Beneath (14 page)

Martha watched them bound after it. Were they far enough away yet?

“Magnus! Now!”

Jess hauled the back door open. Magnus pounded across the slushy yard and disappeared into the shed. He soon reappeared, laden with crossbow, bolts, bow and arrows. He half-fell in at the back door and Jess shoved it shut behind him. Magnus ran straight upstairs without pausing, Jess on his heels.

They looked out of Jess’s window, but there was no sign of Finn or the wolves. Jess ran through to where the others were watching the front.

“Anything?”

Martha shook her head.

Jess went back to where Magnus waited, the crossbow
primed and ready.

“He should have been back by now,” Jess fretted.

Maybe it was all right. Maybe he had decided to escape, and was heading for freedom, the wolves far behind him.

She felt sick. She couldn’t help imagining the wolves tearing at Finn, remembering the wounds he’d had when they found him in the snow. And that had only been three wolves…

“There!” Magnus pointed suddenly, and Jess’s heart lurched with relief as she saw the black horse galloping towards the farmyard.

“Can you see the wolves? Is he far enough ahead?”

Magnus squinted. “I can only see one. I’m not sure how far behind it is.”

“I’m going down to open the door.”

“Don’t open it until I tell you it’s safe,” Magnus said sharply.

“But we’ve got to let him in.”

“Only if it’s safe. Wait for me to tell you. Jess?”

But she’d gone.

Magnus swore and turned back to the window. The horse was nearly at the farmyard now. How long did it take Finn to change? He hadn’t noticed before. He shouldered the crossbow.

Down in the kitchen, Jess stood at the back door, straining to hear through the heavy wood. She heard the sound of hooves and wrenched the door open without a second thought.

The horse had come to a halt outside the back door and stood motionless, flanks heaving. Magnus watched from upstairs and saw a single wolf tearing towards it from the edge of the farmyard. He heard Jess yelling, “Quick Finn, get inside,” and realised to his horror that she’d opened the door.

All his attention on the wolf now, Magnus let the bolt fly.

Then the horse was gone and Finn was there, as the wolf leapt and dropped abruptly, tumbling across the ground,
leaving a trail of blood.

Finn threw himself inside and they locked the door together, before Finn slid down it on to the floor, chest heaving with exertion.

“Are you all right? Are you hurt?” Jess was frantic with worry.

He shook his head, lacking breath in his lungs to speak.

Magnus clattered down the stairs and into the kitchen, starting to reload the crossbow as he went, Ashe close behind him.

“You’re all right?” he said to Finn, who nodded. Ashe ran over to Finn and gave him a hug, then went to fetch him a drink.

“You opened the door,” Magnus said accusingly to Jess. “You knew it wasn’t safe. That wolf could have got in.”

“But you killed it.”

“I might have missed.”

“I knew you wouldn’t.” Jess gave him a placatory smile.

“No, you didn’t.” Magnus wasn’t going to be placated. “You should have waited until you knew it was safe.”

“I wasn’t going to leave it shut and listen to him dying outside,” Jess said with finality. “And the wolf didn’t get in. Now, what about the other five?”

Finn had got to his feet, still breathing hard. He came over to Magnus.

“Thank you,” he said.

“I never thought you’d come back,” Magnus replied, staring hard at him. “You could have escaped.”

“I wouldn’t abandon anyone to these creatures. None of my people would.”

They held each other’s gazes for a few seconds.

“The other wolves are back,” Freya called, and they all headed back upstairs.

The wolves were unsettled now, prowling round the body, sniffing and pushing at it, snapping at each other jumpily.

Magnus aimed carefully and loosed a second bolt. He didn’t get a clean kill this time. Instead, the bolt must have broken a front leg of the wolf it hit. It staggered and fell, whimpering
and growling, trying and failing to get up again. Ears flat, the rest of the pack scattered.

Magnus passed Finn the bow.

“I can’t shoot,” he said as he took it.

“The crossbow then – here.”

“No. I’ve never shot anything. I don’t know how to.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “We have other ways to deal with wolves in the Nykur world.”

Magnus muttered to himself as he hurried to reset the crossbow. A few seconds later he shouldered it, chose his target and fired. This time the bolt took a wolf in the throat, and it fell without a sound. It had been the furthest away, and the others didn’t seem to notice what had happened to it.

“The only trouble with a crossbow,” Magnus said through gritted teeth, “is how long the damn thing takes to load. It’s giving them too long to think.”

As he spoke, the two remaining wolves put back their heads and howled, making everyone’s flesh crawl.

“Why are they howling like that?” asked Jess.

“They’re angry. They want vengeance,” said Finn.

The wolves began to move towards the house – too close for Magnus to see them properly. He swore, hanging out of the window as far as he dared. From below came the sound of smashing glass.

“What’s happening?” Martha’s voice was tight with fear.

“They’re trying to break in through one of the windows downstairs.” Finn was already heading out of the room.

“Finn – wait!” yelled Jess. Magnus hauled himself back inside and he and Jess ran after Finn.

Finn paused at the bottom of the stairs. Everything had gone quiet. They waited, holding their breath.

“Do you think they’ve gone?” Jess whispered.

Finn shook his head and started to say something, but the words were drowned by the sound of a wolf hurling itself
against the shutters in the kitchen.

“Stay upstairs,” Finn yelled to the others, edging into the kitchen ahead of Magnus and Jess and watching in horror as the shutters rattled under the impact of a wolf’s body.

Magnus shouldered the crossbow as they stood there in the gloom. His face was grim. The shutters shook as the wolves threw themselves against them over and over.

“Jess, get out of here. Get upstairs and barricade yourself in somewhere with the others.”

She shook her head, too frightened to speak.
If the wolves got inside, they were all dead,
she thought.
There was no barricade they could make that would stop them. They had to kill them somehow.

She opened the drawer where the knives were kept and picked up the biggest one with a trembling hand. Finn reached across her for another one.

Magnus kept his eyes on the shutters, where one of the panels was starting to splinter under the onslaught.

“Any minute now,” he muttered.

One, two more jarring impacts. On the third, the weak panel finally gave way completely and a head was thrust inside, yellow-eyed, snarling with bloodlust.

Magnus squeezed the trigger. At this distance, he could hardly miss. The bolt hit the wolf in the back of its open mouth with a dreadful sound of tearing flesh. With a choking gurgle, the wolf fell back from the shattered wood.

Magnus started to reload.

From outside came a howl as the one remaining wolf realised what had happened, then a terrible crash as it tried to break through the shutter.

Magnus reloaded the crossbow as quickly as he could.

The wolf struggled, growling, trying to make the hole in the wood big enough to get through. Jess watched, mesmerised with terror.

And then Finn darted past her and struck at the wolf’s
throat with the knife as hard as he could. Blood fountained out, but the wolf kept coming.

“Get back, Finn,” yelled Magnus, taking aim.

Finn threw himself out of the way of the wolf’s slashing teeth as Magnus fired. The bolt hit with such force that it toppled the wolf back out of the wreckage of the shutters.

There was silence.

No one moved, afraid that at any second another snarling muzzle would be forced through the window, but nothing happened.

The silence stretched on. Finn moved first, sidling up to what was left of the window. He risked a quick glance out, then a longer one, and turned back smiling grimly.

“We’ve done it. They’re dead.”

Ian and Arnor stared at the scene of slaughter before them, then at the white faces looking out from the shattered kitchen window.

“Is everyone safe?” Ian yelled as the back door opened and Ashe and Martha tumbled out.

“Yes, yes, everyone’s fine,” Martha reassured him.

Arnor stared at the wolves, living and dead. Without a word he dismounted and drew his knife, strode to the two that were still alive, and cut their throats.

“Look at the size of them,” Ian marvelled, joining him.

“I haven’t seen a wolf like these for twenty years,” said Arnor slowly, staring fixedly at the bodies.

He turned and looked at the doorway where Jess, Magnus and Finn stood, staring out at the bloody farmyard.

“Is that him?”

“That’s him,” Ian said, frowning. “I left him locked in the cellar. I want to know who let him loose.”

Jess saw Arnor staring at Finn, and all her fear for him came flooding back. She drew Magnus aside.

“Magnus – don’t let Arnor hurt Finn,” she pleaded. “Make him see sense. You know Finn didn’t hurt Freya. She told you so herself.”

“But he took her. Arnor won’t forgive that.”

They backed into the kitchen as Ian approached.

“Who let him out?” He gestured towards Finn.

“It was me,” said Jess quickly.

“He helped kill the wolves,” Magnus added.

“Well, they’re dead now. Get him back into the cellar.”

Finn didn’t try to resist as Magnus unlocked the cellar door
and Ian shoved him inside. Then Ian went upstairs, leaving Jess and Magnus alone together for the first time that day.

“What’s really going on, Jess?” he asked, without preamble.

“What do you mean?”

“Finn was gone this morning, then you disappeared too. Everyone but Ian and Arnor knows you let him out of the cellar last night. You wanted him to escape, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” She forced herself to meet his eyes. “I knew he hadn’t harmed Freya. I was afraid Arnor and my father would kill him – I still am. And it will be even worse if they find out what he really is. He doesn’t mean any of us any harm. He came back to help us when he could have escaped and left us to deal with the wolves. Please don’t let them kill him. I’ve never asked you for anything before, but please, please help me now.”

Before Magnus could answer, Arnor came in with his arm round Freya.

“I need to talk to my daughter,” he said, ushering her into the sitting room and closing the door. Ellen and Ian came downstairs and everyone gathered in the kitchen.

“Is someone going to explain what’s been going on?” demanded Ian, looking at the shattered window and bloodstained walls.

Martha spoke up quickly.

“The wolves came out of the wood and tried to get into the house. They wouldn’t give up. We were afraid for you and Arnor, but Magnus managed to kill them – with Finn’s help.”

Jess stared at her mother, astonished. She was missing out half the story to protect Finn.

“How did you get to the shed to get the weapons?”

“We… eh… we managed to distract the wolves for long enough,” Magnus said in a strained voice.

“That was risky.” Ian shook his head. “You were lucky.”

“It was Finn,” said Ashe, into a horrified silence. “He changed into a horse, like when he saved me from the wolves.
And the wolves chased him.”

Ian turned from face to frozen face around him.

“A horse?” he said slowly.

No one answered. Even Ashe realised that he’d said something wrong.

“A horse?” he said again. “Are you serious? Martha? What’s the boy talking about?”

Martha had no answer.

“Is this true? He is a Kelpie? Freya was taken by the Kelpies?” He stopped, hoping he had somehow misunderstood, but no one contradicted him.

“Mother,” he said finally. “Is this true?”

“Yes,” said Ellen. “You can’t pretend any more that they don’t exist. Not even to yourself.”

At that moment, Arnor and Freya appeared in the doorway.

“Freya has told me what happened. She remembers it all now,” he said, looking from Ian to Jess. “Jess, what can I say? You tried to tell me and I wouldn’t believe you. Freya told me how you brought her back from the Kelpie world. How can I thank you? I owe you my daughter’s life.”

Ian gaped. “
Jess
went to their world and brought Freya back?”

“Yes,” said Freya smiling.

Ian did not smile in return. He stared at his daughter.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Jess. Tell me you didn’t let this creature into our house knowing what it was. Tell me that when we found him in the snow, you didn’t know he was a Kelpie.”

Jess swallowed, searching for her voice.

“I knew who Finn was when we found him.”

Ian stared at her as though she was a stranger. “You have betrayed everyone you know.” He drew back his hand and Jess closed her eyes and waited for the blow that she knew would come.

Nothing happened. She opened her eyes.

Magnus had hold of Ian’s arm. The two men glared at each other.

“You’ll not touch her,” Magnus said very quietly.

“She’s my daughter, and you are in my house,” Ian replied venomously.

“Ian! Stop this.” Martha’s voice was sharp. “There’s enough trouble without starting more.”

“I’ll see to you later,” Ian said to Jess, then turned his back on her.

“Arnor,” he went on. “Let’s get this over. You and I will deal with what’s in the cellar.”

“What do you mean?” asked Freya, and read the answer in Ian’s face. “No – you can’t!” she gasped.

There was uproar in the kitchen as the others realised what Ian meant. Jess and Ashe were shouting, but no one paid them any notice.

“Ian – no!” Martha said. “He’s just a boy.”

“He saved Jess and Ashe from the wolves,” said Magnus. “He helped us.”

Arnor said nothing at all and for a moment, neither did Ellen. Then she rose stiffly from the table and walked the length of the room to confront the stony-faced Ian. She spoke to him quietly at first, but he ignored her. Jess saw the anger kindle in Ellen’s eyes just before she slapped Ian as hard as she could across the cheek.

The room was suddenly silent.

Ian stood with his hand to his cheek, mouth hanging foolishly open.

“You
will
listen to me,” said Ellen, her expression daring him to utter a word. “I have three things to say to you. Arnor and Freya are the injured parties here, not you. That is the first thing. What Magnus said is true: the Kelpie boy has saved both your children – and probably you and Arnor – from these wolves today. That is the second thing.” She took a deep breath. “And the boy is the son of my cousin Euan, who was taken by
the Kelpies. He is our kin. Think very carefully, son, before you decide to become a kin killer. That is the third thing.”

And with that she turned her back on him and went back to her chair.

Jess saw the moment when her father realised that his mother, too, must have known exactly who was in his house, but he said nothing to Ellen.

Eventually, Ian looked at Arnor.

“You are the injured party,” he said stiffly. “What do
you
want done with him?”

“I want to talk to him alone,” said Arnor, to everyone’s surprise.

Jess and Freya sat side by side in awkward silence in the main room, waiting for Arnor to come back.

“What do you want to happen to Finn?” Jess forced herself to ask, dreading the answer.

Freya thought for a few seconds.

“I certainly don’t want him killed. He did kidnap me, but no one in his world meant me any harm. I was never frightened when I was there; I thought it was where I belonged. It was only when I came back and I couldn’t remember that it was frightening. Now that I
can
remember it doesn’t seem nearly so bad. And he did save us all. I think that balances things out a bit, don’t you?”

Jess’s heart surged. Surely, if Freya didn’t want Finn harmed, Arnor would listen to her?

“But what’s going on between the two of you?”

Freya’s words brought Jess’s thoughts crashing back into the room.

“Going on? What do you mean? There’s nothing going on.”

“Jess,” said Freya gently. “You hid who Finn was from your parents. You tried to persuade me I was wrong about him. And you helped him escape last night, didn’t you?”

There was no point in pretending. Jess nodded.

“But there’s nothing going on,” she said quickly. “I just didn’t want him to die. He’s been banished from his world. I thought that was punishment enough for what he’d done.”

Freya gave her a long look. “Magnus is worried too. Not that he’d admit it.”

“Worried? About…”

“About what Finn means to you. And don’t say
nothing
. We both know that’s not true.”

Jess didn’t know what to say. She remembered, suddenly, the moment when Finn had kissed her. What
did
Finn mean to her?

“Magnus has nothing to worry about,” she said flatly.

A shout came from the cellar. Glad of the distraction, Jess jumped up to unlock the door.

Arnor came out alone.

“Do I lock the door again?” Jess asked.

He nodded, went into the room where Freya sat and closed the door. Jess went into the kitchen, where Martha was putting something in the oven.

From the window, she saw that her father and Magnus had dragged the bodies of the wolves into the neighbouring field, and were building a pyre.

“Let’s not bother telling your father about Finn disappearing during the night,” Martha said suddenly. “It makes no difference now, and it will only make him more angry. I take it that it
was
you who let him out, and not Ashe?”

Jess nodded, shamefaced.

“I don’t want this to end badly for the boy, but you mustn’t get any more involved than you already are. No more secrets, Jess – all right?”

“All right,” said Jess.

Footsteps came along the hall and Arnor came in.

“I need to talk to everyone,” he said.

“These wolves,” Arnor began. “They’re not normal. I’ve seen one like them before: the one whose head is over the front door of the shop. They’re from
his
world – the Kelpie boy.”

He paused.

“The Kelpies have been stopping them getting into our world for years.” Arnor shifted in his seat. “There was an agreement made between the people of Kirriemuir and some of the other towns and the Kelpies: they would keep the wolves from us and in return,” he took a deep breath, “they would be allowed to take a certain number of our children to live in their world.”

Ian erupted from his chair.

“The creature’s tricked you. No one would ever agree to that.”

“You promised to hear me out. It wasn’t the boy who told me this.”

“Then who was it?” Ian demanded.

“It was Lachlan.”

“Lachlan?” Ian stared at Arnor, sure he must have misheard.

“Yes. Now sit down and listen, as you promised. Lachlan showed me a document last night when he heard what was going on here. He overheard Jess when she came to the shop just after Freya disappeared to try and tell me what really happened, so he already knew the truth.”

There was utter silence in the room now, except for Arnor’s voice.

“This agreement was made in Lachlan’s grandfather’s lifetime. His grandfather was one of the men who negotiated it with the Kelpies. The wolf winters had been terrible. Too many livestock dead to count them sometimes, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The wolves were man-eaters – like those ones burning outside. No one was safe. Children were taken; adults too. Everyone lived in fear.

“And so the negotiators agreed to let the Kelpies take a small number of children from time to time. In return the Kelpies would protect the Upper World from the black wolves. It made sense: the Kelpies would take fewer children than the wolves
did, and they wouldn’t be harmed, but it was a betrayal of their children that these men were agreeing to, and they knew it. They were so ashamed of what they were doing that they swore never to speak of it. The children would simply disappear and never be found. They told everyone in their home towns that the negotiations had failed.

“When he was on his deathbed, Lachlan’s grandfather told his wife what had happened, and she wrote it down. But the family never told anyone else.”

Arnor fell silent, watching the others try to comprehend what had been done in their names, without their knowledge, all this time; the betrayal of the children, year after year, generation after generation.

After a moment, he spoke again.

“The Kelpies have been living by that agreement ever since, assuming that we were as well. But we never knew what had been promised in our name. People forgot about the black wolves, thought they’d died out or moved on. Children disappeared, and there was no explanation. No one has spoken of the Kelpies for years, but it seems that all this time
they
were keeping their side of the bargain.”

Ellen spoke up. “When my cousin Euan went missing, an old woman told me he’d likely been taken by the Kelpies. It was she who told me how a taken child could be brought back. She was Lachlan’s grandmother.”

“Arnor, are you sure that this is true?” Martha asked.

He nodded. “Why would Lachlan invent such a story? And what Ellen just said backs it up. I think it’s time to let the boy out of the cellar and hear what he has to say.”

A minute later Finn stood in the room, looking warily at the faces turned towards him, trying to gauge his likely fate.

“Tell them about the agreement,” Arnor said.

Finn spoke, aware that his life might hang on what he said now.

“The wolves from our world used to break through to your
world and kill livestock and people. We knew how to contain them in our world, but our race was failing. We needed new blood to survive. We made an agreement with men from Kirriemuir and Forfar and Cortachy. We would take one child from each settlement every few years to live with us. In return we would stop the wolves from breaking through. We’ve lived by that agreement since it was made.”

“So the two boys who disappeared here – Aidan and Donald – were taken by you?”