Sea of Legends: Island of Fog, #11

By Keith Robinson

The young shapeshifters ARE BACK in their 11th fantasy adventure!

 

When Miss Simone sends Hal and his friends on a mission to find the fabled edge of the world, they set sail with a crew of goblins and soon run afoul of a sea monster. But instead of sinking to the bottom of the ocean, their crippled ship is carried by a giant turtle to a place beyond their wildest dreams.

 

So begins their journey to a magical place inhabited by immortals and littered with shipwrecks and bones. There's a very good reason why nobody has ever returned to tell the tale of Haven...

 

Full of wondrous (and terrifying) creatures, the eleventh book in the magical Island of Fog fantasy series explores the legends of eastern yokai folklore and delivers action and excitement for middle-grade readers and up. This is a complete story in itself, a great place to jump in and meet the young shapeshifters if you haven't read the other books in the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Unearthly Tales
• Release date: Jan 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9798223562344

Keith Robinson

Keith Robinson is a writer of fantasy fiction for middle-grade readers and young adults. His ISLAND OF FOG series has received extremely positive feedback from readers of all ages including Piers Anthony (best-selling author of the Magic of Xanth series) and Writer's Digest. Visit UnearthlyTales.com for more.

Book preview

Sea of Legends

Island of Fog 11

© 2020 Keith Robinson

Published by Unearthly Tales

on January 15, 2020

Cover by Keith Robinson

No part of this book may be reproduced without permission from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Visit the author's website:

unearthlytales.com

Contents

Meet the Shapeshifters

1. Two Weeks at Sea

2. The Monster Below

3. Riding the Turtle

4. The Edge of the World

5. Haven

6. Skulls and Shipwrecks

7. Guests of the Citadel

8. Oni in the Hall

9. The Mines

10. Phantoms in the Mist

11. The Yokai Within

12. Nowhere To Go

13. The Deadly Trees

14. Face Off

15. Bones

16. Goblins in Chains

17. The Most Powerful Magic

18. Yield or Die

19. The White Fox

20. Attack at Dawn

21. Escape from Haven

Epilogue

COMING NEXT

Author’s Website

Meet the Shapeshifters

In this story there are nine thirteen-year-old children, each able to transform into a creature of myth and legend . . .

Hal Franklin (dragon) – As one of the most powerful creatures in the land, Hal is often looked upon as the leader of the group. Though reluctant in that role, he never backs down from his responsibilities.

Robbie Strickland (ogre) – At three times his normal height, Robbie is a mass of shaggy hair and muscle. He’s always ready to leap into battle and smash things.

Abigail Porter (faerie) – Sprouting insect-like wings and buzzing around, Abigail can shrink to six inches tall, the same size as real faeries, but usually stays at normal human size.

Dewey Morgan (centaur) – Half human, half equine, Dewey is impressive and wise in his centaur form, though often nervous. This shy boy doesn’t say much, but his friends tend to listen when he speaks up.

Lauren Hunter (harpy) – With enormous owl-like wings, yellow eyes, and powerful talons for feet, this beautiful white-feathered human-creature soars and swoops like a bird of prey.

Fenton Bridges (rare lizard monster) – Able to spit a stream of water that quickly solidifies into glue, Fenton is black and reptilian with an impossibly long tail. Some think of him as an ouroboros, but no official name has ever stuck.

Darcy O’Tanner (dryad) – As a wood nymph, she has the ability to blend into the background like a chameleon, allowing her to sneak around unseen. When in view, she looks a little like carved wood, with skin the texture of bark.

Emily Stanton (naga) – Part human, part serpent, the naga come in three different forms, only two of which Emily has explored. She doesn’t like the limbless water variety so much. She favors the forest-dwellers, thus retaining her upper body and arms.

Thomas Patten (manticore) – The redheaded boy spent six years in the form of a vicious, red-furred, blue-eyed lion creature with a scorpion’s tail. Even today, he’s always the first to lose his temper and jump into a fight.

Miss Simone is the resident mermaid shapeshifter and respected scientist. She’s in charge of the Shapeshifter Program and everything else at the science laboratory. Other shifters of her generation have either moved away or are currently on missions.

The young shapeshifters left Brodon two weeks ago aboard Blacknail’s ship, SeaWorthy, on a mission to find the fabled edge of the world. Now they’re getting close . . .

Chapter 1

Two Weeks at Sea

Hal Franklin leaned over the ship’s railing and squinted in the sunlight, hoping he was mistaken. Emily! he shouted in warning. Fenton!

The strong wind snatched his words away. Not that it made a difference; his friends were too busy to hear him, dipping in and out of the choppy water, laughing as they raced back and forth.

Gripping the rails, Hal scoured the glittering sea on the portside of the ship. Maybe he hadn’t seen an ominous shape beneath the surface. And even if he had, it might just be an inquisitive whale . . .

Something told him it wouldn’t be that simple. This was New Earth, a world of magic and wonder. All manner of things lurked in the depths of the ocean. He might have spotted a kraken or worse.

Emily! he yelled again.

She heard him at last. The dark-haired girl broke off from her latest mad dash and turned to look at him. A casual glance from a stranger would see the head and shoulders of an ordinary thirteen-year-old wearing dark-green silky fabric. But as she drew nearer, the sun shone on her long serpentine tail.

What’s up? she called to him.

Hal looked past her, searching the water. Where did Fenton go?

She shrugged. Wherever he wanted to go, I guess. Why?

I saw something just now. Something . . . big.

Emily glanced over her shoulder. She didn’t question him. Instead, she gave a nod. I’ll tell Fenton.

She ducked under and was gone in a moment.

Hal checked to see if any of the crew had noticed a lurking monster. Two dozen goblins manned the ship, including their friend Blacknail. All of them were stout and grumpy, their usually dour faces scrunched into terrible grimaces whenever they looked toward the sun. Many worked tirelessly with the rigging, adjusting the sails as the wind changed. A couple mopped floors, and another stood high above in the crow’s nest. A group of three chatted near the bow. The rest were most likely napping somewhere.

No sign of his friends, though.

Where is everyone? Hal muttered.

Lightweights. A bit of sun and wind, and they hurry below deck.

He knew Dewey and Darcy were suffering from motion sickness. Robbie was more interested in the nest of spiders he’d found in a storage room in the stern; he’d tried to show Lauren, but she’d squealed and run away. Thomas was probably still in bed, bored out of his mind.

As for Abigail . . .

Hal smiled, spotting a tiny shape zipping about between the masts. She loved the wind. She said faeries normally stayed out of strong gusts, but she’d spent much of the voyage letting herself be carried around and around, laughing as she bounced from one whorl to another. Being six inches tall and weighing a few ounces had to be fun—for a while anyway.

Hearing a splash, he turned back to peer over the railings and saw Emily swimming alongside Fenton. He’d transformed yet again. His red eyes glowed even in the dazzling sunlight. Unlike Emily, whose naga form meant she remained part human, his transformation was from head to toe—a sleek black lizard the size of an alligator with an impossibly long tail.

The two of them cruised through the water, heading for the dangling rope ladder.

Movement below the waves caused Hal to suck in his breath and point with a shaky finger, a shout of warning catching in his throat. W-watch out! he finally yelled.

Emily glanced down. It was clear she couldn’t see anything from her angle, so she ducked under with a splash. Fenton turned his red-eyed glare toward the ship.

Hal jabbed his finger again. Right below you! Something huge!

In fact, it was colossal—a darkness so big it was impossible to make out its overall shape. It cruised past at the speed of a lazy whale. Could it be a whale?

Gripped with fear, he watched as Emily popped her head out of the water, her eyes the size of plates.

No way! she gasped, reaching for the hanging ladder. Fenton, quick!

She clung to the rungs while, beneath her silky dress, the lower half of her body slowly transformed from a thick serpentine tail into human legs. Once she had her feet back, she could push herself much faster up the ladder. Dripping wet and gasping, she clambered onto the deck and backed away from the railings.

Fenton didn’t need the ladder. He launched himself from the sea with a tremendous splash and thudded against the ship’s side. Instead of dropping back into the water, he simply stuck there, perfectly calm, his long tail dangling.

Hal squinted into the water again. What was it? he demanded.

Abigail buzzed into view, hovering a few yards away, her delicate wings a blur. She said something, but her voice was too quiet and high-pitched to be understood. Still, Hal heard the question in her tone, and he shrugged in answer.

Emily trotted over to join them. It was a giant turtle.

For a moment, Hal thought he’d misheard her. Then he swung around. "A what? Are you kidding me? That’s all? A turtle?"

It’s not just any turtle, Hal . . .

Hal felt like scoffing, but then he looked again and remembered the size of the shape he’d seen just moments before. It was gone now, and Abigail was buzzing after it, heading toward the bow of the ship, jabbering about something.

What’s goin’ on? a goblin barked as he descended from the rigging. It was Blacknail. He leapt down and thudded onto the deck. What’s all the shoutin’?

The scowl on his piglike face was even deeper than usual.

Giant turtle, Emily said, gesturing vaguely. "And I mean giant. Bigger than the ship. Bigger than two or three ships. She pursed her lips. Maybe bigger than four."

Hal waited for the goblin to burst into raucous laughter—or maybe snap a rude comment at her—or more likely just growl and stamp away. Instead, Blacknail squinted at her. So?

Abigail came buzzing back. As she bobbed up and down, she started growing, and her wings took on a deeper hum. Her mottled dark-green silky dress was like Emily’s; it fit snugly and hung to her knees, the sleeves ending just above the elbows. It expanded with her, magically adapting as she reverted to human form. ‘Smart’ clothes were essential for shapeshifters! But, unlike Emily, she and the other girls wore magical leggings underneath. It was too windy not to.

So, Emily said to the goblin, sounding like she might be at a loss for words, "the thing is huge."

Blacknail let out an exasperated snort and turned away. You should pay attention to Lady Simone when she’s talkin’ to yer, he grumbled, stomping off.

Abigail dropped neatly to the deck and retracted her wings. They vanished through a gap in her dress high on the back, the insectoid membranes melting into her flesh. As soon as they’d disappeared, the silk material quickly repaired itself. That monster was easily the size of six ships, she said, her eyes wide with excitement.

Emily rolled her eyes. Don’t exaggerate. Four at most.

They spent the next few minutes running around the ship, peering over railings and trying to spot the giant turtle. Hal considered transforming and flying high into the sky, but he knew the goblins would complain again. They were convinced he would take out some of the rigging the next time he came in to land, or accidentally burn the sails with a casual blast of fire, maybe even knock the mast over with a random swing of his club-ended tail.

Anyone would think a dragon had never been on board a ship before.

What was it Miss Simone said about giant turtles? he asked the girls when they gave up looking.

They both stared at him.

I don’t know, Abigail said, interested. What did she say?

"I don’t know. I’m asking you."

Well, how should I know?

Didn’t you listen?

"Didn’t you?"

Apparently, none of them had.

I bet Robbie did, Hal guessed. He’s the bug freak.

Emily frowned. Turtles aren’t—

You know what I mean. Let’s go ask.

They scurried down the steps to the darkness of the deck below. This was where Hal and his friends had slept for the past two weeks, after setting sail from the coastal town of Brodon. They had free reign to hang out as long as they didn’t venture any lower. The ship’s bottommost levels were ‘out of bounds to annoying kids,’ as Blacknail put it.

Darcy’s long, blond hair stood out in the gloom from where she hunkered on the floor in a corner by some barrels. She had a wooden pail between her knees and looked miserable. This deck had a couple of tiny cabins at each end of the ship, but she refused to be cooped up in one, saying they were dark, smelly, and claustrophobic. Hal guessed Dewey was in one of them, though.

Lauren sat with her, lounging on a few pillows and reading a book.

Hal wrinkled his nose. The air couldn’t be good for the lungs, and the portholes were so tiny that opening them let in no more than a gusty whistle. If he were seasick, with the floor swaying like this, he’d want a view of the horizon to get a better sense of balance, and good fresh air in his nostrils.

Where’s Robbie? he asked Lauren.

She didn’t look up but pointed aft.

Hal and Abigail set off to find him, but Emily hung back. Uh . . . is he still spider hunting?

This caused Lauren to snap her book shut and shudder. Even though she wore leggings under her silk dress, she pulled the hem tight around her knees in an effort to keep out any creepy-crawlies. Yeah. He’s nuts. It’s the one thing I can’t stand about him. Why can’t he just squish spiders like normal people?

That’s cruel, Abigail shot back over her shoulder. Shame on you, girl.

Robbie was indeed lurking in the shadows hunting for spiders. He was down on hands and knees with his face crammed against a wall in the corner. Next to him was an empty jar, its lid nearby.

Trying to catch one of these beauties, he murmured. They’re bright red.

Abigail gasped, and even Hal had to suppress a shudder. Goosebumps rose on his forearms.

Bright red? he exclaimed. That sounds— Robbie, doesn’t that mean they’re, like, deadly or something?

Oh, probably. That’s why I’m being careful. He reached out and prodded a bread knife into a crack between loosely abutted wall boards. See this big gap down the bottom? They went in there, then crawled up behind the wall.

They? Abigail demanded.

Robbie sighed and rose to his knees. Three of them. Kind of weird seeing spiders hanging out in a group like that.

Especially bright red ones, Hal added. He shook his head. Hey, did you listen to what Miss Simone said about turtles?

Robbie climbed to his feet. His mop of brown hair had a cobweb in it. Turtles? Well, yeah, but she was joking, obviously.

What did she say?

The boy absently rubbed his cheek and left a smear of dirt. Just something about a giant turtle that patrolled the sea. She said, ‘When you see the giant turtle, you’ll be close to the edge.’ I figured she was talking categorically.

Abigail snorted. Metaphorically, you mean?

That’s the one.

It used to be that Robbie would get angry at Abigail for making fun of him. Now he just agreed without blinking an eye.

When they returned to the others, Thomas had emerged from one of the cabins in the stern. Bleary-eyed, he looked around. Where’s Fent?

Stuck to the ship’s side like a gecko, Emily told him. Have you checked on Dewey?

Thomas frowned. Why would I check on Dewey?

"Because he’s in the room next to yours, and because he’s sick."

That’s his problem, not mine.

Before his friends started squabbling, Hal broke in with news about the turtle. Robbie, Lauren, and Thomas listened in silence, and even Darcy raised her head.

If we’re seeing a giant turtle, Hal went on, it might mean we’re near the edge.

Darcy groaned. Good. I can’t stand much more of this.

Thomas couldn’t help chortling. So instead of sitting here puking, you’d much rather fall off the edge of the world?

Yep. Bring it on.

A somber silence fell. The edge of the world. It sounded mysterious, exciting, impossible. And now that they might actually be close, it sounded dangerous.

This is where we sail around for another week, Thomas muttered, looking for something that obviously doesn’t exist. Then we’ll head home, mission not accomplished. He nudged Darcy with his foot. Don’t worry—it’ll only take another two weeks to get home. By the time we reach land, we’ll have been at sea for . . . oh, five weeks?

Darcy pulled the bucket closer and leaned over it.

Hal still couldn’t help thinking the journey on the sea was unnecessary. He’d argued with Miss Simone about it . . .

But I can fly! Why sail for two weeks when I can be there in half a day? I could carry the others!

Because, young man, Miss Simone had said in a quiet, patient tone, according to the journal we acquired, you’ll never find the edge of the world by flying. Sailing is the only option.

Hal refused to believe that. "I had a vision of the edge of the world. Remember when I was . . . uh, gone for a couple of weeks? When Molly turned me into a statue?"

The snake-haired gorgon had saved his life. It was either be turned to stone or die horribly in a tunnel flooded with boiling water!

Is this the vision of an enormous portal across the horizon?

Yeah, that one.

They were all familiar with that idea. Pulsing clouds of black smoke—gateways to another version of Earth—had been commonplace thousands of years ago. What if one truly gigantic cloud loomed on the horizon, invisible at night, and ships continually ran afoul of it? Everyone knew these portals to Old Earth didn’t always line up correctly in a geographical sense. If the surface of the sea were significantly lower when crossing from one world to the other, it would explain the feeling of falling off the edge of the world.

But there were no portals out to sea anymore.

That’s an old story, Miss Simone said. No, we’re talking about something else. Ships are still disappearing, and we need to get to the bottom of it.

She’d gone on to explain in more depth, saying that two of her shapeshifter friends had set out to find the elusive, legendary edge of the world a while back. Charlie the griffin and Orson the pegasus had flown off together one day and returned a week later with absolutely no luck whatsoever. In fact, they’d run into trouble because there had been nowhere to land; splashing about in the sea to rest had been their only option.

Recently, we found four dead sailors in a lifeboat drifting in the middle of the ocean, she’d explained to the younger generation of shapeshifters the day before setting off from Brodon. They were towing a giant eyeball.

This startling news had everyone gaping with confusion. Unfortunately, Miss Simone had no definitive explanation.

We understand their ship was drawn off course and attacked by a kraken early one morning. Maybe the eyeball belongs to it? Anyway, after the attack, four crewmen lowered a lifeboat to survey the damage to the hull—but then the ship entered a fog bank, and a precipice loomed ahead. The ship was too badly damaged to turn around, and it fell over the horizon. Only the four in the lifeboat survived, who were able to row clear, but their outlook was bleak. They kept a makeshift journal, where they spoke of the northern lights—which couldn’t be right because we found the lifeboat close to their originally plotted route in the south. Those men eventually died, stranded at sea with no food or water.

That’s horrible! everyone chorused.

But, Lauren said, "a giant eyeball?"

It was an awful and unlikely story. Still, though the edge of the world just wasn’t feasible, there had to be some truth behind it. That was what Hal looked forward to discovering.

As for the turtle, he recalled nothing about it. Apparently Miss Simone had told that part of the tale after he and some of the others had wandered off.

According to the journal, there were two monsters as they approached the edge of the world, Robbie said, screwing up his face as he struggled to remember the exact words. "One was a giant turtle. The other . . ."

The kraken, Abigail said with a nod. I did hear that part. It attacked the ship and crippled it so they couldn’t steer. Everyone knows there’s a kraken at the edge of the world.

I didn’t know that, Thomas said.

Robbie muttered, Well, to be fair, you don’t know much about anything.

What happens if we see the kraken? Emily asked.

Everyone looked at her.

Darcy spoke from within her tangle of hair. When we see the kraken, we die.

Ah, well, Hal said, that might be true of others. But we’re shapeshifters. We can deal with a kraken, right?

He tried to say it lightly, but he couldn’t mask the slight tremor in his voice.

Emily sighed. I think I prefer the turtle.

Everyone agreed until Thomas suggested it might be a snapping turtle.

Armed with the possibility that a sighting of a giant turtle might mean they were close to the edge of the world, their mood lightened considerably—if only because their imminent horrible death would be more interesting than more days at sea. Two weeks wasn’t all that long, according to the goblins—some ships sailed for months!—but it was more than enough for nine thirteen-year-old shapeshifters. Luckily, for a strange and unknown reason, the edge of the world was reportedly nearer than one might expect.

"It’s obviously not really the edge of the world, Thomas had said throughout the journey. It’s just some bank of fog. Everyone goes on about a storm, so the waves must be really big, making sailors think there’s a huge cliff where the sea runs over the edge."

Nobody argued with him. His suggestion was far more plausible than the idea that the sea just . . . poured into an abyss on the horizon? Where did all the water go? How come the entire world’s oceans didn’t drain away to nothing?

I still think, Darcy mumbled into her bucket, that these ‘edge of the world’ stories are because of a giant hole stretching across the horizon. Obviously a new one.

We’ll know soon enough, Hal said. And I’ll tell you something else, Darcy.

What?

We’re not sailing home. We’re flying. I can take everyone on my back.

Great. You realize I’m scared of heights, right?

Hal ignored her. The goblins can sail their ship, but I’m not sticking around once we’ve proved the edge of the world is just another portal somewhere, like it was a long time ago.

Abigail had a faint smile on her lips. I kind of hope it’s not.

He blinked at her. Not what? Not a portal?

"I hope it’s not as simple as that. I like the idea of something more, you know? I mean, I hate that sailors have died over the centuries and all . . . but just imagine!"

I have. But if it’s not a portal, then it can’t be true.

Well, there was a time when we all thought transforming into mythical creatures couldn’t be true, remember? But here we are—nine shapeshifters. On a ship. Trying to find the end of the Earth.

The day passed exactly like any other, with goblins toiling and bored