by E. D. Baker
Pirates ran in every direction, but the men armed with crossbows shot one bolt after another at Audun. When Millie saw this, she tucked her wings to her sides and dove toward the ship, breathing a tongue of fire at the bolts. The bolts burst into flame and tumbled from the sky. Some fell into the ocean, hissing when they touched the water. Some landed on the deck, where sailors rushed to put out their flames. But a few fell on the sails, setting them on fire. Within moments the wind carried the flames to other parts of the ship and the fire ate its way across the decks and rigging faster than the pirates could put it out.
The pirate ship started drifting. Captain Riley hurried to steer the Sallie Mae away from the Wandering Tuna. The sailors cheered as they left the other ship behind.
Pirates jumped overboard as fire devoured their ship. Within minutes, their captain was shouting at his men, waving his cutlass in the air. The pirates who were still on board ran to lower the longboat over the side of the Wandering Tuna. While the pirates climbed into the longboat, Millie and Audun returned to the deck of the Sallie Mae.
CHAPTER 8
The moment Millie turned back into her human form, she put her hand over her mouth and dashed down the stairs, heading back to her cabin.
“I have to go see if she’s all right,” said Audun, and hurried after her.
Annie and Liam stood at the stern of the ship, looking across their wake toward where they’d last seen the pirates. “I don’t think they’ll be coming after us now,” said Annie.
Liam shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, either. I’m glad they’re gone, but I must say that I didn’t expect Millie to set their ship on fire.”
“I don’t think she intended to,” said Annie. “It looked as if she was just trying to protect Audun. I would have done the same thing if I was in her position and someone was aiming crossbows at you.”
“That’s good to know!” Liam said, pulling her close for a kiss.
“Ahem.” A sailor cleared his throat. “Pardon me, Your Highness, but your brother demands to be let out of his cabin. He’s making an awful racket. And the captain would like to see you as soon as it’s convenient for you.”
“Thank you,” said Liam. “You may tell the captain that I’ll be right there. You may also bring my brother up on deck. It’s time he tells us if he really knows the way.”
“Do you think Clarence might have been lying the whole time?” Annie asked as the sailor hurried off.
Liam shrugged. “It’s possible, but it’s also possible that he actually has some knowledge of the cove’s location. He did spend time at sea, possibly with the very same pirates that Audun and Millie just chased off. After all that’s happened, Clarence has to know that I won’t stand for any more of his lies.”
“Unless he thought the pirates would take care of us before we could find out that he was lying,” said Annie.
“There is that,” Liam said, scowling. “I swear, if I find out that he’s lied about knowing how to find Skull Cove, I really might toss him overboard.”
“If he’s been lying, my uncle doesn’t stand a chance and my father might not, either,” said Annie. “We need to get medicine to them soon, and we won’t be able to if we have to find someone else to show us the way.”
“I’m not giving up on Clarence yet,” Liam told her. “Let’s hear what he has to say first.”
“You have to tell me what happened!” Clarence called as soon as he came on deck. “How did you beat the pirates like that?”
It occurred to Annie that Clarence hadn’t been able to see what had happened from his cabin. “He doesn’t know about Millie and Audun,” Annie whispered to Liam.
“Not knowing will drive him crazy!” Liam whispered back. “I don’t want anyone to tell him!”
“I need to know our heading now,” said the captain. “Our true heading,” he added, turning to Clarence.
“First you have to tell me what happened,” Clarence replied.
“No!” Liam told his brother. “You tell us the heading and I might consider answering your questions. Do you even really know where Skull Cove is located or was that just another one of your lies? If this was a trick, you’re going to have a very long swim to shore.”
“There you go, threatening me again!” said Clarence. “I won’t tell you anything if you threaten me!”
Liam nodded as if he’d made up his mind. “Captain, please have two of your men toss my brother overboard, then we’ll head to the nearest port and see if anyone there can give us directions.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Clarence said as the captain gestured to two of his biggest sailors. “I’m a prince and deserve your respect!”
“You’re a scoundrel and a liar and as such deserve only what I decide to give you,” said Liam.
The two burly men lifted Clarence off his feet and started to carry him to the railing. “No!” Clarence shouted. “I know the way! You’ll need to head west along the coastline. We’ll change course again when we see the last of Viramoot.”
“Very good,” said the captain, and waved off his men.
Captain Riley was bringing the ship about when Clarence said to Liam, “Now you have to tell me what happened. Where did the pirates go? Why wasn’t there any damage to this ship? These men all look hale and hearty. How could they fight the pirates without anyone getting hurt?”
“We won and that’s all you need to know,” said Liam.
“But you said you’d tell me!” Clarence cried.
“I said I’d consider it. I have and I’ve decided that you don’t need to know the details. Gentlemen, please return my brother to his cabin,” Liam told the two brawny sailors. “And make sure he stays there until I say he can come out.”
Clarence was locked in his cabin for the next two days. He shouted for someone to let him out every time anyone walked past his door. Annie didn’t feel sorry for him, but she did worry about Millie, who had shut herself in her cabin again. Although Annie tried to visit her friend more than once, Millie always told her that she wanted to be alone.
They didn’t spot the southern tip of Viramoot until late afternoon on the third day. When Liam sent for Clarence, his brother came on deck rumpled and unshaven. “You threw out all my things!” Clarence complained. “I don’t even have a comb for my hair!”
“It wouldn’t have been necessary if you hadn’t proven once again just how unreliable you are,” Liam told him. He turned to point at the shore. “That’s the last of Viramoot. Where do we go from here?”
“Head south,” Clarence told the captain. “But I’ll need to stay on deck if I’m to see the next landmark!” he hurried to add.
“Very well,” announced Liam. “Just know that you’ll be under guard every minute you’re outside your cabin.”
“That’s fine with me,” Clarence told him, “as long as I’m not stuck inside that tiny room any longer.”
Millie came on deck the next day, looking pale and tired. “Are you all right?” Annie asked her. “You’ve been seasick so long!”
“I’m fine,” said Millie. “I don’t think it’s just seasickness. I wasn’t feeling well before we came to see you, which is why we’re looking for the doctor.”
“I wish there was something I could do to help you,” said Annie.
“Thanks,” Millie replied. “But you’re already doing it by helping us find Skull Cove.”
“I hope the doctor is as good as your friend said he was,” Annie said, thinking about her father and uncle.
“So do I,” said Millie.
“Let’s walk,” Annie suggested. “I think the exercise will do us good. I’m curious about your kingdom. What is it like to live in Greater Greensward?”
“I love it!” said Millie. “I know there’s magic in your kingdom, but not as much as in my side of the world. Most of the women in my family are witches—good ones, of course, although my grandmother and great-aunt weren’t so good when the family curse took hold.”
After Millie exp
lained about the curse and how her mother had ended it, Annie plied her with questions about the kingdom. Annie was fascinated when Millie started talking about her friends. “My best friend is Zoë. She’s the daughter of my mother’s friend Li’l. They’ve known each other for ages. Li’l is a bat and her husband is a vampire prince, so Zoë can turn into a normal bat or a vampire. She doesn’t drink human blood, though, and she’s really nice. Zoë got engaged to my cousin Francis last month. Francis is the son of my great-aunt Grassina and her husband, Haywood. They’re both witches, and so is Francis. He’s also trained as a knight, and he’s pretty good at magic and fighting.”
“Your family and friends are so interesting! They make mine sound boring,” said Annie.
“You want to hear about interesting! We have a family friend named Coral. She’s a mermaid and she lives in a castle in the ocean. Her castle is near an island where a bunch of witches live.”
“Unless there’s more than one island like that, Liam and I have been there. It was one of the places we visited by postcard,” said Annie.
“As far as I know, there’s only one,” said Millie. “My great-grandmother used to live on the island, but she moved back home a while ago. After she died, she moved into the dungeon with my great-grandfather. He’s a ghost, too. And then there’s Simon-Leo. He’s a two-headed troll; each head has its own name. His mother is the troll queen and his father is a human prince, but he doesn’t see his father much because his parents don’t get along. And then there are the witches and fairies. They come around all the time. My mother is on the witches’ council, so they hold their meetings at our castle a lot.”
“I remember Azuria saying that the next meeting was going to be there,” said Annie. “It sounds as if you have a very exciting life!”
“Sometimes it’s too exciting!” said Millie.
Annie listened, rapt, as Millie told her about some of the things that had happened to her family. The two girls strolled about the deck, stopping now and then to look out over the waves. By late afternoon, the waves seemed to be higher and the sailing not as smooth. When Annie looked up, gray clouds were forming overhead and the wind was growing stronger.
“It looks as if a storm is headed this way,” Audun told them when he came over. “You might want to go below deck.”
Millie shook her head. “I’ve been down there too long as it is. I’m sick of that cabin. Besides, the fresh air helps me feel better.”
“Promise me you’ll go below if it gets much rougher,” Audun said.
“I promise,” said Millie. “But I won’t like it.”
Although Annie didn’t want to go below deck any more than Millie did, the storm came on fast, and it wasn’t long before the waves were so high and rough that she knew they needed to head for their cabins. They were making their way to the stairs when the waves started washing over the wooden planking. Annie clung to Millie with one arm and to a mast with the other as the storm grew fiercer. “Hold on!” Annie shouted as another wave swept toward them.
A sailor shouted, grabbing at anything he could as the water knocked him down and carried him across the deck. He caught hold of Annie’s skirts and was starting to drag her down when Liam shouted, “We’re coming!”
Liam’s voice was faint over the crashing waves, so Annie wasn’t sure that she’d heard him. “I can’t hold on much longer,” she shouted to Millie as another wave followed the first and the weight of the sailor continued to pull them toward the railing.
“But I can,” said Millie. Pushing away from Annie, she let the wave carry her off, but had gone only a few yards when she began to change. The water washing over her shimmered. Moments later, she erupted into the air as a dragon. With a few powerful beats of her wings, she was at Annie’s side, plucking her and the sailor out of the water washing across the deck and carrying them to the top of the stairs.
And then Audun the dragon was there, hauling three half-drowned sailors. Liam came next, supporting a sailor on either side. “This is a nasty storm!” Liam said as a gust nearly bowled him over.
“I wish this wind would let up,” Audun told him. “My wings are tired already.”
Millie gasped when the wind abruptly lessened. “Say it again, my love,” she told Audun. “Tell the wind to grow calmer.”
Audun looked puzzled when he asked, “What good will that do?”
“Please try,” Millie cried as a huge wave carried the ship high, only to let it slide into a trough behind it.
“Anything for you,” Audun said. “Grow calmer, wind.”
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when the wind lessened noticeably. The waves were still rough, but it wasn’t long before they decreased as well.
“Do you know what this means?” Millie asked him.
“No one else is going to get washed overboard?” said Audun.
“It’s your gift! You finally learned what your special gift is!” Millie cried.
Audun grinned. “You’re right! I was beginning to think that I would never have one. Well, what do you think of that?”
The water was calm enough now that the sailors were able to walk without staggering as they inspected the ship for damage and the sails for tears. One man was so relieved that the storm was over that he began to whistle a lively tune.
“What are you talking about?” Liam asked Audun. “What gift?”
“Every ice dragon has a special gift and each one is unique. Their names often reflect their gifts. My mother is named Moon Dancer and is very graceful. My father is Speedwell and he’s one of the fastest fliers. Song of the Glacier is my grandmother. She can actually hear the voices of glaciers. My family all received their gifts while they were younger than I am now. I really was beginning to think it might never happen to me. Imagine—controlling the wind! Maybe I should change my name to Wind Master! Let me see what else I can do.”
While his friends watched, Audun calmed the wind so there was barely a breeze.
“We need some wind,” said Liam. “The ship won’t move without it.”
Audun nodded and muttered under his breath. A wind sprang up, moving the ship along.
“I’m so proud of you!” Millie told him. She started toward Audun, turning back into a human on the way. Suddenly she stopped, clapped her hand over her mouth, and ran to the railing. She was still feeling sick when Annie went to help her.
“I have to go lie down again,” Millie groaned.
“Would you like me to come with you?” Audun asked her.
Millie shook her head. “No, I just …” Moaning, she ran to the stairs and disappeared below.
“My poor darling,” said Audun. “I can’t believe she’s seasick again.”
“I don’t think she’s seasick,” Annie told him. “She wasn’t sick at all during the storm when the water was so rough. It wasn’t until she turned back into a human that she started to feel ill.”
“Millie was sick so often at home that I thought she had a terrible ailment,” said Audun. “Then again, she was changing between dragon and human forms all the time. It’s possible that it was the change that was making her sick. I hope we find that doctor soon and that he can give us some answers.”
CHAPTER 9
Two days later they passed a low-lying island shaped like a half circle. When Clarence saw the island, he told the captain to turn southwest. They spotted land shortly before noon the next day. Annie and Liam stayed near Clarence after that, studying the shoreline from the railing. They were sailing past a rocky promontory when the shore suddenly curved back, revealing a pretty little cove. Annie glanced at the rocks again. From this angle, they resembled the skull of a small creature. “Over there!” she cried, pointing. “That looks like a chipmunk’s skull! This must be Skull Cove!”
“A chipmunk!” Clarence said with disgust. “I thought the skull would look human.”
“You mean you’ve never been here?” asked Liam.
Clarence shook his head. “I’ve never been in the co
ve. I did sail past once. We didn’t come close enough to see the skull, but a friend pointed the cove out to me.”
“You surprise me, Clarence,” said Liam. “I didn’t know you had any friends.”
“Very funny,” Clarence said, looking sour. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going ashore as soon as I can talk some of these sailors into taking me. Anyone else want to go?”
“We all do,” said Audun. “I’ll get Millie. She was feeling a little better this morning.”
Annie waited impatiently while the captain brought his ship into the cove and set anchor. While they waited, Millie came on deck, looking pale and still shaky. Audun helped his wife climb into the longboat, holding her hand as the rest of their party joined them. Four sailors were going to row them to shore, then wait aboard the Sallie Mae until Liam summoned them back.
The water was calmer in the cove because the curve of the land protected it from the more powerful waves of the ocean. Even so, the trip to shore in the longboat seemed to take forever. The shoreline was serene with frond-topped trees on either end of a sandy beach. Annie half expected to see a cottage or hut on the beach itself, but there wasn’t any sign that anyone had ever been there. When she and her party finally set foot on the shore, she wasn’t sure what to do.
“Don’t tell me that there is no witch doctor!” said Annie. “We can’t have come all this way for nothing!”
“He probably makes his home farther inland,” said Liam. “Look at the debris on the beach. It goes all the way up to those trees. Anything built on the beach would be flooded every high tide. We need to look for a path. If the witch doctor lives near here, there’s probably a path leading from the beach to his home. Let’s spread out and see if we can find it.”