Island of Legends

“And I don’t like having the others so far away if something goes wrong.”

Simber nodded. “I agrrree.”

“So I guess we just have to wait off shore for the island to sink and resurface, and risk it.”

“It’s underrrwaterrr now,” Simber said, his eyes trained on the spot where the island should be. “It’s been down forrr quite a while.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good, then. We’ll try our rescue when it comes up and the volcano fire dies down.”

“I’ll keep you inforrrmed.” Simber looked down at Alex. “You should rrrest while you can.”

Alex nodded. “I’m headed that way now. Thanks, Sim.”

Simber growled in response, which Alex knew was the statue’s way of saying “You’re welcome.”

» » « «

Everyone slept restlessly as they waited for daybreak. When Sky awoke, she sat at the bow of the ship, gazing forward, occupied with her thoughts. Alex left her alone. His mind was filled with preparations and plans for the rescue. And as much as he longed to sit with her and talk through his failures with Spike, he had to let that go and focus on the rescue.

As it turned out, Alex didn’t need Simber to tell him when Pirate Island resurfaced. The captain made it quite clear.

“Thar she blows!” he cried. “Blasted creature. Wretched, elusive sack!” Captain Ahab seemed to think the island was the whale he’d been chasing for years, and no one could convince him otherwise. “Aye, the whale will be the death of us all!”

“There’s really no need to be so dramatic,” Alex muttered, forgetting the statue was a theater prop and so was inclined to drama. He sat up to watch. He could barely see the volcano outlined against the sky.

Water shot from the mouth of the volcano, followed by fireballs and enormous flames lighting up the sky. The Artiméans could hear the slap of the water hitting the sea, and the roar and hiss of the volcano spewing molten lava.

They were far enough away that the big wave that rolled toward them was manageable, so they stood at the railing to observe. It was a most spectacular, thrilling, and frightening sight to see.

As the entire ship watched in awe, no one, not even Simber, noticed the slithering creature rise up from the murky water behind them, blinking its electric eyes.

In over Her Head

While everyone else watched the lavaworks display, Simber sampled the air and snapped to attention, looking all around. “Something’s wrrrong,” he growled.

Alex turned sharply. “What is it?”

Screams and shouts rang out as the head of an enormous electric eel rose out of the water. It bumped against the ship, making the decks shudder.

“Everybody get below!” Florence shouted. “Giant eel!”

The Artiméans fled in all directions. The eel began wrapping itself around the ship, slipping its tail end up and over the port side railing while its head slithered up the starboard side and onto the deck.

Florence lunged for the head, tipping the ship precariously. Everyone on deck tumbled to the side, unable to go anywhere of their own free will.

Simber torpedoed through the air to assist, grabbing the eel’s tail end in his jaws, but the slippery creature slid free and slapped Simber with a powerful blast to his head, knocking the cat off balance and sending him careening toward the water. He soared back up, shaking the nonsense from his head after the blow.

“No!” Alex cried, coming to his senses and staggering to his feet. “Come on, guys. Attack!” He rummaged for a spell, shooting off blinding highlighters at the eel’s eyes. Its eyes sparked with fire, and Florence cried out. She released her grip on the eel’s head as its tail lashed this way and that, seeking its next victim.

“Look out!” Sean cried as the eel wrapped its tail around Carina.

Carina began firing off every spell she knew, even using heart attack spells at the creature, but nothing seemed strong enough for such a beast. The eel lifted her into the air and flung her overboard, into the sea.

Florence let out a war cry like nothing any of them had ever heard before. She rolled to the other side of the deck, sending every human and creature on the ship tumbling again as she reached for the eel’s tail.

Simber, back in the air above the ship, went after Carina as the slithering beast grabbed the fox next, flinging him far across the water in the opposite direction.

“Mewmewmew!” screamed Kitten from somewhere on the ship.

“Hang on, everybody!” Florence yelled. And then to Simber, “I’ve got this, Sim! You take care of everybody else!” She lunged once more, sending Henry and Samheed flying overboard into the water. Simber zoomed overhead, depositing Carina onto the deck once the ship righted itself again and going after Fox. Florence closed a two-handed grip around the tip of the giant eel’s tail.

The eel jerked wildly, trying to escape from Florence’s grip. It hissed as Florence dug her iron fingers into the creature and began to pull the eel by the tail. It writhed and twisted all the way around the hull of the ship, and it clamped its mouth onto the ship’s railing to stop Florence from pulling it any farther. Captain Ahab, carrying his wooden leg, which had been knocked loose in all the commotion, began to slam the eel over the head with it. From the ropes, Ms. Octavia unleashed an arsenal of magical spells on the creature that half the humans had never heard of before.

The eel let out a scream as Florence yanked it, and then its mouth let go of the railing and its head jerked down below the water. Florence scrambled to her feet, balancing precipitously with one foot on each side of the ship, and began coiling the eel. Simber soared in and dropped Fox onto the ship. “Arrre you surrre you’ve got this?” Simber roared at Florence.