“You won't be.” Melcorka said cheerfully. “I promise you that no monster will eat you as we cross the loch.”
“Will you make that promise to me as well?” Bradan asked, but Melcorka only smiled and shook her head.
The water was colder than Melcorka expected for the time of year, and thoughts of the monster entered her head the instant she kicked off. “Stay near, Thyra,” she said, reaching out her hand.
Giving a nervous smile, Thyra tried her best, pushing the clumsy sheepskin float beside Melcorka, only for a trick of the current to spin it away.
Once in the water, the distance to the far shore seemed vast, however energetically Melcorka tried to swim. The sheepskin was not the easiest thing to try to control, while the current pushed her towards a formidable dun further north, where the Norse had a garrison. She saw Thyra drift in that direction and dragged her back, just as she heard a low, whining sound across the surface of the water.
“Did you hear that, Bradan?” Thyra asked.
“I heard it,” Bradan said. “It”s just the wind on the waves, nothing to worry about.” He looked at Melcorka, who gestured to Defender.
“Keep going.” Melcorka tried to sound cheerful. “We're halfway over already.”
The waves increased in height as they moved towards the centre of the loch, while the fading light magnified Melcorka's sensation of unease.
“I can feel something,” Thyra said.
“It”s all right,” Bradan said. “Keep moving, and we'll be all right.”
“Something's beneath us!” Thyra's voice rose in panic, and she tried to lift herself out of the water and further on to the sheepskin, succeeding only in floundering face-first into the loch. Melcorka held her still.
“Keep calm,” Melcorka said. “I'll have a look.” She glanced at Bradan. “Take her across the loch, Brad.”
“You take care,” Bradan said. “You're not yourself yet.” But Melcorka had already drawn Defender and, taking a deep breath, she dived under the surface of the loch.
The water was darker than Melcorka expected, with weed and other vegetable matter floating close to the surface. She pushed herself down, keeping her eyes open for anything unusual. A shoal of fish flashed past, swimming fast.
Something frightened them, Melcorka told herself. There is something else down here as well as fish. As her lungs began to burn through lack of oxygen, Melcorka surfaced again and took a great gulp of air. Checking that Bradan and Thyra were still safe and heading for the north-western shore, Melcorka dived back underwater. Thrusting Defender before her like a lance, she swam in a circle, seeing nothing living in the murky loch except frightened fish. She surfaced again, took a deep breath and gasped when something coiled around her left leg.
Before she had time to shout, Melcorka felt a great force drag her down. She tried to turn to face downwards, but the thing was faster than she believed possible, taking her down and down until her lungs screamed for oxygen.
At last able to twist to peer beneath her, Melcorka realised that she was near the bed of the loch. What felt like a hundred tentacles were writhing and wriggling around her, from her feet up to her waist. Some were coiling around her legs, others exploring further up, their touch clammy and terrifying. Bending down, she slashed left and right with Defender, seeing bits fly from the tentacles. When the pressure on her legs eased, Melcorka kicked for the surface, with a score of the long arms following.
Melcorka looked again, slicing one of the tentacles in half. With her chest feeling as if a heavy weight was compressing it, she saw that what she had thought were the arms of some massive monster was a mass of individual creatures. Eels, of every size from finger-length to longer than a full-grown man, covered the bed of the loch. Melcorka had seen eels before, but had never seen so many, or seen them so agitated – something must have disturbed them. Taking a final slash at them, Melcorka pushed upwards, breaking the surface with a loud splash as she sucked in lungfuls of air.
“Any monsters?” Thyra asked fearfully as she paddled frantically for the north-western shore.
“Not even one,” Melcorka took the sheepskin float that Bradan held for her and sheathed her sword. “Only eels.” She did not say how many there were, or that something must have disturbed them. That could wait until they were safe. “Come on.” She pushed her tired muscles towards the northern shore, now within striking distance. “Get rid of the floats – they're slowing us down.” Melcorka curled her toes in anticipation of another eel attack.
“Mel,” Bradan said as he thankfully released the sheepskin float. “Down the loch,” he nodded to the south and west. “Can you see it?”
Separate from the descent of night, an area of greater darkness spread across the lower section of the loch. It floated above the water, not quite touching the waves, yet Melcorka sensed the malignity within. She realised that she was looking at the real monster of Loch Ness, the force that had disturbed the eels and terrified shoals of fish into flight.
“That's no monster,” Bradan said.
“No,” Melcorka reached for the hilt of Defender, although she knew the sword could not help her here. “It's something far worse.”
“What can be worse than a monster?” Thyra's voice was high-pitched.
“I can fight and kill a monster,” Melcorka said. “Steel can't fight a dark cloud or an evil spirit.”
“You promised I would be safe.” Thyra looked fearfully down the loch.
“So you will if you stop talking and get swimming.” Bradan pushed her on. “We're nearly there, and that thing is still some distance away. Swim as if your life depended on it.”
“Or your soul,” Melcorka said.
“I'm scared.” Thyra's voice rose to a scream.
“We'll look after you.” Bradan urged her on, looking over his shoulder.
The cloud crept closer, a silent thing that blocked the light of the setting sun and spread gloom along the narrow strip of water. The hills on
