King was sitting in a corner of the airship, playing with some balls no bigger than his hand. After dropping them for the umpteenth time, he let out a tired sigh and leaned against the wall.
They had been traveling for three days by now, and the sun had already set outside. Ghost had continued to lead them, but every time around two or three in the morning he said he felt Amity moving, and such moving was very rapid. Whatever place they were in, it never stood still in one place. They could only speculate as to what was capable of moving so quickly. Fortunately, having brought Hooty with them had turned out to be a winning move: the owl had in fact stretched his neck outside the airship and started spinning like a tractor, giving them much more thrust than normal propellers could give him and allowing him to keep up.
As time passed, everyone tried to pass the time as best they could. Even so, however, the tension was palpable. King himself, as much as he tried to remain lucid, felt a lot of fear in his heart. Who knows if Luz was fine...
"We are coming" Alador's voice shook them all, and they immediately gathered near the command bridge.
From the windows of the airship they could see an increasingly closer island, visible even despite the darkness of the night. "So they were really on an island..." King muttered. "But how can they move?"
"I don't know. At first glance, this place doesn't seem any different from any other island" Katya commented, then she pointed to a corner of it: "Look, there are lights over there!"
Alador took a spyglass and checked. "It really looks like an amusement park... and I think I see people there... it's probably the kids" he commented. "What do we do? Do we go there and land in the middle of the park?"
King rubbed his chin. He had a very bad feeling, and he felt that putting on a show was a bad idea. "No. Let's draw over there, into that uninhabited space" he said, pointing to a fairly hidden area.
Incredibly, no one objected to his command; indeed, Alador immediately pointed the airship in that direction as if it were an order. King couldn't hide that he was a little flattered by that behavior, since everyone now seemed to truly consider him the leader; which was a source of pride for him, even if he was now in favor of more equal relations. Once they landed, they waited for a moment to see if something would happen, but since no one seemed to have noticed their presence they decided to take advantage of it.
"You adults would be noticed right away" King said. "So I'll go. The kids seem fine, so I can find Luz and the others and bring them here..."
"I'm coming with yo," Alador told him.
King sighed. "It is not needed..."
"Yes it is. My children are there too" Alador told him, and he put on a strange jacket that reflected the rest of the environment. "Don't worry, I designed this on purpose to go unnoticed. We just need to be a little cautious so as not to be noticed"
King wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but he nodded anyway. "Okay. Everyone else stay here. At the slightest sign of danger, leave with the airship"
"I can come with you" Hooty said, and Ghost meowed too.
But King shook his head. "Hooty, you are essential to moving the airship quickly, so you must stay here. And you, Ghost, are the only link we have to Amity, and we still don't know how she manages to move every night; if by chance again the place where they are located changes, you will serve here to be able to track us down again"
His companions didn't seem to like those orders very much, but no one could deny that they were logical; so they did as he told them. Alador and King headed towards the amusement park and trying not to be noticed they sneaked into it. They were greeted with joyful laughter from the kids, who actually seemed to be having a blast. The place really looked like a simple amusement park... but King couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong there. Quickly, he and Alador went to find Luz and Amity.
"Guys, I'm not sure. Do you think we can?" Luz murmured looking at the glass of beer in her hands.
"Of course yes!" Edric told them, and Emira nodded. "There's no rule that forbids you from drinking. And then, people normally start at your age. Emira and I have already tried it for a couple of years"
"For once I agree with the tall green-haired guy" Boscha said as she filled her glass to the brim. "Come on, we're fourteen now! I've always wanted to try this stuff"
Luz was still a little dubious, though not much. She and her friends had found a bar of sorts while loitering between rides, and there Edric and Emira seemed to have become determined to let them try the beer. Luz didn't think it was too bad, after all they were actually old enough to do it or in any case they weren't too far away from that, but in any case she would have preferred there to be a sign highlighting the minimum age for which drinking was permitted. But since there was and was no adult there to supervise, he had to admit that everyone should be able to use it according to the park regulations. "Well... cheers then!" she said, raising her glass.
"Cheers!" all her friends said, and drank from their glass. The result was that almost everyone hiccuped and spluttered, making Edric and Emira burst out laughing, who had obviously refrained from telling them that they had to drink in small sips since it was their first time. The only exception was Boscha, who drank it all without hesitation. "Ah! You really have weak livers, guys!" she teased them, but from her tone of voice it was quite clear that she too was not immune to the effects of the beer and that she had finished it all in one go just out of pride.
Luz giggled a little, then she tried drinking again but in very small sips. The sweet taste was much more pleasant this time, and after a while she was able to drink it more quickly. "Mh. It's not that bad"
"Yeah. I like it" Amity said, who had followed her example and drank it slowly. "It's tasty"
"We told you so" Edric said without holding back his laughter at the scene he had just witnessed. "Where are Gus and Matt, by the way? They're missing out on a great experience"
"They went to buy cotton candy and then I never saw them again" Luz replied. "They probably found another ride and stopped there"
"Ah ah! Well, then as soon as we find them again we'll let them try too" Edric said winking at Emira. Both were already looking forward to more laughter.
But just then the door flew open and whatever the kids were doing was immediately interrupted as a small being rushed in and grabbed onto the puppet's legs. "LUZ!"
The puppet's eyes widened. "King!?"
"Luz! Thank goodness you're okay!" the young Titan said with tears in his eyes as he hugged her, but then he immediately became angry: "Can I know what was in your mind!? I was scared to death! I thought something had happened to you!"
Luz bit her lip. King seemed to have truly cared about her, and she couldn't help but feel guilty. "I'm sorry..."
"Ah, you are sorry! You were here having fun and it never occurred to you what I was feeling about not seeing you come back!?" the young Titan bellowed, clearly furious.
Luz lowered her head as if she were a child in punishment. Amity on the other hand couldn't hold back her curiosity: "Sorry, but how did you get here? I doubt you swam..."
"He came with me" Alador said, entering as well. Judging by his labored breathing, he must have been running after King to keep up with him. "We used the airship"
Amity's eyes widened when she saw him, and Edric and Emira couldn't hold back an exclamation of surprise: "Dad!?"
Alador nodded. "I figured this would be the reaction... well, guys, whatever discussion you want to have, we'll have it on board the airship. Now come on, we need to get out of here..."
"Leave? There's absolutely no question of that!" Edric protested.
"Yeah! Dad, I don't know if you remember, but we left home! You can't order us around, and we want to stay here! We're having fun!" Emira said in a rather sour voice. Their friends stepped aside since this was, technically speaking, a family discussion.
Alador sighed. "I understand that you like this place, but trust me, we have to leave immediately. There is something strange on this island..."
"What are you saying? There's nothing strange" Edric told him. "We've been here for five days and nothing has happened..."
"There is something wrong though! Ghost says this place moves all the time!" King exclaimed.
But his words were not received without skepticism. "Um… King, sorry if I ask… but how do you know since the only one who can understand Ghost is Amity?" Luz asked him.
The young Titan narrowed his eyes a little at that lack of confidence, but still he replied calmly: "Hooty told me. He understands the Palismen language"
"Are you sure he didn't make that up just to spend time with you?" Luz said to him. "King, I don't want to doubt you, but what you're saying sounds strange to me! I mean... we would have noticed if the island had moved! I doubt it's something that can happen silently!"
"Yeah! At the very least there would have been an earthquake" Emira said, also very skeptical.
King let out a snort through his nostrils. "And the fact that it took us three days to reach you is normal for you!?"
"How do you know you didn't go the wrong way?" Edric answered him. "Knowing Hooty, if you relied on him to translate Ghost's directions, chances are he had you going around in circles"
King began stomping his foot angrily. Seeing him like this, Luz tried to mediate: "King, it's not that we don't believe you. It's just that... I think you're exaggerating the situation a little. This park is just a place where you can have fun, nothing more..."
"Guys, it's not that easy to figure out what something really is!" Alador tried to tell them. "Sometimes the most innocuous things turn out to have very dark secrets..."
"And I assume you're an expert on it, right?" Emira told him raising an eyebrow. An absolutely unveiled dig.
Alador fell silent, understanding full well what his eldest daughter meant. "Look... we'll talk about this later, okay? We're leaving now! Edric, Emira, Amity, go to the..."
"Excuse me" Amity, who had remained silent until then, stared at him with eyes so piercing they froze him in place. "Exactly when have I been on your list?"
Alador took a breath. "Amity... listen, I know you're mad..."
"I'm not mad" Amity stopped him immediately. "I'm just annoyed because all of a sudden you show up here and expect me to obey your orders! Am I wrong or did I tell you flat out that you were dead to me?"
Alador was tempted to take a step back, but he stopped himself. "Amity, you can be as angry with me as you want, you have every right to be. But right now I'm just trying to protect you..."
"Protect me? Seriously? Do you mean just like you protected me for fourteen years while a witch manipulated me like I was her toy!?" Amity snapped. Her eyes seemed to have turned into flames. "I don't care about your protection. If there's any trouble, I'll take care of it. I'm the most powerful witch in the world, in case you've forgotten. You can leave!"
"Enough! This is no time to waste time on family arguments!" King screamed. "Guys, we have to leave! I'm telling you, something is wrong here! I can feel it, this island is dangerous!"
"Dude, with all due respect, you seem a little paranoid" Edric commented.
King trembled slightly. Even though he was very mature, he was still a child and being treated like that was making him want to cry. "You trust me, right, Luz?" he asked, looking at the puppet.
Luz tried not to meet his gaze. "King... it's not that I don't trust you... it's that I think you misunderstood the situation a little. It was my fault for not coming home and scaring you, and I apologize for that... but I seriously doubt that there is anything dangerous here when nothing has happened to us for five days, or that this island is moving even though none of us have ever noticed. You're right to be worried and angry at me, but..."
"So you don't think I'm right!" King exclaimed angrily, stomping his foot on the ground. "I came all this way to get you out of trouble, and you'd rather stay here and have fun instead of listening to me!?"
"King, I didn't say that...!" Luz tried to tell him.
But the young Titan didn't listen to her. "All right!" he shouted furiously. "Do as you wish, then! I'm leaving! Have as much fun as you like!"
"King, wait! That's not what I meant!" Luz tried to call him back, but he didn't pay any attention to her and left, slamming the door.
Alador looked at the scene with a lot of concern, and then he tried once again to speak to his children: "Guys..."
"You can go too" Emira told him acidly.
"Yeah. Sorry, dad, but I think you'd better leave right now" Edric added, noticing very clearly how his youngest sister's hair was starting to stir.
Alador looked down. "But..."
"Didn't you hear them!? They told you to leave!" Amity roared, and her magic exploded around her; her eyes lit up and her hair began to twirl in the air. "I was having a nice day, and you had to show up and ruin it! I'm telling you for the last time: you no longer have any rights over me! I don't care if what you do is right or wrong, you can't expect that I listen to you under no circumstances! Get out of here and leave me alone!"
The last word reverberated with the clap of thunder, and many of the glass bottles cracked; Luz realized the danger and grabbed her girlfriend by the shoulders: "Amity, stop! Calm down!"
Amity let out a hiss from her mouth, not taking her eyes off her father; Alador gulped at that murderous look, and after a final moment of hesitation he went out and followed King. At that point she turned and went to sit in a corner of the bar without looking back, and the air around her seemed to continue to tremble slightly.
Luz bit her lip. "Guys… can you leave us alone for a while?" she asked her friends. "I need to talk to her"
Her friends nodded. "Are you sure you don't need our help?" Emira asked her, with Edric's assent.
"Yes" Luz confirmed. "Seriously... I want to spend some time with her"
"Okay. If you need a hand, you can find us at the house of mirrors across the street" Boscha told her, and then she almost dragged everyone out of the bar and closed the door to give them as much privacy as possible. Luz waited until they were alone, and then she went to sit next to Amity.
King didn't stop walking until he got back to the airship; only once inside did he allow himself to let out a cry of frustration. The others clearly found the behavior strange, but fortunately Alador arrived shortly after to explain the situation.
King almost didn't listen to what they were saying; he was too angry... and hurt. How could Luz not believe him, think he was exaggerating? He had come here to take her home, damn it! Was an amusement park really more important to her than him?
He clenched his fists. Maybe he should have insisted... maybe he should have grabbed her and forced her to leave there. Maybe she would have been angry, but at least she would have been safe. That island... something was strange, King was sure of it. His instincts were giving him very bad feelings.
"What do we do now?" Hooty asked at one point.
King let out a loud snort. "I want to see clearly," he said. "Let's take a tour of the whole island. Let's check it out from all angles. I want to understand why I keep feeling like everything is going to blow up at any moment. And I also want to know how this place moves at will!"
His companions agreed, so Alador restarted the airship and they began to circumnavigate the island. They watched her for a while, and then Katya asked: "Don't you think it's strange?"
"What?" Derwin asked her. "I see anything"
"Exactly: there is anything" Katya pointed out. "No trees, no flowers, not even grass. No seagulls, no cormorants, not some crustaceans on the rocks. It's as if life had repudiated this place"
King narrowed his eyes. Yep, it was way too weird. Even on the barest island in the world there should have been at least a few blades of grass. Even next to volcanoes plants grew. Why was there nothing there? "Go towards that mountain over there" he told Alador, pointing to a strangely shaped, broken peak on one side of the island. "Given how far it is from the park, it would be the perfect place to hide something"
Alador nodded and headed towards the mountain. It again showed no anomalies, except for the rather bizarre shape and the absence of vegetation...
At least until the airship descended to its base, just above sea level.
Amber was watching from one of the windows when she suddenly let out a scream and fell to the floor, shaking like a leaf. "What happens?" King exclaimed, and immediately he ran up followed by the others. "What did you see… AAAAAAAGH!"
Something absurd had appeared on one side of the mountain: what looked like a huge eyeball emitting evil light, similar to that of a broken star, its pupil pointing downwards as if it were observing something. "IS THAT... AN EYE!?" Katya screamed, turning paler than a corpse.
"N-No! That's absurd!" Alador stammered. "It must be... a volcano! Yes, a bizarrely shaped sulfur volcano...!"
But any logical explanation was nullified as the pupil moved and pointed towards the airship, and the eyelids closed slightly showing that it had noticed them. All the occupants of the airship screamed in terror at the sight. "The island... is alive!?" Derwin shouted.
"That's not an island!" King corrected him. "Let's move away, now!"
But by then it was too late: a piece of the mountain broke away and shook, revealing itself to be a titanic-sized tentacle that wrapped itself around the airship; Hooty tried to move like a propeller as fast as he could to make them escape, but the tentacle grabbed them anyway and very slowly began to crush the entire airship. However, it didn't tear it to pieces, but rather dragged it away towards sea level and hurled it beneath the mountain, which rose slightly revealing a mouth full of teeth. King, terrified, threw himself against one of the windows, breaking it and shouted to the others to do the same, but of all of them only Ghost listened to him; the two of them fell into the sea and resurfaced just in time to see the airship disappear into the monster's jaws.
King and Ghost quickly swam to the shores of the island, and when they emerged they couldn't help but look around in fear, knowing that what they were on was actually a giant monster. The young Titan couldn't remember ever being more scared, but even so he managed to think and remembered how all the rides at the amusement park seemed to emerge from the ground and were made in spirals... "Those... those weren't buildings... those were tentacles! But then... LUZ!" he shouted, and immediately he ran as fast as he could towards the amusement park, followed by Ghost.
This chapter is largely inspired by the scene from the Disney film in which Jiminy Cricket goes to save Pinocchio in Toyland and tries to convince him to leave, but since he prefers to stay there with Lampwrick he goes away angry, only to discover that the Toyland hides something very sinister and go back to warn Pinocchio