Tales from Dargo Island: The Complete Trilogy (11 page)

I closed the
front door and sat down on a bench on the porch. Shae followed. I didn’t want
to talk to her about Nalke inside, where Mom could hear. Dad was at work, so I
didn’t have to worry about him.

“What’s been
happening?” I asked, curious and worried.

“I returned to
the island shortly after the giants attacked. I’m so sorry about Ernie.”

My heart
thumped painfully at the memory, but I nodded. “Why were you with Nalke? He’s
the one who killed Ernie and Taleeno.”

She shook her
head. “That’s not true—Nalke had nothing to do with that. It’s all a lie, Josh.
Nalke is being set up.”

“Set up?” The
bombshell Mom dropped on me was almost forgotten.

“A few weeks
ago, Nalke abducted me and took me to his realm. I thought he was going to kill
me, but instead we talked.”

“About what?” I
asked, annoyed with all the dramatic pauses.

“About how
Rockne is trying to kill him and take his place as the nature demon.”

“That’s old
news. Even I knew that was Rockne’s plan.”

“But what you
don’t know is that, all this time, Rockne has been secretly planning to turn
Dargo against Nalke in order to gain its support. Rockne made the giants
attack, not Nalke.”

My eyes grew
wide. “That I did not know. Do you have proof?”

“I was with
Nalke when the attack went down. We watched.”

“Watched? From
where?”

“The clouds.
Nalke has known for a long time where Dargo is. He can even approach it, but
can’t step foot on the land. We watched the giants attack, and even I could see
Rockne’s magic all over everything. He used compulsion to get the giants to
attack the islanders. He allowed them to get through the Village’s barrier.”

I shook my head
in denial. “The barrier failed because…I’m not human.”

“You’re an
incubus. I know.”

I looked at her
quickly. “You know?”

“I didn’t know
until the day you died and then returned. The moment that other boy…”

“Died.”

She nodded.
“That wasn’t your fault. That was the first time you’d used your power, and it
wasn’t under your control.”

“It was the
second time, and just because I couldn’t control it doesn’t mean it wasn’t my
fault. But, whatever.”

“Don’t
‘whatever’ me. Just listen. The barrier isn’t enhanced by humans. That’s a lie
Rockne told everyone to justify the use of humans as guards. It’s all a ruse.
The barrier is supposed to keep out anyone who acts as a threat to Rockne or
the other residents. The reason it didn’t work is because Rockne allowed them
in.”

“To scare the
Dargons into joining his cause against Nalke?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“So, Rockne’s
the bad guy, not Nalke?”

Shae sighed.
“Yes, unfortunately. He killed the Belles because they were onto him. He used
Tack as a cover.”

I looked at her
from the corners of my eyes. “How do I know Nalke isn’t using you against me,
to join his cause? How do I know he isn’t the bad guy?”

She shrugged.
“You just have to trust your instincts, Josh.”

I stared at
her. I barely knew her, but she had introduced me to the magical world of
wizards, dwarves and nature demons. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“I need your
help to stop Rockne.”

A tear slid
down my cheek. “I don’t want to help.”

“You don’t mean
that.”

“I do.” I got
up and went back inside, leaving Shae alone on the porch.

*
 
*
 
*

I dreamed about
Nalke that night, of course. I had only myself to blame; I didn’t put on the
necklace before going to bed. Deep down, I wanted to talk to him. Even though I
told Shae I didn’t care, we both knew I was lying. I couldn’t get Dargo out of
my mind, and I doubted I ever would.

Nalke showed up
as Estevan again. We were in a tornado funnel, spinning a few feet off the
ground. I got a little nauseated, and tried to focus on my friend’s face.

“Shae spoke
with you?” Nalke asked from Estevan’s lips.

“Yes. What’s
going to happen now?”

“We’re going to
storm Dargo Island tonight and capture Rockne.”

“You’re going
to use Shae?”

“Shae…and
someone else.”

I narrowed my
eyes, which helped with the nausea. “Who else?”

“An inside man.
He took over your job after you quit. He’s been giving us information for two
weeks now.”

“Oh.” Something
seemed off about the way he told me this. “Who took my job?”

“You’re looking
at him.”

I didn’t get it
at first. “No! Estevan’s on the island?”

“He knows his
grandfather died because of that island. He wants revenge. I contacted him
before you left and convinced him to take your vacant spot. I told him he would
get vengeance if he helped.”

“If Rockne
finds out…” I began.

“He’ll kill
your friend, yes,” Nalke finished.

“What can he
possibly do that Shae can’t?”

“Nothing. He’s
just another soldier in my tiny army. Rockne now has a whole island to fight me
and they’ve been preparing for weeks to travel to my realm and kill me. I’m
strongest here.”

“What’s
stopping you from just washing away the island?” I asked.

“Rockne’s
protections. I can view from a distance, but can’t affect the island. Besides,
there are a lot of innocent people on Dargo. I’m not a monster.”

“Fine,” I
conceded. “Let me wake up so I can help. I’m not going to let Estevan get
killed in someone else’s war.”

“It became his
war when Rockne killed his grandfather.”

I sighed.
“Fine! Let me wake up!”

I woke up and
jumped to my feet, quickly putting on my shoes. I barely stopped moving until I
got to my truck. It was the fastest I’d ever gotten ready for anything. I drove
as fast as possible to Dallas.

I got on the
rail but it refused to move. It didn’t even seem to be operating. I went to the
controls and activated the holographic levers. The pink images appeared in
front of me and I pulled and pushed the ones I had before. The rail quickly
shot forward and I barely had time to brace myself.

The rail felt
like it was going a lot faster than it used to, and I wondered if I was driving
it correctly. Oh, well, the faster the rail went, the faster I’d get to the
island. Right?

Wrong.

It still took
“five minutes.” I started slowing down as soon as I reached the waterfall, but
it was too late. I braced myself as the rail shot into the station and slammed
into a wall.

The next thing
I knew, I was on the floor. I got to my feet, feeling dizzy, and walked onto
the platform. I checked my cell phone to see it was a little after midnight. It
had been nearly an hour since I talked to Nalke. Had the battle begun?

I grabbed a
cart and drove to the Village.

When I got there,
Estevan stepped out of the gatehouse and greeted me. After all I’d gone through
myself, I just couldn’t believe he was here. I wondered what he’d seen during
his time on the island.

“Hey, buddy,”
he said.

I jumped out of
the cart. “I need to get inside, and you need to leave the island.” I wondered
if that was even possible after I crashed the rail.

He just shook
his head, grinning like a fool. “Not after what Rockne did to my grandpa. I’m
not leaving until I see him pay.”

“Rockne will
kill you if he finds out the real reason you’re here. Does he even know who you
really are?”

“Hell no. He
probably wouldn’t have hired me if he knew. Either way, mess is going down
pretty soon. Shae and I are going to ambush him and disable his defenses so
Nalke can step foot on the island and take over.”

It was my turn
to shake my head. “Something’s going to go wrong and we’ll all die.”

“I’m willing to
try. You’re such a coward, Josh. You ran away the second things got bad. I’m
not going to run away.”

“You didn’t see
what I saw!” I yelled. “A friend was killed in front of me by a giant. Another
guy melted in front of me and threw me through that window.” I pointed to the
repaired window to my left. “You can’t judge me if you haven’t gone through
what I did, so shut up.”

I grabbed him
and pushed him toward the cart. “Get out of here now! Go to the rail. I’ll help
Nalke and Shae.”

He stared at me
in shock, and for a second I actually thought he would do as I said. He could
tell I meant every word I said, and that this place was more dangerous than he
thought. Then, he looked sharply to something behind me.

“Oh, I don’t
think anyone’s going anywhere,” a familiar voice said.

I turned and
saw Rockne standing there in his sparkly glass suit. His arms were crossed.

“You’re both coming
with me,” he added, and waved his arms. Estevan and I were suddenly caught in
some kind of invisible binds that lifted us from our feet.

Rockne turned
and headed back to his magically repaired house. Estevan and I floated behind
him.

Once inside the
house, Rockne let us go. We dropped the few feet to the floor. Shae, Victor,
Champagne and Astrid stood in the living room with us.

“What’s going
on?” I asked everyone.

“Well, I would
ask you the same thing,” Rockne replied. “I heard everything you two talked
about out there. So, you’ve joined the dark side, Josh? Decided to side with
Nalke in this war?”

I didn’t know
what to say. I couldn’t lie since he’d heard everything anyway, but I was
afraid he’d strike me dead if I said yes. I looked at Shae, who seemed as
worried as me. Did Rockne hear the part about her being involved? I hoped not.

“I don’t know,”
I finally said to Rockne. “He told me you were the one who caused the giants to
riot. He said you did it to gain the support of Dargo because you couldn’t take
Nalke in his realm on your own.”

“Well, he was
right about me not being able to match him in his home turf without help. Do
you really think I had anything to do with the giants, Josh?”

“How were they
able to get into the Village? They posed a threat and the barrier didn’t stop
them. It didn’t stop Tack, either.”

“Isn’t it
obvious?” Rockne asked. “The barrier is strongest when a human is at post.” He
stepped closer to me. “You’re not human, Josh.”

I suddenly
became very angry. “And you’ve known that for a while. Ever since Tack attacked
me, at least. Shae told you to get me to the hot tub before I ‘leached’ one of
you guys. So, why hire someone who isn’t human? Ernie died that night because
of you, Rockne. And you killed the Belles.”

A muscle
twitched in his face. “All of that is true. I can’t deny your words.”

“What?”
Champagne gasped, looking to Rockne sharply. “Tell me that’s not true.”

“Rockne needed
to gain the support of everyone against Nalke,” I said. “He killed the Belles
because they saw with their power what he was up to. Then he controlled the
giants to attack the islanders. That sealed the deal and gained their support.”

Rockne appeared
to shake, but it was so slight no one else noticed.

“What I don’t
understand is why you need guards for the Village,” I continued. “Or why you
hired me, knowing I’m not completely human. Why hire an incubus?”

“Isn’t it
obvious?” Rockne whispered again. “You’re difficult to kill. If you even get
close to dying, you ‘leach’ someone else’s life force. That would be handy, in
certain hands.”

I nodded,
finally understanding. “But why did you hire Estevan? He’s human.”

“He’s a body.
All I need are bodies to add to my army. His grandfather would have been one of
my warriors if he hadn’t had a heart attack.”

I felt Estevan’s
anger next to me but said nothing to him. “Let him go. You have me now.
Estevan’s weak and will probably die a few minutes into the battle anyway.”

“Rockne,”
Victor said. “What are you saying? Is this all true? How could you kill the
Belles? And Ernie? Mark too, I’ll bet.”

“And the queen,
now shut up!” Rockne screamed. “Don’t play innocent. You couldn’t have possibly
been that stupid that you didn’t figure this out sooner. Deep down, you knew
what I was planning. I know you figured it out, Champagne. You’ve been looking
at me funny for a while now. Did you read my emotions or something? I’ve been
trying to dethrone Nalke for decades but nothing I did worked. This is the only
way to kill him once and for all. Throw everything I have at him, overwhelm him,
and then take his head!”

“Why didn’t you
just let him come to the island, then?” Shae asked, grabbing Astrid and pulling
her close. “Then you could have fought him on your turf.”

“He wouldn’t
come on land. He would’ve used the elements to strike at me.”

“But that’s
what your suit is for,” Astrid said, speaking for the first time. “He can’t see
you in that.”

“The suit
doesn’t protect me from a giant wave, honey. I’ve used almost all of my power
to shield this place from his attacks.”

Victor suddenly
sprang toward Rockne, but the wizard waved a hand and sent him flying on the
dining table in the next room. “I didn’t say I don’t have enough power to kill
everyone in this room,” he added.

“Nalke isn’t
evil,” I said. “He just wants his daughter back. He only wants to defeat you
because you’re trying to kill him. Why can’t you two live in peace?”

Rockne stared
at me, and it actually looked like he was contemplating my words. Then he said,
“Because he’s my brother, and we were destined to destroy each other.”

I would say I
was shocked, but I wasn’t. I’d read enough books to recognize a plot twist
early on. “Nalke gained the throne and you didn’t,” I guessed.

“And you think
I’m jealous,” Rockne guessed. “Well, I suppose I am. He has more power than me.
If it hadn’t been for the first war, he would be all-powerful all the time. He
would be in all places all the time. He would be the most powerful creature in
existence.”

“And when you
kill him,” I said, “you will gain all his powers and more.”

“Since I’m the
last in our bloodline, no one will be able to dethrone me. I will be the most
powerful being forever more.”

“I understand
the appeal.”

“Of course you
do, Dr. Debelko.”

“How are you
going to make all of us do what you say? You had to have used a lot of power
controlling the giants. And you said your power is being used up protecting the
island.”

“My magic may
be weak,” Rockne said with a smile, “but my potion-making skills are still top
notch. I used them to control the giants, after all.”

He waved his
hand at the dining table and five cups appeared. There was purple liquid inside
each one.

“I’m not
drinking that,” Estevan said. I gave him a look that shut him up.

“You can either
drink my potion and join my army,” Rockne said to him, “or you can die. Like
your grandfather.”

I heard
Estevan’s knuckles crack as he made fists. I shook my head at him, and he
relaxed slightly.

“Astrid, dead,”
Rockne said, “you’ll stay here. I want to keep you away from Nalke.”

Champagne
helped Victor to his feet and they joined Estevan, Shae and me at the table. We
took our cups, looked at each other one more time, and then we drank.

*
 
*
 
*

My feet moved
without me telling them to. The only things I could control were my eyes, and I
used them to see my friends walking in sync with me. We followed Rockne out of
the Village. I didn’t know where we were going at first, but then Rockne
muttered a spell and we were suddenly in Dargo Plaza. The palace was directly
in front of us. The plaza was quiet at this time, and I could hear the waves
behind the palace.

Rockne walked
up the grand stairs, and the palace’s guards approached him. He spoke with them
for a moment, and then one of them stepped inside the palace. When the guard
returned, he told Rockne to follow him. The rest of us followed.

Inside the
throne room sat Aneela. Her face was painted blue with yellow stripes over her
eyes. She was dressed in a black suit, similar to the ones the guards wore.
Battle wear?

“The time has
come, my queen,” Rockne told her. She nodded.

Then she
clapped and the entire room filled with guards. There had to be dozens. Aneela
looked at me and I tried to scream, to warn her we were being controlled, but I
could only stare back.

She walked up
to me and touched my arm. “Are you ready for this?” she asked.

All I could do
was widen my eyes. Inside I was screaming. Now I knew how Cormac felt that
night. Help me!

“Oh,” she said
suddenly, touching my upper lip. “You must be terrified; your nose is
bleeding.”

Rockne cleared
his throat. “Josh is a capable warrior, and very brave. He’ll be fine; I’ll
keep a close eye on him.”

Aneela looked
at him, and then back at me. She gave Shae, Victor, Estevan and Champagne quick
glances before going back to Estevan. “Who’s this?”

“Josh’s
friend,” Rockne quickly replied. “Nalke killed his grandfather, so he was more
than happy to join our fight to dethrone Nalke once and for all.”

She nodded her
understanding. “The entire island is ready to fight. That’s over two hundred
strong. Do you think that will be enough?”

“More than
enough.” Rockne smiled.

Aneela nodded
before looking to one of her guards. “Sound the bell,” she ordered. The guard
disappeared, and a few minutes later, we heard a bell ring from somewhere above
us.

We went back to
the courtyard and were met by what appeared to be every islander. Hundreds had
his and her faces painted yellow and blue. I couldn’t imagine how we were all
supposed to get to Nalke’s realm.

“How do we get
to Nalke?” Aneela asked, as if reading my thoughts.

“I can
transport us all there, but doing so will require a lot of my power. I would
have to lift the protections I’ve bestowed on the island.”

For a moment
Aneela stared at Rockne, considering. Then she said, “Do it. Hopefully the
island will still be here when we get back.”

Rockne nodded
and waved his arms around. The waves grew louder and I imagined the cliff-side
highway being drowned in seawater. Rockne then muttered another spell and all I
saw was light.

When the light
vanished, we were no longer on Dargo.

I looked around
and saw we were standing on clouds. They were the brightest things I could see
since it was still late. The moon was right behind me, so close I felt I could
hit it by throwing a rock.

“Everyone stay
close!” Rockne shouted at his army. “The clouds are firm enough to walk on, but
you could easily fall over the edge if you’re not careful.”

The thought of
falling to my death made my heart race. Would Rockne save me if I fell over the
edge? I doubted it. He headed straight ahead, toward a large cloud shaped like
a castle.

The closer we
got, the more it started to look like an actual castle. The clouds became
firmer, though they were still clouds. I was reminded of a dream I’d had as a
kid where I lived in the clouds. Everything was made of the stuff. It had been
a fun dream, but this was a nightmare. If Nalke died, Rockne would take over
and become the most powerful being in the world.

If only Nalke
hadn’t been weakened in the last battle.

How had he
gotten so easily weakened, though? If he’d been the most powerful being ever,
what had been done to him? The only thing I could think of was the spell he put
on Shae when she was pregnant with Astrid. That had been the last thing he’d
done before he’d grown weak.