Chapter Nine - Loch Du
THERE WERE ONLY four members of our leaving party, Merl, Bettery, Jestin and I quickly packed our belongings onto the top of our carriage without saying goodbye.
Dahlia only had a couple of weeks left in Thistlewick and then she would have to return home to her father. I felt an aching sense of jealousy at the idea of her going home, back to normalcy where she could resume her life and go back to being the teenager she was. The problem was, I knew Dahlia would feel the same way about me. The fact that I had to stay here, that my parents were not missing me, that I would be here to see the rising of the witch, to fight for my life would seem all too romantic to Dahlia, her dramatic side twitching with the adventure of it all.
We travelled in a horse-drawn coach that the Banshees had provided us with, I guess they were desperate to get rid of us. It all seemed so odd, that the Banshees were rushing us off so suddenly. After all, if there was another Changeling attack, surely having Merl around was a bonus. I let the question linger in my head for a moment and then brushed it off. Being new to this world, I couldn’t possibly understand the working of such a complex society within the space of two days. Instead, I turned my attention to our mode of transport.
It was, undoubtedly, the strangest coach I had ever seen, chiefly because of the fact that it didn’t actually have any wheels. It floated above the wet marshland delicately, not once touching the sloppy ground below. I could understand why the Banshees would need this kind of design for their coaches, no pesky wheels getting stuck in the mud for them. However, it was still an astounding thing to behold a heavy coach hovering in the air so weightlessly. The body of it was a cool shade of silver with dramatic swirls gushing across the bodywork reflecting the dim daylight at odd angles. The horses were alabaster white and strong bodied much like the etching of the horses that adorned the great doorway to the castle. I climbed in We had only been travelling for around five minutes when the castle disappeared completely into the mist of the marshes. I knew we would not be able to find it again without Banshee help. As the Banshee horses thundered through the marshland with unnatural effortlessness, I wondered how the changeling found the location of Thistlewick Castle so easily. I turned from the window to ask Merl or Bettery but they were both asleep so I thought it best not to disturb them. We travelled in a northerly direction until midday when our coach came to a halt.
We emerged from the luxurious carriage onto ground that felt damper than that of the marshes. I felt my boot slop into the sodden earth almost as if I was about to sink into the very depths of the island itself, which may have been a preferable option to having to face the evil witch who was about to reap destruction upon us all. I surveyed my new surroundings sucking in the crisp clean air. I could hear the tranquil sound of water as its gentle ripples crept up toward shore. I was looking out onto a huge loch, the water, a murky shade of green. Just to the left of my line of sight was a small number of what I initially thought to be rock formations. As we neared them it turned out that they were actually cabins each circular in shape with, what I could now see were thatched roofs. There was only around twenty of the rock cabins, the community we were entering must have been a pretty small one.
At the emerald water’s edge, I could see four oddly shaped boats that bobbed gently back and forth, resisting the water flow of the loch. They were without a doubt the strangest contraptions I had ever witnessed. At around six feet they were upright, the bottom and top curling under and over respectively whist the hard centrepiece was flat as if to lean against. Bettery saw the confusion I was eyeing them with.
“Don’t worry deary there perfectly safe they are, the Selkies take their young out in them they do when they first go fishing.” She chirped.
There was none of the glamour or ethereal spirit of Thistlewick here. It was a simple village, masterfully built directly at the water’s edge. The current that gently rocked the lake waded up against the cabin closest to the water’s edge. We now headed towards this cabin.
Upon entering the cabin, overwhelming warmth shocked my skin after the cool morning air of the carriage ride. A fire was flickering in a rudimentary stone oven. Fish were roasting on what appeared to be an iron grill, they were huge, almost the size of tuna I witnessed on some nature channel when my father had made me sit and watch his boring fishing programmes. I wish I had appreciated the time we spent together now that I was going to be spending a prolonged period away from him.
The small round cabin was obviously a family home. Four beds suspended from the wall by a thick mariner’s rope contained at least three quietly sleeping children. I could not see them but I could make out their small shapes under the blankets. The forth bed, which was closer to the ground and much larger than the others, was unoccupied. Merl led us around to a seating area that consisted of three large rocks that had been fashioned into a bench like shape. They were hard and uncomfortable but at least they were cool against my warm skin. On the largest of the stone sofa sat the man I recognised as Darrick, his baldhead now adorned with a simple silver crown. Merl, Jestin and Bettery bowed their heads in acknowledgement. I copied. It seemed that here, at the south side of Loch Du, Darrick was the leader of the Selkies.
There was not much discussion between Merl, Jestin and Darrick about how we would cross the lake. In-fact it seemed to have been predetermined that we would be pulled across by the Selkies using the black boat-like creations that sat on the water directly outside the hut. Merl produced three small golden mixtures and passed them to Darrick as payment for our crossing.
“I trust that you know how to use this elixir?” Merl questioned Darrick.
“One small drop each, directly in the mouth.” This was something Darrick and Merl had discussed before.
“That is quite correct.” Merl confirmed. “Each drop should give your young around a year’s supply of oxygen. After which, I’m afraid they will have to break surface.”
I got the impression that, although Darrick was perfectly courteous to me in the brief time I sat in his family home, he wanted me as far away as possible, as soon as possible. I couldn’t blame him really, if I had three young children to protect from the looming arrival of the witch Agrona the last person I would want in their presence would be the very person she is most likely to target first. It was strange to me but somehow I didn’t experience fear at this thought. Instead I felt guilt that somehow my coming here to the island of Falinn Galdur had set off the chain of events that would lead to her awakening and that, according to Merl, if she could secure my heart she would not only be deadly but also invincible.
Darrick led us to the water holding a strange grey flesh like mass, he laid it carefully on the floor as did the Selkie I recognised as Huk and a couple of female Selkies similarly to the males, their heads were hairless. If the male Selkies were rugged and ultra-masculine, the female Selkies were the exact opposite. Their voluptuous bodies were the epitome of femininity. Their eyes, heavily framed by thick eyelashes, reached up subtly to a point. They reminded me of the seals my mother had pointed out to me once during a holiday to Scotland when I was eleven. The female Selkies also laid out the same kind of fleshy bulk at their own feet. I wondered what use these fleshy masses would be to the Selkies? I also wondered how these two seemingly small females would be able to tug Bettery and myself across the huge lake safely. My question was answered as I stepped into the curled upright boat, which was unexplainably buoyant. The females stepped into their fleshy mounds at the same time as the males and pulled them up to waist height. The transformation was truly unbelievable. In the blink of an eye, what had previously been legs had now transformed into something altogether more animal. Seal to be precise. The Selkies collapsed to the ground instantly as their flippers gave way to the weight of their upper bodies, unfazed they used their strong arms to drag themselves towards the murky green water. The water was so dark at this end of the lake it was almost opaque. The Selkies did not seem to mind as they slipped into the wat
er, which now seemed an altogether more natural environment to them. The closest female Selkie approached my boat, smiling, she gracefully slipped through a harness attached to the very front of the boat and we began moving swiftly through the water.
A cold spray washed my face, in the aftermath of the unimaginably fast female, more than welcome just an hour before, when I sat in the baking hot living room. However, I was not enjoying the sensation in the cool air of the lake. The path we took was not a singular linear one. We weaved in and out of the occasional rock islands in the lake that varied from insignificantly small to big enough for around four people to stand on. I was afraid that my own and one of my companions carriages would crash into each other. We came dangerously close on a couple of occasions but the Selkies navigated the course they must have known so well with the greatest of skill.
I noticed the water become more translucent, Merl had pre-warned me this meant that we were close to the shore but entering altogether more dangerous waters. After standing in my boat for over an hour, my hands began to ache from the force and speed of the Selkie my harness was attached to. I felt my raw hands involuntarily releasing their grip on the course leather. I was afraid that I was going to slip into the mysterious green depths of the water below. ‘Come on Violet’ I tried to encourage myself a little longer but the heat in my palms was becoming intense. I opened my eyes for the first time in around half an hour to discover that I could actually see the shore of the lake in the near distance. It would only be another five or ten minutes travel at the speed we were going and then I would be back on shore where I could dip my hands into the soothingly cool water. I looked at the harness, it was smeared with an unmistakable red substance. I released my grip a little and more of the substance poured from beneath my unclasping hands, they were bleeding! The gush from my left hand, which was clearly worse than my right, trickled down from the harness and silently dripped into the water below. As it fell, I felt a huge force crash into the bottom of my boat that sent me spinning into the air at enormous speed eventually pirouetting into the water headfirst.
Pieces of the hardy wooden boat were now shards crashing into the water around me as I surfaced. I tried to establish the course of the other three boats and if they had stopped with the sudden explosion of my own. Before I could get my bearing and establish a sense of direction, I felt a hand clasping firmly around my ankle. I was dragged forcefully under the surface. I fought and kicked as hard as I had the night Idris attacked me in the tower but under water, my leg merely flailed around hopelessly. I looked beneath me to try to ascertain what kind of creature gripped my ankle. I was initially shocked at the sight of another female with a marine like fish tail but this was not a Selkie. This creature had hair, lots of long hair with various kinds of water plants and pebble like rocks weaved into it. This was obviously a Merrow. the creature that Bettery described to me during our trip to the village.
She turned to face me. Her features were not beautiful, as I had expected them to be by the sight of her silk like waved locks. Her eyes were not present. in their place were cross-shaped scars where they should have been. Her nostrils were ludicrously large, her full nose had three unnatural slits running down the brim, they were opening and closing in the same way a fish’s gills would to allow it to breathe. Her thin mouth opened to reveal a row of piranha like teeth, yellow and black with algae caught between them. This Merrow, this terrifying creature, was now pulling me into the abyss and I was powerless to stop her. I did the only thing I could to protect myself and hauled my bow around the front of me pulling back the string I saw a golden wisp of an arrow form. I knew it would be hopeless, that the arrow, which would have been able to travel so quickly through the air, would not be able to travel through the water with enough speed to pierce the flesh. I had to try. I released, pointing directly towards the head and to my surprise, the arrow shot rapidly through the thick lake water, hitting the unsuspecting Merrow. The blow forced her head back in a grotesquely jerky movement and her grip on me instantly released as she drifted lifelessly away. I fought my way to the surface but my strength was waning with each upward thrust.
When I broke the surface I was shivering, the freezing temperature of the water was more apparent now the initial burst of adrenaline had faded. I headed in the direction of the shore knowing that it couldn’t be far away, pushing through my exhaustion in the knowledge that there were many more of the Merrow creatures in the lake that could smell my blood just as easily as the one that had attacked me. I swam with all my remaining strength but it wasn’t enough. My face began to dip into the water as I was on the verge of passing out. I felt an odd sensation as the bow that I had swung around my back seemed to be fluttering. I knew that I was near the end, that I must have been hallucinating. I saw the nightingale that adorned the top of my bow shoot through the sky above me and in the next instant Merl appeared at the side of me tugging me from the freezing water and wrapping me in his warm robes. It was then that I finally lost consciousness.
Pump pump pump, breathe. Pump pump pump, breathe. Another kiss from Jestin but not the kind I had been secretly hoping for. I felt the water tear through my throat like liquid fire as it exited my lungs. Followed very shortly by the uncontrollable rasping coughs as my body battled with the contradictory needs of my lungs to both empty themselves of the harmful water and fill themselves with the life giving oxygen. Jestin slowly leaned out and the figure of a concerned looking Bettery appeared over his shoulder.
“Oh deary, I thought that we’d lost you I did! You went so blue and your freezing you are. Here deary, take this.” Bettery pulled a soft woolen blanket out of her large leather bag.
“Thank you.” I managed, though only just. My throat felt like I had swallowed a razor blade. I looked down at my hands. Three deep gashes had formed from the rubbing of the harness, two on my left hand and one on my right. Jestin took them and ripping a section from the bottom of his shirt made two crude fabric bandages.
“What happened?” I had a rough idea but I felt it best that someone with more knowledge of the Loch Du explain it to me anyway. Merl approached us in reply.
“You were attacked of course you buffoon.” I was hardly surprised at his passive aggressive approach to my predicament. Merl always seemed to become angry when he reasoned that I had somehow put myself in danger, even when I clearly had not intended to. Bettery gave him a reproachful look.
“I’ll wager she knows that doesn’t she? Being as she’s the one who nearly drowned an all, Merrydian.” Merl was in trouble with Bettery. She had never used his full name, the way a mother might if she was to scold her troublesome children, when addressing him before. Merl simply harrumphed at this and continued.
“You were holding on to the wrong section of your harness, clearly for some reason you chose to overlook the smooth bronze grips in favour of the leather strap. You therefore bled into the water and the Merrow, which can smell blood from over a mile away in water, subsequently attacked you.” Bettery continued were Merl left off.
“Yes deary, one minute your head was above the water and the next you were gone you were, if that Merrow hadn’t released you…,well it doesn’t bare thinking about now does it.”
I pushed myself up onto my knees from my elbows. The much-needed air had sated my desperate lungs enough for me to recover some strength.
“The Merrow didn’t release me. I shot it with my bow.” Jestin’s eyebrows raised in both shock and awe. Bettery smiled but didn’t make further note of my accomplishment. I guess she felt a little guilty that she hadn’t wanted me to have the weapon in the first place. Jestin concluded the story,
“Merl and I were already at the water’s edge by the time we realised what was happening. It was lucky that the nightingale on your bow sung out the warning otherwise more Merrows would have been on you before we could reach you. Merl was there faster than me but in fairness he had the magical skill to guide his boat to you, I believe this may have annoyed the Selkie who h
ad just pulled him for the last twelve miles. I on the other hand, could only swim.” I surveyed Jestin closer, he was dripping wet, algae from the loch entwined with his beautiful black curls. He had once again risked his own life to come to my aid, even though he knew help was already on its way. I was surprised at the fact that my nightingale had flown off, I thought I had been hallucinating when I saw the tiny carving of the bird leave my bow and soar into the sky above me. Then I remembered what Merl had said about the arrows being just one of the bows many advantages. I pulled my bow, which now rested in the muddy bank at my side, to me. My little nightingale, my little rescuer was once again perched faithfully at the crest of the bow waiting for the next time I had a near death experience. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards this currently inanimate little bird.
“Thank you too.” I whispered as I stroked its petite head with the palm of my hand. The spasm of pain I experienced reminded me of something that hadn’t made sense about what Merl had to say about the strap on the harness. The reins and the bronze grips. I hadn’t seen any, in fact I knew for certain that there wasn’t any present on my harness. This seemed typical at first; I would be the unlucky one, the one who was given the faulty strap. On second thought however, this did not make sense. Why would the Selkies, who were so protective of their community, their young in particular, keep a harness that was likely to attract a Merrow? It was obvious from the way the Selkies had all fled at the first sight of the Merrow that they were not just deadly to humans. Then it hit me, I had not been given the faulty strap accidentally, the desired effect had been for me to bleed into the water. I hadn’t loosened my grip at all. I wouldn’t have been able to at the force we were travelling. My Selkie had left her harness and I hadn’t even noticed because the curved boat continued to career towards the shore. It would have eventually stopped though without the powerful female Selkie to pull it along and I would have been left there, bobbing in the water, a floating target. I couldn’t blame the Selkies for wanting to get rid of me really. I was the person who Agrona would come looking for. I would be an easy mark for her, rich pickings with my magical heart and inability to defend myself. They were just trying to protect their young, trying to give themselves the best possible chance to fight her.
Merl however, did not see it that way. He raised an enormous wave the size of a ten-foot wall using his hands and had planned to send it smashing into the Selkies small village until Bettery talked him out of it, reminding him that children lived there too. Surprisingly, I didn’t share Merl’s anger at the Selkies. As far as I was concerned if they were already trying to think of ways to combat Agrona before she had even risen then surely, they were in some way, on our side.