Read Online The Seventh Tide by Joan Lennon - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Joan Lennon
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horrors of the written word…
They’ll be in good hands , he thought, though the words tasted sour. For such important affairs they need the best.
Hurple was becoming more and more agitated now, wreathing round Eo’s neck like a hoop.
‘It’s coming! It’s coming!’ he squeaked.
Columba had his back to the boats, saying a final prayer. Adom and Eo edged closer, ready for the momentwhen he turned round, casting nervous glances over their shoulders, fearful of what would come out of the sea.
But Columba didn’t turn round. He went on praying, and the crowd stayed kneeling before him, heads bent, unseeing. Only Adom and Eo and a frantic ferret had eyes for what was about to happen to the peace of the afternoon.
First the pressure came, so that the far fringes of the crowd shifted uneasily, while nearer the epicentre, penitents clutched the sides of their heads and moaned. Even the tall figure of the saint swayed a little. Then…
‘What’s that?’ whispered Adom, squinting against the sun. ‘Is that it ?’
There was… something… a disturbance in the bay… It was growing, and beginning to move. It was heading towards them – it seemed full of purpose – he could see it more clearly now –
The Traveller. How could something so silent seem to scream? It was the height of a man and moving at a tall man’s pace and aiming straight as an arrow. At the slight figure of Eo.
‘RUN!’ shrieked Adom, shoving him hard up the stony beach. ‘Columba will save you!’
But Eo couldn’t hear him. Everything seemed to be happening at once. The vortex speeded up and clipped Adom as it passed, flinging him aside like a bit of unwanted junk. He landed hard on his side, and a sickening pain in one arm tried to tell him he’d done himself serious damage. But there was no time to listen. He scrambled to his feet and set off after Eo, trying toscream at the praying man to turn around, to save him – but making no sound.
Eo was sprinting forward in panic, his hands stretched out towards the saint – he was almost there – but the stones underfoot were treacherous and he slipped, still moving forward as he fell.
Suddenly, there was a grinding wrench of perspective in Adom’s head. He saw, with horrible clarity, through Columba’s eyes as the man swung round to face the shore. An impossible unnatural maelstrom had appeared, spiralling towards him from the water, and it had spawned a creature, claw-handed, open-mouthed, that lunged forward, trying to catch hold of his robe, catch hold of him and drag him down into a whirling hell…
With a silent roar of holy defiance, Columba struck, sweeping aside what he thought was a demon. Then, raising his arms and his voice, he tried to pray, fighting against the deafening silence that threatened to choke him.
Eo landed some distance away on the hard pebbles and lay there, winded. Columba didn’t see how the vortex swerved away from him, seeking only Eo, but Adom saw…
He threw himself forward, ignoring the screaming protest from his damaged arm, reaching for Eo to pull him back, to bring him to safety…
It was too late. His hands met Eo’s as the G boy’s body was dragged into the Traveller.
Adom could have let go – he should have let go – but he didn’t. It had all gone wrong – it was all his fault –
What Columba saw was horribly impossible. First the demon and then the boy were stretched and thinned asthe vortex pulled them inside. The last thing to be seen were the soles of Adom’s worn sandals, sucked from the stones and into the wall of water. At the same instant, the vortex itself blinked out of sight, and there was nothing left.
‘God help us,’ whispered the saint in horror.
5 The Throw of the Kelpie Queen
Back on the G beach, Gladrag, Jones and Cadence were struggling. Using the viewing disc was like looking down a hole into another world, and at first the three kept lurching back and clutching each other every time they tried, feeling as
They’ll be in good hands , he thought, though the words tasted sour. For such important affairs they need the best.
Hurple was becoming more and more agitated now, wreathing round Eo’s neck like a hoop.
‘It’s coming! It’s coming!’ he squeaked.
Columba had his back to the boats, saying a final prayer. Adom and Eo edged closer, ready for the momentwhen he turned round, casting nervous glances over their shoulders, fearful of what would come out of the sea.
But Columba didn’t turn round. He went on praying, and the crowd stayed kneeling before him, heads bent, unseeing. Only Adom and Eo and a frantic ferret had eyes for what was about to happen to the peace of the afternoon.
First the pressure came, so that the far fringes of the crowd shifted uneasily, while nearer the epicentre, penitents clutched the sides of their heads and moaned. Even the tall figure of the saint swayed a little. Then…
‘What’s that?’ whispered Adom, squinting against the sun. ‘Is that it ?’
There was… something… a disturbance in the bay… It was growing, and beginning to move. It was heading towards them – it seemed full of purpose – he could see it more clearly now –
The Traveller. How could something so silent seem to scream? It was the height of a man and moving at a tall man’s pace and aiming straight as an arrow. At the slight figure of Eo.
‘RUN!’ shrieked Adom, shoving him hard up the stony beach. ‘Columba will save you!’
But Eo couldn’t hear him. Everything seemed to be happening at once. The vortex speeded up and clipped Adom as it passed, flinging him aside like a bit of unwanted junk. He landed hard on his side, and a sickening pain in one arm tried to tell him he’d done himself serious damage. But there was no time to listen. He scrambled to his feet and set off after Eo, trying toscream at the praying man to turn around, to save him – but making no sound.
Eo was sprinting forward in panic, his hands stretched out towards the saint – he was almost there – but the stones underfoot were treacherous and he slipped, still moving forward as he fell.
Suddenly, there was a grinding wrench of perspective in Adom’s head. He saw, with horrible clarity, through Columba’s eyes as the man swung round to face the shore. An impossible unnatural maelstrom had appeared, spiralling towards him from the water, and it had spawned a creature, claw-handed, open-mouthed, that lunged forward, trying to catch hold of his robe, catch hold of him and drag him down into a whirling hell…
With a silent roar of holy defiance, Columba struck, sweeping aside what he thought was a demon. Then, raising his arms and his voice, he tried to pray, fighting against the deafening silence that threatened to choke him.
Eo landed some distance away on the hard pebbles and lay there, winded. Columba didn’t see how the vortex swerved away from him, seeking only Eo, but Adom saw…
He threw himself forward, ignoring the screaming protest from his damaged arm, reaching for Eo to pull him back, to bring him to safety…
It was too late. His hands met Eo’s as the G boy’s body was dragged into the Traveller.
Adom could have let go – he should have let go – but he didn’t. It had all gone wrong – it was all his fault –
What Columba saw was horribly impossible. First the demon and then the boy were stretched and thinned asthe vortex pulled them inside. The last thing to be seen were the soles of Adom’s worn sandals, sucked from the stones and into the wall of water. At the same instant, the vortex itself blinked out of sight, and there was nothing left.
‘God help us,’ whispered the saint in horror.
5 The Throw of the Kelpie Queen
Back on the G beach, Gladrag, Jones and Cadence were struggling. Using the viewing disc was like looking down a hole into another world, and at first the three kept lurching back and clutching each other every time they tried, feeling as
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