wrath of the Sea Queen (16 page)

"
I suppose I might as well accept it.  After all, it's too late to back out now.  I
a
m glad you
a
re coming with me.  I would hate to spend the week alone, and I could
n
o
t bring myself to impose on Ben
.  H
e doesn
'
t care for the beach
any more than Vin does
.  You know
,
I cannot remember the last time I actually got to take the time to stop and
relax on
a vacation.
"

"
Never fear,
"
C
a
eli replied humorously
.

"
Tour guide C
a
eli
, at your service
.  I will make sure all the cheesy tourist shops know you by name before th
e end of the
week.  The
re
will
be
a special spot reserved for you on the most pristine stretch of beach every day. 
If either of us
return
s
home without a tan or
s
unburn
then I will have failed you."

Both ladies laughed, their good moods helping to ease Salma's tension about her recently developed fear of flying.  C
a
eli
returned
the magazine to Salma.  As she was placing it in her bag, a voice came over the loud speaker announcing the commencement of boarding for their flight.  They collected their bags and lined up with the other passengers.  Each was ushered through the t
icket line
without incident. 

"Oh, Aunt Salma,
don't let me
forget
.  I
need to ask a favor of you," C
a
eli said with a grin.

"What do you need?"

"I
wi
ll tell you as soon as we get seated."

As they were walking down the jetway toward the plane, Salma was mildly vexed by a rude
,
young man who bumped against her, causing her to miss a
few
step
s
before regaining her footing.  He continued at a trot without even acknowledging the encounter.  But, again,
the incident
was quickly forgotten as the ladies made their way to two first class seats, paid
for by the awards committee
sponsoring Salma's trip. 
C
a
eli didn't think that Salma realized it was the same
rude
redhead as before.

There were no departure delays and
,
within fifteen minutes of boarding, the
large
plane taxied and t
ook
off.  They were finally on their way.  It was going to be a l
engthy
trip, approximately ten hours
in total
.  T
wo of
those hours
would be spent as a layover in Honolulu before
catching a smaller, connecting
flight
that
would carry the
m the
remaining distance
to Hilo, their
tropical
destination.

CHAPTER 6

The plane
was
aloft no more than
twenty
minutes when they hit the first pocket of turbulence. 
The fasten seatbelts light was still on, so nobody was moving
about
. 
The air currents were
strong enough to jostle all the passengers
'
belongings and tray top items
.  T
he plane bounce
d
roughly
for
several
minutes before a final thud near the middle of the plane
was the dramatic finish to the show
.  T
he flight smoothed out, and the tension among the passengers dissipated
.

"
Ladies and Gentleman, this is your Captain.  It seems we
ha
ve reached the end of that little pocket of unexpected turbulence, and no further
disturbance
is
anticipated
.  Radar looks clear for the next several hours
.  P
lease
note that the fasten seatbelts light has been turned off, and you should
feel free to
move
about the cabin. 
Flight a
ttendants will be coming by soon with
breakfast
service.  Please enjoy your flight on Enchanted Air.
"

"
Salma, you can let go of the seat now.  The turbulence is over.  We've flown out of it,
"
C
a
eli
told Salma using their
silent
,
mental communication.

It
was
best described as a form
of
telepathy
, but that would not do it justice.  It was more than that.  It was a connection, an almost physical
,
yet imperceptible
,
link between two people.  Using this link
was a talent developed, in varying degrees, by
members of
two special bloodlines. 
Salma and
C
a
eli's
family happened to be one
of those lines
, and coincidentally, Vin was from the other. 
Th
erefore, this
form of communication
had
bec
o
me
a
very handy skill for the three of them over the
l
ast six months.
  They
continually
explored new and stronger uses for
it
.  Talking silently
to each other
seemed
almost
second nature
to them
now
.
  They had even
recently been attempting to allow Ben to participate, though he did not possess the gift himself.

Salma
was still sitting stiff
ly, pressed tightly against
the back of the seat and clinging to the armrests for support.  C
a
eli placed her hand on one of Salma's and eased it off the divider
between them
, holding it in her own
. 
Salma was finally able to release her tension and
relax
herself into a normal sitting position.

"
Thanks,
Dear
.  I know it seems silly to be frightened by a little bumpy air
.  E
ver since that incident on the ridge when Vin
lifted
Ben and I
out of
harm's
way, I
ha
ve had
a strong aversion to flight of any kind.  Quite frankly, strong winds even make me nervous,
"
Salma answered
in the same unvoiced m
anner
.

"
That's understandable.  After what you went through, it
i
s perfectly natural to develop such feelings. 
T
ry not to think about it.  Besides, the pilot said it should be smooth
flying
from here
.
"

C
a
eli glanced down and noticed a red line on Salma's
left
arm,
about an inch
above her
bare
elbow. 

"
Salma, you're bleeding.  Did you hit your arm on something?
"
  The
mild
concern on C
a
eli's face was the only indication the other passengers
might notice
.  None of them could overhear the
ir
conversation.

"
Not that I remember.  Oh wait, that young man in the jetway.  When he bumped
into
me, I felt a sting
o
n my arm.  He must have had a buckle or something on his luggage that snagged my arm.  It's
only
a scratch.  I
wi
ll be fine.
"
  Salma
quietly responded as she
retrieved an alcohol wipe from her bag
.  She
cleaned the thin red
cut
to ensure that it would not get infected.  Afterward, she
put it out of her mind.

"
Well then,
let's talk about something more interesting.  T
ell me how married life is treating you. 
You seem quite happy. 
Have you
and Ben
found any outdoor activities to enjoy yet?
"
  C
a
eli asked
verbally
this time.