The Wild and Lonely Sea

by Isobel Robertson

  “You can’t stay here,” she said, this time adding a firm push of magic. Delfie squeaked up at her one more time, then turned to leave, his fin vanishing into the water as he swam away. Her throat tightened a little. If only he could have stayed - but he would be happier at home. She would see him in a few days. Weeks at most. Turning back towards the land, she set off on the first steps of her new journey.

  As she waded through the long grass that lined the river, her heart pounded so hard that it made her feel a little faint. Real adventure awaited her at last. She scrambled to the top of the bank, onto a gravel road - and immediately realised her first mistake. She had not brought anything to cover her feet, and the sharp stones cut into her skin. She knew very well that humans always wore shoes - how could she have forgotten to bring any? The pain sliced so intensely that she had to limp along the dirt edges of the road, trying her hardest to avoid any stray pieces of gravel.

  “Are ye well, miss?” an elderly man called down from her from his seat on a cart, the reins held loosely in his hand as he lent down to squint at her. A thick tartan cloth was wrapped around his shoulders.

  “I am quite well, thank you sir,” Lisbetta said, determinedly continuing along. He shrugged and drove past, disappearing around the bend up ahead of her. With a sigh, she sent a little surge of magic to her feet, coating them in an invisible cushion. So much for passing as a human. She’d failed already. Still, at least she could now walk without pain. She would have to buy shoes as soon as she reached the city.

  Entering Glasgow was a bewildering, overwhelming experience. The smells hit Lisbetta first, drifting out from the city like an invisible cloud. She almost gagged at the richness of human sweat, dead animals, rotten water, and bodily waste. Toning down her strong senses, she tried to breathe normally. How did humans live like this? Did they have no clean water at all, not even for washing and drinking?

  Next came the sounds of the city, faint at first but increasingly filling her ears with indistinguishable swirls of noise. Man and animal cries blurred into one, with the ever-present screeches of the seagulls. Then, at last, the city itself appeared on the horizon, a low sprawl of buildings scattered across the rolling hills, the tall masts of the ships showing her the line of the river. Whatever she had expected, this mess and chaos wasn’t it.

  She wandered the streets of the city, following the crush of people in the direction of the docks. The River Clyde flowed through the heart of the city, and everything seemed to gravitate towards it. All the streets funnelled Lisbetta closer and closer to the river, with its familiar soft scent of the sea. Everything around her felt unfamiliar and terrifying, sending electric shocks of excitement through her body. She had made it. This was real.

  “We dinnae take kindly to beggars in this city,” a man said sternly, grabbing her arm and jerking her out of her reverie.

  She looked at him in confusion, shocked that anyone had dared touch her. She really had come a long way from home.

  “I am no beggar, sir,” she told him frostily. He glared down at her, his gaze cold and his grip hard. She intensified her stare and he jerked back as if she had struck him. Magic certainly had its uses. She continued on her way, her head held high, but inside her nerves began to grow. Human life did not seem friendly.

  People jostled and bumped against her in the busy street, and she held her bag tightly against her, suddenly wondering why on earth she’d thought it sensible to carry something so valuable. If she lost her sealskin, she would be trapped. Only the minor selkie magics worked without the skin; shape-shifting was impossible.

  But at least those minor magics should be enough to protect her against any thieves. She was a selkie princess, heir to the throne of the entire North Atlantic. What did she have to fear from a few tattered, stinking humans? They were the ones who should fear her.

  Caught up in her own thoughts, she crashed back to reality when she walked straight into a large man. Her face actually hit his chest, sending her head snapping backwards.

  “Apologies, sir,” she said, looking up at his face nervously as she tried to back away. Hands touched her hips as another man came up behind her. She slapped the hands away, but the first man grabbed her wrists. They had trapped her.

  “Let go of me right now,” she said, magic edging her words. But it did not seem to affect them at all.

  “And why would we do that?” the first man asked. “I think we’ll take ye along. Could do with a woman for the journey.”

  “I certainly won’t go anywhere with you!” Lisbetta said angrily. She drew a breath to scream, then something cold touched the back of her neck. A knife. The man held a knife to her neck while his friend kept her hands trapped. Pure terror washed down her spine, drying out her throat and fogging her mind. She whispered the first spell that came to mind, a spell to cause the men pain. But nothing happened.

  “Won’t work on us,” the man said. “We’ve dealt with witches before.”

  She tried to draw on her deeper magic, the kind that could turn these men into dust, but she needed to touch her sealskin for that. Why had she ever thought she could keep herself safe?

  With no choice but to obey, at least for now, she let the men guide her along. They led her out of the alleyway she had accidentally wandered into, and back out onto the main street. The knife had vanished, but she knew it could easily reappear. One man still grasped her wrist in his massive hand, holding her too close for any chance at escape. She would have to wait for a better moment.

  She found herself walking along the edge of the river, just as she had intended, although under very different circumstances.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked one of the men, but he ignored her. She could scream for help, but not with the knife so close. Selkies were long-lived, not immortal. If she could only get hold of her sealskin, these men would regret ever laying a finger on her.

  The men walked her right onto the docks, until they stood beside a ship that swayed gently in the river water. These men were sailors? How could they spend their lives at sea and still not feel her power?

  “Now, cross this gangplank careful like. No funny business. Jump and we’ll shoot ye in the water.”

  Standing on the edge of a narrow plank, Lisbetta looked down at the murky river water below her. Should she take the risk? She could certainly swim to freedom. But what if they did have a gun? She didn’t know all that much about human weapons, but there had been selkies shot by human guns before, and she’d heard of the damage they could do. Once again, she would just have to wait. Hopefully she wouldn’t regret this decision.She let the man lead her across the plank, his hand cutting into her wrist. He must have bruised her by now.

  Once on deck, she found herself the centre of attention. Five other men clustered round, all looking at her far too hungrily, although none of them touched her.

  “The captain’s going tae be pleased with ye!” one man said, and Lisbetta couldn’t help but shiver.

  “This is all a misunderstanding,” she said loudly. “If you don’t let me go right now, you’ll regret it!” The men laughed but otherwise ignored her, turning away to talk among themselves. The man holding her wrist stayed silent.

  She tried her magic again, reaching out to touch each man’s mind, but they were completely guarded, as if behind heavy stone walls. How could they all be so resistant to her magic? She had never been so out of control, so lost, or so confused. It was as if she floated outside her body, watching as she stood numbly on the ship’s deck, staring out at the waves as sailors talked and joked all around her. She could barely feel the wood underneath her bare feet any more.

  “So, what do you have for me here?”

  A new voice, full of authority. She wanted to turn around and see the face that came with it, but fear kept her frozen still.

  “Some homeless beggar girl, by the looks of her rags. Found her wanderin’ round the streets all alone. Thought she might scrub up well enough for ye.”

  The m
an looked her up and down. “Well, I’ve certainly never been fussy. Thanks for thinking of me. Tie her up and leave her down in the hold for now. I’ll decide if I want her later.”

  “Father, this is ridiculous. Leave the girl alone.”

  A dark-haired young woman strode over to stand in front of Lisbetta, a frown on her face.

  “Stay out of this, Norah,” the authoritative man snapped. “Don’t meddle in men’s business. Get back to your cabin before you regret it.”

  “Yes, father,” the young woman said, her voice sulky. She walked away, casting one look back over her shoulder at Lisbetta. A friend, perhaps?

  “Aye, captain,” the man holding Lisbetta’s wrist said. He gave her a tug, then pulled her even harder. She stumbled on the planks, then stepped forward onto nothingness and found herself falling. She hit the floor hard, gasping for breath as all the air flew out of her lungs. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at a blue square of sky. She seemed to have fallen through some sort of hatch. Up on the deck above, she could hear the men laughing.

  “Dinnae think she’s used tae life at sea,” one said.“No’ exactly a graceful lady.”

  Fools.

  The man jumped down beside her. She shrank away from him, but he reached forwards to grab her wrists anyway. She fought then, screaming in his face and kicking hard as she tried to get away from him. Her bag had slipped off her shoulder, lying beside her on the rough wooden floor, too far for her to reach while the man held her wrists. She could dimly hear the men still laughing,but she couldn’t stop screaming, her entire body overcome with panic.

  The man twisted her around, slamming her face first into a pile of rough cloth sacking which scratched at the skin of her face. Her arms were twisted behind her at an angle so sharp she screamed again but the sound barely came out, muffled by the fabric filling her mouth. Something wrapped around her wrists, binding them tightly. The man had tied her up, as he’d been instructed. There was no way she could reach her skin now.

  “I’m finished for now,” the man said gruffly. “Dinnae scream again, or ye’ll regret it.”

  He moved away, and she heard a creaking sound, then the slam of the hatch. He must have climbed back up onto the deck and left her here alone.

  Carefully, she rolled over, her bound hands burning as her weight pressed onto them. She couldn’t quite sit up, but at least she could look around her. She lay in a dim room, lit only by a little light filtering in through small, dirty round windows.

  All around her, she could hear the sea slapping against the wooden walls. She must be close to the water line. The waves felt tantalisingly close - almost home. She closed her eyes and reached out tendrils of magic, stroking the water. To her surprise, it had a familiar feel. Had Erlend been here? She must be mistaken. Erlend would have no reason to travel to Glasgow, and surely no one had followed her, or she would have been rescued by now.

  She looked around the rest of the little room, hoping for anything that could help her escape. Chests and sacks lined the room, draped with bright splashes of fabric. She wiggled closer, trying to make out the designs on the fabric. Flags. They were all different flags, presumably from other ships.

  With a sick, sinking feeling, she realised where she was: in the hold of a pirate ship. Just her luck to be captured by pirates who seemed immune to magic. Not a good beginning to her adventure. Outside the ship, the water rolled and crashed ever higher as she cried.

  *****

  Chapter 3

  Lisbetta managed to sleep for a while. Her arms burned behind her back, but the familiar rhythm of the waves lulled her into a dreaming sleep, away from the pain.

  She woke with a start, jerked out of her dreams by shouts up above. What was happening? Were they coming for her?

  “When I say I’m done, I’m done,” a voice shouted. The lilting, musical accent sounded strange, different from the men who’d grabbed her earlier. Who was it? No trace of selkie magic hung in the air, so it couldn’t be one of her mother’s people.

  “You’re done when I say you are,” another voice growled in reply. She recognised the captain this time. It sounded like this new man was no friend of his.

  A sudden flash of magic cut through the air, invisible but strong enough to knock Lisbetta sideways and send her flying across the floor, crashing hard into one of the chests. The hatch flew open and two men fell in beside her, half-stunned from the magic and the hard landing. The hatch slammed shut again as Lisbetta wiggled into a seated position, staring wide-eyed at the newcomers.

  “Apologies for the disturbance, ma’am,” one man said after a moment. A huge giant of a man, he had shaggy red hair and a thick red beard.

  “That’s quite alright,” she managed, her voice strained. “I suppose none of us are here out of choice.”

  “We willnae be here tae long,” the other man said, and she turned her attention to him. He was slim and small compared to the first man, with nondescript brown hair and tanned skin. She couldn’t see his face clearly in the dim light, but his eyes glinted as he watched her intently.

  “You have an escape plan?” she asked quietly. “Please, take me with you.”

  The smaller man answered. “Agreed, ma’am. We wouldnae leave any lady here for Sigurd to do as he likes with.”

  “Sigurd? That’s the captain?”

  “Our old boss,” the red-haired man drawled.

  “Business associate,” the other man corrected. “And not any more. But aye, we plan tae escape. And aye, we will take ye with us.”

  “Right,” the red-haired man said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s get this hatch open and get oot of here. Reckon ye can make it o’er the side and onto shore in time?”

  The second man nodded and turned to Lisbetta.

  “Can ye run, ma’am?”

  “I can make it far enough.” Lisbetta said. “You may need to untie my hands, though.”

  The smaller man moved towards her slowly, obviously expecting her to panic. She kept her breath steady, even as his nearness brought her panic rushing back up. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth as he gently took hold of her hands. A strange sawing noise set her teeth on edge, then the rope dropped away and her hands were free. She levered herself upright and turned around as the man slipped a small knife back into his belt.

  “Sigurd let you keep your weapons?”

  The red-haired man laughed. “The fool thinks his wee magic tricks’ll protect him. Shows how little he knows. Now, time for the hatch, Cormac.”

  The other man, who must be Cormac, climbed up the short ladder and gingerly reached one hand towards the hatch edge. The singe of magic coursed through the air all the way to Lisbetta. A powerful spell sealed that hatch. It would be no match for a selkie with her skin, though. She turned to where she had last seen her bag - and saw bare planks.

  “I need to find my bag!” she said, but neither man responded.

  Cormac gently inserted the tip of his knife into the gap around the edge of the hatch. Impossibly, unbelievably, it seemed to be slicing through the magic itself. What kind of knife was this? How many human pirates dabbled in magic?

  “Get ready to run,” the red-haired man said.

  “I need to find my bag,” she told him.

  “We only have a few minutes to make it,” Cormac said from the top of his ladder. “I can buy us a wee bit of time, then ye’ll have to hold them off, Red. Ready to go, ma’am?”

  “Not yet,” she said. But the red-haired man grabbed her by the waist and pushed her towards the ladder. Cormac seized her arm, pulling her upwards.

  “I can’t leave until I’ve found my bag,” she protested, but no one seemed to be listening to her.

  “Let’s go,” Cormac said. Throwing the hatch open, he jumped, rolling onto the deck. He dragged Lisbetta with him as the other man pushed her from below. She hit the deck hard, rolling sideways as something exploded beside her.

  Suddenly, the air filled with fresh magic, sharp and strange-scented. Sh
e scrambled onto her feet, disoriented and confused by all the noise. Thick white smoke shrouded everything around her so that she could barely see her own feet.

  “This way,” Cormac shouted hoarsely in her ear. He grabbed her shoulder, steering her across the deck. She stumbled along blindly, leaning against him, his body warm and comforting in the confusion. The ship’s railing appeared in front of them suddenly as the smoke started to fade.

  “Where’s the damn gangplank,” Cormac muttered. She desperately scanned the railing and spotted the break where she had crossed over to the ship. She tugged Cormac towards it.

  “Red!” he shouted. “Get moving!”

  He pushed Lisbetta onto the plank and she stumbled along for a few paces before turning to look at him. He still stood on the deck, knife in hand, a cluster of pirates gathering around him.

  “Red!” he shouted again. “Get out here, you eejit!”