Chapter Twelve

Kes woke up sluggishly and rolled over in the water, yawning and feeling muzzy-headed. He was glad to wake, because he’d been having a nightmare. In it he was swimming at night with his mother, and they had been attacked by… by…

A jolt went through him as his mind cleared and he remembered. It hadn’t been a nightmare at all – it was real!

His eyes snapped open and he stared around.

This wasn’t the open sea – and it wasn’t night. There was a strange glow all around him, a bit like sunlight but yellower and… thicker was the only word he could think of. It made everything hazy and dim, as if he were swimming in milk rather than water. There was something in front of him, a vague, undulating image – Kes swam towards it, and to his surprise bumped into a wall as solid and smooth and hard as glass.

He peered through, trying to see what was on the other side, but the thick yellow light made it difficult. There was something that looked like a pool, with a ledge running all the way round it. Above the ledge were smears of colour. They reminded him of something, though for a minute he couldn’t think what it was. Then it came back to him. A cave – his captors had brought him through the undersea tunnel into a cave, with mirrors of rainbow colours set in a circle round it –

He was behind the yellow mirror!

Quickly, feeling his way, Kes explored further along the wall. He soon realized that his suspicion was right – the wall curved round until it came back to the mirror again. He was imprisoned in a sphere of water, with no way out.

‘Hey!’ He hammered on the mirror with both fists, feeling angry now as well as frightened. ‘Let me out!’

His hammering made no sound, and he felt sure that no one beyond the mirror could hear him. Where was this place? And where was his mother? Pressing his face to the transparent surface he tried again to get a clearer view, and this time he made out something, or someone, sitting on a rock at one side of the cave’s central pool. He was sure that the figure hadn’t been there a minute ago, and his pulse quickened as he recognized the familiar shape of a long shining tail.

‘Mother?’ he shouted. ‘Mother!’

The shape moved. It was a mermaid, but her hair was black, not gold. Kes’s hope turned to alarm. Then the mermaid raised one hand and pointed towards him.

Instantly the clear wall dissolved. Suddenly freed, the whole weight of water behind it erupted outwards, carrying Kes with it, and he tumbled out of the mirror and into the pool.

Kes plunged under and down, thrown this way and that by the churning water. At last it calmed enough for him to right himself and he surfaced. As he gasped and shook his head in an effort to clear water from his eyes, a voice said, ‘Welcome, Kesson. I am very pleased to meet you.’

The mermaid he had seen through the mirror was gazing down at him with a smile on her face. Black hair with a blue sheen cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were brilliant emerald green. Her face was very beautiful, but it was also cruel and spiteful. On her head was a golden circlet set with seven pearls. At the foot of her rock couch another pair of eyes stared too. Tullor was there, coiled round the rock. His mouth was open and he looked as if he were grinning.

Kes stared back at them both in horror. The thought flashed across his mind, Tullor’s an eel! How can he survive out of water? but he had no time to do more than wonder before the mermaid spoke again.

‘Well?’ she demanded. ‘Haven’t you got anything to say for yourself?’ She leaned forward and the look in her eyes made Kes shiver. ‘Do you know who I am?’

Kes did know and, trembling, managed to find his voice. ‘You are… Taran…’

Tullor snarled ferociously. ‘She is Queen Taran! Say “Your Majesty” when you dare to speak to her!’

‘Be quiet, Tullor!’ Taran raised a hand and the giant eel cringed. ‘Kesson is very young, and no doubt his mother hasn’t taught him manners.’ She looked at her servant. ‘You’ve done well and you will be rewarded, but now go. I want to talk to our new friend alone.’

Tullor slid off the rock into the pool. Kes shrank back, but the eel only gave him a cold, ominous glare before disappearing below the surface without a ripple.

With Tullor gone a little of Kes’s courage crept back and he said, ‘Where’s my mother? What have you done with her?’

‘She’s safe and well, for now,’ Taran replied carelessly. Then her expression changed. ‘But if you want her to stay well, you must do as I tell you and answer my questions truthfully. Do you understand?’

Kes swallowed and nodded.

‘Good. Then come out of the water, and sit beside me.’

It was the last thing Kes wanted to do, but he dared not argue. He tried to haul himself from the pool and onto the couch. It wasn’t easy with his mer-tail, and Taran smiled as she watched his efforts.

‘Why don’t you change back into your human form?’ she asked, amused. ‘Oh, don’t look so surprised. I know all about you and your twin sister, so there’s no point in trying to hide what you are.’

Kes flushed crimson. He willed himself to change, and when at last he managed to climb out of the water he looked like an ordinary boy.

‘That’s better,’ said Taran sweetly. ‘Now, let us talk. Do you know why you’ve been brought here?’

He shook his head. ‘No… Your Majesty.’

‘It’s very simple.’ Suddenly Taran reached out and gripped his arm. Kes winced; she was amazingly strong. She stared into his face, and her voice turned from sweetness to venom as she hissed, ‘I want the silver pearl!’

Kes started to shake with fear. ‘Th-the… silver pearl…?’ he echoed.

‘Yes! Don’t pretend that you don’t understand. I know you do. Your sister has it, in the locket she wears. And you’ve seen it, haven’t you? Morvyr revealed the secret to you and your sister.’

‘No, Your Majesty –’

‘Don’t lie to me! I know!’ Taran’s voice rose shrilly, then with an effort she got herself under control again. ‘I will have the silver pearl, Kesson. And you will help me to get it.’

Kes’s mind was spinning. How did Taran know about the pearl in Lizzy’s locket? There was only one possible answer. When Lizzy and Morvyr met for the first time, Morvyr had shown them the locket’s secret compartment. They had seen the silver pearl, and had heard the strange, high-pitched singing note it gave off when the compartment was opened. Morvyr had closed it quickly. But if Taran’s servants had been spying, they too might have heard the pearl sing.

‘Let me show you something.’ Taran took off her golden circlet and held it out. Her voice was sweet and reasonable again. ‘This is my crown, Kesson. The crown of your rightful Queen. Look more closely. See?’ She pointed to the pearls set round the circlet’s edge. ‘It’s incomplete. There should be nine pearls, but two of them are missing.’ She stared intimidatingly into his face. ‘Do you know what happened to them?’

Again Kes swallowed and shook his head.

‘They were stolen,’ said Taran softly. ‘And do you know who stole them?’

‘N-no, Your Majesty…’

‘Then I’ll tell you. Your mother stole them.’

Kes’s eyes widened. ‘No! She wouldn’t –’

‘Don’t interrupt me!’ Taran snarled. ‘Your mother, Morvyr, stole the silver and black pearls from my crown and hid them. And I want them back!’ She stared at him again. ‘You saw one of the pearls in your sister’s locket, didn’t you, Kesson?’

Her eyes seemed to bore through Kes’s skull and reach to his innermost thoughts, and he felt an awful sense of power radiating from her mind. He dared not lie to her, and he whispered, ‘I saw… a pearl. But I don’t know anything about it.’ He swallowed and added, ‘Your Majesty…’

‘What colour was it?’

Shaking like a jellyfish, Kes replied, ‘S-silver…’

‘And do you know where the black pearl is?’

For the first time in his life Kes thanked his lucky stars that Morvyr had been so secretive. If she had told him about the pearls and he had tried to hide what he knew from Taran, he was absolutely certain she would have known it. And he shuddered to think of what she might have done then.

‘P-please, Your Majesty,’ he stammered, ‘I don’t know anything about a black pearl. I’ve never even heard of it before.’

The Queen continued to stare at him for a few more seconds. Then abruptly she sat back on her couch. ‘I see you’re telling the truth,’ she said. ‘That’s very wise of you. It all happened a long time ago, so I suppose you were too young to remember.’ She turned her attention to the circlet, stroking it, and Kes thought quickly. He knew now why Taran wanted the pearl in Lizzy’s locket so much. But it seemed there was a black pearl too – where was that? Did Morvyr know? Kes didn’t believe for a moment that his mother had stolen the pearls, but he was sure she must know something about the missing black one.

Then with a shock the last words of the message Arhans had brought slammed into his mind. The ninth one is safe with me. There were seven pearls in Taran’s circlet, and two missing – which made nine. Was that what his father had meant? Did he have the black pearl?

Suddenly Kes knew that, at all costs, Taran must not find out about Jack Carrick’s return. He would have to be desperately careful, and hope that she wouldn’t ask him any questions about his father. But if she did and looked into his eyes the way she had done a few minutes ago…

‘What are you thinking, Kesson?’

Kes jumped, and looked up. Taran had put the circlet back on her head and was regarding him with her cold green eyes. He looked away and said, ‘I was wondering… what you’re going to do with Mother and me.’

She smiled. ‘Oh, I see. You’re frightened, are you? Well, don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. I would, if it suited me, but I have a better plan. Your mother is going to stay here for a while, as my… guest.’ The way she said ‘guest’ made Kes shudder inwardly. ‘And you are going to carry out a little errand for me. If you complete it, like an obedient boy, I will set Morvyr free. But, if you fail…’ She uttered an unpleasant laugh. ‘Well, let’s just say that your mother will regret that very much.’

Kes’s fear came surging to the surface again and he cried, ‘Where is she? I want to see her!’

‘Of course you do. And you shall.’ She turned and looked at the indigo mirror. Then she raised one hand and pointed at it.

Kes expected the mirror’s surface to dissolve in a cascade of water as the yellow one had done. Instead, though, it swirled and an image appeared in it.

Morvyr was behind the mirror, trapped inside as Kes had been. She drifted in the water, her golden hair moving slowly like a pale cloud around her head, and her tail drifted too, as though she had no control over it.

Kes shouted, ‘Mother!’ and Taran laughed again.

‘She can’t hear you. She is asleep, and will stay asleep until I decide to wake her. If I decide to. But that depends on you.’

Kes stared at Morvyr’s limp figure, and an ache of desperate, helpless fury rose up in him so that he could hardly breathe.

Finding his voice with an effort, he said, ‘What do you want me to do?’

Taran looked triumphant. ‘As I said, I want you to carry out a little errand for me. It’s quite simple. You will go to shore and find your sister, Tegenn. Tell her that your mother is a captive, and the price of her freedom is the silver pearl.’

With a last shred of defiance Kes said, ‘What if she won’t give it to me?’

‘Then you must persuade her. Otherwise you will never see your mother again. And you don’t want that, do you?’ She paused. ‘Answer me!’

‘No, Your Majesty,’ Kes whispered miserably.

Taran gave a soft, low chuckle. ‘You’re a clever boy, Kesson. You understand that you can’t defy me. Now you must make your sister understand too. I’m sure you can do that.’

Kes knew that he had no choice. Slowly he nodded.

‘When you have the pearl,’ Taran went on, ‘you will bring it here to me – and Tegenn must come with you.’

‘But –’

‘Be quiet! I want to meet her, so she must come! Then all three of you may go free.’

Could he believe that? Kes asked himself. Would Taran keep her word, or would she imprison them all? He didn’t trust her… but if he didn’t do what she wanted, she would hurt Morvyr.

Heart thumping, he said, ‘All right. I’ll bring her.’

‘Good. Now, there’s one more thing before I send you away to carry out your task. Each pearl has its own special gateway to the outside world, which it alone can unlock. You were brought here through the indigo gate, which I opened with the indigo pearl. However, you must bring the silver pearl through the silver gateway.’ She smiled maliciously. ‘No other pearl can unlock that portal. So, if you try to trick me, the gate will not open and I will know that the pearl is a fake.’

‘How can I find the gateway?’ Kes asked.

‘Your snooping friends the dolphins know where all the gates are – much good may it do them!’ said Taran scornfully. ‘It’s a long way from the land, so I’ll give you time to do your task. But you will do it!’

Turning towards the pool, she clapped her hands sharply. Moments later the water churned and Tullor’s head appeared above the surface.

‘You summoned me, Your Majesty?’ said the eel fawningly.

‘Yes, Tullor. This boy is to return to the sea. Take him through the green gateway and let him go. And spread word that I am no longer searching for him; he is free to do as he pleases.’

‘Your Majesty?’ Tullor sounded surprised.

‘Don’t question me, Tullor! Just do as you’re told!’

The eel ducked his head submissively. ‘Of course, Your Majesty.’ He glowered at Kes.

‘Go, Kesson,’ Taran ordered. ‘And don’t forget – if you try to deceive me, I’ll know!’

Kes slipped off the rock and into the pool. Tullor swam round him, still glowering, and Taran held up the circlet. She touched the green pearl, which began to glow. The pool glowed too, and the water turned to the same emerald hue as the pearl. Then, so suddenly that Kes was taken completely by surprise, the water churned and swirled. Spinning round, he felt a powerful pull, and the next instant he and Tullor plunged under the surface and were sucked into what felt like a huge whirlpool. Down and round, twisting and whirling – colours flashed in front of Kes’s eyes. He spun upside down, sideways, every way – then there was a whooshing sound, and he and the eel burst out of the tunnel and into the open sea.

Kes gasped dizzily and thrashed his arms and legs until he was – or thought he was – upright. Tullor had recovered more quickly, and his cold eyes were full of hate as he said, ‘Her Majesty has told me you are to be left alone, and I obey. But if I had a choice…’ He let the threat hang unfinished.

Kes tried to ignore it and looked around. Light was filtering down from above, which meant it must be day, but it was very dim. They were in deep sea, he realised, and nothing looked familiar. ‘Where is this?’ he demanded.

‘Ask the dolphins,’ Tullor retorted spitefully. ‘They like to think they know everything. They’ll tell you where you are – if you can find them.’

If the eel had been capable of laughing, Kes thought, he would have cackled aloud. Kes said nothing, and after a few moments Tullor hissed, ‘I will see you again, Kesson. Be sure of that.’

He writhed round and swam away. Kes watched until he vanished in the undersea gloom, then breathed out a sigh of relief. He might be lost and alone, but anything was better than having Tullor for a companion. He would find his own way to land. Someone would tell him where he was. And maybe he would meet a friend who could get a message quickly to Arhans. He needed her now, as he had never done before.

Closing his eyes, he willed himself to change from human to merboy. When the change was complete, he flicked his tail, feeling its strength. Then he stared into the endless, unfamiliar sea. It looked daunting. But he tried not to think about that.

‘I’ll bring the pearl back, Mother,’ he whispered fiercely. ‘I’ll set you free. I promise!’

Bubbles streamed from his mouth and nose as he took a deep breath. Then he bunched his muscles and streaked away into the gloom.