Page 410 of The Romance Adventure

“I have some gum. We could use some of that to stop it up.” Ryan chomps his teeth together.

“I thought you said you didn’t take the last piece?” Royal accuses.

His twin cackles.

“Guys, I’m not sure if you’ve looked port-side, but we’re about to get swallowed up,” I shout.

But there’s no stopping it. I was warned about this area with its spooky cloak of fog and the rocks.

“Is this what you called Devil’s Spit?” Royal asks.

“I think he said Devil’s Maw. What’s a maw?” Ryan scratches his chin.

Magnus pops up and says, “I got the second bilge blowing out the water. Ryan, Royal make yourselves useful and assess the second engine. CJ and I will work on this one because if we can get thrust, we can push out of here.”

I silently gloat because the Big Boat is secretly powerful, an underdog, and definitely up for the task, kind of like me.

Together, Magnus and I get the engine firing again and the other two argue about the diagnosis of the second one. We have three more, plus the outboards, but this rough area came up fast.

I steer us out of danger, then drop anchor.

“Why are we stopping here?” Ryan asks.

I point to where we just came from. “The Devil’s Kiss.”

“Let’s not go there,” Royal says.

“That’s exactly where we’re going, but we need to do it under power and not smash into the rocks,” I explain.

They both look slightly seasick.

Maybe because Lally isn’t here to reprimand him, Magnus starts telling spooky stories about this area being haunted.

“Let me get this straight,” Ryan starts. “You think our parents are somewhere through that rocky area that leads to a cave called Devil’s Kiss, which also happens to be the entrance to El Dorado. I thought we were going to a place called Cloudbreak?”

“We’re in Cloudbreak.”

Ryan looks queasy. “So, not Cloudbreak like daybreak. More like thick clouds of fog and rocks that break up boats?”

I point finger guns at my brother.

“How would someone find that on the map?”

I repeat Chip’s message from the will. “When high is low, where do you go?”

“I still don’t get it,” Ryan says.

“Chip knew I would.”

Royal puffs an exasperated exhale. “Okay, captain. It’s your show.”

“We’re doing this together,” I correct.

“It has to be a team effort,” Magnus adds.

“Go team,” Ryan says, lackluster.

“No, it’s game on,” I say, getting ready to sail directly into the Devil’s Kiss.