Tales from Dargo Island: The Complete Trilogy (9 page)

I was extremely
uneasy during my first shift of the week. The sky was red and cloudy, bright
enough so that I could actually see the clouds. I sat at the desk, staring at
the monitors and out the windows, looking for anyone trying to sneak in. I
couldn’t concentrate enough to attempt reading or watching TV.

A knock on the
door to my left scared the hell out of me. It was Astrid, and she looked
worried. I slid the door open and let her in.

“I have to see
Cormac,” she said.

“I can’t let
you leave the Village; you know that.”

“I know. I was
hoping you’d go with me, though.”

“I can’t do
that. Rockne would kill me.” I hadn’t seen him since talking with Victor two
days ago.

“He doesn’t
have to know.”

“I think
someone would notice if I left the gatehouse.”

“Not at this
hour,” she pleaded.

“I can’t leave,”
I said again, thinking of the barrier I powered with my presence.

“Fine! I’m
going, though.” She left the gatehouse and headed toward the mountains.

“Wait!” I
yelled. I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed the phone and automatically called
Rockne, but there was no answer at the house. I called Ernie next and told him
what was happening. He told me to go after her, and that he was on his way. I
knew it wouldn’t take him long to get here.

I ran after
Astrid, hoping to catch her before she got too far away from the Village. She
was fifty feet ahead of me, and I was exhausted by the time I finally caught
her. She was perfectly composed.

“Please come
back with me,” I panted.

“No,” she said,
and started jogging ahead. I did the same, reaching for her arm. She dodged it,
and I almost fell.

“Why do you
need to see Cormac so badly?”

“Because I
heard about what his dad said. Cormac isn’t a spy, and he doesn’t want to hurt
me.”

“And?”

“And what?” She
finally looked at me.

We walked
between two huge hills, down a trail. The trail wounded around a really dark
corner. “And what are you going to do when you see Cormac?”

“I’m going to
talk to him and the other giants. I heard Rockne and Victor talking yesterday.
They said Nalke is preparing to strike soon and I need to see if I can convince
the giants to join us now—tonight.”

“How do Victor
and Rockne know your dad’s about to attack?”

“Nalke!” she
screamed. “Don’t call him my dad!”

“Sorry.” She
was scary when she was mad.

“Rockne has his
own spies. I heard him say he’s planning to make an announcement to the rest of
the Village soon, but I can’t wait.”

Before I knew
it, we were in a snow-covered valley. There was a frozen lake in the center,
with frozen cherry-blossom trees surrounding it.

“I did not see
this coming,” I said, astounded. “Is it always snowing here?”

“Sometimes. The
weather is crazy in this area.” She walked down the trail, toward the lake. I
followed, of course.

“I can’t stay
away from the gatehouse much longer. Victor told me humans reinforce the magic
around the Village. I’m putting everyone in danger by not being there.”

“Then go back,”
she said. “I’ll be fine.”

“Please just
come back with me.”

She kept
walking, and so did I. Before we reached the lake, something rose up from it.
The ice stayed in place, however, so I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
It was Rewan, and he didn’t look happy. After he finished magically rising from
the ice, he just stood there on the suddenly solid surface with his arms
crossed. He said something in his language.

“Yes,” Astrid
replied. “I’ve come to see you and the other giants. Nalke is preparing to
attack and we need your help or he’ll kill all of us.”

Rewan replied.

“Cormac isn’t a
spy for anyone. He’s just my best friend. He didn’t pick a side, and I wasn’t
trying to persuade him. But I am trying to persuade you now. Please help us.”

Rewan said
something.

“I know Nalke
has few followers, but he is still dangerous. We don’t know where his attack
will come from, but it will be bad.”

Astrid sounded
so diplomatic that I didn’t have a hard time imagining her as a leader.

Rewan scratched
his chin, thinking. Before he could reply, another giant rose out of the lake
and stood behind him. Before Rewan could turn, a large blade shot out from his
chest. Astrid and I screamed as the giant fell to his knees, covered in yellow
blood.

Cormac stood
there, still holding the blade he used to kill his father.

“No!” Astrid
screamed. “What have you done?”

He replied.

“No. Please,
no.”

“What?” I asked
her.

“He’s working
for Nalke.”

I couldn’t believe
what I’d heard. I stared at the little giant, and he suddenly looked completely
unrecognizable. His eyebrows curved downward in the middle, making him look
evil.

I grabbed
Astrid’s hand and pulled her away from the lake just as Cormac swiped at us with
what looked like a giant sword. We ran up the trail, back the way we’d come.
The ground shook as Cormac ran after us. There was no way we could escape him.
I was too afraid to look back, and simply waited to be cut in half with his
sword.

Just as we ran between
the two big hills at the beginning of the trail, a quake shook the mountains
around us. Rocks rained down on Cormac, pinning him. Astrid and I took a moment
to realize this before we began running toward the Village again. I truly
thought we were about to die and my heart beat so fast I thought I would throw
up. My nose bled.

Ernie was
waiting for us at the gatehouse. I told him what just happened.

“Cormac? No.
That can’t be.”

“That must be
how Nalke planned to strike at us,” I said, still panting. Once again, Astrid
was breathing normally, though her eyes showed she was devastated.

“Well, let’s
get you home, girly. It’s safer there.” Ernie took her arm and ushered her
away.

“What about
me?” I asked.

“You’ll be safe
too. Don’t leave, though. The shield is stronger if you’re here.”

“I know.” I
still couldn’t believe that. Cormac and Tack had already gotten through this
shield. I decided to trust Ernie, though. I watched him and Astrid disappear
down the hill, toward Rockne’s house. Then I watched the mountains, waiting for
some sign of movement.

I saw them
coming, thanks to the red sky.

A line of
giants headed toward the Village.

I stood outside
the gatehouse, watching the approaching giants. Lightning lit up the sky, followed
by thunder. I felt rain hit the top of my head. It started coming down really
hard a moment later, making it difficult to see clearly. I could feel the
giants, though. I couldn’t imagine helping the shield by staying there, but I
wasn’t about to leave and risk the safety of the Village.

As the horde
approached, I saw Cormac leading the way. He looked banged up by the avalanche
that stopped him earlier, but not enough to kill him or make him less
dangerous. He still carried the sword he killed his father with. There were
four other giants behind him.

I went back
into the gatehouse and called Rockne again. He still didn’t answer. Neither did
Victor. I could barely breathe by the time the horde arrived. They stopped a
few feet away from the gatehouse, looking around. The shield was working.

Or so I
thought.

Cormac took a
step forward. I wasn’t sure where the shield began, but the giant was way too
close. I watched from inside the gatehouse as he stood outside the sliding
door, looking at me. With a finger, he slid the door open. I backed away,
waiting for him to destroy the recently repaired roof.

I wanted to ask
him why he was doing this, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to understand his
reply. I waited for him to kill me, but he simply stood there. “What are you
waiting for?” I couldn’t help asking.

He grunted,
just as I expected, and then walked into the Village. The other four giants
followed.

The shield was
useless!

I left the
gatehouse and screamed at them, hoping to get their attention. I could barely see
their gray skin as they walked down the hill. I ran after them. The horde
headed straight for Rockne’s house. I ran past them, to the backyard, and tried
to open the back door.

“Josh!” a
familiar voice screamed behind me.

I turned and
saw Astrid waving at me from the treehouse. I ran over and climbed inside. I
shivered from the rain, breathing so hard I thought I would pass out. “Are you
all right?” I asked her.

She nodded.
“How did they get into the Village?”

“The shield
didn’t work. Where’s Ernie?”

“Warning
Champagne. He told me to stay in the house, but I didn’t feel safe in there.”

She had good
reason. We watched as the giants beat at the house with their fists. They were
nearly half as tall as Rockne’s house, and it wouldn’t stand much longer.

“Where’s
Rockne?” I asked Astrid.

“I don’t know.
We can’t find him. How did Nalke turn the giants?”

“Cormac said
something to me, but I couldn’t understand him.” I recited the grunts exactly.
Astrid’s eyes grew wide.

Before she
could say anything, we heard giant footsteps approach us. The tree house shook.
We were hidden behind a wall, but if the giants looked at the tree house from a
certain angle, they would see us.

“Hey!” a voice
yelled over the rain. “Over here, you giant bastard!”

I looked out
and saw Cormac turning back to Rockne’s house, at a figure standing a few feet
away. It was Ernie. The giant walked back toward him.

“You are not
welcome here!” Ernie yelled. “Leave at once. You cannot have her.”

Cormac stood
there as the other giants continued pummeling the house. They hadn’t noticed
Ernie walk past them, apparently. I wanted to run out and help him, but knew I
wasn’t a match against them. If I left the tree house, they might be tempted to
check it for Astrid. I stayed put.

“Cormac, how
could you side with Nalke? He’s the enemy. How could you betray Astrid’s trust?
She loved you.”

I could barely
hear the giant’s response over the rain, but Ernie did. “I will not help you!
Rockne will be here soon; he will kill you if you’re still here. Join our side
and help Astrid.”

Instead of
replying, Cormac picked Ernie up by his feet and dangled him upside down.

I jumped out of
the tree house without thinking and screamed. Cormac didn’t hear me. He grabbed
the upper half of Ernie’s body and held him up over his head.

“Hey!” I
screamed again, trying to distract Cormac long enough to think of a plan.

The giant
finally turned around, still holding Ernie by his upper and lower body. He held
him in front of himself.

“Josh,” Ernie
said to me. He sounded like he was in pain. “Get Astrid away from here.”

That was the
last thing he ever said. Cormac snapped his spine. I heard the crack clearly
over the rain.

I screamed
until my throat was raw.

Cormac dropped
Ernie’s body and walked toward me. I hadn’t realized Astrid was behind me until
she grabbed my hand and told me to run. We ran between the giant’s legs and to
the street. Champagne was across the way, standing at her door. She waved us
over and slammed her front door behind us.

“Get to the
panic room upstairs!” she screamed as the five giants walked toward us. I saw
them through the bay window next to the door.

Astrid led me
upstairs to the large master bedroom. There was a large metal door on our left.
I pulled it open and followed Astrid inside.

“What about
Champagne?” I asked.

“She knows what
she’s doing.” Astrid searched the steel walls around us. The panic room wasn’t
very large, maybe the size of my bedroom.

“This room
probably won’t protect us from giants,” I said. “They nearly destroyed Rockne’s
house.”

“I know. We’re not
staying here.” She found what she was looking for. A big red button behind a
hidden panel. She pressed it.

Suddenly, we
were in a different room, much darker than the last.

“What
happened?” I asked.

“I just
transported us to another house.”

It took me a
moment to understand. “Which house?”

“An abandoned
one at the end of the street. The giants don’t know we’re here. All the houses
connect to this one, in case we need to make a quick escape. But we can’t
travel to any house from here. It’s one-way.” She opened the door and looked
around. The room was empty and dusty, and I guessed it had been a long time
since someone lived here.

Astrid wiped
her eyes furiously. I couldn’t tell if she was crying because she was soaked
with rain water, but I took her hand anyway. “I’m sorry about Ernie,” I said.

“Thank you.”

Just then, a
bright light shone through the nearby window. There was a loud, thunderous roar
and the floor shook. Dust rained down from the ceiling.

“What’s that?”
I asked.

She smiled.
“It’s Rockne. He’s back.”

We stepped
outside the empty house and saw a small mushroom cloud in the center of the
Village. We ran toward it, and I noticed we were in a far corner of the
neighborhood. The rain stopped as we ran down the main street, toward Rockne’s
house. He was standing in front of his ruined house, a pile of dead giants in
his front yard.

When Rockne saw
Astrid, his face lit up with a smile. “Oh, thank heaven you’re all right.”

He hugged her
tightly. The look of relief on his face made me feel better.

“Ernie’s dead,”
she told Rockne. “We couldn’t save him.”

“It’s okay, my
dear. It wasn’t your fault. Nothing could be done. I just wish I was here.”

“Where were
you?” I asked, trying not to sound angry, even though I was.

He looked at me
from the corners of his eyes. “I was in town, grabbing a drink with Victor.
Some giants showed up there as well, tearing up Dargo Plaza. They nearly got
into the palace before I managed to stop them.”

“Nalke turned
the giants?” Champagne asked as she joined us.

“It would
appear so.”

“What does this
mean for us?” she asked.

Victor waddled
up to us. “Dargo natives attacked us. It reflects poorly on the Dargons that
their own inhabitants sided with the bad guy. This could open up a discussion with
Taleeno, and he may join us in order to make things right.”

“Yes,” said
Rockne, “hopefully this attack will show Taleeno and his daughter that we only
want peace for everyone, and that Nalke is a threat that can’t be ignored.”

“Or they may
blame us for bringing Dargo to Nalke’s attention in the first place,” I said. I
couldn’t help it.

Rockne stared
at me but said nothing.

Astrid stood
near Cormac’s dead body at the top of the pile. “How could he betray us like
this?”

“Nalke is very
persuasive,” Rockne said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing he
won’t do to regain power. Nothing is sacred to him.”

After this
attack, my view of Nalke definitely changed.

“No time like
the present to talk with Taleeno,” Victor said as he and Rockne headed for Rockne’s
car. Before Rockne got in, he waved his hand and the pile of giants slowly
began disappearing in an orange glow.

Astrid walked
up to me. “I still can’t believe Cormac did this. He killed his own father.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her
head, looking toward the dead pile as embers floated in the air. “That thing he
said to you before he came after me doesn’t make sense.”

“Why? What did
he say?”

She looked at
me. “He said ‘help me.’”

*
 
*
 
*

Rockne and
Victor returned an hour later. It was early in the morning and I was exhausted
despite the fact I was always up at this time anyway. Champagne had invited
Astrid and me back to her house, where we drank some hot chocolate. Rockne and
Victor walked in and sat with us at the dining table.

“Well,” Rockne
said, “Taleeno agreed to join us in our fight against Nalke.”

“That’s
wonderful news,” Champagne said. “What happens now?”

“First off, we
have to bring the other giants under control.”

I looked at
Rockne. “What does that mean?”

“We can’t trust
them. We’re arresting the remaining giants. If they don’t come willingly,
they’ll be destroyed.”

“You can’t be
serious,” Champagne protested. She looked at Rockne warily.

“I’m very
serious, dear. If they don’t resist, they’ll simply be imprisoned until we can
figure out what to do with them. Once Nalke is defeated, perhaps they can be
rehabilitated.”

“You’re judging
an entire race based on the actions of a few?”

“Not the entire
race. If Nalke managed to turn the dozen he did, who’s to say he didn’t get the
entire clan?”

“He didn’t get
Rewan,” Astrid said. “That’s why Cormac killed him.”

“And Rewan was
the leader of that clan,” Victor said. “If they killed him to serve Nalke,
there may be no hope of rehabilitation.”

“I agree,”
Rockne said. “We may end up having to wipe them out.”

“How can you
decide that?” I asked. “Why not leave them to the other giant clans?”

“There are no
other clans on the island; they’re spread throughout the world. Heaven help us
if Nalke’s gotten to them as well.”

“So you’ll kill
them too?” I asked. It killed me arguing with my friend, especially since I
understood, for the most part, where he was coming from.

“How about you
come with us,” Rockne said to me. “We will try to reason with them.”

I wanted to say
no, but I also wanted to see if there was anything I could do to keep anyone
else from dying.