They fought hard, Swaine hitting it repeatedly with his Rotshot, poisoning the dragon. As they fought, Kublai spoke to Abyssa, gesturing to the pirate who had her wrists to let her go and leave.
"I never thought I would see ye again, Byssy." He told her. "Ye were fifteen when I last saw ye, having met ye a year prior. And ye told me that ye never wanted to see me again. What changed?" She stood tall, looking away from him.
"Nothing. Oliver just needed your help to find Mornstar, seeing as you stole the map from… Marcassin." Saying his name was like saying her own name. Hard. Kublai raised his eyebrows.
"Really? Because, ever since I saw ye all them years ago, I've never stopped thinking about ye. And not in the way ye think about that princey fellow. In a way that I recognise ye, yet I can't place where I've seen ye." Abyssa felt herself stiffen up. She knew exactly where he last saw her.
"Well, when I first met you, I had never met you before I snuck onto the Iron Wyvern." Kublai gave her a look.
"Byssy, tell me. Who are ye? Cause, do ye want to know who ye look like?"
"Who?" he came over, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her around.
"Ye look like the Songstress." She felt the blood rush from her cheeks, but didn't change her expression.
"The Songstress? Dalia?" He shook his head.
"No. Her child. Harmony." She pulled away from him, turning away so that he couldn't see the lies forming in her head.
"The Songstress's daughter? I-impossible." Kublai came around and gave her that look again.
"Byssy, are you the Songstress's daughter?" she shuddered a little, but luckily the others came over and distracted Kublai and didn't see her. Abyssa quickly took her staff back from the pirate who had taken it, then went over to the huge dragon, who was groaning a little.
"Aw, you poor old girl." She cooed. Swaine raised his eyebrows.
"You're comforting that thing?" He asked. She nodded, whacking his leg.
"Yes, and she's not a thing. Old Red's a sweet old girl, she's just for this. She's not mean, just loyal." Swaine rolled his eyes, then he followed Oliver and Esther over Kublai. Kublai looked impressed.
"Well, now... There's not many face the old girl's breath and come away unsinged, lad." he was telling Oliver. "You're a plucky one, and no mistake, just like her..." he gestured to Abyssa, who was helping Red up a little, still petting her, trying to ignore him. If only she could tell him. If only!
Oliver, Esther, and Swaine glared at him.
"Wh-What!?" Swaine shouted. "Why would you set her on us if you knew she was that dangerous!?" Drippy nodded, glaring too.
"Yeah, mun! What are you dong calling in a massive great big dragon all of a sudden like that? I nearly flipping wet myself!" Abyssa rolled her eyes as the dragon flew away. Then she came over.
"Silence, dogs!" Kublai shouted at them. "I'll ask the questions here! The wand-where did you get it?"
"Wh-What does it matter to you? We won't let you have it!" Esther told him defiantly. "No matter what you do to us!" Abyssa sighed.
"He's not going to try and take it!" she told them. He nodded.
"It matters to me, girl, because the accursed thing's not supposed to exist! The Queen must hear of this..."
"What queen?" Swaine asked. Kublai shook his head.
"Never you mind! Now, follow me." he told them. "The map's aft in my cabin!" Then he walked towards the cabin. Abyssa started after him, but the turned to see the other's looking a little surprised.
"All right, grumpy guts..." Drippy grumbled.
"We're still the good guys, right?" Swaine asked wearily. "I only ask because the King of the Sky Pirates appears to like us..." Abyssa chuckled.
"Don't you worry, Kublai's a good man. He just has a habit of causing a bit of mischief. But he's really a good man." Esther pumped her arms.
"We did it, Oliver!" She said excitedly. "Let's go and look at the map!"
"What are you worms waiting for?" Kublai called. "Move your scurvy carcasses!"
"Give us a moment, you spineless wart face!" She shouted at him. Then they followed him into the cabin, where he showed them a map of the whole world with a single red X on it.
"This is what you came here for-the map of the stones." Kublai told them. Drippy hopped up on the table and looked at it intensely. "This here X marks..." Oliver looked at it a little more closely.
"...where the stones must be hidden..." He murmured.
"A remote island?" Swaine pondered. "Makes sense, I suppose."
"Well, it's not like they would have left it with Marcassin and the map." Abyssa told him. Esther pumped her arms.
"Well, what are we waiting for? We've got a ship-let's sail there and find them!" Abyssa held out a hand to her.
"It can't be that easy, Esther. That's far too easy." Kublai nodded at the girls.
"Aye, pipe down, girl. D'you think the boats of those seafaring simpletons could reach where even the mighty Iron Wyvern could not go?" Drippy shook his head.
"Eh? What the flip are you on about?" He asked.
"The Wyvern here is too large to land on Solitary Isle." Kublai told the fairy. "And the seas around that rotten little rock are riddled with reefs." Oliver looked disappointed.
"Jeepers... So we can't get to the stones?" Kublai shook his head.
"Don't start sniveling just yet, lad. There's a way there, all right." Abyssa crossed her arms.
"Old Red. She could fly us there." Kublai shook his head.
"The reason she can't fly is in her name! I speak of Tengri, winged dragon, and master of the skies. None flies faster or higher than the pride of my pack of wild wyrms!" Abyssa raised her eyebrows. Last time she'd heard about Tengri, he was just a baby dragon. Now he was all grown up? She was rather excited to see him now.
Drippy jumped up. "Crikey! There's impressive-sounding! Come on then, where is this Tengri?" Kublai looked discouraged at his words.
Well now, fairy, there's the rub. Tengri has been struck down with the dreaded lurgy, and flies no longer. Esther's eyes widened.
"Lurgy? You mean he's sick?" Kublai nodded to the blonde girl. Swaine shook his head.
"Gah, nothings ever easy, is it?" He muttered. Abyssa punched his shoulder, lightly.
"If everything were easy, life wouldn't be so interesting." She told him. Drippy nodded.
"That's right, mun! Don't speak too soon! We have the mighty wizard Oliver on ouer side, after all!" Kublai raised his eyebrows.
"Hm? You mean to heal him?" He asked.
"Well, we can't promise anything, but its worth a try, I reckon. Ollie-boy here's got a spell or two up his sleeve that might get youer dragon friend back on the wing!" Esther nodded.
"Yes! You must have something that will work, Oliver! Let's go and meet this dragon, shall we?" Oliver nodded to her, then turned back to Kublai.
"Sure! Where can we find Tengri, Captain Kublai?" He asked.
"No doubt the great lump will be cowering in a corner of the cave somewhere feeling sorry for himself." Kublai told Oliver. "See what you can do."
"Thanks! Come on, everyone-we have a dragon to save!" Esther told them.
"I hope we can help him!" Oliver said. Swaine sighed.
"You lot love nothing more than a charity case, do you?" He asked. Abyssa shrugged at him.
"Well, they took you on, didn't they?" They all laughed at Swaine, then went to find Tengri. As they left, Esther went over to Abyssa.
"What "queen" did he mean, Abyssa? You seem to know a bit." Abyssa shrugged.
"For once, I haven't a clue." She told Esther. "The only queen he must be thinking of would be..." She trailed off, looking at the ground. Esther looked at her, concerned.
"Who?" She asked. Abyssa shook her head, straightening up.
"Nobody. Come on, we have a dragon to save." She told her, knowing that he could only be thinking of the long lost Queen Khulan of Xanadu.
