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Authors: Victoria Laurie
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the door.
Somehow I got my feet underneath me and limped quickly to the steps, but just as I’d
made it up the first two stairs, I felt Heath’s presence at my back suddenly vanish.
Whirling around, I saw him being dragged away by the hag, back onto the bridge. The
scene seemed impossible—the hag was barely as tall as I was, and yet she was overpowering
Heath like he was a small child. He struggled mightily, but her grip on him was too
firm and he couldn’t keep her from pulling him backward onto the bridge.
I made to jump back down the stairs, my arms outstretched to help, but the door slammed
shut in my face. Frantically, I grabbed for the handle, yanking hard on it, but it
was stuck fast.
“Heath!”
I screamed, pounding on the door. I could hear his strangled voice from the other
side as he struggled with the ghostly hag. “Heath! Heath!
Heath!
” I cried, banging on the door and pulling at the handle, but it was no use. The door
was locked tight and I couldn’t get through.
And then, above my cries and pounding I heard a loud splash, like someone being plunged
into the water. I gasped and stopped pounding on the door to press my ear against
it. Through the wood I could hear the sounds of more splashing, as if someone was
flailing around in the water, and intuitively I knew that Heath had been pulled or
had fallen over the side of the low stone wall. In a state of panic I flew up the
stairs, nearly knocking the constable over in my haste, and I moved to the railing
of the bridge, searching the black water for any sign of Heath. But there was no sign
of him.
“Heath!”
I shouted. I heard faint splashing sounds, which were coming from inside the outer
wall of the castle. From up here I could see a low overhang where the moat flowed
freely underneath the outer wall. My chest tightened. Heath was athletic and strong
and a solid swimmer to boot, but that splashing was taking on a frantic rhythm and
I had the most horrible feeling that he was right then in the fight of his life.
The constable suddenly appeared next to me and shone his flashlight at the dark water
along the wall. “Where is he?” he demanded.
I didn’t answer. Instead I kicked off my boots, tore off my sweater, and grabbed for
his light (praying that the thing was waterproof). I then pulled myself up onto the
lip of the bridge wall, and dived in.
Chapter 3
The water was freezing. I came to the surface gasping for air and trying to clear
my head from the shock of its icy feel. “What do you think you’re
doing
?” the constable shouted.
I ignored him.
With effort I raised the hand holding his torch and found that it was in fact waterproof.
Gripping it tightly so as not to lose it, I pointed it straight ahead toward the wall
and began to take several breaststrokes forward. “Heh. . . Heh. . . Heh. . .
Heath!
” I cried, my stuttering voice echoing loudly back and forth over the stones and the
water.
“
Em!
” I heard to my left, but the call was weak and garbled, like Heath was calling to
me with a mouth full of water.
I changed direction and headed straight for where I thought he was, which was somewhere
under the bridge. I came to a pylon and raised the flashlight toward it. It seemed
to mark a narrow arch just big enough for a small boat to get through. I swam as fast
as I could through the arch and aimed the beam of my flashlight into the dark interior.
“Heath!” I cried again when I saw nothing but walls and water all around me.
There was no answer. My teeth began to click together and the frigid water seemed
to seep through my skin and into my bones. I was so cold I could barely take in a
full breath. “
Heeeeath!
” I shouted desperately, spinning in a circle searching for him.
And then I felt something brush against my foot. Reflexively, I kicked out and pushed
away from the spot where I was treading water, but then I aimed the flashlight
Somehow I got my feet underneath me and limped quickly to the steps, but just as I’d
made it up the first two stairs, I felt Heath’s presence at my back suddenly vanish.
Whirling around, I saw him being dragged away by the hag, back onto the bridge. The
scene seemed impossible—the hag was barely as tall as I was, and yet she was overpowering
Heath like he was a small child. He struggled mightily, but her grip on him was too
firm and he couldn’t keep her from pulling him backward onto the bridge.
I made to jump back down the stairs, my arms outstretched to help, but the door slammed
shut in my face. Frantically, I grabbed for the handle, yanking hard on it, but it
was stuck fast.
“Heath!”
I screamed, pounding on the door. I could hear his strangled voice from the other
side as he struggled with the ghostly hag. “Heath! Heath!
Heath!
” I cried, banging on the door and pulling at the handle, but it was no use. The door
was locked tight and I couldn’t get through.
And then, above my cries and pounding I heard a loud splash, like someone being plunged
into the water. I gasped and stopped pounding on the door to press my ear against
it. Through the wood I could hear the sounds of more splashing, as if someone was
flailing around in the water, and intuitively I knew that Heath had been pulled or
had fallen over the side of the low stone wall. In a state of panic I flew up the
stairs, nearly knocking the constable over in my haste, and I moved to the railing
of the bridge, searching the black water for any sign of Heath. But there was no sign
of him.
“Heath!”
I shouted. I heard faint splashing sounds, which were coming from inside the outer
wall of the castle. From up here I could see a low overhang where the moat flowed
freely underneath the outer wall. My chest tightened. Heath was athletic and strong
and a solid swimmer to boot, but that splashing was taking on a frantic rhythm and
I had the most horrible feeling that he was right then in the fight of his life.
The constable suddenly appeared next to me and shone his flashlight at the dark water
along the wall. “Where is he?” he demanded.
I didn’t answer. Instead I kicked off my boots, tore off my sweater, and grabbed for
his light (praying that the thing was waterproof). I then pulled myself up onto the
lip of the bridge wall, and dived in.
Chapter 3
The water was freezing. I came to the surface gasping for air and trying to clear
my head from the shock of its icy feel. “What do you think you’re
doing
?” the constable shouted.
I ignored him.
With effort I raised the hand holding his torch and found that it was in fact waterproof.
Gripping it tightly so as not to lose it, I pointed it straight ahead toward the wall
and began to take several breaststrokes forward. “Heh. . . Heh. . . Heh. . .
Heath!
” I cried, my stuttering voice echoing loudly back and forth over the stones and the
water.
“
Em!
” I heard to my left, but the call was weak and garbled, like Heath was calling to
me with a mouth full of water.
I changed direction and headed straight for where I thought he was, which was somewhere
under the bridge. I came to a pylon and raised the flashlight toward it. It seemed
to mark a narrow arch just big enough for a small boat to get through. I swam as fast
as I could through the arch and aimed the beam of my flashlight into the dark interior.
“Heath!” I cried again when I saw nothing but walls and water all around me.
There was no answer. My teeth began to click together and the frigid water seemed
to seep through my skin and into my bones. I was so cold I could barely take in a
full breath. “
Heeeeath!
” I shouted desperately, spinning in a circle searching for him.
And then I felt something brush against my foot. Reflexively, I kicked out and pushed
away from the spot where I was treading water, but then I aimed the flashlight
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