Up ahead is the Crow’s Nest and the safety of land, but every thrust of Bad Dragon’s wings is taking us farther away from Crowky and the map, and there’s nothing we can do about it. If it’s too cold for Bad Dragon to fly to the End, then it will definitely be too cold for Pickle and Vlad.

I look back over my shoulder. The Raven has already vanished from sight. Crowky has gotten away. And where he’s going, we can’t follow.

Chapter 23

Bad Dragon crashes down in a field close to the On-Off Waterfall, sending the three of us tumbling into long grass. She starts growling and rolling around with happiness, her wings spread wide to soak up as much heat as possible. Eventually she settles down, her face tilted toward the sun, and we thaw out by resting against her roasting side.

“Are you sure she doesn’t mind?” I ask, pressing my cold, cut hands against her scales.

“It’s fine,” says Rose, flopping her head back, but after a few moments she sits up. “This feels all wrong. Crowky is getting away. We have to do something!” Since Crowky has gotten his hands on the map, something’s changed in Rose. Now she seems as determined as me to stop him from getting the Box.

“It’s too cold for the dragons to fly to the End,” I say, “but Crowky was fine in the Raven. We need a boat.”

Behind my back Bad Dragon’s side rises and falls. Suddenly Win says, “Arthur, you had three boats, remember?”

I sit up a little straighter. “You’re right,” I say, and I think back to a time, years ago, when Win and I mucked about on boats out on the Archie Playgo. “My pirate ships. What happened to them?”

“They were boring,” says Rose. “I sent them to the End.”

“I should have said they were for keeps,” I mutter. But Win’s words get me thinking. I stand up and look beyond the meadow toward the Bottomless Ocean. The sea sparkles in the sunlight. We might not have any boats in Roar now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get one . . .

“Rose,” I say, “we need to go back to Grandad’s.”

“What?” she says, confused.

Win is horrified. He jumps up and grabs hold of my sleeve. “You can’t go! You’ve only just got here, and Crowky is looking for the Box. It’s the worst possible time for you to leave!”

“We’ll be back before you know it,” I say, shaking him off and walking toward the On-Off Waterfall. “Come on, Rose. We’ve got to hurry. We’re going to play boats out there and make a boat appear here!”