Free Tales from Dargo Island: The Complete Trilogy by Jerry Hart Page A

feeling
when I ’ m around
him. My mother did too before she died. ”
    “ I ’ m sorry to hear that, ” I said, because I didn ’ t know what to say. I ’ ve heard most people who ’ ve lost someone don ’ t like to hear “ I ’ m sorry. ”
    “ Thanks, ” Aneela said. She sounded
genuine. “ My
suspicions got stronger after she died. ”
    “ Why? ”
    “ Because I think Rockne
killed her. ”
    I had to take a moment to
process this. “ What
makes you think that? ”
    “ She was investigating him. She
didn ’ t trust
him or that Village. She didn ’ t
like the fact he ’ d
brought trouble with him and locked it away on some part of her island. ”
    “ Do you know why he created
the Village? ” I
asked. I wasn ’ t
sure I would tell her if she didn ’ t.
    “ Yes. He ’ s hiding from some demon
named Nalke. ”
    “ There you go, then. Why
would a demon hide from another demon. ”
    “ I didn ’ t call Rockne a demon, I
called him a devil. ”
    “ What ’ s the difference? ”
    “ I think of demons as some
mindless drones, whereas devils are cunning. ”
    “ Okay.... ”
    “ Don ’ t patronize me, ” she said, suddenly angry. “ You haven ’ t known him as long as we
have. He ’ s up
to something. I think he wants to replace my father as ruler of Dargo. ”
    “ You have nothing to base
that on but your feelings. ”
    She shook her head,
fool-suffering again. “ Do
you ever ask yourself why he would hire humans to guard an entire village full
of creatures like himself? ”
    “ A few times, yes. ”
    “ If the entire island decided
to rebel and storm the place, do you think you could stop them? ”
    “ No. ”
    “ Then why are you here? Think
about that. ”
    She turned to leave, but I
stopped her. “ Do
you know why I was hired? ”
    “ No, but I doubt it ’ s to do the job you think. ”
    Suddenly, a flock of birds
flew at her and she lost her footing and slipped over the edge of the cliff. I caught
her hand just before she could fall to her death. When I pulled her up, I
noticed my nose was bleeding again.
    She wiped the blood away.
“Did I hit you?” she asked, breathless.
    “No. My nose bleeds when I’m
really scared. I think it’s the reason my mom always babied me when I lived
with her.”
    “I hope you don’t get scared
often. Otherwise, you’ll die from blood loss.” She walked back toward the
palace, grinning.

Chapter
17: Estevan Learns Stuff
     
     
    I hung out with Estevan on
my last day off. We went bowling at the alley down the street from our houses,
which was a pretty beat-down place in a bad part of town. He and I were just
too lazy to go to the better alleys.
    “ How long have you been at
your new job? ” he asked me as he went up to the lane to bowl his turn.
    “ Almost a month. ”
    “ And you like it? ”
    “ It ’ s...interesting. ”
    “ Why are you grinning? ” he asked.
    I didn ’ t realize I was grinning
until he asked. “ I ’ ve met crazy people. It ’ s the most interesting job I ’ ve ever had. ”
    “ Oh. ” He bowled, getting a strike
(his third in a row — a
turkey). “ Are
they hiring? I ’ m
thinking about quitting my job. ”
    “ Why? ” I asked. I couldn ’ t imagine him working with
me on Dargo. Especially after what happened to his grandpa.
    “ I hate my job. Working at
Magic Burger isn ’ t
exactly a dream job. ”
    I got up to bowl my turn. I
was nervous, but figured out a way to change the subject. I knocked down seven
pins. “ I took
the last available shift. ” I grabbed another ball from the rack instead of waiting for the one I bowled
with.
    “ What company do you work
for? ”
    I nearly dropped the ball on
my foot. “ Rockne
Security Services. ” It was the first thing that came to mind. Even though I got my first paycheck
last week, I didn ’ t
work for an official company.
    I knocked down the remaining
three pins and turned around. Estevan was staring at me.
    “ My grandpa said he was going
to