Volanta

Volanta was even more amazing than Roland made it seem in the Barty Brave books. It was like the place had simply grown out of the jungle itself rather than being built by the Volantians. The earth and plants seemed to want to protect the city and its people; everything flourished but none of it was overgrown and none of the poisonous sorts of plants Pippa and Oliver had encountered during their trek grew close to Volanta.

People watched Pippa and Oliver curiously as Rena led them through the city. Children ventured out of their homes and followed after them, whispering excitedly in their native language. One little girl boldly came closer to their little trip than the others, reaching up and touching Pippa's hair before scurrying away to join the other children. Rena scolded them in Volantian but she seemed more amused than annoyed.

"They dared her to touch your hair," she explained to Pippa. "They wanted to know if it would burn them."

"I never thought my hair would garner so much attention," Pippa laughed.

"This place is extraordinary," Oliver said, looking around with a marveled expression on his face. "How do you all stay so youthful? If Queen Nthuri really was queen when the book on your people was written, then she has to be at least a hundred years old."

"Actually, our queen is three hundred and eighty-two," Rena said, as if this were not shocking news. Pippa and Oliver both gaped at her, wide-eyed.

"How is that possible?" Pippa asked.

"I suppose you would call it the Heart in your tongue. It's the force that sustains the life on this island. It's what gives the water its healing properties, and keeps us strong and vital. It is why our people exist. It is in the island, but also in all of us."

"Well now that is a heartwarming tale is ever there was one."

The three of them turned at the new voice, and Pippa saw that the Volantian scouts had returned to the city, with their crew in tow. Peter was the one who had spoken, and his eyebrows raised when he spotted Pippa.

"By God, and just when I thought pretty Pippa couldn't get any prettier." Despite the spear tip pressing against his back Peter still flashed her a charming grin. Pippa felt Rena place a hand almost protectively on her arm, eyes narrowed at Peter.

"I'm impressed with you, Doctor," Peter said. "Strolling about town with two beauties such as this. I'm half certain I must be hallucinating."

Oliver stiffened and glared at Peter while Rena sneered slightly. Pippa started to reach for Oliver to try and calm him down but then let her hand fall back to her side. He had asked her to keep their feelings a secret from the crew and so she resisted the urge to take his hand.

"I'm glad to see you two are all right," Captain Sorenson said. "When we were captured by this lot I feared the worst."

"We're fine, and you will be too," Pippa said reassuringly.

"Maybe once these fine fellows here are some jabbing at us with their quaint spears you can fill me on how you came to be here, lovely Pippa?"

"I...yes, I suppose that would be fine," Pippa said uncertainly. He winked at her as the scowling scouts ushered the crew away. Rena huffed.

"I don't care for that man," she declared. "He reminds me of a snake."

"Well that's something we can agree on then," Oliver grumbled. Rena showed them more of the city, and when they returned to the white fortress they were brought again to the dining hall, where they found the captain and the rest of the crew already sitting at the table. Most of them looked nervous, but Peter seemed jovial as ever. Oliver just gave him a sour look and sat down. It seemed the crew would be joining Oliver in the lower levels, in much smaller rooms than the one Pippa had been given. She felt a little guilty when she thought of the huge, luxurious canopy bed she'd been sleeping in when poor Oliver and the others had a mat on the stone floor.

Peter was quick to sidle up to her after dinner, planting a kiss on her hand. The Volantians eyed him as they filed out, seeming wary and perplexed as they took in his little show. Rena and Oliver gave him dark looks outright, but Peter didn't seem to notice. Or else didn't care.

"Won't you walk with me for a while?" he asked Pippa hopefully.

"All right," Pippa sighed. She shot Oliver an apologetic look before Peter pulled her from the room, linking his arm with hers. The next several days went the same way; Peter hovered as nearby her as he could, usually managing to insert himself into their jaunts in the city when Rena took Oliver and Pippa out. He seemed just as fascinated by Volantian culture as they were, though Pippa was pretty sure he mostly came so that he could try and impress her. She could tell Rena and Oliver both loathed having him along, and Rena tried to get sneakier about getting them out of the fortress before Peter found them.

Pippa wasn't sure what to make of it all, but she rarely got a moment alone with Oliver so she hadn't been able to talk to him about it. She was hesitant to mention Peter around him anyway, since it was so clear that Oliver despised him. She wished they could have more nights like their first one in Volanta, but there hasn't been any more late nights gazing out over the city and the jungle beyond. They had been in Volanta a little over a week when Pippa was in one of the lower floors, in the waterfall rooms, as she called them.

They were the rooms Rena had told her about, where you could watch the water cascade down the side of the hill. She jumped as she heard the door close and spin around to find Peter.

"Good evening, Pippa. Sorry to startle you."

"Oh. Hello, Peter. It's all right; I just wasn't expecting you."

"Were you expecting someone else? Your dear scholar, maybe?" He arched an eyebrow and Pippa flushed.

"No, I wasn't expecting him," Pippa said. Peter smirked slightly as he came closer.

"Don't think I don't notice those little lovesick glances you're always giving him. I'm curious though; if you two have struck up some sort of jungle romance why are you fighting so hard to hide it?"

"Oliver thought it was best not to be blatant about it, so that everyone would stay focused on why we came here."

"Really?" He chuckled. "That's what he told you, is it? You don't suppose that he was just indulging your girlish crush on him to shut you up?"

"Oliver wouldn't do that," Pippa snapped.

"This island is full of beautiful women, and if your Oliver were any other man I'd say he was likely to want to keep you quiet in order to persue them. But in his case, I think it's more likely that he just wants to steal a kiss or two while he's out here playing adventurer, but has no intention of going beyond that. You'll return home and he'll go back to his dusty libraries and his college lectures and put you out of his mind."

Pippa wanted to protest but there was a tiny part of her that worried that Peter might be right. What if they got back to Caslenia and Oliver chalked this all up to them being stranded on a tropical island together? Peter seemed to sense her hesitation because he smiled and leaned closer to her.

"Think about it, pretty Pippa. You've been alone here in this paradise with him. Looking like some kind of mythological goddess come to earth, and he wishes to hide his alleged affections for you? Don't you think if a man really cared for you he'd show you how he felt? Don't you think you deserve more passion than that?"

Pippa jerked as he caught her face in his hands and kissed her. She wrenched away from him.

"Is that your idea of passion?" she spat, breathless with anger. "Cornering me in this room and trying to kiss me?"

"My apologies. I forget your sheltered upbringing sometimes. Especially with that dress."

Pippa crossed her arms over her chest, feeling horribly exposed and vulnerable as he stared at her.

"You should be with a real man, not that lanky idiot who always has his nose jammed in a book."

"He's not an idiot."

"It's sweet how you defend him with such devotion. But he is a fool, my dear. He's going to go home with nothing to show for this endeavor, but I'm going to become a very rich and important person."

"What are you talking about?" Pippa asked, a feeling of cold dread settling in her stomach.

"I'm going to find this power source of theirs, and I'm going to take it back to Caslenia. Think of what people will pay to stay young and healthy forever."

"You can't do that," Pippa said, appalled. "It's their life force. Even if you could find a way to harness and contain the Heart, you'd kill everyone native to this island."

"You know what they say; cracking some eggs to make omelettes and such."

"They aren't eggs, they're people, you monster."

Peter waved a dismissive hand. "They've had a good run, but it's not as if the world will miss them."

"You're disgusting," Pippa said fiercely. "I would sooner kiss a horse's ass than hold your hand, you piece of filth."

Peter's expression didn't change as he struck her in the face, knocking her to the floor. Pippa tasted blood in her mouth.

"Oh Pippa," he sighed. "Look what you made me do. I don't want to damage you, silly woman. That would completely defeat the point. First I'm going to get that little ferret of yours to help me locate the Heart. Then I'm going to take it, and you, back to Caslenia. You'll be mine one way or another."

"Oliver would never help you find it."

"Oh, I think he might." Peter knelt and Pippa tried not to flinch. He gently removed one of the jeweled arm bands she was wearing. "Even if he doesn't love you, he's not going to want your blood on his hands. You're the perfect leverage."

"And how do you intend to kidnap me, exactly? The Volantians don't trust you."

"Maybe not, but the others and I found a way to get out of this via an old tunnel we found that comes out behind these waterfalls. I don't intend to take you through the front door. I'm not suicidal."

"The others? Captain Sorenson wouldn't go for this."

"Alas, he and some of the crew share your tender sensibilities. But they're currently out of the way and won't be causing me any trouble for a good while. Now I just need to get you somewhere else. Then I'll go have a chat with your precious Oliver this afternoon."

"How will you get me through the city? It's the middle of the night but someone might see you, and they'll be suspicious."

"If that happens, you will put their minds at ease. These people may not easily die of old age, but it would be interesting to see if a bullet could stop them."

Pippa felt her heart twist with fear as Peter pulled s gun out of his pocket.

"I would have thought they'd strip you of weapons," she said.

"They did. But they didn't think to check my boots. It's rather uncomfortable keeping pistols in them but it was worth it. You try to alert anyone and I'll shoot them, understood?"

Pippa didn't know what else to do but nod helplessly. Peter grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, pocketing the arm band he'd taken from her.

"You'd best hope Oliver comes through. I'd really prefer not to kill you," he said. "It really would be a terrible waste."

He kept a firm grip on her arm and pulled her along, and Pippa couldn't do anything else but follow him.