CHAPTER XIII
They sailed for another week with not much happening other than daily work. Both Connor and Dylan practiced with their swords and Mattaeus told them of the Four Worlds. d’Gaz told stories of the sea when he wasn’t busy and all of them did their best to eavesdrop on the crew until finally they drew near to the island.
“This is madness,” said the helmsman.
“It is madness too to carry on with no fresh water,” d’Gaz reminded him. “We will see to it that we are there and away as quickly as possible.”
“The men won’t like it,” the helmsman said.
“Argh, the men never like anything.”
“True, Captain, true.”
They sailed on through the day and Dylan stood and watched the sea for most of it. He had never been to sea like this, it was everywhere; there was no land in sight. After an hour Kaitlin came and stood with him and they saw five or six dolphins swimming along with the boat. It was amazing, they jumped out of the water and seemed to be playing. He called to his Dad, but he was practicing sword fighting with the Shadow Ranger and so he watched the dolphins until they swam off. He was sad, he loved the way they shot water from their blowholes and jumped and sounded like they laughed. He kept watching for more until it was time to eat.
As he watched the water he thought about everything that had happened. There were a lot of scary things in this world, but he felt OK. He thought back to his Dad asking if he could carry on and he thought he could as long as the others were with him.
Alura scared him a bit after what happened, but he didn’t think she was a bad person. It was weird though; he thought she was talking about him and Pledging allegi-something to him. He was the Guardian and the Opener of the Portal, right? But why would they want to follow him? He was just a boy. He wasn’t sure he wanted people to follow him; he wanted to follow Mattaeus, who seemed like a better leader. Did they expect him to lead? To tell them what to do? He couldn’t do that, he didn’t even know where they were.
By the time night fell they could see an island, but they all decided to sleep on the boat. Dylan thought that the pirates didn’t want to go on the island at night. He didn’t blame them after some of the things he had seen in the forests.
In the morning two boats were lowered and men were picked to go to the island. Most of the sailors still did not want to go so Bell, Mattaeus, Dad, Kaitlin and Alura volunteered. And so, two boats of eight men and two women rowed ashore.
“Why are they so afraid?” Connor asked Kaitlin.
“This is the Isle d’Muerte, stories tell of the undead.”
“The undead?”
“Yes, you do not have them on the Fifth World?” she asked.
“Only in films.”
“What is a film?”
“That’s too long an answer to give at the moment.”
“Why?”
“I would have to explain a lot more about my world before I got to films,” Connor smiled.
“I would like to hear all about your world,” Kaitlin smiled back.
And so Connor started to explain, but very soon they were reaching the shore.
“OK, men,” d’Gaz shouted, “we are here to get water and leave. No walking off, do not leave the vision of another man. Or woman,” he added. And then they were pulling the boats onto the beach.
It was beautiful, Connor thought, like a picture postcard. White sands that led up to a dense green jungle.
“No birds,” Bell said.
“What?” Connor asked.
“Silence, no bird sounds,” and he was right, the island was quiet.
“Perhaps they are scared of us.”
“Perhaps,” Mattaeus added in.
“OK, OK, let’s get this done,” d’Gaz said and they each picked up a wooden bucket.
“Here, Captain,” a pirate called and they walked over to where a stream poured from the forest, through the sand and into the sea.
“We’re going to have to go further up,” Bell said.
“I know, I know,” d’Gaz retorted. He was not happy about the idea.
“Then let us spread a line up the banks so that at least one person is on the beach in sight of the ship,” Mattaeus said. “If you don’t receive a bucket from further up the line spread the word something has gone awry.”
“OK, that be a good plan,” d’Gaz said and perhaps unsurprisingly the pirates volunteered to be closer to the beach.
“Bloody pirates,” d’Gaz muttered.
And so they walked up the stream one by one stopping.
Mattaeus was the last and the stream looked fresh and healthy. He worried there might be a dead animal further up, but the jungle was too dense to go further. They would just have to hope. He scooped water into the bucket, walked a little way down and handed it to Bell who did the same. Eventually it got to the pirate next to the boat who tipped it into a large barrel and then passed it back along the line. They had three buckets going back and forth like this for the next hour until the shout came that the barrel in each boat was full.
And then the jungle started to move.
“What is it?” Bell asked coming up to Mattaeus.
“Trouble, I expect. Let’s go.”
They hurried down the line meeting Alura.
“Something is here,” she said.
“Time to go,” Mattaeus replied, but then a skeleton emerged from the trees with a rusted sword.
“What, by thunder?” Bell exclaimed.
“To arms,” Mattaeus shouted as more skeletons emerged. They backed down the river, but the skeletons kept coming, closing in. Kaitlin blasted one with a bolt of magic and it fell apart; Mattaeus locked blades and then chopped another down. But then the bones remade themselves and the skeleton was back.
“To the ship,” they heard d’Gaz shout from down the line, but they were being pushed away from the stream and into the jungle.
All around them now were animated skeletons and the fighting was hard in the dense jungle.
“Follow the slope down,” shouted d’Gaz, “it should bring us to the beach,” and he beheaded another skeleton.
They pushed through the undergrowth, battling the skeletons. Connor, not being such a good fighter, cut at the bushes to help them get through. Still he had to fight as skeletons came out in front of them. It seemed they had a minute to pass before it put itself back together.
“What magic is this?” Bell cried out.
“Powerful magic,” Alura shouted back sending another magic bolt into the trees.
And then they burst out onto the beach. They stood there ready, and though no skeletons followed them, they could still see the undergrowth move.
“Where is Ganstal?” d’Gaz asked.
“Slain,” said one of the pirates.
“Where is Kaitlin?” Connor asked in alarm.
“Oh no,” Alura moaned. “Kaitlin!”
“We must go back,” Connor said.
“It’s madness,” d’Gaz said.
“So be it,” Connor said and ran back to the jungle.
“d’Gaz leave a boat here, but get back to the ship, make sure it doesn’t leave,” the Shadow Ranger ordered.
“You go?”
“I do.”
“Be back within an hour or there will be mutiny.”
“So be it,” Mattaeus said and ran after Connor with Bell following.
“Stay, Alura,” d’Gaz said as she began to move. “Protect the boat and your friends as they emerge.”
“It is hard, but wise,” she said.
The Shadow Ranger and Bell joined Connor in fighting the skeletons, Connor was wildly hacking and slashing and moving forward through them.
“They will encircle us,” Bell warned.
“So be it, Forest Ranger,” Mattaeus said.
They tried to get close to Connor, maybe talk some sense into him, but they couldn’t get close because of his whirring blade. Skeletons were everywhere, never ceasing and they fought hard until suddenly they were in
a clearing with a sparkling blue pool.
The skeletons did not enter the clearing and Connor turned wildly before sagging.
“Guardian, we must return to the ship,” Mattaeus said.
“Not without Kaitlin.”
“Your bag glows, Shadow Ranger,” Bell said and they all looked at the gold light that pulsed through it.
Slowly Mattaeus put his hand into his bag and pulled out the Dragonstone that pulsed with light.
“A dragon,” he said.
“Here?” asked Connor.
“I can only assume so.”
“Then we must go,” Connor urged.
“Wait,” came a voice.
“d’Gaz you are meant to be aboard ship,’ Mattaeus said.
“I sent Alura back, between her magic and Lucas’ axe it will go nowhere.”
“Why?”
“I know not,” he said and then turned in a circle. “Yes. It is the Pool of Tarkin.”
“It cannot be,” Mattaeus said.
“We can’t waste any more time,” Connor beseeched them.
“d’Gaz?” Mattaeus asked.
“Go. Go and be quick.”
Mattaeus ran to the edge of the clearing and then to another part until the Dragonstone pulsed more strongly.
“This way,” and he, Connor and Bell rushed into the jungle.
“The Pool of Tarkin. Can it be?” d’Gaz asked himself. He looked around again and then went and knelt by the pool. “No reflection.”
%%%
More skeletons were waiting for them; they hacked and slashed, but never stopped moving forward.
“To our left,” Mattaeus shouted following the pulse of the Dragonstone.
They ran and they fought, behind them the slain skeletons were reforming.
“Kaitlin,” Connor shouted over and over.
“This way, Guardian,” Mattaeus commanded.
%%%
“I cannot believe it is true,” d’Gaz knelt by the pool and wept, his tears making tiny splashes. And then the water started to bubble and froth.
%%%
The jungle got thicker, and Connor could not cut through until Bell joined him.
“Hurry,” Mattaeus urged as he fought off skeletons and then they broke through to another clearing. Again the skeletons didn’t follow them, but this time they could see why. A giant yellow dragon sat before them and in front of it stood Kaitlin.
Slowly it raised its head to look at them, but Kaitlin didn’t move.
“Not a step closer,” the dragon said in their heads and then looked at Mattaeus. “A Dragonstone?”
“Given to me by Nagendra.”
“Stolen from,” the dragon said.
“What do you want from her?” Connor asked.
“Protection.”
“She was Nagendra’s protection, search her mind,” Mattaeus said.
The dragon looked back down at Kaitlin.
“So she was; it is hard for me to believe Nagendra is still alive, even more that he would give up his protection.”
“He saw reason,” Bell said.
“Kaitlin,” Connor cried out to her and she turned her head a little.
“Enough,” commanded the dragon. “Enough of these lies.”
“The skeletons are yours,” the Shadow Ranger said. “They are your protection as the Magicians were Nagendra’s.”
The dragon laughed in their heads. “Mostly they are the bones of those who tried to slay me, now I do not think I am worth the hassle.”
“It is a fine plan.”
“And now you have brought to me better protection.”
“Nagendra gave up his protection to help us,” Bell said.
“Yes, you have somehow slain him.”
Mattaeus tossed the Dragonstone down next to Kaitlin. It pulsed brighter and the dragon stooped its long neck to peer at it. As it did so Kaitlin fell to the ground and Connor ran in, grabbed her, and pulled her back.
“What is happening?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s OK, I’ve got you,” Connor said and she smiled up at him.
“Thank you, Connor of the Shed,” she said and smiled tiredly.
The dragon raised her head sharply.
“Step forward, you,” it commanded Mattaeus.
“No,” said Bell.
“It is well,” he replied and stepped forward. The dragon lowered its head so that its snout was almost touching the Shadow Ranger’s nose.
After a minute or so it raised its face to the sky.
“I have been in hiding for so long,” the dragon said. “I do not see the things in front of mine own eyes.”
“We are well, dragon?” Mattaeus asked.
“My name is Delinda and we are well,” the dragon said and she dug into the soil with her foot pulling up a clump of dirt. Amongst it shone a yellow stone. “Take my Dragonstone.”
“You need it not?” Bell asked.
“No,” and Delinda seemed to smile, “there is war coming.”
%%%
From the middle of the pool the water rose up and poured back down until it formed the figure of a woman.
“Murtagh,” the water woman said.
“Princess,” d’Gaz breathed.
“You have found me at last.”
“Why did you hide?”
“You know why. But now you have seeked me out,” and she smiled.
“Yes.”
“No,” the water woman said and looked around. “No, this is not of your doing.”
“But it is good nonetheless, Princess.”
“No. You have not seeked me, you have stumbled upon my resting place.”
“I have,” d’Gaz said and dropped his face to the ground. “I am on a Quest.”
“With him,” she scorned.
“With him,” d’Gaz agreed. “But this Quest could end my Oath, I could be free once again.”
“How can I believe that?”
“We seek to right the Balance.”
“Then you follow him on another foolish escapade.”
“I wish only to be with you.”
“How can you say that?” she asked angrily and the water bubbled around her.
“How could I have been happy?”
“Thousands are the ways, but here now comes your true love,” and with that the water woman dropped back into the pool as Mattaeus walked into the clearing followed by the others.
“d’Gaz,” he said.
He sighed.
“It is well, let us get back to the boat.”
They saw no more skeletons, but their bones and swords lay scattered around and soon they were back on the beach, pulling the boat out to sea.