Free Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson

under and into Ombra’s dark cloak. Fighting Prawn emitted a low moan. His eyes went dead; his posture slumped; his head drooped to the side. The warriors looked apprehensively at their chief, but they were looking at his face, and thus did not see what Slank and Peter saw: Fighting Prawn was no longer casting a shadow.
    A few seconds passed, and the dark shape flowed back out from under Ombra’s cloak and reconnected with Fighting Prawn. Ombra glided back a few feet. Fighting Prawn, once again casting a shadow, jerked his head upright and staggered sideways a step, a puzzled expression on his face.
    “He is tel ing the truth,” Ombra announced. “The box is not on the island.”
    “Then where is it?” asked Nerezza.
    “Aster wil take it back to England,” said Ombra. “He wil take it to the Return.”
    “Then we’ve lost it,” said Nerezza. “If he’s taken it to the Return, we’ve lost it.”
    “What do you mean?” said Slank. “What are you talking about?”
    Ombra, ignoring Slank, spoke to Nerezza. “No,” he said. “We have not lost it, not yet.”
    “But he’s had three months’ head start,” said Nerezza. “He’s wel back to England by now.”
    “Yes,” said Ombra. “But as we understand it, the Return can happen only at certain times—and those times seem to be rare. Aster wil likely have to wait for the next opportunity. We must get the starstuff before that happens. We must sail for England at once.”
    “But how wil we find the starstuff?” said Nerezza. “Aster wil have it hidden, and he won’t tel us where it is. He would die first.”
    “Perhaps,” groaned Ombra. He looked between Shining Pearl and Fighting Prawn. “But fathers have a special place in their hearts for their daughters.” In the tree, Peter flinched at those words, thinking about Aster’s daughter, Mol y, the brave girl who had once saved his life.
    Nerezza smiled and said, “Ah, yes…the daughter.”
    Slank grinned as wel , though his face was grimmer. He had reasons of his own for wanting to see Aster’s daughter again. She had caused him great torment and embarrassment the last time they’d met, here on this island—she and that cursed boy.
    Fighting Prawn, now ful y recovered, fol owed the conversation careful y, his eyes moving back and forth from Nerezza’s face to the dark hole surrounded by Ombra’s hood.
    “Then you wil leave the island,” Fighting Prawn said. It was a statement, not a question.
    “Yes,” answered Ombra. “We wil leave. But you wil understand that we must keep your daughter with us until we reach the beach. Once we are safely in the boats, we wil release her. You have my word.”
    “And you have my word that if any harm comes to my daughter, none of you wil ever reach your ship,” said Fighting Prawn. “Not a single man.” He stared at Ombra, then added softly, “or whatever you are.”
    “Then we have an understanding,” said Ombra. To Nerezza, he said, “I wil lead the way back to the ship. Your men wil form an escort around Slank. Slank, do not harm the girl, but do not release her, either.”
    And so they formed a procession—Ombra in front, gliding out of the compound, fol owed by Nerezza and his men in a loose formation around Slank and Shining Pearl, fol owed by Fighting Prawn and his warriors.
    They came to the first pair of Mol usk sentries, stil standing statuelike. As Ombra passed by, they suddenly went limp and fel . Then they sat up slowly, clearly disoriented but no longer in a trance. A few minutes later the same thing happened to the second pair of sentries, and then the third.

    The uncomfortable procession continued down the path to the beach, where the dory and longboat waited.
    Under the watchful eyes of the Mol usks, Nerezza and his men slid the boats into the shal ow surf as Ombra and Slank stood by, Slank stil restraining Shining Pearl.
    “Have your pistols ready,” Nerezza ordered. His eyes met Fighting Prawn’s. “If you come after