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

work for a man named Rockne.... ”
    My eyes grew wide. “ Really? ”
    He nodded, still staring at
me. “ He said he
met a guy in Dallas named Rockne who offered him a job. A week later, he was
found dead near that rail you take to work everyday. ”
    The pins were reset but
Estevan didn ’ t
take his turn.
    “ What do you mean he was
found near there? ” I asked.
    “ He was found on a bench,
dead. ”
    Found on a bench? I ’ d been told he died on the
way to Dargo, I assumed on the rail itself. Did someone bring him back and
leave him on that bench? I couldn ’ t imagine Rockne or Ernie doing that to him. That was just
wrong.
    “ Do you work for the same
company my grandpa did? ” Estevan finally asked.
    He is my best friend, and I
couldn ’ t
imagine lying to him about something this important. If I told him the truth,
however, he would bring hellfire on Dargo. He would contact the police, and
they would make me take them to that island.
    “ No. I don ’ t work for the same company.
I haven ’ t met
anyone named Rockne. I think it ’ s just a coincidence. ”
    Estevan studied me for a
moment before taking his turn. He rolled the ball so hard the pins fell with a
thunderous clap.
    Later that night, I tried to
sleep but of course dreamed about Nalke. This time, I was standing in the
middle of the Village on Dargo. The sky was red and menacing, and the ocean ’ s waves towered over me.
They surrounded me, just waiting to crash down and wash this neighborhood away.
    The setting of the meeting
wasn ’ t the only
thing that was different: Estevan appeared in front of me. At least, I thought
it was him. Then he spoke:
    “ Your friend isn ’ t happy with you, ” he said in Nalke ’ s voice.
    “ How do you know about that? ”
    He laughed. “ I ’ ve seen a great many things
lately, thanks to you. I now know where Dargo is. ”
    “ I know; you killed an
innocent man in order to do that. ” I was angry.
    “ Rockne killed that man, not
me. ”
    “ It doesn ’ t matter. He told me you
would forget where the island is because you ’ re still weak. ”
    Nalke shook his head slowly. “ That ’ s what he thinks, but he
doesn ’ t know me
as well as he likes to claim. ”
    “ I know what you want, ” I said. “ You need your daughter to
regenerate the power you lost fighting Rockne years ago. ”
    Nalke did something I didn ’ t expect: He said, “ What? ”
    “ Rockne told me everything. ”
    He looked even more confused
than he did a moment ago. “ And
how could my daughter possibly help me regain my strength? ”
    “ I don ’ t know how you guys work, ” I said. “ Magic or something. ”
    “ Do you always blindly
believe everything someone tells you? ”
    “ I don ’ t believe anything you tell
me. Does that answer your question? ”
    Nalke chuckled. “ That ’ s a start, but I ’ m not the villain in this
story. ”
    I shook my head. “ Why do you want Astrid? ”
    “ Because she ’ s my daughter and was stolen
from me by Rockne and that witch Shae. ”
    “ You tried to kill Shae. ”
    “ She tried to kill me! ” he yelled.
    “ And you hurled a curse at
her while she was pregnant with your daughter! ” I yelled back.
    Nalke looked sad now, the
anger draining from him quickly. “ That was a mistake, ” he said quietly.
    I didn ’ t know what to do with this
information. The more I heard, the more I questioned everything I thought I
knew about everyone I ’ d
met recently. In a moment of vulnerability, I told Nalke this and hoped it wasn ’ t a mistake.
    He spread his hands. “ That ’ s the way life works, my
friend. You ’ ll
have to trust your instincts. When you finally make a decision, I hope you will
help me set things right. I ’ ve
tried, but Rockne is a formidable foe. I can ’ t get on the island with his spells in force. ”
    “ Is Astrid being held against
her will on that island? ” I asked.
    “ If she ’ s with Rockne and Shae, then
yes. ”
    “ I ’