Sea Horses (10 page)

Authors: Louise Cooper

Tags: #Age 7 and up

BOOK: Sea Horses

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Tamzin's head came up quickly…and her whole body turned frost-cold as she saw the dark shape that barred her way out of the cave.

It was a horse. A huge, storm-grey horse, standing with its legs firmly planted and its ugly head lowered. Its mane was as tangled as seaweed and its eyes glinted like steel, their glaring gaze fixed on her face. A chill, eerie light flickered over it, and through the light – and through the ghostly bulk of its body – the beach and the incoming tide were dimly visible.

Tamzin couldn't move a muscle. She could only stand rooted, staring in horror, as the awful truth smashed into her mind.

The Grey Horse was not just a legend. It really existed. And she was face to face with it.

T
amzin's mouth worked, opening and shutting in jerky spasms. She was struggling to scream out to Joel, but no sound would come. She was frozen, helpless, so terrified that she couldn't make any move at all.

The Grey Horse lowered its hideous head still further, and bared its teeth in a silent threat. She tried to drag her gaze away from its awful stare, but it held her hypnotized.

Tamzin felt her hand start to move of its own accord, reaching into her pocket, groping for the stone fragment she had prised from the crevice. The monster wanted the stone. It was willing her to take it, to hold it out, to give it… Tamzin's brain screamed at her to resist. But the dreadful eyes were boring into her mind, her will was weakening, she couldn't fight…

Suddenly the Grey Horse opened its mouth, and a low, ugly sound grated from its throat. Panic hit Tamzin and snapped the hypnotic grip. She didn't pause to think; instinctively she flung herself forward, trying to rush and dodge past the Grey Horse before it could stop her.

She ran three steps before an invisible force bowled her back like a leaf in a storm. Her feet went from under her and she fell to the sandy floor of the cave, rolling over and over until she fetched up hard against a rock. Gasping, she sat up. The Grey Horse had not moved. It still glared at her, and Tamzin realized the truth. The Grey Horse wanted the piece of stone – but even if she gave it up, the Horse would not let her pass. It meant to keep her here. And a wild look past the monster showed her that the tide was much closer. In just a few more minutes it would reach the headland, cutting off her escape route.

‘
Joel!
’ With a huge effort of will Tamzin found her voice and screamed with all the strength she could summon. ‘
Joel, help! Help me
!’

There was no answering shout from outside. Where was Joel? Had he seen the Grey Horse, did he have any idea what was happening? He was supposed to keep watch – why hadn't he come?

‘
Joel!
’ she cried again, but her cry was lost in the sudden boom as a huge wave broke out to sea. It was a rogue wave, rushing in far faster and further than normal; white water surged almost to the cave mouth. There was no time left. She had to get out now or it would be too late. She
had
to take the Grey Horse by surprise. It was her only chance!

Tamzin drew a deep breath and tensed her muscles. Then she leaped to her feet and darted for the cave mouth.

The Grey Horse gave a shrill scream and reared high, its hooves flailing the air. Tamzin recoiled – and as she reeled back she heard the roar of another great wave. As if the Horse's dark power had summoned it, a wall of water came smashing and pounding through the entrance. It bowled Tamzin over and swept her towards the back of the cave. Spluttering and gasping she made a desperate grab for a projecting rock, but missed. Then the wave hit the back wall, and the enormous recoiling wash carried her back to the entrance. She had one blurred glimpse of the rearing Grey Horse, then she was sucked out of the cave and into the full force of the waves.

The next few seconds were a terrifying roller-coaster of black darkness and silver water as Tamzin was hurled around in the thundering sea. She struggled to swim, but the waves were far too powerful. Then another great wave broke over her. It picked her up as if she were a cork and hurled her towards the shore. She was flung on to the sand and the undertow swept back, leaving her high and dry. She coughed and gasped and wanted only to lie still until the banging in her head went away. But there was no time. She had to escape!

Tamzin staggered upright, started at a stumbling run towards the headland – and saw that it was too late. Waves were already breaking around the headland rocks. She was cut off.

As she slithered to a halt an eerie howl rang out over the sea's noise. Tamzin looked wildly over her shoulder and was in time to see the Grey Horse emerge from the cave into the glare of the moon. It galloped to the sea's edge, and as it galloped its shape changed. It was becoming part of the sea and, as it merged with the water, a huge grey-crested wave began to rise in the distance and sweep towards the beach.

Tamzin's wail of terror was lost among the noise of the sea, but this time her cry was answered by a shrill, piercing whinny. She whirled and saw another horse coming towards her from the headland, plunging through the battering waves. For a stunning instant its coat looked blue – but then she realized it was just a trick of the darkness, and the truth hit her.

‘
Moonlight!
’ She stumbled across the sand as the white pony sprang clear of the sea and came galloping towards her. He skidded to a stop; she grasped at his mane, hooked an arm over his withers and with a frantic kick hauled herself astride his back. Moonlight turned and, with Tamzin clinging on for her life, he raced back towards the headland.

The grey-crested wave crashed on the spot where she had been standing, hurling up a fountain of spray. But Moonlight was already clear. He charged into the sea again, and in seconds was swimming. Water slapped and surged and tried to wash Tamzin off, but she locked her arms around Moonlight's neck and, somehow, held on.

She could never have swum out beyond the rocks against that tide, but Moonlight was far stronger. Striking out powerfully, he cleared the headland and turned, almost surfing the breakers towards the beach. Suddenly he lurched as he felt sand under his feet, and moments later he was splashing out of the sea and cantering up the beach to safety. Only when he was well away from the sea did he slow to a trot. A figure came racing towards them from the direction of the beach slope, and through the pounding in her head Tamzin heard Joel's voice shouting.

‘
Tamzin!
’ He caught her as Moonlight stopped and she half slid, half fell from the pony's back. Hugging her tightly, he gasped, ‘Thank God you're safe! I thought… I thought…’

‘M-Moonlight saved me,’ Tamzin whispered, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. ‘I was cut off, and…’ A huge shiver racked her.

‘I know,’ said Joel. ‘The tide came in so fast, I couldn't get round the headland to warn you. Then Moonlight went crazy. He broke away from me and went after you.’ He swallowed. ‘I was running to get help when I saw him coming through the surf with you. Oh, Tam…’

He was staring towards the sea as he hugged her. But when Tamzin looked at his face, she saw that he wasn't taking in the scene. His eyes were frightened and bewildered, almost blank…

She managed the ghost of a smile and said huskily, ‘I'm all right now. I am, really.’

Joel snapped out of his trance and back to earth. ‘You're soaked through,’ he said worriedly. ‘You must be freezing! Quick, take your wet jacket off. You can have mine.’

Tamzin pulled off her coat. She was about to drop it on the sand when Moonlight snorted and stamped. He thrust his head forward, pushing at one of the coat pockets – and with a jolt Tamzin remembered the stone she had found in the cave. The stone the Grey Horse had tried to make her give up. Slowly she reached for it and drew it out. They were just outside the cliff's shadow, and as she opened her hand the moon shone on the fragment.

Dismay filled her as she saw that it was not part of the head of the Grey Horse statue, but just a little bit of ordinary rock. Apart from the fact that it was covered in barnacles, there was nothing remarkable about it.

Or was there? Somewhere among the barnacles was a glimmer of blue… Tamzin's pulse raced. Hastily she scraped some of the barnacles away.

The stone broke into several pieces, revealing something else inside. Worn smooth as a pebble by the sea, it was a piece of glass, shaped in a graceful curve. And its colour was a deep, shimmering sapphire blue.

‘Here's my jacket,’ Joel said. ‘And my fleece. Put them on.’ He frowned. ‘What have you got there?’

She turned to face him. ‘I found a stone in the cave,’ she said. ‘I brought it back, and when I took it out of my pocket just now it broke open.’ She held out her hand. ‘This was inside. I think it's what Moonlight wanted me to find.’

Moonlight whickered softly, as though agreeing. Joel stared at the blue glass fragment, then gave a low whistle. ‘That's spooky…’ He reached out quickly, then drew his hand back, as if he were afraid to touch it. ‘You'd better keep it safe.’

‘I will,’ Tamzin replied quietly. She tucked the glass carefully into the pocket of her jeans, then put on Joel's fleece and jacket. She was starting to shiver but it was only the cold now, nothing worse.

‘Come on,’ said Joel. ‘Better get you home to get dry. I don't know what we're going to say to your nan.’

That was the last thing on Tamzin's mind. Anyway, she thought, Nan of all people would surely understand.

They turned to go, then Joel said, ‘Tam, the blue glass… What Moonlight did… It's important somehow, isn't it? But what does it mean?’

Tamzin looked back at the sea and the great crag of the headland. There were no grey-crested waves, and no trace of the Grey Horse. It had gone, at least for now. Would it come back? Tamzin didn't know. But she believed that another, kinder spirit was helping her to fight the Grey Horse, and tonight it had used Moonlight to guide her to the glass pebble. The pebble was a talisman. It told her that the Blue Horse was out there somewhere, and if she could only find it, then she could put right the terrible mistake she had made, and defeat the Grey Horse's dark power.

In her heart she felt that she
would
encounter the Grey Horse again. It was a part of her family's history, and she knew now what Nan had really meant when she had said, ‘It's your turn.’ It was a frightening thought. But now, she had a little of the Blue Horse's strength to protect her.

Joel held her hand and squeezed it. She hadn't answered his question, but he knew she would tell him what she could, in time. Whatever the future held, he and Moonlight would be there. Together, they could win through.

And the Blue Horse was waiting for them.

Somewhere.

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