Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight

Chapter 11

The trip to the dock was a quiet one. Everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts. Danny was no different.

Until this point, Danny had been sure he knew what was to come. Now his confidence wavered. The Shadows were immensely strong. He was a mere teenager. What could he really do in a one-on-one battle? Right now, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against one. Danny turned to Sabrina, who sat in the middle between Danny and Chris.

Sabrina was focused forward, looking ahead with a confident air. For an instant, Danny thought she might return his gaze, yet she never did. He wondered how she could remain so calm and confident. Then again, she had shown the same poise in her struggle with the Shadow.

Sabrina Drake was a mystery to Danny, one that he desperately wanted to figure out.

"We are almost there," said Mick.

Danny peered beyond the window of the truck. "Where is it?"

"There," said Mick, pointing down the distant two-lane road and across an arching bridge.

Danny followed the line of Mick's finger to a large, oval-shaped island, noting a collection of cruise liners docked on the left-hand side. The sheer size of the ships rivaled some of the towering buildings of downtown Miami. Halfway atop the bridge that stretched over the ocean beneath him, Danny was presented with a sweeping view of Dodge Island.

"Which one is our ship?" he asked.

"The Radiance," said Mick, "the third one on the left."

Danny glanced at the ship. He noted that the third ship in line was a massive twelve-deck cruise liner.

"We're going on a cruise ship?" Alonso asked with wide-eyed excitement.

"No," said Mick, with a slight chuckle. Tyramear joined him in the merriment. "Look just beyond the bow of the second ship, and you will see her."

Danny leaned forward and squinted as he searched. He saw what looked like the masts of a galleon, the kind of ship he'd read about in history class that had been used in the late sixteenth century. However, before Danny was certain of his observation, the bridge began its descent, cutting off his view of the mysterious ship.

"Did you see her?" Mick asked as he slowed for traffic.

"I think so," said Danny, still a little confused.

"Well, you will soon get a much better view," said Mick, turning the car to the left. "Take another look." He pointed straight ahead.

Danny gasped. Before him, floated a four-masted galleon, resembling something he might have seen in an old pirate movie. The hull of the ship, painted bright white, had the name Radiance on the bow, printed in bold black lettering. The bow, or front of the ship, had an elongated beak with a level perch. The aft, or back, was shaped in a square tuck stern.

"That's the ship that's going to take us across the ocean, into the Bermuda Triangle, and to White Rock Island?" Alonso questioned in disbelief, putting words to everyone's thoughts.

"Indeed it is," said Mick matter-of-factly.

"Great," said Alonso, throwing his hands up for effect, "we're all gonna die!"

"She may be old, but she is just as sound as any other vessel you see around you, perhaps more so," put in Tyramear. "You will soon find out that the Radiance is truly one of a kind."

"That's what I'm afraid of," added Alonso.

Mick pulled into a parking place and switched the ignition off. He swiveled in his seat. "Go or stay—it's still your decision," he said, directing his comment toward everyone.