Island of Dragons (10 page)

Hearing Henry's news brought new life to the strange crew, and they dug in harder than ever, finding extra strength from the encouragement. With a shattering groan and a hearty grunt, Karkinos paddled and pushed with the bit of life he'd regained, and soon the entourage was making even more headway.

“You've got it!” Florence shouted, paddling with a tree trunk she'd pulled from the woods nearby. “Keep going! Due north will get you out of the pull of the current faster. Good work everybody!”

Henry found a big stick and started paddling too.

The island moved. And it moved. Foot by foot and yard by yard, Karkinos reached deep under the surface and swept his broad claws like enormous oars, his legs like gondoliers'
rèmos
, and pulled himself along with the help of his comrades and friends. One minute at a time they fought the current together, almost certain they could never make it, but pressing on all the same, until at last they had gained significant ground. Victory was in sight.

But was it in reach? The creatures were exhausted, and some of them fell away for a long moment to rest. Without the full crew, Karkinos strained and grew still, and the island slowed to a stop. “Come on!” cried Henry. “We can't stop now! We're almost there!”

The sea creatures rallied, and Karkinos stirred and began paddling again, and they all pressed on once more until they regained momentum. Finally the crab's inhabitants found themselves outside the realm of danger. A shout of victory rose up among the trees and from the sea.

Pan slipped away. The water rippled over her head as she sped back to Artimé alone. The remaining creatures continued to help Karkinos journey back to his usual spot in the sea.

When Talon was certain the island was safe, he dropped his rope and flew down to the center of the island to free the creatures he'd tied down for safety. Not long after, the shiny bronze man emerged from the forest looking awfully anxious. He was followed by Lhasa, Bock, and a handful of dropbears. There was also a strange blurry creature Florence had never seen before, bringing a nasty smell along with him, but he immediately dashed behind some brush and disappeared.

But Florence only had eyes for one.

When Talon caught sight of Florence, he faltered.

She dropped her tree oar into the water.

Talon ran to her. He picked her up in the air, or at least he tried to, for she was admittedly very heavy, and he swung her around, which, to be technical, was a bit more like dragging her feet through the sand. And then he dipped her low and leaned in, staggering slightly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling. And with a loud clank, Talon kissed Florence soundly on the lips for all the island and sea creatures to see.

W
hen Pan arrived on the shore of Artimé that evening, Alex, Simber, and Sky hurried to meet her and hear the news of Karkinos.

“Is everything all right?” Alex asked. “You're back so soon—are Florence and Henry okay?”

“Henry and Florence are well,” said Pan, “and Karkinos appears to be reacting favorably to the medicine. He was able to help us when we needed him most. If Henry hadn't acted so quickly, all of us would have gone over the waterfall. It was a very close call.”

“Oh no,” said Sky. “How horrible! I'm so glad that didn't happen.”

“Is the island back in safe waterrrs?” Simber asked.

“Yes,” said Pan. “The inhabitants and sea creatures will continue to help Karkinos stay in his usual position in the sea over the next few days while Henry monitors the crab's health. I fear the crab may have strained himself with all the exertion.”

Pan's tail curled and uncurled in the water behind her. “And I must tell you that we saw unmanned ships anchored in the water on the east side of Warbler Island, and some traveling from the Island of Fire to Warbler as well. On my return, nothing had changed at Warbler, and I saw no ships in transit. Perhaps there is some sort of trade going on between the two islands.” She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of a splash in the water, but it was only a fish jumping. “It seemed odd,” she went on, “but I didn't see a reason to suspect anything more at this time. I will keep an eye on them the next time I travel that way.”

Alex looked concerned. “Warbler has given us a lot of trouble in the past. Thanks for watching out for us. Perhaps Simber will have to make a trip in that direction soon to have a look.”

“It never hurts to be cautious,” said Pan, but her mind was elsewhere. She glanced anxiously toward the east.

“Thank you, Pan,” said Alex. “You've been such a great help.” He paused. “Now that we've done what we could for Karkinos, I'd like to help you. Perhaps you could tell me what sort of wings you need? I don't know if I can make them, but I'd like to try, at least.”

Pan looked at the young man thoughtfully. “Magical wings, you mean?”

“Yes,” said Alex.

Pan regarded Sky and Simber as if she were not quite sure she could trust them with a secret, and then she looked over her shoulder at the sea before leaning in toward Alex. “I must show you,” she said softly. “Come with me. I will return you to this spot by daybreak.”

Alex's eyes widened. Did he dare go off with the dragon alone without knowing where she was taking him? But why wouldn't he? She had helped them so generously, he couldn't say no.
Perhaps I should ask Aaron to join me,
he thought. But then he frowned—he was the head mage of Artimé. He didn't need Aaron's help. Alex looked at Simber, who of course had heard the conversation. The cat narrowed his eyes but nodded once. Sky nodded more vigorously.

“All right,” Alex said to Pan, just as quietly. “How do you want me to, ah . . . climb on, exactly?” he said, looking up at the dragon's back.

Pan's tail slithered around and picked up Alex, depositing him in a sitting position. “We shall return,” Pan said to Sky and Simber. “Do not fear.” She turned her head to regard Alex. “Hold on very tightly to the folds of skin at the base of my neck, where the scales are worn away,” she said.

Alex did as he was told. He leaned forward as she began to move, and a moment later Pan was skating across the water, propelled by her tail. On the open sea, Pan sailed over the waves at a breathtaking speed that Alex had never experienced before. He pressed his face against the dragon's neck and hung on tightly, keeping his eyes closed as his skin rippled from the force of the wind. Before Alex could imagine they were anywhere close to the island, Pan slowed. Alex opened his eyes and saw the towering cylinder in front of him.

Pan's tail snaked under Alex's arms and encircled his chest, then lifted the mage into the air, suspending him above the water. She sank the claws of her front feet into the island wall, and in an awkward jerking fashion began to climb, holding Alex completely still in the air all the while.

“Whoa,” he whispered as the height grew dizzying. He gripped Pan's tail around his chest.

“Do not be afraid,” Pan said. “I'm going to set you on the top edge of the island between two spikes. Hold on and don't fall in, whatever you do.”

“Or out, I suppose,” Alex said weakly.

“That could be nearly as painful,” Pan agreed. She clung to the side of the island and lifted her tail as high as it could go. She set Alex down on the rim of the crown. “All right?” she asked, loosening her hold on him but not letting go.

Alex grabbed on to the spiked crown and planted his feet. His knees quaked. “All right,” he said.

“Don't worry about any noises you may hear,” said Pan. “They can't get to you.”

Alex gripped the wall tighter. “They?” he whispered. His heart thudded.

Swiftly Pan whipped her tail around another spike in the island's crown and took several large steps up the wall until she was halfway to the top. Then she sank her claws in and clung to the wall once more, letting her tail drop into the sea like she had done when Alex and Sky first met her. She pulled up several fish and flung them over the top of the crown.

Alex turned his head to watch the fish sail overhead and into the island. He was still fearful, and he almost didn't want to know what sort of creatures Pan was feeding, but curiosity won out. As long as it wasn't a bunch of saber-toothed gorillas, he figured he could handle it. He turned his head and peered down as Pan fished some more.

The inside of the island was like a pit. Alex couldn't see very far down. In the darkness he could only make out a few strange shadows. But when the fish made a splash in the bottom of it, there was a mad scramble and several roars, followed by a few flashes of fire that disappeared immediately.

There's water inside the island? And fire, too?
thought Alex. He glanced at Pan, and then back down into the island pit.
Could it be?

Pan gathered up another tail full of fish and flung them into the pit, and the sounds followed as before. She repeated the act twice more, and then wrapped her tail around a crown point and pulled herself up to the top.

Alex looked at her, wide-eyed. “I'm sorry, Pan, but I have to ask—what horrible-sounding creature are you keeping down there that you want me to give the ability to fly?” he said. “Do you seriously want me to provide world access to a roaring beast like that? How can I? Wouldn't it put my people in danger?” He couldn't imagine that Pan would want to unleash anything horrible. Had he judged her wrongly after all?

Pan gave Alex the most heartfelt, sorrowful look he'd ever seen her express. And then she looked in all directions as if making sure no enemies were near. Satisfied, she turned her face up to the sky, opened her mouth, and blew fire into the air.

At first Alex didn't know what she was doing. But then he realized she was providing light for him. Slowly his eyes left hers and he leaned over the edge to look down inside the cylindrical island.

And when he focused on the scene below, he gasped and nearly lost his balance. “Oh my,” he whispered. “What in the world do we have here?”

A
lex stared into the cylinder. The water came up two-thirds of the way, and several large rocks broke through the surface. With the light flickering overhead and the long shadows falling all around, it took Alex a moment to understand what he was looking at. Things moved over the rocks.

The light went out. “These are my children,” said Pan. Fire sparked again from below.

Alex looked up at her. “Your children?” he repeated. He looked down, fascinated as flashes of young dragon faces popped up and disappeared. “How many are there? Are they dangerous? How long have you—”

A low warning rumble came from Pan's throat.

Alex closed his mouth. “I'm sorry,” he said, knowing Pan kept her secrets closely guarded. He imagined she would tell him as little as possible—and she didn't like to be asked.

The dragon shifted on the wall. Her tail snaked down into the pit and she gently caressed the dragons' faces with it. “No one must know about them.”

“Why not?” Alex asked, even though he tried not to.

Pan looked at Alex sharply. “Because of the pirates.”

Alex glanced down at the young creatures as he pieced the information together. The pirates had been caging and selling sea creatures . . . but to whom? And young coiled water dragons must be very valuable to them if Pan was afraid enough to keep them hidden inside this island.

Pan looked all around cautiously, then lit up the night again so Alex could see the dragons' features more clearly. Each was about the size of an adult human, and they sported a variety of hues. One was the color of flame, one the shade of a forest, one as icy blue as a wolf's eyes, and two were a deep purple like the sky before a rainstorm. One of the purple dragons had a golden stripe down its back. All five had iridescent scales that sparkled beautifully in the firelight.

“You want them to fly? All five of them?” Alex said, rubbing his chin. “Is that so they can escape from the pirates?”