Scorched Treachery (Imdalind, #3)(99)
“Everyone else in The Guard went over already,” said Billy’s girlfriend Celeste, walking over to give him a kiss. Celeste wasn’t Pinhold-born and bred but she’d accepted an internship with the Ocean Research Institute for the summer. I’d met her last year when she was interviewing for the position, and I’d come to love her quickly. “So, are you guys ready for this?” Celeste asked to Blake, Mica and me. We each nodded enthusiastically, and went down to the water. I’d waited sixteen years for this and didn’t want to wait a minute longer.
“I’m so curious, even though I know I shouldn’t be!” Celeste whispered in my ear, holding me back. I nodded because she was right.
“They don’t really appreciate curiosity,” I said, agreeing with her. Technically, The Guard was a surf rescue club. They existed in popular surfing spots around the world to supplement the beach lifeguards and they hosted surf carnivals. But here on Pinhold, they acted more like a fraternity, with ceremonies and rituals for members only. Since Celeste hadn’t been born on Island, or descended from of one of the original ten families who had landed here eons ago, she could never get in. Blake, Mica and I at least had a chance.
We all stripped down to swimsuits and passed Celeste our clothes to hold before getting on the old school multi-person raft. Billy paddled the distance to the other shore where the ceremony would take place on the little island that sat independent of the rest of Pinhold. It was a small sanctuary, protected by a tricky current and tons of heavy trees. It had broken off from the larger landmass with the eruption of an ancient volcano, or so the legend said. It was only about two hundred square feet, and only visible when the tide was low.
Tonight the water lapped gently when we pulled up. A combination of dark rocks and soft black sand edged the tiny land mass. I jumped from the wooden craft and ran through the shallow surf. Anticipation, adrenaline and the energy from the people waiting for us flowed through me and drew me in. I felt giddy with it.
Thirty lava stones swirled in a sacred spiral, with members of The Guard around them. Some held torches to provide fire and light, and others beat rhythms on the stone drums that each had a slightly different tone. The tapped tones and beats sounded like ocean waves, like the ancient conversation between sea and land.
I’d heard the drums from home over the years, but they never sounded like this before. It enveloped me, connecting me to the union of nature, time and the many who’d come here before me. I breathed in, savoring the connection, when Blake caught my eye. He smiled, and I knew he felt the same as I did.
His grandfather and my grandmother stood in the middle of the circle. Both were Elders on the island, revered for their wisdom, athletic prowess and lifelong commitment to The Guard. Both had competed professionally on the international Surf Carnival circuit. Since Blake’s grandfather was busy running the day-to-day events on Pinhold, my grandmother had taken charge of most of our training through the years. They were expecting great things from us in the upcoming lifeguarding sport competitions, but tonight’s ceremony was a spiritual one.
The single most important thing drilled into us year in and out was that those of us lucky enough to have homes on Pinhold had a responsibility to take care of the island and the ocean around us. Tonight’s ceremony was about renewing that commitment for the members of The Guard. But my friends and I would take the pledge for the first time.
Can’t we just skip to the party? Mica clicked, his intense, impatient feels disturbing me. His average emotional temperature always burned higher and dipped lower then mine, which meant that his feelings more frequently influenced us. But I wasn’t about to let that happen tonight.
Stop. Breathe. This is happening. Enjoy it, ok? I clicked back, attempting to share my happy calm.
Gram and Stoney, Blake’s grandfather, looked at those of us here for the first time with tremendous pride. Two sets of twins—me and Mica, and Andrew and Darwen—and one mismatched pair, Blake stood by Shayla because neither of their twins were there. Around us stood a combination of our relatives, the combined generations of The Guard who’d participated in training us for this competition since we were born.
“Welcome to First Night,” said Stoney in his rumbly voice that was so much like Blake’s. “If this is your first time here, please close your eyes. Listen, smell, taste, touch—feel the power of Pinhold. Do not rely simply on what your eyes can see. As potential members of The Guard, you must learn to read all the signs around you.”
Following orders, I concentrated on the shadows and flashes behind my eyelids. The pounding waves, jumping fish and crackling fire reverberated in different parts of my ear. Briny saltwater and honeysuckle hit my nose on a sudden wind that shivered with expectation.
“Tonight, you make the promise of those who’ve come before you—to protect the ocean from land, nature from man. On this First Night, we rededicate ourselves to an ancient covenant that is symbolized by this pin that represents the balance in our world. You may now open your eyes.”
As head lifeguard, Stoney had top authority on our Island. The Guard ran the town council, beach patrol and police force, so basically everything. A flash of silver showed through his long fingers that I recognized from years of stories about our Island’s name.As the drums began to pound, Stoney placed the pin on a central stone in front of him. Like all the rocks here, it had magnetic properties. The pin needed to stand at a right angle to the ocean, representing the pivotal balance between ocean and land, animal and man. When it did, our Island, our people and the ocean stayed healthy. When it tilted, disease and disaster soon would come.