Voyage of the Owl

by Belinda Murrell

  Ethan and Saxon rowed harder, puffing and panting. Aisha stood in the stern of the rowboat, all her hackles raised, growling fiercely. She barked in frustration. She couldn’t get at the enemy to protect her family.

  One of the Sedah soldiers raised his bow and took aim. Lily saw him out of the corner of her eye. He shot one black arrow which sped above the water straight for Aisha.

  Lily did not have time to think. Instinctively her reflexes took over.

  The black arrow stopped suddenly and dropped. It was splintered in two, neatly bisected by a flying green streak.

  ‘Great shot, Lily!’ whistled Roana. ‘I didn’t know you could shoot like that!’

  ‘Did I shoot it?’ exclaimed Lily in shock. ‘I didn’t know I could either!’

  There was a volley of catcalls from the longboat.

  ‘The lassie can shoot!’ someone called.

  ‘Let’s see how you go against this, then, lassie!’

  The longboat was now twenty metres behind them. At that moment, all the soldiers nocked their arrows and took aim. At this distance they could not possibly miss.

  Roana and Lily looked at each other in despair. To have the Moon Pearl in their possession after all their adventures and then be slaughtered by Sedahs like rats in a barrel – it was just not fair.

  ‘Ready,’ came a booming voice across the water. ‘Aim. Fire.’

  The nocked arrows were released and flew through the air like a cloud of poisonous wasps, speeding towards their targets.

  Ethan and Saxon kept rowing futilely. Roana and Lily watched the arrow cloud in trepidation. Aisha whined.

  The arrows arced and fell. But by some miracle they didn’t find their mark.

  Inexplicably, every archer had missed the target. For some unknown reason, the longboat was rocking wildly. The archers yelled and shouted in consternation.

  The reason for the disturbance was soon apparent. A huge black shape emerged from the water, right beside the Sedah longboat. A huge spray of water showered the occupants.

  It was a whale, with Serena and Hagen clinging to its right flipper. The whale rocked the longboat again wildly, threatening to overturn it.

  Several of the soldiers nocked their arrows to shoot at the huge mammal attacking them. Others grabbed long pike staffs, to use them as harpoons. The weapons were never released.

  The whale leapt and arced, his tail smacking the water with a tremendous splash. Serena and Hagen clung on to the flipper, flying through the air. Hagen cried out with delight.

  The longboat rocked again wildly, spilling some of its occupants into the sea. The whale dived deep below the surface. For a moment, the Sedahs glanced around nervously, searching for their new opponent. It was gone, as if it had never been. The Sedahs grabbed oars and started to row furiously after the rowboat once more.

  The pursuit lasted only a few moments. With a tremendous splintering, sucking, shuddering thud, the longboat lifted right out of the water, carried high on the whale’s huge mountain of a back. The longboat trembled on the apex of the hill. Then it fell – toppling, tumbling, turning and tearing, and finally smashing, spilling its occupants into the sea.

  Serena and Hagen watched from a short distance away. Serena smiled in satisfaction, stroking Hagen’s soft green spikes. Hagen clapped and laughed.

  Soldiers clung to planks of driftwood and oars, screaming and calling for help. Saxon and Ethan stopped rowing, watching the scene in a mixture of horror and relief.

  Serena waved at them as if shooing chickens out of a barn. Doggedly they grasped the oars and slowly, steadily, kept on rowing.

  ‘There you are,’ yelled Jack, as the rowboat skimmed up to the Owl. ‘You’ve been ages.’

  ‘Carl’s decided to give us all some shore leave this morning, although it looks like you four already took some,’ Jack teased. ‘We’re going to cook up a late breakfast over on the beach and top up the fresh water. We’re sailing home for Tira tonight!’

  Wearily, the four climbed back on board.

  ‘That sounds like fun,’ Lily agreed. ‘But is it safe over there? I mean, are there any Sedahs around?’ Visions of the boatload of Sedahs chasing them ran through Lily’s mind.

  ‘Carl went over this morning in the coracle to check the island was safe,’ explained Jack. ‘While you four were off on whatever mysterious errand you were on. He said the island is completely deserted and very beautiful.’

  ‘Well, I guess a celebration is in order,’ Saxon winked to the others. ‘I mean, if we are going home tonight!’

  ‘We’ll be right with you,’ Ethan agreed. ‘We just need to get organised.’

  The four children hurried forward to their little sail locker and collapsed onto their sail nests. Ethan took the leather tobacco pouch from around his neck and carefully, reverently took out the jewels. Everyone took it turn to cradle the beautiful gems in the palm of their hand.

  The pearl was smooth and lustrous, while the seven diamonds glittered sharply. Their coolness and weight reassured them that they were indeed real. They had, against all odds, succeeded in rescuing the Moon Pearl and Star Diamonds from the bottom of the ocean.

  ‘I cannot believe it,’ murmured Roana, her voice shaking with emotion. ‘We have retrieved the gems from under the sea. I must thank you all from the depths of my heart. Without you three, it would have been impossible.’

  ‘Without you, it would have been impossible too,’ Ethan smiled. ‘Remember, we are a team, and none of us could have done it without the others.’

  ‘We are only halfway there,’ Lily reminded them. ‘We have the gems, but we still need to find the sword and rescue Prince Caspar.’

  Roana carefully sewed a firm little pouch for the gems, hidden in the hem of her cloak, on the opposite corner to the Sun Gem. Once again she triple sewed it with tiny invisible stitches.

  Everyone sat quietly watching her. There was no wild jubilation this time, no pillow fights or shrieking and dancing. They were all too overawed by the enormity of their quest. It had been difficult – far more difficult than they could ever have imagined. And there was still so far to go.

  ‘Come on, you landlubbers,’ yelled Jack from the galley. ‘We’re all starving and it looks beautiful on the beach. If you don’t come now, we’re going without you.’

  That threat got things moving quickly. Carl and Saxon helped a very weak Fox down to the rowboat, with an excited Mia dancing through the rigging. Everyone clambered down into the boat, chattering and laughing. Aisha sat in the prow, her nose sniffing the air in excitement. Saxon tied the little coracle behind the rowboat.

  The rowboat sped ashore, riding the small waves onto the sheltered white beach. Everyone climbed out onto the sand, dragging the rowboat up the beach. Setting foot on land after weeks on the Owl was a very peculiar sensation. It felt as though the land were moving, rolling and rocking.

  ‘Ohh,’ called Lily. ‘This feels really weird.’

  Saxon staggered about, exaggerating the rocking movement to make everyone laugh.

  ‘Young Saxon, have you been into my rotgut?’ roared Fox, jokingly.

  ‘You said you’d make sailors out of us,’ Saxon retorted. ‘Now we can’t walk on real land without feeling like it’s a ship’s deck.’

  ‘It takes a while to get used to the lack of motion again,’ Fox agreed. ‘I guess you are not such a bunch of landlubbers after all.’

  On the beach Ethan made a small fire, ringed with stones, and brewed some tea. Lily spread rugs on the sand in the shade of a tree, where Fox was left to lie, pale but smiling, with Mia snuggled into his neck. Aisha flopped in the shade, her tongue lolling out.

  Saxon started cooking bacon, eggs, sausages, onions and tomatoes in the little frypan on the fire. Roana had brought freshly baked bread, butter and plum jam. Quick as a flash, Mia dived down from the tree branch, snatched a slice of bread and jam and darted back up to the safety of the tree to nibble her stolen plunder.

  ‘Mia!’ reproved Fox in a
stern voice. ‘Where are your manners? You’ve obviously been spoilt rotten while I’ve been ill!’

  Mia chattered back, unrepentant, then came back for more, when the first was finished.

  Roana passed around the basket of bread and butter, for everyone to pile high with offerings from the frypan. Lily made a sausage sandwich for Aisha, which she gulped down whole, wagging her tail hopefully, begging for more with brown eyes.

  ‘What a waste!’ cried Saxon. ‘I don’t think that sandwich even touched her tongue. Aisha certainly couldn’t possibly taste how good it was!’

  When all the food was finished and the last crumbs licked up by Aisha and Saxon, Fox and Carl spread out in the shade for a nap. Jack played his harmonica, weaving a merry dance tune. Mia swayed and danced to the music, chattering to herself with delight.

  ‘Let’s explore,’ begged Ethan, yearning to walk and climb and discover. With Aisha at their heels they scrambled up the headland.

  ‘I can’t believe we are actually on Sedah soil,’ remarked Lily, gazing about her with great curiosity.

  The island was beautiful. Great trees towered overhead, covering most of the island in velvety, lush forest. Birds darted among the branches and soared over the sea, warbling cheerful songs.

  Black, whiskered seals basked in the sun on the yellow and green lichen-covered rocks. A mischievous baby seal smacked its sleek mother with a flipper, then rolled over, baring its tummy, begging forgiveness. She lumbered over to her baby, rolling him in the water with her nose.

  They reached the top of the headland, puffing and panting with exertion. Behind them were the small beach where they had breakfasted and the protected cove where the Owl was moored.

  Before them was a long, open beach with bigger waves rolling straight off the ocean. White spray misted the air. The sea stretched to the horizon, wide and blue.

  Down below, they could see a pod of cavorting dolphins, surfing the breaking rollers towards the shore. Their faces looked as though they were laughing for joy as they dived and raced with the waves.

  ‘That looks like fun,’ said Saxon. ‘We should try that. Do you think we could do that on the little coracle we brought over?’

  ‘Why not?’ smiled Ethan. ‘We are on an adventure, after all!’

  So it was agreed and the four of them returned to the cove to carry the lightweight coracle up and over the headland to the ocean beach.

  At the top of the sand dune, leading steeply down to the beach, Saxon stopped, sweaty and hot. Everyone put their corner of the coracle down on the sand.

  ‘This is hard work carrying this boat up the hill,’ complained Saxon, dramatically wiping his brow. ‘At least it will be easier going down. Come on, everyone – climb in.’

  The others looked at the steep sand dune, then at the coracle, and giggled. Roana and Lily eagerly climbed in the front of the boat, while Saxon and Ethan pushed from behind. The coracle gathered speed. The boys ran after it, then jumped in, their added weight making the coracle fly faster down the hill.

  Aisha galloped beside them, her black-tipped ears streaming behind her.

  Everyone whooped with excitement, squealing and laughing. The coracle raced and bumped down the sand dune, flying into the air as it hit a tussock. The coracle was sliding at great speed when it eventually skidded onto the beach and overturned, spilling the four children out on the sand.

  Lily’s eyes streamed with tears and her cheeks ached from laughing so much. Roana sat up with a face full of sand, spitting out shelly grains.

  ‘That was so much fun,’ laughed Ethan.

  Saxon leapt up, picking the lightweight coracle up under one arm.

  ‘Bags be first,’ Saxon cried. ‘Last one in is a hairy toad!’ With that he darted down the beach and dived into the water, swimming strongly out to where waves were breaking. The others ran after him.

  The water was clear and turquoise green, turning to rich blue as it deepened. Transparent little fish darted over the white sandy bottom. Tiny shells of white, pale pink and purple were scattered along the sand.

  Roana gasped with pleasure as a wave crashed over her. Ethan splashed a great armful of water over her so she had to dive under the water to escape him. Roana splashed him back, smiling shyly at him to show their quarrel was forgiven.

  Aisha barked in the shallows, up to her belly in water but reluctant to come any deeper. The four children dived and splashed and leapt and played, laughing in exhilaration. Soon they were taking it in turns to paddle the coracle out to deeper water and then try to catch waves into shore. It took a bit of practice, but soon they were all riding the waves.

  It was like flying. The wave would pick up the tiny boat and then hurl it down the steep face. The coracle would travel faster and faster, propelled by the sheer power of the surf, until the white foam churned around the prow, lifting it on a cushion of bubbles before it would stop gently as it hit the sandy edge.

  Dolphins surfed beside them as if daring them to race faster and further. With experimentation, they realised they had a longer ride if they travelled along the wave, rather than just flying forward.

  Saxon and Ethan competed to do funny tricks on the coracle. Ethan stood up, using his arms to balance.

  ‘Wooohooo,’ he yelled, flapping his wings like a great albatross.

  Saxon stood up and tried to turn around in a circle but fell off, flailing in the wave, tumbling and spinning like a leaf in a whirlpool. He came up coughing and spluttering, with salt water up his nose.

  Roana, lying on her belly, squealed in delight as the coracle raced her to shore.

  Lily pretended she was a circus rider, her arms held out proudly as she balanced bareback on her galloping horse. She swayed and swooped on the coracle, until she was bucked off squealing and laughing.

  Aisha ran back and forth on the shore, barking anxiously. She did not like this new sport of flying on the waves.

  After a couple of hours the four children collapsed onto the sand next to Aisha, their hearts overflowing with joy. Pale and almost invisible in the morning sky, the waxing moon smiled down upon them.

  ‘That was great fun,’ laughed Roana.

  ‘No wonder the dolphins love catching the waves,’ Saxon agreed. ‘It is just like flying.’

  ‘Well, tonight we fly back on the Owl to beautiful Tira, with the Sun Gem and the Moon Pearl safe in Roana’s cloak,’ Ethan said. ‘I wonder what new adventures await us there?’

  ‘Finding the Sun Sword and Prince Caspar, of course!’ laughed Lily. ‘The four of us are ready for anything now.’

  Finally Marnie was released from the job of nursing the obnoxious Lord Mortimer, who was a dreadful patient and an interminable whinger. Lord Mortimer was allowed to recuperate alone in his cell room, under Sedah guard. Marnie hurried back to the gardener’s cottage, where she found Queen Ashana sharing tea with Cookie.

  ‘Albert has a plan, your majesty,’ Cookie whispered. She stopped as soon as Marnie returned.

  ‘Do not concern yourself, Cookie. I would trust Marnie with my life,’ Queen Ashana reassured her.

  ‘Well, Albert has been talking with the rebels who are training in the forests to the north, as well as his fellow royal spies.’

  Marnie’s eyes opened wide. She had not known that Cookie’s brother was a royal spy.

  ‘Albert’s men have a plan to break down the palace gates with a force of Tiregian rebels,’ Cookie continued. ‘They will seize control of the palace and return you to your throne. The rebels thought Lord Mortimer, the king’s cousin, could be the new leader of the Tiregian rebel army.’

  Marnie remembered vividly Lord Mortimer’s feverish, leering face as he dreamed of Princess Roana.

  Queen Ashana was listening carefully, hope lighting her weary face.

  ‘Your majesty,’ Marnie interrupted. ‘There is something I must share with you. While I was nursing Lord Mortimer, in his fever, he mentioned Princess Roana. I do not think he means her well.’

  Queen Ashan
a laughed shortly. ‘Lord Mortimer and Roana have never got on terribly well, but I do not think he means her harm.’

  Marnie took a deep breath. ‘Your majesty, Lord Mortimer was raving that he means to marry Princess Roana and take over Tiregian as its king.’

  Queen Ashana breathed quickly, fighting a hundred fiery words that rose to her tongue.

  ‘Albert suspected there was a traitor deep in our midst. This only confirms that Albert is right, your majesty,’ Cookie asserted. ‘The rebels must break in and set you free. We must fight the Sedah invaders with every man and woman we can muster.’

  ‘No,’ Queen Ashana replied firmly. ‘The Sedahs have Caspar, my baby. They will kill him. I can do nothing that might harm my child. Until Caspar is safe, we are helpless.’

  ‘But Caspar could be anywhere,’ wailed Cookie. ‘We have no idea who has him or where. It is impossible.’

  Queen Ashana bit her lip until a drop of crimson blood ran from her mouth.

  ‘Nonetheless, we can do nothing, until Caspar is safe,’ Queen Ashana reiterated. ‘Perhaps Albert and his informants can discover where Roana and Caspar are. Perhaps the rebels can help my children, but they can do nothing for me until they are safe.’

  Marnie thought of her own children, wherever they might be.

  ‘You are right, your majesty,’ Marnie replied. ‘We can do nothing which might endanger the children.’

  The return voyage to Tiregian was calm and uneventful, with a fair wind most of the way. Seven nights after they left Sedah, Jack softly called, ‘Land ahoy.’

  The four children ran to the gunwale to look for the welcoming lights of the port of Tira. Fox ordered Carl to change course to north-west. The Owl crept close to the shore. The children could hear the waves crashing on the rocks, and smell the familiar scent of earth and grass and animals above the briny smell of the sea.

  Sinking to the west, the gibbous moon beamed benevolently, tarnishing the sea with its silvery path.

  Jack climbed up into the rigging with one of the ship’s lanterns, its flame carefully shielded by black shutters. On Fox’s whistle he carefully flashed the lantern to shore, opening the little door to reveal the flame. The signal flashed – one short, one long, one long, one short. Nothing happened. There was only darkness from the clifftops.