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‘Jack, Tom and I are of the same blood, that is true,’ Ava broke in harshly. ‘As children at home on the Plains we were very alike to look upon, it is said, and our minds could link as though we were three parts of a whole. But when we grew old enough, we went our separate ways to seek our fortunes. Tom went not so far. I went very far, to the sea where I had always longed to be, though I could not see it with the eyes of the body…’

Her voice trailed off.

‘And Jack?’ Lief prompted softly.

‘Jack went… furthest of all.’ Ava’s white lips were trembling. She made an obvious effort to firm them, and went on rapidly.

‘Long ago Jack made choices that parted him from me—and from Tom—forever. That is why I say he is no longer our brother. Now and then fragments of his thoughts still whisper like evil ghosts in the dark corners of our minds. He is still part of us. But he is our enemy.’

‘He is our enemy, too, Ava,’ Lief said softly. ‘And the greater Enemy he calls his master is trying to destroy our land. Please help us! Lend us your boat!’

‘And if I do, where will you take it?’ Ava asked. She waited for Lief’s answer, her head on one side, her mouth a straight, hard line.

It is a test, Lief thought. She has seen or guessed where we want to go. She is waiting to see if we will lie to her.

‘We must go to the Isle of the Dead,’ he said firmly.

‘So, you have decided to trust me.’ Ava murmured. She sank back in her chair, folding her hands beneath her cloak. The Peppermint Fancies slipped from her lap and fell to the ground, but she did not seem to care or notice.

‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Then hear what I say. No boat can land on the Isle of the Dead. The sea churns around its rocks like milk boiling in a cauldron. To reach the Isle, you must go first to the scarlet island, and cross by the rock bridge.’

‘It sounds almost too easy,’ Barda said.

Ava raised her head. The silk band that bound her eyes gleamed in the firelight.

‘The journey to the Isle may be easy,’ she said slowly. ‘But the Isle itself is another matter. I can tell you nothing of it—except that no-one who has set foot upon it has ever returned. If you value your lives you will forget it, and go on your way.’

A cold knot tightened in Lief’s stomach as she smiled.

15 – The Scarlet Island

An hour later, Lief and Barda were rowing Ava’s tiny, battered boat across the channel that lay between the mainland and the scarlet island. The channel was rough, and wider than it had first appeared. They were still only halfway to their goal, and though the tide was with them, the work was hard.

Spray beat on them from every side, and for once they were glad of the stiff oiled coats they had taken from the fishing hut in Broome. Choppy water slapped against the blunt stern where Jasmine sat with Filli chittering unhappily beneath her collar. Kree flew overhead, the only one who was dry.

Finding that her guests were determined to make their journey, despite her warnings, Ava had shrugged and told them to take the boat if they wished. They would find it by the water, she said, tied to a post.

The hire fee, she had added coolly, was five gold coins. And for an extra gold piece she would store their packs until they returned, for the boat was too small to take extra weight. In silence she had held out her hand, her lips moving as Jasmine counted the coins into her gloved palm.

‘Robbery!’ Barda growled now, as he bent over the oars, water streaming from his cap, hair and beard. “Even if I had not known the woman was Tom’s sister, her outrageous prices would have made me suspect it. Five gold coins for a boat that is barely seaworthy! And one for keeping our belongings!’

‘It does not matter. There is still a great deal of gold in the bag the Dread Gnomes gave us,’ called Jasmine, who still cared no more for money than she had when she lived in the Forests of Silence. ‘Besides, Ava no doubt expects us to die on the Isle. She thinks she has seen the last of her boat.’

And indeed, as it turned out, Ava’s boat was destined never to return to its owner. Just past the centre of the channel, the companions suddenly found themselves ankle deep in water.

Ragged holes had appeared in the boat’s hull, and water was pouring in. Jasmine snatched up a small bucket and began to bale frantically. Lief and Barda redoubled their efforts, gritting their teeth and pulling with all their strength.

The boat drew closer, closer to the island. But every moment the holes in the hull were opening wider, and despite all Jasmine’s efforts the water was rising.

The boat began to settle. Waves lapped over the sides. Filli shrieked piercingly.

‘We are for it, I fear!’ Barda said grimly. ‘Lief—we seem to be making a habit of this. Pull your oar free and use it to keep afloat. I will take care of Jasmine.’

Lief did not argue. Barda was a far stronger swimmer than he was.

In minutes they were floundering in freezing water.

Again! Lief thought desperately. Clinging to the oar, he shook the wet hair out of his eyes and looked around for Jasmine and Barda.

He saw their heads bobbing just ahead of him. Barda was swimming strongly, pulling Jasmine with him. Filli was clinging in silent terror to Jasmine’s hair. Kree was flying above them, screeching encouragement.

The tide will aid us, Lief told himself, beginning to paddle slowly forward. And this time it is day. This time we can see the shore. And Barda and I are practised at surviving in the sea, after all.

The last thought made him smile, even as his teeth chattered with cold. How strange and ridiculous that his and Barda’s ordeal beyond Bone Point might be the very thing that saved them now.

And just at that moment, something made him look over his shoulder.

Far away across the water, Ava’s towering sign gleamed in the sunlight. But Lief could not see the cottage beneath the sign, or the waves foaming at the tip of the point.

His view was blocked—blocked by a dark ship with a broken mast and the rags of sails fluttering in the wind. Silently the ship rocked at anchor about halfway across the channel.

The Lady Luck. Waiting.

In terror Lief turned, cast aside the oar and struck out wildly. Fear gave strength to his arms and banished the cold that might otherwise have slowed him. His eyes fixed on the red blur ahead, he ploughed through the water, using the waves as he had learned to do, thinking of nothing but flight.

And sooner than he would have believed possible he was clambering onto dry land and falling, panting, beside Barda and Jasmine into a dense, fragrant mass of scarlet lilies.

Barda and Jasmine could not see The Lady Luck when they turned to look for it after Lief had blurted out his story. Lief could no longer see it either. But the ruby in the Belt of Deltora was palest pink, signalling danger. Lief knew the ship was there. Visible or invisible, it was there, anchored in the channel.

Barda groaned and ran his hands through his wet hair.

‘I sighted the cursed ship too, when we had almost reached Ava’s shop,’ he admitted reluctantly. ‘It was moving towards the point then. I thought my mind was playing tricks.’

‘As I did, when I first saw it,’ Lief muttered, clambering to his feet. ‘But it was no illusion, Barda. The Lady Luck has followed us. It has followed us all the way down the coast.’ His stomach churned at the thought.

Barda, too, looked sick.

Jasmine glanced uneasily from one to the other. ‘Let us move on,’ she said, jumping up quickly and tugging at Lief’s arm. ‘It would be better, perhaps, to be away from the sea.’

They began walking, carefully threading their way through the tall, blood-red flowers which seemed to grow thickly all over the island, clothing it in a rich mantle of scarlet.

The lilies bent and swayed around them, black-fringed petals cool and fleshy, golden stamens leaving trails of golden pollen wherever they touched. Not far ahead, rising high on the far side of the island, was the rocky outcrop that marked the beginning of the archway. Beyond that was the diamond brilliance of the Isle of the Dead.