Page 53 of Broken Veil
“What’s up, buttercup?”
“Need a little less fog.”
“Uh… I can just do fog or no fog.”
“Tell her no fog then,” Godrik muttered. “Because this mess is as thick as pea soup. I can’t see a thing.” He stepped up to the thick iron wheel. “This is the one?”
He tested it, and Carys heard the door creak a little bit.
“Yes.” She kept her voice soft. “So when the fog lifts and you can see the serpent swim into the lock, close that gate. As soon as he’s through, close it.”
Godrik nodded. “Yes, my lady.”
Carys shouted at Laura. “Okay, Laura, let the fog go!”
Almost as soon as Carys spoke, the wind picked up and blew the heavy, low-lying clouds away. The river revealed itself, as did the full moon overhead, which glinted off the churning white water flowing over Naburn Weir and the large creature swimming in circles.
The wind didn’t clear the crows away, but the starlings seemed to have disappeared, and the crows were no longerwhirling overhead but were cawing from the branches of the trees and perched on the bridges and railings all around.
“Okay, Sam.” She walked to the edge of the embankment. “Let’s see if we can get rid of your hitchhiker.”
The grindylows were still trying to crawl onto the riverbank, but as the fog cleared, they turned their eyes toward the full moon, distracted by its light. They blinked and stared, which allowed Lachlan and Duncan to slash and kick at them, sending them back into the black water from where they had emerged.
Naida was watching blue glowing lights that darted underneath the surface, two growing to four growing to eight, and then there were so many lights they looked like fireflies swimming in circles around the great sea monster.
Slowly the snake stopped swimming in rapid circles and stilled. He stretched his body and followed the blue lights, which led him in wide, arching whorls under the water. The glowing water sprites teased the wyrm, drawing it one way, then another, until the creature followed them around the wide river like a dog following its master.
“There it is.” Carys watched the serpent move along the banks downstream, then upstream and toward the Naburn Locks. “There it is. Godrik?”
“I see him.”
It was impossible to miss. The serpent was riding shallow in the water, a large ridge visible on its back. She glanced around, hoping no humans were around to see the monster, but she was more focused on where the sprites were leading it.
Whatever trance the Morrígan had over the serpent, it wasn’t strong enough to combat the glowing lights and the draw of the water fae on the water serpent’s primordial brain.
They led the wyrm in a long, curling pathway downriver, upriver, and right into the longest of the Naburn Locks.
“Now!”
Godrik grunted as he turned his shoulder into the wheel, and within moments the heavy wood-and-concrete doors swung shut.
And Sam the Sea Monster was trapped in Naburn Lock.
They stood on the embankment,watching the serpent twist and roll in the locks, bashing his sides against the concrete. Sam prodded the gate with his nose, then tried to turn, but the lock was too narrow.
“We really caught a giant snake, didn’t we?” Laura grabbed her mobile phone from her pocket. “Good thing my night camera is excellent.”
“You are not taking a picture of it,” Cadell said. “Laura?—”
“Relax, O fiery one.” Laura rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to post it on my dating profile or anything.” She pursed her lips. “Even though that would be the best profile pic ever.”
Carys couldn’t stop her smile. “The problem is, what do we do with it now?”
“Let us hope the Morrígan has a short attention span,” Cadell said.
Frida appeared with them, staring at the serpent in the lock. “She will tire of occupying his mind soon, and then I will sing a song to guide him back to the ocean.”
Sam pushed on the upstream gate, but the solid wood-and-concrete structure didn’t budge. And just as Cadell had said, the beast was smart enough to realize that pushing through the lock and destroying it would bring an avalanche of concrete and steel.
