Fire in the Sea

by Myke Bartlett

  Sadie laughed, but not for long. ‘Don’t be stupid.’

  ‘It was the Minotaur,’ he insisted, with the same ridiculous earnestness. ‘It’s the Drowners’ pet. Their slave, to be more accurate.’

  ‘Yeah, right, the Minotaur. You seriously expect me to believe that?’

  ‘Let’s hope you never have to.’

  They crossed the railway line and followed pavements uphill, towards the coast. Soon, the golf course spread out alongside them and, beyond that, the sea. Twin lighthouses winked at either end of Rottnest Island.

  ‘You know, I had decided I wasn’t going to see you again,’ Sadie said.

  Jake glanced sideways at her. Maybe he was no more convinced than she was.

  ‘And I’m still not sure I was wrong. Can you blame me, after yesterday?’

  Jake frowned. ‘I’m sorry you had to see Frobisher dead. And I’m sorry I had to leave you there. If the police had found me, there would have been trouble. I’ve no papers, no passport, no way of proving who I am.’

  ‘Yeah, I get that, but that wasn’t why.’ Sadie paused. ‘Those men at the harbour. You would have killed them, if I hadn’t been there.’

  He listened, considered, and then nodded, apparently unrepentant. ‘I’m a warrior. I was born a warrior. I’ve spent countless lives fighting.’

  ‘Stop saying things like that. I don’t want to hear things like that. Just say normal things. Real things.’

  ‘I’m telling you the truth, Sadie. And I think you know it.’

  ‘Right, the truth. So you’ve killed people. There’s a murderer on the loose and you’re telling me you’re a killer. That’s really putting my mind at ease.’

  ‘I’ve killed,’ Jake said, explaining nothing. He turned off the path, blithely walking through an open gate, into the Cottesloe civic centre. Seeing Sadie wasn’t following, he turned back.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘You can’t just say something like that and expect everything to be okay.’

  ‘You wanted honesty.’

  ‘Honesty’s one thing, being a psycho is another.’

  The civic centre had once been the home of someone important, although Sadie had never been interested enough to remember who. It was an impressive white, Spanish-style villa with a terracotta tile roof. Even more impressive were the grounds—several levels of parks and gardens and playgrounds, surrounded by grey stone walls. To Sadie, it had always been a safe place. When she was a young girl, she had played there. Tonight it felt like a trap, its dark places concealing unknown terrors. She thought of that beast in her backyard. She thought of muggers and murderers. She thought of the strange boy beside her.

  ‘You said you were a killer.’

  Jake held up his left wrist, showing her the leather hood of his watch. ‘I fought in the Great War,’ he said quietly. ‘I’d always been a soldier but I’d never seen anything like it. Such appalling bloodshed. Then, twenty years later, it began again. Great cities burned in an instant.’ He breathed in sharply, as if surfacing from a memory. ‘After that, I’d had enough of fighting. Enough of death. So I came here, to the end of the world. I hid, and I kept the relic safe.’

  Bored with this conversation, Kingsley lay down on the grass inside the gate.

  ‘Who were you hiding from? Those Drowners?’

  ‘Yes. Lysandra.’ Just saying the name seemed to cost him something.

  ‘So who was she—is she?’

  A sour smile arrived at the corners of Jake’s mouth. ‘The Drowners were once a great civilisation. The Gods blessed them, and their empire spread out across the seas. Lysandra was their priestess, but she became tired of worshipping Gods. She dreamed of making herself a God. She craved immortality and she found a creature powerful enough to give it to her.’

  ‘The demon.’

  ‘Indeed. A forbidden creature. Lysandra summoned it and challenged the Gods’ rule.’ He smiled, although nothing was funny. ‘You can imagine their outrage. A human rising up against them, a servant reaching for her master’s crown. As a warning to the rest of you, the Gods sank Lysandra’s city beneath the sea, cursing her and her people to the depths, forever. Their immortality became a living death. That’s what the Drowners are—immortal souls bound to rotting bodies.’

  Sadie shuddered. ‘Nice.’

  ‘The demon was trapped in a box and the Gods exiled themselves to the heavens. They swore that if the demon’s power was ever used again, they would return. And their vengeance would be terrible.’

  ‘On the Drowners, you mean?’

  ‘On all of you.’

  ‘How is that fair?’

  ‘Why should it be fair? You know your history.’ He tapped the hood of his watch. ‘In 1914, one Yugoslav shot an Austrian and all of Europe caught fire. If anyone, Drowner or human, asks that demon for anything, the Gods will set the whole planet ablaze.’

  ‘And that’s what Lysandra wants?

  ‘She wants the demon’s power. If she sets it free, it will choose a new master. It will lift the curse and grant her immortality. She’ll have the power she needs to take on the Gods—to have her revenge.’

  ‘Which would be bad news for the rest of us?’

  ‘It would be the end of the world.’

  ‘No, but seriously?’

  Jake tugged the talisman from his open collar. ‘Gods’ truth.’

  He walked through the gate again. Sadie followed a small way behind. But at the very edge of the streetlight she grabbed his elbow.

  ‘Why did you come for me, tonight? I’ve already said you could have the house back.’

  ‘I need your help.’ Jake straightened his shoulders, preparing to own up. ‘This afternoon I went to see Patrick. He hasn’t heard from Vincent in a year.’ He withdrew a dog-eared business card from his waistcoat pocket. ‘But he did give me this.’

  Sadie took the card. Lost Treasures Found, it read. There was no address, not even a phone number. ‘Not very helpful.’

  ‘That’s what I thought. But there’s some sort of code on the back. I’ve seen similar codes all over the place, on billboards, in newspapers. Means nothing to me. I didn’t know who else to ask.’

  Sadie turned the card over, then shook her head. ‘This is why you came to find me?’

  Jake nodded. ‘It’s essential I find Vincent.’

  ‘Because you think he killed Frobisher?’

  ‘I think whoever killed Frobisher wanted to know where I was. They wanted to find the relic. But I think Vincent already knew exactly where the relic was.’

  Sadie understood. ‘Okay, you think he stole it. Why?’

  ‘He was there when Lysandra first summoned the demon. He showed her how it was done.’

  ‘And now he wants to give it back to her?’

  ‘I think so. We have to find him, quickly.’

  Sadie saw herself standing there, on the edge of darkness. She could hear the surf on an empty beach. The ordinary world was calling her. Somewhere nearby, a car horn sounded long and low, like a warning.

  She was still holding Jake’s elbow. She looked at the card once more in the last of the streetlight, then flicked it at him. ‘That isn’t a code. It’s a website, for a shop. There’s bound to be a street address.’

  ‘Remarkable.’ Jake turned the card over again. ‘So what is a website?’

  Sadie laughed, ignoring his hurt look. ‘I keep forgetting. Last week, you were like, what, eighty?’

  ‘Sadie, I’m thousands of years old. Eight thousand, at least.’

  She stuck out her tongue. ‘That’s gross.’

  ‘Is it?’

  ‘A bit, yeah. I mean...’ Sadie couldn’t explain herself. She couldn’t tell Jake that it was hard to think the good-looking boy before her was, until a fe
w days ago, a wrinkled old man, that he was older than her grandparents.

  Jake noticed her nose crinkle. ‘There were legends about my people once. Your ancestors called us the Old Ones. But when you live forever you don’t grow old, not really.’

  ‘Yeah, sure. But everyone else does. I mean, whoa, eight thousand years. I’m sixteen—to me eight weeks is forever. And, you know, what do I look like to you? A fruit fly? Blink and I’ll be dead.’ She watched him a moment, but he didn’t disagree.

  ‘I know all about death,’ he said, and pressed on into the dark grounds.

  Sadie went with him. A winding path led around to a wide concrete stage where wedding parties often posed for photographs. Jake stood before it, arms folded, like some night watchman. His jaw was set and his brow lowered. He stared out to sea as if waiting for bad news.

  ‘What’s it like?’ Sadie asked, not quite looking at him. ‘Dying, I mean?’

  ‘At its best, quick,’ Jake said. He almost said nothing more, staring into darkness. Sadie could sense a sudden tension, a sudden anger. But perhaps he remembered he had promised honesty, even if it was a question he’d never thought about answering. His shoulders relaxed. ‘Sometimes it’s a heaviness, your body filling with cold water. Other times, it’s a surrender. Like you just give yourself up to the sky, like it’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done.’

  ‘And afterwards?’ Sadie’s throat was tight. She had always thought she knew the answer to this question. For the first time, she was hoping to be proved wrong.

  Jake gave her a soft smile. ‘I don’t know, Sadie. I come back.’

  She nodded, shrugging like it was nothing, but her gut felt hollow. ‘Always? You and your mates don’t ever die? Not really?’

  Jake lifted the talisman from the front of his shirt. ‘This marks me as a servant of the Gods. As long as I wear it, I’ll always come back.’

  ‘Good for you. So you don’t die. You don’t get old.’ Sadie looked down at the dog by his feet, the dog with the same name as countless dogs before him. She saw herself, staring at a dog, standing on grass she’d played on as a child. ‘No. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Demons, Gods. A magic box. I mean, I’ve never even read Lord of the Rings. I hate all that stuff.’

  Jake held out his hand. ‘Do you want proof?’

  His hand, when Sadie took it, was cool, despite the hot night. He led her off the stage and around to a small rose garden, where a dozen bushes were in bloom. The heat of the last fortnight had singed leaves and wilted petals, but a few buds still held a crisp shape. Studying each bush in turn, Jake picked a rosebud and gave it to Sadie.

  ‘A gift of my gift. Each of my people has a particular talent. This is mine.’

  ‘Stealing roses?’

  ‘Don’t put it in water, don’t care for it. Just keep it somewhere safe. It won’t wither, or die. It will stay perfect forever.’

  ‘Oh, it’s plastic?’

  Jake gave her a stern look. ‘Sometimes, Sadie, it’s okay to be impressed.’

  He snatched the rose back off her and threw it hard against the nearest wall. Kingsley pounced, snatched it from the grass and dropped it by Sadie’s boots. It was still immaculate.

  ‘Okay then,’ she admitted. ‘That is a pretty cool party trick.’

  Jake put a hand on each of her shoulders and looked for her eyes. ‘I’ve been hiding from the world too long, Sadie. I need your help to find the relic, before it’s too late.’

  ‘Me, or anyone under sixty?’

  ‘You, Sadie. I trust you. Will you help?’

  While Sadie was still thinking of something to say, her phone buzzed inside her bag with a message. She checked the time—almost two a.m.—and panicked. Had her grandparents woken to find her gone? With some relief she saw the message was from Tom.

  In hospital. No stress.

  Sadie called him straight back and he answered in a whisper.

  ‘I don’t think I’m supposed to be using this here.’

  ‘What are you doing in hospital?’

  Tom told her, calmly, about the attack, with assurance that everything was fine. Sadie was not reassured.

  ‘You were gored by a bull and you’re telling me you’re fine?’

  Jake snatched her phone off her. ‘You said you saw something in your garden. With horns, yes?’

  ‘Yes. Give me my phone back.’

  ‘And now your friend has been gored by a bull.’

  ‘You’re not going to start talking about the Minotaur again?’

  ‘Did it draw blood?’

  ‘He’s in hospital. What do you think?’

  ‘Right then.’ Jake put the phone to his ear. ‘Tom, this is Jake. Shut up. We’re coming to get you. Right now.’ Taking the phone from his ear, his expression was grim but determined. ‘We need a taxi. Your friend is in mortal danger,’ he told Sadie. Then, looking at the phone in his hand, he frowned. ‘How exactly do I make this thing hang up?’

  11

  THE HUNTER

  The taxi driver hadn’t wanted to let Kingsley anywhere near his back seat. In the end, Jake convinced him the dog was only going a few blocks south and that he’d pay to clean any drool from the upholstery. At the corner of Ocean Street, the taxi paused, a back door opened, and Kingsley jumped out.

  ‘Home, boy,’ Jake said, and the dog strutted away towards the old house.

  As the taxi pulled away from the kerb, Jake sat forward, on the edge of his seat, as if hoping to spur the driver on.

  ‘The Minotaur goes ashore whenever the Drowners are near land,’ he said, nodding to Sadie. The moon was bright and low over the black ocean, laying a glimmering path from the horizon. ‘Sometimes at its masters’ bidding, sometimes to feed.’

  ‘I wish you’d stop saying Minotaur,’ Sadie said.

  ‘Once it has a scent, once it’s tasted blood, it never abandons the hunt.’

  ‘You mean it’s hunting Tom?’

  ‘When it finds him, it’ll feed,’ Jake said. ‘Turn right here.’

  ‘I know where I’m going, mate,’ the driver complained.

  Sadie put her hand on Jake’s elbow. ‘Tom’s really being hunted by the Minotaur? I mean, really?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. Now turn left.’

  The driver whistled through his teeth. ‘Listen, mate—you wanna drive?’

  The hospital reception was airless and over-lit, painting sick skin on the cheeks of every visitor. A harassed-looking nurse directed them upstairs to a small ward on the fifth floor. Tom was on a bed in hospital pyjamas. His bloodied T-shirt was neatly folded on the cabinet beside him.

  ‘Mum wanted to chuck that out.’ Tom said. ‘What’s he doing here?’

  Jake was standing back by the door and peering left and right along the corridor.

  This was awkward. Sadie hadn’t meant Tom to know she was on a midnight stroll with another boy. There was something about Jake, she realised, that made her forget everything else.

  ‘Oh, we’re totally dating, didn’t I tell you?’ Sadie blurted, already wincing. That had definitely sounded funnier in her head. ‘No, look, it’s a bit complicated, okay?’

  Jake stepped forward as if he was making a diagnosis. ‘Tom, we need to get you out of here, now.’

  ‘I can’t,’ Tom said. He didn’t want to look at Jake. ‘I’ve got stitches. They want to keep me in overnight. They’re worried about infection.’

  ‘Infection’s the least of your worries. If it makes you feel better, I have some rudimentary medical training.’

  ‘Yeah right.’ Tom looked at Sadie. ‘What’s he talking about?’

  ‘Okay, look, I know how stupid this is going to sound, and I’m not saying I buy any of it,’ she said, ‘but come with us. The thing is, that thing that attacked you tonight,
well, it’s going to come looking for you. And, sort of, um, eat you.’

  ‘Eat me?’ Tom sat up on his bed, winced in pain, and then lay down again. Sadie thought he was about to laugh, or accuse her of losing it, but instead he gestured for her to come closer and whispered through clenched teeth. ‘Sades, I saw it. I know what it is.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘You’re right. It sounds stupid.’ Tom’s eyes were wide. ‘It’s the devil.’

  ‘It’s not the devil,’ Jake said, bluntly. ‘The devil’s just an idea. Ideas don’t tear you open with their horns and feast on your gizzards.’

  A nurse appeared at the door, looking irritable. ‘What’s going on here? People are trying to sleep. Your brother here—’

  ‘Brother?’ That word seemed to hurt Tom more than the stitches in his side. It had been a necessary lie on Sadie’s part, otherwise the nurse would have had them wait downstairs until morning.

  ‘—needs rest. Everyone here needs rest. We don’t want the patients disturbed.’

  At that moment, a loud alarm sounded and Sadie nearly left her boots. She had still been hoping this was all nonsense, but now the last of that hope left her, leaving a rising, breathless horror in its place. Every patient in the ward sat up, one clapping bandaged hands to bandaged ears. The nurse frowned, then turned and hurried off down the corridor. Jake went after her. Sadie smiled apologetically at Tom and followed.

  ‘You don’t need to be so rude to Tom,’ she said, matching Jake’s stride.

  Irritation twitched in Jake’s right cheek. ‘Is that important right now?’

  ‘He’s my friend. It’s not his fault he doesn’t understand what’s going on. I don’t understand what’s going on.’

  The nurse was using a wall phone, but seemed to be having trouble hearing. She put the phone down and turned, bewildered, to find Jake in her way.

  ‘It’s here, isn’t it?’ he said.

  ‘Someone broke a window downstairs and some people are hurt. That’s all I know,’ she said.

  Jake grabbed the woman by the shoulders. ‘You need to get everyone out of here. Now. Nobody is safe.’

  The nurse remained calm. ‘Please take your hands off me. I know you’re upset about your friend, but there’s nothing for you to worry about.’