Tales from Dargo Island: The Complete Trilogy (5 page)

“The Dargons
are a wonderful, exotic culture. They’re very much human, even though they live
on an island the known world has never discovered. I just happened to stumble
upon Dargo while fleeing Nalke. Our last fight was devastating to both of us.

“The Dargons
were wary toward me when I first arrived. I am the first outsider to ever
discover their home, or so I’ve been told. I promised them I meant no harm,
that I am a wizard who needed to cast a spell to mask the island from my
pursuer. Luck was with me that day, for the Dargons were able to communicate to
me that the island was already masked, and that they’d lived in seclusion for
many generations.

“I apologized
for my intrusion. They asked me how I found the island in the first place. I
told them I just fell upon the island, that I couldn’t see it until I was
already here.”

The Dargons
applauded.

“So you see,
Josh, no matter what, Nalke will not find this island. He can prod your dreams
all he wants, but he’ll never discover us. Especially with my protections
reinforcing those already in place.”

“Well, that’s
great,” I said, “but the nightmares are annoying. It would be great if they
would stop.”

“Do you still
have the key chain Shae gave you?”

I held it up
for him.

“You might want
to wear that as a necklace or something. It helps to repel him.”

“Great,” I
said, much relieved. “I think it worked earlier. I woke up and the chain was
hot and glowing. I must’ve grabbed it while I was asleep. Will I have to wear
it forever, though? I don’t want to be on Nalke’s radar for the rest of my
life.”

“I understand
your trepidation. I’m working on a way to get rid of Nalke once and for all.”

“Is that
possible?” I asked. “I mean, he’s a nature demon. Isn’t he important?”

“Somewhat. But
he can be replaced.”

I nodded. That
sounded like a good idea.

“Sorry I’m
late, everyone,” a female voice said from the foyer. We turned to see a petite
woman walk toward us. She was smiling. “Hello, Josh.”

I smiled back.
“Hello, Shae.”

*
 
*
 
*

I wasn’t
surprised to see my elusive neighbor. Nothing shocked me at that time. Shae
took a seat across from Astrid and me, staring at us warily. I didn’t
understand why. “Where have you been?” I asked her.

“Oh, I’ve been
laying low. I take it you’ve heard of Nalke by now?”

“Yes.”

Shae nodded. “I
managed to hide from him for a while, but after the tornado, I knew it wasn’t
safe for me there.”

“What about me?
I still have the key chain, but if he already knows where I live, he can find
me anyway.”

“True. But he
won’t hurt you.”

“Why not?”

“He has to reserve
his energy for fighting us,” she said as she looked at Rockne. “We have a
plan.”

I nodded.
“Okay, so who are you all to each other? Astrid told me her mom is a doctor who
lives on the mainland, so I’m guessing that’s you.” I pointed to Shae, who looked
shocked. “And Florence is Rockne’s sister, but we all know Astrid is Florence.”

Now Rockne
looked shocked. “How did you know that?”

I shrugged.
“I’m not stupid. I could see right through it. Did you use your magic to
disguise her or something?”

The whole table
stared at me.

“I didn’t do
anything,” Rockne said.

“I’m cursed,”
Astrid added. “And, obviously, I’m not Rockne’s sister. That’s a secret
identity to protect me during the day.”

“How old are
you, really?” I asked.

“Nineteen. Just
like you.”

“What’s this
curse about?”

“Nalke...my
father, cursed Mom when she tried to escape him. She was pregnant with me at
the time.”

I looked at
Shae. “So, you’re the spy Ernie told me about. You tried to kill Nalke.”

Shae nodded.
“Ernie has a big mouth.”

I chuckled. “I
just wanted to know what I was getting myself into. It’s not his fault. I
figured out most of it for myself.”

“The curse was
supposed to make Mom age really quickly and die, but I absorbed it,” Astrid
said. “It was all Nalke could manage in his weakened state at the time.”

I looked at her
again. “Are you aging fast? Are you going to die?” I asked in a quiet voice.

“No. I just
turn into an old lady during the day for some reason. Always the same age. My
dad—”

“Nalke,” Shae
interrupted.

“—Nalke doesn’t
know what I look like, or that the curse effects me this way.”

“Makes for an
effective cloaking device,” Rockne added with a grin.

“Why are you
hiding from Nalke?” I asked Astrid. “I mean, I know he’s a bad guy, but what
would happen if he found you?”

Instead of
answering, she looked at her mother.

“If he got a
hold of Astrid, he would absorb her energy and restore his own,” Shae said.
“She’s his flesh and blood, his last reserve of power. If he regains strength,
he’ll destroy the whole world just to get at us.”

My eyes grew
wide. I was expecting something bad, but not that bad. “Are you guys sure Nalke
can’t find this island?”

“The magic that
hides this island is powerful,” Rockne said. “The rail that brings you here is
of my design. The only ones who can find it are people I allow.”

I nodded.
“That’s good. What about Tack?”

“Oh, he’s
always asleep during the trip, with a little help from me. Though, if he ever
wanted to see the island, I’d let him. He’s a genuinely good fellow.”

“Why didn’t you
give him my job?” I asked.

“I offered, and
he passed.”

“How about
letting him live on the island?”

“All questions
I’ve already considered. He actually likes his life the way it is. Maybe one
day he’ll change his mind, and the offers still stand when he does. Don’t
worry; your job’s safe.”

“Enough talk of
sad things,” Champagne said. “Let’s hit the hot tub.”

Rockne laughed.
“Great idea.”

“You might want
to try it,” Shae said. “It might help with that bump on your head.”

I touched the
bump reflexively. It was still tender after hitting it on the street. “How will
it help with this?”

“Let’s find
out,” Rockne said.

We followed him
outside, to the hot tub. It bubbled furiously, the water white and blue and
foamy. It was quite large, the size of my bedroom. I pulled off my shirt and
shoes and slowly settled in. Astrid took off her skirt and top, revealing a red
one-piece bathing suit. I looked away as she got in as well.

“You already
saw me,” she said with a laugh.

“I know.”

Rockne,
Champagne, Victor and the four Dargons joined us. The warm foam felt great
against my skin.

“Dip your head
under the water,” Shae said.

I stared at her
for a second, and then sank beneath the surface with my eyes closed. The bump
on the back of my head started to sting, but I ignored it. I didn’t know how
long I was supposed to stay underwater, so I counted to ten and then
resurfaced.

“How does your
head feel now?” Shae asked.

I felt for the
bump but couldn’t find it. “What happened?”

“The hot tub
has healing powers,” Rockne said.

“I’ll bet.” I
laughed. “This is amazing. Maybe I will move to this island some day.”

“You’re more
than welcome, my boy.”

When I woke up
the next day, I couldn’t remember where I was. After Rockne’s party, I’d turned
the key chain into a necklace so I could wear it at all times. Then....

I couldn’t
remember.

I looked around
at my surroundings and didn’t recognize the room I was in. This was not my
room. I got up from the bed and walked into a long hallway on the second floor.
I looked over the guardrail and saw a large, familiar living room below.

I was at
Rockne’s house.

I heard noise
coming from the kitchen, and smelled bacon, so I went downstairs. Rockne was at
the stove, his back to me.

“Good morning,
Josh,” he said without turning.

“Good morning.
Did I fall asleep here?”

“Yes. I
should’ve warned you: The hot tub exhausts you after healing. I bet you feel
like you’ve run a marathon.”

I noticed I
did. He made a plate for me. It was loaded with bacon, eggs, grits with butter,
and a biscuit. He also gave me a glass of orange juice. I sat at the breakfast
nook and devoured the food.

“Since it’s
your day off, I figured I’d show you the island,” Rockne said. “Do you have
other plans today?”

“Nope. I’d love
to see the rest of the island.”

“Great. There’s
lots to see. I’ll take you into town. There are some great shops there.”

After I
finished, I took a shower and re-dressed. Rockne had a nice yellow sports car
waiting in his driveway. We hopped in and he tore out of the Village. Ernie had
barely enough time to open the gate for us.

The weather
looked stormy, with thick gray clouds. The wind blew fiercely. We drove along a
cliff-side highway and I could see giant waves hurtling toward us. By “giant,”
I meant humungous. One wave in particular towered above us and almost seemed to
freeze in place. I looked up at it through the skylight.

Then it crashed
down gently, covering the car completely. Rockne casually flipped on the
windshield wipers. “This side of the island can be a little testy. I couldn’t
stop the waves, but I was able to make them less forceful when they come.”

I saw more
giant waves loom over us in slow motion before splashing us again. At one
point, we even drove through a wave as it froze in front of us. It was one of
the most surreal things I’ve ever seen in my life. And I would see a lot more
incredible things after this day.

We passed under
a giant rock arch that leads into town. A sign on the arch said “Dargo Plaza.”
It looked like any other plaza I’ve seen. We turned onto a street and drove up
to the center of the plaza, which had a couple of beautiful fountains lined up
next to each other. People stood around them, talking amongst themselves.

Rockne parked
in a lot by a bookstore and we walked around, passing clothes shops and
restaurants. I couldn’t tell how big the plaza was at the time, but it felt
like an outdoor mall.

“I have to run
an errand at the palace,” Rockne told me, pointing toward a large red-and-white
castle half a mile away. “Feel free to go wherever you’d like. I’ll probably be
an hour. We can meet at the Hungry Heifer then, if you want.”

I looked at the
crazily named restaurant across the street and nodded. “Sounds good.”

We split up and
I headed back to the bookstore. It was two stories tall, and I felt like I was
in heaven the moment I walked through the doors. I was thinking of abandoning
the book I’d been forcing myself to read anyway.

I rode the
escalator to the second floor and found the fantasy section. So many books! I
browsed a series of books I’d started a year ago but never finished. The covers
were great but the books themselves were boring. I noticed a book with an
interesting cover in the sci-fi section called Palar’s Revenge and browsed its
pages when I felt a presence next to me.

A long-haired
brunette stood there, reading a book but not really reading it. She had the
same blue-and-yellow skin of the Dargon people. I could tell she was watching
me and hiding that fact. I stared at her for a moment and then went back to my
book. I waited a few seconds and then quickly looked at her again. She was
staring back at me. She started at me suddenly catching her and went back to
her book, but it did no good.

“Can I help
you?” I asked her.

She gave up the
pretense of reading and put her book back on the shelf. “You’re friends with
Rockne? I saw you with him.”

“Yes.”

“I’m here to
warn you: He’s a bad man. You should stay away from him.”

“And who are
you?” I asked, defensive.

“It doesn’t
matter who I am. You should stay away from Rockne. Ever since he first came to
our island, he’s caused nothing but trouble.”

“From what I’ve
seen, he’s done some good.”

She laughed.
“He has everyone wrapped around his finger, but there are some who aren’t as
easily fooled. I hope you, too, will see him for who he truly is.”

And then she
was gone. She spun and disappeared around the book shelf. I tried to follow her
but she was already going down the escalator before I could even get to her.

I bought
Palar’s Revenge and walked around the plaza until it was time to meet Rockne at
the Hungry Heifer.

“Sorry to
abandon you like that,” he said as we sat at a table outside the restaurant.
The weather had cleared up a little and the sun actually shone down on us. “I
had to speak with the island king about some bit of business. Do you like Dargo
Plaza?”

“A lot, yeah. I
bought a book.” I showed it to him. The cover had spaceships and a purple
planet in the background. “I don’t usually go for sci-fi, but it looks
interesting.”

“Indeed it
does.” He smiled and handed it back to me. “I think Astrid likes you. I’m impressed
that you were able to figure out her secret so quickly.”

“I’ve seen
enough movies and read enough books to recognize a plot twist.”

He stared at me
for a second before bursting into laughter. I didn’t think it was that funny,
but to each their own.

“I just hope
Nalke doesn’t have your flair for twists. The last thing anyone wants is for
him to find her.”

I suddenly
remembered the girl at the bookstore. I told Rockne.

“Sounds like
the king’s daughter Aneela. Taleeno, the king, has had some problems with her
lately. She likes to run around and cause trouble. I wouldn’t worry too much
about her.”

“Why would she
say bad things about you?” I asked.

“She doesn’t
like me being here and bringing all my friends along. We are invaders, to her.
Kind of like Columbus and America.”

“I see.”

“Ready to head
home? You must have stuff to do before returning to work tomorrow.”

He drove me to
the rail and I returned to Dallas with a lot on my mind.