“To find my father, Magford,” Roseabelle said. “With the Darvonian attack, I’m absolutely sure that Horsh really did write this and that the Dream World is a real place. We’ve got no one. Danette and Dastrock are too far away to reach. The least we can do for them is send them a mottel. Magford can tell us where the Dream World is.”
As the boat pulled away from Benotripia, Jessicana asked, “But what if this is a trap from the Darvonians? They could be misleading us.”
“Right now, I suspect the Darvonians just want the Stones. They aren’t focused on tricking us. Because they know, once they have the Keys, it doesn’t matter anymore. If they can travel to Benotripia within seconds, they could surprise attack us with armies, creatures of every kind . . . they can take over the island without even trying. We can’t let them open the Dream World and take control.” Roseabelle spoke firmly, and Astro had a feeling she was right.
The Darvonians didn’t care about tricking them anymore. Or did they? Well, whatever they were thinking, Roseabelle had a good point. Astro smiled at Roseabelle’s confidence, although he didn’t feel confident, if his racing pulse was any indication. “Then Metamordia, here we come!”
CHAPTER 6
Sea Ambush
LEANING AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BOAT, JESSICANA whistled sharply, and the splitting noise echoed across the waves, reverberating all the way to the beach. She was signaling one of her mottels. Jessicana then joined her friends at the stern. She took a bit of time to study the boat they were in.
It was a large boat, fashioned of thick wood and outlined with metal. As Jessicana peered over the side, she could see cerulean waves brushing against the hull. Complete with a billowing white sail, the boat had control levers to steer it, and a sturdy masthead and a trapdoor leading into a cabin belowdecks. Jessicana decided that this was the best way to travel to Metamordia.
Astro was currently steering the boat, and Roseabelle was in back, watching the Darvonians with the spyglass. “They’re quick on our tail,” she reported. “Not within weapon range, though. We need to keep out of their reach, because they’re not afraid to destroy our ship. Remember, they just want the Stones.”
Tingles ran down Jessicana’s arms. “Roseabelle, what weapons did you bring?” she asked, and Roseabelle motioned to the trapdoor.
“Astro, can you handle the upper deck for a bit?” Roseabelle asked. “I’m going to grab our supplies.”
“Sure,” he responded. “But hurry.”
Jessicana followed Roseabelle as they descended the rope ladder. Moonstar was in the corner, sprawled out on the wood, fast asleep. Roseabelle led Jessicana to the sack and yanked out their old backpacks. She tossed one to Jessicana.
Jessicana unzipped it to find a javelin, a bow and quiver of arrows, a coil of rope, a collection of snacks, and two water bottles. When she dug in farther, she also discovered a Spidegar and her mini potion kit. The Spidegar had multiple threads attached to tiny blades. When someone held onto one end and threw the other part of it, all of the threads lashed out at once to create a deadly weapon.
“Wow, you grabbed all that in a few seconds,” Jessicana said in admiration. “How did you do it?”
Roseabelle shook her head. “I’ve had these packs in my bedroom for months. Danette had me store them there in case of an emergency.” She picked up the other two packs and started up the rope ladder.
Jessicana followed her. Once she reached the top deck, she spotted one of her mother’s mottels perched on top of the stern. Astro was looking questionably at it. “Uh, Jessicana, you’re the bird expert. Do something about this thing,” he said
She rolled her eyes and stepped forward. “I summoned it here. It’s to carry a message to Danette and Dastrock.” She clucked her tongue, and the mottel instantly leaped onto her forearm, its floppy toes curling around it. Its deep brown eyes stared into hers.
Roseabelle shot her a grateful smile, then bent low next to the mottel. “Mom, this is Roseabelle. Darvonians are surrounding you and Dastrock; we’re going after Dad. It’s a long story. Just get off that ship at all costs. I love you.” Roseabelle paused, and Jessicana figured she was finished. She nodded at the mottel and it flapped its wings and flew away into the sky. She watched as it rose among the clouds and then soared away from sight.
As her face split into a grin, Jessicana turned to Roseabelle. “Well, that worked out!” But her friend just stared into space. “You all right, Roseabelle?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
Astro rolled his eyes. “You’re such a bad liar, Roseabelle.”
Roseabelle seemed to snap back to reality and offered him a lopsided grin. “Uh-huh. Keep steering the boat or we’ll crash into Blackwater Sea. And that’s not recommended.”
“Are we sure that Metamordia is only accessible across Blackwater Sea?” Jessicana pointed out. They didn’t have a map and that worried her a bit.
“No, I’m not sure, but all we can do is hope for the best. I’ll look for any detours.” Roseabelle then scooped up the spyglass to her face, pressing her eye against it once more. Jessicana peered back, but she couldn’t see the Darvonians anywhere. With luck, they would stay that way.
Astro seemed to know what he was doing, but Jessicana felt inclined to do something on the ship. “I’ll steer if you want,” she offered.
He shook his head. “Nah, I’m good. But we do need a good scout.”
“Of course you do,” Jessicana said teasingly, then began transforming into a parrot. A tingle shot up her spine as vivid feathers grew on her arms, sprouting into various bright colors. Her aqua blue eyes started moving from the front of her face to the sides. A folding sensation raced through her as she shrunk and developed a more squat, roundish shape. Whenever she performed her power, Jessicana felt like her transformation took a while, but it actually passed in a matter of seconds.
Squawking, she rose into the air, and the boat shrunk into a tiny dot. Jessicana swooped back to survey the miniscule fleet of Darvonian boats. All they were doing was collecting supplies and weapons. Her friends were in the clear, at least for now.
She settled into the rhythmic wave of gliding through the air.
FIVE DAYS SHOT BY, AND ROSEABELLE HONESTLY DIDN’T remember most of it.
She and Astro took alternate turns manning the controls and keeping a lookout for the Darvonian boats overtaking them. So far, so good. Jessicana patrolled the skies and always alerted them if their enemies were drawing long-range weapons, in which case they sped ahead.
As Roseabelle stood on the deck, veering the boat left and taking a swig of water from her canteen, Jessicana suddenly crumpled on the deck beside her. “Jessicana!” she exclaimed and knelt down to her friend. “You all right?”
She quickly sat straight up. “Sorry, I crashed. Was flying too fast.” Roseabelle’s friend spoke in hurried gulps of air. “The Darvonians—they’re too close. They’ve developed a . . . new form . . . of the Dragocone Ray. Looks like a harpoon. Going to . . . reel us in.”
Roseabelle’s eyes shot wide open, and she glanced up at the sky. It was evening, and the sun reflected bright pinks and yellows across the glinting water as it slowly sunk behind the horizon. Astro was asleep belowdecks. “Wake Astro up,” she whispered. “We might have a fight on our hands.”
Jessicana nodded swiftly and disappeared, darting down the trapdoor. Roseabelle knelt down and unzipped her pack in a flurried frenzy. This isn’t good, she thought. She patted her tunic pocket, feeling the heavy white Stone inside. They had to keep the artifacts safe.
Just then, Astro appeared through the trapdoor, grumbling. “What is it?” he muttered. Jessicana emerged right behind him.
“The Darvonians are about to attack!” Jessicana said. “And the winds are fast enough to give us an extra burst of speed.” That really woke Astro up. Roseabelle turned away from her friends and rummaged through her pack, finding silk gloves, a Dragocone Ray, a sword, a couple of throwing daggers, and a Flame-hurler, complete wi
th six packages of ammo.
“Astro, you steer! Use your lightning against anyone who appears in front of the boat. Jessicana, you stand on the boat with your bow. I’ll go in the water.”
Astro did a double take. “What? You can’t breathe that long underwater!”
Roseabelle and Jessicana both stared at him.
“Dolphin girl, remember?” Roseabelle resisted a grin. She was lucky her friends could lighten the mood in situations like these. She knew that if the Darvonians overtook their ship, they could drown and the Stones would be easy for their taking.
“You’re going to attack their ship, right up close?” Jessicana asked as Roseabelle kicked off her shoes. “But you can’t carry weapons as a dolphin!”
Roseabelle’s idea seemed to fade right before her eyes. Jessicana was right. How could she have forgotten that? Suddenly, she lit up. “You have rope in your pack! Maybe I could tie my sword around my waist with it. Make sure to give some slack too. I’m a lot thicker as a dolphin.” Jessicana nodded and quickly obliged, digging in her pack. Astro seized the spyglass and raised it to his eyes.
“Jessicana was right. They do have some sort of harpoon. They’re lining it up against the boat,” he reported. Roseabelle’s blood ran ice cold. They couldn’t let the Darvonians get the Stones.
Roseabelle grabbed her sword and sheathed it, then accepted the rope from Jessicana. This had to work. If she attacked the Darvonians from behind, maybe they wouldn’t get the chance to harpoon their boat. Even now, without the spyglass, she could see their group of boats speeding toward them.
“Hurry!” Astro urged.
Jessicana placed the sword against Roseabelle’s back, then began to wrap the rope around her waist. Roseabelle held the sword in place as it was tethered around her. When the sword was finally bound in place with quite a bit of slack rope around her midsection, Roseabelle flashed a quick smile in her friends’ direction.
“Shoot your bow toward the Darvonians,” she told Jessicana. “And, Astro, you know what to do.” Then before either of them could speak up, Roseabelle turned and dived into the water, picturing herself blending in with the smooth cerulean waves and her legs morphing into a tail.
Just as the cool water touched her face, Roseabelle felt her skin become more leathery and her feet bind together. She could suddenly breathe in the water and felt the sword’s heavy weight on her back. Sound became distinctively muted, and, sure enough, she knew she had turned into a dolphin.
Diving deep, Roseabelle flicked her tail, heading toward the enemy’s boats. She headed straight toward them, slightly held back by the weapon she was carrying. She allowed the slack to take place and let the sword carry its own weight in the water, drifting above her, held by the ropes around her midsection.
Bubbles swished up from her mouth. Speeding up by flicking her tail faster, Roseabelle was suddenly aware of the wildlife around her. A few bright green fish swam right past her, but she focused on pushing ahead. Above, she could distantly hear an array of frantic shouts, and she hoped desperately that her friends were all right.
Tilting her head, she could see several dark shapes on the surface and immediately recognized them as the Darvonian boats. Propelling herself even quicker, Roseabelle veered around them and came up from behind, momentarily surfacing. She closed her eyes and imagined her legs dividing and her lungs once again breathing in oxygen.
Her wish was granted as the feeling returned to her legs, and when Roseabelle surfaced, her drenched red hair hung around her shoulders and the sword hung from her slim figure.
And she was right behind the cloaked figures of the Darvonians.
CHAPTER 7
Spires of Rock
BREATHING IN COOL FRESH AIR AND TREADING WATER as silently as she could, Roseabelle counted five boats in all, packed with cloaked Darvonians. She pushed through the water and swam right beside the closest one. The boats were slowing down so the Darvonians could solidify their aim. Placing her hands on the side of the boat, she boosted herself up. Luckily, the Darvonians in the boats were at the stern, focused on the fight ahead, and not in the back where she was.
Jessicana had been right—there were glowing objects that looked like Dragocone Rays, but they were shaped like harpoons instead. Wearing silk gloves, one of the cloaked figures suddenly turned around to grab one. Roseabelle ducked, hanging on to the side of the boat.
Counting silently in her head, she figured it was safe to come up.
“Ready?” said a gruff voice.
Roseabelle poked her head above the boat and reached behind to untie the sword from her body. Her fingers slowly worked on the knots, and she willed them to move faster. One Darvonian stood and suddenly shouted, “NOW!” A dozen brilliantly glowing harpoons flew across the skies, straight toward Jessicana and Astro.
Roseabelle saw most of them erupt in a cloud of crackling silver lightning before they could reach her friends, and she resisted letting out a cheer. But then she spotted a spreading hole in the hull of their boat. One of the harpoons had struck it.
The Darvonians began to throw another array of harpoons, but Roseabelle still hadn’t freed her sword yet! She gritted her teeth. Just a few more knots, she thought.
As the Darvonians prepared to attack Jessicana and Astro again, Roseabelle spotted a barrel of water right behind them. Clenching her teeth, she focused on it, and her telekinesis took over. The wooden container rose in the air, liquid sloshing over the lid and spilling onto the deck.
At the sudden noise, the Darvonians whirled around, but before they could reach her, Roseabelle quickly tilted her head and the heavy barrel plowed into them. The Darvonians were knocked over and doused with gallons and gallons of water.
Her sword suddenly became free, and Roseabelle quickly unsheathed it. One of the Darvonians in another boat leveled an arrow at her, and she twitched, focused. As he released the arrow, Roseabelle caused it to fly backward, knocking him overboard.
More Darvonians lunged for her. She thrust the hilt of the sword against the helmet of the man closest to her, and he quickly toppled overboard. One enemy seized her ankle, and Roseabelle tripped. The Darvonians rushed to seize her.
Thinking quickly, Roseabelle leaned to the side of the boat with the most Darvonians. The weight of so many people capsized the boat, flipping it over—and the Darvonians’ harpoons with it.
A wave of water washed over Roseabelle’s head, and she fought to hold her breath. In the chaos, she slipped out from underneath the overturned boat, escaping the Darvonians’ clutches. She cast her eyes toward the dark underside of the boat carrying her friends. She could see the glimmering shapes of the Dragocone Ray harpoons that had missed, sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
The Darvonians were still distracted—Roseabelle noticed their waterlogged cloaks were weighing them down. Seizing her opportunity, Roseabelle managed to kick upward, her head breaking through the surface. A shout rang in her ears: “There she is!”
In shock, Roseabelle noticed a new group of Darvonians leaning over the side of their boats, all eyes focused on her. The other boats hurled more harpoons at Jessicana and Astro. Roseabelle realized her sword was gone and she only had her powers to rely on.
One of the cloaked figures found a Dragocone harpoon and quickly aimed it at Roseabelle. Quick as a flash, she closed her eyes and transformed into a dolphin. She dived just as the deadly weapon sank into the waves after her.
Underwater, Roseabelle flicked her tail and came up underneath the boats, ramming into the hull. She rammed it again and again. The boat jostled violently, and sure enough, as she gave it one last try, the boat capsized, spilling a dozen Darvonians and their weapons into the sea.
Roseabelle knew there were three more boats to go. She realized that if she got rid of their weapons instead of the boats, she and her friends would be safe. For now, anyway. Morphing back into a human, Roseabelle resurfaced from behind the Darvonians and saw the cloaked figures searching everywhere for her.
“There!” one yelled. Roseabelle lunged for the boat, spotting the Dragocone Rays inside. A humming filled Roseabelle’s ears and using all of her remaining strength, she levitated the deathly weapons. Before the Darvonians could grab them, Roseabelle jerked her head to the left and they dropped into the watery abyss.
But when she looked up, she saw that one Darvonian still had a Ray harpoon. The enemy’s eyes narrowed and drawing back, he hurled the weapon straight at Roseabelle. Her eyes grew wide and she sank into the water, the missile singeing the top of her red hair.
Treading water, Roseabelle rose to the surface, but instead of hearing frantic shouts directed toward her, the sound of pouring water reached her ears. She glanced to the left and saw that the harpoon the Darvonian had thrown had impaled the other boat beside it. Water was gushing inside it, and the Darvonians were hurriedly finding a way to escape. Some jumped out and swam to the other boats. She stifled a laugh—the Darvonians had just sunk one of their own crafts!
Diving, Roseabelle closed her eyes and made the transformation once again into a graceful dolphin. It was time to go back to her own boat—she hoped it was still floating.
* * * * *
JESSICANA WORKED FURIOUSLY TO FIX THE GAPING HOLE IN the boat. Moonstar was still miraculously asleep, and Jessicana was plugging the gap with a large piece of thin slated stone that had been stored along with crates and emergency food and water.
She sealed the stone in place with some old chewy wraptook, a kind of bread that stuck like glue. Adding some wadded up cloth to plug in the holes, Jessicana managed to fix the hole, and the water stopped leaking in. Glancing around in dismay, she realized at least four inches of water had seeped in. Still, it was better than the entire boat sinking—and it certainly didn’t seem to be bothering the slumbering Moonstar.
Astro poked his head down through the trapdoor. “Roseabelle’s back!” he called. Jessicana scurried up the rope ladder to see Roseabelle, drenched, boosting herself back into the boat. Her friend was weak and her limbs were shaking. Astro had to pull her the rest of the way into the boat.
Benotripia- The Complete Trilogy Page 19
