“Could be worse,” Thrang said. “At least we’ll be out of the rain and the night air.”

“I thought it did not rain this time of year,” Barnabus joked.

“It’s not likely to, but at sea—who knows? If it does rain, at least we will stay dry,” said Thrang.

Alex went back up on deck to watch the crew cast off. The work looked hard, but Bill’s crew seemed to know what they were doing. Soon the sails were out, and they were moving slowly away from Dunnstal. Alex watched the city grow small behind them, wondering what they would find on the Isle of Bones once they got there.

The wind grew stronger as the sun came up, and Alex moved to the bow of the ship to see where they were going. He found that the rolling waves under the ship helped relax his mind. Unfortunately, when he returned to his room, he saw that this was not the case for most of his friends. Arconn seemed all right, but everyone else had become seasick almost as soon as they had set sail. Thrain was the worst off, but none of the others looked very healthy.

Alex reached for his magic bag to see if he had something that might help. He made a potion to help calm their seasickness, but unfortunately, it did not remove the sickness completely. Even worse, the potion tasted so bad that Alex’s friends thought they would rather be sick.

“Not all potions can be sweet as honey,” Alex told them.

“A drop of honey would help that mixture of yours,” Nellus said.

“I suppose it would,” Alex agreed. “However, honey would make it completely useless, so there’s no point in using it.”

The three days at sea were a great deal of fun for Alex, even though his friends remained sick and in their rooms below deck. Alex made a point of checking on his friends several times a day, and he always offered to make more of the seasickness potion, but no one ever took him up on his offer.

Alex made friends with Bill’s crew and helped them do the work of sailing the ship. He learned a great deal in those three short days, and he won the respect of the men and their captain. Arconn also helped with sailing the ship, and he proved very good at running up and down the rope ladders to set sails and tie lines.

On the afternoon of their third day at sea, the Isle of Bones appeared on the horizon. Thrang managed to come up on deck. He stood, looking silently for a long time at the island where they hoped to find some sign of Albrek. Finally he turned away, and with Arconn’s help, returned to his room.

“Your friends do not take to the sea so well,” Bill said to Alex as they watched Thrang and Arconn descend below deck.

“They are used to dry ground under their feet,” said Alex.

“Yet you take to the sea and the work of sailing as if born to it,” Bill observed.

“I’ve never sailed before, but I find that it feels natural,” said Alex.

“Tell your friends that we will put you ashore in the morning,” said Bill, returning to his work. “We will anchor south of the island tonight—well away from the shore.”

“There may be a harbor on the southern end of the island,” said Alex, remembering the old fisherman’s story. “It would be helpful if we could find it and start our search from there.”

“We shall see,” said Bill as he walked away.

Alex stood on the deck for a while longer, looking north to the Isle of Bones. He had a strange feeling about the island, as though something inside him was calling him toward the island. Or perhaps not calling him towardthe island, but calling to him fromthe island. He thought about this for several minutes trying to decide which it was, but the feeling was gone.

Turning away, Alex headed below deck. He knew the news that they would be going ashore in the morning would please his friends—especailly Thrang. Alex knew that Thrang was hoping to find dwarfs on the island, and while Alex thought that was unlikely, part of him hoped Thrang was right.

“One more night on this rolling monster,” said Barnabus, looking pale and a little green in the lamplight.

“You should come up on deck and get some fresh air,” said Alex, looking around at his friends.

“The movement is too noticeable on deck,” Thrain complained. “At least here I can only feel it; I don’t have to see it as well.”

“You’ll have a hard time getting into the rowboat tomorrow,” Arconn said with a laugh.

“That trip will be a short one, with the promise of dry land at the end,” Nellus said.

“And the promise of another sea voyage at the end of two weeks,” Alex pointed out.

“Don’t mention that now,” said Kat sourly. “I’m not sure I’ll ever feel right again.”

“Have none of your adventures included sailing?” Alex questioned.

“Not until now,” Barnabus replied.

“And not again if I can help it,” Kat added.

Alex smiled and once again offered to make his seasickness potion. They all thanked him but refused, so he left them and returned to the open air of the deck. Arconn followed and the two of them stood together watching the sun sink in the west. Tomorrow they would reach the Isle of Bones and face whatever was waiting for them there.

Chapter Twelve

The Isle of Bones

Morning came early so far north, and Alex and Arconn were already on deck helping prepare for their departure from the ship. Bill had guided the ship close to the southern coast of the island during the early morning hours, looking for the harbor Alex had mentioned.

“Your friends are slow to emerge,” Bill said.

“They still haven’t found their sea legs or tamed their stomachs,” Alex said.

“They are lucky the weather was so fair,” said Bill with a smile. “If the weather had been rough or if we’d run into a storm, then they would know what sickness really is.”

“Harbor—three points off the starboard bow,” a sailor called from the topmast.

Bill’s eyes went to the point the sailor had called out. Soon even Alex could see what the lookout had spotted. A large stone pier appeared along the edge of the island, reaching out into the water. Bill corrected their course slightly and made for the far end of the pier. Bill expertly guided the ship into the harbor, and the crew quickly rolled up the sails as the ship grew still on the calm waters.

“It seems that someone has sailed here at one time,” said Bill, studying the pier. “It would take a great amount of work to build this harbor, and I don’t imagine it was done quickly.”

“It probably took several years,” said Alex. “The dwarfs were supposed to have been here for some time.”

“You will find no living dwarfs here,” said Bill, a note of sadness in his voice. “If there were dwarfs on this island, we would know about it.”

“That may be,” Alex answered. “But Thrang still has hope.”

Alex moved forward to help the sailors lower the large rowboat that would take him and his friends to the shore. As they eased the boat into the water, Thrang appeared on deck with the rest of the company. They all looked happier than they had in days, and Alex knew they were looking forward to being on solid ground again.

It didn’t take long for Alex and the others to climb over the side of the ship and into the rowboat. Alex thanked Bill and the sailors for all their help before waving good-bye. They all wished him and the others luck in their quest.

“We will return to this spot in two weeks’ time,” Bill called. “We will wait for one day and then leave. Do not forget your days, or you may remain here for the rest of them.”

“We’ll be waiting,” Thrang called back, gripping the side of the rowboat tightly.

As Alex and his friends rowed away, the sailors on the Seekerquickly let out their sails. By the time the rowboat had reached the island, Bill had maneuvered the Seekerout of the harbor and was sailing away.

Alex felt strangely alone as he looked across the sandy beach, trying to get a feel for the island and some idea of where the dwarfs might have mined. He could see several tall, rocky hills nearby, but little else. Dark green pine trees seemed to be growing everywhere on the island except on the beach, which was wide near the harbor.