Shipwreck Island

by Struan Murray

  ‘So that he can step in,’ said Kate. ‘That’s genius, Ellie. How did you figure that out?’

  Ellie scratched the back of her head. She had past experience of trying to second-guess a monster. ‘Oh, you know … reading stories. Now, we need to get into that volcano. If we can listen in on what he’s planning next, we can figure out how to stop it.’

  ‘How are we going to get in the volcano?’ said Kate, raising an eyebrow. ‘Fly?’

  Ellie scratched her chin thoughtfully.

  ‘That wasn’t a serious suggestion! Remember the last time you tried to build a flying machine?’

  ‘Well, maybe we could glide? Like that stuffed squirrel in the palace, with the flaps of skin between its arms and legs.’

  ‘Why don’t we just use the tunnels,’ said Seth, slumping over the table. Kate and Ellie shared a look. Seth had been in a particularly bad mood all evening.

  ‘I suppose we could,’ said Ellie grudgingly. ‘Now here’s where it gets really, really interesting.’

  ‘Would you like cinnamon on your pie?’

  ‘Go away, Molworth!’ Ellie cried and Molworth scurried off. She jabbed her pencil at the map. ‘See this X near the Kellerman Mines? Well, according to my, erm, special inventor bracelets, someone keeps going to this point, deep underground, again and again. But only one person.’

  Kate narrowed her eyes. ‘Do you think it’s Loren?’

  Ellie nodded eagerly. ‘It could be, if he’s still wearing the bracelet you rewarded him with. But why? What could he be keeping there?’

  Kate stood up, gripping the map and staring fixedly at the cross. ‘If he’s not letting anyone else see it, then I bet it’s something really incriminating. Let’s go find out.’

  ‘We can’t go now,’ said Ellie. ‘We should wait until it’s very late. You’ll come, won’t you, Seth?’

  Seth nodded, still resting his head on folded arms.

  ‘And … you could ask Viola to come too?’

  Seth sat up. ‘I’m going to bed,’ he said. ‘Wake me up when it’s time to leave.’

  He slouched off without another word.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ said Kate.

  ‘I think he and Viola had some kind of falling out.’

  The front door swung open, and two men came in, looking miserable.

  ‘If you ask me, it’s all the Queen’s fault,’ one grumbled to the other. ‘Thieves aren’t scared of Her, so they’re just doing whatever they please. Wouldn’t happen if a man was in charge.’

  There was a loud rip, and Kate looked down at the map in her hands, which was now in two pieces.

  ‘Come on, let’s get some sleep,’ said Ellie, touching Kate’s arm. ‘We’ll need it.’

  ‘That reminds me,’ Kate said, picking up a cloth bag from by her feet. ‘Some bedtime reading for you. I’ll meet you at the entrance to the Kellerman Mines at three o’clock.’

  They hugged goodnight, then Ellie climbed the branch to her bedroom. Seth was snoring lightly as she lay down in bed. Ellie turned on to her side to watch him, hoping his sleep was dreamless, then lit a candle and opened the bag Kate had given her.

  Inside was a pile of yellowed paper, bound by string and tucked in a leather folder. Ellie read the first page.

  Leila’s Diary: A horrible time on a horrible ship.

  Leila’s Diary

  4,807 days aboard the Revival

  At night the Crone goes on long walks around the Ark, so the moment Varu’s steady breathing filled the garden I snuck out after her. I found her alone on the Sky Deck, a tiny shrivelled shape beneath the massive white moon.

  ‘You’re lying to him,’ I said. ‘You do know who broke his mind. And you know how he can fix it too.’

  The Crone glanced over her shoulder at me. ‘You’re far cleverer than you look, child.’

  ‘You must tell him.’

  ‘He’s not ready,’ said the Crone. ‘He needs to be nourished, loved, or else he will break beneath the truth.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  The Crone gazed across the endless, tranquil sea. ‘The boy has died a thousand times, and will die a thousand more. He is a god. But even gods have souls, and even their souls can be broken. His soul must be mended, before his mind can be.’

  All her words were making my head hurt. ‘But how can he fix his mind?’

  ‘By remembering the truth.’

  ‘But you just said the truth would break him!’

  ‘I did.’

  I growled in frustration. ‘You’re so annoying. Can’t you talk like a normal person for once? Who broke his mind?’

  The Crone studied me. ‘If you care for him at all, you must promise not to tell him.’

  I gritted my teeth. ‘I promise.’

  The Crone gazed back out at the ocean. ‘He broke his own mind.’

  ‘Why would he do that?’

  ‘To forget the truth.’

  I grabbed one of her wrinkly wrists, turning her to face me.

  ‘And what is the truth?’ I snarled.

  The Crone studied me a long time, then ran a finger through my hair.

  ‘The war was too much for him. Too much suffering, too much death. Somehow, the Enemy was able to trick him, and he lost control of his powers.’

  A frown formed on her brow. ‘He caused the Drowning.’

  The Drowning

  Ellie slammed the book shut.

  Her heartbeat crashed against her eardrums. She put a hand to her chest and took three deep breaths.

  It was Seth.

  Ellie rose unsteadily from her bed. A shred of moonlight dappled Seth’s face, his breathing a gentle rise and fall, in time with the wash of the waves on the shoreline. The walls of the tiny room pressed in on Ellie, and she felt an overwhelming desire to be outside. She pulled on her coat and shoes, grabbed her cane, and hobbled down the stairs and out of the Vile Oak.

  The sky was a blanket of infinite stars, casting silver light across the island and the sea beyond. Ellie wove through the Shambles, past sleeping cats and chickens, until her thoughts became too big and heavy and she slumped down on a drystone wall.

  Seth had caused the Drowning.

  He had made the seas rise, and destroyed the world as it was.

  Seth. Her friend.

  Ellie leaned forward, clutching her legs. She half expected the bleeding child to appear to mock her. But all she heard was the sound of the sea, and the pounding in her chest.

  ‘No,’ she whispered. ‘The Crone said he was tricked.’

  It was the Enemy’s fault; it was always the Enemy’s fault.

  She turned to look back at the Vile Oak, its gnarled limbs curling out of the Ark’s shadow. The little window of their bedroom was still dark. She had never felt so distant from Seth.

  She sat, listening to the sea, trying to grapple with the huge, ugly thought in her head. Was he the person she thought he was? She glanced at the clock that hung from one of the branches. It was quarter to three already, almost time to meet Kate. She was nervous about waking Seth, but took a deep breath and began climbing the Shambles.

  Seth was awake already, though, standing outside the inn, wearing a green cardigan.

  ‘Oh, you’re up!’ said Ellie, forcing cheerfulness. She patted her coat pockets. ‘Shall we get going? I think I’ve got everything I need.’

  Seth looked uncomfortably at his feet. ‘Ellie, I’ve been thinking. I don’t think we should go tonight.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I think we should leave. Leave this island forever.’

  Ellie took a step back. ‘We can’t just leave. What about the friends you’ve made here? What about Viola?’

  Seth shoved his hands deep in his pockets. ‘I told you, Viola despises me.’

  ‘She doesn’t despise you.’

  Seth turned his back on her, his shoulders shaking. ‘Things will only get worse if we stay. We have to go.’

  ‘And leave Kate to deal with this all by he
rself? We can help. We can reverse the famine. Once we prove that Loren poisoned the fields, I can use my machines to fix everything.’

  Seth’s lip trembled. He didn’t seem able to meet Ellie’s eye. ‘I don’t know why you care about her so much.’

  ‘What’s that got to do with anything? We’re trying to help people.’

  Seth turned sharply. ‘No, you’re trying to help her,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘I don’t trust her, Ellie. If she had to pick between you and being Queen, she wouldn’t even hesitate.’

  Ellie balled her hands into fists. Of course Seth wanted to leave. He lived in his own head, with his dreams and his visions. He didn’t care about what Ellie wanted any more. She remembered the feeling that had overcome her before, looking up at the dark window, being so distant from him. He was a stranger to her. Her whole body shook furiously. It was an effort to speak through her rage.

  ‘You’re. Just. Jealous,’ she whispered. ‘That I have a friend who’s not you.’

  Ellie turned and marched away.

  ‘Ellie?’

  ‘I don’t want to talk to you, Seth.’

  She stormed down through the Shambles, picking up her pace as she realized she was running late. She met Kate on the southern side of the island, by the entrance to the Kellerman Mines. Kate was kneeling on the paving stones in her blue cloak, straining to study the map in the starlight. She hopped up eagerly when she saw Ellie, then frowned.

  ‘Where’s Seth?’

  ‘Not coming.’

  ‘That’s not like him. Is he still unwell?’

  ‘No,’ said Ellie, wiping a tear from her face. ‘Come on, let’s go.’

  Kate watched her worriedly, then nodded and ushered Ellie into the tunnel. Ellie retrieved a lighter from her coat, filled with the last of the whale oil she’d brought from the City. She clicked it, and a flame burst out, bathing the craggy walls of the mine in flickering yellow light.

  ‘Oh, I almost forgot,’ said Kate, pulling one of the golden bracelets from her pocket and slipping it on to Ellie’s wrist. ‘I thought we both should wear them, so we can find each other again if we get separated. Are you ever going to explain to me how they work?’

  ‘Oh, it’s through a complicated machine,’ Ellie said. ‘That can, um … tell when one of the bracelets is nearby.’

  ‘That’s amazing!’ said Kate. ‘Can I see it?’

  ‘Sure, it’s, um …’ She reached into her pocket. ‘Here it is.’

  ‘Ellie, that’s a pencil sharpener.’

  ‘Is it? I mean, yes, it is.’

  ‘Ellie, are you sure you’re okay?’

  Ellie suppressed the urge to sob and threaded her arm through Kate’s, holding it tightly. Kate shot her a concerned look, but took Ellie’s hand and squeezed it, and suddenly Ellie didn’t feel so alone any more.

  ‘Come on,’ said Kate. ‘We don’t need Seth grumping up the place, anyway.’

  They wound through twisting tunnels, Ellie nervously eyeing the stalactites above and feeling her broken arm twitch.

  ‘Um, do you know where we’re going?’ she asked.

  ‘Of course!’ said Kate, pulling out the map. Ellie held up the lighter, illuminating the routes that Seth had drawn. Kate pointed out the curving paths Loren’s people had been taking. ‘I compared your map to a map of the mines, and looked for places they overlap. That should show us where to get into Loren’s tunnels.’

  Ellie nodded thoughtfully. ‘That’s clever.’

  Kate fiddled with a strand of hair. ‘Well, we don’t know if it worked yet.’ She traced a finger along the map. ‘This way.’

  They travelled deeper into the mine, along rickety wooden platforms, picking their way between scattered tools and carts of rock.

  ‘If I’m right,’ said Kate, ‘there should be a tunnel right round this corner that isn’t on the mine map.’

  Kate laughed in delight as a narrow passage appeared before them.

  ‘Come on. I thought first we’d find out what secret Loren’s been keeping hidden here.’ She pointed at the X on the map.

  The passage was rough and so tight that Ellie was surprised anyone larger than her had been able to fit through it. It veered left and right, and Ellie prayed she had enough whale oil in the lighter. Soon, the rock changed to cold brickwork.

  ‘These tunnels are incredible,’ Kate said, her breath flickering the scant flame of the lighter. ‘How long has Loren been building them? How long have his ancestors been building them? Ah, I think we take a right here.’

  Down the tunnel they found a staircase, which led them up to a rusty metal door. Kate opened it, and ushered Ellie inside.

  The air was stale, with a reek like sweat and curdled milk. Ellie raised the lighter higher. In the corner of the room was an alcove with tall iron bars, spaced closely together. Something shifted in the shadows behind them.

  Ellie yelped. Without thinking, she clicked off the lighter, plunging them into darkness.

  ‘What are you doing?’ said Kate. ‘Put the light back on.’

  Ellie stood frozen. ‘I … I …’

  Kate found Ellie’s hand and took the lighter.

  ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of. Whoever they are, they’re behind bars.’

  There was a click, and Kate’s face was revealed, bright yellow against the darkness. Ellie’s heartbeat echoed inside her head as she stared at the man in the prison cell.

  It was Hargrath.

  The Volcano Court

  Ellie clamped her hand to her mouth, her cane clattering to the ground. The light spilled up her legs and she was afraid it would reach her face too. She staggered back into the shadows, wincing as she slammed against the wall.

  Hargrath’s massive frame was crushed inside the cell. His black Inquisitor’s coat was torn, his trousers dusty, his shirt flecked with dark splotches. His eyelids were crusted, struggling to reopen each time he blinked, and he hugged the shoulder where his missing arm would have been. He was as large as Ellie remembered, but without substance, like a tree that had toppled and rotted from the inside.

  Kate stepped towards the cell.

  ‘Who are you?’ Her voice was deep and vibrated in the stone: the voice she used when she was being Queen.

  Hargrath eased himself up on to his knees, resting his head on two bars. His skin was so clammy and fishlike, Ellie half feared he’d pour between the bars like water. A low gurgle rumbled deep inside him, then rolled from his lips like thunder.

  ‘Inquisitor. Killian. Hargrath,’ he said, pronouncing the words with great care, like they were all he had left.

  ‘An … Inquisitor?’ Kate said, shoulders tensing. ‘So, you’re from the Enemy’s City?’

  ‘It is NOT the Enemy’s City!’ Hargrath roared, and Ellie worried he would reach out through the bars and wring Kate’s neck. ‘We do not serve the Enemy. We hunt the Enemy!’

  Kate didn’t move an inch. ‘Why has Loren imprisoned you?’

  ‘He’s a monster. He’s insane. This whole island is insane. You should have just left me to do my work. Now she’s out there, and soon it will return and destroy the lot of you, all you halfwits and barbarians.’

  Kate lowered herself to Hargrath’s eye level. ‘You mean the Enemy?’

  Hargrath’s lip curled. ‘You don’t believe me. Loren didn’t believe me, either, that such a frail little girl could be the Enemy’s Vessel. None of them believed me! I told them – Lancaster’s still alive. She escaped. The rope was cut.’ A fly crawled across Hargrath’s face, but he didn’t seem to notice. ‘Why would the Enemy drown itself? Why did we not find her body?’

  Kate turned her head slightly, towards Ellie, and Ellie swallowed, her teeth chattering. She prayed Hargrath wouldn’t follow the movement and spot her through the darkness.

  ‘They didn’t want to believe me!’ Hargrath screeched. ‘Even when that underwater boat of hers was seen heading south. But I’m going to find her. I’m going to break out of this place, and destroy her, an
d that preening idiot too!’

  ‘The girl,’ said Kate, her voice emotionless. ‘Lancaster. Describe her to me.’

  Hargrath bared his teeth. ‘Short. Pale. Blonde hair, green eyes. A nose that goes to one side. Last time I saw her she walked with a cane.’

  Ellie whimpered, and clamped her hand hard to her mouth, feeling tears on her fingers. Kate’s face was a mask in the flickering light.

  ‘You told Loren this?’

  Hargrath lifted his chin, showing Kate the bruises and cuts on his neck. ‘Yes.’

  Kate turned, studying Ellie carefully. Ellie shrank backwards under her stare. She opened her mouth, her whole body compelled to deny the truth. They watched each other for a long moment.

  Kate turned back to Hargrath. ‘I’m sorry you’ve been so mistreated,’ she said, her voice firm but kind. ‘You were only trying to rid the world of evil. But your job is done. The Lancaster girl is dead.’

  Ellie let out a small, sharp breath. Hargrath’s eyes bulged. ‘She is? How?’

  ‘Loren killed her,’ Kate said. ‘I saw it myself. She’s no longer your concern. Your hunt is over.’

  Hargrath closed his eyes, and tears ran down his face.

  ‘She’s dead.’ He slumped against the bars. ‘Peace,’ he whispered gratefully.

  Kate rose. ‘No,’ she said. ‘There will be no peace until Loren is dealt with.’

  Hargrath nodded vigorously. ‘Let me out, and I’ll make him regret what he’s done to me.’

  ‘I will let you out,’ said Kate, ‘but not yet.’

  ‘What? NO!’ Hargrath thrust his hand between the bars, but Kate was too nimble, hopping out of reach.

  ‘See? I can’t trust you. I will send others for you when the time is right. In the meantime, you must not let Loren know anyone was here. Can you do that for me, Killian?’