by Alex English
‘I’m sorry.’ Echo’s heart filled with guilt and she twisted her hands together. ‘It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have—’
‘You did the right thing,’ said Lil. ‘That’s what a true sky pirate does.’ She set down her fork and put an arm round Echo. ‘There’ll always be more treasure to find. And, in the meantime, starfish and seaweed with the daughter I love is just fine by me.’
Echo felt her cheeks flush with pride and she flung both her arms round Lil and buried her head in her leather jerkin.
Then she swallowed and pulled back. ‘But what about the Cutlass of Calinthe?’
Lil nodded grimly. ‘There’s no changing things. Miranda has it, which makes her the leader of the seven skies.’
‘Does she lead us?’
Lil snorted, almost spitting her grog across the table. ‘No. She does not.’
‘But what will we do. Now the other six clans are all one?’
‘I won’t lie,’ said Lil. ‘Things are going to be a lot more dangerous with Miranda in charge. I really don’t know what the future holds. But we’ll manage,’ she said. ‘We always do. We’re the Black Sky Wolves after all.’
Echo nodded.
‘Wait, that reminds me.’ Lil got up and marched over to the captain’s quarters, returning with something held behind her back. ‘The crew and I decided you’d earned this.’ She brought out a hatbox and opened it to reveal an indigo wool tricorne.
Echo’s heart swelled with pride. Then she frowned. ‘But… but where did you get a tricorne in the Dragonlands?’
‘I bought it a long time ago, Echo,’ said Lil. ‘I knew you’d earn it one day. It was just a question of when.’
Echo grinned from ear to ear as Lil placed the stiff woollen hat on to her curls.
It fitted perfectly.
* * *
‘So,’ Echo said shyly to Flora later, as she speared a juicy, chargrilled starfish with her fork, ‘am I a princess or a pirate now?’
‘Definitely a pirate,’ said Flora, with a smile.
‘Definitely,’ agreed Horace.
‘Through and through,’ said Lil.
* * *
As the sky dimmed to violet, Echo couldn’t help grinning from her place at the pot wash where she was washing up plates. She looked round the ship, taking in the crew’s smiling faces. Lil was busy studying the sky charts, the cream plume on her tricorne bobbing as she spoke to Bulkhead, who frowned in concentration. Spud and Beti sloshed soapy water over the decks with some help from Slingshot, every now and then breaking out into a mock swordfight with their mops. Flora and Horace had their heads together as they packed away the tables. And somewhere, out there in the Dragonlands, the three baby dragons were flying, wild and free as they should be, singing the songs of the seven skies and the story of how they’d been forged in fire.
Miranda might have the Cutlass of Calinthe, and Echo hadn’t brought back a single sovereign of the dragon’s gold, but she was happy, and she belonged.
She was a sky pirate.
And, for the moment, that was quite enough.
Recipe for Marshamallama Milkshakes
Ingredients:
200ml marshmallama milk (regular dairy or alternative milk can also be used if you don’t have a marshmallama to hand)
A handful of mini pink marshmallows (plus a few to decorate)
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Method:
Put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.
Decorate the top with some more marshmallows.
Drink on adventures.
SKY PIRATES QUIZ!
How many dragon eggs do Echo and Horace find? a) Five
b) Three
c) One
What is inside the treasure chest that Echo digs up? a) A disgruntled octopus
b) Gold doubloons
c) A ruby necklace
Complete the clue: ‘To find the way to dragon caves, seek knowledge underneath the…’ a)… sofa cushions
b)… waves
c)… stairs
What is the name of the Thunder Sharks’ airship? a) Jaws
b) Diamond
c) Obsidian
What form of transport does Gerund, the librarian, use? a) Jetpack
b) Tricycle
c) Roller skates
What is the name of Echo’s cutlass? a) Stinger
b) Slasher
c) Spike
What colour is the mist in the Mallow Marshes? a) Pink
b) Purple
c) Blue
What do Echo and Horace find to eat in Tarakona Canyon? a) Pickled squibnuts
b) Dragon fruit
c) Apples
TURN TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR THE ANSWERS!
QUIZ ANSWER:
1) B, 2) A, 3) B, 4) C, 5) B, 6) A, 7) A, 8) B
How many did you get right?
1-2 There’s a way to go before you’re ready to sail the seven skies. Perhaps you’re better off on land!
3-5 Getting there. With a bit more map reading and cutlass rattling, you could be a top-notch sky pirate!
6-8 You are a true-blue sky pirate. Join the crew of the Black Sky Wolves immediately!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to give a hearty Sky Pirate thank you to the following people:
Thérèse Coen, my superstar of an agent, who supported Echo and her motley crew from the very start.
My brilliant editors, Lucy Rogers and Amina Youssef, who steered the good ship Sky Pirates in the right direction and helped me make this book even better than I’d imagined it could be.
Mark Chambers, for his fantastic illustrations, Jesse Green for her design chops, Jane Tait for her meticulous wordsmithery and all the rest of the team at Simon & Schuster for their enthusiasm and all-round fabulousness.
Team Swag, Tania and Sarah for the cheerleading and handholding behind the scenes. Ellie, Hannah and Jane for the Zoom tomfoolery and helping to keep me sane during the pandemic.
Freddie and George for their boundless enthusiasm and for asking me at least a million times, ‘Have you finished it yet?’ Yes, boys, I have!
And finally, Rik, for the (many) cups of tea and keeping the boys out of my hair when I needed it. I couldn’t have done this without you.
More from this Series
Sky Pirates: Echo…
Book 1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex English is a picture book author and a graduate of the Bath Spa University MA Writing for Young People. She currently lives with her family in Reigate. Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond was her first middle-grade title and the start of the swashbuckling series.
www.alexenglish.co.uk
www.SimonandSchuster.co.uk/Authors/Alex-English
First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
Text copyright © 2021 Alex English
Illustration copyright © 2021 Mark Chambers
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
All rights reserved.
The rights of Alex English and Mark Chambers to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work respectively have been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
1st Floor, 222 Gray’s Inn Road
London WC1X 8HB
www.simonandschuster.co.uk
www.simonandschuster.com.au
www.simonandschuster.co.in
Simon & Schuster Australia, Sydney
Simon & Schuster India, New Delhi
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
PB ISBN 978-1-4711-9089-6
eBook ISBN 978-1-4711-9090-2
eAudio ISBN 978-1-3985-0000-6
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used f
ictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.