Davide knew they were too late. The tide was already rushing back to flood the cave's entrance. There was no way he could guide the boat inside. Cursing, he turned the skiff around and returned to the Dolphin. Back on board they stood at the railing gazing at the island, and Davide put his arm around Zoe's shoulders, pulling her close. "Now that we know where the entrance is we can start out earlier tomorrow and get there before the tide rushes back in. Because of the unknown, I don't want to chance entering the cave with evening tide."
She leaned her head against his side. "Yes, tomorrow, Davide."
For the remainder of the day, they kept a vigilant watch for the dolphin who had led them to the cave, but it did not reappear, and Davide saw the pinched look return to Zoe's face.
* * *
Zoe held her breath as Davide steered through swirling mists in search of the cavern entrance. After a sleepless night she'd risen early to join him at the helm. At first light, they'd boarded their skiff and headed in the direction of the cave, and now, skimming back and forth, they strained to see through the fog.
"There it is!" she shouted.
"I see it!" Davide carefully maneuvered their boat toward the dark opening and halted about a hundred feet out. "I'm going to wait and see if the fog lifts before venturing inside. The tide's still out; we have time."
As if commanded by the gods, sunlight broke through the mist a few minutes later and slanted rays across the opening. Davide pushed the throttle, steering them toward the gaping hole. For a space of time, the waves became treacherous and Zoe whispered a prayer for their safety. They reached the entrance and Davide struggled to keep their vessel centered and away from jagged rocks. She held her breath again as they entered the darkness of the cave, with only the light from their craft and cracks in the stone walls lighting the way. They were at the mercy of fate.
She glanced at Davide's shadowed face as he concentrated on keeping the boat away from the cavern walls. Thankfully, they soon rounded a bend and the passage widened. To her relief, she saw sunlight ahead, and with Davide's skill, the skiff traveled the distance with no mishaps and passed from darkness into glorious light and calm waters.
The unveiling of the interior of the island caused Zoe to gasp and Davide to whistle as they soaked in the ethereal beauty of an island untouched by humans. A small, sandy beach lay ahead of them, sparkling and pristine. Beyond the beach tall pines stretched toward a sapphire sky, and beyond the pines, mountains of more pines greeted them with a ribbon of waterfall cascading from a towering cliff. Zoe turned wondering eyes on Davide and blinked to keep tears from falling. Davide had finally reached his destination and she would not dwell on her father. She must help Davide fulfill his heart's desire to speak with the co-Princes. Perhaps then, he would accept that he was the Great Prince and fulfill his destiny. As for her father, she had to trust Source with his life.
Davide steered them closer to shore and then turned off the motor. He jumped out and pulled the skiff to the bank and then helped Zoe over the side. Together they hauled the small boat out of the reach of waves. After unloading their backpacks and setting them on the sand, Davide stood silent, unmoving. Zoe looked questioningly at him.
"I'm listening to nature—the waves, the breeze, birds. It's music…incredible music." He walked toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She gazed steadily up at him and he said, "I wouldn't want to share this moment with anyone but you, Zoe." Slowly he lowered his mouth to kiss her forehead and then leaned his chin on the top of her head. "My father told me to find the river and follow it upstream. It will lead us to a place called Ember Canyon. He said the entrance to the Cave of Thirteen sits below the eagle. He didn't explain. He said that I would understand. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I'm ready," she breathed.
Davide squeezed her shoulders and then helped her slip on her backpack. He reached for his larger one with the paraglider. Glancing around, he pointed to an animal trail. "We'll follow this trail. I'll lead the way. Stay close behind me."
Zoe nodded and they followed the narrow path into a dense forest. Under the cover of trees, the waterfall was no longer visible. On the forest floor they saw occasional hoof prints where the soil was soft enough to embed them.
"It's deer prints," said Davide, pausing to squat and look. "There's a large one in the herd, that's for sure."
For the remainder of the day they forged through a forest so dense that light barely filtered through the copious covering. At evening, Davide stopped to make camp in a small clearing. "We should reach the waterfall tomorrow," he encouraged.
Zoe dropped her backpack and sank onto a fallen tree. "This is the most beautiful forest I've ever seen."
"I agree," he said, and began gathering decaying wood. An hour later, with a small fire warming them, they munched on trail food and sat on lightweight, thermal sleeping bags. Davide stretched and lay flat on his back and pointed into the night sky, "Look there, through that break in the trees."
Zoe lay on her back, too, and gazed at stars that seemed to touch the tops of the pines. The trail of a falling one made her gasp. "Did you see that, Davide?"
"Beautiful," he whispered.
She turned her head to see that he was looking at her.
"Do you think we're in heaven?" she joked.
"If not, we're very close."
They stared back at the night sky and she thought she heard Davide say something else, but she was too tired to respond. She closed her eyes in exhaustion.
At dawn's first glimmer, they were up and breaking camp. Davide pulled out his compass and then led the way in the direction of the waterfall. By midmorning the sound of falling water roared through the forest. Davide paused and Zoe waited beside him. He motioned and said, "Let's see what's beyond those boulders."
She nodded and followed him toward the outcropping. Several feet before reaching it he abruptly stopped and she almost bumped into him.
"Look, Zoe!" he whispered loudly.
She peeked around his shoulder to see what had arrested his attention. Atop the highest boulder was the most powerful buck with magnificent antlers that she had ever seen. Its unmoving majesty appeared frozen in time.
A breeze stirred the air and carried her words. "It's a shapeling, Davide. I know the aura." While they watched, the beast turned and leapt like a ballet dancer down the outcropping to the other side.
"Come on." Davide started forward and Zoe rushed behind him.
After reaching the boulders, they circled them and abruptly halted. The waterfall, cascading into a river that rushed and bubbled and frothed, became the backdrop for the same magnificent buck and a doe standing on the bank of the river.
"She's a shapeling too," said Zoe, and even as she said the words, both deer simultaneously bent their front legs and lowered their heads until they appeared to be bowing. Zoe and Davide glanced at each other in astonishment. The buck and doe stood again and bounded into the forest.
Unexpectedly, rabbits hopped into the open and Zoe laughed. Behind the rabbits came squirrels and chipmunks and turtles and other small creatures. Birds of multiple species flew into the clearing and landed. The small animals were joined by larger ones, and when mountain cats and wolves and bears and other animals considered to be dangerous entered the throng, Davide and Zoe watched in disbelief. Eventually, both sides of the river were crowded with countless creatures, and then, as if on cue, every animal bowed to the earth.
Davide gasped, "What's happening?"
In a flash of understanding, Zoe said, "They're bowing before their Great Prince."
Davide took a step backward. "No. It cannot be. I am not the Great Prince. I am not."
She looked at the kneeling animals. "They think you are."
David said with urgency, "We've got to find the Cave of Thirteen so I can speak with the co-Princes!"
Again, on cue, the animals rose and reentered the forest.
Zoe said, "They were all shapelings, Davide."
Starting forward, his tone now sounded angry, "Come on. Let's follow the river."
They followed the river upstream until midafternoon. At times the water rushed and sometimes it meandered as it led them through forests and meadows, before entering a rocky canyon that reminded Zoe of the canyons in Colorado. High cliff walls rose toward a brilliant blue sky. By evening they were in the belly of the canyon and still following the river.
"We'll stop and spend the night here, Zoe. I know you're exhausted."
"I can go a little farther if you want."
"No, you can't, my sweet girl." He reached to help her out of her backpack and had to hold her steady when she swayed. "Sit there." He pointed to a rock beside the rapids.
Zoe obeyed and closed her eyes. She hadn't felt this tired even on the walkabout. She opened her eyes again and watched Davide remove his own gear. He then unzipped her backpack and handed her the trail food and her canteen. "I'm going to gather wood and start a fire."
She started to rise. "I'll help you."
He gently pushed her back down. "No. You just sit and rest."
Zoe was too exhausted to argue and watched him skirt the area for dried driftwood, dead shrubs, and broken limbs. Shortly thereafter, he had a fire blazing. Next, he zipped their sleeping bags together and spread them in an area he'd cleared of rocks and debris. Motioning her over, he said, "Zoe, come rest on your sleeping bag." After she sat on it, Davide lowered himself behind her. "I'll rub your shoulders, honey." As his hands gently massaged her neck, shoulders, and back, she closed her eyes and almost moaned aloud at his expert ministrations. Without realizing it, she leaned backward against him and fell asleep. Later, she woke long enough to realize she was cradled in a warm embrace. Smiling, she drifted back to sleep, loving the golden aura she was cocooned in. When she opened her eyes again she was still tucked in Davide's arms. Unable to help herself she reached her arm around him. At dawn's light she heard a whisper in her ear, "Zoe, wake up."
"Not yet," she murmured against the shirt covering a muscular chest.
Davide laughed low. "Turn over and look up."
The restrained excitement in his voice got her heart pumping. She twisted until she was on her back and looked up into a sky as blue as Davide's eyes. He lifted his arm and pointed and she moved her gaze from the sky to the craggy cliffs on the other side of the river. Her breath hitched. "Davide, I see it! You've done it! You've found the Cave of Thirteen!"
"I couldn't have done it without you, princess."
Zoe blinked rapidly at his endearment and then looked back at the shape of an eagle's head formed in a rock on the cliff face. Below the rock was a cave opening accessed by a ledge. "I guess we'll have to figure a way to get to the top of the cliff so you can use your paraglider."
"Yes, we'll need to climb high. But what do you mean me? We're both going to the cave."
Zoe sucked a breath. "Davide, when you said I must go to the Cave of Thirteen with you, I didn't think I would actually enter the cave. I'm not a shapeling."
"Zoe, I couldn't imagine going in without you. And you might as well be a shapeling since you know so much about our species. You're not afraid to paraglide with me, are you?"
"Of course not."
"Okay, it's settled. We're going together."
"But how will we climb high enough, the cliff walls are sheer."
"I think we need to retrace our steps back to the forest and see if there's a way to the top of the ridge."
As Zoe gazed from the stone eagle's head to the dark cave, a wave of excitement rushed through her. Davide's heart's desire to meet the co-Princes would soon become reality.
By midafternoon, they'd exited the canyon and started trekking up the side of a pine covered mountain. Following his compass and glancing at his pedometer, Davide led them toward what he believed was the canyon rim. It was early evening when they broke through the trees and onto a wide ridge. Walking to the edge, he grinned. "I think we're near last night's campsite. It'll be dark soon, so let's camp here. Tomorrow, we'll backtrack the ridge just to make sure we're not past our destination."
Two hours later, lying under the stars again, Davide pulled Zoe close. "I've never seen so many stars," she said reverently.
"Look, there." He pointed toward a shooting star. "And there's another one." They watched the sky for several minutes, enjoying the solitude.
Curiosity led her to ask, "Did your father ever tell you where the shapeling race originated? Are they from another planet?"
Davide turned his head to face her. "When he was teaching me about shapelings, he said they didn't know their origin; only that they've been here for at least as long as humans. He said the Prayer of Respect is so ancient that it's attributed to the Unknown First One, and there are as many mysteries surrounding shapelings as mysteries surrounding humans. We may never know where we came from." He pointed to a bright star. "Maybe my origin is from that star cluster…" He pointed across the sky to another grouping, "…and yours is from that one."
Zoe laughed and joined the speculations. "Or maybe our origins are outside of this galaxy." She pointed north. "You're from a galaxy in that direction…" She pointed south, "…and I'm from a galaxy on the opposite side."
Davide continued the game. "Or perhaps we're not even from other galaxies, we're from other dimensions. You're from the eleventh dimension and I'm from the twelfth."
"Or you're from the backside of the sun and I'm from the backside of the moon."
For the next hour they enjoyed easy banter while lying side-by-side gazing at the cosmos spread breathtakingly above them. Finally, Zoe couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and feeling comfortable and warm in Davide's embrace, she forgot her worries and slept like a baby.
At dawn, she felt a tickle on her nose. She swiped at it. The tickle came back. When she heard a deep chuckle, she cracked her eyes to see Davide holding a leaf over her face.
Feigning sleep, she surprised him when she darted her hand up and grabbed it.
"Oh, that was good," he said.
She said smugly, "Yep, good things come in small packages."
Davide's expression turned serious. "They certainly do."
Embarrassed, she jumped out of her sleeping bag and went in search of her backpack. In a short time, they were trekking the ridge looking for a good liftoff point.
At a place where the ridge jutted over the canyon, Davide said, "I think this is a perfect spot."
Standing at the edge, they enjoyed the view of the ribbon of river below and the cliff walls across from them. A gust of wind blew tendrils of Zoe's hair across her forehead and she pushed them back into the band of her pony tail. She glanced at Davide. He looked like a god surveying his land. Or a Prince.
Kneeling on the ledge he removed his backpack and began unzipping it. Zoe helped whenever he asked her to do something, and as the paraglider began taking shape, her heart rate increased, but not from fear. She knew Davide was a skilled paraglider. The rapid beat was because he was so close to realizing his destiny as the Great Prince.
"It's almost ready," he said and glanced up at her from his squatting position.
She knelt beside him and touched her hand to his. "Soon, Davide, you will no longer have doubts about the calling on your life."
He covered her hand with his free one and stared into her eyes. Unexpectedly, he reached his palm around her neck and pulled her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Abruptly, he broke the kiss and stood. "Come on, Zoe, I need to get you harnessed to me."
Zoe followed his instructions and soon he had her positioned in front of him, with the sail ready for launch. Standing at the edge of the precipice they gazed in all directions. He tapped her helmet and pointed across the canyon. Perched on boulders, two magnificent eagles watched them. She turned to look at Davide and saw by his expression that he, too, believed the eagles were his parents. A beauteous smile lit his face and when she nodded, he gently nudged her forward and they stepped over the edge. The ocean breeze grabbed and lifted the sail of the paraglider and Zoe squealed her delight, while Davide shouted his.
The two eagles flapped their wings and flew in front of them. Expertly, Davide guided the paraglider through the canyon. From their vantage point they observed breathtaking forest and ocean views.
All too soon, Zoe saw the stone eagle's head and Davide maneuvered toward it. With the ease of an experienced paraglider he landed on the ledge below Mother Nature's sculpture. Gathering the sails, he quickly pulled them in and then unharnessed Zoe and himself. She pulled off her helmet, her eyes sparkling with the thrill of the adventure. "Davide, that was awesome!" Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for bringing me here!"
Davide wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet. "No, Zoe, thank you for sharing this with me."
After a long moment she backed away and shyly looked into his eyes, remembering his kiss. He held her gaze and then winked, before tending to his paraglider. Zoe moved to the cave's entrance and waited. Finally, he joined her and said with excitement, "Are you ready?"
"I…I think so. Are you?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." He held out his hand to her and she firmly placed her tiny palm in his, and together they entered the Cave of Thirteen to meet the ruling co-Princes of all shapelings. Inside the entrance they paused while their eyes adjusted to the dimness. Ahead of them a passage lit by the flickering light of torches beckoned them forward. Davide squeezed Zoe's hand and she glanced up at him enchanted by the flame of the torches reflected in his ocean eyes—fire and water living in harmony, neither destroying the other.
Rounding a bend in the passage they both stopped abruptly. Seated on various odd-sized stones were men and women of such beauty, Zoe couldn't release the breath she was holding. Perched on an end stone was Roth Beowolf. She had never seen him in his shapeling form. Forcing the air from her lungs, she whispered to Davide, "I had no idea!"
On the central stone, another shapeling of incredible beauty, older than Roth, said, "Finally, we meet." He paused and then an ethereal smile lit his countenance. "Davide, I am your great-grandfather."