by E. D. Baker
Liam laughed. “That’s never going to happen! If you don’t want to tell me what to look for, why don’t you tell the captain? Then you can both try to find these landmarks.”
“And if I tell him, what’s to keep you from tossing me overboard?” Clarence asked him. “As long as you need me, I’ll have safe passage. I’m not doing anything to jeopardize that.”
“I would never toss him over,” Liam told Annie when he returned to her side. “But I bet he’d toss us all over if he got the chance. I can’t believe we’re depending on him for anything, let alone directions.”
“It’s not like we had a choice,” said Annie. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him.”
As the day grew hotter, Annie began to worry about Millie. She knew that the cabins were stuffy with no windows that opened, which would only make her friend feel worse. Fetching a mug of cider from the galley, she made her way down to the cabin and found Millie still lying in her bunk.
“How are you feeling?” asked Annie.
Millie glanced up. “Not very well,” she said in a faint voice.
Annie offered her the mug. “Would cider help?”
Groaning, Millie shook her head. “I can’t keep anything down. Is Audun all right?”
“He’s fine,” said Annie. “He and Liam are playing a game of cards on deck. Is there anything that I can get for you that might help?”
“No, thank you,” Millie told her. “I’ll probably be better in a day or two when the water isn’t so rough.”
“It isn’t rough now,” Annie told her.
Millie just moaned.
When Annie went back on deck, she found Liam and Audun drinking from tankards. “This is really good,” Liam told her. “You should try it.”
“What is that?” Annie asked.
“Juice they had in the galley,” Audun told her. “Clarence was drinking some and he highly recommended it.”
“Here, take a sip,” said Liam. “If you like it, I’ll get you your own.”
Annie took the tankard from him. She had already taken a sip when she noticed a very faint sound. It took her a moment to tell that it was coming from the drink. “Don’t drink it!” she told Liam and Audun. “There’s a magic potion in the drink! I can hear it!”
“What kind of potion?” Audun asked, frowning.
“I’m not sure, but my guess is a sleeping potion,” she said as Liam slumped to the deck, yawning.
“He should lie down the rest of the way,” Audun said, easing him onto the wood planking.
Liam was asleep and snoring loudly when Annie knelt down beside him and touched his chest. He stirred and half opened his eyes. “What happened?” he murmured.
“Your brother gave you a sleeping potion,” Annie told him.
“I’m going to check on Millie,” announced Audun. “Clarence said he’d found her a drink that would make her feel better.”
“I don’t think you need to worry,” said Annie. “The magic didn’t work on either of us. Clarence must have brought the potion with him. Any magic he has wouldn’t affect me. And you and Millie are dragons, so it wouldn’t affect you, either.”
“Maybe so,” said Audun, “but if Clarence will put his own brother to sleep, I don’t want him going anywhere near my wife!”
While Audun hurried to his cabin to see Millie, Annie got to her feet. Liam fell asleep again as soon as she stopped touching him. “I’ll be right back, my love,” she assured her sleeping husband. “I need to do something about that juice. We don’t want the captain or his crew falling asleep when no one else knows how to sail the ship!”
It took Annie only a few minutes to reach the galley and pour out the rest of the potion-laced juice. She was back on deck when Audun came storming up the stairs. “Is Millie all right?” she asked.
Audun scowled. “Clarence convinced her that the juice would settle her stomach. It didn’t, though; it just made her sick all over again. Where is that little weasel? I’m going to throttle him.”
“I have no idea,” Annie said as she sat down beside Liam. “But before you throttle him, please ask how long this sleeping potion is supposed to last. I’ll hold Liam’s hand all day if I have to, but it would be nice to know that won’t be necessary.”
It was dark by the time the potion wore off. Audun had carried Liam to the cabin, so he had no idea how he had gotten there. “What’s going on?” Liam asked again.
“I told you before; your brother put a sleeping potion in that juice. It didn’t affect anyone but you and one crew member who drank some before I poured it out. Clarence denied it at first, but Audun was able to make him confess. He never did say why he did it, though.”
“That rat!” Liam said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll—”
“He locked himself in his cabin,” said Annie. “Short of breaking down the door, you’re not going to be able to talk to him tonight, and I doubt the captain would appreciate any door breaking on his ship.”
“Then I’ll speak to him in the morning,” Liam said as he lay back down. “Maybe I will toss him overboard, at least long enough to teach him a lesson. Wow! My head feels very strange.”
“Magic potions will do that to you,” said Annie. “At least that’s what I’ve been told.”
CHAPTER 7
Although Annie woke up early the next day, Liam had already left the cabin. After using the washbasin and changing her clothes, Annie went to the door and found that it wouldn’t open. When jiggling the door latch didn’t work, she tried to find a way to open the door, but it was definitely locked from the outside. “I’m locked in!” she called, pounding on the door. “Can somebody help me?”
Annie staggered when the ship listed to the side. They were changing course. Clarence must have seen another landmark. She was pounding on the door again when she heard a bang and a crash. A moment later, someone undid the lock. When her door swung open, Audun was there. Annie could still smell the dragon scent as if he had just changed back.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” said Annie. “Why was my door locked?”
“I have no idea, but mine was, too. I intend to find out why and who did it,” said Audun. “Millie is feeling better today. I was going to take her up on deck when I discovered that someone had locked us in. I’m afraid we’ll have to pay the captain for the door. I broke it down when I felt the ship change direction.”
“It must have been Clarence again,” Annie said.
“That’s what Millie and I think,” Audun replied as she followed him out the door. “I guess my little talk with him yesterday wasn’t as effective as I’d hoped. I told him I’d rip his head off if he ever again did anything that could hurt my wife. I think locking her in when she needs fresh air qualifies.”
Millie was waiting just inside the remains of the door when they reached the cabin. “This trip hasn’t been at all what I expected,” she said, taking Audun’s hand as she stepped over the splintered wood. “I’ve heard about seasickness, but I never imagined it could be so awful. And Audun told me that Clarence used magic on everyone! I wonder what he’s up to.”
“I hope Liam is all right,” said Annie. “He was gone when I woke up.”
“I heard raised voices earlier,” Audun told her. “I think he was arguing with Clarence.”
Annie and Millie followed him up the steps. When they reached the deck, Annie stopped to look around. Something was different, but she couldn’t tell what until she noticed that the sun was straight ahead and the island was still on their left.
“We’re headed back the way we came,” said Annie. “Do you suppose Clarence is lost?”
“There’s Liam. He looks fine to me,” Millie told her. “It looks like he and Clarence are talking to the captain.”
Annie and her friends hurried over, full of questions. Clarence seemed surprised to see them, but both Liam and Captain Riley wore dazed expressions.
“Wh
o locked us in the cabins?” demanded Audun. “Clarence, was it you?”
“Why would I do that?” Clarence said, trying to look innocent without much success.
“That’s exactly what I want to know,” Audun said, his voice nearly a growl.
“Why did we change direction?” Annie asked Liam. “Did Clarence see the landmark he was trying to find?”
“We didn’t change direction, did we?” Liam asked the captain.
Captain Riley looked just as confused, even though he was standing with his hand on the helm.
“What’s that smell?” Millie asked, sniffing the air. “Do you smell that, Audun?”
Her husband inhaled and nodded. “It’s coming from over here.”
He followed his nose to Clarence. The prince’s hand went to his pocket as if to make sure that something was tucked inside. Clarence tried to fend off Audun, but dragons are stronger than humans, even when in human form. “What is this?” Audun said as he pulled a stoppered vial out of Clarence’s pocket.
“I don’t know,” said Clarence. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“Yeah, right,” Audun said.
Annie reached for the vial, saying, “May I see that?” She shook it and held it up to her ear. “It’s some sort of magic dust. The sound is very faint, but it’s there.” Turning to Liam, she took a step closer to examine his clothes. “You have some on your shirt, Liam. It almost looks as if someone blew it at you.”
“There’s some on the captain’s clothes, too,” said Millie.
Clarence began to back away, but Audun stopped him with a firm grip on his arm. “Any idea what the powder does?” he asked Annie.
“I’m not sure,” she replied. “Liam, what did you say right before you went to sleep last night?”
“Good night?” he asked.
“I think this is magic dust that’s meant to wipe out memories,” said Annie. “It sounds very faint, so I doubt it’s strong enough to last long.”
“What didn’t you want Liam and the captain to remember?” said Annie. “That you had them change direction?”
“Why would I possibly want to do that?” Clarence asked.
“Maybe that ship has something to do with it,” Millie said, pointing out to sea.
“That’s a pirate flag!” said the captain. “What’s a pirate ship doing all the way out here? They usually stay close to the shoreline.”
“I think I can guess,” said Annie. “I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that a pirate ship is headed our way. I bet that ship is here because Clarence told his friends that we’d be near this island on a certain day. I saw Clarence pass something to a barmaid at the tavern when we stopped to get the horseshoe replaced. I bet buying a horse wasn’t the only thing he arranged. My guess is that he bought a horse just to throw us off the track. He was really sending a message to the pirates, telling them where they could find us. I think he passed something to the tavern keeper at the Rusty Nail, too.”
“You were awfully eager to go into the Rusty Nail when Digby wanted to see us, Clarence,” said Liam. “Did you pass the note when you slipped and fell? I bet you sent an update about where we’d be today. You’d know our location because you were the one telling us where to go.”
“That’s why you were so concerned that we were making such good time with the wind behind us!” said Audun. “We reached the island before you said we would.”
“That would explain why we’re going in circles!” said Liam. “You were waiting for the pirates to show up! What were they supposed to do—hold us hostage for ransom or kill us so you could take over Dorinocco? Are these pirates friends of yours or people you hired?”
“Why should I tell you anything?” Clarence said, sneering. “You seem to think you know everything already!”
“Pardon me, Your Highness, but I can see that flag well enough to recognize it now,” said the captain. “That’s the Wandering Tuna, a pirate ship with a very bad reputation. It’s getting a lot closer.”
“Audun, would you mind taking my brother downstairs and locking him in his cabin?” said Liam. “Please remove all of his personal belongings and bring them up here so we can toss them overboard. Who knows what other surprises he brought with him.”
“It would be my pleasure,” said Audun.
“You can’t throw out all my things!” Clarence whined as Audun hustled him toward the stairs. “What will I wear tomorrow?”
“Please check his pockets, too, while you’re at it,” Annie called to Audun. “He might have something he can use against us even now.”
The captain turned the ship away from the pirates just as a bell began to ring. Every sailor on the ship started running. “I’m calling my men to quarters,” the captain told Liam. “We’ll try to outrun the pirates, but their ship is faster than ours. You and your party should go below deck. If the pirates board us, we’ll have to fight. My men are all brave and true, but few of them are seasoned fighters. Hide your belongings and brace yourselves. I cannot guarantee the outcome should the fight become hand to hand.”
“I’m not going to hide in a cabin while you fight for us,” Liam told Captain Riley. “I am going to get my sword, though. I didn’t think I’d need to wear it on the ship. Annie, you and Millie should go to the cabins.”
“I will if I must,” Annie told him. “Just not yet.”
The sails flapped as the ship turned. Sailors rushed about, trimming the lines. Within moments the sails had caught the wind again and were propelling the ship away from the pirates. The sailors who had gone below returned to the deck, bristling with cutlasses and daggers. Liam was back as well, his sword in his hand. Audun joined them a few minutes later.
“I found this hidden among Clarence’s things,” Audun said, handing a medallion to Liam. “Didn’t I see you wearing that?”
Liam glanced at it and laughed. “Look, Annie! Clarence fell for my ruse! I didn’t want him to know about the postcards,” he told Audun, “so I let him think that this held the magic that took us from place to place.”
“No wonder he didn’t want me to throw out his things,” said Audun.
Annie turned to watch the pirate ship. It had changed direction and was already pursuing them. The captain was right. The pirates did have a faster ship.
“This doesn’t look good,” said Millie.
In only minutes the other ship was close enough that Annie could see the pirates lining the railing, preparing to board. They looked like a nasty group with bits of bone tied in their long, filthy hair and knives stuck in their belts and in straps that crisscrossed their chests. Most carried cutlasses, although Annie saw that a few held crossbows with the bolts nocked and ready.
A big man with a bald head and a huge, bristly beard waved a cutlass in the air and shouted, “Stand down and prepare to be boarded!”
“That’s Prickly Beard, one of the nastiest pirates around!” explained the captain. “The man standing beside him is Short Jack, his first mate. He’s just as bad!”
“He doesn’t look short to me,” said Millie. “He’s almost as tall as his captain.”
“Oh, he’s short all right,” said the captain. “He just wears shoes with very thick soles. Well, I’ll be jiggered. The one with red hair behind him is old Snaggle Toes. A cart ran over his toes when he was just a tyke, and they’ve been twisted ever since. They’re so bad he can’t find shoes to fit, so he always goes barefoot. Last I heard he was sailing with Slippery Pete. I guess Snaggle Toes decided to change to a nastier ship. I’ve heard some terrible tales about what the crew of the Wandering Tuna does to their captives. It’s enough to chill your blood and poison your dreams.”
Audun gestured to Annie and Liam, drawing them aside. “I know that Millie and I promised not to reveal our dragon sides, but I think we don’t have any choice now. Those pirates can destroy the Sallie Mae and hurt a lot of people if they get on board, but if I’m a dragon, I can cripple their ship and no one need get hurt. I’m asking you to release
Millie and me from our promise.”
Annie and Liam glanced at each other. “He is right, you know,” said Liam. “Dragons could take care of this very quickly.”
Annie sighed. “I was really hoping we could avoid this. All right,” she said to Audun. “Just don’t make a habit of it, please.”
They hurried back to the captain, who was giving orders to some of his men.
“Captain,” Audun told him. “Your men don’t need to fight. Keep your ship on this course and I’ll take care of the pirates.”
“We will, you mean,” said Millie.
The captain shook his head. “If you think you’re going to talk the pirates into leaving, you’re very mistaken. I’ve encountered men like them before and they won’t give up easily.”
“I don’t intend to talk to them,” Audun told him. “Just hold your men back so they don’t get hurt.”
“One man can’t possibly fight them all,” said the captain. “I’m not about to tell my men to stand down so you can get yourself slaughtered.”
“Captain, you need to do as Audun said,” said Liam. “Those pirates will be close enough to board your ship in minutes. If you listen to my friend, your ship and crew will go unharmed.”
“This is absurd! No one can … Oh!” The captain’s jaw dropped as Audun began to change. When a white dragon tinged with blue stood in front of him, the captain backed away until he bumped into the helm. The dragon was nearly three times longer than Captain Riley was tall, and his scales shimmered when he lowered his head to look the captain in the eyes.
“If you won’t leave, at least stay out of my way,” said Audun, the dragon.
“Wait for me!” Millie told her husband. A moment later, a lovely green dragon stood beside him, gently fanning her wings.
The captain turned pale, but he stood his ground when he shouted at his men, “Stand down!”
Some of the men were positioned so that they could see the dragons. As word spread, the men backed away from the railing while lowering their weapons.
Confusion reigned on the Wandering Tuna when the pirates who could see the dragons called out in fear. Their shipmates only saw the sailors on the Sallie Mae retreat, and they shouted in triumph as if they’d already won the battle. Their shouting turned to cries of panic when the dragons took to the air. A few of the braver pirates waved cutlasses above their heads when Audun swooped over the ship. With a powerful swipe of his tail, he cracked a mast, sending it toppling to the deck.
