The Shining Stallion, page 13
She didn’t spy on them. It was enough that Jonah had said the bones of her ancestors rested around this ranch. She believed him. She knew some of them slept right here.
If this fragment of jewelry belonged to one of them, she’d brought it home. If not, it would stay in their safekeeping, for now. Bending down, Darby considered a few unburned chunks of driftwood. One piece was smoother than the others and honey-colored. Darby tucked the necklace under it, out of the way of the Shining Stallion’s hooves.
I did it, Darby thought as she climbed out of the cave. All I did was act like I could, and it worked.
Darby climbed out of the cave, watching dawn’s light turn the waterfall into a curtain of gold.
Soaked to the skin, she stepped through it into the sunshine and gazed skyward at a rustling sound. The owl was passing overhead, returning to his ohia tree next to Hoku’s corral.
At least that’s what Darby decided to believe as she jumped, smiling, back over the green stream and jogged in her squishy boots.
Before Navigator could see her, he neighed, welcoming her, eager to carry her home to ‘Iolani Ranch.
Darby’s Dictionary
In case anybody reads this besides me, which it’s too late to tell you not to do if you’ve gotten this far, I know this isn’t a real dictionary. For one thing, it’s not all correct, and for another, it’s not alphabetized because I’m just adding things as I hear them. Besides, this dictionary is just to help me remember. Even though I’m pretty self-conscious about pronouncing Hawaiian words, it seems to me if I live here (and since I’m part Hawaiian), I should at least try to say things right.
‘aumakua—OW MA KOO AH—these are family guardians from ancient times. I think ancestors are supposed to come back and look out for their family members. Our ‘aumakua are owls and Megan’s is a sea turtle.
chicken skin—goose bumps
da kine—“that sort of thing” or “stuff like that”
hanai—HA NYEE—a foster or adopted child, like Cade is Jonah’s, but I don’t know if it’s permanent
‘iolani—EE OH LAWN EE—this is a hawk that brings messages from the gods, but Jonah has it painted on his trucks as an owl bursting through the clouds
hiapo—HIGH AH PO—a firstborn child, like me, and it’s apparently traditional for grandparents, if they feel like it, to just take hiapo to raise!
hoku—HO COO—star
ali’i—AH LEE EE—royalty, but it includes chiefs besides queens and kings and people like that
pupule—POO POO LAY—crazy
paniolo—PAW KNEE OH LOW—cowboy or cowgirl
lanai—LAH NA E—this is like a balcony or veranda. Sun House’s is more like a long balcony with a view of the pastures.
lei niho palaoa—I think that’s it—a necklace made for old-time Hawaiian royalty from braids of their own hair. It’s totally kapu—forbidden—for anyone else to wear it.
luna—LOU NUH—a boss or top guy, like Jonah’s stallion
pueo—POO AY OH—an owl, our family guardian. The very coolest thing is that one lives in the tree next to Hoku’s corral.
pau—POW—finished, like Kimo is always asking, “You pau?” to see if I’m done working with Hoku or shoveling up after the horses
pali—PAW LEE—cliffs
ohia—OH HE UH—a tree like the one next to Hoku’s corral
lei—LAY E—necklace of flowers. I thought they were pronounced LAY, but Hawaiians add another sound. I also thought leis were sappy touristy things, but getting one is a real honor, from the right people.
luahala—LOO AH HA LA—some kind of leaf in shades of brown, used to make paniolo hats like Cade’s. I guess they’re really expensive.
kapu—KAH POO—forbidden, a taboo
tutu—TOO TOO—great-grandmother
menehune—MEN AY WHO NAY—little people
honu—HO NEW—sea turtle
Darby’s Diary
Ellen Kealoha Carter—my mom, and since she’s responsible for me being in Hawaii, I’m putting her first. Also I miss her. My mom is a beautiful and talented actress, but she hasn’t had her big break yet. Her job in Tahiti might be it, which is sort of ironic because she’s playing a Hawaiian for the first time and she swore she’d never return to Hawaii. And here I am. I get the feeling she had huge fights with her dad, Jonah, but she doesn’t hate Hawaii.
Cade—fifteen or so, he’s Jonah’s adopted son. Jonah’s been teaching him all about being a paniolo. I thought he was Hawaiian, but when he took off his hat he had blond hair—in a braid! Like old-time vaqueros—weird! He doesn’t go to school, just takes his classes by correspondence through the mail. He wears this poncho that’s almost black it’s such a dark green, and he blends in with the forest. Kind of creepy the way he just appears out there. Not counting Kit, Cade might be the best rider on the ranch.
Hoku kicked him in the chest. I wish she hadn’t. He told me that his stepfather beat him all the time.
Cathy Kato—forty or so? She’s the ranch manager and, really, the only one who seems to manage Jonah. She’s Megan’s mom and the widow of a paniolo, Ben. She has messy blond-brown hair to her chin, and she’s a good cook, but she doesn’t think so. It’s like she’s just pulling herself back together after Ben’s death.
I get the feeling she used to do something with advertising or public relations on the mainland.
Jonah Kaniela Kealoha—my grandfather could fill this whole notebook. Basically, though, he’s harsh/nice, serious/funny, full of legends and stories about magic, but real down-to-earth. He’s amazing with horses, which is why they call him the Horse Charmer. He’s not that tall, maybe 5'8", with black hair that’s getting gray, and one of his fingers is still kinked where it was broken by a teacher because he spoke Hawaiian in class! I don’t like his “don’t touch the horses unless they’re working for you” theory, but it totally works. I need to figure out why.
Kimo—he’s so nice! I guess he’s about twenty-five, Hawaiian, and he’s just this sturdy, square, friendly guy. He drives in every morning from his house over by Crimson Vale, and even though he’s late a lot, I’ve never seen anyone work so hard.
Kit Ely—the ranch foreman, the boss, next to Jonah. He’s Sam’s friend Jake’s brother and a real buckaroo. He’s about 5'10" with black hair. He’s half Shoshone, but he could be mistaken for Hawaiian, if he wasn’t always promising to whip up a batch of Nevada chili and stuff like that. And he wears a totally un-Hawaiian leather string with brown-streaked turquoise stones around his neck. He got to be foreman through his rodeo friend Pani (Ben’s buddy?). Kit’s left wrist got pulverized in a rodeo fall. He’s still amazing with horses, though.
Megan Kato—Cathy’s fifteen-year-old daughter, a super athlete with long reddish-black hair. She’s beautiful and popular and I doubt she’d be my friend if we just met at school. Maybe, though, because she’s nice at heart. She half makes fun of Hawaiian legends, then turns around and acts really serious about them. She can’t stand Cade and he always blushes around her.
The Zinks—they live on the land next to Jonah. They have barbed-wire fences and their name doesn’t sound Hawaiian, but that’s all I know.
Tutu—my great-grandmother, but I haven’t met her yet. I get the feeling she lives out in the rain forest like a medicine woman or something.
ANIMALS!
Hoku—my wonderful sorrel filly! She’s about two and a half years old, a full sister to the Phantom, and boy, does she show it! She’s fierce (hates men) but smart, and a one-girl (ME!) horse for sure. She is definitely a herd-girl, and when it comes to choosing between me and other horses, it’s a real toss-up. Not that I blame her. She’s run free for a long time, and I don’t want to take away what makes her special.
She loves hay, but she’s really HEAD-SHY due to Shan Stonerow’s early “training,” which, according to Sam, was beating her.
Hoku means “star.” Her dam is Princess Kitty, but her sire is a mustang named Smoke and he’s mustang all the way back to a “white renegade with murder in his eye” (Mrs. Allen).
Navigator—my riding horse is a big, heavy Quarter Horse that reminds me of a knight’s charger. He has Three Bars breeding (that’s a big deal), but when he picked me, Jonah let him keep me! He’s black with rusty rings around his eyes and a rusty muzzle. (Even though he looks black, the proper description is brown, they tell me.) He can find his way home from any place on the island. He’s sweet, but no pushover. Just when I think he’s sort of a safety net for my beginning riding skills, he tests me.
Joker—Cade’s Appaloosa gelding is gray splattered with black spots and has a black mane and tail. He climbs like a mountain goat and always looks like he’s having a good time. I think he and Cade have a history, maybe Jonah took them in together?
Biscuit—buckskin gelding, one of Ben’s horses, a dependable cow pony. Kit rides him a lot.
Hula Girl—chestnut cutter
Blue Ginger—blue roan mare with tan foal
Honolulu Lulu—bay mare
Tail Afire (Koko)—fudge brown mare with silver mane and tail
Blue Moon—Blue Ginger’s baby
Moonfire—Tail Afire’s baby
Black Cat—Lady Wong’s black foal
Luna Dancer—Hula Girl’s bay baby
Honolulu Half Moon—Honolulu Lulu’s baby
Conch—grulla cow pony gelding, needs work. Megan rides him sometimes.
Kona—big gray, Jonah’s cow horse
Luna—beautiful, full-maned bay stallion is king of ‘Iolani Ranch. He and Jonah seem to have a bond.
Lady Wong—dappled gray mare and Kona’s dam. Her current foal is Black Cat.
Australian shepherds—pack of five and I have to learn their names!
Pipsqueak/Pip—little, shaggy, white dog that runs with the big dogs, belongs to Megan and Cathy
PLACES
Lehua High School—the school Megan goes to and I will, too. School colors are red and gold.
Crimson Vale—it’s an amazing and magical place, and once I learn my way around, I bet I’ll love it. It’s like a maze, though. Here’s what I know: from town you can go through the valley or take the ridge road—valley has lily pads, waterfalls, wild horses, and rainbows. The ridge route (Pali?) has sweeping turns that almost made me sick. There are black rock teeter-totter-looking things that are really ancient altars and a SUDDEN drop-off down to a white sand beach. Hawaiian royalty are supposedly buried in the cliffs.
Moku Lio Hihiu—Wild Horse Island, of course!
Mountain to the Sky—sometimes just called Sky Mountain. Goes up to 5,000 feet, sometimes gets snow, and Megan said there used to be wild horses there.
The Two Sisters—cone-shaped “mountains.” A borderline between them divides Jonah’s land from his sister’s—my aunt, but I haven’t met her. One of them is an active volcano. Kind of scary.
Sun House—our family place. They call it plantation style, but it’s like sugar plantation, not Southern mansion. It has an incredible lanai that overlooks pastures all the way to Mountain to the Sky and Two Sisters. Upstairs is this little apartment Jonah built for my mom, but she’s never lived in it.
Hapuna—biggest town on island, has airport, flagpole, public and private schools, etc., palm trees, and coconut trees
‘Iolani Ranch—our home ranch. 2,000 acres, the most beautiful place in the world.
ON THE RANCH, THERE ARE PASTURES WITH NAMES LIKE:
Sugar Mill and Upper Sugar Mill—for cattle
Two Sisters—for young horses, one-and two-year-olds they pretty much leave alone
Flatland—mares and foals
Pearl Pasture—borders the rain forest, mostly two-and three-year-olds in training
Borderlands—saddle herd and Luna’s compound
I guess I should also add me…
Darby Leilani Kealoha Carter—I love horses more than anything, but books come in second. I’m thirteen, and one-quarter Hawaiian, with blue eyes and black hair down to about the middle of my back. On a good day, my hair is my best feature. I’m still kind of skinny, but I don’t look as sickly as I did before I moved here. I think Hawaii’s curing my asthma. Fingers crossed.
I have no idea what I did to land on Wild Horse Island, but I want to stay here forever.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Billy Bergin, President of the Paniolo Preservation Society, who heard hooves in the night
About the Author
Terri Farley is the author of the wildly popular Phantom Stallion series, which has sold one million copies. For her new series, Wild Horse Island, Terri volunteered on a horse ranch in Hawaii for three weeks. After much coaxing, she returned to her husband in Verdi, Nevada, where she lives and writes.
To learn more about Terri’s books and the wild horses of Nevada and Hawaii, visit her online at www.phantomstallion.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Check out the Phantom Stallion series, also by Terri Farley!
1
THE WILD ONE
2
MUSTANG MOON
3
DARK SUNSHINE
4
THE RENEGADE
5
FREE AGAIN
6
THE CHALLENGER
7
DESERT DANCER
8
GOLDEN GHOST
9
GIFT HORSE
10
RED FEATHER FILLY
11
UNTAMED
12
RAIN DANCE
13
HEARTBREAK BRONCO
14
MOONRISE
15
KIDNAPPED COLT
16
THE WILDEST HEART
17
MOUNTAIN MARE
18
FIREFLY
19
SECRET STAR
20
BLUE WINGS
21
DAWN RUNNER
22
WILD HONEY
23
GYPSY GOLD
24
RUN AWAY HOME
Read all the Phantom Stallion WILD HORSE ISLAND adventures!
1
THE HORSE CHARMER
2
THE SHINING STALLION
3
RAIN FOREST ROSE
Credits
Cover art © 2007 by John Rowe
Copyright
PHANTOM STALLION: WILD HORSE ISLAND #2: THE SHINING STALLION. Copyright © 2007 by Terri Sprenger-Farley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition February 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-188883-0
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
Terri Farley, The Shining Stallion
