I thought I'd let John tell you about himself. He writes "I'm a Washington-based journalist who freelances articles on film and TV for the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and my articles and reviews have also appeared in Filmfax magazine and Mystery Scene. I always aspired to write fiction, but only recently began writing stories. I've got a sci-fi short story on the Pulp and Dagger Website and a horror tale coming soon. Like E. Hoffman Price, I'm also an astrologer, with many articles on Astrology written for the StarIQ.com Web page. I may be spreading myself too thin, but you only go around once. Why not make the most of it?" Why not, indeed.

Tragon looked up from the map to his first mate. “It’s not on this one either. Shall we give it a name?”

The black man beside him rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. The gold earring in his right ear gleamed in the sunlight. “I don’t know, captain. Does it matter? Are names important?”

The uncharted island lay half a league off the starboard bow. A volcano rose beyond its lush jungle, a wisp of white smoke trailing into the clear blue sky.

They had sailed westward many days. Tragon knew the island lay not far from the central coast of the Land of Dark People. The arid desert country that was his first mate’s native land lay many more days to the north. Here the air was hot and humid. Tragon’s skin felt sticky, and his tunic clung wetly to his back and shoulders.

“Names are important, Yusef,” Tragon said. “When you name something, it's no longer part of the unknown. No longer something to be feared because it's unfamiliar.”

“What do you suggest?”

“It seems peaceful enough,” Tragon mused while he admired the coastline. “How about-“

He fell silent at the sudden appearance of someone on the beach at the jungle's edge. It was a young woman. A blue sarong was draped over her cinnamon skin. She turned quickly to look back into the trees, and her movement suggested fear.

From within the jungle came a harsh, echoing rumble that raised the hairs on the back of Tragon's neck. The girl turned and dashed across the sand. Then something immense broke through the trees, bellowing, and appeared on the beach.

Tragon blinked in disbelief. The beast’s body resembled that of an armadillo, only this creature was fully thirteen feet in length and five feet in height. It had a long neck and an even longer tail that swished back and forth in tight, vicious arcs. The beast bellowed and lumbered toward the girl.

Tragon glanced down to the rowers. “Double time! Get us in closer!”

He looked at his first mate and saw his thick fingers clutching the ship’s railing. Yusef leaned forward and watched the drama being played out on the beach. The girl sprinted, her long black hair flying behind her. She gained distance from the lumbering creature until she tripped over a piece of driftwood and tumbled onto the sand.

“The beast will kill her!” Yusef shouted.

“Row faster, dogs!” Tragon commanded.

Yusef ran to the mast, and snatched a long bow and a quiver of arrows that hung from a peg. He returned to Tragon’s side and fitted an arrow to the bow. The girl was struggling to her feet, but the beast was nearly on top of her. Tragon tore his eyes from her to see Yusef stretch the bow. He heard the string strain against the cedar wood, the “tung” as the arrow flew. It struck the creature in its side, piercing the armored hide. The beast let out a terrible shriek and spun to see what had struck it.

The rowers had the Orion close to the shore now, and Tragon saw the animal stretch its long neck, grab the arrow in its mouth, and pull it out. Almost immediately, Yusef launched a second shaft that landed close to where the first had struck.

Tragon marveled, as he always did, at the black man’s skill with the weapon.

The Orion's prow ran up on the sandy shore a few yards behind the animal. Yusef jumped over the side and ran toward it, pausing only to fire another arrow. It lodged in the creature's rib cage.

"Callas, Aldar, with me!" Tragon leapt down after his friend, the crewmen following. Yusef ran past the writhing animal and turned at a point halfway between it and the girl. The enraged creature bellowed once more and charged. Tragon felt sure it would trample his first mate. But Yusef stood his ground and fired another arrow, this one into the center of the beast’s forehead.

The creature froze in mid-step, blood gushing from its skull. It teetered slightly and then, with a final shriek, collapsed and lay still.

Yusef bent to help the girl to her feet. She looked up at him with frightened brown eyes.

Tragon saw why his mate was almost frozen the moment he looked up. The girl was beautiful. Perhaps eighteen, her silky black hair ran down dark shoulders to a trim waist. A necklace of gold hung across her indigo sarong.

“Are you alright?” Tragon asked.

The girl looked at him in confusion. She spoke some words to Yusef that he repeated, somewhat haltingly. It sounded familiar to Tragon, and with repetition he thought he gleaned meaning from the phrases, despite the odd pronunciation.

“She says she is alright,” Yusef said. “And she is grateful.”

“I understood,” Tragon said.

“Her language is similar to mine,” Yusef said. “An ancient form of Jadian.”

“I’ve learned enough of your language,” Tragon said, “that I think I can converse with her. Let’s see if she understands me.”

In a pidgin Jadian, he asked her name. Her eyes widened in surprise and she smiled.

“My name is Oonama.” She had a soft lilting voice. "I am princess of the Kagoroa people.”

“Where is your village?” Tragon asked.

“There is a trail through the jungle.” She shook her head doubtfully. “But we can not go there. There is much trouble. I have run away to escape the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon and Daigoro.”

She looked back at the jungle and trembled.

“She is very frightened, captain,” Yusef said.

Tragon looked at his first mate and saw how intently he gazed at the jungle princess. He’d known Yusef Ali Ahmed Nazir, desert warrior turned first mate of the Orion, for some time—since that day three summers ago, when the Jadian had saved his life in a Xalerian alley, and vowed to serve henceforth as his guardian and protector. He knew him to be a man of solitary habits, not given to wenching or any of the other passions common to men of the sea. He’d never before seen Yusef look at a woman the way he looked at this one.

“Daigoro has gone mad,” Oonama said. “He killed my father and the man I was to marry. He intended to sacrifice me to the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon tonight, during the dark of the moon. I cannot return home. There is nothing left for me there now. Nothing but death.”

It was late afternoon. The girl sat across the table from Tragon and Yusef in Tragon's cabin. Wine and food sat untouched before her as she told her story.

“Slow down,” Tragon said. “Start at the beginning. Who is Daigoro? What is this Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon, or whatever you call it?”

“Daigoro is the Lol-Noi of our village,” she said, tossing her silky black hair back from her shoulders. “The high priest of Gorkala, the Thunder God. He is a man of great power. He has the power to call Gorkala’s servant, the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon, down from the mountain - the devil bird that comes during the Black Moon to feast on the Chosen One. Daigoro says the sacrifice appeases Gorkala’s anger and is all that prevents him from destroying our village. Daigoro says if not for his intervention, and his magic, the people of Kagoroa would long since have ceased to exist.”

“You said this Daigoro killed your father?” Yusef asked.

“My father was a good man. A wise man. King of our village. Daigoro hated him because he did not believe what Daigoro said. My father did not believe in Daigoro’s magic. One day my father said the people of Kagoroa should kill the devil bird. He said we should stop living in fear of the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon and Daigoro. Daigoro screamed and cursed at my father. He put a spell on him and said that in two days he would be dead. And in two days he was dead.”

Her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears and her grief made her unable to speak. Yusef handed her a linen napkin and she dabbed at her eyes.

“How did he die?” Tragon asked.

“One night after supper, he suddenly clutched at his stomach and fell over in pain. He fell into a fever and by dawn he was dead. It was a terrible death of agony.”

“Sounds as if he were poisoned,” Yusef said.

“I believe he was,” Oonama said. “Daigoro claimed it was the power of his curse that killed him. But that evil monster carries many strange potions and elixirs in his bag. I believe he snuck something into my father’s food.”

“You said the high priest also killed the man you were to marry?” Yusef prompted.

“Yes. After my father died, Daigoro came to my home many times. Always on some pretext or other. But I could see the way he looked at me. I could feel the way he wanted me. When Wazimi came around, Daigoro would get angry. Wazimi was a sweet boy. Gentle, kind and strong. One night Daigoro came to see me with presents. He said I should be his woman. Wazimi came in. There was a terrible fight. Daigoro cursed him as he did my father. The next day, Wazimi was found in the jungle. They said a leopard had killed him. His body was torn in shreds. But I know it was not a leopard that killed Wazimi. It was Daigoro."

Her eyes narrowed. “When they brought Wazimi’s body in from the jungle, I told the people what I suspected. I told them Daigoro was not a man of magic. He did not speak for Gorkala. That my father was right and we should no longer live in fear. Then Daigoro went mad. He ordered me taken to the Sacred Pyramid and held for sacrifice to Gorkala. I was to be the Chosen One for this Black Moon.”

“A jealous man’s revenge,” Yusef muttered.

“I escaped this morning. I didn’t know where I would go. I just had to get away.”

Tragon grunted. “That’s not the first time I’ve heard of a man claiming divine powers to achieve his ends.”

“I say we pay this Daigoro a visit,” Yusef said. “Maybe we can teach him a lesson.”

“No!” Oonama said. “He has turned my people against me. You would not face just him. The people are too afraid to defy him now. Better to never return.”

She looked at Yusef imploringly. “He is evil and he knows how to destroy,” she said. She put her hand on Yusef’s forearm. “You have saved my life, and I am grateful. I would not see any harm come to you. Better to turn your ship and leave here. If you want to help me, take me with you.”

Tragon saw the intensity of the gaze Oonama and his first mate shared.

“Oonama,” he said, “this is your home. Would you leave it and your people in the grip of a man like Daigoro? Would your father have smiled on such a deed?”

The girl’s eyes glistened and faltered. “But what can I do?”

“If you’re willing, we can take you back to your village tomorrow and try to help you get back your birthright. Your people need you. If you stand up to Daigoro, they’ll see him for what he is.”

“You make it sound easy,” she said, “because you do not know. I tried to make the people see what he had done to the two men I loved. But they are blind. They would not see.”

“It may take a little persuasion,” Yusef said, a dark fire now glowing in his eyes. “That’s where we come in.”

The girl bowed her head. “There is something else.”

“What?” Yusef asked.

“I told the people I did not believe in Daigoro’s magic. But there is a part of me that is not so sure. I have seen things. Things I do not understand. Perhaps I am wrong. If so, we would be doomed to failure.”

“It’s all trickery,” Yusef said. “I’ve seen that kind of magic before.”

Oonama looked into Yusef’s eyes and seemed to draw strength from them.

“Perhaps you are right,” she said. “It is wrong of me to abandon my people. If you are willing to help me, perhaps we can succeed. Someone must lead my people out of the dark ways.”

Tragon sat on the railing by the ship’s bow, running a whetstone along the blade of his sword. It was twilight, and streaks of purple and orange colored the sky over the island. Exotic birds called from the darkening jungle. The intense heat of the day had begun to subside, but the humidity was still thick. Tragon held the blade up for a moment, and the glow of the dying sun glinted off the highly-polished steel. Yusef came on deck.

“She’s resting now,” he said.

Tragon could see a change had come over Yusef. Tragon put the whetstone down and sheathed his sword.

“She’s something, isn’t she, captain?” Yusef asked quietly.

“She’s very beautiful.”

“It’s more than that,” the first mate said. “There’s something else. Even though she comes from a simple world, she’s intelligent. She doesn’t believe what everyone else on her island believes.”

“That’s what’s gotten her into trouble.”

“Isn’t it always so? Are not the doubters always targeted?”

“I suppose so, Yusef.”

“Captain,” Yusef said, “Since the day King Caldec put a price on our heads, we’ve wandered the seas, fleeing our pursuers. But at the same time, we’ve been looking for something. A new home. Maybe this could be my place.”

Tragon smiled. “I can see what the attraction is."

“In all my travels, never have I met someone like Oonama. From the moment I saw her I felt something happen inside me. She said she felt the same thing.”

Yusef looked at him intently. “We have sailed together now many moons,” he said. “Shared many adventures. According to the beliefs of my people, the day I saved your life in Xaleria, I became responsible for it, and vowed to safeguard it. I have no choice now but to ask you to release me from that promise. I will be sad to see you sail away, my friend, but if Oonama will have me, I will stay with her.”

Tragon was stunned.

“I’ve never seen you this way,” he said. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything. One searches the world for his destiny, and I have found mine.”

Tragon could see the deep conviction in Yusef’s eyes.

“Then you have my blessing, though it will be a hard parting,” Tragon said. “And I wish you and your new found love luck. But before that, we will have to deal with this evil witch doctor.”

Yusef’s face darkened. “We will deal with him,” he said. The steel of his blade sang out as he freed his sword from the scabbard. The last flicker of the orange sun flashed on the steel.

That night, after they’d eaten, Tragon posted sentries on deck and on the beach. Oonama warned him that Daigoro would come to make good his threat to sacrifice her. Tragon gave her his cabin to sleep in; he set up a tent on deck where he and Yusef could sleep. The other crew slept either on the beach or in hammocks down in the hold.

Tragon slept soundly for several hours, but in the middle of the night something awakened him. He opened his eyes to find a strange mist all around him. The air was filled with a sickly sweet fragrance. Through the open flap of the tent he could see the moon rising over the volcano. Then a shadow moved next to him.

He looked up and saw a tall, well-built black man standing over him. A leopard’s head was perched on top of his own. The cat’s skin draped across his shoulders, and he wore the leopard’s clawed paws like gloves. The man wore a black loincloth, and carried a long stick with a cobra carved at the top. A leather bag hung from a strap across his chest. He bent down toward Tragon, and the moonlight lit a cunning smile. Tragon knew he was looking into the face of Daigoro.

He saw two dark shadows steal across the deck and go down the hatch toward his cabin. What had happened to his sentries? How did the witch doctor and his men get on board? He tried to call to Yusef, but found he could only move his mouth and tongue very slowly; he was unable to make any sound. Then he saw Daigoro reach into the leather bag. The hand came out and swung in an arc over him. A cloud of sparkling dust billowed, and the sickening fragrance was suddenly stronger, cloying at his throat.

The witch doctor smiled down at him evilly and turned as the two shadows came up from the hatch, with Oonama in their grasp. Tragon saw the girl struggle, and then was aware that Yusef had awakened beside him. The black man sat up and reached out a hand as if in slow motion.

The witch doctor joined the two men who had the girl. He showered her with the sparkling dust and the girl ceased resisting. Tragon struggled to his feet, and tried to run after them. He heard Yusef hollering incoherently. The deck of the Orion suddenly seemed ten leagues long. Every step was a mighty effort. Tragon felt he was running uphill in a dream.

Silent as the darkness, the three men went over the side with the girl. When Tragon finally reached the port rail, he looked out over the moonlit beach and the jungle and saw no one.

Oonama and her kidnappers had vanished.

“At least the witch doctor’s dust didn't slow us for long,” Tragon said, splashing water from the rain barrel on his face. Yusef threw fresh water on himself.

Tragon felt his normal strength returning. Out on the beach, his crewmen were diving into the waves that lapped ashore, to wash themselves of the mind-altering powder.

"It smells like the Sleeping Witch plant, which has similar effects,” Yusef said. He dipped his head in the barrel and lifted it out, water streaming down his face.

From deep in the jungle came the sound of drums. Tragon saw that the eastern edge of the full moon was beginning to disappear. The Black of the Moon had begun and, if he surmised correctly, the people of Kagoroa had started the ritual sacrifice to the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon. Tragon strapped on his sword, while Yusef slung his quiver over his shoulder and grabbed the longbow hanging from the mast.

“They can’t be too far ahead,” Tragon said. “Don’t worry. We’ll get her back.”

He turned to the crew now assembled on the deck. “I want ten men,” he said. “The rest of you wait here. If we’re not back by dawn, come looking for us.”

Minutes later they marched single-file through dank jungle, following the abductors’ trail. The path twisted through dense foliage. The air was more humid in the jungle’s interior. The smell of thick, rotting vegetation filled Tragon’s nostrils. Drops of moisture fell from big dark leaves, catching fragments of the failing moonlight that filtered down through the misty trees.

The drumming and the sound of primitive wind instruments grew louder as they approached Oonama’s village. They came to a clearing finally and Tragon signaled for a halt. They crouched in the vegetation.

Ahead, Tragon saw a small village, made up of about twenty-five dome-shaped buildings that formed a broad circle along the perimeter of the clearing. The buildings seemed to be made of some form of clay. In the middle of the clearing , the people of Kagoroa danced wildly around a stone pyramid that stood about thirty feet high. The top of the pyramid was flat, and a small squat altar rose from its center. Tragon saw Daigoro climbing stone steps toward the pyramid's height. Oonama lay limply in his arms, apparently still under the influence of the Sleeping Witch powder.

Daigoro reached the top of the stairs, walked across the flat surface and placed Oonama on the altar. He fastened leather thongs on the girl’s wrists and ankles, then raised his head and hands to the moon. The crowd below ceased their celebration and became silent. Tragon saw that at least one quarter of the silver moon was now black.

Tragon reckoned there were close to two hundred people assembled around the high altar, at least half of them men armed with spears and knives. He’d brought ten men, and there were only fifteen more back on the Orion. He could send back for them, but still would be vastly outnumbered. It was a situation that called more for brains than brawn.

The silence of the night was suddenly broken by a voice that seemed to come from the rotted throat of one long dead and buried.

“People of Kagoroa,” Daigoro called out. “Hear me speak! Many changes have occurred. Our king was taken from us, young Wazimi was found dead in the jungle, and a strange madness seized Oonama, the king’s daughter, causing her to say evil things of your High Priest. It is as if a curse has been put on the Kagoroa people.”

Tragon was distracted when he saw Yusef fit an arrow to his bow. He grabbed his first mate’s arm.

“Wait,” he said.

“Let me kill him. I’ve heard enough.”

“Hold steady.”

“People of Kagoroa,” Daigoro continued, “what has befallen has been the will of the mountain god Gorkala. Gorkala has watched us, my people, and he has been displeased. He watched Lomara rule as our king, and did not like what he saw. Now he demands that we make amends. Look!”

He pointed up at the eclipsing moon with his cobra stick.

“He takes the queen of the night from us, and it is time we make offering to Gorkala’s servant, the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon. He will come and feast on our offering of Oonama, and remove from our people the last trace of the blood of Lomara and his tribe. I have been your leader in things of the spirit. But it is the will of Gorkala that I, Daigoro, become your leader in all things. He wishes me to be your priest-king. Will you obey the will of Gorkala? What say you, my people?”

The witch doctor's chicanery made Tragon’s blood boil. He could see Yusef ready to spring into action. If they were going to rescue the girl, there was only one way. He stepped into the clearing.

“I say that Daigoro is a teller of lies,” he shouted, “and is not fit to lead a pack of dogs!”

A clamor rose among the Kagoroa as Tragon approached them. Yusef walked at his side and the rest of the men followed.

“Who dares speak thus to Daigoro!” The witch doctor's eyes burned with fury. “Kill them!”

Tragon saw a man preparing to throw a spear, but an arrow shot out suddenly from Yusef’s bow and struck the shaft of the spear, knocking it from the man’s hands. The crowd gasped in awe at the speed and accuracy of the shot.

“Daigoro is a fake,” Tragon shouted. “He needs you, people of Kagoroa, to do his killing for him. He uses the powder of the Sleeping Witch plant to work his so-called magic. All he has told you are lies.”

“Kill them, kill these strangers!” Daigoro screamed in rage. “They are the ones who tried to take Oonama away. They are the ones who wanted to deprive the Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon of his prize tonight. They would offend Gorkala and bring down his mighty wrath on us!"

Confusion and fear froze the villagers. Tragon and his men walked through the crowd of stunned people and made their way toward the altar. The men and women stood silently, their eyes suspicious, their weapons ready. Tragon knew one false step would mean their doom.

“I say that Daigoro has no magic,” Tragon said. He reached the bottom of the steps and started up, with Yusef behind him. “Only tricks. Tricks he uses to fool the people of Kagoroa. Oonama told us her story. About the curse Daigoro put on her father and the man she loved. But they did not die from magic. Daigoro killed them.”

Tragon and Yusef reached the top of the pyramid and looked across the altar at the witch doctor. Oonama lay on the marble altar slab, her eyes half-closed. She moved restlessly.

“Examine the claws on the leopard skin he wears,” Tragon said. “They killed Wazimi. And search in Daigoro’s bag - there you will find the poison he fed to Lomara.”

Now the Kagoroas looked up at the witch doctor, and raised their voices in question.

“Silence!” Daigoro commanded, raising his cane. The crowd hushed. He glared at Tragon with eyes full of hate. “Who are you, strangers?”

“I am Tragon of Ramura and this is Yusef Ali Ahmed Nazir, men who do not believe in your magic, evil one.”

Daigoro’s eyes ran over them and his lips twisted in a grim smile.

“You say Daigoro has no magic,” he said. “That he tells lies. But it is you who lie. For if I have no magic, how is it then that at this moment, in this very place, I can summon Gorkala’s servant, Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon? Behold!”

The witch doctor raised his serpent-shaped stick. Tragon looked up and saw that the moon was now in total shadow and the night was suffused with a strange gray light. Then even the shadow of the dark moon was suddenly blotted out. Tragon felt a chill down his spine as he heard the sound of large wings flapping overhead. He felt the wind they made as a huge flying thing suddenly hovered over the altar, blocking the eclipsed moon from his view.

“The Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon!” Daigoro screamed. “Kill them! Kill the unbelievers. Feed their bones to Gorkala so that the people shall know the truth of my magic!”

Tragon had never seen anything like the monstrosity above him. Leathery wings with a span of at least thirty feet beat the air. A long narrow beak snapped loudly. Flaming red eyes glared at him. Tragon pulled his sword from it sheath.

“Free the girl,” he told Yusef. The Jadian ran to Oonama, but Daigoro leapt in his way and brandished his serpent staff. Fury propelled Yusef. His shoulder jarred the witch doctor, the charge toppling Daigoro down the steps. Then Yusef slashed the thongs binding Oonama's wrists and ankles. The girl opened her eyes and rose sluggishly.

Tragon swung his sword at the sky creature's legs and taloned feet. The long narrow beak darted and pecked at him. The red eyes glowed as the monster swooped and hovered over the altar, attempting to grab him with beak and claw. Fierce cries that might have come from a giant crow shredded Tragon’s ears.

Then Tragon heard Yusef's bow twang and an arrow struck the flying reptile in its neck. The monster shrieked in pain and landed on top of the pyramid. Tragon stepped in and thrust his sword in the thing’s chest. The Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon flapped its wings, and pounced on him. Razor-sharp talons dug into Tragon’s shoulders and he felt himself being lifted into the air. He stabbed upward, but could not reach the creature’s breast. He hacked at its leg again, and saw two more arrows strike the creature in the chest. It screamed in rage. Tragon saw the ground receding still further below him as the monster tried to fly away. But Yusef’s arrows were having their effect. The flying horror suddenly faltered and then plummeted to the ground.

Tragon rolled free, avoiding the sharp beak that snapped at him. He ran in with his sword and plunged it deep into the creature’s heart. With a final shriek the monster’s head dropped on the ground and it lay still. The Lai-Lai Thal Zhoon was dead.

Tragon's crew gathered around him at the base of his pyramid. He gathered his breath while the Kagoroas stood in fear and awe.

“You see,” Tragon said. “No magic. Only a flying creature that could be killed. Daigoro has used fear and superstition to rule you, to make you obey his will. There is nothing to fear.”

“Do not listen, my people,” Daigoro said, regaining the top of the pyramid. “This blasphemer brings only destruction for himself and those who heed his words. Obey the will of Gorkala and kill these strangers - or the god of the fire mountain will destroy us all!”

“More empty words,” Tragon said.

“My words have power,” Daigoro said. “Witness the power of Daigoro!”

The witch doctor threw his stick at Tragon. As it flew, the carved serpent head came alive. Venom-dripping fangs sought Tragon’s throat. The sight made Tragon’s hair stand on end, but he moved instinctively. When the cobra’s fangs were nearly on him, he swung his sword and decapitated the hissing serpent. The snapping jaws lay at his feet in the dirt. Its body writhed blindly nearby.

Daigoro pulled the knife that hung at his side and lunged at Oonama. Yusef sprang in front of her, grabbed the witch doctor's wrist, and twisted it.

“Enough of you, witch doctor,” Yusef said, twisting the wrist until Daigoro was forced down on his knees. Yusef forced the blade toward the priest’s chest. The witch doctor glared up at him.

“Kill me, and all Kagoroa dies with me,” he said through gritted teeth. “Gorkala will awaken the Mountain of Fire.”

Then Yusef saw steel flash as Daigoro’s other hand came up with a smaller dagger. Before the blade could strike, Yusef thrust the knife into the man’s chest. The witch doctor collapsed.

Tragon looked at the people of Kagoroa, who stared in confusion. He knew it was a turning point for the people of this island, who had lived so long in fear and darkness.

Atop the pyramid, Yusef strode forward with Oonama by his side. Above them the light of the moon returned, its pale silvery beams shining down. The Black of the Moon was ending. Oonama raised her hands to the crowd.

“People of Kagoroa,” she said. “The words of the strangers are true. Daigoro was an evil man. He killed my father and Wazimi, and everything he did was for his own selfish reasons. We no longer have to live by his lies. We are free to live as we wish now. Thanks to these men.”

“Brothers and sisters of Kagoroa,” Yusef said. “Here before you is Oonama, the true and rightful ruler of this beautiful island. Take her back in your hearts and let her wisdom guide you to a brighter future.”

There was a silence for one tense moment. Then someone shouted. “Hail Oonama! Hail Queen!”

Oonama looked up at Yusef in the waxing moonlight as the people of Kagoroa shouted and danced again.

“We have known each other not even a day,” she said. “But I feel I have known you a lifetime.”

Yusef looked down at the beautiful cinnamon girl. But before he could speak a deafening explosion and bright light lit the night. A huge ball of fire shot into the sky from the volcano, and a dark cloud of ash billowed out. At the volcano's height they saw the red glow of lava.

“Gorkala!” a man in the crowd screamed. “It is as Daigoro said - Gorkala has awakened the Mountain of Fire!”

There was another explosion. A red fireball tore through the air and into the jungle nearby. A red glow grew in the darkness of the forest.

“Now we will all die!” the man in the crowd shouted. The ground shook. A third fireball thundered from the mountain and smashed into the side of the pyramid. Sparks and flames showered over the crowd. Small fires began to eat the nearby huts.

“No,” Oonama shouted. “This is not Daigoro’s doing.”

“It is her fault,” another in the crowd shouted as the ground shook beneath their feet. “Oonama brought this on us! She dared challenge the will of Daigoro. Now we will all pay!”

The crowd screamed as the earth moved.

“She must die,” someone shouted. “Kill her!”

“My people!” Oonama shouted. “Please listen -”

From the midst of the crowd a spear flew upward. Oonama’s body jerked. She cried out in pain and collapsed, her slender fingers clutching at the shaft that protruded between her breasts.

“Oonama!” Yusef shouted. He knelt and clasped her tightly in his arms.

She looked up at him as if from a far distance. “For a moment there was hope,” she whispered, “but it was not to be. It was as I feared. Daigoro’s magic was too strong.”

“No!” Yusef cried.

“Hold me-”

Her head fell back.

Yusef stared at her, then rose to glare down at the mob, searching for the man who had thrown the spear. Suddenly another explosion launched a fourth ball of fire. It arced across the black sky and smashed into the crowd, creating a human inferno of twisted, screaming bodies. Some of the villagers died instantly, some burned and the rest ran in screaming panic. Flame and cinders filled the air.

Yusef stood, seemingly unable to move. Tragon looked down and saw the people of Kagoroa running as the ground shook and red sparks flew like fireflies all around them. Their homes were burning and they had become like frightened, savage animals. Babies and small children were trampled as adults ran for their lives, screaming prayers to Gorkala. He looked over at his grief-stricken first mate and at the dead princess at his feet.

“I’m sorry, my brother,” he said “There’s nothing we can do for her now. Hurry. It’s too late to save this place. We must get to the ship and save ourselves.”

Yusef looked at him. The volcano's crimson light reflected in his glistening eyes. “He told me that if I killed him all Kagoroa would die with him. Did he call this down? Were we wrong?”

Tragon saw the bright red lava pour over the rim of the volcano. It would soon overrun the jungle and bury the village. The whole island of Kagoroa might well crumble and fall into the dark sea. For a moment he wondered. Had Daigoro brought this on?

“It’s a coincidence, Yusef,” he shouted over the rising din of terror below. He tried to shut off the icy sensation of fear that had begun to gnaw at his reason. “That’s all. Just a coincidence. What else could it be?”