Rolling in the Deep: Hawaiian Heroes, Book 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

pride.
    A female clicked; another answered. The pod dove deeper, then rose again. For the sheer joy of it, Daniel followed them, surfacing with them as the dolphins came up for a breath. Two of the young males swam close, and he reached out, grasping their dorsal fins. Holding on, he dove with them again, letting them carry him swiftly into the blue depths.
    They raced along, drafting the others in their pod, surrounding him in a wave of silver and white. He often swam out here with the fun-loving creatures, who delighted in his company. More practically, he was out of sight of the navy surveillance systems. Should a sub pass, by himself Daniel was an anomaly, whereas with the pod he would be taken for one of the dolphins. He didn’t really worry about being seen, because he could hear a sub long before they were close enough to pick him up on sonar, but it was to be avoided at all costs.
    Needless to say, no Ho’omalu with his powers would be hūpō enough to swim in Kailua Harbor where the little tourist submarines plied the water, or anywhere snorkelers and scuba divers frequented. Everyone carried underwater cameras these days.
    He stayed under with the nai’a for as long as he dared, pausing only when they signaled their need to hunt. Then he was forced to recall his purpose for seeking them out. He hung in the water in their midst, calling them to him with a series of loud clicks.
    Dolphins were among the most intelligent creatures on the earth and certainly in the seas. Naval powers had trained them to work as weapons, carrying depth charges and even chasing down divers, attacking them with spears mounted on their heads. These spinners had never been subverted for such purposes, but they were a powerful ally to the Ho’omalu.
    “My friends, while you hunt for food, hunt for danger. Enemies have left more of the packages you saw and scented the day you saved me. If you find them, carry them to the place where Pele’s fire spills into your sea, and let them burn. Kanaloa will reward you—Ukanipo will not hunt you, and you will find plenty of fish.”
    The lead female bowed to him, her bright, clever gaze meeting his. She answered him with a series of whistles, and then, as one, the pod turned and swam away. Daniel watched them go, his mood grim instead of relaxed. “Kanaloa, guide your nai’a. Help them hunt for those who would use your seas to bring their poison to Hawaii.”
    Turning back toward the shore, he met a large honu flapping lazily along. A male, he saw from its long, thick tail. The turtle blinked his large eyes at Daniel, then turned back to watching the lava ridges below for bits of tasty seaweed.
    “Peace, brother honu.” Daniel swam on toward the shore, following a sandy channel in the lava flow. A parrot fish barreled by, headed for a coral outcrop ahead.
    The water began to surge around him with the surf. A school of yellow reef tang surrounded him in a shower of bright underwater confetti. Ready to be cheered up, Daniel rolled, watching as they swirled overhead, the surf carrying them back and forth. A pair of angelfish joined him, swimming just ahead, their lovely fins drifting like watery lace.
    A tiny spotted boxfish joined them, scooting gamely along by his cheek, its minute fins whirring at great speed. A long ribbon uncoiled itself from the shadows and swirled along with him as well. A moray, with teeth sharp as razors.
    At the boat channel, he slowed, shooing them all away with a gentle gesture. “Go, back to your reef, where you are safe. I will return.”
    His escorts dispersed as swiftly as they’d come, and he swerved to the side, where the rocks would shield him from anyone up on the point. It wouldn’t do to suddenly appear in plain sight. Some visitor might realize they hadn’t seen him above water for some time. If he swam in on the surface, he could pretend to have been sunning on the rocks farther along the shore.
    The surf was rough, the waves surging up to splash high,