Children of the May (Children of the May Book 1)

Chapter Ten: Water Power

When we got back to the castle on the cliffs we found that the others had made a dinner for themselves, and a much better one than the berries we had foraged. The castle gates remained closed, but the other group were sitting around a large fire they had made, cooking rabbits spread on forked skewers. Some of them held their meat over the fire, but other sticks were rammed into the ground, so that the skinned animals cooked on their own. Accolon had assigned Alisander and Aglinda to look after these to ensure that the food didn’t burn.

‘I say, what happened to you lot?’ said Accolon. He left his place by Bellina and came towards us.

‘We found a monster in the woods,’ said Palomina. ‘It bit Piers.’

‘Or rather it found us,’ said Elia.

‘Where is it now?’ said Bellina. She jumped to her feet, shaking.

‘It found a distraction,’ said Mordred. ‘We weren’t the only ones to survive the shipwreck, it seems. At least a couple of the sailors made it ashore as well.’

‘Where are they?’ said Palomides, jumping to his feet. ‘I will kill those dogs.’ He bared his teeth, ready to fight the men who had kept him prisoner.

‘They are so many bones, brother,’ said Palomina. ‘Their flesh in the beast’s belly.’

Bellina shrieked, and grabbed tightly ahold of Accolon’s arm. She looked like she was going to be sick with fear.

‘That is just,’ said Palomides, satisfied.

‘Well, old chap,’ Accolon said to Piers. ‘Let’s get you down and see if we can’t help you out, eh?’ The prince looked to Mordred, who was struggling under Piers’ weight. ‘Bit of a mistake to take on the dratted beast armed with nought but twigs, don’t you think?’

‘It wasn’t through choice,’ Mordred said through gritted teeth.

‘It took us by surprise,’ said Epicene. ‘It will not happen again.’

Mordred and Palomina got Piers down onto Accolon’s red coat. When she saw the blood seeping through Piers’ shirt, Bellina gave a scream and moved round to the other side of the fire, hugging her white furs around herself.

‘Palomina,’ said Mordred, ‘could you take Agravaine and Melwas to the edge of the forest to keep an eye out for it?’

The Saracen girl nodded. Agravaine handed Christian over to Elia, and the three of them jogged towards the trees.

The others crowded round Piers. I could see that Alisander and Aglinda were disturbed by the sight of the farm-lad’s wound, so I took them to the other side of the fire, where they wouldn’t have to watch. They were both scared, and kept very close to me.

‘Is the monster coming back, Sir Drift?’ said Alisander after a while.

‘N-N-N-N-N-No,’ I told the boy, ruffling his brown hair. ‘I-I-I-I-I-I don’t think so. The others w-w-w-w-w-will keep you safe if they do.’

‘Don’t lie to them, troll,’ said Bellina, coming round the fire the opposite way. She flicked back her beautiful golden hair in a gesture of authority, but she was struggling to keep her bottom lip from trembling. ‘The beast is coming for us all, and if that barbarian peasant could not kill it what hope have we?’

I wanted to stare her down, make it clear to her that she should not scare the young ones, but she reminded me so much of my sister Neave at that moment that I was struck into my old silence.

‘We’re all going to die,’ said Bellina. ‘Just like that evil sorcerer Merlin wanted when he fooled the king into sending us away with his false prophecy.’