They ran headlong, gasping for breath, splashing through water, stumbling over slippery flagstones. The shore was in sight, but behind them the sound of the horse’s hooves came closer and closer.
Ben glanced back over his shoulder and his foot skidded on seaweed. He screamed as he fell off the edge of the causeway. He hit the swirling water with a huge splash and went under.
Stella and Gert flung themselves down, scraping their legs on the spiky mussel shells. Ben was struggling, swallowing water. His eyes were wide with panic. Stella grasped his slippery wet hand and hauled him back. He scrambled onto the causeway, clutching Shadow to his chest, coughing and spluttering, breath rasping. They pulled him to his feet.
‘Come on,’ gasped Stella.
But it was too late. The Professor’s horse was there, above her. It seemed enormous, stamping and blowing. The Professor leaned down and reached for her with clawing fingers. His spectacles were gone, and his eyes glinted like wet pebbles.
Another wave crashed across the causeway, almost knocking her from her feet.
The Professor clutched her arm. She struggled and managed to twist herself free.
‘GIVE IT TO ME!’ he screamed.
He grabbed her again.
Ben tried to pull her away.
There was a roaring, louder than the wind.
Gert yelled.
The Professor looked behind and shouted something, but Stella could not hear his words. He let go of her, raised his arms and shouted again.
A huge wave crashed across the causeway. It lifted them all from their feet and tumbled them over and over. Stella could not breathe and she could not see. She collided with a submerged rock. Desperately struggling to get her face above the surface, she managed to gulp a mouthful of air, but then she was under again. She could not feel the ground. Her lungs were bursting. She was sinking, drowning.
A huge pale shape appeared out of the darkness below her. It swam past at tremendous speed. Stella was whirled around, swept along and dragged across sand and shingle. Icy waves crashed and swirled. She gasped for breath and choked on saltwater and smoke.
An enormous creature was in the water with her. It cut through the waves smoothly, like a gigantic fish. She had a glimpse of a vast head on a long, long neck, rising up from the water. A mouth opened above her, impossibly wide, and roared. A blast of icy smoke slammed into her. Everything was a confusion of smoke and saltwater and spray. Then she was underwater again.
She fought to the surface and saw the Professor clinging to the causeway. He lifted a hand to the enormous serpent that reared above him. It roared. Then, like a striking snake, it swooped down and swallowed him.
The causeway was empty. The Professor was gone.
Stella was pulled under again. The water churned and crashed. She could not breathe. Her lungs were burning. A wave lifted her and threw her down onto sand and pebbles. She struggled through the swirling water towards the shore until she was on her hands and knees in the shallows.
Out to sea, the enormous ghostly serpent arched through the waves. It roared again. As Stella watched, tendrils of smoke curled from its body and blew away. For a moment, she could still see the huge creature, diving through the waves, swimming away, out to sea. And then it became only silver smoke that swirled and drifted apart and dissolved into the air and was gone.
Stella was shivering with cold, frozen, dizzy and exhausted. Her whole body was aching. She heard coughing. Gert was floundering in the water. Stella pulled herself to her feet and staggered back into the sea to help her. They stumbled up the shore away from the crashing waves, panting and shivering.
‘Look,’ said Gert.
Further along the beach lay a dark shape. They hurried over. Ben was on his back, his face white, his eyes closed. There was a nasty-looking purplish graze on his forehead. Shadow mewed anxiously and pawed at his closed eyes.
‘Ben?’ said Stella.
He did not answer. She touched his face. He stirred and muttered something. His skin was cold. She shook him.
He opened his eyes, said, ‘What?’ and shut them again.
‘Come on,’ she said. ‘We have to go and get help.’
His eyes fluttered open and he looked at her without recognition.
‘It’s me, Stella,’ she said. ‘And Gert.’
‘Stella.’
They took his arms and pulled him to his feet. He staggered and bent over, his hands on his knees.
‘You all right?’ asked Gert, patting his back.
‘Can you walk?’ asked Stella.
‘Reckon,’ he said, and stood up shakily. He staggered again. ‘Maybe.’
Shadow climbed up onto Ben’s shoulder. She made some encouraging chirruping noises and bit him on the ear.
Stella took Ben’s sodden canvas bag and slung it over her shoulder. She felt in her pocket. The silver bottle was still there. She looked about, shielding her eyes from the rain. It was almost daylight. The causeway was nearly underwater again. Further out to sea, waves crashed around the island, throwing spray into the air.
They had to find shelter. But where? ‘Come on,’ she said. She took Ben’s arm.
The wind felt like ice. They trudged along the beach, leaning against each other, wet through and shivering. Ben’s eyes were closed. He stumbled. Stella put her arm around him. ‘Stay awake,’ she said.
Her wet hair blew across her face. She pushed it back and blinked the rain out of her eyes.
Further along the beach, a figure was approaching.
Stella tried to call out, but her head was so light it felt as if it were floating, and only a croak came out of her throat.
The figure was waving. Small shapes circled it, separate and flickering.
Stella tried to call again.
She heard someone shout, and she could see the figure coming closer, but it seemed enormously far away and spinning strangely.
Then there was darkness.
