Island of Dragons (16 page)

Panther wagged her tail, and Aaron stood helplessly watching her. Finally he waved, trying not to break down, and then pressed the button that would take him back to Artimé.

In the kitchenette, Aaron stepped out of the tube, pinched the bridge of his nose, took in a deep breath and let it out, and then entered the hallway. He walked toward the balcony, stopping by Alex's living quarters. The door was open, and things were strewn about the room.

Alex stood at the bed, cramming clothes into a medium-size traveling bag.

“Hey,” said Aaron.

Alex looked up. “Oh, hi,” he said. “Are you packed?”

“Almost,” Aaron said. He looked swiftly away. “I was wondering if you have an extra bag. It seems I've accumulated a few things that I don't want to leave behind, and I can't fit everything into my trunk. Just a small one will do.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Alex. He went to his closet and pulled out a cloth bag with handles, and handed it to Aaron.

“Thanks,” said Aaron, taking it. He hesitated, and then expelled a sharp breath. “Okay, see you in a bit.”

“Around sundown,” Alex reminded him.

“Got it,” said Aaron. “And, uh, don't forget to tell your blackboard that you're leaving this time.”

Alex grinned. “Thank you for the reminder. I'll do that. Hey, Clive, you filthy beast, wake up! I'm going away for a few days and . . .”

Aaron stepped away. With his mind full of plans, he slipped down the hallway toward the balcony and headed for his room, never noticing Simber near the mansion's entrance, watching him curiously as he often did.

A
t sunset the white boat was fully loaded with soil, wings, personal items, and Charlie the gargoyle, who was stationed in his favorite spot inside the cabin. Aaron looked at the crowd that had gathered to send him off. He was surprised and quite moved by the number of people and creatures who had come to say good-bye. While Alex stood quietly to one side, Aaron accepted hugs from Sky, Lani, and even Samheed, as well as Ms. Morning, Ms. Octavia, Carina, and Sean. When Kaylee stepped over to him, she hugged him for a split second longer than he expected, and then she kissed him lightly on the cheek, making his ears flame. “If you fix the tube,” she whispered, “maybe I can see you again.”

Aaron became immediately flustered, muttered something unintelligible, and quickly stepped back.

Kaylee grinned and shoved her hands in her pockets. “And Ishibashi, Ito, and Sato, of course,” she added.

“Right. Sure,” Aaron mumbled. His heart thudded in his chest as if he'd just run full speed across the lawn. He didn't understand his feelings. He only knew that whenever Kaylee whispered in his ear, it gave him a thrill he'd never felt before.

Quickly he turned away from her and bent down to pick up his sisters. He hoisted them up and gazed at each one's face. “Good-bye,” he whispered to them, and tears sprang to his eyes. “Perhaps you can come to visit me now and then.”

Alex stepped in and put a hand on Aaron's back. “We will,” he said. “I'll make sure of it.” He looked at the girls. “Can you say good-bye to Aaron?”

“Bye, Ay-on,” said Thisbe.

“Bye, Ay-on,” echoed Fifer, and then her face crumbled and she began to cry.

“Oh no,” said Aaron. He tried to comfort her, but she only cried louder. “There. It's going to be okay.” He looked around anxiously.

Crow stepped in and took Fifer, and Sky reached for Thisbe so the brothers could depart.

At last Aaron turned to Liam and shook his hand. “I'm very . . . I'm proud of you. Of us,” he said, his voice cracking a bit. “Thank you for what you said that day in the palace . . . that day you asked me if I wished I was Unwanted. I . . . well, I won't ever forget that. And you took a huge risk. You're much braver than you think, Liam.”

Liam, dumbstruck, just kept shaking Aaron's hand until the former high priest removed it from his grasp.

Alex looked at Aaron, and Aaron at Alex. “Let's go,” they said together in one voice. The group around them tittered, and even Aaron managed to break a smile. With a last look over his shoulder, he caught Kaylee's eye, and the heat rushed to his head again.

The brothers struck out for the boat, and a few minutes later Alex was steering away from Artimé. Aaron stood at the stern, reminded that once upon a time he thought he'd never have another friend after Eva died. But now he watched a myriad of them grow small in the waning light, Fifer's cries taken away by the breeze. It very nearly broke his heart.

A
lex commanded the white boat to go to the Island of Dragons, and the identical twin brothers began speeding eastward over the waves. Charlie stayed in the cabin, which he preferred over the water view, and the brothers remained in a melancholy silence until they were some distance away from Artimé.

When Aaron could no longer make out any faces in the dark, he sat down heavily in the seat across the aisle from Alex. “That was harder than I expected,” he said.

Alex was quiet, nursing a giant lump in his throat as he looked out over the water. He was still trying to grasp it—these were his last few days with Aaron. Things had finally become good between them, and soon it would be over. “I'll bring the girls to see you now and then,” he reminded Aaron, as well as himself.

“Thank you,” said Aaron fervently. “That makes it easier.”

“I can't wait to find out what new spells you discover,” said Alex. He wanted to be sure Aaron knew that he was okay with his talent now.

“I don't expect I'll try to do much of anything magical, actually,” said Aaron. “I kind of forgot about magic when I was there before. Never had a need for it.”

“Oh,” said Alex. “Well.”

They fell back into silence.

After a while, Alex glanced at Aaron, thinking he might have fallen asleep, but Aaron was staring out over the waves. “What are you thinking about?” Alex asked.

Aaron didn't answer right away, but then he said truthfully, “I'm thinking about Kaylee.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”

“She . . . well, she whispered in my ear, for one. It made me feel weird.”

“Good weird? Or bad?”

Aaron thought about it. “I'm not sure. Good, I think.”

Alex tried to hide the grin on his face. For a former ruler of an entire civilization, and a mage with astounding abilities, Aaron was definitely naive about a few things. But Alex supposed his brother had never had any real friends his age until now, and certainly no romantic relationships. “Hmm,” said Alex. “Maybe she likes you.”

“She's my friend, I think,” said Aaron, though he sounded uncertain.

“Well, yes, I know that,” said Alex. “But I mean maybe she, you know, likes you in a different way.”

Aaron had a hard time imagining anybody liking him like that. He'd never pictured himself coupled with anyone romantically. In his imagination, he was always and forever alone. “I don't know,” he said.

“Don't know what?”

But Aaron didn't know the answer to that question either. He shrugged and shook his head. “I don't want to talk about this. It doesn't matter anyway.”

Alex understood the complex thoughts that were probably going through Aaron's mind. “I get it,” he said. He got up and unfolded his seat to make a bed.

Aaron did the same, and the two grabbed blankets and lay down under the stars.

» » « «

The next morning Alex woke to a familiar sight: the cylindrical island jutting up in front of them. The boat was idling, slowly circling the island. Alex got up and started looking for Pan. Knowing she was probably hiding, Alex hoped they wouldn't have to wait long before she noticed them.

“Pan?” he called out a bit uncertainly. His voice woke Aaron, who sat up and looked slowly up the immense wall of rock before him. Charlie opened the door and peeked through the crack to see what was happening.

“How are we supposed to get up there?” Aaron asked.

“Pan will help us,” said Alex. “I hope she's here.”

It didn't take long before Pan's oversized head appeared above them, and soon she was climbing down the wall in her awkward way, using her tail as a rope and sinking her claws into the stone, dropping down one length at a time. When she neared the boat, she stopped and clung to the wall, looking all around warily.

“Do not call my name aloud again,” she said in a low voice. “You're too trusting. You know the pirates are on the move.”

Charlie quickly closed the door to the cabin, hiding inside.

“I'm sorry,” Alex whispered. “I didn't think they had come all the way out here.”

“They haven't—not yet, anyway,” said Pan. “But we cannot be too cautious. Eventually they will notice that the storm is gone from the Island of Shipwrecks if they haven't already, and that will anger them as well. We must be very careful not to give them a reason to come this way.”

Alex and Aaron nodded, Aaron's eyes wide with dread at the thought of the pirates making a stop at his future home. He hadn't thought about that—without the hurricane, anyone could approach the island and attack the scientists. It made Aaron even more eager to get there and check on them.

Pan continued to look all around, and when she was satisfied they were not being watched, she peered at the wings lying in the boat. Her face changed abruptly. “How beautiful,” she crooned. She looked at Alex and Aaron with tears in her eyes. “You have matched my children perfectly. I could not have imagined it.”

“I hope they work,” Alex said.

Pan's eyes clouded. “As do I,” she said.

“Let's give them a try. Which dragon shall we work with first?”

“Arabis the orange is the most mature,” said Pan. “She will sit quietly while you work on her.”

“Then we'll work on Arabis first,” said Alex.

Aaron picked up a wing for the orange dragon and handed it to Alex, then went back for the second one. He gave a dubious look at the ruler of the sea, afraid to ask where they had to go, exactly, to find the orange dragon.

Pan gripped the side of the cylindrical island and dropped her tail, letting it slither around the boys. “We must hurry so no one notices your boat,” she said.

Alex frowned, thinking Pan was acting a bit paranoid. “We'll go as fast as we can, but we want to get it right.”

“Of course,” said Pan. With her tail tightly wound around the boys' chests, she lifted them out of the boat.

Aaron clung to the wing and looked around anxiously as he began to rise in the air next to Alex. “This is quite frightening, isn't it?” he whispered.

“A bit,” Alex agreed. “But she won't let go of us.”

“Let's hope not,” said Aaron.

Pan climbed up the wall, her body moving jerkily but her tail remaining quite calm as she went. Soon she reached the top and swung the boys over and down into the core of the island.

In daylight, the dragons were much easier to spot in the shallow water. Aaron looked as if he were about to faint. He began to tremble and sweat profusely.

“They won't hurt us,” Alex said. “I promise. Aren't they beautiful?”

Aaron had to admit they were, but his fear reminded him of the day he met Panther. A pang of guilt mingled with the fear. He still needed to tell Alex about the jungle animals.

Pan called to Arabis, the orange dragon, in a strange language. “They are learning to communicate in your language,” said Pan. “But for safety we speak the language of the dragons.” She continued to speak to Arabis the orange, coaxing her to climb up and sit on a rock ledge out of the water. Pan lowered the boys down next to her, and Arabis turned her attention to Aaron, sniffing him.

“Oh my,” Aaron said, beyond uncomfortable. “Hi there.” He shrank back and pressed against the wall, holding the wing in front of him like a shield. He gave himself a silent pep talk to build his confidence, knowing the dragon, like Panther, could probably sense his fear.