Ides of the May (Children of the May 2 - updates weekly)

Chapter Six: The Monster of the Loch

And then I died. After tens of thousands of years I died in the dry, burning air. It was a wretched way to abandon my cold and beautiful home, on the whim of some pathetic short-lived creature.

* * *

I woke in the tower and was immediately sick. My ears rang, my head pounded as if my brain was trying to escape my skull. My magical sense was dulled, and when I tried to stretch out it burned against the jaggedness under the land.

I opened my eyes. I was lying on a bed. Candles were softly burning in the room. Palomina was sitting over me, holding my hand and wiping vomit from my mouth. A wave of panic swept over me. With my free hand I touched my face. Somehow, miraculously, my glamour was still in place; she hadn’t seen me as I really was.

‘Oh he is alive,’ said a man’s voice. ‘You win our bet, my pretty young Saracen.’

Palomina kissed my clammy forehead.

‘What happened?’ I said, croaky-voiced. ‘Are they alright?’

She moved the pillows behind me, and helped me to sit up. We were in a room of the tower I had seen in Alisander’s memories: the same chamber where the strange nursemaid Norma had looked after Christian. A cover had been placed across the window to stop the dim light of the candles being seen from outside. Sir Dinadan was seated in the corner, bound to a chair with rope that dug into his fat bally. He frowned at me.

‘He’s not as ugly as the last time I saw him, I must say,’ he said. ‘Finally learn how your mother stays so eternally beautiful is it, boy?’

‘Drift does not need to hide behind magic,’ said Palomina. ‘His soul is not twisted like the rest of his family.’

Dinadan laughed. ‘If you say so, Saracen.’ He gave me a piercing look that said he knew more about me than Palomina.

‘The young ones?’ I asked.

‘Sleeping,’ said Palomina. ‘Dinadan’s horse scared at the leviathan, and threw him and Aglinda. The girl was bruised but otherwise unharmed. The horse kicked its own master and knocked him out for a time. The three of us were able to bind him and bring him here.’ She looked over her shoulder. ‘Though it was a great strain.’

‘Big lads are always best,’ smirked the knight.

‘When we found you face-down in the water we feared you were drowned.’

‘Ho ho!’ laughed Sir Dinadan. ‘It takes more than that to drown one of his blood.’

‘We should go,’ I said, throwing the covers off. ‘His men might be looking for him.’

Dinadan kept his face straight, not giving anything anyway.

‘Could you not tell for certain?’ said Palomina.

I felt a flare of anger. Had she forgotten what I had said about my reluctance to invade minds on the ship? Now I had experienced the death of an ancient and noble creature, caused its death, all to rescue Aglinda.

‘I won’t do that,’ I said. ‘I won’t force my way into anyone’s mind. I made that vow on Avalon. Not again.’ Though even as I said the words I felt my hypocrisy twisting my gut. How could I justify my reluctance after what I’d just done to the king of the loch?

Palomina leant over me and whispered in my ear. ‘He is the enemy, Drift. It is only sensible to use the resources we have to protect ourselves.’

She was quite serious. Her expression was that of a distant captain, not the girl I loved. I pushed her gently away from me. ‘You can try and order me if you like, Palomina, but don’t try and hide it under fondness.’

‘I did not mean to –’

‘Oh, my girl,’ said Dinadan as I climbed unsteadily out of the bed. ‘Such things about your brother the young Lord of the Lake could drag out of my mind, if only he was willing to help. He is your brother isn’t he, that young Sir Palomides? Your faces resemble each other as much as your names, though he’s the prettier, I reckon.’

I slapped him hard in the face with the back of my hand. ‘What about Palomides?’

‘Oh ho!’ he said, turning his face back to me, my handprint burning red on his fat cheek. ‘Not willing to use your gifts for your little lassie, but not above a bit of old-fashioned torture, is it? Well, no fear: I’ll talk. Never was one for the rack or the thumbscrews. The boy Saracen gave you all up; how do you think we found this place the first time?’

Palomina was on her feet now. ‘Liar,’ she spat.

‘I assure you I’m not lying, my dear, as your watery friend could confirm if he wished. Offer the dripping bastard a reward, eh? I’m sure he’ll be putty in your hands after that. Or rather the opposite, I’d hope.’

She glimpsed at me, but said nothing.

‘What’s going on?’ Alisander was at the door, rubbing his eyes. Our shouting had woken him up.

‘Nothing, Ali,’ I said, before I remembered that was what the good-natured Sir Bagdamegus had called him at Castle Magouns. I could see he was surprised by my use of that name. ‘We’re going,’ I said. ‘Can you wake Aglinda for us?’

‘But it’s still dark,’ he said.

‘I know, but it’s important we get away quickly.’

Alisander went back into the darkness, nodding. I turned back to Palomina. ‘Come on.’

She shook her head. ‘Dinadan comes with us. Unless they have captured Sir Lamorak in our absence, he is the best prisoner we have taken.’

‘Taking me into the belly of your pathetic beast, are you?’ said Dinadan. ‘Lordy, this should be fun.’