by J S Landor
‘A kid?’ The man paused uncertainly.
‘Beachy Head and Anvil Point. Both down, sir!’ a woman cried.
‘This is a direct line, son. What the hell are you doing in the Pentland? Is anyone with you?’
‘No. I’m … something terrible’s happened. A ship hit a sandbank and –’
‘What? For heaven’s sake, have you got the name of the vessel? Where is she? Speak up.’
‘The Empress. She went down very close, maybe half a mile away.’
‘Dear God –’ The man broke off and the hubbub around him died. ‘It’s the cruise ship; she’s miles off course. You there, get on to the coastguard. They must have received a distress signal.’
‘The light went out,’ said Jack. ‘Where’s the keeper?’
‘What?’ The man sounded stunned. ‘Son, the Pentland hasn’t been manned for more than twenty years. It’s remotely controlled from our centre here in Harwich. Look, we’ve got a crisis on our hands. Ten lighthouses down and a virus overwriting every hard drive as we speak –’
‘A virus! Someone did this deliberately?’
‘I’m afraid so.’
‘Who?’
‘Hackers, terrorists, a cyber psychopath … take your pick. They’ve jammed the GPS and land-based radio frequencies too, effectively hijacked the entire navigation system. It’s a disaster.’ The man stopped. He’d lost his cool, saying more than he should. He took a deep breath. ‘We’re doing everything we can to restore the Pentland. Tell me how you got there.’
‘But it’s working,’ said Jack, ignoring his question.
‘What is?’
‘The light. It’s back on. It did go out, but now it’s fine.’ He stared at the monitor on the desk.
‘That’s not possible. Have you touched the manual override? What are you doing there?’
‘I – I didn’t touch anything!’
‘All right. Calm down. Describe what you can see.’
‘Lots of code … downloading fast …’
Letters and numbers continued to spill across the screen. They were incomprehensible to Jack, but in their midst a repeated symbol seemed to wink at him. Shaped like a fish, it was impossible to miss: the first letter of the Greek alphabet, Alpha. α
‘The Pentland’s running independently,’ the man told his team. ‘Some kind of bogus program. Anyone get this? Because I’m damned if I do.’
Jack’s heart thumped. The last time he’d seen equations like these was when he’d first found the mirror. It had brought his PC to life. But it couldn’t be powering the lamp. He hadn’t got the disc with him; it always stayed behind, pulling him back whenever a leap ended.
His gaze travelled up the spiral stairs. The giant lenses had begun turning the instant he’d arrived. What could possibly be the source of energy? Had he missed something up there?
The voices from his dream filled his head, willing him to hurry. ‘Tide – swell … Tide – swell.’
He gripped the telephone tightly. ‘I’m sorry. I have to go.’
‘Oh no you don’t. Stay right where you are. Listen, lad, we’ve got people on the way. I need to know what’s going on.’
Jack looked at the winking symbol.
So did he. He hung up.
***
He’d left the door to the walkway open. It banged on its hinges and the rain drove in sideways, drenching the lantern room floor and producing a thick mist which hung about the golden lenses like a luminous curtain.
Meaning to shut it, he groped his way forwards. But he’d barely gone two steps when a starburst of flashes from the revolving glass burnt on his retinas. He stood perfectly still. His senses told him he wasn’t alone.
‘Jack?’
Silhouetted against the glare of the lamp, a figure came towards him, two bare feet emerging through the damp haze. ‘You came back for me … Oh Jack, I knew you would!’
Tiny dots leapt across his field of vision. His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. There in front of him, clutching the remains of a life vest, stood Lily, her nightdress ballooning around her like a white bell.
‘I’m cold,’ she whispered, ‘ever so cold.’
Jack tore off his hoodie, his mind turning somersaults. When they’d jumped ship, he’d been holding her hand. Had he somehow drawn her with him as the light came on?
‘Here, take this,’ he blurted. ‘I can’t believe it … You’re safe!’
But before he could wrap the hoodie around her, Lily backed away in fright. ‘Don’t – please!’
‘What’s the matter?’
‘It’s no good. I tried counting like you said, but I – I –’ Her breath caught sharply and her whole body trembled. ‘I can’t remember anything.’
‘Don’t be silly. Of course you can. Put this on, you’ll freeze!’
‘You don’t understand.’ Distraught, Lily spread her arms wide. ‘Look at me, Jack. I can’t last much longer. You have to do something … Don’t leave me here.’
For a second he couldn’t work out what she meant. Then a knife seemed to twist inside him. There was no colour in her eyes, not the slightest hint of blue, and her down-turned lips were paler than the moon. It wasn’t the harsh light as he’d thought. Whenever the wind gusted, her long hair merely billowed in the same curious way as her clothes. Lily was exactly where he’d left her – in the ice-cold sea. And the apparition in front of him was no more substantial than the wind itself.
Hot tears gathered behind his eyes. She was dying, frozen by treacherous waves. And the lamp itself seemed to be playing a cruel trick, projecting her soul like an eerie hologram through a million droplets of vapour.
He pressed his lips together in a red line which didn’t quiver. ‘I made a promise,’ he said fiercely, ‘and I’m going to keep it. I’m learning how the mirror works. I’ve found out why the light failed. I can stop this –’
He broke off. Lily wasn’t listening. ‘There’s something coming for you,’ she said faintly. ‘Look.’
Her hand reached out as if trying to pluck a star from the air between them.
Bewildered, he stared at her. Her words made no sense. And slowly but surely her spirit seemed to be fading, returning to the ocean and her poor spent body.
‘Wait. They’re sending help; you can’t give up!’ Desperate to keep her conscious, he snatched at the one bright memory that connected them. ‘Remember the drawing you did? Talk to me!’
Lily’s face remained expressionless.
Far below a wave crashed on the rocks and a sheet of icy spray blew in. The salt water stung Jack’s eyes to tears, but he refused to blink. ‘You can’t forget. I won’t let you … Lily!’
Her stare was so glassy he thought she would never speak. Then, at last, her lips moved.
‘Pharos.’
Barely audible, the word hung in the air like a sigh.
The revolving light flashed over them. As it swept out to sea it took Lily with it, erasing her ghostly form in an instant.
‘No –’ Jack raced to the walkway, scouring the darkness for The Empress. But the waves had engulfed her too, rising like mountains that stretched as far as he could see to the rim of the world.
‘Alphaaa-a-a!’ he screamed. ‘Where are you?’
A cold wind tugged the roots of his hair.
He bowed his head and the tears he’d held back fell angrily. First his parents, now Lily – all lost. He raked desperately through his pockets for Indigo. But the smiling J on the horse’s back seemed only to mock him. And the tiny hooves raised in the air looked as if they might run away too. With a yell of utter fury, he hurled the keepsake into the sea.
A blue-white flash lit the darkness.
Soaked and exhausted, Jack flung himself down, certain it was only lightning. He pulled the hood of his fleece over his face. The mag
ic was beyond him: he’d failed. He buried his head in his arms and wept. His world was no bigger than himself and everything in it felt hopeless.
Sobs came thick and fast and in the midst of them, a dull ache gnawed at his chest. Thinking it must be his own sadness, he drew up his knees and hugged them tight. He’d never felt so alone.
Why, when he needed Alpha most, had the wolf disappeared? A big tear slid off the end of his nose. He shouldn’t have shouted when the pram had started rolling; he’d driven him away.
The ache sharpened, spreading down his back. With a sniff he tried to ignore it, but the more he thought about Alpha the worse it got, wrapping itself like a python around his ribs until his lungs grew tight and he began to cough.
A peculiar taste coated his tongue. Metal, petrol … and something else which made the hairs rise on his neck. The knowledge slammed into him. Alpha hadn’t deserted him; he was in trouble. Something bad was burning his insides, consuming him faster than if he’d swallowed poison. Fire.
‘What have you done?’ he muttered. He struggled to his feet, his eyes raking the coastline. Alpha had followed him. He could sense him, just as surely as he had from the train. He was alone on the cliffs, fighting an injury which seemed to be eating him alive.
Jack filled his lungs and belly with fresh, clean air. Then, not knowing how else to help, he exhaled sharply, pressing on his abdomen. Breathe, damn it, he told the wolf. Just breathe!
He took another gulp. And another. If he could have blown out a piece of his own soul and sent it to Alpha, he’d have done it. Use the wind, if you have to, he pleaded. For your own sake, let it go!
A deafening crack sounded overhead and the walkway under his feet trembled. Out of nowhere, an explosion of flames ripped across the darkness, setting the sky alight as if daytime had arrived. Jack stumbled back, staring with wide, stunned eyes. A fiery arch, like an orange rainbow, had formed over the place where the ship had been.
Behind him, the giant lenses continued to whirr and turn, directing the lighthouse beam slowly towards the spot. Then something even more extraordinary happened. As the beam passed through the centre of the arch, a doorway of light appeared to open in the sky. Goosebumps rose on his skin. Close to the water’s surface, a flurry of movement had begun. Even at a distance, he could see hundreds of glimmering shapes dipping and diving and skimming over the sea.
Almost immediately some of them took off and came streaming towards him, moving at such speed that when they drew close the rush of air nearly lifted him off his feet. He ducked down, shielding his face with his arms. He could only snatch glances, they were so bright, but amidst the glow he saw faces, silvery and shining: a white-capped steward, a teenage girl, the old man who’d tried to make him turn round …
A shiver ran through him. The whirr of machinery seemed to blot out every sound, yet he could have sworn the old man had spoken. He strained his ears to listen. More souls blazed over him and he caught it again, a faint murmur that seemed to carry a demand. ‘Tide … swell, Tide … swell.’
Gentle but insistent, like the birds from his dream, the whispering grew. What did they want?
One strong spirit appeared to be travelling faster than the rest, climbing higher and higher until, moments before reaching the lighthouse, he dropped like a stone out of view. Jack rushed forwards, leaning out as far as he dared to see what had become of him.
Directly below, on a rocky ledge overhanging the sea, the glowing outline of a large man was visible. Hunched over on his knees, he had one arm plunged into the water, like an enormous bear trying to grab a fish.
Jack’s heart danced. He would have recognised those broad shoulders anywhere. ‘Bill!’
The big man straightened up, the light expanding around him. His eyes met Jack’s. ‘Ent never seen nuffin so blue!’ he bellowed. ‘Reckon you’ll be needin’ this.’
Jack’s mouth hung open. A round piece of metal glinted in Bill’s hand: the mirror.
‘Let me ’elp, Mouse. I owe yer. Tell me what I can do.’
‘But how –?’
‘It were in the sea. The minute you arrived we all saw it. Ent no accident. You and that little ’orse of yours drew it ’ere somehow.’
‘Indigo?’
‘Aye. It took off like a bloomin’ missile when you threw him in.’
A spark of joy ignited inside Jack. How or why a tiny gift from his parents should produce such a momentous effect was beyond him. But he had a pretty good idea of what he needed to do now. His eyes roamed the web of starry trails above before returning to Bill. He thought of his promise to Lily. If he could just keep his friends alive, buy himself more time …
‘Bring it here,’ he yelled.
‘Right-oh.’
Bill set off, and in the few seconds it took him to climb the full height of the tower, Jack filled his lungs. He could sense Alpha watching and it gave him courage. Human spirits could be transformed; Jago had said so on the train. That was what the whispering souls had demanded.
‘Animus!’ he cried.
The mirror responded with a blue-white flash.
Ripples of light flowed outwards along Bill’s limbs, extending beyond him in a wide circle which grew and grew until it reached the souls as they swept inland, making them flicker. One by one, they tumbled towards the sea like falling leaves. Then, with a dramatic flip, they seemed to fold in on themselves and change direction. When they climbed back up, each one had transformed into a bold, bright seagull.
There was a loud clang. The largest bird of all landed beside him, dropping the mirror awkwardly from his beak.
‘Careful!’ Jack pounced on the disc to stop it rolling.
The seagull screeched furiously, batting his wings.
‘Okay, okay. You’re new to this … Me too!’
Smiling sheepishly, Jack rummaged in his rucksack for the paper bag which had contained Nan’s sandwiches. A sprinkling of crumbs blew away into the night like snowflakes and the seagull squawked again.
‘We’re going to need this,’ he said, smoothing the creases out of the bag. ‘And this …’ He produced his father’s pen. ‘I’ve got a job for you.’
The seagull cocked his head on one side, watching keenly as four lines of untidy letters spilled from the pen onto the brown paper. When he’d finished, Jack put the mirror inside the bag and rolled the end down. He held out the package. On it he’d written:
Jack Tideswell
12 Hill Rise
Morton Muxloe
Somershire
‘I want you to deliver this. It’s a long way. Think you can make it?’
The seagull hopped forwards, spreading his broad wings.
‘It isn’t just the distance. I’m sending you to the past. The mirror will take you back seven years. Understand? To the day of a big storm.’
He looked anxiously at the gull. The storm, no doubt, was Alpha’s and he’d be waiting. Not that he blamed the wolf for the chaos. Something had to shake me up, he thought.
He put the parcel in the seagull’s beak. ‘Don’t get blown away. I need this to arrive.’
Without wasting a moment, the gull lifted his long, white wings. Then before Jack could even scramble to his feet, he took off, banking sharply around the tower towards the coast.
Jack followed the white dot until, very soon, it was no bigger than the flecks of surf thrown up by the waves. At last he understood what Lily had been trying to tell him. When he’d arrived, so had the mirror – that’s what she’d seen in the sea. It had made the lamp work, powering the beam so she was visible too.
The hum of an approaching helicopter broke in on his thoughts. If only Harwich could have responded faster. The GPS failure must have sabotaged the rescue services too.
He shut his eyes, focussing on Bill. At least he’d won Lily and the others a reprieve of sorts.
Traces of the fiery rainbow faded to an orange mist and a strong breeze bore the seagull over the breakers towards the twinkling lights of Wakeham. In his beak the package began to glow …
Then, once more, the Pentland lighthouse shut down.
Chapter 32
A slow handclap echoed down the stairwell of the lighthouse. ‘Bravo! Quite a performance!’
Jago planted his hands on his hips, causing the trench coat to flare around him. ‘I lost track of the animuses you created. Seagulls, eh? Splendid! At least we know how the mirror came into your possession.’
Jack blinked in bewilderment. He was back on the landing next to the lantern room. ‘You saw them. How?’
‘You left the mirror spinning. I had only to reach out and take it. The pictures it showed us were … well, what can I say? Riveting.’
Jack glared at him.
‘Oh come on, cheer up. Your little delivery worked. Or you and I wouldn’t be here now!’
‘Where is it?’
‘Here.’ Jago tapped his pocket.
‘Give it back.’
‘I’m afraid I can’t.’
Jack lunged towards the pocket.
‘Now then! We’ll have none of that.’ Jago grabbed his wrist and pushed him away. ‘I’m sorry, Jack, the mirror’s mine. Alpha has done his job. He led me to it and you’ve shown me how it works.’
‘Alpha? What do you mean?’
‘Let this be a lesson to you. Trust no one. I mean it. This is a hard, unforgiving world.’
‘What are you talking about? It’s Alpha’s magic … he helped me!’
‘He didn’t.’ Jago’s eyes drilled holes into Jack’s. ‘You spoke the command; the mirror followed your will. And when the time comes, it will follow mine.’
‘It wasn’t like that. We did it together!’
‘Nonsense!’ stormed Jago. ‘Alpha’s duty is to serve me. The sooner you understand that, the better.’
Jack shook his head in disbelief. ‘Why are you doing this?’
‘I have my reasons. The mirror is mine by rights and I’ve waited a long time to find it – centuries, in fact.’