A small smile lit his face. “Sailing on with the Kraken, of course! Where else am I going to find an entire crew who remembers me?” He cast a quick glance at Remy. “Well, more or less, anyway. But hey, Remy even asked me to stay on as crew. I’m officially First Mate Plus One!” He scrunched up his face. “Which I’m pretty sure makes me a second mate, but that seemed like a demotion, so who am I to argue?”
He was cut off by Remy calling, “Land ho!”
Marrill looked up. She could just see the dingy ROSEBERG’S sign, see the stores in the abandoned strip mall near her subdivision. And it was much, much closer than she’d expected.
Her breath hitched. She was almost home.
Ardent came to stand beside her. The old wizard’s eyes fell on the bird perched on the very tip of the bowsprit. She spread her scribbled wings, letting out a sharp cry before taking flight and banking toward the parking lot.
Rose. Forever leading the way.
He let out a small sigh. His eyes shone with a tangle of emotions. Grief. Adoration. Pride. Regret. Confusion. Acceptance. Love.
Marrill understood them all because they were the same feelings knotting her own heart.
She braced herself for the keel to run aground, but the ship continued crashing through the waves. The Kraken soared across the asphalt, swinging gently in an arc before coming to rest against the row of abandoned shops. Waves lapped gently at the concrete walkway bordering the water-filled parking lot.
Marrill’s eyes widened. The last time she’d come home they’d floundered several hundred yards away, the Stream not deep enough to carry the ship all the way into her world. And the only reason they’d gotten that close in the first place was due to the storm surge caused by the Master.
She spun, scanning the horizon behind them for hints of clouds, but the sky was clear as far as she could see.
“You wouldn’t know it took me four times to pass the parallel parking part of the driving test,” Remy said as she swaggered across the ship to join the group at the bow.
“How were you even able to get us this close?” Marrill asked.
Remy shrugged. “Ask the wizards,” she said, nodding to Ardent and Serth. “I don’t explain the Stream. I just navigate it.”
“Yes, well.” Ardent twittered his fingers together. “Do recall that for a time I was one of the most powerful beings that ever existed. I may have controlled the Lost Sun of Dzannin, but I also controlled the Pirate Stream. I may have… er… made a few slight changes to things before relinquishing control.”
Serth barked out a laugh. “Show-off,” he coughed under his breath.
Ardent scowled at him, but that just made Serth chuckle more.
Hope caused Marrill’s heart to soar as possibility thrummed through her veins. “Does that mean the Pirate Stream now touches my world all the time?” she asked excitedly. “We can come and go as we want?”
Ardent cringed. “I’m afraid not.”
“Oh.” Disappointment crushed her insides.
He tugged on his beard. “Of course I still have to work out the timetables for the tide, what with the currents and the whatnots. Factor in the gravitational alignment—”
“Don’t forget the time disparagement facsimile quotient,” Serth interjected.
“No one’s listening, old men,” the Naysayer grunted as he lumbered up the stairs toward the group, Karnelius on one shoulder. “Wizards, and your need to sound all impressive and everything. Cutting to the chase, they’re saying the Stream’ll crash into that parking lot every 12.0012948 months with a slightly smaller after-tide three months later.”
Ardent readjusted the cap on his head. “Well, I think you may be off by a decimal point or two.”
“But more or less, yes,” Serth added.
Marrill glanced between the three with wide eyes. “Are you saying I’ll be able to come back to the Stream?”
Ardent laughed. “Of course!”
“Only if you bring this guy,” the Naysayer said, stroking a protective hand down Karny’s back.
Marrill looked at Fin, her heart so full she thought it would burst. His expression of surprise and excitement mirrored hers. She grabbed his hands. “I get to come back!” she squealed at the same moment he shouted, “This isn’t good-bye!” They jumped up and down in celebration.
There was only one other thing that would be better than knowing she could return to the Stream again. She glanced toward Ardent. “Are you sure I can’t take anything back to save my mom?” She said it as a joke. Mostly. Even so, her heart broke a little at the resignation in his eyes.
“Your mother doesn’t need Stream magic. She needs you.” He wiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Whatever happens, Marrill Aesterwest, you will make it through.” He pulled her into a hug. “You are the one who taught me that,” he said softly. He held her long enough for her to catch her breath and swallow back the worst of her tears. When she let go, he continued to cup her shoulders.
“Thank you for having faith in me, Marrill,” he said. “I’m sorry for”—his eyes drifted to the scribbled bird soaring far overhead—“disappointing you.”
“Also ya nearly destroyed the Stream and killed everything that ever existed, but yeah, disappointing a little girl, that’s the part you regret,” the Naysayer grunted. “Least ya learned to prioritize.”
Marrill swallowed a chuckle. A smile played around Ardent’s mouth as he straightened. “That too.” He gave her shoulders one last squeeze. “See you soon,” he said before stepping back.
Then Serth stood awkwardly before her. Black scars still marred his cheeks, but they were tempered ever so slightly by the wrinkles of laughter creasing the edges of his eyes. His smile still looked more like a tortured grimace, but it was progress.
“You didn’t have to help us save the Stream,” she told him.
He lifted a shoulder. “One could argue otherwise. If the future is set—”
“It wasn’t, and you know it,” said Marrill, laughing. “It was your choice, and I’m glad you made it.” She gave him a hug. “We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.”
“Well, that’s true, certainly.” He cleared his throat. “I… I’m glad I made that choice, too,” he said, stepping back.
Remy was next. She clutched several intricately folded sheets of paper, and her hand trembled as she held them out to Marrill. “For my family.” She cleared her throat, her eyes red. “To explain. Tell them”—she took a deep breath to steady herself—“tell them that I love them and I’ll see them again. I just don’t know when.”
Marrill took the letters and folded her babysitter into a hug. She could feel the older girl’s shoulders shaking as she struggled to control her emotions. “They’ll understand,” Marrill told her. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Remy gave her a watery smile. “I should check the…” She waved her hand aft and turned to go, tears spilling down her cheeks.
The Naysayer held Karny with all four arms, and the cat purred loudly, bonking his head against the lizardy creature’s chin. After another moment, the Naysayer let out a huff and thrust him into Marrill’s arms. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He frowned and swallowed several times.
“Good-bye, monster,” he finally said, his voice rather gruff. He spun and stalked off. A moment later she thought she heard the rumor vines sniffling.
Then it was time to say good-bye to Fin. Though it was a little easier knowing she might see him again, there were still no words. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, that if she said anything at all, she might start crying and be unable to stop.
So she simply pressed a thumb to her heart. He did the same. They were best friends. No matter where they were, together or apart. And they would be forever.
With a watery nod, she raised a hand and a line dropped from the rigging, snaking securely around her waist. “Good-bye,” she whispered to them all. And then Ropebone Man swung her out over the railing and lowered her gent
ly to the ground below.
A deep grumbling came from within the hull, a groaning of dullwood as the sails filled and the massive ship pulled away from the row of empty stores. Marrill stood on the concrete sidewalk, Karnelius clutched in her arms, watching as the Enterprising Kraken sailed toward the sun, the glow of the Pirate Stream turning the entire world golden.
When the ship was no longer in sight, when she could no longer hear the calls of her friends shouting good-bye, when the world stopped shimmering and the endless lake returned to a cracked asphalt parking lot, Marrill took a deep breath and finally started for home. She had no idea what she would find there or what her future held.
Anything was possible.
Epilogue
Marrill turned the bone over in her hand, squinting against the glare of the Arizona sun blazing overhead. She was standing in a barren stretch of desert just past the culvert that bordered their Phoenix neighborhood. “No question—it’s a dragon bone. Probably from a scythetooth if I had to guess.”
The three Hatch brothers eyed her suspiciously. Tim fisted his hands on his hips with a scowl. “That’s what you said last time.”
“I know. And I was telling the truth last time.” She grinned, hoisting the bag slung over her shoulder. “But this time it’s even more true.”
Tom’s scowl matched his brother’s. “I’m not sure there is such a thing.”
“As dragons?” Marrill asked, feigning surprise at their skepticism. “Sure there is. In fact, I have it on good authority that the Peruvian Dragon Research Center is considering designating this area as a former dragon hunting ground.”
Tom rolled his eyes. A habit the triplets all seemed to have acquired when they turned ten the month before. “Dragons aren’t real, Marrill. We’re not kids anymore. You don’t have to make up stories to entertain us.”
Marrill smothered a smile and shrugged. “That’s unfortunate. I told the master dragonologist that I knew a few budding paleontologists who were free this summer and might help with the search. But if you’re not interested…”
The Hatch brothers weren’t convinced, but Marrill could see they still wanted to believe. “You really think there might be dragon bones around here? For real this time?” Ted asked.
“Without a doubt.” Marrill waggled her eyebrows, just the way Fin did when he was going for maximum showmanship. “I have proof.” She dropped the bag she’d been carrying and pulled out a Y-shaped piece of bone she’d smuggled home from the Pirate Stream. At first glance there wasn’t anything extraordinary about it. But on second glance, it shimmered slightly, its edges a little blurry as though it were vibrating at a very high intensity. She felt a tingle start in her palm and travel up her arm as she held it.
“This is a Dragon Divinationator.” She could tell she had their attention now. “It only vibrates like this when there are dragon bones nearby. I got it for you because I thought you might be interested in hunting for dragons this summer. But if you’re not…” She started to put it back in the pouch.
As one, their eyes went wide. “Well, if you already got that for us…” Tim began.
“Yeah, I mean, we don’t want to be rude.…” Tom continued.
“What they mean is, that looks totally awesome, and we’d love to use it,” Ted finished.
Marrill laughed and tossed him the bag. “Good luck!”
Ted clutched the bag while Tim and Tom waved. “You’re the best, Marrill!”
She was still grinning as she jogged toward home, but when she turned on to her street, the feeling morphed into a fluttering of nerves in her stomach. After waiting all year, the day had finally come for them to leave.
“Today’s the day!” she shouted when she threw open the front door. “Everyone ready?” She paused, frowning at the sight of her suitcase standing alone in the middle of the front hall. It had been there for weeks (no matter how many times her parents tried to move it). Her excitement was just too overwhelming to wait. But her parents’ bags were nowhere to be seen.
“Mom? Dad?” She raced into the kitchen, ready to drag them to the car if need be. She found them sitting casually at the table clutching steaming coffee mugs. Karnelius lay on his side between them, batting at his leash.
Her lungs tightened, flashbacks of a similar scene from years before hitting her like a punch in the gut. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you packed? We’re still going, aren’t we?” Her heart hammered painfully in her chest as she eyed her mother, trying to see if she’d missed any signs of sickness returning. But she looked as healthy as ever.
Her mother laughed. “Of course we’re going, sweetheart.” She reached out and patted Marrill’s arm. “But we have three hours before it’s time to leave.”
Marrill slumped into the third chair at the table and let her head fall forward, her relief instantly replaced by impatience. Karny batted at her ponytail, and she frowned, prying it from his claws. “I just want to be there already.”
“I know, Petal,” her father said. “Would it make you feel better if we left a little earlier?”
Marrill raised her head. “Now?” She knew she was pushing her luck, but she couldn’t help it.
Her parents exchanged a glance and smiled as they nodded. Marrill jumped up and pumped a fist in the air with excitement.
An hour later, they were squeezed in the back of a taxi, their luggage stuffed in the trunk, with another case tied to the roof. Marrill tapped her fingers impatiently against the lid of Karnelius’s carrier as they zoomed through the barren desert outskirts of Phoenix.
As they approached the abandoned strip mall, the driver glanced between the GPS on the dash and the stretch of empty storefronts. “Are you sure you have the right address?” he asked, pulling to a stop in the vacant parking lot.
Marrill already had the door open, spilling out in the Arizona sun. She spun, scanning the horizon. No sign of storm clouds yet.
The driver helped unload their luggage, but he seemed reluctant to leave them all alone in the middle of nowhere. Marrill could understand. It was a bit odd. But at the same time, if he didn’t move his car before the storm came… well, it wouldn’t be a car for very long.
“Our ride should be along soon, don’t worry,” her father reassured him, promising they’d call for a pickup if they ran into problems. The taxi drove away, the driver looking back at them as though they’d just escaped a mental institution. Finally, it was just the three of them, Karnelius, and a pile of luggage waiting in an empty parking lot.
An hour passed. Then another.
Then another.
The afternoon sun beat down. The air was still and quiet. Sweat dampened the back of Marrill’s shirt, and she didn’t have to see the glances her parents exchanged to know they’d started to grow concerned.
Their ride was late.
Her father cleared his throat. “Maybe we should call the driver back? We can recheck our calculation and try again tomorrow.” The words were barely out of his mouth when a breeze stirred the hair at the base of Marrill’s neck. She straightened. The wind grew stronger, tossing the tip of her ponytail.
She jumped to her feet, grinning, just as a massive ship hove out of nowhere and into the handicapped parking spot in front of them. Instead of coming to a stop, however, it continued to crash forward, the hull tilting from one side to the other as if it was out of control.
Marrill heard someone shout. Tiny creatures frantically raced along the yards and up the masts. The ship began to turn, but it was too late. With a wrenching clatter of twisted metal and shattering glass, the bow plowed into one of the abandoned storefronts.
Finally the ship came to a stop, listing slightly to one side, the shop’s sign dangling from the bowsprit. Everything seemed frozen for a moment. Marrill tensed, her eyes wide, waiting to see how extensive the damage was.
“You said hard to lee!” a voice shouted. She smiled, recognizing Remy.
“I said it was hard to see,” another voice countered. “And it’s muc
h harder now, I might add. Just wreckage everywhere.” Marrill laughed—definitely Ardent.
The two continued to argue, but Marrill ignored them. Because a familiar face had appeared at the railing. The minute his eyes fell on her, he grinned widely and waved. “Marrill!” he called.
Marrill’s heart exploded with joy. “Fin!” she cried. Forgetting her parents, her bags, and even Karnelius, she leapt from the sidewalk and splashed across the water-covered asphalt, not even waiting for the pirats to lower the gangplank before scrambling up the rope ladder slung over the side of the hull. Big-eyed barnacles waved their feathers at her temptingly as she passed, but she knew better than to give in and touch them.
When she reached the top, a pair of hands grabbed her, pulling her onto the deck. She tumbled into her best friend’s arms. They squeezed each other in a massive hug, jumping up and down with excitement.
She pulled away, grinning so hard it almost hurt. Fin beamed back at her. Marrill couldn’t help noticing that in the past year he’d definitely grown older. His face was a little less round, his features a bit more pronounced; his shoulders were wider. He’d probably grown close to a foot taller as well. But his hair was just as disheveled as ever, and his eyes still sparkled with mischief.
“Glad to see you’re in one piece,” she told him.
He lifted a shoulder. “A few close calls. Nothing the Master Thief of the Khaznot Quay couldn’t find a way out of.” He waggled his eyebrows and Marrill laughed.
Someone behind her cleared her throat, and Marrill spun. “Remy!” she squealed. She was immediately enveloped in another hug, and she squeezed her former babysitter tightly. “I’ve missed you so much!” And then, in a lower voice so that no one else could hear, she added, “Are you doing okay?”
“Never better,” Remy told her. And when she pulled away, Marrill could see the truth of it in her friend’s eyes. Remy had also changed in the past year. Though she hadn’t aged, her hair was longer, twisted now in twin braids that fell over her shoulders. Her skin was a deep tan from spending so much time outside, and her arms were lean and muscular from the work of steering the ship. Marrill could just glimpse the edge of the rope tattoo peering out from under the shoulder of her sparkly pink tank top.