“We need to find the Stone of Destiny. Eilanmòr needs it.”
“But we don’t know how—not without Harris,” Angus moaned.
She shuddered, willing herself not to cry. It was taking every ounce of self-control, but she was starting to lose.
Just as she felt moisture gather behind her closed eyelids, she heard a faint sound beside them that had her pulling away.
Squelch.
She looked wide-eyed at Angus, whose mouth had fallen open.
Squelch.
Then the bog erupted, spraying mud everywhere. Something emerged from the sludge and took a gasping breath. Ailsa started to back away, but Angus launched himself at the figure.
“Harris!”
The body took a few more gulps of air and then chuckled. The sound was hoarse and crackling, but clearly belonged to the selkie.
“You can cancel the funeral,” he laughed, seeing their faces.
“How?” Ailsa rushed over to help him wipe the grime from his nose and mouth. “How did you survive? You must have been under for more than ten minutes. Are you okay?”
“Ah, nothing to it.” Harris pulled a clump of mud from his hair. “Sometimes being a supernatural creature sure comes in handy. Did you know that seals can hold their breath for up to fifteen minutes?”
She was about to smack him for his callous joking, when a mud coated figure tackled him again and they all ended up lying on the ground. Angus squeezed the selkie’s body in a massive hug, all the while telling him how glad he was Harris was not dead.
Ailsa frowned at the display and brushed herself down. “Can the soppy reunion wait? Those things might come back.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it for a while.” The two men disentangled themselves.
“What were they?” asked Angus.
“Bog monsters. They live in the mud and wait for unsuspecting travellers to come by.”
She peered at the mud. “What do they look like?”
Harris gave her a strange look. “If a human ever saw their faces, they would die of fright.”
Ailsa shivered. “How did you get away?”
“I punched the one holding me in the jaw. They spat me back out when they realised I wasn’t going to drown.”
Ailsa could still feel the weight of his death pressing on her body. Her head throbbed as if the fright had relieved her of some brain cells. She glanced around, evaluating the threat. If it had been her or Angus, they would be dead. It would be best not to give the Bog Monsters a chance to strike again. They would have to be extra careful on the way back.
“So,” Ailsa bent to pick up her axe from where it had landed, “can we go now?”
With a nod from the selkie, they all clumsily got to their feet and made their way over to the edge of the cavern.
Chapter 48
They carefully picked their way down one of the sets of stairs. The waterfall cascading close enough for its spray to wash away most of the muck, leaving them soaked and shivering.
As they descended, Ailsa gasped. She had been expecting to walk down into a dank, dark cave but the sight before her was far stranger. Something glinted in the water, creating shafts of light which reflected reds, blues, greens and purples off the walls. As the trio approached the underground portion of the loch, she realised that there were hundreds of glittering gems littering the bottom like precious seashells.
“The faeries that made this place primarily used it to store their treasure. They were quite secretive; it’s why they chose to hide the Stone here,” Harris explained as they crept down the rest of the steps. They reached the floor of the cave. Around the circular walls, a series of doorways were carved into the rock.
“And this,” said Harris, looking around, “is as far as I got.”
“What do you mean?” asked Ailsa. “Don’t you know where the Stone is hidden?”
“Just because I didn’t see where it was hidden doesn’t mean I can’t find it,” he replied, pulling out a blanket and a box from his pack. “My aunt told me to look for her mark, a triangle with a wave inside, and then I’ll know where it is.”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” Ailsa grumbled.
Harris stuck his tongue out before ripping off a bit of material. He grabbed a stick that had been abandoned nearby and wrapped the cloth around it. Opening the box, Ailsa saw that it carried a hip flask and a box of matches.
“Is that whisky?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He grinned before dousing the cloth in the liquid from the hip flask. Then, with a flourish, he lit a match, and with it, his torch. It ignited so quickly that Ailsa was surprised Harris still had eyelashes. The torch’s light reflected off his hair, turning his copper curls into flames themselves.
“Okay,” he said, straightening, “I’m going to go looking for the symbol, you stay here.”
“Can’t we come with you?” Angus asked, fidgeting with his sword.
“It’s better if you stay here, I’m fairly certain my aunt left traps the last time we were here. Also, I don’t know what lives further on inside these caves. You’re safer waiting.”
Before Ailsa could argue, he strode through one of the stone arches, the light from his torch illuminating the passage. As he went deeper, the light faded until they could no longer see any signs of him.
“Urgh, I hate him,” growled Ailsa, crossing her arms.
“He’s just trying to protect us.”
“He’s feeding his ego is what he’s doing.”
Angus shrugged. “Well if he doesn’t find it soon, we can go help.” He rolled his shoulders as he walked over to a wall and leaned against it. Or he would have if there hadn’t been a door where he’d intended to rest. Angus fell through the opening, landing with a thump.
“Ow, that’s embarrassing,” he muttered as he rubbed his backside.
“Are you okay?” asked Ailsa, running over to help him up.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I think I found a secret door. Do you think this is where the Stone is hidden?”
Ailsa eyed the shadowy opening, squinting. “Well if I were going to hide something, it would probably be down there.” She stepped forward. “Let’s go.”
Angus hesitated. “Shouldn’t we wait for Harris?”
She rolled her eyes. “He’ll catch up.” And, as usual, we’ll be doing all the work.
They didn’t have the same supplies as Harris had, so they raised their weapons and let the damp cave wall guide their hands. Soon, the lack of light completely blinded them. Ailsa could only hear Angus’s breathing coming from behind her. As they walked, a thin sliver of light filtered in from up ahead, offering the view of a cavern beyond. They stepped out of the small tunnel and into a larger chamber, the narrow cracks in the ceiling just large enough to illuminate it.
No turning back now.
They could barely make out ten half-submerged, white, marble statues of women standing in the loch. In their wavy hair, delicate floral headdresses had been carved. Each looked down at their hands, which were cupping the water, as if examining it. Their chests were bare, but artistically covered by their stone tresses.
Angus clicked his tongue. “Why would someone leave statues in a place like this?”
“No idea but they’re creepy. Let’s be quick. Where do you think the Stone is hidden?”
“The centre of the pool. Look over there,” Angus pointed to a large boulder in the middle of the water. “We must have to swim to it.”
“Ok, let’s go—”
“No, I’ll go. No point in both of us getting wet.” Angus pulled off his sword belt and lay it and his weapon at Ailsa’s feet. He kicked off his boots, dipped a toe in the water and shivered. “Pretty cold. I better jump in.”
Ailsa could almost hear him count down mentally before he threw himself into the pool and landed with a splash. The water rippled making rainbows dance on the ceiling. Ailsa sat down at the edge to wait as Angus slowly pushed himself through the water.
I wonder w
hat’s taking Harris so long, she thought. Her eyes felt heavy and it suddenly became clear how hard their day had been. She rubbed her shoulder blade and sighed as Angus paddled further out. I can’t believe after all we’ve been through, we’re going to get the Stone of Destiny without him.
From where she sat, Ailsa heard the light fluttering of music beginning; women’s voices were rising from the darkness in a wordless hum. She scanned around for the source, but couldn’t make out any people in the darkness.
Maybe it’s coming from outside, she wondered, but batted away the worry that threatened to pull her out of the sleepy contentment she was in. She watched as Angus splashed around and vaguely thought that he didn’t seem to be a particularly good swimmer as he hadn’t moved far. She noted with disinterest that the water was lapping lazily on the bank of the pool in little waves.
How funny, when we’re inside a cave.
Chapter 49
Angus’s arms and legs were starting to fatigue as he kicked through the dark water. It seemed that the faster he swam, the further away the boulder was. Was it magic? Some defence against intruders?
Angus’s strokes became less powerful as he tired. He was breathing heavily and stopped to tread water. Now, with his head fully above the surface, he could hear a faint chanting. He twisted his head around the cave but saw only Ailsa, lying beside the pool, staring sleepily at the waves.
Maybe I should have let her swim out, he thought with exasperation as he continued to search for the source of the music. Finding none, he turned back towards the boulder.
What I need is a good burst of energy.
He threw himself into another set of powerful strokes, his head under the water for the most part, surfacing only to breathe.
Stroke.
Surface.
Breathe.
Stroke.
Surface.
Breathe.
Stroke.
Surface.
A face.
Angus choked in a breath, as he abruptly stopped swimming to behold the woman who was now floating in the water two feet away from him. Her voice was haunting—mesmerising—as she joined in with the music. So pale was she that she looked like all colour had leached from her. Large black eyes watched him as she sang, and he could only stare back, transfixed by her silky voice.
Was this a female selkie? He swam a little closer to ask her what she was doing in the cave and she smiled at him, revealing rows of jagged, pearly-white fangs.
Chapter 50
Ailsa heard splashing and lifted her head slowly from the lapping waves towards the centre of the lake. Slight confusion edged its way through the layers of mist in her mind as she scanned the inky pool. Something was missing. The angelic music lingered but the cave looked strangely bare. Hadn’t there been some statues before?
Beyond the gentle music, the splashing had stopped. She glanced down at the cool water noticing how mirror-like the surface was; all the cracks reflected from the ceiling, glowing like an expanse of stars in the black of the lake. If she just reached out, she could float amongst them.
A noise from behind her pulled her attention away from the lake. Foggily, she tilted her head towards it. It was Harris and he was mouthing… something… at her. She wrinkled her nose in concentration. What was he saying? He was getting closer now. Why did he look panicked? It was so strange, he was right up in her face, his mouth was opening as if he were screaming at her, but what could possibly be wrong? It was so pretty in the cave and the singing was so—
He pulled back his hand and slapped her across the cheek.
The sting of the smack cut through the peaceful haze and her hand reached up to hold her face. “What the hell, Harris?”
“Ailsa! Where is Angus?” He was shaking her shoulders roughly and she squinted at him, her brain still slow on the uptake. The music had stopped and she felt slightly clearer with every passing minute.
“Angus?” She looked around saw only the flat black of the lake. “He—He decided to swim out to the boulder. We thought that’s where the Stone was hidden.”
“Well where is he now?”
“I—I don’t know.”
Her heart stopped in her chest and cold dread spilled down her back, like she had been doused with a bucket of ice water.
“Harris, there were statues here before…” she whispered. “Where is he? Where is Angus?”
“I have a good guess.” Harris pulled out a knife and knelt beside the loch. In one smooth motion, he sliced his palm and held it above the water.
A single drop of blood slid around the underside of his hand before gravity pulled it from him and it landed in the water with a plop.
“Harris, what are you—”
“Shh, be quiet and get your axe ready.”
“Mmm. Selkie blood,” a voice hissed from the shadows. The water rippled and a ghostly white head emerged from the inky pool. The woman still looked like she was carved from marble, save for her eyes which were immeasurable pits of onyx. The hairs on Ailsa’s arms stood on end as she beheld the strange creature. Then, rising as if one, more heads appeared from the depths.
“Selkie blood tastes like rotten fish,” snarled one to the left.
“That’s when they wash in here dead,” one of the other women on the right laughed, her voice tinkling. “This one is fresh.”
“We’ve been told not to eat,” claimed the one closest, but she continued to devour Harris with her eyes.
“Mermaids?” asked Ailsa quietly.
“Ceasg,” said Harris. “Different breed. But I don’t think now is really the time to educate you in sea creature taxonomy.” He spoke to the ceasg. “You took something that didn’t belong to you. I want him back.”
“Pretty creature, he was.”
Ailsa’s stomach gave a lurch at the word ‘was.’
“Give him back!”
“Who says you get to have him? Maybe I want new pet?” replied the closest, obviously the leader of the group.
Around the cavern, the other women echoed, “Want. Want.”
“Or maybe,” she spoke again, this time smiling with jagged teeth, “I want a taste.”
“Want. Want.” The others chanted, splashing around a bit now, excitedly.
“I want him back,” said Harris, showing his own teeth.
“But he wants to stay,” she grinned. “Want to see?”
A few of the ceasg moved forward, forming a loose circle and raising their hands above the water. From beneath the murky depths, a face appeared. It too looked to be made from marble, but it was not female. If Ailsa had not seen the scruff of beard that coated his face, she would not have recognised him. Angus was motionless, floating corpse-like on top of the water. The only hint that he was still alive was the slow, rhythmic movement of his chest. His eyes stared unseeingly at the ceiling of the cavern, covered in a thick, milky film.
“Give him back. Now!” Ailsa shouted, stepping forward as if threatening to throw herself at the creatures.
The nearest one grinned. “Maybe, I want little girl too.”
“Pretty little girl,” cooed another.
“I want the selkie.”
“Nicnevan wants the selkie. She said if he came here, we had to bring him to her.”
Harris baulked. “Nicnevan wants me?”
“You stole something.”
“I didn’t! I only came with them when they hid it.”
“She knows where the Stone is, idiot boy,” one hissed. “Thought you would come back for it. Then she could find out where you hid the baby.”
He laughed, incredulous. “That was definitely not me!”
“All selkies are the same.”
“Enough talk,” the leader snapped. “I want the girl.”
“Here, girly…”
The women started to sing again, but this time, their melody seemed slightly off tune. To Ailsa’s surprise, they pulled Angus’s body alongside them as they approached the shore.
“Ailsa, g
et ready,” Harris told her, unsheathing his knife.
She clutched her axe and inched closer to the lake. But instead of scrabbling out of the shallows like she had expected them to do, the ceasg floated out of the water on long, ivory legs. As they advanced, their singing grew louder. They raised their arms out towards her opening their mouths wider.
Harris backed up until he was next to her. “There are so many…” His head whipped around when he heard Ailsa chuckle beside him.
“I thought they would have tails. I thought I would have to fight them in the water,” she grinned. “On land though? I’d say this makes it a fair fight.”
As the first of the ceasg came close enough to reach out and touch, Ailsa swung her axe down embedding it in her skull. The world was silent for a moment as shock passed over the woman’s face, before her body crumpled to the floor, mouth still open in song.
Ailsa looked down at the body. “Well, aren’t you accommodating. I thought you would be made of stone too.” Her eyes rose to meet those of the leader and she smirked, pulling the axe out of the head to reveal cerulean blood dripping from the blade like sapphires.
Screams of fury possessed the ceasg as they bared their teeth charging up the bank.
Harris stuck his foot out to trip one up, while another fell upon him. He held the woman away from his face by the neck as she gnashed her teeth. Eventually, he kicked her away and sank into a crouch as she advanced on him again, but this time his knife was positioned between their bodies as she lunged.
Another flew at Ailsa, but her axe sliced through the air, catching the woman on the shoulder; blue blood dribbled from the wound as the girl circled her. Suddenly, a pair of pale hands grabbed Ailsa from behind, pulling her to the floor. She wrestled desperately against the marble arms that held her down, as the remaining ceasg approached, licking their lips. One held a clawed hand up, ready to slice through Ailsa’s belly, when Harris tackled her to the ground.
Ailsa kicked her legs up into the face of the ceasg who restrained her, eliciting a guttural cry.
The Stone of Destiny Page 20