The Journey to Dragon Island Read online

  Ewan raised an eyebrow. “And?”

  Tom waved the sack at him. “And I was wondering, can we get hold of any sandvines?”

  * * *

  They skirted around the village and made their way to the balloon. Brine jumped at every sound, convinced that another dinosaur was going to come stampeding through the trees, but Stella didn’t seem worried.

  “They usually stay closer to the river,” she said. “And we’ve killed enough of them that they don’t tend to go after big groups of people.”

  Brine wasn’t convinced, but she kept walking, and they arrived at the balloon with no sign of ferocious beasts.

  Ewan gave the basket a kick and glared at it, as if daring it to fall apart. He looked almost disappointed when it didn’t.

  “This isn’t natural,” moaned Cassie, climbing in. “People should not fly around in the sky like birds.”

  “I bet there was a time when people said ships were unnatural,” said Tom. “One day, flying will take the place of sailing.”

  Cassie covered her eyes. “I hope not.”

  * * *

  The basket creaked under the weight of the pirates and sacks of sandvines. Stella produced a handful of starshell fragments. “Heatstones,” she said, rubbing them between her hands. She set them in a metal dish beneath the balloon, and the fabric began to ripple and swell with air.

  “Ready?” asked Stella after a minute or two. She cut the ropes anchoring them to the ground, and they shot into the sky. Brine’s insides were almost left behind in the rush. She tried to stay standing, but her legs had other ideas and she curled up on the basket floor. They were all mad, she thought: mad as a hot winter.

  The one good thing was that the magicians in the castle would never expect a fish-brained scheme like this.

  The balloon rose higher and higher.

  “If I pass out,” Cassie said to Ewan, “promise to catch me.”

  Ewan grinned. “I won’t let you go. Don’t worry. This could be worse.”

  Cassie buried her face in her knees with another groan.

  “Though not much,” admitted Ewan.

  As if to prove him wrong, something on the castle battlements let out an earsplitting shriek. Brine clapped her hands over her ears, but the noise still made her head spin.

  “Guardgoyles!” Stella shouted. “We’re almost there.” She dropped a pair of ropes over the side of the basket. “I’ll take you over the castle, and then you’ll need to climb down. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

  “What do you mean, fine?” Brine shouted back. “It’s the opposite of fine. It’s so far away from being fine that—”

  Ewan disappeared over the side of the basket.

  “Go!” cried Stella.

  Rob and Bill jumped after him, then Cassie bellowed and flung herself over as well. Brine saw them all sliding down the ropes. Her vision blurred dizzily. It was only a rope, she told herself. She’d climbed down ropes before. She closed her eyes, and, trying to pretend she was safely on board the Onion, she swung out into the sky.

  It felt like she hung there forever, and then her feet touched solid stone. The guardgoyles stopped howling at once. The sudden silence left Brine’s ears ringing, then a door slammed open and guards ran through. Ewan tackled the first one. Cassie drew her cutlass, but she looked unsteady.

  “Look out,” said Tom, and threw a handful of sandvines. They writhed on the stone floor as they stretched their roots into the stone and began to grow.

  It got a bit confusing then, with people running and shouting and fighting while vines shot up everywhere and grabbed anyone within reach. The sandvines had no idea of friend or enemy and simply went for everybody. One of them wrapped around a guard and jerked him off his feet. Another attacked Bill, and more grew up around Ewan and Cassie as they fought. Cassie’s cutlass flashed faster and faster, alternately attacking guards and fending off vegetation.

  Tom threw another sandvine.

  Brine spotted a door on the corner tower and grabbed Peter. “Come on.”

  The door opened before they reached it, and Brine skidded to a halt, gripping Peter’s arm. Three people emerged—two men and a woman.

  Brine knew straightaway by their robes and the gold-banded staff each carried that these were the magicians. And if she had needed another clue, their staffs glowed.

  Brine’s allergy to magic had burned itself out at Magical North, but it suddenly felt like it was back. Her head throbbed and her nose ached with the need to sneeze. “Peter—” she said. In a blur, she saw Cassie and Ewan turn, and Tom started toward her. Peter opened his box full of starshell and Brine felt him trembling.

  Then one of the magicians gave a hoarse cry. “Oshima?” he said.

  His voice tore through Brine’s thoughts. Sandvines swarmed around her feet, pirates and guards were fighting, but everything suddenly seemed terribly far away. A cold weight filled her chest, pulling her down until her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the castle stones. Memories came tumbling out, none of them quite making sense, but gradually fitting together.

  No wonder the island hadn’t felt like home. She hadn’t come from the island; she’d come from the castle. The magi hadn’t taken her; she’d belonged here all along.

  Brine rubbed her hands over her face, her vision blurring. “Who are you?”

  “You don’t remember,” said the magician. The light around his staff faded. “I am Belen Kaya,” he said, and Peter raised his starshell. “First Magus of Orion’s Keep.” His voice broke. “And, I think…” He took several quick steps forward and then knelt down in front of Brine. “I think I might be your father.”

  CHAPTER 17

  The castle is here to keep the island. To keep it safe from harm, to keep everything in its current state. That is why it is called Orion’s Keep: Our purpose is to preserve. That is our first rule.

  (from THE HISTORY OF ORION’S KEEP)

  Peter might as well have been caught in sinksand. He let his hands fall to his sides while around him, everything paused. Stella’s balloon hung motionless overhead; on the battlements, pirates and guards paused, their swords still raised. Even the sandvines grew quiet. How could the man be Brine’s father? He must be lying, but she wasn’t trying to get away from him. She knelt, gazing at him, her hands gripped in his, while tears made trails down her cheeks.

  Belen Kaya climbed stiffly to his feet. He looked just as shocked as Brine, but he was smiling broadly. “I always knew you’d come home,” he said softly. “Always hoped it—and here you are.”

  Peter bent and gripped Brine’s arm. “Is this true?”

  “I don’t know.” She wiped her eyes. Her expression was dazed, disbelieving. “I think … I know him. I know this castle. Cassie, stop fighting!”

  Cassie turned around, her cutlass still in her hand. “But we’ve only just started.” She swayed and took a step forward, then her legs buckled and she collapsed.

  “Cassie!” shouted Ewan. The pirates ran to her.

  Cassie groaned but didn’t open her eyes. Muttering angrily, Ewan sliced through her trouser leg and boot.

  Peter gasped when he saw her leg—it was swollen to almost twice its proper size, puffed up around the bandages, and the bandages themselves were soaked in blood.

  “She said she was fine,” muttered Ewan.

  Of course she had. Cassie’s leg could be falling off and she’d say it could be worse.

  Belen Kaya made his way across and knelt down beside her. “What happened to her?”

  “A dinosaur bit her,” said Brine. Peter could feel her shaking. He squeezed her hand. She didn’t look at him, but she squeezed back. A moment ago this was all clear—the magi were the enemy and all he had to do was fight them and rescue the children imprisoned in the castle. But now Cassie was hurt, and one of the magi might be Brine’s father. Peter looked at Tom for answers, but Tom only shrugged. He clearly didn’t know what was happening, either.

  “The infection has spread right throu
gh her leg,” said the magus. “I’m surprised she was able to stand at all. You’d better bring her inside.”

  The pirates shifted uneasily. Ewan put his hand on his sword. “I’m not bringing her anywhere.”

  “Then she’ll die.” Belen Kaya’s gaze shifted to Peter. “Unless you know some very complicated healing spells.”

  Peter’s cheeks grew hot. “I don’t know any healing spells at all.”

  “I thought not. Wild magic.”

  Peter didn’t know what he meant by that. His throat felt hot and dry. Cassie couldn’t die. Cassie survived everything—it was as certain as the sun rising in the morning, or a dinosaur biting your leg off given half a chance.

  The magus rose to his feet. “This fight is over. Put your weapons away, bring your friend inside, and we’ll talk.”

  Ewan glanced at Brine as if to see what she wanted to do, but Brine stared down at the castle stones, biting her lip. Peter answered for her. “Do as he says,” he said. “We don’t have any choice.”

  This wasn’t how he’d imagined it ending. A heroic battle, a grand rescue—that was how it had all played out in his head. Not a scrappy little fight and an enemy who might not be an enemy at all. Peter looked out over the battlements and saw Stella’s balloon sinking away in the direction of the village. There was no way to tell her what had happened, so all he could do was follow the others down into Orion’s Keep.

  * * *

  Belen Kaya led the way down a flight of stone steps and they all crowded into a room with a wooden bed. The rugs on the floor were richly patterned with dark red and gold and must have been expensive when they were new, but that was a long time ago, Peter reckoned, noticing the worn patches. In fact, everything about the castle looked worn—the flowers painted on the ceiling were peeling away, and a silver bowl on the bedside table was scratched and tarnished.

  Ewan put Cassie down onto the bed. “If anything happens to her, I will kill you,” he said, wearing a hard, bright smile. “Just so you know.”

  The magus nodded. “And if you threaten the castle again, I will throw you off the battlements.” He matched Ewan’s smile. “Just so you know.”

  He meant it, too, Peter thought. He bumped his hand against Brine’s, but she didn’t look up. She hadn’t spoken since they’d left the battlements.

  “You may call me Kaya,” the magus said, starting to unwrap the bandages on Cassie’s leg. More blood welled up. Kaya motioned to the two younger magicians to help. “This is Hiri and Ebeko. They have been studying magic since they were children.”

  In other words, don’t mess with them, Peter thought.

  Hiri gave them a nervous smile. Ebeko kept up the same scowl she’d worn on the castle battlements.

  “Where’s everyone else?” asked Tom. “This castle is big enough for a hundred people.”

  Peter tried not to stare at Cassie’s leg. “Where is everyone else?”

  Kaya frowned. “There is no one else. We have a few guards and helpers, but we are the last of the magi. Now, I’m going to need quiet to concentrate on the healing spells. You may wait outside. Oshima, you may stay if you wish.”

  Peter wondered who he was talking to until Brine shook her head. Oshima, he remembered—Kaya’s daughter. Was it true?

  “I’ll stick with Peter and Tom,” said Brine, and Peter looked down to hide his smile. Brine might be Kaya’s daughter, but she was their friend first.

  Ewan Hughes leaned against the wall and folded his arms. The look on his face said what he’d do to anyone who tried to move him.

  Trudi took hold of Rob and Bill. “Ewan will stay, and the rest of us will wait outside. You’re keeping children here, aren’t you? We’ll go and see them while you’re concentrating.”

  Peter had almost forgotten about the children. He thought Kaya would refuse, but Trudi stretched her smile even wider and stared at the old magus until even Peter started to feel uncomfortable.

  Kaya sighed. “Whatever they told you on the island, we don’t hurt children. If you want to see them, Ebeko will take you.”

  * * *

  Six children—four boys and two girls—sat together in the middle of a room full of toys and books. The floor was covered in animal skins, which made the room seem warmer but also gave it a funny smell.

  Peter walked in slowly, stepping around the rugs. Someone in the past, it appeared, had decided it was a good idea to paint colorful pictures of dinosaurs all around the walls, but the paint was flaking off, so they looked a bit disfigured. Shelves poked out of one wall, holding a collection of books and wooden animals.

  After what Stella had said, Peter had been expecting a prison, but someone had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to make this place comfortable. The children didn’t seem to mind, though. They sat quietly, not speaking, not even looking up when the pirates crowded into the room. If the sight of Trudi, Rob, and Bill together couldn’t get a child’s attention, something was very wrong, Peter thought.

  “What have you done to them?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” Ebeko stopped in the doorway. “We brought them here to train as new magi. They were fine at the start, but then they started to become confused, forgetting things. And now it’s as if they’ve forgotten the rest of the world exists. If you put food in front of them, they’ll eat it, and if you tell them to do something, they’ll do it. So we know they can still understand us. But apart from that, they just sit.”

  Losing their memories, just like Brine. Though she’d never been as bad as this, Peter thought. He waved his hands in front of one of the girls. She stared at him, blank-faced.

  “We’re taking good care of them,” said Ebeko, “and we’ve been trying to find a cure. It’s slow work, but Kaya says we’re getting closer.”

  “Can’t you just take them back to the village for now?” asked Tom.

  Ebeko shook her head sharply. “No. That would be the worst thing. The villagers already don’t like us. If they saw the children like this, they’d never let us near them again, and then we’d have no hope of curing them.”

  And also, if people knew what was happening, they’d never send any children to the castle again, Peter thought—there would be no new magicians.

  But if they didn’t take Stella’s brother home by sunset, Marapi would be claiming victory. Peter looked around at the others. Tom was looking at the books and toys on the shelves. Brine paced back and forth across the rugs, her face set in a frown so deep it looked permanent.

  “We could always fight you again,” said Trudi.

  “No,” said Peter, standing up. They couldn’t leave until Cassie woke, and it seemed that Ren and the other children were only part of the mystery here. Was Kaya really Brine’s father? And why did Orion’s Keep even exist? A castle floating magically over a mountain—it made no sense.

  Brine stopped pacing. “If Kaya is my father, what about the rest of my family?”

  “You’ll have to talk to Kaya about that,” Ebeko said, looking away.

  “You must remember Brine, though?” said Tom. “If there are only a few people in the castle, you must have noticed when one of them went missing.”

  Ebeko scratched at her arm. “I remember Kaya’s daughter, Oshima. Your friend here is about the right age. Excuse me a moment.”

  She left, letting the door swing shut behind her.

  “I thought she was supposed to be guarding us,” said Trudi.

  Peter was quite glad to see the magician go; the way she kept glaring at him made him uncomfortable.

  Brine sat down next to the children. “This should be me,” she said faintly. “This would have been me if I hadn’t ended up in the Atlas Ocean. Am I going to start forgetting again?”

  “You’ll be fine,” said Trudi. “Anyway, we won’t be here long. Just long enough to get Cassie back on her feet, and then we’ll take the children to the village. It’s a pity there aren’t any dragons, but maybe we’ll find some on the next island.”

  Brine sniffed.
r />   Peter squeezed her shoulder. “It’s the shock, that’s all.”

  “Shock?” Brine rubbed her hands over her eyes. “Sailing off the edge of the world was a shock. The plant monster was a shock. Getting chased by dinosaurs was a shock. This is…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “If he’s my father, how did I end up on the other side of the world? Why can’t I remember what happened?” The last words barely made it out. Her shoulders slumped. “I’m supposed to be good at plans. I wish I knew what to do.”

  Peter wished the same thing. They’d come here on a rescue mission, but it was suddenly all a lot more complicated. He felt like they’d found a page torn from a book, and they had to work out what the rest of the book was about, and whether they could trust any of it. The more they saw of this island, the less they seemed to know what was going on.

  Tom sat down with them. “We’ll think of something.”

  “In fact, we’ll think of something now,” said Peter. If Brine wasn’t up to making plans, then they’d have to do it for her. He pulled Brine and Tom close, casting a glance at the pirates, who were poking at the dinosaurs on the walls. “You remember when we joined the Onion?” he whispered. “We knew the crew was hiding things from us. So we divided up the questions and talked to everyone, remember?”

  Brine nodded. “I haven’t started forgetting things yet. I also remember that it didn’t work.”

  Peter grinned at her. The shock must be wearing off if Brine was snapping at him. “But we’re better at it now, aren’t we?” he said. “And there are three of us this time, so it’ll be twice as easy.”

  “Um, not quite,” said Brine, but she was beginning to smile. “What do you want us to do?”

  “Talk to Kaya,” said Peter. “Find out everything you can about this castle. Tom, you find out what you can about these children. Ebeko is hiding something. Cerro wouldn’t have built a balloon and flown here unless he had a good reason.”

  Tom’s head bobbed enthusiastically. “I’ll start investigating. What are you going to do?”

  Peter glanced back at Trudi, who was edging closer, pretending she wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. He grinned. The world felt better now that they had something to do. “I’m going to look for dragons,” he said.