by Jerry Hart
“Is that Josh?” Rhys asked.
As soon as he said it, I realized it was Josh. The boat came ashore, but he still stood there. A man—Andor?—got out and tied the boat down. There was something else in the boat, but it was covered with Josh’s jacket.
“Josh?” I said. “Are you okay?”
He looked at me like he didn’t recognize me.
At that moment, I almost didn’t recognize him.
“And who are you, sweet thing?” he asked me.
It was Josh’s voice, but not his way of speaking.
“Who are you?” I asked, because I knew it wasn’t Josh.
He turned to Aneela. “Why don’t you do the honors of telling them?”
She looked at us, and she looked more afraid than I’d ever seen her before. “It’s…Dargonius. He took over Josh’s body.”
“How…how is that possible?” Rhys asked. I was speechless.
Josh stepped out of the boat just as more fireworks exploded over our heads, scaring everyone around us.
“Don’t be frightened, citizens of Dargo,” Josh said. “Now that I’ve returned, all will be well. I will cure you of this plague. You are all my people, and I shall take of you.”
He walked up to me, and I backed away. “Again, sweet thing, who are you?” he repeated. “I feel as if we’ve already met.”
“Astrid.”
“Astrid. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance. Now that I’m free, perhaps we can get to know each other better.”
He reached out to touch my cheek but I slapped his hand away. Even Josh wouldn’t do something like that, at least, not after our experiment earlier, so I sure as hell wasn’t going to let Dargonius get away with it.
He looked shocked. “I apologize. I assumed you and Joshua were…”
“We aren’t,” I said.
He walked away from me without another word, like he forgot I existed. He stepped up to Commander Rhys. “Now that I’ve returned, you serve me.”
“I serve Queen Aneela.”
“Aneela is no longer queen. If you have a problem with that, I’m sure we can work something out.”
Everyone heard the threat in that last statement.
“Do what he says, Rhys,” Aneela said. “No one has to get hurt. We can work together peacefully.”
Rhys swallowed hard, staring at Dargonius (I couldn’t think of him as Josh anymore). “Yes, My Lord,” he said to the man in front of him.
“Call me Dargo.” He turned to us, a big smile on his face. “Wonderful. I shall get to work healing those afflicted with the plague.” He made his way up to the palace.
Chapter 19: Dargo Gets to Work
Dargo was walking around the sick ward when I showed up with Estevan. He handed a sick man a bowl filled with orange liquid. The man drank it and lay back down. Dargo looked up at us as we entered the room.
“Josh,” Estevan said as he ran up to Dargo. “I was worried about you, man.”
Dargo allowed himself to be jostled around a bit, a smile on his face. He gently held Estevan at arm’s length so he could study his face. “It’s lovely to meet you. I assume you’re Joshua’s friend.”
I hadn’t told Estevan that Josh wasn’t Josh anymore. I still had trouble believing it. Estevan looked back at me, not knowing what to make of the words.
“What are you talking about?” he asked Dargo. “I’m your friend.”
“Oh, I see. Astrid hasn’t told you. I’m not Joshua. I’m using his body for the moment. Here”—he handed him a bowl of the cure—“drink this. It will rid you of the plague.”
Estevan took the bowl, still clearly confused. “If you’re not my friend, then who are you?”
The other boy smiled. “Call me Dargo. I’m responsible for all you see around you and am now king of this island. Please, drink up. I promised Joshua I would take care of his friends. Now that you’re on the island, you are under my protection.”
Estevan drank his cure, still skeptical. “I hope you have enough for the rest of Texas, because the plague is spreading on the mainland.”
Dargo’s smile vanished. “Texas will have to go wanting. I have no intention of curing the rest of the world. I will let my birds spread the plague.”
“I killed the rest of your birds,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
He looked at me. “Really? How unfortunate. Oh, well, I shall make more.”
“What about the rest of Josh’s family?” Estevan asked. “His parents.”
“No more. I will only cure those that are here.”
“Where is Josh?”
“He’s still here, just no longer in control.”
“Can he hear us? See us?”
“Yes.”
“Can we speak to him? Just for a minute. We want to know he’s okay.”
Dargo narrowed his eyes at him. “Very well.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them. “Kill me!” he shouted. “You have the cure—”
His mouth closed and a slow smile crept onto his face. “There, now, none of that.” Dargo was back. “As for killing me, I think you’ll find that difficult to do. Joshua’s life-leaching ability will come in handy, I think.”
Chapter 20: A New Dargo Island
Things changed very quickly on the island. In a single day, Dargo was able to reform some of the laws I’d grown up with. No one was allowed to leave via the train without his permission (he stationed soldiers to watch it).
Though Aneela was allowed to stay in the palace, she chose to move in with us. She no longer had any power and wanted to be as far away from Dargo as possible.
Victor, now cured of the plague, stayed in his own home and refused to see Mom and I whenever we tried visiting. Whether it was due to the changes or the loss of Champagne, I wasn’t sure. Either way, he wasn’t doing well and I felt terrible for him.
It had only been two days since Dargo took over Josh’s body, and all I could think about were the people on the mainland who were suffering from the plague. They didn’t have much time left, and Dargo said he would create more birds to make the rest of the world sick.
Mom tried to get me to stay in the house, but I was going crazy being cooped up like that, so I rode my horse to Dargo Plaza. I checked out the bookstore a mile away from the palace. Josh loved coming here….
I browsed the fiction section and saw a couple of books by Donovan Scott, one of Josh’s favorite authors. I grabbed one and walked to another section. One thing that hadn’t changed was the island’s economy. People were still allowed to buy things with the money they earned, but with Dargo’s dream of world annihilation, I doubted any new merchandise would make its way to us in the future. No more new books, movies, clothes…
We were about to become self-reliant, and that scared me. The thought of being completely alone in the world scared me, with nothing beyond the Edge of the World but death.
“Hello, sweet thing,” a voice said behind me. “You look lovely even as an old woman.”
I spun around and saw Dargo grinning at me. He wore a red robe with gold buttons. He held his arms behind his back once again. If I’d been startled by his voice, that didn’t compare to the shock I got when I saw he wasn’t an old man. This was the first time I’d seen him during the day; he’d been locked away inside the palace, doing god-knew-what.
“How…how are you still young?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m just full of surprises. Nalke’s old curse doesn’t affect me. Rockne taught it to me.”
“Why would he do that?” I couldn’t believe my ears.
“After your grandfather cast him out and Rockne found his way to this island, we became friends. We practiced magic. I could lift the curse from you as well.”
It was a tempting offer, but I wanted nothing from him. I could live with the curse. “No thank you. You were friends? I find that hard to believe, considering what he did to you.”
He nodded. “It was a long, long time ago.”
“What do yo
u want?” I asked.
He looked at my book. “Donovan Scott. Is he any good?”
“I’ve never read him. Why don’t you ask Josh; he loves him.”
“I might just do that.” He took a step closer. “What, exactly, is the nature of your relationship with Joshua? I would have thought you two would be betrothed by now.”
I laughed uneasily. “Why would you think that? He and I are—were—just friends.”
“Why is that? Do you not find this”—he indicated his face—“attractive?”
“He’s cute, but I’ve never thought of him in that way. And he only likes me as a friend.” I studied his short brown hair, his green eyes, and dreaded the fact it just wasn’t Josh.
“Well, is there anyone you do think of in that way?”
“Why are you asking?”
He took another step closer. “Because I find you very attractive, Astrid.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I wasn’t sure if Dargo wanted me to be flattered, but he only managed to make me angry. “As long as you’re possessing Josh, I’ll never be interested.”
“Oh, so you would be interested in Joshua if I wasn’t around?”
I knew that was what it sounded like as soon as I said it. “I’m saying I wish you weren’t around.”
“If I weren’t around, the plague would still be running rampant and your fellow islanders would be dead.”
“I can’t believe you. You’re the one who made the plague.” I walked away from him as fast as I could. That feeling of hopelessness grew stronger.
Dargo grabbed my hand and spun me toward him. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you. I was imprisoned for over a hundred years. That much isolation can make you cranky.”
“You didn’t have any visitors?”
“Andor’s great-grandfather. I only saw him once.”
“How did he find the island if Rockne hid it?”
Dargo looked at me from the corner of his eye. “Do you really care, for my sake, or are you trying to get information that will benefit you?”
I didn’t care about Dargo, and had been trying to get helpful info out of him, but he seemed to figure me out. “I really care.”
“You’re good, sweet thing. But I’m better.”
He walked past me, but I stopped him when I said, “You don’t talk like someone who was imprisoned for a hundred years.”
He looked at me over his shoulder but said nothing. “I’m off to the school to see what the children have been taught about me. Until next time, sweet thing.”
Chapter 21: Stealing the Cure
Dargo Island had only one school, and it was located inside the palace. I’d been taught there as a child. I’d hoped Dargo wouldn’t recognize me as an old woman, since he didn’t appear to have any of Josh’s memories or knowledge, but now I knew I couldn’t rely on that as a disguise.
I went to the palace anyway. If Dargo wasn’t going to cure the mainland of his disease, I would. He may have locked down the train, but I didn’t need it to get away from the island.
I was horrified to find two soldiers hanging by their necks outside the palace gate.
I walked through, seeing all Aneela’s former soldiers. They still wore the same uniforms, but now their face paint was red instead of blue and yellow. I remembered from school that the original colors represented peace and honor. The first islanders had no language, though they possessed the ability to speak. In order to represent their overall mood, they used the juices of plants and fruits.
Blue and yellow together meant “peaceful”; yellow meant “ready for war”; blue meant “sad.” And, well, red just meant “defiant.” The soldiers were showing their distaste for Dargo’s forced leadership. I remembered the guards hanging outside the gate had their faces painted red.
I looked inside each classroom I passed, trying to locate Dargo. I found him in a history class and walked away as quickly as possible. I heard him say to a student, “That, my dear, is entirely not true.” I had no idea where the cure was, or if there was any more left, but I wasn’t going to leave until I at least tried to find it.
I searched the now-empty sick ward that had, just two days ago, been filled with dying people. Champagne died in this chamber. It still smelled of death and decay, but at least it was empty. I saw the bowls Dargo had filled with the cure, but they were empty now.
Next, I went to the kitchens but found nothing but cooks. I smelled baked bread and seasoned meat.
“Can I help you, dear?” a plump, elderly woman asked. She had blue-and-yellow paint on her face.
I didn’t know if I could trust her with my quest. I had never met her before, and I doubted she knew I was actually nineteen instead of seventy. “No, thank you.”
“Well, I’m Verna, the head cook, and I don’t like strangers wandering my kitchens. Out with you.”
I left the kitchen and headed upstairs, toward Aneela’s bedchamber. She told me Dargo had taken her room. I couldn’t imagine a better place to store something secret than your own bedroom. I’d done it for years.
There was a soldier standing outside the large doors. He had blue-and-yellow paint as well, and I recognized him as Commander Rhys. Just my luck. I walked up to him. “I see you’re not wearing the red paint like the others.”
He stared at me for a moment before replying. “King Dargo killed two of my men the other day. When they showed up with the paint, Dargo challenged them to a duel. He said if they defeated him, Aneela could retake the throne. I tried to take my men’s place in battle, but Dargo put a spell on me. I couldn’t control myself.
“He made me kill my own men and threatened to make me kill the rest if we defied him again.”
“Oh my god. That’s awful.” I grew nauseated.
“My comrades talked about rebelling last night, but I talked them out of it. I can’t kill any more of my own men. The king scares me more than anything I’ve ever faced.”
“He scares me, too. That’s why I’m here.” I got closer. “Do you know where he keeps the cure?”
He instantly started sweating. “I do, though he doesn’t know I know.”
“Where is it? Is it nearby?”
He wiped his mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Where? Please tell me.”
He said nothing.
“Do you know what’s happening on the mainland? The plague is killing people, just like it was here. I can help them, but I need to get a hold of the cure.”
“How can you get to the mainland? The train is shut down.”
“I have my ways. Please tell me where the cure is.”
He jerked his head backward so slightly that I barely noticed. He then looked down the hall. “What was that?”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“Well, I should check it out.” He ran down the hall, away from Dargo’s room.
It took me longer than I care to admit to understand what was happening. “Thank you, Rhys,” I whispered before opening the door and stepping inside.
The room was brightly lit due to the open balcony door. I could see the new island just outside. Next to the door was a birdcage. Inside the cage was large red bird.
Dargo had made another one.
It stared at me with milky eyes, its large, sharp beak shining like a knife’s edge. I walked over to a wardrobe across the room. I found a small green bottle full of orange liquid in a drawer. It was sealed with a cork.
The cure.
“Why are you not at your station?” Dargo asked from outside the room.
“I apologize, My Lord. I thought I saw something at the end of the hall. I checked on it.”
“Did you find anything?”
“No, My Lord.”
I crawled inside the wardrobe just as the chamber door opened.
“Let me know if you hear or see anything else,” Dargo told Rhys as he closed the door behind him.
Though I couldn’t see him, I could hear him cross over to
the balcony. “Hello, Birdie,” he said. “How are you today? Not great, I suppose. You’ll be ready, soon, my pet.”
I waited, listening. I prayed he didn’t come to the wardrobe, because I didn’t know what he would do if he found me here.
Suddenly, the left door opened and light shined on something next to me. I was still hidden behind the right door.
“Ah, still safe,” Dargo said to the skeleton beside me.
He closed the door again. I wanted to scream; I was trapped in a wardrobe with a skeleton.
After what felt like ten minutes, I heard nothing outside.
I heard loud snoring a few minutes later and figured Dargo was asleep. He must’ve been a slave to the limitations of a human body after all. I waited ten more minutes before opening the wardrobe slightly. I saw him on the bed, his eyes closed. The sun had gone down a little, soon to set. Was Rhys still at the door, or had the shift changed?
I had to get the cure out of here, but I couldn’t risk opening that noisy chamber door or running into another soldier. I looked at the balcony; the door was still open. I stepped out of the wardrobe, and the sunlight showed me the skeleton’s skull again. I was happy there was no decayed flesh on it, but I still felt creeped out because it had been so close to me for nearly twenty minutes.
I grabbed the green bottle, which was filled to the top, closed the wardrobe, and walked onto the balcony. The birdcage had been covered with a sheet, so I didn’t have to look at that hideous bird. I looked back at Dargo and watched him sleep peacefully. It hurt so bad seeing someone who used to be my friend and knowing it wasn’t him.
I was many stories up and couldn’t even imagine jumping from here, but I had a better idea. It was something Dad taught me a week ago—my first lesson, in fact. I called on the wind and it came.
I jumped, and it caught me, carrying me away from the palace. I landed just outside the courtyard. Most of the islanders had gone home, so no one saw me fly or land, luckily.
