The tank was a playpen for dolphins, reptiles, fish, children—anyone who wanted to perform, or just swim. Spectators could watch from the stands, where ribbons and pennants told of past deeds. Below the waterline were great walls of glass, which afforded underwater viewing for even more spectators.
On a family trip, Milos had been to the famous stadium in Waterfall City, but he liked Prosperine’s better. Prosperine’s stadium was closer to the ocean, so sea creatures could drop in on a whim to perform, or just visit with friends.
Milos heard applause as he and Lilith paddled through a jewel-lined chute bedecked with streamers. But the applause wasn’t for them. In the center of the giant pool was a flotilla of speckled elasmosaurs. Each reptile was forty or fifty feet long, and at least half of that length was neck.
The youth marveled at their tremendous, elastic necks and the elaborate precision of their movements. Lilith gave a squeaky sigh of appreciation. Like swans dancing, their graceful necks curled and crisscrossed as their huge flippers waved in unison. It wasn’t an acrobatic water ballet, such as the dolphins did, but it was majestic and regal.
Milos and Lilith could have gone to the viewing area set aside for swimmers, but the boy wanted to keep moving. The whole trip was pointless if he didn’t find Joshua. It was said that everyone who visited Prosperine ended up at the Aqua Stadium, and he hoped the young man would be no different.
When the elasmosaurs finished their performance, the audience gave the behemoths a rousing ovation, with much slapping of fins. Since no one could follow an act like that, the lifeguards blew their horns, declaring open swimming.
Lilith just wanted to catch up with old friends, and she immediately found a handful of plesiosaurs she knew. She told them of their search, and they offered to make the rounds of every viewing spot in the entire facility.
Unlike dinosaurs, the marine reptiles were seldom seen by most Dinotopians, which made their appearance in the stadium a special treat. To have a human swimming with them was exciting, and Milos attracted a lot of attention. Lilith was all agog and anxious to perform for the home crowd.
The plesiosaurs skirted along the underwater windows, and the spectators pressed forward to see them. When Milos noticed all the children and young dinosaurs, he knew he had to put on a show. As they dipped up and down, Milos hung from Lilith by one hand, then by his feet, and finally upside down. Without her harness, those tricks would have been impossible.
When they didn’t spot Joshua below the surface, the plesiosaurs went above and circled the viewing stands. Lilith’s friends goofed around a lot, twirling like propellers and making big splashes to get the crowd wet. The lad concentrated on scanning the crowd for Joshua.
Finally his patience paid off. In the middle of an aisle toward the back, Milos spotted a handsome, blond head. The man turned away, and his blond head bobbed through the crowd as he moved toward the exit. Why is he running from me? thought Milos.
The boy spotted a ladder on the side of the pool. He tapped Lilith on the neck and pointed to it. “I saw him! I’ve got to talk to him. Watch for me, in case I need you.”
With a jerk of her flippers, the Cryptoclidus shot toward the ladder, and Milos jumped on it as they cruised past. A moment later, he was in the stands, soaking wet and burdened with diving gear. A few fans patted Milos on the back, and he forced a smile.
As he walked, the boy shucked his diving gear and put it in an alcove along the outer wall. For some reason, he looked up—he just had a feeling that his quarry was somewhere above him.
Sure enough, there was Joshua Longacre, climbing a staircase that wound along the outside of the stadium. The blond man glanced down, but he never looked in Milos’s direction as the boy dashed to the staircase.
In a hurry, Joshua climbed the stairs like a young man who was very fit. Milos craned his neck to see where he might be going. The highest seats were up there, of course, along with a sturdy railing. The boy could also see a blockhouse with two tether poles for sky galleys. One ship was docked there now. It looked like a jolly balloon floating over the festivities.
Maybe Joshua just wanted to be high up—to see as much of the stadium and the city as possible. At any rate, he was nearing the top and was about to find a seat.
After a quick look around, Joshua changed direction and headed straight for the sky galley. Now Milos quickened his step, because he didn’t know what the crazy dolphinback intended to do. Did he even know what a sky galley was? Maybe he was just curious. Or maybe that wasn’t even Joshua.
At the top of the stadium, it was cooler and breezier than below, and the wind whipped the long pennants. The stadium had plenty of good seats closer to the water, so there weren’t many people up here. An attendant stood near the galley blockhouse, but he was watching the show in the shimmering pool below.
Milos looked up at the sky galley and saw a figure in a striped shirt and lavender pants climbing the ladder. With a bound, he vaulted over the railing and disappeared inside the airship. The craft was tethered a short distance off the pole, so the galley was only about thirty feet up.
A burst of applause sounded from below, but it was drowned out in the wind. Milos listened carefully, and he could hear voices … or one voice. It came from above him in the basket.
“Joshua!” he bellowed. “Ahoy, the sky galley!”
The young man peered over the edge of the craft, and his initial smile pinched into a frown. “Say, are you following me?” he shouted down.
“I’m not following you,” answered the boy. “I just saw you and—”
Joshua motioned. “Come on up.”
“I will,” said Milos with determination. He grabbed the narrow but sturdy rope ladder and gave it a tug. It hardly dipped at all under his weight, and the boy began to climb. He had only been on a sky galley three times, but it had always been fun.
As he ascended, the lad wondered what Joshua could want with a sky galley. This being Dinotopia, the crew had probably left their ship unmanned and unguarded. With dread in his stomach, Milos realized that the newcomer might have found another way to get off Dinotopia.
“What are you doing up here?” demanded Milos as he climbed over the edge into the ship. “This isn’t your sky galley.”
“No, more’s the pity,” answered Joshua, gazing fondly at the expansive balloon overhead. “I’m waiting to talk to the captain. I’ve got a proposal for him.”
Milos glanced around at the meager accommodations in the bird-headed basket. Floating on air or on water, a ship was still a ship. Even so, it felt odd having the bulk of the craft overhead.
The lad wanted to know what Joshua’s proposal might be, but instead he asked, “So what do you think of Prosperine? Have the people been helpful?”
“Everyone’s been very helpful,” admitted Joshua with a sigh, “and very discouraging. True, they say that people don’t leave this island, but you and I know it can be done.”
Milos lowered his head. “Not easily. But thanks for not telling on me … when I was out there.”
“Oh, I don’t blame you,” said Joshua. “You figured out how to escape, and I will, too. Nothing against you and your dinosaur chums, but I don’t want to give up my life to become an apprentice to a librarian!”
“They offered you that?” asked Milos sheepishly. “You have to understand, it’s just our system of training. They’re trying to be polite. Once you get used to it—”
“I don’t want to get used to it,” insisted Joshua. “If it’s so great, why aren’t you an apprentice to a librarian?”
The younger lad winced and shook his head. “I’m having trouble with the apprenticeship system myself. I like patrolling the beaches, and I don’t want to learn a new trade. I really don’t want to be a fisherman.”
“There, you see!” crowed Joshua. “You want to be your own man, just like me. I took an economics course—I can show you on paper why your system here can’t work. But why should I bother? I had my visit, and now I just
want to go home.”
“Give it some time,” pleaded Milos. “How long have you been here? Two days? Dinotopia really has much to offer—”
“Is that part of your job,” asked Joshua with a sneer, “to give a civics speech to the new arrivals?” The young man sighed and pulled absentmindedly on a rope. At once, the flags on the bow changed to a new row of colors and shapes.
“Aye, sir! Casting off,” called a faint voice from below.
“What?” asked Joshua, blinking at Milos.
“You just gave the signal to cast off!” shouted the boy. He dove to the railing, looked down, and waved. But it was too late. The attendant was inside the blockhouse, and the hooks on the pole had already contracted.
A huge burst of applause drowned out Milos’s shouts. The attendant stepped out to catch the big finale of a troupe of ichthyosaurs, while the audience roared with delight.
As the two youths stared at each other, the sky galley drifted upward, with the ladder flapping in the breeze like the tail on a kite.
Chapter 7
“Hey! Hey, below!” bellowed Joshua in his loudest voice, but Milos already knew it was too late. As fast as they were rising in the sky galley, no one could hear them. With the ropes creaking, they could barely hear the loud applause in the gleaming Aqua Stadium far below.
Milos watched in awe as the entire city of Prosperine faded away in the clouds like some pleasant dream.
“Help!” shouted Joshua.
“It’s no good,” said Milos. “That’s the reason they have signal flags—because they can’t hear you. To get back, we’ve got to let out some gas!”
He began to look for a valve, but Joshua held out his hand. “Hold it! You’re not going to do anything. We’ve got a lot to think about … like where we are, and where we want to come down.”
Milos nodded, realizing they shouldn’t act rashly. He leaned over the side of the galley and saw blue ocean directly beneath them. “We’re headed away from land!”
“Yes,” agreed Joshua as he studied a large chart. “This sky galley came here on an easterly wind, and we’re still on it.” He looked up and smiled. “We’re going to leave Dinotopia.”
“No!” insisted Milos. “We’ve got to do something.”
“To sit tight and do nothing is the safest course,” said the young man confidently, rolling up his chart. “Unless you can convince me you know how to operate this craft. Right now, if you just release gas and plunge down, you’re likely to kill us and destroy this ship.”
Milos gazed off the port bow and could see the glistening, aquamarine expanse of Sapphire Bay beneath them. To the south, he could see the verdant hills of Outer Island. The towering palm trees seemed to wave good-bye as they passed.
“We have to catch a wind that will take us back,” insisted Milos.
“I believe Captain Taggert could do that, but not you or me,” answered Joshua. “I have no problem with leaving here and seeing where we go. I believe we can get more help on the outside.”
“I’m sure you planned this!” shouted the young boy. “Just to make your escape. You’re the most selfish dolphinback I’ve ever seen.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” said Joshua, gazing at the flaps and the taut rigging. “In truth, I planned to have an experienced galleyman with me. I was going to offer Taggert riches beyond his dreams and safe passage back to Dinotopia, if he wished. But I began this adventure by accident, and it looks as if I’ll end it the same way.”
“That’s for sure,” muttered Milos, pointing off the bow. “Take a look.”
The younger lad pointed to the swirling black-and-slate skies dead ahead of them. It was as if a squall had sprung from nowhere, ripping apart the heavens. Milos looked down and saw the tip of Outer Island passing to the south, which showed they were over the open sea. The great reef was not far away, but its pastel hues were muted by the turbulent waves.
Within moments, stinging rain pelted their faces, while the flimsy craft was blown backward. It was as if a mighty hand had altered their course. A crack of thunder jolted them as a bolt of lightning streaked past, illuminating Joshua’s tearful face.
“We’ve got to get lower now!” shouted Milos.
“I agree!” Joshua was suddenly a blaze of movement as he strode toward the crow’s nest. “I saw the captain let the gas out here. Man the rudder, if you will!”
“Okay,” answered Milos, relieved to be doing something. He rushed to the stern and grabbed hold of the swinging tiller.
In the rain, he couldn’t see clearly what Joshua was doing, but he heard a whoosh of gas. With a dip that made his stomach churn, they started down toward the choppy waves. As the tall whitecaps loomed closer, a crash landing seemed inevitable, especially with the storm raging all around them.
“Brace for landing!” shouted Joshua. “I’ll try to set the flaps … to level off. Hold her steady!”
It seemed an eternity before anything happened, and Milos did his best to wrestle with the helm. All of a sudden, they struck the water with a jarring shudder, and the tiller broke off in his hands. Incredibly, the wicker hull did not fall apart, but it bounced roughly over the surf before spinning to a stop.
Buffeted by wind, rain, and waves, the basket capsized, spilling the boys into the water. Milos felt a tremendous relief, because this was his element. Still, he was worried about Joshua, and he dove underwater, trying to find him.
He bumped head-on into the young man, who was struggling to reach the surface. They burst into the air, gasping for breath, just as the wind caught the balloon and jerked the galley away. Caught in the storm, the basket went bouncing over the waves like a pebble thrown by a giant.
Some debris flew out, and Milos was able to grab a pillow, while Joshua snagged a broken propeller. They clung to the flotsam as the waves and storm tossed them, with sleet pelting their faces. Milos stuck his head under the surf and opened his eyes for a moment. He saw the distant outline of coral reefs and knew they were still in the waters of Dinotopia.
“We were so close!” wailed Joshua, slapping a wave with frustration. “Where did this lousy squall come from?”
“That’s what everybody’s been trying to tell you,” answered Milos. “The storms, the reef—it all works together to keep us apart from your world. When will you accept it? This is your home!”
“Never,” snapped Joshua, spitting out salt water. “Besides, we’re just as far from your home as my home. How do you expect us to get back?”
Milos pulled his bosun’s whistle from the small mesh bag he wore at his waist. The lad knocked the liquid from his whistle and gave it a blow, making a shrill tone that turned into a deeper tone. With his other hand, Milos slapped on the water while he blew his whistle.
Joshua laughed out loud. “You might be able to call a cab with that, but I don’t think—”
With a whoosh, the long neck of a Cryptoclidus shot from the water and wrapped lovingly around Milos’s shoulders. “Lilith!” cried the boy, hugging his friend. The reptile’s head bobbed up and down as she chattered a warm greeting.
“We can’t do much about the sky galley,” said Milos sadly, “but we’ll get back okay. Grab hold of Lilith’s harness—there’s room for both of us.”
The young man did as he was told. “Say, maybe we don’t have to tell anyone about this. They probably don’t know who took the airship, and they don’t know me at all.”
Milos gave him a disappointed glance. “We have to tell them. If they move fast, they can send a couple boats out here to salvage the galley. Besides, it was an accident. You only went on the ship to talk to the captain.”
“Somehow I don’t think they’ll see it that way,” muttered Joshua, shielding his eyes from the driving rain. “I’m not beaten … I’ll keep trying! Maybe I’ll go back to the beach where I washed up … look for a way.”
“Suit yourself,” answered Milos. He clicked his tongue, and Lilith plowed through the waves with steady strokes, towing th
e two youths on her broad back.
Although wrong about almost everything, Joshua was right about one thing, thought Milos. It isn’t going to be easy to explain what happened.
“You what?” bellowed Milos’s father as he paced up and down the pier in Abalonia. “You took a sky galley, then crashed it into the ocean?”
The boy tried to explain to his father, but everything came out in a jumble. His mother, Melina, looked pained and embarrassed. She finally glanced at Tavia, who had brought the boy home.
“It’s not as bad as that, Dimitri,” said the doctor calmly. “Joshua Longacre was on board, waiting to see the captain, and Milos followed him up into the sky galley. They were accidentally cast off. Had your son not been following Joshua, it could have been much worse. And we have to be thankful for Lilith, who followed both of them into the storm. Nobody was injured, and the galley was recovered by the local fishermen, thanks to Milos.”
“Still, he knows better than that,” insisted Dimitri, looking disappointed. “That dolphinback has been trouble since he got here—”
The doctor cut him off. “Calm yourself. I began the chain of events by taking Joshua to Prosperine in that same sky galley. That’s where he got the idea he could leave Dinotopia in the galley.” She proceeded to tell the rest of the story, turning it over to Milos for the grand finale.
Dimitri wasn’t as angry anymore, but he was still scowling. Melina grabbed her son and gave him a loving hug. “You poor thing.”
“So where is Joshua Longacre now?” asked the fisherman.
“We split up as soon as we got back to land,” answered Milos. “I went to get help, but he was really worried that he would get in trouble. He kept talking about getting thrown in jail. I told him that we don’t have any jails, but he still ran off. I don’t know where he went.”
“I hope somebody is taking care of him,” muttered Dimitri. “He’s a troubled lad.”
Milos kept one bit of information to himself—that Joshua might return to the wild beach at the tip of Crackshell Point.
Dolphin Watch Page 5
