Water by Robin McKinley

Author:Robin McKinley
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-01-16T21:26:32+00:00

KRAKEN

T hey wore traveller’ s clothes, tight-laced against the sea wind, she all in grey, he in worn brown leather. They leaned on the taffrail and stared aft. Now they could see the pursuing sail, of which the lookout’ s cry had told them an hour ago.

“ Can it be one of my father’ s?” she said.

“ How should it have found us, with all the wide ocean to search?” Now the captain came and watched with them for a while.

“ That is no merchantman,” he said. “ And no warship either. She follows too fast. My lord, you had best arm yourself. My lady, will you go below?” Keeping to shadows, without seeming to be lurking, moving as if she were going nowhere in particular, Ailsa drifted along the mountain spur. Far above glittered the bright sunrise. Once over the first ridge, she changed course and headed directly along the slope to the cranny where she kept the spare harness. While she fetched it out and sorted it through, she whistled once, twice, and again. Now Carn came surging towards her, circled a couple of times to show that he didn’ t need to have come at her call, but had chosen to do so, took the titbit from her hand and let her slide the harness over his head.

As she was fastening the cheek buckle, she heard the school bell ring, calling her for the last time. She did not falter. Nor did she smile as she used to when she was younger, from childish bravado, setting out on another illicit ride, worth the consequences for the fun of it. To-day was different. To-morrow the school bell would be silent for the holidays, and when it next rang, it would do so for others.

Why not wait for to-morrow, then, when she would be free to ride out as she chose?

For that very reason. To-day she would say good-bye to childhood.

Carn flicked his tail, impatient.

“ Oh, all right,” she said aloud.

She clipped herself into the harness, laid her body along his with her hip beside the big forefin, tapped her tail against his flank, and streamlined herself to the rush of water as he surged away.

Now she did smile. It was impossible not to. To Ailsa, as to all merfolk, riding a blue-fin who really wanted to go was the finest thing in the ocean. You didn’ t need to be a child to feel like that.

They returned to the taffrail, he in dark armour that had clearly seen service, she in a long green cloak. By now the following ship was hull up, half again both their size and speed. A black flag strained at the mast-head. The captain, still watching, turned and frowned.

“ My lady, you should be below.”

“ Are you going to fight?”

“ What else can we do? If we surrender, they will still slit our throats. A lucky shot may bring down her mast.”

“ Then I will fight too. My lord has spare pistols. I know the use of them.

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