CHAPTER FOUR

“Tell me about the witch.” Lugh sounded out of breath, weighed down by the produce our mams had charged us with fetching from the market. “I still can’t believe your mam sent you up there yesterday. And that you didn’t tell me you were going!”

I frowned over the top of the egg custard Mrs. Kissack had given me in exchange for one of Mam’s recipes. The custard wobbled ominously with each step. “Is this how you thank me for keeping you out of harm’s way, Lugh Doughtery? I thought setting foot on her property might get me killed by one of her spells—no sense in both of us dying.”

“I would’ve protected you.”

“And, pray, how? Anyway, she’s just a tetchy old lady who lives in a filthy hovel. If she knows any magic, she’ll never share it with me.”

I thought of the sneering faces of the older lads who’d first told us stories about Morag. “If you want to do me a favor, hit Jenken Cowell about a bit for telling us she drinks children’s blood. And blacken Homlyn Murray’s eye for saying she flies over our houses at night to peer at us while we’re in bed. And—”

Lugh laughed, which made his face look even more handsome. “You’ve made your point, Bry. Then she’s not a real witch?”

“No more than you or I. Her house smells something dreadful, but she didn’t have a cauldron, and she doesn’t seem keen on hurting me.” I scrunched up my nose. My arms were sore from yesterday’s work. “Though cleaning her house might finish me off.”

“Folk might not think such wild things about her if she would just pop into town now and then.”

“She can’t. Her leg’s bad.” Lugh gave me a curious look. “She didn’t tell me why. And I don’t plan on asking.”

“Sounds like you’re intending on going back, then.”

“Tomorrow. Besides, if I put in enough hours, I might be able to save enough for a ticket someday.”

Lugh bowed his head, but I didn’t miss his wince. “Do you know where you’d go? Where you’d sleep? What sort of work you’d do to feed yourself?”

“I’d rent a room above a London shop. Maybe even a coffeehouse. Can you picture it? Me, a shopgirl?” I tried to keep the excitement from my voice for fear of offending Lugh. “Imagine—hot tea and biscuits whenever I wanted! And I’d find a library where I could read as many books as I pleased. It wouldn’t be an easy life, I’m certain, but it would be all my own. And far from the sea.”

Lugh frowned harder. “You’ve really thought this through. Is it so miserable here?”

I sighed.

“Let’s see: it’s too salty, too damp, too cold, too—”

“Full of people who care about you?” Lugh stopped without warning, nearly losing his grip on a basket of potatoes. He shifted it higher in his arms and signaled for us to continue on. “What about your family? Your friends? Everything you know is here.”

“There are plenty of folk I’d miss. Some especially so.” I gave him a pointed look. “I hope they’d miss me just as much, and that they’d come to visit often. It’s not as if I plan to move to China. Or the moon.”

The corners of Lugh’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing more.

As we rounded a bend, I raised my eyes to avoid the sight of the rolling waves. One glance at the steely sky told me the ocean would be equally dark. Closely guarding its secrets. And though I hadn’t seen the black fin since that day in the harbor, I had a gnawing suspicion the creature was making itself at home here. A creature that size might be responsible for scaring away fish from our shores.

“Bry? Are you all right? You’re staring at that custard like you want to hurl it into the trees.”

I turned my head to hide my burning face. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about—” I paused, casting around for a topic other than mysterious water-dwellers. “—Da’s knife. I borrowed it to take to Morag’s and brought it home covered in sap. He said the blade’s ruined. But you know Da. He’s never harsh. He just told me we’d save up for a new one when there’re more fish in his nets again.”

Lugh grinned. “Wish my da was more like yours.”

“What’re you going on about? Your da’s always been kind. Quiet, I suppose. At least folk don’t whisper behind your back about how he’s too soft.”

“I just meant he expects a lot of me—being his only son and all. And, anyway, no one wags their tongues about you. Not that I’ve heard. Your da gives you girls so much freedom, I think the others, they envy you, even if they don’t realize it.”

“Really? They envy Mally’s trysts and my prowling the woods?”

I doubted Da would mind if responsible Liss was more like Mally and me. Mam, on the other hand, would have minded our antics a great deal more if her headaches didn’t so often confine her to her room.

By the time Lugh and I reached the row of proud stone homes that hid our older, shabbier cottages from view, the gray day was being replaced by a breezy, indigo night.

“Thank you for accompanying me today.” I debated quickening my pace, longing to free my hands of the bothersome custard, while wanting to spend more time at Lugh’s side.

“Anytime.” Lugh flashed a smile, then looked from the road to the grassy slope on our left. “I know it’s late, but how do you feel about taking a not-so-shortcut?”

We ambled toward home by way of the slope, navigating a swath of wildflowers and reedy grasses. I kept my eyes trained on the ground as I trampled weeds, still aware of the sigh of the sea.

I tried to distract myself with conversation. “Do you think someone will hear from Nessa Daley soon? Or the dead girl’s kin?”

Lugh shrugged. “Mr. Gill and the others have been searching for Nessa for days now. If she didn’t run off—”

I shivered and cut in, “If Mr. Gill has put together a search party, he doesn’t think she ran off. He thinks—and so do I, for that matter—that some terrible fate’s befallen her.”

“Or he’s trying to remind everyone what a strong leader he is by solving a problem that doesn’t exist.” Lugh must have noticed me frowning. He hurried to add, “I’m sure she’ll turn up eventually. With a babe in her arms and a long apology for her husband. He—”

A deafening crash erupted over the water, much louder than the usual meeting of wave and rock. Almost a thunderclap, or what two prows colliding must sound like.

Lugh gave a shout of surprise, dropping baskets as he threw his arm out to create a barrier between me and the sea far below. The crash reverberated in my ears as we spun to face the water. I scanned the ocean for the source of the noise, my lips shaping a hurried prayer that Da wasn’t anywhere near this stretch of sea.

“There,” Lugh said, pointing straight out from the cliff.

It was difficult to see much in the gathering dusk, but a large area of water had clearly been disturbed. Whitecaps rippled out from the spot where a creature’s dark, scaly flesh sank beneath the waves. In a blink, it was gone.

“Did you see that?” I demanded.

“See what, Bry?” Lugh’s brow furrowed as he studied the sea. Whatever had made the noise had either disappeared or blended too well with the shadowed, murky water.

“There’s nothing out there.” Lugh peered into my eyes, concerned. “Someone must have lost his catch.”

“I don’t think a broken net or a boat running aground would make that much noise.” My hands shook as I clutched the custard.

Perhaps Lugh was right. Perhaps I’d imagined the creature. All the recent talk of death and disappearance was stirring up memories of the phantom I thought I’d seen when Grandad had died. The glistening black scales diving back into the deep moments ago had been nothing more than the trick of the cruel sea, just like the misty phantom.

I swallowed hard. “We should be going. Our families will be waiting.”

“Thinking about your grandad?” Lugh made no move to pick up his baskets, slipping an arm around my shoulders instead.

Though his chest blocked my view, I couldn’t help stealing glances at the sea. I half expected something to leap out of the water, soar up over the cliff, and grab me. “More about what made that sound.”

Lugh pulled me closer. “It was just a storm going out to sea. The waves were probably made by dolphins. Everyone’s on edge, between the best fishing spots running dry and that poor girl’s death.”

I set the custard down and leaned into his side. The scent of fresh-baked muffins wafted past. Lugh had visited the bakery with me earlier, and sweetness seemed to find him and cling like a second skin.

“I promise we’re safe here, Bry.” His fingers brushed my cheek. “You’re still so pale.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing myself to stand taller. “I just … realized how much I’ll miss you when I move off this miserable rock.” The moment I said it, I was struck by how true it was.

He dipped his head, drawing so close our lips almost touched. “Then don’t go. No one’s making you leave. And maybe”—his breathing quickened, and his heart thudded in his chest so hard it was drumming against mine—“maybe there are things worth staying for.”

Then his mouth was on mine, hot, damp, salty. His chapped lip grazed my soft one, making me shiver, and I clasped my shaking hands behind his neck to keep him where I wanted him. Tangled up with me.

When we finally broke apart, Lugh was grinning. A moment later, when I caught my breath, so was I.

Then my gaze traveled back to the black water stretching toward the horizon, and my happiness ebbed away like the waves.

“We really should make sure everyone’s all right.”

I repeated Lugh’s explanation about the crash to myself as we walked, but though his words should have reassured me, they only unsettled me further.

“Come on, Bry. You made it this far. You can’t give up now!” Lugh called. He was standing on the beach under a cloudless sky, hands on his hips, feet buried in the white sand.

Despite catching a glimpse of something odd in the water the night before, despite my vow to Morag that I wouldn’t set foot on the beach, Cat had persuaded me to accompany her and Lugh on their trip to the sands. They thought—and I reluctantly agreed—that it was the best place to search for whatever had made the crashing sound. Evidently, the strange noise had been so loud that many in town had heard it through their windows, and I wasn’t going to sleep again until I proved to myself that it wasn’t anything more than a wrecked ship.

“Just a few more steps and you’re there,” Cat said through gritted teeth, tugging on my hands.

I dug my heels into the soft dirt. “I’ll watch from here. Besides, if something walks out of the water and grabs you, someone will need to run for help.”

“Bri-dey.” Cat puffed out her lower lip and exhaled. “Even if we don’t find anything …” She paused, turning to the ocean, and then back to me. “I know you’re curious. You want to find what that noise was as much as we do.”

“Nothing’s going to hurt you,” Lugh added. “Not with us right beside you.” He stretched his arms, beckoning me forward while Cat pulled again on my hands.

“Come on,” Cat urged. “Nothing interesting ever happens in Port Coire. Ever. And now the one time something mysterious happens, you’d rather be home doing chores.”

She had a point. Washing clothes for Mam sounded much more appealing than going anywhere near the treacherous sea.

But if there was even the slightest hint of danger here, I needed to expose it. I couldn’t let my sisters wind up like the drowned girl or wake to find they’d vanished in the night like Nessa Daley. Mally, Liss, and Grayse were more precious to me than the largest pearl, than the heaps of gold rumored to be buried with sunken ships off the coast.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the sand; the grains beneath my feet sent a ripple of shock through me. My friends clapped and cheered as I tried to stop my knees from knocking together. I lowered my gaze, hoping Cat wouldn’t see me blush as we approached Lugh.

“Here we are,” he said, drawing me from my thoughts as he placed a warm hand on my shoulder. He didn’t seem to notice my frown. “Let’s start the hunt!”

“For what?” I didn’t want to pick my way between tide pools. With my luck, I’d fall in. No, I needed to stay as far from the water as possible.

“Just look for anything unusual,” Cat suggested. She danced around me as she spoke, kicking up sand. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Bry?”

I frowned harder. “Back on solid ground.”

The mirth left Cat’s face. “This is important, though,” she said softly. “What if the sound we heard last night was someone’s boat hitting the rocks? There could be another body, or someone too injured to shout for help.”

“You’re right.” I grabbed Cat’s hand, thinking of the mysterious girl’s wet hair spread across the sand, and then of my sisters. But not even Cat’s closeness could stop my legs from turning into jelly as we walked.

“I ran into Eveleen Kinry, from the tailor’s shop, on my way to the bakery earlier,” Cat murmured. “She insists it was a shipwreck. But she looked so troubled, I’m not sure she believed it herself. Some people think it was whales fighting.”

“Mmm.” I glanced over my shoulder. Lugh was crouching in a damp patch of sand, combing through a bed of shells. Not even his kisses could convince me to get that close to the water. “Maybe Eveleen saw something we didn’t. Shame you didn’t ask her what she really thinks it was.”

“Nothing good, I’m certain.” Cat knelt beside a large boulder. “Maybe there’s blood on one of these.” She narrowed her eyes, as if closer scrutiny would reveal a crimson river running down the stone. Then she glanced at me expectantly.

I crossed my arms. “Oh, no. I am not crawling around the rocks looking for bloodstains. Not even for you.”

Dipping her hand in a tide pool, Cat murmured, “You’d think by now Mr. Gill would have—”

Lugh shouted, and we turned toward him.

“Found something?” Cat asked.

But it wasn’t a cry of triumph. I ran down to the waterline, trying to ignore the fist that clenched around my lungs every time I caught sight of the crashing waves, leaving Cat to scramble after me.

Lugh sat just shy of the water, his face contorted as he clutched his right foot.

“What happened?” I demanded, dropping to my knees beside him. He groaned.

Pushing my hair out of my eyes, I peered at the sole of his foot. A large white shard, probably a shell fragment, was embedded deep in the center. I wasn’t sure I could tug it free, but someone had to try. With a mostly steady hand, I reached for the giant splinter.

“Wh-what are you doing?” All color had left Lugh’s face.

“Just taking a closer look,” I answered. “I’ll be quick.” He nodded, and I yanked the shard of shell from his foot. It dropped into the sand as Lugh hissed and jerked away.

“Dammit, Bry! That stung.” He craned his neck to inspect the blood oozing thickly from his sole, then met my eyes. “But thank you.”

I started ripping a piece off the bottom of my skirt for him to use as a bandage.

“Don’t ruin your—”

“This skirt’s destined for the rubbish heap anyway. I wore it to Morag’s.” I handed him the scrap of fabric.

“What got you, Lugh?” Cat rushed toward us, frowning.

“Not sure. Piece of glass, maybe, or …” He trailed off as he scoured the area for the splinter. It was easy to find, smeared with red. “Looks like a shark’s tooth, a big one.” He rolled it between his fingers. “What do you think, Bry?”

The stained ivory sliver did resemble a tooth more than a shell, but it was straight as a sewing needle and unlike any shark tooth I’d ever seen. My stomach clenched as I wondered what sort of animal had such teeth.

“We should go before one of us steps on something worse.” I climbed to my feet and offered Lugh a hand. “There’s no sign of a shipwreck here, anyway.” I remembered the dark scales I’d seen immediately after the crash—because there wasn’t one. “We aren’t going to find any trace of Nessa Daley here, either. Mr. Gill and the others have searched this beach over a hundred times already.”

Lugh frowned and tossed the splinter into the waves. “You’re right. But not because Nessa drowned. She’s in Peel, and all this worry will blow over shortly.”

As we hurried from the beach, Lugh limping and leaning on Cat and me for support, my thoughts turned to the ivory splinter. Whether it was a tooth or a claw or part of a shell, I was certain of a few things: there was something sinister happening in Port Coire, and no one—not Cat or Lugh or even love for my sisters—could force me onto that beach again.