind of stuck up, aloof.”
“And you?”
Kate bent down to tighten her shoelace. “All I know is a lot of people seem to have a pretty strong opinion of the guy, one way or another.”
“Yeah, I saw that yesterday.”
Kate straightened up and started walking back towards the bikes.
Hyienna followed, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she hadn’t questioned his last remark. It seemed so unlike her not to be nosy, and he began to wonder if she already knew all about the trouble between Nathaniel and Kal at the restaurant. In truth he desperately wanted to ask her about the mysterious and well-dressed man, but some ill-defined instinct told him it was a bad idea. He sensed a change in her, a slight distance which hadn’t been there before the subject of lunch with Nathaniel had come up. “Hey, why don’t we all have a drink together?” He had no idea why he’d said that.
Kate threw her leg over the saddle and made sure her foot was firmly on the pedal. “Well, Nathaniel’s very charming in a brooding poet kind of way, but he’s too remote for me. I’ve got my eye on a different sort of guy altogether. Although, now that you’ve brought it up, I think Nathaniel’s much more Sarah’s type.” She fixed him with a stare and winked that mischievous smile of hers.
Hyienna instantly felt his own smile return. “Really? I don’t think Solomon would be too impressed.”
A dark and surprising chord of contempt entered Kate’s usually smooth and often playful voice. “Solomon doesn’t own Sarah, or me, despite what some people say.”
Hyienna said nothing as he didn’t want to be the instigator of any relationship troubles. He and Sarah had only just reconnected after such a long separation, and he didn’t want to rock the boat. True, he didn’t have much time for Solomon, but Nathaniel was a complete unknown and both men had been involved in trouble in the short time he’d known them. Besides, his cousin was a grown woman and Hyienna knew that poking his nose into stuff like that was a sure-fire way to get it bitten off. He mounted his own bicycle and prepared to follow Kate back to the Green Lizard.
“Say, wouldn’t it be great if Sarah could just bump into you guys sometime real soon.” With that, Kate was off down the hill at a brisk pace.
Hyienna knew he’d just learned the true reason for their rendezvous, and what’s more, he knew he would do exactly as the bewitching woman on the bicycle was about to tell him.
* * *
FOR THE SECOND TIME that day, Hyienna’s dreams were interrupted by the tinny electronic warble of his cheap mobile phone. He tried to hide his irritation as he answered, but he wasn’t sure if he’d done a very good job.
The voice on the line was familiar, even though he hadn’t heard it all that often. “Hey man, it’s Nathaniel. How you doing?”
“Fine, I guess. Things okay at your end? You left pretty quickly yesterday.” Hyienna massaged his aching legs. Maybe it had been a mistake to just plonk himself on his bed after all that exercise.
“Yeah well, it was either that or get myself locked up. Listen, I just called to apologise.”
“Screw that! Who was that guy?” Hyienna picked up his watch and saw it was a little after midday. He turned his back on the wardrobe.
There was a long pause on the line before Nathaniel spoke again. “That guy is weapons grade bad news, just stay away from him and don’t fall for the wise old man routine either. Kal is as ruthless and cold blooded as any man alive. Where he comes from, you don’t get to the top without leaving a lot of holes in the desert, understand?”
Hyienna didn’t understand much of anything, but he instinctively knew Nathaniel was telling the truth. “Hey, I never got to thank you for the lunch. It was really great, although the last course was a bit sour.”
Nathaniel sounded contrite. “Listen, that was a real screw up and I’d like to make it up to you.”
“Really?”
“Sure, just let me know what I can do.”
Hyienna couldn’t help smiling as it was just too perfect. “Well listen then, are you free this evening?”
* * *
“HEY, YOU GONNA LURK in that cave all day?” Sarah’s voice was muffled by the battered but solid wooden door.
“Yeah, come in.” Hyienna quickly glanced around and was relieved to see that he hadn’t left any underwear lying about.
Sarah stepped into the room, striking as ever in a pair of expensively frayed designer jeans and a loose-fitting green blouse. The afternoon sun streaming in from the balcony bathed her lithe figure in an almost ethereal glow, while the alluring aroma of jasmine filtering in from the trellis work made for an altogether magical moment.
“You, okay?” Sarah raised one eyebrow and dropped the opposite side of her mouth in a quirky way only she could manage.
Hyienna was suddenly jolted out of his reverie. “Yeah, I was just thinking how someone kidnapped that pretty young girl I used to know and replaced her with this truly beautiful woman.”
Sarah’s response was typical. “And I was wondering who’d replaced my lovable cousin with such a smooth-talking charmer.”
Hyienna couldn’t help smiling because it was just like old times; except that life had moulded them into different people who’d somehow arrived back at the same place. “Must be those fatal charms of mine that brought you running over here a little bit early. I’ll be with you in just a second. You got your swimming towel?”
Sarah dropped her large shoulder bag on the floor and perched on the corner of the bed. “Sure thing, boss.”
Hyienna leaned on the edge of the dresser as he put on his trusty battered boots. “So, how’s things?”
Sarah rubbed her temple. “Always a laugh a minute at Casa Hermoso; especially when Kate floated along in such a great mood. What on earth did you do to that girl? No, never mind.”
“I’ll have you know I was the perfect gentleman, although it’s kind of hard to be a dastardly cad on a bicycle. Still, I hope Solomon’s okay with me fraternising with his harem like this.”
“I’m just gonna treat that like a joke and not get pulled out of shape because you’ve managed to insult me, my fiancé and a close friend all in one sentence. That’s pretty good going, cousin.” She frowned and raised a long index finger to her ear.
“Well, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean anything by it.” Hyienna knew he had a big mouth and could sometimes put his foot in it, but he and Sarah had always had a great relationship; more like a bromance than anything else. All the same he wondered if he’d accidentally hit a raw nerve.
“Just forget it.” The irritation in Sarah’s voice was quite obvious.
“You okay, hon? I was just joshing, you know me.”
Sarah only seemed to be half listening. “Yeah, sure. You got any aspirins?”
Hyienna made a conscious effort not to look at his wardrobe. “No, but I’ll eat my hat if Yaz hasn’t got some stashed away behind the bar. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m sure you’ll feel better for some fresh air.”
“Yeah, sure.” Sarah stood up and made for the door, still rubbing her forehead above her right eye.
* * *
“WOW, I WASN’T EXPECTING this!” Sarah stopped dead on the small jetty below the inn.
Hyienna grinned and hopped into the powerful rigid hulled boat he’d rented for the day. He knew it was a little childish to show off, but there was a small part of him that wanted to stick it to Solomon, just a little bit. “Pretty cool huh? Now all I’ve got to do is not crash this beast and get my deposit back.”
Sarah whooped with joy and hopped into the boat. “Take me away from all this!” She flounced to the bow and theatrically shaded her eyes with her hand as she gazed out to sea like a carved wooden figurehead.
Hyienna smiled. The old Sarah was back again, and he knew perfectly well why. “How’s the head?”
“Much better, thanks. Like you said, a lungful of fresh air solves all kinds of problems.”
“Great! Now hold on tight and I’m not kidding.” Hyienna fired up the powerful outboard motor and cast off the moorings. Hurrying to the seat in the centre of the boat, he sat at the wheel and gently opened the throttle. He momentarily wondered if he should’ve opted for something smaller as he felt the boat rise out of the water like a thoroughbred horse straining at the reins. Throttling back, he let the boat pick up speed before gently accelerating again. Within a minute the little jetty was a speck behind them as they sped across the calm glittering sea, framed by the orange orb of the afternoon sun. Hyienna made sure to note of every aspect of the experience, resolving to commit the sights and sensations to the deepest and most protected part of his memory. This was one of those times; one of those rare occasions when some ordinary schmuck found himself in a situation worthy of some fanciful Hollywood movie. He figured that such experiences were kind of like Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame; everybody might get one or two of them in their lives, so it was important to immerse into each of them as fully and completely as possible. When else would a guy like him get the chance to experience something like this? Screw the money and screw tomorrow as well; this was what mattered, speeding across an impossibly beautiful ocean with a lovely lady sitting proudly at the bow, the wind blowing freely through her hair. The only thing that might make it even better would be a lover sitting up ahead, but perhaps the rekindling of an old and dear friendship was just as important, maybe more so in the grand scheme of things.
Sarah turned and gingerly made her way to the centre of the boat, shouting above the roar of the engines and the whistling of the wind. “So, where are we going, hotshot?”
Hyienna glanced past her. “You’ll see soon enough.” He grinned as he made a slight course correction and began to ease off on the throttle as the ocean became steadily more crowded with boats of all descriptions. The exhilarating journey had been far too short for his liking, but they were almost at their destination. “Hey, just scream if I’m about to run anyone down.”
Sarah’s voice floated back as she returned to the bow. “You always were the responsible type. You’re good if you hold this course.”
Hyienna throttled back further still and let the boat drift under its own momentum. “Aye aye cap’n.” Eventually they bobbed to a halt about fifty yards off the coast of S'Espalmador, if coast was the right word for a glorified sandbank. He threw out the small anchor and looked around. For once it seemed like the hype was deserved as it sure was a beautiful place. It was just a shame that its reputation as a posers’ paradise was equally well deserved. The boats bobbing in the tranquil blue waters were as sleek and shiny as the people parading on the beach and lounging on the pristine white sand. Parading was definitely the right word as Hyienna could easily imagine those same beautiful people promenading along some tree lined Victorian avenue in some other life long gone. The more things changed the more they stayed the same it seemed to him. Still, at least his hired boat didn’t look too out of place among the ostentatious yachts and sleek powerboats. His rigid hulled craft was a hulking muscle car among the preening dilettantes and that was just fine by him.
“Are we swimming from here or what?”
Hyienna was jolted back to the present by the voice of his cousin. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know what the rules are around here.”
“Okay then.” Within seconds, Sarah had discarded her clothes and stood ready in a white backless swimsuit, somehow sexy, classy, and just plain beautiful all at the same time. Within another couple of seconds, she’d vanished into the cool clear water as her lithe form sliced through the surface in a well-rehearsed and perfectly executed dive.
Hyienna wasn’t able to keep the grin from his face as he stripped down to his jaunty swimming shorts and launched himself into the untidiest and poorly executed flop of a dive he could manage. What’s more, he suddenly didn’t give a damn whether the posers on the decks of their yachts thought he was some kind of uncouth lout. In fact, he rather hoped they did think that.
* * *
“YOU KNOW WHAT THIS place needs?” Hyienna squinted up at the flawless blue sky. It was still too bright despite his new sunglasses. He closed his eyes again and let the warm sun and the equally warm sand wrap him in a blanket of contentment.
Sarah’s voice filtered across to him. “Don’t say a waterslide!”
“I had no intention of saying anything of the sort! What sort of slob do you think I am? I was going to say this place needs a hotdog stand.”
Sarah sat up and looked at her cousin. “So, you think the smell of frying onions would add to the ambience?”
“You betcha! Onions, ketchup, the works!” Hyienna grinned as he thought of it.
Sarah pulled a face. “You’ve got no idea where that stuff comes from.”
“Hotdog heaven if you ask me.” Hyienna also sat up and raised his arms in praise to hotdog heaven, just to rub it in.
Sarah couldn’t help smiling. “You’ve always been a culinary heathen.”
“And well fed for it.”
Sarah lay back against the warm white sand once more. “Solomon used to bring me out here. The whole champagne on the beach routine.”
Hyienna wasn’t a bit surprised. He thought about making a wisecrack about anchoring the boat to Solomon’s ego, although he kept his own counsel.
Sarah yawned and stretched. “So, are we heading back? I think we’re done swimming.”
Hyienna sensed it was the right moment. “Sure, but there’s something I want to do first. Something touristy.”
Sarah looked over the top of her sunglasses. “Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think they sell oversized sombreros here either.”
“You know me so well. In fact, I’d really like to take a look at these famous mud baths.”
“Seriously? You worried about your complexion or something?”
Hyienna camped it up a bit. “Well, a boy’s got to take all the help he can get.”
Sarah was hesitant. “I don’t know.”
“Ah come on! I’ll even buy you an ice cream.”
Sarah feigned a swoon. “You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”
Within a second Hyienna was grabbing his cousin’s hand and pulling her towards the low sand dunes behind the beach. “You know it makes sense.”
“Listen, you can schlep around in the goo if you want to, but I like this swimsuit.”
“I thought you girls were all about rubbing seaweed on yourselves and eating mud, or is it the other way round?” Hyienna scratched his head theatrically.
“Funny boy. At least the poor girl who’s fool enough to marry you will have plenty to laugh at.”
Hyienna winked. “Well come on then, let’s get filthy.”
“Okay but remember what I said.”
* * *
“WE MUST BE GOING THE right way.” Hyienna whispered childishly as they passed a group of young revellers who looked distinctly dirty.
“I wish I’d brought my towel.” Sarah observed as she stepped aside to let the last of the group pass them on the narrow path.
Hyienna ran to the top of a low rise and posed, chest out and right leg bent. “This healthy outdoor living is bringing out my inner Hercules.”
“More like your inner ten-year-old.” Observed Sarah as she joined him at the top of the ridge.
Hyienna looked down at the expanse of black volcanic mud. It was clearly a popular spot, with innumerable holes and footprints where the beautiful people had partied and shot selfies of themselves. Nearly everyone was gone, save for a single figure covered from head to toe, lying deathly still on the ground just beside the dark, gooey expanse. It was just at that moment when the absurdity of Hyienna’s situation finally hit him. Here he was, doing the bidding of a virtual stranger in the hope of little more than a smile of appreciation. Dammit! Sarah had been right all along; Kate really was some kind of witch or master manipulator. Either that or he was even more dumb and desperate than he thought he was. For a moment Hyienna toyed with the idea of just fessing up and coming clean about the true reason for the whole facade. After all, Sarah wasn’t stupid, and she must know that something was up, even though she’d played along so far.
“Hey, dreamer boy, don’t tell me you’re wimping out over a little bit of mud.”
Hyienna jumped as his cousin nudged him in the small of his back. “Hell no, it’s just different from how I imagined it would be.”
“Life is pretty much like that.”
Hyienna nodded before suddenly sprinting the last few feet and launching himself headlong into the large and oily looking expanse. It suddenly struck him that he had no idea how deep the mud might be or whether there were rocks at the bottom. Either way, it was too late, and he just had to trust to luck as he made contact with the cool, clammy darkness. The world vanished in an instant and it took him a few seconds to orientate himself and realise that his head was still well above the surface. In fact, he was able to easily stand as the mud was no deeper than knee height. It was still a confusing experience because, unlike water, the mud continued to cake his eyes and obscure his vision even though he was standing up and listening to Sarah’s muffled laughter as he unclogged first his eyes, then his ears and nose. Okay, so diving in headfirst might not have been the smartest idea he’d ever had, but there was no harm done and he’d amused his cousin.
It took Hyienna a minute to get the hang of walking in that unyielding prehistoric soup, but he was soon lumbering towards Sarah in true B movie style.
She screeched with alarm and laughter as she tried to escape but it was too late. Within a minute she was captured and slung over Hyienna’s shoulder. “I’m warning you, Hyienna! Don’t you dare!”
“Ugg! Swamp creature like pretty lady!” He deliberately slowed down, bending further as he lumbered towards the sticky glutinous mass, enjoying the screams of his helpless victim as he clamped his arm tightly around her legs.
Sarah screamed something unintelligible as uncontrolled giggling and threats of retribution formed an ululating screech as she kicked her feet to no avail.
“Honey, we’re home!” With one final heave, Hyienna dived back into the mire, only releasing his squealing cousin when he was certain there was no chance of escape.
Water and mud sprayed high into the air as their combined weight carved a deep groove in the primal sludge.
Hyienna rolled onto his back, wiped the mud from his face and started to laugh as he made an angel by flapping his arms and legs.
“You’re such a dick, Hyienna!”
He choked as a large globule of mud hit him square in the face. “You know, you’re never going to sound angry if you keep laughing all the time.” He sat up, still chuckling and looked across to where his cousin was sat just a couple of feet away. She’d fared better than he thought, with mud splashed all up her left side but far from completely covered. Alas the white swimsuit had suffered significant staining and he knew he’d be in trouble for that. All the same, he couldn’t help noticing that her body was still shaking with suppressed laughter as she sat with her arms crossed and wearing her meanest, angriest expression. “Hey, looks like you missed a bit.”
Sarah screeched again as Hyienna lobbed a large handful of mud, hitting her square on the chin and running down her front, both inside and outside her swimsuit. “Ewww, you’re so gross, Hyienna. No wonder you’re still single.”
“Hey, Shrek lived in a swamp, and he married a princess, so there!” He glanced at the figure at the edge of the mud bath and saw that he hadn’t moved so much as a muscle that he could see.
At last Sarah gave in with a rueful smile and began plastering the thick dark mud up her long, willowy arms. “Didn’t like this swimsuit anyway.”
Hyienna let his head fall back and he gazed straight up at the blue sky once again. It would be light for a few hours yet, all the same he thought they’d better soon think about heading back. He wasn’t exactly the salty sea dog type, and he was uncertain how well he’d fare trying to navigate at dusk.
“Hey, swamp boy. Wanna give me a hand over here?”
He turned his head to see Sarah struggling to reach the centre of her back with her sticky, mud covered hands. However, help was already close by as the previously motionless man by the side of the baths had begun to move. As if on cue, he walked quietly up behind her and began to apply a thick layer of mud to Sarah’s exposed back.
Momentarily confused, she glanced across at Hyienna before starting and scrambling to her feet we she realised it wasn’t her cousin close behind her. Her expression quickly changed from alarm to curiosity as the tall man silently raised his hands and wiped the mud from his eyes and face. Sarah’s features quickly turned to a strange combination of wonder, delight and some other, almost inexplicable emotion as Nathaniel’s face was finally revealed.
“Oh my God, it can’t be you!” Her voice was weak and breathless she stared dumbfounded at the man standing just a couple of feet in front of her.
Nathaniel said nothing; neither did he move as he stared back at Sarah.
“It is you.”
Again, he said nothing and scarcely moved.
“It is you. It is you; it is you, it is you!” Within a second, Sarah had flung her arms around Nathaniel’s neck and buried her face in his mud-covered shoulder. “It’s you, it’s really you!”
Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him.
Sarah’s words tumbled out along with years’ worth of pent-up feelings and regret and the bitter reminder of what could have been. “I thought I’d never be with you again. Are you really here with me right now? This isn’t just a dream?”
“If it is...” said Nathaniel. “...it’s one I hope to never wake up from.”
At last, Sarah stepped back, tears washing the mud from her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. Then she tried a second time, placing her hand on the flat of her stomach. “You were right there.” She whispered, staring up at Nathaniel with a dreamy, almost mesmerised expression.
Nathaniel cocked his head curiously.
Sarah said nothing more, merely reached out, grasped his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly, giving no thought to the thick volcanic mud covering them both.
Hyienna could tell that he’d outstayed his welcome. He’d done everything that Kate had asked of him in reuniting the lovers he hadn’t even known were lovers. He knew that she’d be pleased and so he wondered why he was feeling so upset and hurt, desolate even. He couldn’t bear to see Sarah and Nathaniel in their heartfelt and passionate embrace.
As he quickly walked back towards the beach without so much as a word of farewell, Hyienna struggled to understand his own feelings. He knew he wasn’t jealous, because despite Sarah being a very attractive girl, their relationship had never been about any of that stuff; in some ways it was much deeper. Perhaps it was jealousy after all, but not of the kind felt by spurned lovers. Maybe it was much more like that of sibling who believed his parents favoured the other child. Whatever the true source of his feelings, Hyienna knew that they sucked. All he wanted to do was grab Nathaniel and tell him to keep his hands off his cousin, but it wasn’t as though he wanted her for himself, at least not in that sense. It was all very confusing. All he knew for sure was that the more he thought about the situation, the angrier and more upset he became.
Hyienna scrabbled in the pocket of his shorts for his little rock, mentally anchoring himself to the present moment, but that only made his feelings both stronger and more inexplicable. In the end he hit upon exactly what he should do. Nathaniel must’ve gotten himself onto the little islet somehow or other, so he figured that he and Sarah could get themselves off it by the same method. He was out of there.
* * *
“HERE, YOU LOOK LIKE you could use another.”
Hyienna jumped a little as Yasmina placed his second cold beer on the bar. “Sorry, what?”
Yaz smiled as she began switching off the lights behind the bar. “You look like a man who’s trying to figure out something really important. You guys always have that same expression.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m a little distracted.” Hyienna reached for his wallet.
Yaz shook her head. “That one’s on the house. Besides, you’re not distracted, in fact you wish you could think about something other than whatever’s bugging you. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about men it’s that they really can’t think about more than one thing at a time.”
Hyienna smiled and nodded as he realised that Yaz was probably right.
She opened the till and removed the cash left inside. “I spend a lot of time behind this bar, watching men, and if there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that whatever’s eating you up inside, you’ve got to deal with it one way or another.”
Hyienna couldn’t really think of anything to say, mostly because he knew that she was exactly right about everything and therefore no response was needed.
Yaz stuffed a few notes into the pocket of her flowing dress and yawned. “Well, I’m off to bed. Don’t drink the whole bar and remember to switch the lights off when you come up.” She tapped the switch panel by the door as she vanished into the darkened kitchen.
Alone with his thoughts, Hyienna picked up the fresh beer, raised it to nobody in particular and took a long swig. Leaning back against the bar, he let his mind wander as he considered exactly what the hell kind of mess, he’d gotten himself mixed up in. One thing was certain; he should’ve heeded Sarah’s warning about Kate more seriously. In truth he’d silently scoffed at the idea that she was some kind of witch but sitting alone in a darkened bar with his whole life probably about to unravel again, he had to consider the possibility that she did indeed possess some kind of strange compulsive power which ran far beyond the average feminine wiles. What the hell had he just done?
He glanced nervously towards the darkened car park as headlights gleamed off the windows before vanishing into the night. It wouldn’t have surprised him if those lights had suddenly come blazing up to the front doors, accompanied by a furious Solomon and his formidable henchman. What would he say when that time inevitably came? Maybe he could plead ignorance or stupidity; at least one of those excuses would be honest.
Hyienna placed his little rock on the bar and stared at it as he took stock of just how big a fool he’d been taken for. First of all, he’d let himself be talked into some kind of stupid relationship game like some acne ridden lovesick teenager. That was bad enough, but it also seemed that everyone on the island knew a lot more than they were letting on, at least to him. Solomon, Seth, Kal, Kate, Nathaniel and even Sarah were all interconnected by some web of intrigue that still he couldn’t map out or rationalise. He was especially upset with his cousin as it was painfully obvious that she and Nathaniel were an awful lot more than just acquaintances past. Kate must have known it and probably Nathaniel too, which at least explained why he’d agreed to Kate’s peculiar plan involving S’Espalmador and its mud baths. The whole thing was absurd, but the most ridiculous part was how he’d just blithely gone along with the entire farce without ever stepping back and wondering what it was all about.
Hyienna knew he’d been played, but he also knew that wouldn’t cut much ice with Solomon when he came asking questions about his fiancé. Of course, he could always bring up the big man’s obvious dalliance with Yasmina, but Hyienna doubted that would count for very much. He’d met the likes of Solomon a hundred times before, and such men viewed ideas like morality and decency as weapons to beat others with, not rules to regulate their own behaviour.
If it wasn’t for one inescapable fact, Hyienna could easily have dismissed life on Formentera as the shallow shenanigans of a bunch of isolated people with too much time and money on their hands. He felt his eyes inexorably being drawn to the ceiling while his mind focused on his room above and the impossible, no, magical nothingness waiting inside that cheap nylon rucksack. More than ever, he sensed that whatever unnatural thing he’d been charged with protecting, all the secrets he was slowly discovering revolved around that one central point. What had begun as a mystery had become a distinct danger. He knew that Solomon wouldn’t let a little thing like rank hypocrisy get in the way of a beating when he discovered that he’d been the architect of Sarah and Nathaniel’s reunion. Hyienna also knew that Kate would walk away scot-free from the whole debacle. Kate always walked away scot-free from everything.
Nobody was playing a straight game, which meant that nobody could be truly trusted with the one piece of information that he alone was privy to. Whatever else happened, it had become increasingly clear that destiny, fate, or whatever other names it might have, had placed that strangest of artefacts in his possession for a good reason. It, therefore, followed that he was charged with that mystical item’s protection until such time as it could be taken to its proper place.
Hyienna had thought that the Green Lizard was a safe enough location for such a timeless wonder, but now he knew that things were far deeper and more complex than he’d initially thought.
He drained the last of his beer and glanced up again at the ceiling again. It was a quiet moonlit night and Hyienna knew it was no accident that he was still wide awake while everyone else slept. It was the perfect time to act.