as a car petrol tank went up. There was no sign of life.
They stumbled from the van like drunks, intoxicated by the sheer horror of their vision. At least they could breathe a little easier as the wind took the worst of the smoke inland, but every breath was still filled with the stink of charcoal, rubber and plastic.
'God,' Ruth said in a voice so small it was almost lost beneath the noise of the inferno. 'Is this how the world is going to look?'
Through their daze, harsh truths began to seep; eventually Laura gave voice to them. 'Nobody's forcing us to do this. We could turn back, make the most of whatever time we've got left …' Her voice trailed off hopefully.
'How could we live with ourselves?' Church glanced at her briefly before staring back into the flickering light. 'Nobody wants to be here, but some responsibilities are too big to ignore. This is what we were meant to do-'
'Perhaps it is the only reason we are alive,' Shavi noted.
'We have to see it through to the end.' Laura nodded reluctantly at the resolution in Church's voice; in her heart she had known there was no other option.
'Should we search for any survivors?' Shavi suggested.
Church shook his head. 'I don't think there's any point. It looks like they went through the place systematically.'
'Look.' Veitch pointed beyond the flames to the short stretch of water that separated Skye from the mainland. The bridge that had been built at a cost of millions of pounds was shattered. The first section ended suddenly, as if it had been lopped off by an axe, and chunks of concrete and steel protruded from the swirling water. Nearby they could see the old ferries that had prospered before the bridge were burning or half-submerged in the tiny harbour.
'What are we going to do now?' Veitch continued. 'Swim?'
'I do not think so.' Shavi stood beside him and directed his gaze away from the harbour to the deep water in the middle of the channel. At first it just seemed to be a mass of chopping waves and odd little eddies and whirlpools, but then Veitch noticed a strange sinuous motion that was at odds with the movement of the water; it was like a black pipe rolling gently as it moved between the mainland and the island.
He was about to ask what Shavi was suggesting when there was a sudden churning of the water and something large rose up in a gush of white foam and sleek black skin cast ruddy in the light of the fire. Its head reached as high as a double-decker bus for just an instant before it ducked back beneath the waves.
'What the hell was that?' Veitch looked dumbfounded.
'The sea serpents have always been close to the Fomorii. They don't need to be coerced like the Fabulous Beasts.' Tom shuffled up beside them to watch the swirling water. 'Even when the doorways were supposed to be closed, the serpents swam back and forth, prefering neither here nor there, but somewhere in between.'
'Are they dangerous?' Veitch's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he considered ways to reach the island.
'They have the teeth of sharks and their coils can crush bones and boats.'
'A watchdog,' Ruth said.
'Then how the hell are we going to get over there?' Veitch's frustration boiled over into impotent rage.
While the others threw ideas around, Laura watched from a distance, and she was the only one who saw the faint shadow cross Shavi's face. Quietly she tugged at his sleeve and drew him away from the rest.
'Spit it out,' she whispered.
When he looked at her she realised the expression had been one of fear. 'I cannot control these changes that are coming over me-'
'You should try being a twelve-year-old girl.'
11 — the things I can do …' He struggled to find the correct words.
'I know it's scary. But everything's spinning out of control.'
He sighed and lowered his dark brown eyes. 'At first it seemed so wonderful, all these amazing new possibilities opening up to me. The trances, the dreams. But when I had that vision at Manorbier, it took nothing at all to get it started and it was so powerful it was almost as if I was really there. I could smell the blood on the wind …' He raised the back of his hand to his mouth in distaste. 'Now I am afraid. I wonder where it will all end.'
Surreptitiously, Laura took his hand; his fingers were cool and supple against her hot palm.
That subtlest of connections brought a smile to his lips. 'One should never shy away from new experiences, I suppose.'
'So what can you do?'
'When the change first came over me it was like I could almost understand what the birds were saying in their song. Then, as time progressed, I discovered it was more than that … it was as if I were in their heads, listening to their thoughts. And not just birds, but all animals.' He paused for a long time as he weighed his words. 'It is possible I could get into that creature's head, enough to subtly direct it. Perhaps enough to keep it away from a boat.'
'But?'
'But I am afraid if I truly try to enter its mind, I may never be able to get out again.' He watched her face closely for her reaction. When none was noticeable, he said, 'I am waiting for you to tell me not to be so ridiculous and to do my duty.'
'You're talking like I'm the responsible one. It's your call-I won't think any differently of you one way or the other.'
He smiled broadly. 'You are very mature. Why do you act like you are not?'
'We all know what happens to cheese when it gets mature.'
Veitch suddenly spotted them huddled together. 'Oi! What are you two plotting?'
Shavi lost himself in thought for a moment, then confidently strode over.
They headed back a couple of miles until they found a road which skirted the town; the fires were burning too hard to drive through it. On the north side there were plenty of little coves and they eventually chanced on one where a boat was moored at a private jetty. If the owner had survived the Fomorii attack, he was nowhere to be seen. Reluctantly they abandoned the van and transferred the talismans and what provisions they thought absolutely essential to the boat.
'This may seem a stupid question,' Church said once they were all aboard, 'but has anyone here sailed before?'
Veitch made a face. 'Been on the Thames Ferry. Didn't like it very much. And that boat in Wales.'
'I owned a small boat for fishing on the loch in my heyday,' Tom said. 'And I have even fished at sea, so I have enough knowledge to get us out there. But the currents between the mainland and island are rumoured to be strong and if the serpent gets angry, his backwash will capsize us. I presume we can all swim?'
They all nodded, apart from Veitch, who began to look a little wary.
'That's not an option,' Church said. 'How are we going to do anything if the talismans are at the bottom of the deep blue? You've got to get us out there and keep us steady so Shavi can do his bit.'
'Try to,' Shavi stressed.
They cast off and Tom steered the boat away from the shore. Although the water had appeared calm from dry land, they were soon bouncing across the waves in a queasy chopping motion. The wind had changed direction and now the thick, acrid smoke was being blown out across the bay; it was as if a thick fog had rolled between them and Skye.
'If we get past the serpent, we can take the boat around the north of the island to Dunvegan. It is built on a sea loch, so we can go right up to its walls.'
Church stood in the prow, tasting the salt as the spray stung his face, trying to ignore the icy cold that now permeated his entire body. Shavi rested on the wooden rail next to him to stare into the blue-green depths.
'How are you holding up?' Church asked.
'I think we are all holding up remarkably well, seeing that we are a mass of neuroses and contradictions wrapped up in skin and bone-in short, very human-being expected to do the job of heroes.'
Church shrugged. 'What's a hero? Some big muscular guy with a sword? Or some normal person who takes a swing for the greater good, despite everything?'
Shavi looked at him curiously.
'I'm just saying we're trying to do the best we can under the circumstances. Maybe the historians will come in with their whitewash brushes in a few years' time to turn us into heroes.'
