Chapter Eleven

Lizzy had been in a state of high excitement all morning at the prospect of her meeting with Jack. Unable to wait any longer, she left home half an hour early and ran through the streets and then along the cliff path. As she approached the lighthouse she saw a familiar figure outlined against the blue sky. Her heart skipped eagerly. The figure saw her, waved and then sprinted the last fifty metres to her.

‘Hello, Lizzy!’ Jack Carrick enveloped her in a hug that lifted her off her feet.

‘Hello, D-!’ Lizzy was about to say ‘Dad’ but stopped. She had called Morvyr ‘Mother’, but this was different. She was on land. Jack Carrick was an ordinary human being. Somehow it was all too close to home, and she was confused. As he put her down she blinked and said, ‘I don’t know what to call you…’

‘Well, not Mr Carrick, for a start!’ he replied with a grin. ‘And, to be honest, I don’t think it should be Dad, either, do you?’

She looked crestfallen. ‘Not even just between us?’

He shook his head. ‘Better not. What if you said it in front of someone? We’d have some explaining to do, and I don’t think your family – your human family – is ready for the truth just yet.’

Lizzy nodded. ‘Yes, I – I see what you mean. What shall I say, then?’

‘How about just plain Jack? That’s what my friends call me. And we’re friends above all, aren’t we?’

Lizzy returned a hesitant smile. ‘All right, then… Jack.’

‘Good for you! Right, let’s find a nice spot for this picnic I’ve brought, then we can make ourselves comfortable and talk.’

They chose a sunny patch of grass that was sheltered from the sea wind by the bulk of the lighthouse, and sat down. Jack had brought pasties, salad, lemonade and a chunk of a magnificent chocolate cake made by Mrs Treleaven. Chocolate cake was one of Lizzy’s favourite things on earth; she just hoped that she wouldn’t be too excited to eat.

‘I’ve got some good news,’ said Jack as they unpacked the food. ‘I went to the beach early this morning, and Arhans was there. She’s seen your mother and Kes, and given them my message.’

Lizzy’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s brilliant! Did she tell you where they are?’

‘Yes. But she warned me not to go there. Taran has so many spies, and we can’t take the risk of leading them to the hiding place. We’ll have to be patient for a while longer.’ He saw her face and smiled sympathetically. ‘It’s hard for me too, but at least we know they’re safe. In the meantime we’ve got a lot more to talk about. And the most important thing is your locket. Did you bring it with you?’

‘Yes.’ The locket was round her neck, and Lizzy drew it out from under her T-shirt. Jack stared at it, then nodded. ‘Do you know about the secret compartment, Lizzy?’

She swallowed. ‘Yes. Mother – I mean, Morvyr – showed it to me. I’d never realized it was there.’

‘Did she open it for you?’

Lizzy nodded. Her pulse was pounding.

‘And…?’

‘There’s a pearl inside it. A silver pearl.’ She hesitated. ‘Morvyr touched it and – and said, “Sing.” And… it did…’

Jack was smiling now. ‘May I see it?’ he asked.

Lizzy’s hands shook as she took off the locket, unfastened the catch and ran her fingers gently over the inside surface. She didn’t know how Morvyr had made the secret compartment work; there must be a knack to it, but she hadn’t watched closely enough –

She jumped in surprise and almost dropped the locket as, with a faint click, the inner compartment sprang open. The beautiful silver pearl was there, shimmering in the bright sunlight.

Jack gazed at the pearl for a few moments. Then he said, ‘Touch it, Lizzy, and tell it to sing.’

She reached out and touched the pearl very gently. ‘Sing,’ she whispered.

The pearl began to give off the high, sweet note that she had heard before. Then suddenly a second note joined in, as sweet as the first but deeper.

Startled, Lizzy looked up at Jack. ‘It didn’t do that before!’ she said. ‘That second note – what is it?’

Jack smiled. ‘This.’

He reached to his own neck, and drew out a mother-of-pearl locket exactly like her own.

‘I made them for you and Kes when you were born,’ he said. ‘This one has a secret compartment too – look.’

To Lizzy’s delight a tiny section of Jack’s locket opened. Inside was another shining pearl. But where Lizzy’s pearl was silver, this one was deepest black – and the black pearl was also singing.

Lizzy gasped in astonishment as the sounds of the two singing pearls grew louder and louder, until the air was filled with a beautiful harmony.

‘Better close them away now, before anyone else hears them,’ said Jack. He shut his locket, and reluctantly Lizzy did the same. Slowly the singing faded, then it was gone, leaving only the sounds of the sea and the wind.

Lizzy looked up at Jack. ‘Wh-what does it mean?’ she asked in a whisper.

‘These two pearls have a very special link,’ Jack replied. ‘When one of them sings, the other answers, and if it isn’t far away the first pearl “hears” it and echoes its voice. The closer they are, the louder the singing becomes.’ He smiled. ‘When you were stolen I hoped that the black pearl would help me to find you, so I took it with me in the locket I’d made for Kes.’ He gave a little laugh. ‘I must have sailed three times round the world in the last eleven years, and every day I asked the black pearl to sing. But the silver pearl never sang in reply.’

‘Because they were too far away from each other?’

‘Yes. But not long ago I arrived in Brittany – how I got there is much too long a story to tell now – and, when I asked the black pearl to sing, I heard the silver pearl too. It was very faint, but it was there. I knew I was getting close to you at long last. I went to a fishing port on the coast, and I listened again. This time the silver pearl’s voice was stronger, and I had a feeling that I must come back to Cornwall.’

‘That’s why you were on the French trawler!’

Jack nodded. ‘And you know what happened after that.’

Lizzy looked out to sea. She was thinking about the lifeboat rescue, and how nearly Jack had been lost forever. She swallowed. ‘There’s still so much I don’t know, though,’ she said at last. ‘What are the pearls? Where did they come from? And why is Morvyr so afraid of anyone knowing about them?’

‘Ah, that’s the other part of the story.’ Jack looked around to see if anyone else was nearby. There were some people on the cliff path, but they were too far away to overhear anything, and he continued.

‘These pearls were once part of the mermaid Queen’s crown. There are nine of them altogether, and they all have their own magic. But the black and silver pearls are the most magical of all. If they are ever restored to their proper place, whoever wears the crown will have enormous power.’

‘Is it Taran’s crown?’ Lizzy asked.

‘Taran has it now. But Kes is right; she isn’t the true Queen. She’s a usurper. Whatever happens, the black and silver pearls must be kept out of her clutches. That’s why your mother told you not to take your locket to sea. Taran would do anything to get her hands on those two pearls and make the crown complete again. If she knew you had one, you’d be in great danger.’

Lizzy felt a shiver go through her at the thought.

‘Taran was always a troublemaker,’ Jack went on. ‘She was jealous and ambitious. She wanted to be Queen, and she was determined to get her way at any cost. So eleven years ago she gathered a group of followers – creatures as greedy and unscrupulous as herself – and they planned to attack the true Queen, Kara, and steal her magical crown.

‘The attack took Queen Kara completely by surprise. None of her loyal people were close by. When they realized what was happening, they went to the rescue, but by then it was too late. Taran got away, and they found Kara lying badly wounded in her undersea home.’

Jack’s eyes became misty. ‘Kara told them that Taran had stolen the crown and kidnapped her daughter, Karwynna. Everyone was horrified, because the nine pearls in the crown give great power to whoever wears it. But Taran didn’t have all the pearls. During the struggle Queen Kara managed to prise two of them free.’

‘The silver one and the black one…’ Lizzy breathed.

‘Yes. Taran and her henchmen fled without them when the loyal merfolk arrived. The Queen entrusted the pearls to Morvyr, and Morvyr promised that, if they could, she and her friends would somehow find a way to defeat Taran and restore the crown to the rightful heir.’ He paused. ‘A few minutes later, Queen Kara died.’

Lizzy felt a choking mixture of sadness and anger. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and she had to bite her lip in an effort to stop them from falling.

Jack understood, and reached out to squeeze her hand. ‘Your mother hid the pearls in your lockets and sealed them with protective magic,’ he went on gently. ‘Taran proclaimed herself Queen a few days later, and even with only seven pearls the crown gave her great power. But she wanted the black and silver pearls too. They’re the most powerful of all, and if she could get her hands on them, she would be almost invincible.’

‘Did she know where they were?’

‘Not for certain. She suspected that Queen Kara had given them to your mother, but she couldn’t do anything about it because I was there.’ Jack’s eyes glinted angrily. ‘I wasn’t afraid of Taran, and she knew it.’

Lizzy was beginning to understand. ‘So that’s why she kidnapped me! She wanted to lure you away, so that there was no one to protect Morvyr!’

‘That’s right. She laid a false trail that made us think you’d been taken far across the sea, and I followed the trail to search for you.’

‘But what about Taran? Weren’t you afraid of what she’d do to Morvyr if you weren’t there?’

Jack shook his head. ‘We both knew she wouldn’t do anything. She could search every cranny of our home, but she wouldn’t find the pearls, because they were hidden in the lockets. You were wearing yours when you were stolen, and I took Kes’s with me.’

‘Taran must have been furious!’

‘I’m sure she was. But if she harmed Morvyr she’d never find out where the pearls had gone. So we knew your mother would be safe.’

Lizzy nodded. ‘And now,’ she said musingly, ‘we’ve both come home, and so have the pearls.’ She looked up. ‘Do you think we can make Morvyr’s promise to Queen Kara come true?’

Jack smiled at her. ‘Is that what you’d like?’

Lizzy didn’t hesitate. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘More than anything.’

They walked home an hour later. The picnic had hardly been touched, which was a shame, but neither Lizzy nor Jack could think about food while so much else was on their minds. Lizzy felt as if her head were whirling. She had learned so many things, and all of them so astonishing, that she could hardly begin to take it all in. Only one thought was becoming clearer and clearer. They must find a way to defeat Taran and restore the mermaid Queen’s crown to Karwynna, the rightful heir.

She looked at Jack as he walked along beside her and said, ‘Where do you think Queen Kara’s daughter is now?’

‘Karwynna?’ Jack shook his head. ‘I wish I knew, Lizzy. But nobody does. Taran kidnapped her when she attacked the Queen, and Arhans says that nothing’s been heard of her since then.’ He frowned. ‘We don’t even know if she’s still alive.’

‘You think Taran killed her?’

‘I wouldn’t put anything past her.’ He looked at Lizzy, his eyes suddenly serious. ‘And that’s why I want you to be very careful when you go into the sea. Yesterday, for instance – it was wonderful to meet you like that, but you shouldn’t have done it. Until we know more about what Taran’s up to, you could be in danger.’

Lizzy nodded soberly. ‘I understand that now. I’m sorry.’

‘Well, there was no harm done, thankfully. But in future make sure the dolphins are with you. Creatures like Tullor won’t try anything while they’re around.’

They were nearing the harbour now, where they would go their separate ways: Lizzy to her home and Jack to the Treleavens’. When they reached the road, Jack stopped.

‘I won’t be here for the next day or so,’ he said, then saw Lizzy’s expression and added, ‘It’s nothing to worry about! Jeff Treleaven is taking his fishing boat to sea early tomorrow morning, and I’m going along as extra crew.’ He smiled. ‘It’ll be good to be back at work again.’

‘Even after what happened to the French trawler?’ Lizzy asked in surprise.

‘Oh, yes! When the sea’s in your blood, you can’t stay away from it for long, no matter what.’

‘When are you coming back?’ Lizzy didn’t want him to go, though she tried to keep the disappointment from her voice.

‘Oh, we’ll only be away two or three days. Rose will soon know; Paul’s coming too, and they’re sure to be constantly texting each other!’

Lizzy laughed. ‘And when you are back,’ she said, ‘maybe it’ll be safe for Kes and Morvyr to come out of hiding.’

‘Let’s hope so. Oh – I nearly forgot. I’ve got something for you.’ He dug in a pocket and gave her a piece of folded paper. ‘When Taran usurped the throne, the merfolk made a rhyme. They used to whisper it to each other as a sign of their belief that Taran’s rule won’t last forever. No one dares say it now. But I remembered it, and I wrote it down for you.’

Lizzy unfolded the paper. The verse on it was quite short:

She looked up, blinking. ‘It’s lovely.’

‘It is, isn’t it? And let’s hope it comes true.’ Suddenly he bent and kissed her forehead. ‘Take care, Lizzy. I’ll be back again soon.’

‘Can I come and see you off tomorrow?’

‘Of course you can – that would be good. See you then!’

Lizzy watched as he walked away. She thought about the rhyme and what it meant. But Silver and Black will call them all back, When a terrible wrong is put right…

Carefully she folded the piece of paper until it was as small as she could make it, opened her locket and placed the paper carefully inside. Then, with one last look at Jack’s retreating figure, she turned and headed towards her home.