Island of Fire

Alex pulled his hand away with a gasp. “No!” He looked all around, as if the squirrelicorn might be hiding somewhere, but she was gone. The leash dangled from the overhead wire, and Samheed was free.

“Alex!” Rufus cried out. “Let it go and carry on!” That brought Alex to his senses. He shrugged off his vest and shoved it at Samheed. “You can speak now, or at least whisper,” he said. “Fire away!”

Samheed wore a dazed expression, not sure what had just happened, but at Alex’s words he came back to life and shoved his arms through the vest. He brought a hand to his neck, feeling the dents and holes in his skin. And then he grabbed components and started fighting.

Alex, who had padded his other pockets, began pelting Warblerans with spells. But when he heard a cry, he turned, finding Henry dangling from the arms of an enormous man, who held the boy out in front of him like a shield as he ran for a tunnel. “Alex!” Henry screamed.

Alex didn’t have a clear shot at the man. He whirled around frantically, searching the area. Finally his eyes alighted on the one he was seeking. “Kitten!” he cried. “Go!”

The kitten didn’t need any more instruction. She tore after the man, climbed up his leg, and wriggled her way into Henry’s pocket. Alex shot off a round of shackles at the man’s feet, but the man was running in a zigzag pattern. The spell missed and bounced off the ground. There was nothing else Alex could do without risking Henry. Then he thought of one thing. “Freeze,” he called out, holding his hand in the direction of the escaping man. But the man ducked down a hole in the ground and disappeared, and the freeze spell hit the side of a ship and shattered like ice to the ground. Alex grabbed a few more spells from Samheed’s vest and chased after them.

Meanwhile, Samheed found his whispery voice and began casting spells with gusto. He was a little rusty with his aim, but he soon got back into the rhythm. He mounted the log pile for a better view of his attackers. As more Warblerans came running, Samheed blinded, shackled, scatterclipped, and froze them before they had any time to fight back. It was a bizarre, quiet fight, the only sound coming from the very few who had voices. When at last Simber returned, Samheed had polished off everyone in the area.

Samheed ran up to the giant cat.

“Had a minorrr incident to clearrr up at the beach with some of our fighters,” Simber told him. “Climb aboarrrd,” he said. “We’ll get you to the ship.”

Samheed shook his head violently, and then remembered he could speak. “Not without Lani,” he rasped, his voice trying hard to come back. He coughed a few times, attempting to clear his throat, and wished he could get his body to stop shaking. “I’m not going anywhere without her.”

Simber frowned, but then he nodded. “Do you know where she is?”

“Fire cave. Deep down below. But I’m sure word is spreading that you’re here. We have to hurry.” He thought for a moment. “Oh—but you can’t fit down the tunnels. If you can find the exit hole on the south side of the island by the lagoon, I’ll try my best to bring her out there.”

Simber nodded. “I will be therrre if I am not needed elsewherrre. Otherrrwise head straight to the lagoon wherrre you arrrived a month ago. Do you know how to get therrre? The pirrrate ship belongs to us.”

“I’ll find it.” Samheed started to run, and then he turned back. “Is Meghan . . . ?”

“She’s waiting forrr you on the ship.”

Samheed sighed heavily. “Thanks. Thanks for coming back for us.”

Simber nodded. “Go.”

Samheed grabbed spell components in both hands and jumped down the entry hole, sliding on his back and landing on his feet. He ran down the tunnel, seeing frozen and shackled Warblerans everywhere, no doubt thanks to Alex. He saw Warblerans huddled in caves, peering out, and ducking when they saw him wearing the strange vest. Some of them signaled to him as he passed, pleading, “Save me.” “Let me come with you.” It was heartbreaking. But Samheed couldn’t risk saving anyone else right now. He had to get to Lani.

Alex chased after the man and Henry, getting farther and farther behind as Warblerans tried to stop him. He shot spells left and right and pressed his way through the crowds, closing off caves with glass spells and locking the people inside when he started running out of components. He felt terrible about it, but it was the only way to keep up.

But in the maze he lost them. He kept running, unsure of where to go. “Kitten!” he yelled. He waited at a circle where several tunnels came together, having no idea what to do, which way to go, and constantly turning to make sure no one was coming up behind him. He was starting to panic.

And then the ball of light arrived. Kitten again, this time to save the day.

Alex sped down the proper tunnel, eventually hearing Henry’s screams once again. He snuck up to the entrance of a cave, finding himself in a hospital room of sorts. The brute held Henry down on a table, and another Warbleran reached into a cupboard, pulling out a handful of braided thorns.

Alex’s eyes widened. “Get your hands off him!” Alex yelled, furious. He blasted the brute with an encasement spell and hit the other with a dog collar shackle that stuck her to the wall, her feet dangling off the floor. Henry scrambled off the table, a look of terror in his eyes. Alex grabbed him by the arm and ran to the nearest opening, having no idea where on the island they were but hoping one of the statues would be around to help. They emerged to find Florence stacking frozen bodies like logs.