Part 6

Part 6

Ok, go read Render’s blog {Bats, Fish, and Dragons} otherwise this won’t make any sense at all. So go, go, go. I’m too lazy to do recaps. Now…*sigh* Um…ok. Here:

The island of endless death. Not the first item on the normal “places to go” list, and for good reason. Its banks were black because it was volcanic, and it had no life on its surface. It was hot and as their ships grew closer they wondered if it would safe to walk on. It was and they quickly paced up and down the beach once they docked. Baladon and Ancalagon flew around the island, telling their riders all they saw. Bonnie and Charity stayed near each other while Will, Flint, and Render spread out a bit and examined the blank landscape. Then they all gathered in a circle.

“In your dream, there was a great room filled with treasure,” said Will, “But there’s a secret door. Correct?” Render nodded. “But the only thing on this small, dark island is the volcano. No doors or buildings or anything that could contain treasure.”

“It seems to me,” said Flint, “That the only place it could be would be the volcano.”

“Great. Let’s go!” said Charity. They set off through the empty land until they were about a hundred yards from the volcano. As they grew closer they noticed a foul smell rising from it like the smoke it had coming from its mouth. Charity wrinkled her nose. They soon approached the dark mass and walked around the base, searching for some sort of door or crevice. Render and Will muttered a few words in a different language, but nothing happened. Charity and Bonnie walked one way around the volcano, the boys the other. The volcano was large and after 5 minutes Charity got tired and sat down.

“This is useless!” she said. Bonnie sighed and leaned against a wall of rock that served as the side of the volcano. The wall swung back and she fell. She got up, rubbed her neck, and looked inside the door she had just opened. Charity got up. In a few minutes the boys met them there and they went inside the dark passageway. The dragons couldn’t fit through the door so they kept watch outside. Render lit his hand and watched the flame light up the hall. They continued to walk down into the heart of the volcano. Render led, Will walked behind him, and Flint followed with Charity’s hand on his shoulder. Bonnie brought up the rear. It grew hotter. There was another door that they came to after a while, which they opened slowly. They gasped.

Treasure! There were coins, crowns, jewelry, gems, thrones, golden bars, silver chandeliers, and statues everywhere ~ as far as the eye could see! Flint ran into the middle of the room, scooping up a handful of coins and throwing them everywhere. Will joined him, putting on a crown and pocketing as much gold as he could carry. Charity laughed and started pulling necklaces over her head and gem-studded bracelets on her arms. Bonnie picked out a golden ring that was a little big so she wore it on her thumb and watched as her friends threw the gold in the air like rain. Render walked to the other side of the room where there was a large pedestal. It was the one from his dream in every way, shape, and form.

“Who has the stone?” he asked. Will stepped forward. The others noticed the tone of his voice and wordlessly gathered around him. Will gave him the stone and Render held it over the marble pedestal. He turned to face them, his eyes sorrowful, and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Wait—” said Charity, but the earth shook suddenly and the gem fell from his hand, landing on the smooth stone. Render disappeared. They all stared at each other and the earth moved again. Will looked down to hide his watering eyes. There was a book that he hadn’t seen before. It had his name on it. He opened it and read it to himself.

“Will. I’ve learned how to time travel, and if I estimated it right, this is the day that the island disappears. Don’t worry about me. Ancalagon and I are back home. I wrote this a long time ago and placed it here for you to find now. Time is running out. Get the out of here before the parrot talks. Your only way of escape is through the eye of the needle. Do not dwell or linger. Take the cat’s advice and run. ~ Render Moonarrow.” He stared at the page then looked around at his sad friends. Flint had just picked up a golden statue of a bird. Will’s stomach turned over. A parrot. The whole room began to shake.

“The ceiling!” cried Charity. The roof was indeed growing closer, slowly but surely.

“We’re going to be crushed!” yelled Bonnie. Will looked at the book again before closing it and stuffing it under his jacket.

“Look for anything that resembles a needle,” he said loudly. They stared at him blankly. “Just do it! Hurry!” They began searching, filtering through piles of gold. The ceiling grew closer. Will now had to duck his head to fit.

“Here!” said Bonnie, who now had to stoop also. She had found a golden needle. Under closer examination it was discovered to be a portal, which opened up with a few words from Will, and not a second too soon. They all dived into it and found themselves in a room with two doors. The walls and floor were still shaking and they could hear loud eruptions all around them. One door had a carving of a parrot hanging from it. The other had a carving of a cat. Will opened the cat door and looked at the never ending tunnel before him.

“We have to run,” he said, and they raced down the passageway after him. Bonnie {who again brought up the rear} glanced behind her toward the way they had come and suppressed a scream. The floor was disappearing from under them.

“Faster!” she shouted, as the floor continued to disappear, ever growing closer. Charity tried to run faster, but she tripped and both she and Bonnie fell behind. They immediately jumped back up and ran harder, trying to evade the falling stones as they remained a step ahead of the black nothingness replacing the floor. Will found a door. The boys rushed through it and turned around, ready to close it once the girls came out. Charity and Bonnie jumped and landed roughly on the grass as Flint shut the door behind them. They stood up, panting. The whole island was shaking now. Trees and rocks from the mountain began to fall and roll away. They raced back to the ship.
They climbed aboard rapidly, raising the sails and the anchor. They were a mile away from the island when they relaxed. Will, Flint, Charity, and Bonnie watched as the black island gave one last shudder and disappeared into the sea forever. The day was warm but everyone felt cold and empty. Even Baladon swam silently in the sea. He missed Ancalagon. The silence prevailed. No one looked at anyone else. Then a popping noise came from the North side of the ship and the pirates looked up. A portal opened and Render stepped out.

“You didn’t think I’d leave without saying goodbye, did you?”

~ Captain Bonnie Spinner

See Render's blog for the next part! Next ch. is called "The Gateway Ch.10"
Chapter 10!