Epilogue

Marrill turned the bone over in her hand, squinting against the glare of the Arizona sun blazing overhead. She was standing in a barren stretch of desert just past the culvert that bordered their Phoenix neighborhood. “No question—it’s a dragon bone. Probably from a scythetooth if I had to guess.”

The three Hatch brothers eyed her suspiciously. Tim fisted his hands on his hips with a scowl. “That’s what you said last time.”

“I know. And I was telling the truth last time.” She grinned, hoisting the bag slung over her shoulder. “But this time it’s even more true.”

Tom’s scowl matched his brother’s. “I’m not sure there is such a thing.”

“As dragons?” Marrill asked, feigning surprise at their skepticism. “Sure there is. In fact, I have it on good authority that the Peruvian Dragon Research Center is considering designating this area as a former dragon hunting ground.”

Tom rolled his eyes. A habit the triplets all seemed to have acquired when they turned ten the month before. “Dragons aren’t real, Marrill. We’re not kids anymore. You don’t have to make up stories to entertain us.”

Marrill smothered a smile and shrugged. “That’s unfortunate. I told the master dragonologist that I knew a few budding paleontologists who were free this summer and might help with the search. But if you’re not interested…”

The Hatch brothers weren’t convinced, but Marrill could see they still wanted to believe. “You really think there might be dragon bones around here? For real this time?” Ted asked.

“Without a doubt.” Marrill waggled her eyebrows, just the way Fin did when he was going for maximum showmanship. “I have proof.” She dropped the bag she’d been carrying and pulled out a Y-shaped piece of bone she’d smuggled home from the Pirate Stream. At first glance there wasn’t anything extraordinary about it. But on second glance, it shimmered slightly, its edges a little blurry as though it were vibrating at a very high intensity. She felt a tingle start in her palm and travel up her arm as she held it.

“This is a Dragon Divinationator.” She could tell she had their attention now. “It only vibrates like this when there are dragon bones nearby. I got it for you because I thought you might be interested in hunting for dragons this summer. But if you’re not…” She started to put it back in the pouch.

As one, their eyes went wide. “Well, if you already got that for us…” Tim began.

“Yeah, I mean, we don’t want to be rude.…” Tom continued.

“What they mean is, that looks totally awesome, and we’d love to use it,” Ted finished.

Marrill laughed and tossed him the bag. “Good luck!”

Ted clutched the bag while Tim and Tom waved. “You’re the best, Marrill!”

She was still grinning as she jogged toward home, but when she turned on to her street, the feeling morphed into a fluttering of nerves in her stomach. After waiting all year, the day had finally come for them to leave.

“Today’s the day!” she shouted when she threw open the front door. “Everyone ready?” She paused, frowning at the sight of her suitcase standing alone in the middle of the front hall. It had been there for weeks (no matter how many times her parents tried to move it). Her excitement was just too overwhelming to wait. But her parents’ bags were nowhere to be seen.

“Mom? Dad?” She raced into the kitchen, ready to drag them to the car if need be. She found them sitting casually at the table clutching steaming coffee mugs. Karnelius lay on his side between them, batting at his leash.

Her lungs tightened, flashbacks of a similar scene from years before hitting her like a punch in the gut. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you packed? We’re still going, aren’t we?” Her heart hammered painfully in her chest as she eyed her mother, trying to see if she’d missed any signs of sickness returning. But she looked as healthy as ever.

Her mother laughed. “Of course we’re going, sweetheart.” She reached out and patted Marrill’s arm. “But we have three hours before it’s time to leave.”

Marrill slumped into the third chair at the table and let her head fall forward, her relief instantly replaced by impatience. Karny batted at her ponytail, and she frowned, prying it from his claws. “I just want to be there already.”

“I know, Petal,” her father said. “Would it make you feel better if we left a little earlier?”

Marrill raised her head. “Now?” She knew she was pushing her luck, but she couldn’t help it.

Her parents exchanged a glance and smiled as they nodded. Marrill jumped up and pumped a fist in the air with excitement.

An hour later, they were squeezed in the back of a taxi, their luggage stuffed in the trunk, with another case tied to the roof. Marrill tapped her fingers impatiently against the lid of Karnelius’s carrier as they zoomed through the barren desert outskirts of Phoenix.

As they approached the abandoned strip mall, the driver glanced between the GPS on the dash and the stretch of empty storefronts. “Are you sure you have the right address?” he asked, pulling to a stop in the vacant parking lot.

Marrill already had the door open, spilling out in the Arizona sun. She spun, scanning the horizon. No sign of storm clouds yet.

The driver helped unload their luggage, but he seemed reluctant to leave them all alone in the middle of nowhere. Marrill could understand. It was a bit odd. But at the same time, if he didn’t move his car before the storm came… well, it wouldn’t be a car for very long.

“Our ride should be along soon, don’t worry,” her father reassured him, promising they’d call for a pickup if they ran into problems. The taxi drove away, the driver looking back at them as though they’d just escaped a mental institution. Finally, it was just the three of them, Karnelius, and a pile of luggage waiting in an empty parking lot.

An hour passed. Then another.

Then another.

The afternoon sun beat down. The air was still and quiet. Sweat dampened the back of Marrill’s shirt, and she didn’t have to see the glances her parents exchanged to know they’d started to grow concerned.

Their ride was late.

Her father cleared his throat. “Maybe we should call the driver back? We can recheck our calculation and try again tomorrow.” The words were barely out of his mouth when a breeze stirred the hair at the base of Marrill’s neck. She straightened. The wind grew stronger, tossing the tip of her ponytail.

She jumped to her feet, grinning, just as a massive ship hove out of nowhere and into the handicapped parking spot in front of them. Instead of coming to a stop, however, it continued to crash forward, the hull tilting from one side to the other as if it was out of control.

Marrill heard someone shout. Tiny creatures frantically raced along the yards and up the masts. The ship began to turn, but it was too late. With a wrenching clatter of twisted metal and shattering glass, the bow plowed into one of the abandoned storefronts.

Finally the ship came to a stop, listing slightly to one side, the shop’s sign dangling from the bowsprit. Everything seemed frozen for a moment. Marrill tensed, her eyes wide, waiting to see how extensive the damage was.

“You said hard to lee!” a voice shouted. She smiled, recognizing Remy.

“I said it was hard to see,” another voice countered. “And it’s much harder now, I might add. Just wreckage everywhere.” Marrill laughed—definitely Ardent.

The two continued to argue, but Marrill ignored them. Because a familiar face had appeared at the railing. The minute his eyes fell on her, he grinned widely and waved. “Marrill!” he called.

Marrill’s heart exploded with joy. “Fin!” she cried. Forgetting her parents, her bags, and even Karnelius, she leapt from the sidewalk and splashed across the water-covered asphalt, not even waiting for the pirats to lower the gangplank before scrambling up the rope ladder slung over the side of the hull. Big-eyed barnacles waved their feathers at her temptingly as she passed, but she knew better than to give in and touch them.

When she reached the top, a pair of hands grabbed her, pulling her onto the deck. She tumbled into her best friend’s arms. They squeezed each other in a massive hug, jumping up and down with excitement.

She pulled away, grinning so hard it almost hurt. Fin beamed back at her. Marrill couldn’t help noticing that in the past year he’d definitely grown older. His face was a little less round, his features a bit more pronounced; his shoulders were wider. He’d probably grown close to a foot taller as well. But his hair was just as disheveled as ever, and his eyes still sparkled with mischief.

“Glad to see you’re in one piece,” she told him.

He lifted a shoulder. “A few close calls. Nothing the Master Thief of the Khaznot Quay couldn’t find a way out of.” He waggled his eyebrows and Marrill laughed.

Someone behind her cleared her throat, and Marrill spun. “Remy!” she squealed. She was immediately enveloped in another hug, and she squeezed her former babysitter tightly. “I’ve missed you so much!” And then, in a lower voice so that no one else could hear, she added, “Are you doing okay?”

“Never better,” Remy told her. And when she pulled away, Marrill could see the truth of it in her friend’s eyes. Remy had also changed in the past year. Though she hadn’t aged, her hair was longer, twisted now in twin braids that fell over her shoulders. Her skin was a deep tan from spending so much time outside, and her arms were lean and muscular from the work of steering the ship. Marrill could just glimpse the edge of the rope tattoo peering out from under the shoulder of her sparkly pink tank top.

As usual, Marrill felt a stab of guilt at the sight of the ink. Remy must have noticed the shift in Marrill’s mood because she planted her fists on her hips and scowled. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Remy said. “Tattoo or not, the Stream is my home now. And besides… things have changed a little recently.” Her eyes flicked past Marrill, and her features softened, an almost swoony smile tugging at her lips.

Marrill turned to see what she was looking at. A familiar figure loped down from the quarterdeck. Her jaw dropped.

It was Coll.

It had been years now since she’d last seen him, snatched away as they escaped from the Sheshefesh. They’d nearly made it when the giant squid had swiped Coll from the deck, dragging him back into the depths of its cathedral, trapping him there forever.

“What?” Marrill sputtered, shaking her head. “How?”

Coll grinned widely and opened his arms. She raced toward him and gave him a quick hug before pulling back and searching for his tattoo, wondering if he’d somehow gotten rid of it. If Remy, too, might be able to escape the curse.

But no—it was still there, dancing across his shoulder in exactly the same spot as Remy’s. “But how in the world are you here?” she asked.

He laughed and patted her arm. “I’m afraid that’s a story for another day.”

“Let’s just say the Dawn Wizard gives good secrets,” Remy added, chuckling. “Even if they take a while to pan out.”

Marrill was about to ask more, when she looked past his shoulders and saw Ardent.

Everyone else seemed to have changed in the past year. But he hadn’t at all. His white hair still tufted out from under a limp purple cap and his beard still tumbled like cotton candy down his front. His skin was softly wrinkled, especially around his eyes. They glittered with mirth and wisdom.

Marrill’s breath hitched. She hated the moment of doubt she felt. The slight hesitation as she searched his eyes to see if any remnants of the Master were hidden in their depths. Despite everything they’d been through, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to shake that moment of uncertainty. She wondered if she could ever trust him so completely again.

But, she realized, perhaps that was just a part of life. People messed up. Even wizards were human, and all humans made mistakes. It wasn’t fair to judge a person based on their worst actions alone. People were more complicated. Everyone should be given the chance to change.

Just look at Serth. If they hadn’t been willing to trust him, they might not have saved the Stream.

Ardent smiled gently, as though he saw the moment of hesitation and understood. “Welcome aboard, Deckhand Aesterwest.”

She fell into his arms. He may have appeared frail, his long purple robe practically swallowing him whole, but when he hugged her back she could feel his strength and warmth. She could feel he was still the gentle Ardent she loved.

“We’re glad you’re back,” Ardent said softly. Marrill smiled. So was she.

She glanced behind him. “Where’s Serth?”

Remy shrugged. “He’s going to meet us at the next port. Said something about needing to plant some trees, then walked onto the Promenade Deck, and we haven’t seen him since.”

Ardent frowned. “He actually said, ‘I have business with trees, those that time burned down and those that burn with time.’”

Worry knit Marrill’s brow. “That sounds… ominous.”

Ardent snorted. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it. That’s just the problem with oracles, you know. Once they get in the habit of speaking in prophecy, they want to do it for everything. Last week, he called his bed ‘that place where night-born visions dwell.’”

They were interrupted by the sound of a giant splash followed by a wave of angry chittering. Turning, she found a gaggle of pirats gathered at the top of the gangplank. They didn’t look pleased. Marrill raised an eyebrow in question.

Ardent cleared his throat, pressing his fingertips together. “There’ve been some… ah… negotiations over the return of Karnelius.”

“One side, one side, quit yer fussin’, will ya?” The Naysayer pushed his way across the deck toward her. Draped over one of his shoulders was a lanky tortoiseshell cat, a gift from Marrill and her family the summer before. Marrill grinned and started to say hello, but he just continued past her as if she didn’t exist.

“Good to see you, too,” she grumbled at his back as he stepped over the cluster of pirats without ceremony and thumped down the gangplank, his thick purple tail trailing behind.

He reached the parking lot and splashed his way toward Marrill’s parents and their collection of luggage. They straightened, grinning in greeting. “Mr. Naysayer, so lovely to see—” her mother began.

“Not interested,” the Naysayer cut in. It was the only acknowledgment he gave to their presence as he swiped at Karnelius’s carrier and flicked it open. An orange ball of fur leapt free, scrabbling up the Naysayer’s arm. When the cat reached the lizardy creature’s opposite shoulder, he bonked his forehead against the Naysayer’s jaw and began purring loudly.

The Naysayer let out a contented sigh and retreated back up the gangplank, balancing both cats the whole way.

Ardent strode past him, approaching Marrill’s parents with open arms and a welcoming grin. “Mr. and Mrs. Aesterwest, we’re so pleased you could join us again.” He shook her father’s hand, turning it so he could get a better look at his wrist. “Good to see that the side effects wore off from that… unpleasantness last time. Sometimes they don’t, you know.”

Marrill’s dad pushed up his glasses. “Last time you said they always wore off.”

“Yes,” Ardent muttered. “I probably did, I probably did. Nasty little creatures, at any rate.” He quickly turned to Marrill’s mom, taking her hand. He held it for just a beat longer than necessary. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his face folded with concern.

“I’m well, thank you. I still need to take care not to overextend myself. The doctors have said there are no guarantees.” She smiled. “But there never are, are there?” she added with a wink.

Ardent nodded. “No,” he said, with just a touch of sadness in his voice. “There never are.” Then he spun, kicking aside the hem of his robe, and held out his elbows for them to take. “Adventure awaits!” he exclaimed as he escorted them on board the Enterprising Kraken.

That evening, Ardent snapped his fingers, and hundreds of tiny lights burst to life around them. It was like the fluffiest snow caught in the gentlest breeze, except instead of snowflakes, they were soft fuzzy motes dancing in the rigging overhead, illuminating the darkening deck. Around them, the Stream stretched out to the horizon on all sides, shimmering with a soft golden glow.

A large table in the middle of the deck was piled high with buckets of prollycrabs. The Naysayer was ensconced at the head, already elbows deep in his own mess of food. Every few bites he alternated between dropping a hunk of meat for Karnelius, who sat purring in his lap, or tossing a bite to his other cat, who lounged on one of his shoulders.

The rest of the crew sat trading stories from the last year and laughing. Fin updated her on Fig and the Fade’s declaration of independence form the Rise, and Ardent expounded at length on the truce he’d negotiated with the Salt Sand King.

Then it was her turn. “Mom, Dad—tell them about your news,” Marrill prodded.

The crew quieted, turning to Marrill’s parents. Her father adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “As you know, when Marrill first told us about the Pirate Stream, we were a bit… ah… skeptical.” Beside him, Marrill’s mom chuckled at the understatement and threaded her arm through his. “But it’s difficult to deny the possibility of magic when confronted with a bedside table that follows you around the house like a dog, demanding to be petted.”

“Plus,” Marrill’s mom said, “we wanted to believe such a magical place exists. So when Marrill suggested we actually travel here and see the Pirate Stream for ourselves, we jumped in with both feet.” She winked at Marrill. “And we’re so glad we did.”

Marrill’s dad nodded. “Of course, once we returned from our first trip on the Stream, we did what we always do after an adventure: We documented it. And then, on a whim, we decided to try publishing it.”

Her parents exchanged a grin. “Turns out we weren’t the only ones who wanted to believe in the Pirate Stream.”

“Understatement,” Marrill said. “It’s one of the bestselling series right now, and everyone thinks they made it all up when it’s actually all true!” She dragged her bag onto her lap and pulled out a stack of books to pass around. Welcome to the Pirate Stream! was printed across the top, above an image of a towering ship with a wizard in purple robes standing on the bow, his arms wide open to the reader.

Ardent took a copy and fanned through the pages with a look of interest. “Well, if you need additional source material for inspiration, I’d be happy to tell you about the time I accidentally invented an entire species of…”

While Ardent launched into another long-winded story and Marrill’s parents sat listening, enraptured, Marrill slipped a bundle of letters from her bag. “From your family,” she said, handing them to Remy.

Her former babysitter’s eyes widened and instantly glistened with tears. “They all miss you and send their love,” Marrill added.

“Thank you,” Remy said, holding the packet of letters to her chest. Coll draped an arm across her shoulders. She leaned in against him.

Marrill let out a sigh of satisfaction as she looked around the table. She could think of no other place she’d rather be and no other crew she’d rather be with. Happiness bubbled up inside her. She stood and lifted her glass. “We should toast,” she announced.

Everyone else stood, except for the Naysayer, unsurprisingly. Marrill turned to her parents. “You go first.”

“To good health,” Marrill’s dad said, squeezing her mom around the shoulders.

Her mom smiled. “To family,” she said, pulling Marrill into a side hug.

Coll went next. “To the wind at your back.”

“To love,” Remy said with a grin. Marrill could have sworn she noticed the older girl’s eyes dart to Coll, and his cheeks flush.

It was Ardent’s turn, and he cleared his throat. Marrill braced for a rambling speech. But instead he said simply, “To Annalessa.” A hint of sadness filled the air as he lifted his eyes to the scribbled bird perched on the yardarm above. She let out a cry and took to the air, soaring through the glittering lights.

The moment was broken rather quickly, however, by a loud belch from the Naysayer. “Heh,” he chuckled. Then he raised a goblet, joining their toast. “To me.”

Next was Fin. He turned to face Marrill and placed a thumb against his heart. “To friendship.”

Marrill’s heart swelled as she touched her own thumb to her chest in response.

“Who is that young man?” her mother asked politely.

Coll scowled. “I thought we rounded up all the strays and threw them into the brig.”

“He’s Fin,” Marrill said proudly. “He’s my best friend.”

Then it was her turn to raise a glass. There was so much she was grateful for, so many things she could toast. But in the end she chose the one thing that brought them all together. “To the Pirate Stream.”

“To the Pirate Stream!” the others at the table echoed.

Overhead, the Ropebone Man squealed happily in his rigging. The pirats all let up a cheer. The rumor vines took up the call from the stern, echoing it until the night was filled with laughter and merriment.

And through the dark, the Enterprising Kraken sailed onward, toward the distant horizon, charting a course for possibility and wonder.