Spirit

by Daniela Sacerdoti

  “We’ll be freezing afterwards,” Elodie said.

  “We can light fires at the castle,” Nicholas replied gently. “You can get some rest.”

  “I’m fine.” Elodie cut him short. She didn’t want to call attention to herself. She didn’t want to be a burden on their mission. She steeled herself – she’d just ignore the wounds that kept bleeding, and the dreams that tormented her. She might be a flame about to go out, but she would burn the King of Shadows before it was all over.

  The sun had risen; and as the last pink rays burnt themselves out the strange lightning started again, its blue flashes intermittent, the clap of thunder breaking up the sky.

  A warning, Sarah thought again. And maybe a sign that they were getting closer. She walked beside Sean and touched his arm briefly, to show him she needed to talk to him. “What do you think about this castle thing he sprang on us?” she said in a low voice.

  Sean frowned. “I don’t trust him, and never will. But I want Elodie to have some proper rest, and if she can get warm and sleep on a bed for one night at least . . .”

  Sarah nodded. She took a breath and braced herself for the conversation that was to follow. It wasn’t easy to broach the subject with Sean.

  “Sean . . . I’m worried about Elodie. I mean, apart from her health. I’m worried that Nicholas is mind-moulding her like he did to me. That this is all an act, that he’s still looking for a wife and he’s moved on from me to Elodie.”

  Sean felt cold. “It can’t be. Remember what he said, about the way he chose you because your blood is strong? Elodie’s blood is . . . tainted.” He struggled to find the word, his chest tightening as he thought of his friend, so ill, so vulnerable.

  “So if he’s mind-moulding her, he must have another purpose. Some other plan.”

  “When he was doing it to you, you were in haze. Every time he was around, your eyes glazed over as if you were drunk.”

  “How do you know? You weren’t there. I’d sent you away,” she said. She’d been furious about his lie. But how could she have ever lived a life without Sean?

  Like a life without light, forever.

  Sean smiled. “I never left you, Sarah. I was watching you day and night. You just didn’t see me.”

  I love you, she thought, and once again, she wished they’d be alone, that those words could be spoken aloud. That they could find each other’s bodies and be close. For a moment they were silent.

  “I’m going to ask Niall to take over,” Sean said finally. “I mean, to guide Nicholas instead of Elodie. They’ll do as I say.”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Niall, maybe. But Elodie will do as you say? She’s her own person, you know that.”

  “You do as I say all the time,” he said, a mischievous smile in his eyes. “You wouldn’t dream of disobeying me.”

  Sarah laughed. “Sure. In your dreams. Nobody tells me what to do, Sean.”

  “I noticed.”

  “But if you say ‘please’, I’ll do whatever you want,” she said and walked forward, with a backward glance that made Sean’s heart double its rhythm.

  Soon they heard the sound of running water. The stream began where the trees ended, with barely a ribbon of pebbles between the forest and the water. There were no forests left in the human world as strong, as thick as this ancient one in the Shadow World. It was beautiful, and dangerous. And not made for human beings.

  Sarah crouched and felt the water. It was cold but not freezing, running white and foamy. Just over a hundred yards from them there was a little dam made of fallen branches and reeds, which slowed the water slightly.

  “Sean. Everything is going to get soaked,” she said in dismay. They’d have no food left except for a few cans. They had no time to hunt or forage. They would starve.

  “No, it isn’t. I’ll carry your stuff,” Micol intervened. Under everybody’s astonished gaze she took her shoes off, grabbed Sarah’s backpack and stepped into the water – onto the water.

  “Be careful. There are things in there,” Nicholas admonished her.

  Micol’s body lit up with electrical charges, and the stream turned multi-coloured, running in blue, green, yellow, red, and orange waves. They watched in awe as Micol walked on confidently, one foot in front of the other, her face focused, as if staying afloat was an effort. She was a little figure wrapped in deadly rainbows against the backdrop of the running stream. The water magnified the power of Micol’s charges, electrifying the stream all around her. Nothing will have survived that, thought Sarah. No fish, no little water creatures – no water demons. One by one, she took all their backpacks through and stood on the opposite shore.

  “I’ve fried everything!” she called over the sound of the water, and pointed at a few dead fish that had floated to the surface, entangled in a barrier of reeds.

  “Shit. Look at that,” said Niall. They followed his gaze towards the little dam. Something else had come to the surface, besides fish. Two strange bodies lay belly up, thick brownish skin and clawed paws, mouths semi-open to show pointed, deadly teeth. Like crocodiles, but smaller, longer, thinner – and it seemed to Sarah as she considered the length of their fangs, even more lethal. For a few moments the Surari’s corpses lay entangled in brambles and branches, hidden in the water, their edges bobbing on the surface, and then the power of the water propelled them downstream.

  “I’ve cooked them. Surari barbecue,” Micol smiled triumphantly.

  Alvise gazed at her with a half-smile. This young girl holds her own, he thought with admiration.

  “What?” she said, a challenge in her eyes.

  “Nothing. Just . . . you’re pretty incredible,” he said. And he meant it. They were so different, and still Micol reminded him of his own sister somehow. The same courage in the face of challenge. Micol looked away, pretending she didn’t care – but she did.

  “Half of us go in the water, half of us keep watch. Nicholas, Elodie, Alvise. You’re first. Quick!” Sean commanded. The first cohort stepped into the water, one after the other, swimming as fast as they could as more corpses of those horrific demon-crocodiles drifted downstream.

  As she dived, Elodie felt a shiver run down her back. She didn’t like the water. The memory of what happened on Islay – the demon jellyfish that had dragged her in the water with its sticky tentacles and nearly drowned her – was too close for comfort. Winter had saved her life, dragging her onto the stones where Sean found her, cradled by this silver-haired naked girl who looked as if she’d been born of a wave.

  Nicholas swam on blindly, clutching Elodie’s hand. Somehow he seemed to know exactly where to go, as if the senses he had left were guiding him while underwater. Alvise was used to the warm Mediterranean waters, and hated every stroke. He emerged with blue lips and shivering so violently his teeth were chattering.

  “Ready?” Sean asked Niall and Sarah as soon as he was sure that the first group had got to the other side safely. They nodded and jumped in without hesitation. Sarah wasn’t an exceptional swimmer, but she was good enough, and having swum in the chilly waters of Islay, she wasn’t too affected by the cold.

  Niall had been waiting for this moment for weeks. His heart soared as the water enveloped him. He was in his element at last. He crossed through easily, as if stepping across a sunny meadow, and he couldn’t help trying to steal one minute more in the water. But it could only be one minute – he knew that. He could breathe underwater and he couldn’t drown, but not even his Flynn powers could protect him from the demon-crocodiles and whatever else lurked in there and was waiting to take the place of those that Micol had exterminated. He too joined Sarah and the others onshore, and while they were still on the ground catching their breath, he jumped straight to his feet. He had never stopped breathing and the cold had no effect on him.

  In a split second, they realised that not all of them were on the other shore.

  Someone was missing.

  “Sean!” Sarah screamed, just as Elodie scrambled to the waterline
on her hands and feet, peering into the running water. Sarah was about to dive back in when Elodie grasped her forearm. “Don’t!” she cried out. “Let Niall go. He stands the best chance!”

  Sarah dragged herself onto her knees, panting in terror and frustration. Niall was nowhere to be seen; he’d already vanished back into the water.

  29

  If I Die Here

  If I die here –

  Your name will be the last word I say

  Niall swam against the current in frantic strokes, looking for Sean. He remembered the bodies of the demon-crocodiles trapped in the dam-like reeds not far from where they crossed – maybe Sean was trapped there too? It was worth a try.

  It didn’t take long for him to manoeuvre his body towards the dam. Niall was of the water, born to navigate it, and his powers were strong. The murky water made it difficult to see, but as Niall approached, he could make out the faintest flash of colour, the same colour as Sean’s clothes. And there he was, among the debris and brambles and floating branches – Sean, trapped inside the dam, his limbs secured to it with interwoven reeds. He was twitching, desperately trying to free himself, his cheeks puffed out in his attempt to store oxygen. Suddenly, Niall saw something out the corner of his eye – a dark-green arm ridged with minuscule tassels that flowed like seaweed – and then it was gone. Something was there, a Surari – but Niall couldn’t do anything about it. Sean had to be taken above water soon or he would drown.

  Niall threw himself on the dam, trying to free Sean’s limbs. He gathered at once that the dam couldn’t be a natural barrier. It had been woven, made by hands. It was a nest. Or a trap. The realisation filled him with dread. He’d seen the hand that had made the barrier, and that hand belonged to something that was still swimming around him, something that would not let go of its prey so easily.

  “Sean!” called Niall, breathing water like air.

  Sean’s limbs were flailing as he desperately tried to free himself, his face purple. He felt like his lungs were bursting. He needed to breathe. He needed air . . .

  Niall was nearly there. He could nearly touch Sean’s hand . . . but powerful fingers wrapped themselves around his ankles, pulling and pulling, trying to drag him away from Sean. Niall bent his body backwards – he was as agile as a seal – and his eyes met the creature’s. Finally he could see it. It looked very similar to a Merman, but its scaly skin was dark green and not blue, its gills faintly throbbing at the sides of its face. Its eyes were yellow with slit pupils, and there were too many teeth to fit in its mouth – pointed, thin, needle-like. Weeds were dangling from its arms and legs like ripped clothes, and little black creatures had made a home on its chest, attached to it like leeches or growing larvae. All of a sudden, he realised that a sickening smell had spread in the water around them, and he felt himself gag. Niall took a deep watery breath and kicked his legs towards the creature as hard as he could – the demon had to let go.

  He did a somersault in the water, and his eyes met Sean, who was still trying to free himself. Only then did he notice that a trickle of blood was leaking off his friend and colouring the water around them. Niall knew that there was no point in trying to free Sean there and then, the mer-creature would have stopped him again. He had to destroy it first. He took hold of his dagger and lunged at it, stabbing its arms and hands and chest, green blood leaking from the wounds.

  The demon howled, an eerie sound that travelled underwater to the ears of those on shore, and threw itself at Niall, grabbing blindly with its bleeding arms extended and trying to claw at his face. Niall tasted his own blood but felt no pain. It had been all too quick. Rage burnt inside him, and terror. How long can a man survive without air? How long will Sean last before his heart gives in?

  Sean wanted to call out, but he couldn’t. His lungs were exploding, stars dancing at the edge of his vision. The reeds were like chains, and he couldn’t free himself. He was suffocating. He desperately tried to keep his mouth closed until his instinct got the best of him, and finally he gasped for air. But there was no air, only water that filled his mouth and his throat and his lungs. He jerked for a few seconds – darkness was all around him, every bit of his body and mind screaming in panic. I’m dying. Who’s going to look after Sarah? was his last conscious thought. And then his body was still.

  The demon, bleeding and weakened but animated by its survival instinct, grabbed Niall’s arm and shook it violently. Niall’s dagger went floating away with the current. The mer-creature wrapped its slippery hands around Niall’s neck. With enormous effort, and the Surari’s grip tightening around his throat, Niall pulled upwards, upwards, carrying the demon with him.

  On his way up Niall grabbed Sean’s hand and held on to him, trying to take him to the surface. At first, Sean didn’t budge, and Niall’s upwards arc was interrupted with a jerk – but he wouldn’t let go. The Surari’s hands were unyielding around his neck, and he was slowly suffocating. He couldn’t take any more. He sank a knee into its chest, and propelled it away in a cloud of green blood.

  He hadn’t let go of Sean. He tugged harder, now with both hands, but it wasn’t enough. He pulled and ripped reeds, ignoring the cuts in his hands and how the water was coloured red around him, until finally Sean’s body shifted slightly, and then some more. Niall swam towards the surface, his left hand tight around Sean’s wrist, his right hand propelling them – and this time Sean’s body followed.

  As they emerged from the water Niall managed to scream, “Take him onshore!” before strong, cruel arms pulled him down again. Niall caught a glimpse of a pair of male arms clad in a white shirt – Alvise? – drag Sean away.

  He’d done it. Sean would survive.

  Niall prepared himself to fight. Winter, he called silently.

  It all happened very fast. The mer-creature was now in front of him, hands poised to strangle, teeth ready to bite. And then it stopped, and shuddered, and its eyes went wide in shock and horror. Its unconscious body began to float upwards.

  Niall stared, not quite believing what had just happened, and then he felt something brush his leg. The dark, toothy shape of a demon-crocodile swam around him. He was filled with blind terror, and his instinct kicked in, leading him upwards and towards the shore faster than he’d ever swum, where friendly arms waited to pull him to safety. As he was pulled onshore, he felt a red-hot pain coming from his legs. The skin on his shins had been shredded, but it was too late for the demon-crocodiles. Niall would not be their next meal.

  “Sean,” was the first thing he said as he breathed air again.

  30

  Breathe

  Your words to me

  Are oxygen

  Sean

  This time, I really think I am dead. And then my eyes open of their own accord, and I cough and splutter and vomit water until, at last, air comes into my lungs. Above me the sky is on fire – dawn, sunset? I don’t know – and Sarah’s face appears. Water keeps trickling from my mouth and another coughing fit splits my sides.

  “Sean . . .” She’s calling my name, like a prayer. Her hair brushes my face as she leans above me. Her closeness is like oxygen. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe . . .”

  A few ragged breaths – painful, but so blissful – the feeling of Sarah’s hands on my face. Elodie’s anguished face above me now.

  “Ça va? Sean, ça va?” she keeps saying.

  Sarah helps me up and I can’t quite believe I’m alive. My lungs are hurting more than I can say, my heart beats furiously, as if trying to make up for all the time it was still underwater, when I was trapped in the Surari’s nest.

  “Niall?” I manage to rasp and gurgle before taking another deep, painful breath. His voice comes from somewhere behind me. I turn around and I see him, his hands clasped in his lap, bleeding profusely.

  “I’m fine. I was in the mood for a long swim anyway . . .”

  “Your hands!”

  “Just a graze. We owe Alvise our lives.” He points at the water and I follow h
er gaze to the Surari’s body, tangled, face-down in the same dam where it’d trapped me. Two arrows are sticking from its back, green water flowing over its body.

  I’m about to thank Alvise, when somebody screams, and I turn back to the water in time to see another Surari jump out of the stream with a leap that would be impossible for a human being. It attacks the first thing it sees – Micol – and flattens her on the grass.

  I fumble, looking for my sgian-dubh, my reflexes slow and sluggish – but there’s no need. Sarah has thrown herself on the creature already, freeing Micol, and they roll on the ground together. Sarah’s hands sink into its skin. The Surari raises its head to the sky and howls, a howl of pain that has something unsettlingly human about it. The creature does resemble a human being, one that evolution has programmed to live underwater. The eerie sound stops quickly, and the mer-creature lies still, Blackwater seeping off its body, until it dissolves in one last gush. So there was a pair of them. Probably male and female. Sarah must be thinking the same, because she’s looking at the dead Surari with something resembling pity. I’ll leave compassion to her. There is no room in my heart for it now.

  “Are you okay?” she asks Micol. The Italian girl looks ashen, but she’s unharmed.

  “Yes. Thank you,” she says, and looks down. I can feel she still resents Sarah – and no wonder.

  “Let’s get away from here,” I say, and take Alvise’s hand as he helps me up. The world spins around me, but I soon find my feet. I want away from this place; there might be more mer-demons, and who knows what else hides in those waters.

  “Not far now,” says Nicholas, his stride more confident than ever. He can almost walk as he used to before he was blinded. Maybe it has something to do with getting closer to his home. “Soon we can rest.”