Sky swam with it to Spike and hoisted the chair onto the whale’s back. As she secured the harness around the great whale, Henry and Alex exited the mansion carrying a waterproof crate of supplies to attach to it, and Samheed and Lani came walking toward the shore from the new land of Quill.
“What’s going on?” Lani asked, watching Alex and Henry head into the water.
Aaron turned. “Henry is going to Karkinos with medicine, so Sky and I made a chair for him.” He’d never met the crab island or any of its inhabitants, but he knew that much about what was happening.
“He’s doing what?” Lani asked. “I’ll go with him.”
Samheed nodded. “Me too.”
“Um,” Aaron said, “I guess there’s something about having to leave immediately, and too much weight will slow Spike down . . . or something.” He still felt apprehensive about talking with his former classmates, especially Samheed, who’d had a special hatred for Aaron.
Samheed frowned. “Hey, Al!” he shouted. “Lani and I want to go too.”
Alex glanced over his shoulder as he and Henry climbed on Spike’s back with the crate.
“Nope,” Alex said, attaching the crate to the cocoon harness. “We’re all set.”
Samheed scowled. “Too late again,” he said.
Lani slumped. “We’re losing our touch, Burkesh,” she said.
Sky waded to shore with Alex and Henry not far behind her. Henry ran up to his sister and gave her a quick wet hug. “Bye,” he said.
“How long will you be gone?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll need to stay long enough to make sure Karkinos is healing properly. He’s floating west toward the waterfall—did you hear?”
Lani’s eyes widened in fear. “Oh no! Do you think you can save them?”
Henry gave his sister a solemn look. “I don’t know. But I’m going to try.”
“Be careful,” Lani said, ruffling his hair.
As Alex joined them, Sky pointed out over the water. “Look,” she said. The coiled water dragon emerged from under the water and floated quickly into the lagoon.
“Yikes,” said Lani. “That thing is huge. Is that the water dragon you met?”
Sky nodded. “Her name is Pan.”
Henry patted his component vest, making sure he had his seaweed and other spells. When the mansion door opened and Simber and Florence filed out, Henry took a deep breath. “Time to go,” he said.
“Stay safe,” said Alex, giving Henry a hug and a clap on his back. “I thought about sending Charlie with you, but neither you nor Florence speaks sign language, so he wouldn’t be much use. He’d probably just get seasick, anyway.” He handed Henry a painted pebble. “But here’s this in case you need to send a seek spell. And I put a few extra sacks of components in the crate, just in case you need them.”
“If I need a few sacks’ worth, I’ll be in big trouble.” Henry took the pebble and slid it into his pocket, then waved awkwardly at Samheed, Aaron, and Lani, and headed out to Spike’s back.
“You be safe too,” Alex told Florence, and hugged her.
Florence couldn’t stop smiling. “I will,” she said. She scratched Simber’s stony head, and then she waded into the water toward Pan.
“Wait. Florence is going too?” Lani said, incredulous. She looked at Aaron. “I thought you said something about too much weight.”
Aaron shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I’m not in charge here.” He watched the strange-looking entourage as Florence mounted the dragon’s back.
Pan spoke quietly to Alex. “Once I’ve delivered them, I’ll check in on them from time to time to see if they are ready to go home.”
“Oh,” said Alex, concerned. “You won’t be staying with them?”
“I’m afraid I cannot,” Pan said. “I have other things to attend to.” She gave a wistful glance in the direction of the cylindrical island.
“I hope everything is all right,” Alex said, remembering for the first time in months her request for wings.
“It has to be,” said the dragon. With a regal nod to the Artiméans, Pan called for Spike to lead the way at her top speed, and she would match it.
Spike set off with Henry, and soon Pan and Florence, propelled by Pan’s extraordinary tail, pulled up beside the whale in the sea, heading west at an astounding clip.
Talking Dragons
When Henry and Florence and their unusual rides were growing small in the distance, Alex, Sky, and Aaron sat on the lawn to contemplate the fate of the giant crab island. Soon Samheed and Lani joined them, and Kaylee meandered over as well.
They talked for a while about Pan, and Alex and Sky relayed the whole story of how they first met her at the cylindrical island to the east of Artimé.
“Who do you think she was catching fish for?” Sky asked Alex. “She doesn’t live on that island, does she?”
“I don’t know if she lives anywhere,” Alex mused. “She’s a water creature who rules the sea. I wouldn’t think she lives on land at all. Maybe someone helpless lives on top of the island and she provides food for him.”
“Could that be the one she wants the wings for?” asked Lani. “I mean, what kind of wings does she need?”