Blackwells and the Briny Deep by Philippa Dowding

Author:Philippa Dowding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2018-08-09T16:00:00+00:00

The dolphin’s eyes were starfish. And the dolphin’s fins were not quite right, more hands and feet than fins.

And the dolphin … was wet!

One of the starfish eyes winked at her.

“Ah-ha, you’ve found me!” the dolphin said.

Emma dropped the foghorn. She was about to turn and run when the dolphin twisted and changed into someone she had seen before.

The boy!

“Welcome to the figurehead graveyard, Emma,” he said. He was tall and thin and wore torn, tattered clothes. But he was definitely … a boy. Or boy-like, anyway.

“Wh-what?” she stammered. She backed away.

“Not what. Who,” the boy said with a mischievous smile. Emma noticed a tattoo along his arm: Finn.

“W-w-who?” Emma stared at him. She was afraid to turn her head, because she did not like the glimpses of movement she saw out of the corner of her eye.

She did not like them AT ALL.

“I’m Finn.” He grinned at her.

“F-F-Finn?” Emma stammered. She kept her back firmly turned to the other statues. Now was not the time to fall apart. Or ask too many questions. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answers.

And what’s a figurehead graveyard? she wondered. Figureheads were the carvings on the bow of old ships, like the phantom ship they’d seen. That one had a screaming mermaid on it. The Mermaid Queen, it was called.

“It’s all right, really,” Finn said, gently. He picked up her foghorn. “We’ve met before, although you were asleep. I took your ensign,” he said, pointing at the flag tied to her backpack. “I put seaweed in your mouth, too. And in your brother’s mouths. After the storm.”

Emma stared at him. She refused to pay attention to the movements flickering behind her. I’m sleeping. I’m aboard Peregrine, still asleep in the fog. This can’t be real.

“Seaweed? In my mouth? Why?” She held his gaze, but there were soft noises behind her, now. Strange rustlings …

“To save you, of course,” Finn said. “You and your brothers were drowning. I’m sure this seems very strange.”

Emma stared at him for a moment. Then …

… “Strange? STRANGE! I just saw terrifying mermaids capture my brother, and I have no idea where my other brother is! STRANGE! YOU just turned from a dolphin into a boy before my eyes! STRANGE? YES! I’d say it’s all pretty strange, wouldn’t you! And drowning? What do you mean, drowning?” A small part of her was thinking, Shouting is much better than screaming. A little better, anyway. At least I’m still making sense.

The movements behind her were suddenly bigger, harder to ignore. They were accompanied by occasional swishings.

And stampings. And the clank of metal.

Emma swallowed and slowly turned around.

The Roman gladiator stood right behind her. His silver helmet glistened in the sun. He wasn’t faded, and his nose wasn’t broken anymore. He blinked then bowed slightly.

Beside him stood the English knight in full metal armour. His sword looked very sharp.

The schoolteacher with the spectacles and the book stood beside him. Her long black skirt blew in the gentle breeze. She held the hand of the little girl with the flowers in her hair.

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