Page 63 of Maliea's Hero

The elder motioned for Reid and Maliea to climb aboard.

Once they were in the canoe and seated, he pushed the canoe out into the water and stepped over the side, settling onto the front seat.

He and the man at the other end of the canoe lifted their paddles and dug into the water, sending the canoe skimming through the water.

For an older man, he was in good shape and didn’t seem to struggle at all with the effort to propel the boat.

They followed the coastline for several minutes until they came to a point where waves crashed against the rocks just below the surface.

“The storm forced the pirate ship into the rocks here,” the elder said, pointing to the jagged rocks.

Maliea relayed the information to Reid.

The men paddling the canoe swung wide of the dangerous rocks and found a gap between giant slabs. Timing with the waves, they waited a moment and then sent the canoe through to a calmer pool on the other side and in front of what appeared to be a sheer rock cliff.

They ran the canoe up against a flat table rock a foot above the water’s edge.

The elder stepped out of the canoe and held out a hand to Maliea.

She took the hand and scrambled out of the canoe onto the rock ledge.

Reid stepped out of the canoe beside her.

Between the two Hawaiian men, they dragged the canoe up onto the rock ledge and secured it with a knotted line wedged into a crevice.

The elder pointed to the rock cliff. “We swim,” he said in his language and motioned with his hand, indicating they would go beneath the surface and come back up.

Maliea stared at the rock cliff, her pulse kicking into high gear. “Is the cave entrance underwater?” she asked.

The elder nodded.

“What’s he saying,” Reid asked.

Maliea told him.

“I’m not sure I like this,” Reid said. “How good are you at swimming and holding your breath?”

She stared at the dark water. “I learned to swim as a baby. Because we live on an island, my mother and father insisted I be a competent swimmer. I also learned to surf. But I’ve been so busy trying to make a living, I haven’t been in the water for a while.”

“Then stay here,” Reid said. “I’ll go with them and check it out.”

Maliea shook her head. “No. It’s okay. If our guide can do this, I should be fine.” She nodded toward the elder and told him she was ready.

His partner slipped into the water, took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface.

Maliea watched his body move through the water until it disappeared.

The elder pointed to Maliea and then back at himself, indicating she should go with him.

Maliea nodded, shared a glance with Reid and slipped into the water beside the elder.

As he drew in a breath, so did Maliea.

Then he ducked beneath the surface.

Maliea did the same, swimming hard, determined to remain abreast of him and hoping Reid was right behind them.

The elder came to a place where the water was bluer, almost iridescent, lighting their way through an opening in the rock wall. Here, the seafloor was sandy, reflecting sunlight from somewhere.