Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond

by Alex English

  Hundreds of voices rose in a great clamour, as the citizens of Lockfort clapped Echo and Horace and Abena on the back, lifting them into the air and carrying them along with the tide of people.

  ‘To Echo! To Prince Horace! To the Beyond!’ they shouted.

  And so the celebrations started. People brought out musical instruments and food and jugs of mead. One family packed their belongings into a pony cart straight away, the children waving excited goodbyes as they clopped off northwards. Another small boy sketched out maps with his fingertips in the grey dust of the Barren. Yet another spun round with his sister in giddy circles, too excited to do anything else. The chatter was contagious. Everyone’s heads and hearts were full of plans – plans for adventures and expeditions and new discoveries beyond the city walls. Plans to escape and explore and see the whole wide wonderful world beyond the Barren.

  As Echo stood on the castle ramparts the next morning, Gilbert slung round her shoulders like a scarf, and the wind whipping across her face, she gazed out across the city and beyond its walls to the Barren. How long had it been since she had been here, playing games with Gilbert? Only a few short weeks, and yet so much had changed. The whole world had opened, and not just to her but to everyone.

  In the distance, she could already see a line of people, as small as ants, weaving their way out of the open gates and across the Barren. Away from Lockfort and beyond, to explore and return richer perhaps. Wiser, without a doubt. And, although she couldn’t see beyond the Barren, she knew that soon others out there would be making their own journeys inwards to explore their unknown – the unknown of Lockfort – for themselves. She sighed and absent-mindedly stroked Gilbert’s tail.

  ‘Why does it feel like our adventure’s ending?’ she said.

  ‘On the contrary, Echo, my dear.’ Professor Daggerwing appeared at her side. ‘I think you’ll find that your adventure is just about to begin!’

  ‘But we’re all leaving.’ Echo turned and watched the sky pirates loading up the Scarlet Margaret. Over by the eastern turret, Abena was putting a final polish to her dragon’s scales. Gilbert bobbed up and down on Echo’s shoulder and chirruped in greeting as Horace emerged from the staircase with his butterfly net and a jar.

  ‘Will you come with us?’ she said to him, as he walked over to them.

  Horace blushed and shook his head. ‘Maybe one day,’ he said. ‘But for the moment I’m going to stay.’ He met Echo’s eyes. ‘I want to make sure Father really does do what he said he would, and the gates stay open.’

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘Hiding in his chambers. He’ll have to come out sometime though. I think he knows that things can’t stay as they were.’

  Echo nodded. It was the right thing. Of course Horace should stay. She would do the same if she really belonged here. But still. ‘I’ll miss you,’ she said softly. ‘We’ll see each other again, won’t we? Especially now we’re family.’

  Horace nodded hurriedly. ‘Of course.’

  Echo glanced down at Horace’s butterfly jar. It was empty. ‘Oh no! What happened to your chrysalises?’ she said. ‘Didn’t they make the journey?’

  ‘They hatched.’ Horace shrugged. ‘But I let them go.’

  ‘But what about your collection?’

  Her cousin shook his head. ‘I’ve decided – butterflies are wild things and wild things should be free. I’ll always find more.’

  Lil strode over to join them and put a hand on Echo’s shoulder. ‘The ship’s nearly ready to sail, Echo.’

  ‘Great,’ said Echo. ‘Where will we go next?’

  ‘I hadn’t really thought,’ said Lil.

  Professor Daggerwing flourished his map. ‘Would this be of assistance?’

  Lil smiled and took the map. ‘What do you think, Echo? I’ve heard there’s treasure to be found in Dark Nordland, and there are always people in need of help from the Black Sky Wolves.’

  Echo studied the map with a soaring heart. Dark Nordland! Treasure! Now that sounded like an adventure. But why stop there?

  ‘What’s here?’ she said, pointing at the edge of the map, past Lockfort and Port Tourbillon. Past the Violet Isles and the Stony Sea. Past even Dark Nordland.

  ‘There? Well. Let me see.’ Professor Daggerwing studied the map and frowned. ‘I’m not sure anyone’s ever been beyond Dark Nordland before. That’s known as the Dragonlands. Completely uncharted territory.’

  Echo grinned. ‘The very best kind,’ she said. ‘We’ll go there.’ She looked up at the professor. ‘Will you come?’

  ‘No, Echo.’ Professor Daggerwing cleared his throat and rubbed at something in his eye. ‘I need to get back to Port Tourbillon and present my butterfly findings at the Explorers’ Guild. I’m sure they’ll be most interested to hear all about the opening of the gates of Lockfort too. And those cats won’t feed themselves.’ Here he blew his nose into a huge purple handkerchief. ‘I fear there is a limit to even the good Mrs Milkweed’s patience.’

  Echo nodded, all her words suddenly seeming to have dried up inside her. Then she threw herself at both Horace and the professor and enveloped them in a hug. ‘Goodbye,’ she said.

  Goodbye, Gilbert chirruped.

  ‘For the moment,’ said Professor Daggerwing. ‘There’s no doubt that three great adventurers such as ourselves will cross paths again one day.’

  It was much, much later, when they’d all finally said their goodbyes, that Echo took the wheel of the Scarlet Margaret, Gilbert perched on her shoulder. Lil cast off the tethering ropes and they set off into the sky with the rest of the crew, waving and grinning and shouting promises to meet again soon to a waving Horace and Martha.

  Echo turned to Lil and smiled. Lil was an explorer, a fighter, a sky pirate, with adventure in her heart. Perhaps she wasn’t quite the mother Echo had dreamed of, but dreams were dreams and mothers were . . . well, they were more complicated than that. Lil was a real mother, her mother, and she was here.

  ‘Ready?’ asked Lil, looking up from her sky chart.

  ‘Ready,’ said Echo, tightening the hairpin in her curls and settling Gilbert on her shoulder.

  And they soared off into the sky, away over the walls of Lockfort. Beyond the Barren. Beyond Port Tourbillon, the Violet Isles and the Stony Sea.

  Setting sail for the Dragonlands.

  And for the Great Beyond.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would like to give a hearty Sky Pirate thank you to the following people:

  My editor, Lucy Rogers, who completely understood Echo from the very beginning and helped me get my convoluted ramblings airship-shape.

  Thérèse Coen, agent extraordinaire, Sky Pirates champion and all-round good egg.

  Mark Chambers, who has brought Sky Pirates to life more beautifully than I ever could have imagined.

  Jesse Green for her design wizardry.

  Jane Tait and Emma Young for their eagle eyes.

  Joanna Nadin, my tutor at Bath Spa University, for her insight, hand-holding and inspirational word-nerdiness.

  All the rest of my tutors at Bath Spa University – Julia Green, for her wisdom and encouragement; CJ Skuse for saying ‘what about a prophecy?’ and telling me about the Traquair stuck gates; Janine Amos for teaching me to write a synopsis (however painful it was at the time) and Steve Voake, in whose workshop this book first started.

  My fellow Bath Spa alumni – especially the Aubergines and Lucy Cuthew.

  Team Swag for advice, all-round moral support and the gifs (you know which ones).

  The Scattered Authors Society, for the blissful writing retreats and creative inspiration.

  The many SCBWI pals I have made over the years – particularly Tania and Miriam.

  The librarians at Reigate library and the American Library in Paris, where much of this book was written.

  And last but most definitely not least, my family, for the ideas, silliness and the space to write.

  Recipe for Pickled Squibnuts

  I
ngredients:

  100ml rice vinegar

  150ml water

  2 tablespoons caster sugar

  500g squibnuts (or a 567g tin lychees, drained)

  2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

  Method:

  In a small, nonreactive saucepan, combine the

  vinegar, water and sugar and bring it to a boil

  (make sure you have an adult helping you!).

  Pack the squibnuts (or lychees) and ginger into

  a clean jar.

  Carefully pour the hot brine into the jar, seal

  and let cool at room temperature.

  Refrigerate overnight.

  Eat on adventures!

  SKY PIRATES QUIZ!

  1 How many cats does Professor Daggerwing have?

  a) Five

  b) Seven

  c) One

  2 Where do Echo and her friends get stranded on the way to the Violet Isles?

  a) Galligaskins

  b) Trombones

  c) Bonneville

  3 Complete the lyric from Professor Daggerwing’s song.

  ‘Pickles are not fickle they will always be…

  a) . . . disgusting’

  b) . . . your friend’

  c) . . . far too vinegary’

  4 What is the name of Abena’s mechanical dragon?

  a) Smaug

  b) Draco

  c) Smokesister

  5 Where do the Violet Isles get their name from?

  a) The purple butterflies

  b) The purple fog

  c) The purple trees

  6 What shape is Echo’s hairpin?

  a) A wolf’s head

  b) A wolf’s paw

  c) A dragon’s claw

  7 What colour is the sand on Tyrian Isle?

  a) Blue

  b) Purple

  c) Black

  8 What is the King of Lockfort’s first name?

  a) Albert

  b) Alfons

  c) Alpacino

  TURN TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR THE ANSWERS!

  QUIZ ANSWERS:

  1) B, 2) A, 3) B, 4) C, 5) B, 6) A, 7) C, 8) B

  How many did you get right?

  1–2 There’s a way to go before you’re ready

  to sail the seven skies. Perhaps you’re better

  off on land!

  3–5 Getting there. With a bit more map

  reading and cutlass rattling, you could be a

  top-notch sky pirate!

  6–8 You are a true-blue sky pirate. Join the

  crew of the Black Sky Wolves immediately!

  About the Author

  Alex English is a picture book author and

  a graduate of the Bath Spa University MA

  Writing for Young People. She currently

  lives with her family just outside Paris.

  Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great

  Beyond is her first middle-grade title and

  the start of a swashbuckling series.

  www.alexenglish.co.uk

  First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  Text copyright © 2020 Alex English

  Illustrations copyright © 2020 Mark Chambers

  This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

  All rights reserved.

  The rights of Alex English and Mark Chambers to be identified as the author and

  illustrator of this work respectively have been asserted by them in accordance with

  sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.

  Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  1st Floor, 222 Gray’s Inn Road

  London WC1X 8HB

  www.simonandschuster.co.uk

  www.simonandschuster.com.au

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  Simon & Schuster Australia, Sydney

  Simon & Schuster India, New Delhi

  A CIP catalogue record for this book

  is available from the British Library.

  PB ISBN 978-1-4711-9077-3

  eBook ISBN 978-1-4711-9078-0

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places

  and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or

  are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or

  dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY