Island of Legends (The Unwanteds) (34 page)

Florence wasn’t sure what he meant. “You mean what will happen to his body?”

“Well, that, yes, but to his shell, too. And to us.”

Florence’s mind raced. “What do you think could happen?”

“I don’t know. When the bottom-feeders finish off his body, will this shell remain intact? Will our island move about at the whim of the currents? Will our vegetation die too? If it does, Bock and the dropbears will starve. And what of the squid and Issie? They’ll lose their protector.” Talon closed his eyes, defeated. “I don’t know what to do.”

“But—” Florence began, her thoughts whirling. “How long does he have to live?”

Talon opened his eyes again, but he didn’t look at her. “It’s hard to say. He’s in a slow decline. We may have years left, but I believe that could change at any time. I’m doing my best to give him the care and comfort he needs.” He frowned. “That thrashing eel didn’t do him any favors.”

Florence’s expression was one of deep concern. “Is there any way I can convince you and the others to come with us?”

Talon afforded a small smile. “I’m afraid I cannot abandon the crab. And after so many hundreds of years together, I doubt the others can abandon me. But I suspect you knew that.”

Florence was silent for a long moment. Then, in a soft voice, she asked, “What will happen to you?”

Talon stared at the fire. “Perhaps it will be the end of me. Perhaps . . . perhaps Karkinos’s death is the answer to my predicament.”

The silence was overwhelming. Alex stared at the flames, his heart in a clutch over what he’d just heard.

Florence glanced sidelong at Talon. “Do you still wish to be done with this life, then? If we were to journey this way in the
future and find the carcass afloat, are you saying we might not find you here? Not anywhere?”

Talon looked down and murmured, “That you would think to search for me is an unexpected treasure I shall cherish.” He touched Florence’s hand, making a clinking sound, and said in a low voice, “I must admit, dear lady, that the hope of seeing you again erases every morbid thought from my mind. I would indeed live on for the chance of that.”

Florence looked down at Talon’s hand on hers. “It might not be often,” Florence found herself saying, as if she had been planning their next visit already. Beneath her six-pack warrior abs, an entire host of butterflies swarmed.

“If only once in a hundred years you find me, stranded and alone upon this rotting carcass, I should not complain,” Talon said. He swallowed hard and dared turn to look into her eyes.

Florence met his gaze and held it. In her mind, she reached over to touch Talon’s cheek, but she couldn’t actually do it because that hand was attached to the arm on the ship. Instead she said, “I was actually thinking more like once a year.”

Talon pressed his bronze lips together, then replied, “That would be even better, Florence.”

A
lex tried not to gag at the mushy words between Florence and Talon. Sure, he was glad they were crushing on each other, but he couldn’t exactly unhear their conversation, no matter how hard he tried to block it out.

After a while, tossing and turning to the lull of conversation as he tried to get back to sleep, Alex began to wonder if he could actually learn a move or two from the bronze gentleman. But then he remembered his promise to Simber and to himself. And he knew he wouldn’t be needing any smooth moves with the ladies anytime soon. He also knew he needed
to talk to Sky about it, and explain why he was being so aloof. It wasn’t fair to her not to. And even though she was busy with her mother, he could tell she knew something was wrong. If he could only find a little time alone with her . . . but it had been nearly impossible this entire trip. Maybe when they got back home he’d have the chance to explain. That would give him time to figure out exactly how to say what he was feeling, because at the moment, he certainly didn’t understand it himself. All he knew was that his heart ached when he thought about her. But it ached even more when he thought about the mistakes he’d made because he’d let himself fall for her.

When Florence and Talon grew silent, Alex’s thoughts reverted to the island’s predicament. Poor Karkinos. Poor everybody who lived on Karkinos. There had to be way to help. Perhaps Henry could make an enormous batch of medicine that would heal the crab. . . .

Alex dozed off. In the morning he walked down the reef toward the ship. There he found Lani swinging from a rope tied to the ship’s bow. She gained momentum, leaped, and landed on the reef few a feet in front of Alex.

“Oh, hi,” she said with a grin. “Didn’t want to bother the squirrelicorns for a ride.”

“I was just coming to talk to you. Is Sam up? I need him, too.”

Lani scowled. “Yeah.” She turned to the ship and hollered, “Sam! Alex wants you.”

Alex gave her a quizzical look. “You don’t look very happy. What are you two always fighting about, anyway?”

Lani shrugged. “I’m not fighting. He’s just being dumb.”

Alex squelched a grin. “Right. Okay. So what is he being dumb about?”

Sam appeared at the railing with two squirrelicorns, who clutched him by the arms and carried him to the reef. “Hey, Al,” he said.

Lani folded her arms.

Alex looked from one to the other. “Well?” he prompted. “Why so much fighting?”

Samheed shrugged. “Tell him, Lani.”

“Fine.” Lani pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and opened it. “See this? It’s called a map. Well, it’s half of one, anyway—it’s ripped. You find them in books. They’re supposed to show you where things are.”

Alex looked at it. “I know what a map is,” he said. “Ms. Octavia had me draw one of Quill once, since she’s never actually gone to see it.”

Lani nodded. “Well, look at it.” She shook the paper a bit to add emphasis.

“Okaaay . . . what about it?”

Lani sighed, frustrated. “Don’t you see? There’s all these dots here, and this giant land over here.” She flicked the paper. “We’re the dots.”

“We’re the dots?”

Samheed rolled his eyes. “You see what I’m telling you?”

Alex was becoming more confused by the moment. “I don’t think I get what’s happening here.”

“We’re the seven dots. The islands. Quill, Warbler, Pirate, Legends, and the other ones we haven’t seen yet on the east side of Quill. And this big massive thing to the west? It’s more land. A giant island.” She tapped the paper. “At least, that’s my theory.”

Samheed shook his head.

Lani smirked. “Sam thinks I’m nuts.”

“That’s because you are.”

“And you’re obtuse.” Lani folded up the paper and put it back in her pocket, and the three started walking toward the island.

“Where did you get it?” Alex asked her.

“From that vessel thing that landed near Artimé. I found it floating in the water.”

“Well, how do you know it’s not just a drawing of something pretend, like you find in books sometimes?”

Samheed slapped Alex on the chest. “See? That’s what I said.”

Lani frowned. “It could be, I suppose.”

“After all, the map doesn’t say that those seven dots are islands,” Samheed said. “And even if they are, it doesn’t say the names of any of them. You just think they are because there happen to be seven of them.”

“Be quiet,” Lani said. “Alex, what do you think? Don’t listen to him.”

Alex shrugged. “I really don’t see it, Lani. I mean, if there was a giant island farther to the west, why wouldn’t Simber and Mr. Today know about it?”

“This is exactly what I’m saying!” Samheed said. “Lani thinks she knows more than Mr. Today and Simber.”

“Oh, you be quiet!” Lani said again. “I do not.”

“Um, it’s pretty obvious—”

“Come on, Sam,” Alex said. He looked at Lani. “Look. It’s a cool theory and all, but . . . well . . .”

“Wait, Alex—I didn’t even tell you everything. I totally understand you being skeptical about it. I didn’t even start thinking this was a map of the islands, or that there could be more beyond these islands, until I saw this same exact map inside Pirate Island.” Lani’s eyes shone.

Alex grinned in spite of himself. He never got tired of seeing Lani all fired up over an idea. Her face got so animated. She could tell a complete story with her eyes—now, that was true art.

“What are you grinning about?” she demanded.

Alex sobered up. “Nothing. So you saw the same map in Pirate Island.”

“That’s what I just said.”

“Like there would never be a duplicate,” Samheed said sarcastically. “Even Mr. Today has multiple copies of all our books—in the library and in the Museum of Large. It’s not unheard of.”

“Anyway,” Lani said, ignoring Samheed, “in the glass case inside Pirate Island, there was a full map, not just this torn-up part.”

By this time, they had reached the fire, where Sky sat alone, enjoying a giant plate of breakfast that Talon had apparently cooked for her. She looked up at them, mouth full. “Talking about the map again?”

Alex nodded. “So you’ve heard?”

Sky swallowed her food. “You hear a lot of stuff you wish you hadn’t when you sleep on the ship.”

“What do you think?”

“If I said what I thought, Samheed’s head might explode.”

“So you think it’s possible?” Lani asked. She sat down. “See, Alex—I’m not the only one.”

Sky took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Sure, lots of things are possible. I mean, it does seem strange that nobody would know about land being right there—even Queen Eagala says there are only seven islands. It’s in the handbook and everything. But hey, I don’t know. We’re on a floating crab right now, and we were on an underwater island just a few days ago. Who’s to say there’s not some sort of invisible island out there?”

Alex, Samheed, and Lani stared at Sky.

“What?” asked Alex.

“Are you kidding me?” Samheed exclaimed.

“Now
that’s
just crazy,” said Lani.

Sky just laughed and shook her head. “Well, I think we found the line that separates possible from impossible.” She shoveled another bite of food into her mouth and said, “And Lani’s theory falls on the possible side.”

T
he four of them stayed by the fire, Talon bringing more food and leaving again to take care of Karkinos. Alex steered the conversation to the issue of the dying island, telling Samheed, Lani, and Sky everything he’d heard the previous night. Well, almost everything. He left out the mushy parts.

“So what are we supposed to do about it?” Samheed asked.

Lani shrugged. “What
can
we do? This crab is huge. I mean, we can see if Henry and Carina can get to work making medicine, but it could take forever to mix up a dose big enough.”

“We don’t even know what’s wrong with the crab, so
how would we know what kind of medicine to make?”

They stewed over it for the better part of an hour, and in the end, they had no solutions. Eventually, Samheed and Lani left the fire, not fighting this time. Alex watched as Samheed slipped an arm around Lani’s shoulders and Lani slid hers around Samheed’s waist, the two exchanging spirited grins as they called a truce . . . for the moment. Alex smiled wistfully. He turned to Sky, and the smile faded. They were alone.

“I miss you, Alex,” Sky said in a quiet voice. “Where have you been?”

Alex looked into her eyes and was immediately captured, his heart thudding all over the place, out of control. “I’m right here,” he said. “I’ve been here.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Alex dropped his gaze. “Yeah,” he admitted.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“It’s not like I want to,” Alex muttered. “It’s just that . . .” He sighed deeply. He didn’t think he was ready for this conversation.

“It’s just what?”

Alex sighed again. This was really hard—harder than he’d
thought it would be. He pressed his thumbs against the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out how to say what he was feeling.

Sky waited.

Alex looked at her once more, and his stomach fluttered. “See, you’re doing it again.”

Sky blinked. “I haven’t moved.”

“You don’t have to move. You just— You’re always— Ugh. I hate this.”