As Peter and Maggie escaped by swimming into the heart of the lagoon, the pirate’s beasts gave up their chase. But the teens could not return to the island with enemy still on the beach. As they tired Peter guided them to the sand bar they had found earlier. The tide had gone out. When they stood the water reached just below their knees.

‘Some plan.’ Maggie said.

‘Well. We got as far as rescuing Quardle… stands apart…,’ Peter said as he looked back at the island. ‘That seemed to work.’

‘Didn’t you see the pirate Red Back? He got the old human.’

Peter gazed back to the island. the cloud that hung forever atop Black Spire peak seemed small from this angle — it pointed right out towards them in the lagoon. Like a flag.

'Disaster. We rescued him only for Berg to get caught,' said Maggie. ’So now the pirates have everything. And we’re stuck here in the middle of the lagoon.’

‘And the navy have their captured pirates to guard. With the old human and Berg escaping, the navy can’t be very happy. We’ll get our breath back and then...’

‘But it’s just a matter of time before Berg and the pirates are caught. And we’re sitting ducks out here too.’

‘If we can swim here, then we can swim back if they try to get us.’

‘You think? I’m flagged,’ Maggie said. ‘We’ll be captured.’

‘Well, we didn’t mean it to go quite like this,’ said Peter.

‘No. We were meant to only swim around the bay.’ Maggie sat in the water, it came up to her waist. ‘And it’s mad that we helped at all…’

‘What’s that?’ Peter pointed towards the island. ‘There’s another flying skyship thing. How are there more than one?’

‘We saw the navy skyship first. That other must be the pirate’s.’

The navy vessel on the beach had not moved. But now a skyship that had been hidden behind the top of Black Spire rose through the clouds. This skyship headed to the beach where the pirates had camped. It landed a short time, then it rose again to head out over the lagoon. Right towards them.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

‘That’s not good. Come on…’ Peter said.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m not going to sit here and get captured by that skyship.’

‘If they’ve even spotted us,’ Maggie said. ‘Let’s just keep small in the water.’ She slipped under to leave just her head exposed. 'Curl up in a ball.’

So they huddled into the water and watched the skyship draw closer. The Navy skyship rose and got underway too.

‘Of course there’s two of them,’ said Peter. ‘That’s how Red Back and his pirates got here. They hid in the mist and clouds at the top of Black Spire. Smaller than the navy ship though.’ Peter studied the movement of the vessels for a while. ‘With that rig they can sail directly downwind, but not well in other directions. Problem is. The wind blows straight from the island.’

‘No hope,’ Maggie said shaking her head. ‘Oh no! The pirate crew have spotted us.’

The pirate manisaurs dropped on ropes low to the water as if they were going to pick them up. Red Back yelled curses from the deck. Peter’s heart thumped in his chest and he stood up ready to dive away from the grasp of the swinging pirate manisaurs. Then, as the pirates moved closer, Peter saw Berg amongst the crew. How he knew this he could not quite tell — but he had spent the last day with the manisaur — and perhaps something in his colored eye auras. But he knew it was Berg. ‘Maggs… get ready.’

‘For what?’

‘No idea.’

But when a canoe dropped down on a rope Peter just stared. After swaying a few times it splashed into the water.

‘Not what I expected,’ Peter said. The old manisaur leaned out over the side of the skyship.

‘Qhawana Yamgi will show you the way,’ cried Berg.

‘Who captured you?’ Maggie shouted.

‘I go willingly with Red Back. Qhawana Yamgi will inform you of all.’

Peter got a sense that Berg was not just safe, he was exhilarated. But as the skyship passed, its white sails spread wide to the trailing wind, the swinging pirates returned to the rigging. Peter wondered how that could be true. How could being with pirates be good? But Peter had little time to worry. Maggie had swum off after the canoe, now he dived after her.

‘Paddles,’ said Maggie when Peter pulled up to the canoe next to her. ‘We have paddles this time.’

And then the navy skyship flew upon them, but it gave little to no notice of them. Instead, upon deck a flurry of activity kept the crew busy as they set and trimmed sails in a race after Red Back’s smaller pirate skyship.

‘But we saw the pirates arrive by canoe.’ Maggie said. ‘They must have come down on the other side of the island. Then snuck over.’

‘Why would both navy and pirates be after Berg?’

‘The feather message,’ said Peter. ‘It must be connected to this. Somehow.’

If Peter had watched the navy ship he would have seen one of the officers with flashing shoulder bands lean out from the taffrail and give them extra attention. But the two teenagers had put that danger from their mind now they felt safe. They paddled in silence towards Black Spire island.

‘Berg said that this Qhawana guy would show us,’ Peter said.

‘You think he meant the way home?’

‘Must be.’

‘Then we have to find him. We have to get home. To Earth.’