Coming To A Coral Reef Near YOU! “Keys Of Illusion” (the novel)

I’m pleased to announce “Keys of Illusion” (the novel).

"Scuba in the Keys with the proper Merman"

*****

Hope you enjoy the warm waters!

“Keys of Illusion”

Excerpt

Jerri yelled to be heard over the boat’s motor. “Okay,

Pendragon! Now are you going to tell me why you dragged me

out of bed in the middle of the night? And why you barely waited

while I left that note… and why you barely waited until I stepped

in the boat to fire this baby up. Just tell me! What’s so urgent we

had to come out here now?”

“Marissa.”

“What?” She yelled. “I don’t think I heard you. It sounded

like you said: Marissa. Tell me… what’s God’s Gift to Men got to

do with my lock picks?”

Glancing at her with a confused expression, he powered

down the boat and idled in a circle, checking the satellite

navigation device before shutting down the boat’s engine. “Suit

up,” he said, “we don’t have any time to lose.”

After dropping the guideline over the side, Pendragon

reached for Jerri’s B.C. and tank, frantically readying her

equipment for the dive. He secured two large dive lights to the

lavender jacket, attaching them to carabiners. Although the moon

was full, the natural light wouldn’t reach down to the coral head.

“I’m sending you with two lights,” he said, rushing his words.

“You probably need all the light you can get. This might get

tricky. Ready? Jump in.”

“Not until you explain yourself,” she huffed, crossing her

arms at chest level. “You want me to get wet? You better start

talkin’, buddy.”

The full moon sailed high in the sky; the sun would chase it

away in a scant few hours. A momentary silence hung in the

salt-tinged air. Her frustration growing, waiting for Pendragon’s

explanation, she rolled her head on her shoulders, attempting to

disperse her shoulder tension. Then, she saw the boat floating to

the south of the Little Lavender.

The outline of the larger craft stood out, barely perceivable

against the still dark pre-dawn sky. Huge nets, held out at a 45°

angle, gave it the illusion it possessed wings. More moments

passed before it registered to Jerri she was looking at a distant

shrimp boat anchored about a quarter mile away. Shrimpers were

a common sight, she knew this, just as she also knew working

boats would usually trawl for shrimp during the day and sit still in

the water at night, their crew sleeping. But, this boat showed more

activity than was usual for a shrimper in early morning darkness;

the silvery moonlight showed movement on the deck.

From their position on the Little Lavender, Pendragon and

Jerri both observed shadowed figures lowering an inflated Zodiac

boat over the side, and a low droning from the still dark southern

sky brought animated pointing gestures from the shrimpers.

The Zodiac’s crew grew noticeably excited as the low-pitched sound

grew louder. Very soon, the droning could be identified as a

medium-sized airplane which, flying low and at a slow speed,

gradually closed the distance to the shrimp boat. The closer it got

to the shrimper, the clearer it was that the airplane was an old

double-prop cargo plane.

“Do you see that?” Mark whispered.

Jerri nodded. “Yeah… curious…. but… what’s that got to do

with — ” Suddenly, the lone figure left on the shrimper’s deck

pointed in their direction and raised what appeared to be a phone

or radio to his ear. She barely had time to murmur: “What’s that

guy doing?” before the approaching plane sluggishly waggled its

wings and made a wide left banking and ‘swooping’ dip, flying

over the shrimper; the breeze from the props rustling the nets and

the shrimper crew’s clothing. The low-flying aircraft abruptly

changed its course, roughly switching from north to south.

“I’ll say it again — curious.”

“I’d say — curious is not the word… Something’s up.”

The man at Jerri’s side raked his fingers through his dark curls and

peered through the moonlight at the distant water craft.

“Ahem… Focus? Eh — your full attention, here? All eyes

center on me!” Jerri crossed her arms across her chest and tapped

her foot on the Little Lavender’s tiny deck. “Give me one — just

one, mind you — really, really good reason for me to get wet —

huh, DeSade? Can you do that?”

Once more, he glanced in the direction of the shrimp boat, a

worried look on his face. He shook his head, and Jerri wondered

if he meant the gesture one of exasperation for her or the

mysterious boat. Pendragon sighed, rubbing his eyes, seeming to

wrestle with a weighty decision. “You’re right, of course,” he

sighed again. “I can’t expect you to risk your life without telling

you the truth.”

“The truth?”

“The truth is, Marissa is down there, chained to the coral

head.”

Jerri shook her head in disbelief. “What would that woman

be doing diving out here in the middle of the night? She’s — “

“She’s not diving,” he murmured an interruption.

She shook her head again. “If she’s not diving, then she’s run

out of air a long time ago. And if she’s not on scuba, then you

want me to go after a corpse. Let me tell ya’, I skipped Corpse

Recovery class. On purpose, I might add!”

“Delaney,” he hissed with exasperation. “You’re not making

this easy. I know you’re not going to believe me, but here goes.

Marissa is a mermaid.”

Jerri threw her head back and laughed. “Okay, okay. I give

up. This is a good one. But, did you really think it was necessary

to bring me all the way out here for your puny little joke?”

“Jerri.” He took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes, his

words spilling out in a rush, “Please believe me when I tell you,

this is no joke. I’ve never been more serious in my life. Marissa is

a mermaid, and she’s down there… and she needs our help.”

“But-but-but… mermaids are — ” she sputtered, “mermaids

are — mermaids… are?”

“Not real?” He finished her thought. “The stuff dreams are

made of? Right now, I can’t debate the existence of mermaids

with you. So, to save time — this will have to do for my

argument.” He suddenly shoved his swim trunks down over his

hips, standing before Jerri, completely and unselfconsciously

nude, moonlight bathing his firm body with a shimmering silver

light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rjvljq0BRk

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