‘I’ll think about it,’ said Rose airily, and as Mum turned away she leered at Lizzy as if to say, ‘Wriggle out of that one!’
Lizzy didn’t stick her tongue out, as she knew Rose expected her to do, but looked away. She felt desperately uncomfortable, but not because of Rose’s teasing. She was thinking about Mum and Dad, and how they would react if they knew the truth about Kes. The Baxters loved her as if she were their own child. How would they feel if they knew that she had found her brother and was soon to meet her real mother? Would they be glad? Hurt? Angry? Lizzy didn’t know, and she was very confused. Part of her wanted to tell them about her discovery, but deep down she knew she couldn’t. Because, if she did, she would have to tell them everything – including the fact that Morvyr was a mermaid, and she herself was only half human. They wouldn’t believe it, of course. How could they? They’d think she had invented some crazy fantasy about her own past, and that would upset them. Even if she proved it by showing them that she could breathe underwater, what then? They’d probably be frightened. They might even turn against her. After all, most people would call her a freak. Why should Mum and Dad and Rose be any different? They’d stop loving her. Whatever else happened, Lizzy couldn’t bear that.
She realized suddenly that Rose was staring at her, and quickly she forced her face into what she hoped was a normal expression.
‘Lizzy?’ Rose sounded contrite. ‘I didn’t upset you, did I? Sorry – it was only a tease.’
Lizzy managed something like a smile. ‘Course you didn’t upset me,’ she said. ‘I’m just… a bit tired, that’s all.’
‘Too much sun, sea and sand,’ said Dad.
Both the girls ignored him. ‘Tell you what,’ Rose went on, ‘Paul’s going out with his dad on their fishing boat tomorrow. I’m going along to the harbour to see them off. Want to come?’
Lizzy hesitated. She knew this was Rose’s way of trying to make up, and she longed to say yes. But what if Morvyr came back, and wanted to see her? For all her worries, nothing was more important than that.
‘I… er… yes, maybe,’ she said. ‘I’ll – think about it.’
Rose shrugged, looking slightly miffed. ‘Please yourself,’ she said. ‘I just thought I’d offer.’
‘Thanks.’ Lizzy felt guilty. ‘I’d like to, I really would if… if I can.’
Rose stared curiously at her. But she didn’t say anything else.
In bed that night, Lizzy’s mind churned with the thoughts that had haunted her earlier, and when she did finally go to sleep she had troubling dreams in which she saw Mum fighting with Taran, the cruel mermaid Queen. Everything was muddle and confusion, and she was thankful when she woke up just after seven o’clock.
For a while she lay in bed, looking at another bright and sunny day outside and trying not to think about anything. She could hear somebody moving around downstairs. Dad, probably; he usually got up before anyone else. She didn’t want to go down and talk to him. Right at the moment, she didn’t want to talk to anybody.
But it seemed that somebody wanted to talk to her.
At first she didn’t know where the sound was coming from. It was a voice, and she thought it was calling her name. It wasn’t Dad, though. Someone outside? She didn’t think so and, anyway, it was very distorted. Crazily, the thing that occurred to her was that it sounded like someone using a mobile phone underwater.
Underwater…
‘Oh!’ Lizzy gasped in shock and sat up. The voice was coming from her shell!
She scrambled out of bed and snatched the shell up, holding it to her ear. Sounds of the sea swirled and hissed – then, almost lost among them, she thought she heard her name again.
‘Kes?’ she cried.
‘Lizzy… Lizzy…’ Was she really hearing it, or was it her imagination? She couldn’t be sure. But a strange feeling was forming in her mind. The beach – she must go to the beach, as soon as she could!
The voice in the shell was fading as the sea noises surged again. Lizzy’s hand shook as she put the shell down, but her eyes were shining. Kes had called to her. She had heard him. And the message she had felt in her bones could only mean one thing. Morvyr must have returned.
She realized that there was a smell of cooking wafting up from the kitchen. Breakfast. But she was far, far too excited to even think of eating. Hastily she threw on the first clothes she could find, and pounded down the stairs.
Dad was at the stove frying bacon and eggs.
‘Morning, thunder-feet!’ he said cheerfully, and waved his spatula at the frying pan. ‘Plenty here for everyone!’
Lizzy skidded to a halt and her face fell. ‘Oh… no, thanks, Dad. I – I’m not really hungry.’
Dad looked at her with concern. ‘You said that yesterday too. I wonder if you’re sickening for something?’
Alarmed, Lizzy protested, ‘Honestly, I’m fine!’
‘Well, it isn’t like you not to want breakfast two days running. Maybe I’ll have a word with Mum –’
‘No!’ If Dad and Mum thought there was anything wrong with her, she wouldn’t be allowed to go to the beach. There was no choice; she had to play along, and, though her stomach turned over at the thought, Lizzy added hastily, ‘Perhaps I will have some, then.’
‘That’s the girl! Give Mum a call and tell her it’s ready, will you?’
‘OK. Is she upstairs?’
‘Yes, getting dressed. She’s going in to Truro this morning, to see about doing some admin work at the hospital.’
‘Oh, right.’ Mum had worked part-time since the girls were old enough not to need her so much. She’d be pleased if she found a good job so soon after moving here, Lizzy thought. ‘What about Rose?’ she added.
‘I’d leave her, if I were you,’ said Dad. ‘She seems to have forgotten her early rising craze, and she wouldn’t eat this anyway. Then you can sit down and I’ll dish it up.’
Somehow Lizzy forced herself to eat an egg, a rasher of bacon and half a tomato. She just hoped she wouldn’t be sick later. As she fought her way through it Mum said, ‘Are you going to the beach again this morning, or would you rather come to Truro with me and do some shopping after my interview?’
Lizzy’s heart thumped. ‘Oh… the beach, please. It’s a bit too hot for town.’ She eyed Mum hopefully. ‘Is that OK?’
‘Yes, fine. But if you’re going to swim, stay in sight of the lifeguards, all right?’
‘All right.’ And Lizzy thought: Oh, Mum… if only you knew!
Chapter Nine
As soon as she had eaten enough to avoid making Mum and Dad suspicious, Lizzy grabbed her wetsuit and ran all the way to the beach. At this early hour there was hardly anyone around, and as she ran to the sea’s edge there was a splashing further out and Kes surfaced.
‘You heard me!’ he said eagerly as he splashed out of the water to where she stood.
‘Yes!’ Lizzy’s eyes shone. ‘It was fantastic – I couldn’t really make out what you were saying, but I knew you wanted me to meet you here. Oh, Kes, has Morvyr come back?’
He nodded. ‘She got home late last night. And she’s sent me to fetch you. She’s so excited!’
‘Me too.’ Lizzy’s heart was pounding like a hammer under her ribs. She started to pull her wetsuit on. ‘I can hardly believe it – to see her, and to see your home –’
‘Well…’
Lizzy stopped wrestling with the suit. ‘Is something wrong?’
He frowned. ‘No, but… it’s a bit strange, but she doesn’t want me to bring you home. She’ll meet us at another cave, a bit further down the coast.’
‘Why?’ Lizzy was baffled.
‘I don’t know. I asked, of course, but she just said it would be better for all of us.’
It was Lizzy’s turn to frown. ‘I don’t understand. Doesn’t she want me to see where you live? After all, it was my home too, once.’
‘I don’t understand, either. Unless it’s got something to do with what happened to me on my way back yesterday…’
‘What was that?’
‘I kept getting this weird feeling that someone was following me. Watching.’ Kes glanced over his shoulder, as if half expecting his mysterious pursuer to appear out of the water. ‘I told Mother. She said I shouldn’t worry about it, but I wonder if that’s what made her decide to meet us somewhere else.’
Lizzy was beginning to feel uneasy. ‘You don’t know who it was?’
‘No. I looked back a few times, but I didn’t see anyone. It was just a feeling.’
‘What about this morning? Did it happen again when you were on your way here?’
Kes shook his head. ‘Arhans and the other dolphins are around, though. Maybe whoever it was – if it was anyone at all – didn’t want to get too close to them.’
Lizzy wasn’t happy about this. Someone following Kes… why? What did they want? And why would they be anxious to keep away from the dolphins? She looked at the sea and said dubiously, ‘Are you sure it’s safe to go out there now?’
‘Oh, yes. Arhans isn’t far away. Look, we’d better go before the lifeguards turn up and see us. Are you ready?’
Was she? Lizzy wondered. To meet her real mother at long last… was she really ready for that?
She pushed her doubts down and swallowed. ‘Yes,’ she said.
Kes smiled. Then they waded into the water, plunged into the waves and struck out from the shore. Past the surf, they both turned to look back at the beach.
Lizzy’s heart was bumping. But she knew, now, what she could do.
Together, they dived under the water.
Again Lizzy’s mind reeled with wonder as she followed Kes through the blue-green world just a few metres under the sea. She could still hear the noise of the surf, a kind of rhythmic, thrumming roar, but as they left the land behind it grew fainter. At last it faded away, and there was just the quiet swirl of the current flowing past them. Kes had not changed into a merboy, but all the same he was swimming quickly, urging her to hurry. She concentrated on keeping up with him, and found it surprisingly easy. In the distance she could dimly see other shapes, sleek and fast: a glimmer of silver showed on the side of one, and through the water she heard the dolphins whistling to each other. The knowledge that they were there was very reassuring.
After a while Kes turned and headed towards the surface. Lizzy went after him, and moments later their heads bobbed up into air and sunlight. She was astonished to see how far they had swum. The bay was out of sight, hidden behind a jutting headland. All she could see were the rocky outlines of the coast stretching away towards Land’s End. And the sea. For a moment she was frightened – it looked so vast and endless that it made her feel like a tiny helpless speck. But then she remembered what Kes was – and what she was – and the fear went away.
Kes pointed along the coast. ‘See those rocks reaching out into the water? That’s where we’re going. If you look hard, you can make out the cave entrance.’
Lizzy peered, blinking water from her eyes. Just beyond the rocks, a narrow fissure showed in the cliffs.
‘Mother will be waiting for us,’ Kes added. ‘Come on.’
I’m going to meet my real mother. And she’s a mermaid… Lizzy had said the words to herself over and over again since yesterday, and each time she thought about it, a little lurch of fear made a knot in her stomach. This time, though, there was excitement mingled with it. And it was far too late to turn back.
She gave Kes a nervous smile, and together they dived again.
The water turned green and dim as they neared the cliffs, and the rocks below the surface looked like huge threatening shadows coming to meet them. Above their heads waves were foaming and washing back in great surges, and for a few awful moments Lizzy wondered how they could ever get through to the cave. The dolphins had veered away and disappeared, not wanting to go too close to the treacherous coastline. But Kes took a firm hold of her hand and towed her with him towards a narrow channel. Dark walls rose on either side, seeming to rush past as they swam. Then suddenly there was sand beneath them, and they found their feet and surfaced on a shelving beach inside the cave.
Lizzy could only stare and stare. The cave had a high arched roof, and the noise of the sea echoed in it like a singing voice. The sand they stood on was silvery-white and very fine. It sloped upwards to a ridge, and beyond the ridge was a pool of calmer water. A large rock jutted up from the middle of the pool.
And on the rock sat a mermaid.
Lizzy’s heart gave such an enormous thump that she felt as if it had turned upside down under her ribs. The mermaid had hair of pale white-gold that curled over her shoulders and cascaded down her back like a waterfall. It was exactly the same colour as Lizzy’s. Her eyes were grey, like the sea in winter. But instead of human legs, she had a long green tail that shimmered with silvery scales, like the tail of a fish.
Kes said, ‘Mother… I’ve brought Tegenn.’
The mermaid stared at Lizzy, and above the echoing sea sounds Lizzy heard her gasp. Then she put both hands to her face and said softly, ‘Tegenn – is it really you?’
Lizzy began to tremble. Slowly she walked to the edge of the pool and stopped. She and the mermaid gazed at each other. Then Lizzy whispered, ‘M-mother…?’
‘Oh, my little Tegenn!’ The mermaid held out her arms, and Lizzy flung herself forward, splashing through the pool to the rock. They hugged each other tightly, both laughing and crying at once, while Kes just stood by with a big happy smile on his face.
At last the crazy excitement died down enough for Morvyr to hold Lizzy at arm’s length.
‘Let me look at you!’ she said. ‘Oh, this is such a joyous moment! When Kes said he had found you, I didn’t believe it – I dared not believe it! But then he told me about your locket. And now that I see you for myself, there can be no doubt. My own lost daughter has come back to me!’
Tears were still streaming down Lizzy’s cheeks, and she felt dizzy with an incredible sense of wonder. She could hardly believe that this was happening. It was like a fairy tale, something magical and impossible. And yet somehow it had come true. Like Morvyr, there was no doubt in her mind. She knew that she had found her real family at last.
‘There are so many things I want to say!’ said Morvyr. ‘So much to ask and to tell. And the first thing of all…’ She gazed intently at a spot below Lizzy’s neck, and Lizzy realized that she was looking at the mother-of-pearl locket.
‘Yes,’ said Morvyr softly. ‘It is the one.’ She reached out and took it in her hand. ‘Your father made this locket when you were born,’ she told Lizzy.
‘Th-there’s a curl of hair inside,’ Lizzy said. ‘Everyone always said it must be mine, but I – I wondered…’ Her voice tailed off.
‘It’s mine,’ said Morvyr, still smiling. She pressed the catch and the two halves of the shell opened, revealing the pale golden curl. ‘Your father’s hair was black, like Kes’s.’
‘I want so much to know more about him,’ said Lizzy wistfully. ‘What was he like? Was he handsome?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Morvyr smiled, and her voice caught with emotion. ‘He was very handsome – at least, I thought so. Would you like me to tell you our story?’
‘Yes! Oh, yes!’
‘Please, Mother!’ Kes added eagerly. His face clouded. ‘You’ve never really talked about him to me.’
‘I know, and I still can’t explain everything, not yet. But now that Tegenn has come back to us…’ She smiled at them both in turn. ‘Come and sit here beside me, and I’ll tell you what I can.’
Kes and Lizzy exchanged a look. Then Kes took hold of Lizzy’s hand, and they moved to sit on the rock beside their mother.
And outside the cave, concealed by the crowding rocks and almost invisible in the deep greenness of the sea, a pair of cold eyes watched, and a pair of sharp ears listened intently…
Chapter Ten
‘Years ago,’ said Morvyr, ‘a man called Jack Carrick was out sailing in the bay when a storm blew up. He t
ried to run for harbour, but his boat’s engine failed and he was carried on to a dangerous reef. The boat was wrecked, and Jack would have drowned, but I was nearby. I saw what was happening, and I rescued him. I brought him to this cave, where he would be safe from the wild sea, and I took care of him.’ She smiled sadly, remembering. ‘I meant to take him back to land when the storm was over. But, instead, we fell in love.’
‘But he was human,’ Lizzy said quietly. ‘Surely he couldn’t live under the sea?’
‘That was true,’ Morvyr agreed. ‘We thought we would have to part, and we were heartbroken. But the Queen of the mermaids – the previous Queen, that is, not the… the one who rules now – took pity on us. She had great powers, and she used them kindly and wisely. She made a spell for Jack, so that he could breathe underwater as we can. He couldn’t live under the sea all the time, though. Even the Queen wasn’t that powerful, so every now and then he had to return to land for a while. But it was enough for us. We were married in a merfolk ceremony and, two years later, twins were born to us.’
‘Me and Kes?’ Lizzy whispered.
‘Yes. Jack and I were so happy. But then a dark time came to our world. The Queen died, and the one who followed her was very different.’
‘You mean Taran,’ said Kes angrily. ‘Taran took the Queen’s place!’
Morvyr gave him a long look. ‘Yes, she did.’
‘She killed the real Queen, didn’t she, Mother?’
Morvyr looked alarmed. ‘You mustn’t say such things!’
‘But it’s true, isn’t it? You wouldn’t tell me, but I’ve heard! Arhans says –’
‘Arhans shouldn’t say such things, either!’ Now Morvyr really looked afraid, then with an effort she calmed down. ‘Let us just say that she died, and Taran became the new Queen.’
‘She’s got no right to be Queen! She’s a – a –’ Kes had forgotten the word again. He looked at Lizzy and she said, ‘A usurper.’
‘Children.’ Morvyr’s face was very serious. ‘Whatever you think, whatever you hear from anyone, you must never, ever say that aloud again. Do you understand me?’
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