by Lisa McMann
“I would have told you more about her, really,” Alex offered. “Eventually. I felt foolish, is all. About bringing her to life and losing her immediately.”
“It’s not a prrroblem,” Simber said. “You don’t have to tell me everrrything about yourrr plans.”
“I almost always do, though,” Alex said. He had no idea what was happening with this conversation. Simber seemed almost hostile.
“Well, now you won’t have to.”
“What?” Alex exclaimed.
“I assume you intend to rrreplace me.”
Alex nearly fell off the giant cat’s back. “Don’t be insane!” he cried. He flung his arms around the giant statue’s neck and held on. “Simber, you’ve gone completely bonkers if you think I would ever want to replace you! Is that what you’ve been thinking?”
Simber growled, but his neck and back relaxed a bit. “It crrrossed my mind.”
Alex closed his eyes and held the beast, pressing his cheek against the smooth stone of his neck. “Oh, Simber,” he said in a quiet voice. “I wouldn’t want to live without you by my side. You’re my best friend. I . . . I love you.”
Simber was silent as they soared through the air toward the red island. After a while, he cleared his throat and said in the gruffest voice Alex had ever heard, “I’m sorrry about the way I trrreated you.” The cat swallowed hard. “I was wrrrong to speak to you that way in frrront of everrryone. I won’t do that again.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Alex’s mouth. He knew how hard it was for Simber to say that. He stroked the cheetah’s neck.
“And . . . ,” Simber said.
Alex waited a beat. “And?” he prompted.
“And . . . I love you, too. Harrrumph!”
Alex’s smile spread across his face.
The Island of Legends
When Spike began to jump through the water, Simber turned his ears toward her. A moment later, he slowed. “Hang on,” he said to Alex.
Alex hung on. Simber swooped around and headed back toward the ship. “Ease up, Ahab,” Simber called out.
The captain adjusted the sails and the ship began to slow.
To Alex, Simber said, “Spike noticed something strrrange about the island too. We’rrre going to apprrroach with caution.”
“Good call,” Alex said. “Did she say what was strange about it? I can’t hear what she’s saying.”
Simber swooped down near Spike so that Alex could speak to the whale directly.
“Spike, what’s happening?” Alex asked.
“It is moving.”
“What is? The island?”
“Yes. But not up and down like other islands do.”
Alex squinted at the island, which wasn’t far off now. “Simber, do you notice that?”
“I’d thought it as well but wasn’t surrre. It’s verrry slow, like it’s floating. It’s just . . . strrrange.”
They continued on. Spike disappeared beneath the surface to check things out from below, while Simber and Alex flew back to the ship to update the others. As the ship drew close to shore, they could begin to see details on the lush plants and trees growing both on the mainland and also along twin reefs that jutted out into the water. The reefs formed a large lagoon where the water was calm. Captain Ahab guided the ship into the calm water.
Soon Spike surfaced alongside the ship. “The squid is here. He’s in a lot of pain.”
Carina looked over the railing. “I can help him.” She glanced at at Alex. “Is it all right if I go?”
Alex knit his brows together, thinking. He was extremely wary about this island, based on his past experiences with the other islands. But Spike was there. “Spike,” Alex called.
The whale surfaced.
“I want you to stay close to Carina, and if we retreat, I want you to take her and follow us right way.”
“And me,” Sean said. “I’d like to go too.”
Alex nodded. “That’s fine. You guys see if you can help out the squid. I’m going to take a team on shore. If you see any danger, get out of there.”
“Aye, aye, boss,” Sean said.
The squirrelicorns lifted Sean and Carina and lowered them to Spike’s back.
“Hold on. We can zoom together. The Alex made me very fast,” Spike explained.
Sean and Carina exchanged amused looks and grabbed on. Soon they and Spike disappeared.
Alex turned his back to the island and surveyed the group that remained, looking first to the injured. “Ms. Octavia, Lani, Henry, Copper, you’re staying here. Sky and Crow, now that you have your mother back, you’re not allowed to risk your lives for at least a week, so you stay too.”
Sky didn’t smile. She didn’t even look at Alex.
He hurried on with his announcements. “Squirrelicorns, stay put for now. Ahab will stay with the ship as usual. So who . . . ,” he said slowly, as if he were thinking very hard, “am I going . . .”—Fox scrabbled to his feet—“to bring with me?” Alex gazed at the remaining Artiméans.
Fox began hopping, one front leg raised.
Alex pretended not to see him. “Let’s see, so that leaves Samheed, Kitten, Simber . . .”
The fox hopped higher.
“And Florence.”
Fox deflated.
Alex grinned. “And Fox, of course.”
The fox beamed.
Simber rolled his eyes. “Perrrhaps I’ll sit this one out.”
“Alex,” Samheed interrupted. “Everybody. Check it out.” He pointed to land, where the sea monster from the Pirate Island aquarium was climbing onto the sandy shore. Her short, stout legs and flippers made her waddle from side to side as she walked.
“So she’s a land monster too,” Alex mused. “She looks a little like a girrino, only with shorter legs and no fur.”
“And her face is more horselike,” Lani added.
Alex didn’t really know what a horse looked like—he’d only ridden on invisible ones. But he took Lani’s word for it. And he hoped the monster was friendly.
As Alex and the others went about planning the safest way to visit the island, Carina and Sean surfaced for air. Spike circled around, her spike catching the light and sparkling as she turned.
“We’re getting the squid’s tentacle all fixed up,” Carina reported.
“Spike talked to the squid a bit more,” Sean said. “I guess the eel has been terrorizing all the water creatures who live around this island.”
“All the water creatures?” Alex asked. “Are there more than just the squid and the sea monster?”
“There are a few more,” Carina said. “And some land creatures too. We’re trying to get the scoop. But the important thing is that this island seems to be safe for us to approach—especially since we saved two of its inhabitants.”
“Yeah,” added Sean, “Spike saw the sea monster and told her that you guys were going ashore, so she went ahead to tell some guy named Talon that you’re friendly.”
Alex felt a surge of excitement. It was a relief knowing there were some nice places out here. And people, too? He couldn’t wait to meet this Talon guy.
Carina and Sean went back underwater to work on the squid some more, and Alex had Ahab swing the ship around and pull up along the reef so that Florence could get out.
As the small group disembarked and Florence carefully stepped one foot out of the ship, something glinting in the sun caught her eye. She looked up.
Standing on the shore was a gorgeous, shirtless giant. He had wings on his back. And he was made entirely of bronze.
Florence gasped. Her foot clipped the edge of the ship. She lost her balance and fell, grabbing on to the reef with one hand as her lower half hit the water.
Without a second’s hesitation, the reef curled around her. The end of it opened up like a giant claw. It grabbed Florence around the waist, lifted her up into the air, and set her effortlessly on the shore next to the man.
The bronze man observed Florence for a moment, and then he bow
ed before her and offered his hand. “Greetings, beautiful stranger,” he said in a deep, musical voice. “I am Talon. Welcome to the shell of Karkinos the crab, known to some as the Island of Legends.”
A Brief Respite
Once Florence had gotten hold of her senses, she introduced herself, Alex, Samheed, Fox, Kitten, and Simber to Talon.
As they were greeting each other the sea-and-land monster from the Pirate Island cage waddled over to Talon’s side. “This is Issie,” Talon said. He reached out his enormous hand and scritched her long neck. Issie bobbed her head in greeting and continued walking to the edge of the island. She slid into the water, her head above the surface, the humps on her back rippling as she emitted a mesmerizing, forlorn call, looking this way and that.
“What’s wrong with her?” Alex asked in a hushed voice.
Talon gazed after the beast. “She’s looking for her foal.”
Fox hopped. “Kitten and I can help her look for it.”
Talon looked down at the fox, a sad smile on his face. “That’s very kind, but I doubt you’ll find it. Issie has been looking for her foal for quite a long time.”
“How long?” Florence asked. “Was it captured by the eel as well?”
Talon turned his gaze to Florence and made no attempt to hide his admiration of her sleek muscles. “No It’s been seven hundred years,” he said.
Alex and Samheed exchanged a glance. Was this guy joking? They didn’t think so. And what was the deal with the crab?
Simber walked gingerly over the island, sniffing and checking things out. The colossal crab was obviously alive but had clearly been here for a very long time, floating on the sea. Its shell and its claws—the twin reefs—were covered with sand and plants and trees, though the deep red color of the crab’s shell dominated along the edge of it.
Suddenly Simber growled and crouched, his ears flattened against his head.
Alex whirled around, pulling components from his robe. “What is it?” he said.
From behind a clump of trees came two majestic creatures. A furry white lioness with blue accents, who seemed to be floating just above the ground, and a white deer with stunning golden horns.
Talon held his hand out to Simber and Alex. “We are peaceful here, friends,” he said. “We wish no harm to anyone who comes here. May I introduce Lhasa the snow lion? She is our queen. And this is Bock.”
“Hello,” Lhasa said. She smiled brightly. Bock was silent, but he nodded politely.
Alex greeted the creatures with caution. Simber remained skeptical. “Wherrre arrre yourrr enemies?” Simber asked. “Surrrely you have some.”
Talon smiled. “Our enemies are all dead except for one.”
Lhasa stepped around some delicate-looking plants and made her way toward the Artiméans. She hovered just above the sand nearby, content to observe.
“Dead?” Simber’s interest was piqued.
“We killed them,” Talon said matter-of-factly, as if he were describing what he ate for breakfast.
“I see,” Simber said. He rose from his crouched position and sat. “And the one?”
“You’ve met him. The eel. He eludes us. I’ve chopped his tail off twice, the slimy worm, but he simply grows it back. He’s caused quite a lot of grief for our sea creatures.”
“Then it seems we sharrre an enemy.”
“Indeed. Which is why we ought to be friends.”
Ever cautious, Simber kept his guard up. “Perrrhaps.”
Talon turned to Alex. “Issie and the squid were gone for many weeks. We feared the worst. But Issie tells me your group saved her.”
“Simber did, actually,” Alex said modestly. “And Spike, our whale friend.” He turned to look out to sea, feeling a bit uneasy. “Spike stabbed the eel, but it got away.”
“It nearly capsized our ship,” Florence said.
“Florence saved all of us that time,” Samheed said.
“I do not doubt it,” Talon said.
If Florence could blush, she most likely would have.
Lhasa the snow lion, rose to her feet. “We would like to thank you for rescuing our friends. Won’t you all come explore—your injured friends too?” She pointed to the ship, where Henry, Lani, Sky, Crow, and Copper all stood watching them. “We shall prepare a feast to celebrate the return of Issie and the squid.”
Alex looked at Simber. Simber raised an eyebrow at Florence. Florence nodded.
“We’d love that,” Alex said. “Thank you.”
» » « «
Within the hour, everyone except Ahab was either resting in the shade on the edge of the crustaceous island or preparing to explore the various paths. Ahab desired to remain with the ship, which was really better for everyone, Alex decided. Sean and Carina had finished working on the squid and were thrilled to catch their breath and enjoy a cool drink.
Lani, who was feeling quite good now, joined Samheed, and thankfully they refrained from arguing. They stood beside Alex and Simber in front of Talon and waited for instructions.
“If you reach Vido the golden rooster,” Talon said, “perched high in the tallest tree, you will know you are at the center of the island. Beware of dropbears when walking through the most forested parts of the island,” he told them. “They won’t hurt you, but they might frighten you. They like to play tricks.”
“Dropbears?” Lani asked under her breath. “Now I can’t wait. Let’s go!”
“What are dropbears?” Samheed whispered back.
“I have no idea, but they sound adorable. I bet they’re tiny little bears.”
“Drop-size?”
Lani smirked. “Exactly. Or at least I hope so.”
“If you see the hibagon, try not to stare or you might fall in love,” Talon said with a smile. “He’s about Lani’s height. Brown fur. Kind of . . . blurry.”
“Blurrry?” Simber asked.
“Not in focus,” Talon said. “You’ll see what I mean if he makes an appearance. It’s hard to describe. But for the most part he keeps to himself. You’ll smell him well before you see him.” Talon looked around. “Does anyone have any questions?”
They all did, but no one voiced them, preferring to find out the answers for themselves.
The Tale of Talon
While half the Artiméans explored the Island of Legends, the other half rested on the beach near the lagoon. Florence, who could see quite a bit of the island just by standing, opted to check in with Spike, who had been swimming around the lagoon chatting with Issie in a language Florence couldn’t understand.
“Any sign of the eel?” Florence asked.
“No. How did you come back to life?”
“What? Oh. I wasn’t dead. I was just pretending to be.”
“Oh. Why does Issie have legs and I do not have legs?”
Florence blinked. “You’ll have to ask Alex. But you do have a very lovely spike on your head.”
“I did not know that until I ran into the glass wall.”
“You can’t see it?”
The whale scrunched up her face, eyes crossing to get a look at the spike. “No, but I saw it in the glass after I hit it. Where is the Alex?”
“He’s exploring the island.”
“This island is alive, you know. It is named crab. It is much, much bigger than the squid.”
Florence smiled. “I noticed that.”
“The shiny man is behind you.”
“What?” Florence whirled around, hands in the air and ready to fight or cast any number of spells.
Talon held up his hands and took a step back in defense. “My humble apologies, Lady Florence,” he said. “I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation. The whale is very beautiful. I haven’t seen anything like it.”
“Thank you,” said Spike. She darted away.
Florence held her pose for a moment and lowered her fists. “Sorry.”
Talon smiled warmly. “I believe you must be a tremendous warrior. I’ll have to tell the dropbears that it wouldn’
t be wise for them to drop down on your head.”
“If they know what’s good for them, they’ll steer clear,” Florence agreed.
Talon sat down, folding his wings in closely. He didn’t seem to use them much.
Florence hesitated, and then sat next to him. “What is your role here?” she asked. “You seem to be in charge, though you called Lhasa the queen.”
“No one has any more power than anyone else here. I like to think that I am the protector of the island,” he said. “I . . . I look after Karkinos. For now, anyway.”
“The crab,” Florence said, remembering. “I suppose a crab so large must need a lot to eat.”
“The squid helps.”
“Does the squid have a name?”
“I would imagine so, but I don’t know what it is.”
“Why would he help the crab at all? Two large carnivores seem like they’d be unlikely allies.”
“Yes,” Talon agreed, “but the island offers vegetation that grows over the side, attracting fish. The crab’s claws offer protection from the eel. The crab allows the squid to stay protected if the squid brings it food. As long as the crab survives, the squid survives.”
“Unless the squid moves too far away from the crab’s claws and gets captured.”
“A mistake he’s not likely to make again, after what he’s been through.”
Florence drew her knees up and clasped her arms around them. “And what about Issie? You said she’s been searching for her foal for seven hundred years.”
“At least,” said Talon. “That’s about when she arrived here. She might have been searching before.”
“Where did she come from?”
“We don’t know. Our communication is limited. She says she’s from another world. Perhaps she means another island. Could she be from yours? She came during a storm.”
“I—I don’t think so. We are all very young compared to you and Issie and Karkinos.”
Talon gazed out over the water. His face was troubled. “Sometimes I think Karkinos was here before the sea.”
His simple, profound words made Florence feel things she’d never felt before. She didn’t notice his troubled look. “And you?” she asked. “Have you always been here?”