The Loch (44 page)

She hugged me and I held her close, not sure how to react. "Murder one? Jesus, I guess I was hoping they'd give him involuntary manslaughter."

"Angus needs tae see ye right away. He sent me tae fetch ye."

"He'll have to wait."

"Zack, there's talk o' the judge renderin' the death penalty. Ye need tae go see yer father. Ye need tae tell the judge what ye know."

"I will. Later."

"What're ye up tae then?" She pushed past me, heading for the trawler yacht. "This is Johnny C.'s yacht, isn't it? Come out, True MacDonald, I see ye in there!" She climbed aboard before I could stop her, then she pulled back the gray tarp that covered the Dive Suit.

"Bloody hell. Finley True MacDonald, I hope ye're no' plannin' on goin' down in this thing."

"Not me."

"Zachary? Oh no… no way."

"I'll be fine."

"Fine? Against that monster? How will ye be fine?"

"Its eyes are sensitive to bright lights. I'll be surrounded by them."

"An' what are ye intendin' tae do down there? Fit it for glasses?"

"He wants tae free it tae the sea," blurted out True. "I telt him he wis crazy."

"Crazy? He should be committed."

"I'll be okay."

"I'll say, "cause ye're no' goin', an' that's final!"

I turned to True. "Start the boat."

"Don't ye dare."

True looked at us, then ducked inside the wheelhouse. "Damn ye, Zack—"

"Brandy, I love you, and I want to be with you forever, which is exactly why I have to do this. That night terror I had this morning, I've been having them almost every night since the Sargasso thing, and they're getting worse. I know it sounds crazy, but going down into the Loch and freeing this creature is the only way to end the nightmares."

"It'll end yer nightmares… an' yer life. Dinnae do this, Zack. Please dinnae put us both through this pain."

The twin engines growled to life.

"I love you, Brandy. Forgive me." In one motion I picked her up over my shoulder—

"Let me go!"

—and tossed her over the starboard rail.

I released the stern line, yelling, "True, get us out of here!"

Brandy surfaced, gasping from the cold water. "Bastard!"

The boat lurched forward, its tea-colored wake washing over Brandy's head.

The Diary of Sir Adam Wallace

Translated by Logan W. Wallace

Entry: 8 November 1330

Ten days. Ten long days have passed since I wis carried, half-deid, back tae Inverness. I am far frae whole, yet I am alive, spared by God, cursed by fate… my mind still lost in the bowels o' Hell. But finish this entry I must, if only for those that must one day carry on my anointed task.

When last I wrote, Sir Keef had announced his work on the iron framework an' pulley system had been completed. Sure enough, the slides that wid support the massive gate were mounted in place along the tunnel's narrowest point, along with two single pulleys and ropes.

Noo "twis time tae set the iron gate intae position within the frame.

Like the gate o' a drawbridge, oor iron barrier wis designed tae slide up an' doon within its housin', lowered an' raised by the two ropes looped on pulleys. The task afore us required we raise the gate above the mooth o' the river by its ropes, so it could be fed, bottom end first, intae its slide, then lowered within its frame.

Bein' the maist nimble, Sir Keef  an' his brother, Alex mounted the frame so as tae thread the gate's heavy ropes through their pulleys first. Three o' oor rank then joined Sir Keef along the opposite bank wi' his rope, while MacDonald, mysel', an' Sir Alex worked the rope on the near shore.

Gruntin' an' groanin', the seven o' us managed tae raise an' swing the gate ower the surface o' that dark roarin' river. As it neared the arched ceilin', the two brothers reached oot an' guided it intae position within its heavy frame.

Sir Keef had used oil tae lubricate the sides o' the metal, an' we let oot a great cheer as the gate slid easily an' straight doon through the framework an' intae the stream, the iron grid preventin' anythin' larger than a weel dug frae passin' through its borders.

An' then Sir Keef lost his footin' an' he tumbled intae the ragin' water.

The current drove him intae the lowered gate, but oor barrier stood the test. Sir Keef holdin' on, we pulled on the ropes an' raised baith gate an' Knight frae the torrent. I reached oot for him, helpin' him tae the rocky embankment an' safety while MacDonald secured the ends o' baith ropes tae a metal spike anchored along the base o' the tunnel's arch.

It wis then that the Guivre struck.

Never have I seen a creature sae large move sae fast. Its first attack tore Sir Keef frae my grip, its horrible jaws strippin' flesh frae his bones afore releasin' him—deid an' bloodied—intae the river.

Lookin' doon, I saw the Guivre's young circlin' in the current, attackin' Sir Keef's remains, an' I realized we were greatly ootnumbered. As I ran tae retrieve my sword, the adult creature struck again, this time takin' Sir Alex.

The two Knights on the opposite bank were trapped. MacDonald could only watch as they were snatched, shaken nearly tae death, then released, one after the next, the monster's tactic— tae render its prey defenseless for its young.

The two wounded Knights screamed as the juvenile serpents attacked, feastin' and quarrelin' amongst themselves as they gnashed through oor comrades flesh an' limbs like rabid dugs.

MacDonald drew me back against the far wall, raspin' intae my ear. "Go! Return tae Inverness! Carry the Knight's mission!"

"I'm no' goin' wi'oot ye!"

"I'll follow, but first I must re-lower the gate. Take this torch. Distract the demon." Afore I could object, MacDonald ran for the anchored ropes.

But the adult Guivre wis too fast, snatchin' MacDonald, shakin' him within its terrible jaws until the life gushed frae his mooth.

I wis the last one left. Torch in one hand, William's sword in the other, I crept in the shadows toward the gate's set o' ropes, intent on trappin'g the cursed beast.

The adult Guivre rose oot o' the river ontae the embankment, revealin' its entire girth tae me. Its terrible stench burned in my nostrils, an' the flame frae my torch danced in its rounded eyes, yet it didnae attack… wary o' either my light or my cousin's deadly sword.

I crept backward, keepin' my eyes on the monster. The ropes were close now, beckonin' me tae reach doon an' release them frae their anchor. Choosin' tae preserve the sword, I lowered the torch an' untied them wi' my freed hand.

The iron gate dropped, its sharp ends impalin' several o' the Guivre young circlin' in the river.

Afore I kent whit happened, I wis taken frae my feet by the adult, my metal battle dress an' torso crushed within its jowls as I lashed at it blindly wi' my sword. I felt the return o' a heavy blow, an' I must have struck deep, for it flung me loose an' I flew through the dimly lit cavern, landin' hard in the darkness.

The remainin' torch flickered and died. I lay on my side, breathin' heavy an' in great pain, unable tae see my hand afore my face. My sword wis gone, lost somewhere along the rocks. An' then I heard the Guivre young snarlin' an' I got mair terrified as they advanced.

God came tae me then in the form o' a wisp o' cool air. I wis close tae the tunnel entrance!

Blind an' on hands an' knees I crawled, feelin' my way until I reached the mooth o' the narrow access tunnel. Movin' on a' fours in the pitch black, I smashed my heid ower an' again, yet continued on through that suffocatin' darkness, each precious second distancin' me frae thae demons.

In time the sounds o' the roarin' underground river faded an' the tunnel opened tae the great chasm we had descended a lifetime ago. Somewhere, high above me, wis my escape, yet how could I ascend such a dangerous mountain in darkness blacker than night?

Still, I had tae try, for if I wis tae die, I'd rather it wis frae a fall than the fangs o' the De'il.

Feelin' my way tae the chasm wall, I climbed, each handhold threatenin' tae cast me intae oblivion, each reach intae the darkness flirtin' wi' unseen ledges. How long I ascended cannae say. At times I paused tae catch a few precious moments o' sleep, at times I wondered if I wis still risin', so confused were my senses.

I never saw the daylight, but I heard the rush o' the wind. It led me tae the mooth o' the cave where the night's stars greeted me like a long-lost friend. Exhausted as I wis, I continued on, refusin' tae stop until the dawn.

Even wi' the light, I stayed far frae Loch Ness's bank.

At some point I must've passed oot, for when I awoke, wis being carried by William Calder's men. His daughter, Helen, cares for me noo, an' soon I will ask for her hand.

Meanwhile, I am haunted by frightful dreams… dreams o' death. Each dawn I awaken, screamin' frae my bed, my mind trapped in that hellhole where my eight comrades perished. The priest claims the dreams will pass, but I ken better, for the journey has scarred me for life.

Yet return I must, at the beginnin' o' each autumn an' again at the end o' winter, for I have taken a blood oath… the oath o' the Black Knights. Salvation has blessed me wi' life, fate cursin' me an' mine wi' its task tae return again—tae raise an' lower the gate.

Tae protect the freedom o' Scotland.

—Sir Adam Wallace, 1330

I was on the A82, traveling north out of Fort Augustus. Glancing to my right, I saw a dark, slick animal rise out of the waters of Loch Ness, trailing what had to be a ten meter [thirty-three foot] wake. When I realized what I was looking at, I nearly went off the side of the road.

—
M
R.
B
ILL
K
INDER,
L
ANCASHIRE, 9
A
PRIL 1996, APPROXIMATELY 10:00
A
.
M
.

My brother, James, and I were on our fishing boat, which was fitted with a Koden CVS886 Mk II Color Sounder, its 28kHz transducer directing a 31.6 degree beam vertically downward. The CRO screen displays different strengths of echo in different colors. We were testing the device when we detected a weird shape in fifty-five meters of water. The object was eighteen meters [59 feet] long, about nine meters [29.5 feet] wide.

—
R
OBERT
W
EST,
F
RASERBURGH,
A
PRIL 1981

Loch Ness

T
rue shook his great Viking head as he accelerated the trawler yacht away from the dock and into deep water.

"Brandy's gonna kill ye, assumin' ye ever survive this lunacy."

"I'll make it up to her."

"That, I doubt. So, Captain Ahab, exactly where we headed?"

"North. Follow the western bank until we reach the Bona Narrows. It's where the fish must enter the Loch, the oil's got to be seeping somewhere close by."

He gave me a weary look, then turned the wheel, guiding us toward the northern entrance of Loch Ness.

Inverness Castle

"Ye say he means tae go underwater tae battle this demon?" Angus squeezed his eyes closed, rubbing his face. "This isnae whit I wanted, no' at a'."

"What did ye want then?" Brandy spat back. "Ye've been pushin' an' pushin' him ever since he returned, hell, ever since he was born."

"Same as my auld man aye did tae me! Life's tough, ye ken. Ye got tae have a thick skin tae—"

"Don't
you
lecture
me
on life, Angus Wallace! An' don't
you
talk tae me about tough love. My mum died when I was seven an' my arsehole father kicked me out when I was sixteen. What
you
call tough love, I call no love at all. Yer son came all the way back tae Scotland because he sought yer approval, an' all ye've done since he arrived was lie tae him an' push him tae find that monster. Well, congratulations, ye've got what ye wanted. Guess some things'll never change, eh?"

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm through the cell bars.

"Let go, or I'll break it off."

"It's no' whit I ever wanted, lass, it's whit had tae be. It's the only way I kent tae help Zachary."

"Bollocks."

"Zack's sufferin' inside, has been ever since that night he first drooned. I ken whit he's gone through. My ain childhood demons made me a bitter auld man on my best days an' a nae-guid drunk on my worst. A restless man cannae be a guid family man, Brandy, "cause he's aye seekin' pleasure frae somewhere else. That wis me, still is. I never wanted that for Zack."

"So you pushed him intae locatin' the creature?"

"Aye. "Twis the only way he could conquer his fear."

"An' get ye out o' prison, I suppose."

"Aye, that's true enough, but see, if anyone could locate Nessie, I kent Zachary could. After a', he did it back when he wis only nine years auld."

Brandy's eyes narrowed. "What are ye talkin' about? "Twas the salmon that led the monster topside when Zack was attacked. Purely an accident."

"That's "cause Zachary cannae remember, at least his mind willnae let him. Trust me, Brandy, that wisnae an accident. My laddie wis a clever sort, even back then. Figurin' Nessie fed in the deep, he rigged underwater microphones tae his fishing lines an' recorded the sounds o' the bottom-dwellin' schools. Took him months tae perfect it, but on the day o' his ninth birthday he wis ready, intent on impressin' me wi' his wee invention. "Course me, bein' the restless arsehole that I am, wis mair interested in dippin' my wicket than bein' wi' my son."

"So Zack set out with his Nessie lure alone in that rowboat? Gees, Angus. An' now he's Join' it all over again."

"Aye, but we cannae let him, can we? I need yer help lass, so come closer an' listen carefully, there's no' much time, an' an awfy lot tae be done."

Loch Ness

Locating oil and gas reserves buried beneath the bottom of the ocean, as well as leaks from crude oil pipelines, relies on a variety of technology designed to detect anomalous concentrations of dissolved gases and emulsions in water. When oil is present, its surface film can be measured using the intensity of its reflected light. The interface detector True had "borrowed" was an antenna-shaped device that used a small laser beam to detect oil along the surface, along with a second probe that measured the energy absorption of insoluble liquids in the water itself.