Page 74 of Tattered Huntress
Twenty-Eight
The tidal isle of Cramond is less than a mile from Edinburgh in the grey waters of the Firth of Forth. At low tide it’s perfectly accessible on foot, a ten-minute stroll across a stone walkway that stretches from the mainland to the uninhabited island. At high tide it’s an entirely different story; as soon as the sea comes in the walkway is submerged and, in theory, the only way to leave the island is to swim or wait until the water recedes.
That would be a very bad idea. The vicious selkies that inhabit the Firth of Forth return to the area at high tide – and woe betide anyone who comes face to face with them. Even the hardiest of fishermen stay well away. Selkies are mesmerisingly beautiful, with huge, liquid, doe eyes and sleek grey fur; they’re also highly territorial and very efficient killers. Every year there are grim tales of hapless wanderers who get caught by the tide and try to remain on Cramond until it’s safe to walk back. The selkies believe the island belongs to them as much as the waters around it do. Often there are little more than gnawed bones left for grieving families to bury.
I’d never been close to a selkie and I’d never wanted to be.
‘It’s far too dangerous to cross now,’ Otis said as he flitted along the shoreline. ‘We have to wait.’
I looked up from the text message on my phone. ‘We can’t wait. At best we’re probably only an hour in front of Hugo and Humphrey. We have to get to the island before they do.’
‘The tide is coming in! They won’t be able to reach Cramond for hours either.’
‘But we can’t let them see us,’ I reasoned. ‘So we have to go now to get there before they do and before they know we’re here.’
‘Then we’ll be trapped on Cramond!’ Otis shrieked. ‘With the selkies!’
‘I don’t often agree with my brother,’ Hester said, ‘but on this occasion I think he’s right. We can’t risk it.’
I wasn’t worried. ‘I’ve been to Cramond at low tide before and I know the layout. There’s an old World War II lookout that we can hide in. The selkies won’t get to us there. As long as they don’t scent us, we’ll be fine.’
‘Otis and I will be fine – we can fly away,’ she muttered. ‘You’ll be selkie food. And how will you transport the gold away without being seen?’ She frowned doubtfully at my arms. ‘You can’t carry it. You’re not that strong.’
I flexed my muscles. ‘I’m stronger than I look. Come on! The longer we wait, the harder this will be.’ I marched towards the walkway. There was already an inch of sea water covering it.
‘Daisy—’
I stopped listening. This wasn’t the time for qualms. ‘Ready,’ I whispered under my breath. ‘Set.’ I steeled myself. ‘Go!’
I took off and jogged towards the small island. I couldn’t move too fast for fear of slipping on seaweed but neither could I waste time. For the first fifty metres or so it wasreasonably easy going, although my feet and the hem of my jeans were soaked within the first few seconds.
I debated summoning a surge of water magic to propel the water away from me, but I knew the approaching selkies would sense it and immediately head towards me. Besides, no magic in the world was powerful enough to completely halt the tide. Even a high elf couldn’t hold back the sea – King Canute had taught us that.
I kept going, splashing onwards, while the sea rushed in faster than I’d expected. By the time I reached the midway point of the causeway, it had reached my calves. It was icy cold and the ever-present wind in this part of Scotland had grown stronger. I gritted my teeth and carried on. As long as I got to Cramond before I was completely submerged and forced to swim, I was pretty sure the selkies wouldn’t notice me.
Otis buzzed around my head. ‘Come on, Daisy! Go faster!’
‘If she goes faster, they’ll be more likely to notice her when they swim in with the tide,’ Hester hissed.
‘I don’t like this. I don’t like this. I don’t like this.’ Otis zipped from side to side. Then he screamed abruptly. ‘There’s one!’
I stiffened and my blood ran cold as I saw a black shape rising out of the water. I reached for Gladys, determined to defend myself if nothing else. I’d thought I’d have longer; I’d thought I could to get to the island.
‘It’s a fucking rock, you nincompoop!’ Hester yelled.
My heart thumping painfully against my ribcage, I stared at it for a second before I realised she was right. I exhaled – then I tried to move faster. There is nothing like the threat of mortal danger to encourage a person to speed up. With the sea water now at my knees, however, I couldn’t maintain the pace.
I tore my eyes away from the surface of the water – scanning for the sudden appearance of selkies wouldn’t help – andfocused on the scrap of land ahead. The sea sloshed around my legs and I was shivering, but forward momentum would get me there. I could do this. I knew I could.
In the distance, there was a juddering scream followed by another and then another. The selkies were on their way back, swimming with the tide as it rose and rose. I gritted my teeth and ploughed on, quashing my anxiety as the water reached my thighs, putting one foot after the other and forcing my way onwards.
And then, just when I thought I wouldn’t make it, the sea level dropped. I thrust forward, gasping as I finally reached the rocky shore of Cramond Island itself.
It had been a far more strenuous effort than I’d expected but I resisted the urge to collapse and catch my breath. I needed to get to higher ground and duck out of sight before the shoal of selkies swam past and realised that the island wasn’t empty.
‘There’s the path!’ Hester said, urgency colouring her voice.
I nodded and scrambled upwards, ignoring the pebbles that lay closest to the shore. Past them, I was on soft sand so I took the time to scuff away my footprints to ensure there was no sign of me. There were several footprints left by others; the trail led up the beach to a narrow path through the undergrowth and back again. Although the owners of those footprints had already departed, I smoothed them over as well. Discretion was the name of the game now.
