See part one for explanation and disclaimers. I don't own 'Dinotopia', James Gurney does. Hallmark still owns the characters and I'm still not profiting from this. Hope you're enjoying this. Still recommended for teens and up for action/violence and mild language.

There was another flutter of wings, but much smaller and lighter wings this time. Alano looked up and saw a very tired-looking messenger parrot bobbing through the trees. The bird spied the human and landed with great relief at Alano's feet. "Finally! Message for Gabriel Dane."

Alano was suspicious at once. "I'm Gabriel Dane."

"Are you sure? I was told to look for a man who was tall, blonde-haired, and skinny," the bird emphasized the last bit.

Alano picked up the bird by its neck. "Listen up, little birdie, you give me my message or---well, my off-worlder friend tells me that birds taste real nice if they're plucked and cooked over a fire…and I've got me a fire right over there."

"Well, I never!" The bird tried to regain its composure in the face of such barbarism. "Ahem. Message from Payden Boreal: Have taken captive and sent message. Barrett won't be making the trip with you, as requested. Wish you a safe journey. May we succeed in our mutual endeavors this night. End of Message. If you have a reply, it will have to wait until morning. I'm off-duty." Alano released the bird. The parrot took off to roost in the safety of the tree-tops.

The outsider cursed every foul word he knew, and then invented a few new ones. "I knew it! Didn't I warn him? Bloody hell! All right, think man…"

Still concealed by rocks and brush, Alano managed to get Le Sage's attention without alerting Gabriel, who had his back to the undergrowth and the husky outsider. Le Sage didn't react with anything but the slightest arch of her eyebrow, but she watched the careful set of hand signals Alano made (something David felt it was important to teach the pack for---well, for just this sort of occasion---from the off-worlder sport called 'baseball'). She scratched the brim of her nose in answer. Alano waited behind the rocks while she said something that caused Dane to nod. She rose from the campfire and made her way, unhurried, to join Alano. He filled her in on the bird's message.

As it turned out, she knew a few curses that he didn't. When he finished, she pursed her lips and was silent for a long while. Her thoughts were obvious in the way she looked from Alano and Freefall to the submarine and the rising water of the cove. As the silence dragged on, he grew more and more certain she was going to say "So?" or something like that, and go on her way. She had the sunstone medallion---and why in God's name David had trusted her with it, Alano couldn't fathom---and she had the submarine. It wasn't like she was above walking over David to get off the island. Alano didn't even know if it was possible to get to David before Payden now, but he intended to try with or without her help.

"How long before the tide comes in?" she asked.

It was so out of the blue that the question took a second to sink in. "The tide? What---the boat can wait until---"

"How long?"

Alano heaved a major sigh. "Another hour, I'd guess."

"Not enough time." She'd reached the same conclusion he had. He braced himself to refuse her orders to abandon their friend. "I guess we're leaving tomorrow instead."

Alano gaped. "What?"

"I said: Go get David," she clarified. It was a simple decision, and she was sure she'd regret it. But, she'd made her deal with David before the two of them had made their agreement with Gabriel Dane. Even if their agreement didn't take precedence, Le Sage would much rather be stuck on the sub with Barrett than with Dane. And even if all that weren't a factor in her decision, David was under her protection, one of her pack by virtue of his deal with Le Sage. Double-crossing him was double-crossing her. Whether she was to be on the island one more hour or the rest of her life, she would have the respect befitting her station. Murdering one of her pack or someone under the protection of her pack wasn't respectful at all, and, as a pack leader, she simply couldn't allow such treachery to go unanswered.

"But, it's getting dark. I'll never be able to reach Waterfall City before Payden gets to--."

Le Sage nodded to the albino pterosaur. "You can if you fly. If you don't mind the smell."

Flying through carnosaur territory with night approaching? That sounded like suicide. But she was right, it was that fastest way. Besides which, Alano had no idea where Payden had taken David, but Freefall always seemed to be able to find Barrett no matter where he was. Must be that empathic 'of the Sky' connection David had with the pterosaur.

Alano asked Freefall, "You up for it, beastie?" The pterosaur bobbed its head. "I guess that's a 'yes'. The carnies…"

She yanked the pendant from her neck. "This should discourage them…" The sunstone flared bright as a star against the fading afternoon light. She pressed it into Alano's hand. "And don't even think of double-crossing me, or you and Barrett are both going to be hanging for T-Rex bait in front of my castle."

This Alano believed. "What about Dane?"

"I think he and I need to have another chat." There was something in her eyes that made Alano wonder if he wasn't going to be safer tangling with the carnies than Dane was going to be answering to Doris Le Sage.