The Black Pearl

by Louise Cooper

  Arhans wasn’t happy with that idea, either. If Taran also knew that Jack had returned, she would have set spies to watch for him in the hope that he would lead them to Morvyr. It was too dangerous, Arhans said. They would just have to be patient. But, in the meantime, she added, Jack had given her one more message for Morvyr. He had said: ‘Tell her the ninth one is still safe with me.’

  Morvyr gave a shocked gasp. ‘The ninth…? Oh!’

  ‘Mother?’ Kes frowned at her. ‘What does that mean?’

  Morvyr wouldn’t meet his curious stare. ‘Arhans,’ she said. ‘Go back to Jack. Tell him I understand. And say…’ She hesitated. ‘No. That will keep. Just say that Kes and I are here, and we’re waiting.’

  Arhans needed to breathe soon, so, after promising to return in a few days, she left them, wriggling back into the fissure and vanishing in the darkness. When she had gone, there was silence for some moments. Then Kes couldn’t bear it any longer and blurted, ‘Mother, I don’t understand! “The ninth one” – what is it?’

  Morvyr turned to him, her eyes very serious, and put her hands on his shoulders. ‘Please, Kes,’ she said, ‘don’t ask me about it now. I can’t tell you yet. But when we see your father, I’ll explain everything. I promise.’

  Kes knew from her tone of voice that he wouldn’t persuade her to change her mind, so he asked no more questions. But Arhans’s incredible news brought his nerves close to breaking point. He wanted to go straight out of the cave, through the fissure to the open sea, then swim and swim and swim until he reached the fishing port and found his father. He knew it would be wrong, dangerous, stupid, but the urge was so strong that it hurt.

  He tried to distract himself by helping Morvyr to prepare their meal. When it was ready, though, he could hardly eat anything. A shoal of tiny fish had swum into the cave and were darting all around the walls, but Kes couldn’t even summon up enough interest to play their favourite chasing game with them. He tried again to talk to his mother, but she barely seemed to hear, and he realized that she was as keyed up as he was. At last, not knowing what else he could do that was bearable, Kes lay down on the seaweed-covered rock ledge that served as his bed, and fell asleep.

  When he woke, the dull daylight in the cave had faded to an even dimmer silver-grey. It must be night, he realized, and the silver-grey was the light of the moon. Peering into the gloom he saw his mother lying on another ledge with a slow trickle of bubbles rising from her mouth. Kes drifted carefully and quietly towards her. Her breathing was even and he thought she was asleep. But then he saw her eyes gleaming in the darkness, and a moment later she sat up.

  ‘Oh, Kes.’ Her voice sounded strained. ‘I can’t sleep.’

  ‘Me too.’ He took hold of her outstretched hand. ‘Knowing that Father’s come home but we can’t see him… Mother, how long are we going to have to wait? I don’t want to wait. This is too important!’

  Morvyr did not answer, but eased herself from the ledge and swam slowly across the cave. At last she said, ‘I was thinking… It’s night. Even Queen Taran’s servants have to sleep sometimes. Besides, the darkness would hide us…’ Her words trailed off and Kes felt his heartbeat getting faster.

  ‘You mean – go now? And find Father?’ He stopped and swallowed as a huge surge of excitement constricted his chest.

  ‘We could reach the harbour by morning,’ said Morvyr, her voice not quite steady. ‘And then you could go to shore and ask Lizzy to tell him…’

  ‘Yes, Mother, yes! Oh, please, let’s do it!’ He flung a glance towards the fissure that led out of the cave. He could hear the sea surging, but it was quieter and calmer than it had been for the past few days. ‘We can find the way in the dark, can’t we? And you’re right, no one could see us the way they would in daylight!’

  ‘I don’t know… If anything went wrong…’ Morvyr started to swim round in circles. Her tail flicked agitatedly, and Kes knew that she was wavering. Desperately he tried to persuade her.

  ‘Nothing will go wrong!’ he said. ‘And once we’re close to shore we’ll be safe, because anything big enough to harm us won’t dare go into such shallow water. It’s our chance, Mother, maybe our only one. We’ve got to do it!’

  For a few seconds longer Morvyr continued to swim in circles. Then she slowed down, stopped and looked at Kes. Her storm-grey eyes were shining brilliantly, and her face was set with determination.

  ‘All right,’ she said. ‘We will do it. We’ll do it together.’

  They said nothing as they swam to the tunnel. At the entrance Kes looked back, but the large brown crab that shared the cave with them had disappeared into its favourite crevice and wasn’t watching. His heart was beating fast with a mixture of excitement and fear, but he firmly thrust the fear away. They were going to find his father. That was all that mattered!

  Morvyr grasped his hand briefly and squeezed it. Then, stretching their arms out in front of them like divers, they surged into the tunnel.

  Though moonlight was filtering down through the water, Kes could only see a metre or two around him. Morvyr was a dimly shining shape just ahead. Every so often the pale oval of her face showed as she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was following closely, but her features were a blur.

  The journey wasn’t easy. Several times they had to swerve to avoid rocks that loomed suddenly and unexpectedly in their path, and once Kes’s swerve was too late and he grazed his arm painfully on the barnacle-covered surface. After that, Morvyr signalled that they should slow down. It was frustrating, but better than risking worse injury.

  They hadn’t spoken since they left the cave, but communicated only with hand signals, moving silently on through the water. Apart from a few curious fish that came to look at them they saw no other creatures. That didn’t mean they weren’t there, of course, but if he couldn’t see them, Kes reasoned, chances were they couldn’t see him. That was a comforting thought. He didn’t even want to meet any of the dolphins. They would only make them go back to the cave, and Kes was determined that they would reach their goal. They were making good progress. It couldn’t be too far now.

  When he first had the feeling that they were being followed, he tried to ignore it. In the strange world of undersea night it was easy to imagine all kinds of strange things, and if he let it get the better of him, he would lose his nerve. So he swam on behind Morvyr. Occasionally he looked over his shoulder, just in case, but he saw nothing.

  Until, as they passed a massive rock with a jagged tip that rose above the water, something reared up from the gloom and lunged at them.

  Kes screamed with shock and fright – and it was the worst thing he could have done, for the scream sent a surge of bubbles streaming up from his mouth and in front of his face. For one vital second he couldn’t see. Then, before the bubbles could clear, a long tentacle snaked round his tail and gripped it.

  ‘No!’ Kes lashed his tail frantically, but whatever had got hold of him held on. As he struggled to get away, another tentacle shot out and wrapped round his left arm.

  Another scream rang out and Kes yelled, ‘Mother!’ Two shapes were writhing in the water a short way off, struggling together – he thought one of them was Morvyr but couldn’t see anything clearly. Desperately he twisted round – and screamed again as he found himself face to face with a monstrous shape that pulsed with vivid, ever-changing colours. Cold, bulbous eyes glared at him, and he realized that his attacker was a cuttlefish. But he had never seen such a giant one in his life – it was as big as he was, and far stronger. Now the eight tentacles that grew from its hideous head came writhing towards him; four pinned his own arms to his sides while the others took a tighter hold of his tail. He could feel the power of the suckers on the thing’s arms, and with horror he realized he was helpless.

  ‘Mother!’ he yelled again. Where was she? He couldn’t see her now – had she, too, been caught?

  Then, from the darkness, a voice said, ‘Well done, my friends.’

  Vivid lines
of blue and green pulsed along the cuttlefish’s body, as though it was excited by the praise. With a huge effort Kes craned over his shoulder, and saw a bigger, darker shape undulating out from behind the rock.

  Tullor opened his mouth, showing his savage teeth. ‘Well, Kesson. So you and your mother have come out from your hiding place, have you? I wonder what could be important enough to make you do that?’

  Kes tried not to show how scared he was. ‘Where’s my mother?’ he demanded, trying not to let his voice quaver. ‘What have you done to her?’

  ‘Nothing that she won’t recover from soon enough.’ Tullor swam slowly round him, like a hunter sizing up its prey. ‘So, we have found both of you. How very gratifying. The Queen will be pleased.’

  ‘I’m not scared of the Queen!’ Kes lied defiantly.

  The cuttlefish’s colour changed to purple again, pulsing faster than ever. Tullor uttered another snarl that sounded like a warning.

  ‘No!’ he snapped. ‘Remember your instructions – he is not to be harmed!’ Still swimming in slow circles, he stared at Kes until Kes couldn’t stand it any longer and looked away. ‘Mmm…’ The sound was part hiss and part growl. ‘You are a stubborn child, Kesson – and to pretend you’re not afraid of the Queen is very foolish. So, we will take you to a place where you can learn some sense.’ He showed his teeth again. ‘A place where none of your friends will ever find you.’

  ‘No!’ Kes shouted. ‘I won’t go with you! You can’t make me!’

  ‘Oh, we can. Because, you see, if you try to fight us, we will hurt your mother.’

  He turned his head and hissed into the darkness. Moments later something came swimming towards them, and Kes drew in his breath sharply. Another cuttlefish, as big as the first – and grasped in its tentacles was Morvyr. Her arms and tail hung limply; her eyes were closed. She was unconscious.

  ‘Her safety depends on you, Kesson,’ said Tullor unpleasantly. ‘Do you understand?’

  Kes did, and tears sprang to his eyes. He blinked them back and said nothing.

  ‘That’s better.’ Tullor was almost purring with satisfaction. He looked at the cuttlefish. ‘Let’s not waste any more time.’

  With a wriggle of his tail he swam off. The cuttlefish pulsed eagerly once more, and its grip tightened. Then, with a surge of energy, it hurtled away through the water at astounding speed, dragging Kes with it. The second cuttlefish did the same, with Morvyr in its grip, and the two of them followed Tullor into the darkness of the open sea.

  Half a lifetime seemed to pass as Kes was towed on and on, towards an unknown destination.

  He could no longer see Morvyr and her captor. Buffeted by currents, numb where the suckered tentacles gripped him, he was too dizzy and sick and exhausted to be aware of anything but the rushing journey. And still it showed no signs of ending.

  At last, though, he realized that their headlong pace was slowing down. He had shut his eyes in an effort to drive away the sickness; now with a great effort he forced them to open.

  He knew at once that they were a long way from land. This was the truly deep sea – green-black and mysterious and menacing. He had never been this far out before, and he felt bewildered, lost and afraid. He couldn’t see the seabed or the surface; they were both too far away. All he could make out was the cuttlefish’s bulky body above him, fins flapping like wings as it swam, and ahead of it the dark, snakelike shape of Tullor leading the way. But where to?

  They were still slowing down, and suddenly he heard Tullor’s rasping voice.

  ‘We are almost there. The indigo gateway is just below us – bring the captives.’

  With a jerk that seemed to rattle Kes’s teeth the cuttlefish twisted and dived downwards. Kes could feel the pressure in his ears increasing, he could hardly breathe, he was gasping –

  Then he saw the rock looming towards him from below. It was huge, and peculiarly round as though it wasn’t natural but had been cut into shape. There was a dip in the centre, like a pool. Tullor swam to the dip and hovered in the water above it. He waited… then to Kes’s shock, a voice that seemed to come from inside the hollow whispered,

  ‘Who is there?’

  The cuttlefish writhed, and the bands of colour chasing each other along its body brightened with excitement. Then the eel said, ‘It is Tullor. Brath and Hager are with me – we have Morvyr and the boy!’

  ‘Ah!’ There was delight and a horrible kind of triumph in the eerie voice. ‘Enter!’

  The water in the hollow started to swirl like a whirlpool, and Kes’s eyes widened as a strange purplish-blue light appeared in its depths. The light brightened, illuminating Tullor’s cruel face. He wriggled towards it and the cuttlefish followed, pulling Kes along. Kes struggled, but there was nothing he could do. Then as they reached the hollow the light flared blindingly – he had a sensation of falling, falling, and yelled in terror as he plunged into a spinning tunnel.

  ‘No! Let go of me! I won’t, I won’t, I – OHH!’

  Kes’s shouts broke off in a yell of astonishment as he surfaced in a brightly lit circular cave. The light was dazzling after the dark sea, and he blinked, shaking water from his eyes and trying to make out where he was.

  The first things he saw were the mirrors. There were nine of them round the cave wall, all glowing with light. Seven were the seven colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet; the eighth was silver, and the ninth was black. Their surfaces rippled as though they were made of water rather than glass, and there were dim reflections in the seven rainbow mirrors, though the silver and black ones showed nothing at all.

  He jumped with shock as, behind him, someone laughed.

  Flailing, he tried to turn round and see who was there. But the cuttlefish, Brath, renewed its grip and he couldn’t move. The unseen person laughed again. Then a beautiful silvery voice said,

  ‘Sleep!’

  Kes gasped as a tingling sensation flooded through his mind and body. He tried to fight it, but it was too powerful. The scene was fading… he felt as if he were falling again…

  His eyes closed and he slumped unconscious in the water.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lizzy had been in a state of high excitement all morning at the prospect of her meeting with Jack. Unable to wait any longer, she left home half an hour early and ran through the streets and then along the cliff path. As she approached the lighthouse she saw a familiar figure outlined against the blue sky. Her heart skipped eagerly. The figure saw her, waved and then sprinted the last fifty metres to her.

  ‘Hello, Lizzy!’ Jack Carrick enveloped her in a hug that lifted her off her feet.

  ‘Hello, D-!’ Lizzy was about to say ‘Dad’ but stopped. She had called Morvyr ‘Mother’, but this was different. She was on land. Jack Carrick was an ordinary human being. Somehow it was all too close to home, and she was confused. As he put her down she blinked and said, ‘I don’t know what to call you…’

  ‘Well, not Mr Carrick, for a start!’ he replied with a grin. ‘And, to be honest, I don’t think it should be Dad, either, do you?’

  She looked crestfallen. ‘Not even just between us?’

  He shook his head. ‘Better not. What if you said it in front of someone? We’d have some explaining to do, and I don’t think your family – your human family – is ready for the truth just yet.’

  Lizzy nodded. ‘Yes, I – I see what you mean. What shall I say, then?’

  ‘How about just plain Jack? That’s what my friends call me. And we’re friends above all, aren’t we?’

  Lizzy returned a hesitant smile. ‘All right, then… Jack.’

  ‘Good for you! Right, let’s find a nice spot for this picnic I’ve brought, then we can make ourselves comfortable and talk.’

  They chose a sunny patch of grass that was sheltered from the sea wind by the bulk of the lighthouse, and sat down. Jack had brought pasties, salad, lemonade and a chunk of a magnificent chocolate cake made by Mrs Treleaven. Chocolate cake
was one of Lizzy’s favourite things on earth; she just hoped that she wouldn’t be too excited to eat.

  ‘I’ve got some good news,’ said Jack as they unpacked the food. ‘I went to the beach early this morning, and Arhans was there. She’s seen your mother and Kes, and given them my message.’

  Lizzy’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s brilliant! Did she tell you where they are?’

  ‘Yes. But she warned me not to go there. Taran has so many spies, and we can’t take the risk of leading them to the hiding place. We’ll have to be patient for a while longer.’ He saw her face and smiled sympathetically. ‘It’s hard for me too, but at least we know they’re safe. In the meantime we’ve got a lot more to talk about. And the most important thing is your locket. Did you bring it with you?’

  ‘Yes.’ The locket was round her neck, and Lizzy drew it out from under her T-shirt. Jack stared at it, then nodded. ‘Do you know about the secret compartment, Lizzy?’

  She swallowed. ‘Yes. Mother – I mean, Morvyr – showed it to me. I’d never realized it was there.’

  ‘Did she open it for you?’

  Lizzy nodded. Her pulse was pounding.

  ‘And…?’

  ‘There’s a pearl inside it. A silver pearl.’ She hesitated. ‘Morvyr touched it and – and said, “Sing.” And… it did…’

  Jack was smiling now. ‘May I see it?’ he asked.

  Lizzy’s hands shook as she took off the locket, unfastened the catch and ran her fingers gently over the inside surface. She didn’t know how Morvyr had made the secret compartment work; there must be a knack to it, but she hadn’t watched closely enough –

  She jumped in surprise and almost dropped the locket as, with a faint click, the inner compartment sprang open. The beautiful silver pearl was there, shimmering in the bright sunlight.

  Jack gazed at the pearl for a few moments. Then he said, ‘Touch it, Lizzy, and tell it to sing.’