“Alba!” Melcorka shouted, still struggling. “I am Melcorka Nic Bearnas! Cenel Bearnas!”
Chattan smiled, his yellow eyes shining, as the cat-women pushed her on to the lip of the pit. “Throw her in,” he said.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bradan felt himself falling from the bridge, with Melcorka clinging to the rope-work far above. He clutched at the air as if he could swim through nothingness, and saw the sea rushing towards him, breaking on ragged rocks between the stack and the harsh cliffs of the shore. Despite his fear, he had the presence of mind to turn his body and dive for the least disturbed area of sea, yet the shock of striking the water drove the breath from him, and he surged deeper than he intended.
As darkness closed around him, Bradan took an instinctive breath, choking as salt water rushed into his lungs, burning, squeezing, pressing his chest, while the water roared and bubbled in his ears. He kicked, felt the surface of the sea-bed beneath, powered upwards and surfaced with a gasp. He sucked in a lungful of mixed air and salt-water and swore as a surge of the sea dragged him back down again, turning him until he did not know if he was upright or upside down.
Trying to swim, Bradan found his strength seeping away. He had the notion of swimming to the sea bed so he could work out which way he was facing, and opened his mouth to yell when the sea threw him against rocks that tore great gouges from his chest and arms. He struck out, and the sea dragged him back, lifted him high and crashed him face down on a seaweed-smeared rock.
Bradan closed his eyes as the water receded, then another wave smashed on top of him, grinding him against the rock. He lay there, stunned, waiting for the next wave to drag him back out to sea.
“Bradan!” The voice was female and familiar. “I'm here.” Somebody dragged him further up the rock, holding him tight as another wave smashed over him, and pulled him when the wave drew away.
“Mel?”
“Not Mel. Lie still.”
Another wave surged down, pounding him against the solid surface, and again the woman dragged Bradan further up the rock until they were above the reach of the water. Bradan struggled on to his back and promptly vomited what seemed like half the ocean, leaving his throat and chest burning.
“That's the way – get rid of it all.”
“Astrid?” Bradan blinked stupidly at her. “How did you get here?”
“I flew,” Astrid said, smiling. “I jumped in when I saw you fall. I can't let my favourite Alban drown, can I?”
“Melcorka.” Bradan sat up. “Did you see Melcorka?”
Astrid shook her head. “I didn't see her. I was too busy trying to save you.”
Bradan washed his mouth with seawater. “Thank you, Astrid. I am grateful to you.”
“Perhaps, even although you prefer Melcorka to me.”
“Melcorka and I have lived through some interesting adventures,” Bradan said.
“Yet she did not try to save you.” Astrid shrugged. “Perhaps she thought you were already dead.”
“Is she all right?” Bradan asked, wiping a rough hand across his mouth.
“I saw her climb up to the top of the cliff,” Astrid said. “She is perfectly safe.”
“Where are we?” Bradan looked up. They were on the rocks at the base of the sea-stack, with the cliff rising sheer above. “We'll never climb up that.”
“No, we won't,” Astrid agreed. “We're lucky the tide is out. When it's high, there is no beach at all, and the sea would pound us against the rock. How are you feeling?”
“Battered, bruised but all right,” Bradan said. “Thank you. I believe you saved my life.”
“You'll want this,” Astrid said, with a smile. She pointed to Bradan's staff, floating in a rock pool. “I saw that before I found you.”
“Thank you. We've been a long way together.” The rowan wood was smooth under Bradan's hand.
“Follow me.” Astrid stood up. “There is an easier entrance to Dun Dreggan than climbing a sheer cliff.”
The seaward side of the rock stack was as steep as the landward, with seaweed hanging in a dripping green forest and a colony of dog seals watching through round eyes. “Now pay attention, and I'll show you some magic,” Astrid strode towards the seaweed, shoved a great tendril aside and promptly vanished. “Are you coming?” Poking her head between the weed, she smiled to Bradan, with her teeth very white and her hair very blonde against the dark tendrils.
“There's a cave behind the seaweed,” Bradan said. “How did you see that?”
“I know everything,” Astrid said, mysteriously. “I drank the snake.” She smiled, shaking her head. “No, I was here when we captured the place,” Astrid said. “We moored offshore for days and saw boats landing here at low tide, so did the same and found the cave.”
The interior was dark, with knee-deep water on the floor and myriad crabs and other assorted sea life. Feeling his way with his staff, Bradan explored the cave.
“There is a torch somewhere, if I remember,” Astrid ran her hand along the wall. “Here we are, and a flint too.” Striking a spark, she applied it to a reed-torch. The flare of light revealed a sloping path leading to a narrow exit at the side of the cave.
“Well, Bradan,” Astrid said. “We have some choices here. I intended only to guide you to Dun Dreggan, and here we are. If you wish, I can leave you now, or we can go on together and find out about this evil.” She paused for a moment as the torch hissed, dropping sparks that the sea-water quickly extinguished. “We have a third choice – we can go back together and leave Melcorka as she left you.”
“We go on,” Bradan said without hesitation. “I don't believe Mel ignored me.”
“As you wish.”
