CHAPTER 7
Frog-kicks
As soon as it was dark we had a light supper and then Arkwright helped me to carry the mattress and sheets back up to my room. The sheets were fine but the mattress still felt damp, though I knew better than to complain.
I was tired and settled down in my bare little room, hoping to get a good night's sleep, but within the hour I was awoken by the same disturbing noises I'd heard the night before – the deep rumble of the waterwheel and that terrible scream that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. But this time, as the sound finally faded away, I heard two sets of footsteps climbing the stairs from the kitchen.
I was sure that Arkwright was still in bed, so I knew it had to be the ghosts that haunted the mill. The sounds reached the landing and passed my bedroom door. I heard the door of the next room open and then close, and something sat down on the large double bed - the one with the saturated sheets. The springs creaked as if something were turning over, trying to get comfortable, and then there was utter silence.
For a long while the peace continued and I was just starting to relax and drift off to sleep when a voice spoke from the other side of my bedroom wall.
'I can't get myself comfy,' complained a man's voice. 'Oh, I wish I could sleep in a dry bed just once more!'
'Oh, I'm sorry, Abe. So sorry. I don't mean to cause you such discomfort. It's the water from the millstream. The water I drowned in. Can't ever get away from it, no matter how hard I try. My broken bones ache but the wet plagues me most of all. Why don't you go and leave me be? Nothing good can ever come of our staying together like this.'
'Leave you? How can I ever leave you, my love? What's a bit of discomfort when we've got each other?'
At that, the woman began to cry, filling the whole house with misery and pain. Moments later there were heavy boots descending the stairs from the room above. But these footsteps weren't ghostly. I'd thought Arkwright had gone to bed but he must have been upstairs in that topmost room.
He came along the landing and I heard him halt at the door beyond mine and open it before calling out: 'Please come upstairs. Why don't you climb the stairs to my room where you'll both be warm and comfortable? Let's talk. Tell me tales from the days when we were all happy together.'
There was a long pause and then I heard him climb the stairs once more. I didn't hear the ghosts following him, but after a while there was the murmur of his voice from above, as if he were engaging somebody in conversation.
I couldn't make out what was being said but at one point Arkwright laughed with what sounded like forced joviality. After a while I drifted off to sleep again, and when I awoke, grey light filled the room.
I was up before my new master and managed to cook the fish to his satisfaction. We ate in silence. I just didn't feel comfortable with him and really missed living with the Spook and Alice. John Gregory could be a bit stern at times but I liked him. When I occasionally spoke out of turn, he put me firmly in my place but he certainly didn't threaten to beat me.
I wasn't looking forward to my lessons much, but I would have felt even worse if I'd known what was going to happen next.
'Can you swim, Master Ward?' Arkwright asked as he rose from the table.
I shook my head. There'd never been much need to learn. The only water near our farm had been a few shallow streams and ponds, while the nearest river had a good solid bridge over it. And as for my master, John Gregory, he'd never even mentioned swimming. For all I knew he couldn't swim himself.
'Well, we need to sort that out as soon as possible. Follow me! And don't bother to bring your staff. Mine's the only one we'll be needing. You won't be needing your jacket or cloak either!'
I followed Arkwright through the garden and downstream towards the canal. Once up on the canal bank, he came to a halt and pointed down at the water.
'Looks cold, doesn't it?'
I nodded. It made me shiver just to look at it.
'Well, it's only October now and it'll be a lot colder before the winter's out, but sometimes we've no choice but to plunge in. Being able to swim could save your life in this part of the County. And what chance would you have against a water witch if you couldn't swim? So jump in, Master Ward, and let's make a start. The first part's the hardest and the sooner you get it over with the better!'
I just stared down at the murky canal water. I couldn't believe I was supposed to jump into that. When I hesitated and turned back to face him, about to protest, Arkwright sighed and reversed his staff so that he was gripping the end with the murderous spear and barbs. Next, to my utter astonishment, he leaned forwards and pushed me hard in the chest. I overbalanced, fell back and hit the canal with a tremendous splash. The shock of the cold water made me gasp, but by then my head was already under the water and I began to choke as it surged up my nose and into my open mouth.
For a moment I didn't know which way up I was. Only too aware that I was out of my depth, I thrashed around. Mercifully, my head soon bobbed above the surface and I could see the sky. I heard Arkwright shout something, but then, before I could even suck in a breath, I went under again. I was floundering, panicking, drowning, moving my arms and legs in all directions, trying to grab hold of something – anything that would pull me to safety.
Why didn't Arkwright help? Couldn't he see that I was drowning? But then something prodded me in the chest and I reached out and gripped it tightly. Holding on like grim death, I felt myself being pulled through the water. The next moment someone wrapped their fingers tightly in my hair and dragged me to the surface.
I was against the bank, looking up into Arkwright's grinning face. I tried to speak; tried to give him a piece of my mind. How stupid was that? He'd tried to drown me! But I was still choking and gasping for breath, water not words being expelled from my mouth.
'Listen, Master Ward, when a diver wants to go deep, the easiest way is for him to hold a big stone so the weight takes him down quickly. You won't sink to the bottom because it's easier to float than sink. Your body does it naturally. All you need do is keep your head up so you can breathe and learn a few strokes. Have you seen a frog kick its legs?' he asked me.
I looked up at him in puzzlement. Only now was I able to suck in the first proper lungfuls of air. It was so good just to be able to breathe.
'I'll pull you along with my staff, Master Ward. Practise frog-kicks. We'll work on your arms tomorrow . . .'
I wanted to let go of his staff and pull myself up onto the bank, but before I could move or protest, Arkwright began walking south along the canal bank, his left hand pulling the staff so that I had to follow.
'Kick!' he commanded.
I did as he ordered. The chill was starting to get into my bones so I needed to move in order to keep warm. After a few hundred yards he changed direction.
'Kick! Kick! Kick! Come on, Master Ward, you can do better than that. Kick harder! Imagine a water witch is after you!'
After about fifteen minutes he pulled me out of the water. I was cold and saturated and even my boots were full of dirty water. Arkwright looked down at them and shook his head.
'Of course, swimming is a lot easier without your heavy boots, but you might not get the chance to take them off. Anyway, let's get you back to the mill so you can dry off.'
I spent the rest of the morning wrapped in a blanket before the stove, getting the warmth back into my body. Arkwright left me alone and spent a lot of the time upstairs. I was far from happy at the methods he'd used to try and teach me to swim and certainly wasn't looking forward to my next lesson.
Late in the afternoon he led me out into the garden, this time telling me to bring my staff. He stopped in a clearing and turned to face me.
I looked at him in astonishment. He was holding his staff raised at forty-five degrees, as if he intended to hit me with it or defend himself. But he'd reversed it again so that the blade was at the bottom, the thicker end at the top.
'Turn your staff as I've done!' he command
ed. 'No doubt your blade would stay retracted but we wouldn't want any accidents, would we? Now, try and hit me! Let's see what you're made of!'
I swung at him half-heartedly a few times and he parried each blow easily.
'That the best you can do?' he asked. 'I'm trying to see what you're capable of so I know how to help you improve. Try harder. Don't worry, you won't hurt me. Mr Gregory said you were good at jabbing. Let's see what you can do . . .'
So I tried. I really tried. I swung fast until I was breathing hard, and then finally I tried a jab – the special trick my master had taught me. You feinted with one hand before flicking the staff to the other. It was a trick that had saved my life when I'd faced the witch assassin, Grimalkin. I felt sure I'd get through Arkwright's guard but when I tried it, he knocked aside my staff with ease.
But he seemed satisfied that I'd finally tried my best and started showing me how to position my feet better as I made each lunge. We carried on until it was almost dark and then he called a halt.
'Well, Master Ward, this is only the beginning. Get a good night's sleep because it'll be an even harder day tomorrow. I'll start by getting you to work with the dogs. Then it'll be back to the canal for your second swimming lesson, followed by more combat training. Next time I'll be trying to hit you! Let's hope you can defend yourself or you'll have a bruise to show for each defensive skill you lack.'
We went in to a well-deserved supper. It had been a difficult day, to say the least, but there was one thing I did have to admit. Arkwright's methods might be harsh but he was a good teacher. I felt that I'd learned a lot already.
CHAPTER 8
The fisherman's wife
As it happened, I didn't get any training the next day. We'd no sooner finished our breakfast than there was the sound of a distant bell. It rang three times.
'Sounds like trouble,' Arkwright observed. 'Bring your staff, Master Ward. Let's go and see what the matter is . . .'
That said, he led the way out into the garden, across the salt moat and towards the canal. A tall elderly man was waiting beneath the bell. He was clutching a piece of paper to his chest.
'So you've decided . . .' Arkwright said when we drew near.
The man nodded. He was thin as well as tall, with grey, wispy hair around his temples. It looked as though a strong gust of wind would blow him over. He held the paper out so that Arkwright could see. There were nineteen names on one side; three on the other. 'We had a vote yesterday,' he said, a plaintive whine to his voice. 'It was decided by a large majority. We don't want her living nearby. It's not right. Not right at all . . .'
'I told you last time,' Arkwright said, sounding irritated. 'We don't even know for sure that she is one. Have they any children?'
The thin man shook his head. 'No children, but if she is one, your dogs will know, won't they? They'll be able to tell?'
'Perhaps, but it's not always as simple as that. Anyway, I'll come and sort it out – one way or the other.'
The man nodded and hastened away northwards along the canal.
When he'd gone, Arkwright sighed. 'Not one of my favourite jobs, this. A bunch of good folks further north think a local fisherman's living with a selkie,' he said, the word 'good' heavy with sarcasm. 'They've been dithering for almost a year, trying to make up their minds. Now they want me to deal with it.'
'A selkie? What's that?' I asked.
'A selkie is a shape-shifter and what's commonly known as a "seal-woman", Master Ward. Mostly they spend their lives in the sea but occasionally they take a fancy to a man – perhaps spying him when he's out in his boat or mending his nets. The more attached to him they become, the more human they appear. The change takes a day or so at the most – they shift into a perfect female form – into the semblance of an extremely attractive woman. The fisherman usually falls head over heels in love at the very first meeting and marries the selkie.
'They can't have children, but apart from that it's a perfectly happy marriage. I don't see the harm in it, but if there's a complaint we have to act. It's part of the job. We have to make people feel safe. That means using the dogs. Selkies sometimes live amongst people for years before there's even the faintest whiff of suspicion. Mostly it's the women who stir up their menfolk to complain. They get jealous. You see, as well as having more than her fair share of beauty, a selkie hardly ages at all.'
'That fisherman – if his wife is a selkie,' I asked, 'is he likely to know?'
'After a while some work it out. But they don't complain . . .'
With that, Arkwright shrugged his shoulders and let out a long piercing whistle. Almost immediately it was answered by the distant barking of the dogs and they bounded up, jaws agape, teeth threatening. Soon he was leading us north, striding along the canal bank with Tooth and Claw panting at his heels and me following a few paces behind. Before long we passed the man from the village; Arkwright didn't even nod in his direction.
I didn't like the sound of this job at all and, hard though he seemed, Arkwright clearly wasn't happy about it either. In one respect, a selkie reminded me of a lamia – they could also shape-shift slowly into human form. I thought of Meg, the lamia witch my master once loved. How would he have felt if someone had gone after her with dogs? No better than the fisherman would feel when we went after his wife. My mam was probably a lamia too, just like her sisters, and I knew how my dad would feel if she were hunted down like this. The whole situation made me feel bad. If the fisherman's wife did no harm, why did she have to be hunted?
We left the canal, heading west towards the coast, and soon a level expanse of flat, light-brown sand came into view. The day was chilly – there was no warmth in the sun, although it was sparkling on the distant sea. Giving the wolfhounds a wide berth, I moved up to walk at Arkwright's side. I was curious and had questions to ask.
'Do selkies have any powers?' I asked. 'Do they use dark magic?'
He shook his head without looking at me. 'Their only real power is to shift their shape,' he replied morosely. 'Once in human shape, they can revert back in minutes if threatened.'
'Does a selkie belong to the dark?' I asked.
'Not directly,' he answered. 'They're like humans in that respect – they can go either way.'
Soon we passed through a small hamlet of seven or so houses where the faint stink of rotten fish tainted the air. There were fishing nets and a couple of small boats in view but no sign of any people. Not even a twitch of lace curtains. They must have seen Arkwright coming and knew to stay indoors.
Once clear of the hamlet, I saw a solitary cottage in the distance, and on a small hillock behind it, saw a man mending his nets. In front, on the edge of the sands, a washing line stretched from a metal hook in the wall by the front door to a wooden post. Clothes flapped on only half of the line. A woman came out of the cottage carrying an armful of wet clothes and a handful of pegs and started to hang out her washing.
'Well, let's see what's what,' Arkwright growled, giving a low whistle. Immediately both dogs bounded forward. 'Don't worry, Master Ward,' he continued. 'They're well-trained. If she's human, they won't so much as lick her!'
He suddenly began to sprint towards the house, and at that moment the fisherman looked up from his mending and came to his feet. His hair was white and he looked quite old. I saw then that my master wasn't running towards the woman; his target was the fisherman. But the dogs were. The woman looked up, dropped her washing, pulled her skirts above her knees and began to run towards the distant sea.
Without thinking I began to run too, following the dogs towards their prey. Was she a selkie? If not, why had she run away? Perhaps her neighbours were vindictive and she'd been expecting trouble. Or maybe she was simply afraid of dogs – some people were. And Tooth and Claw would scare anybody. But something about the way she made directly for the sea unnerved me.
She looked young – far younger than the fisherman; young enough to be his daughter. We were closing on her now, despite the fact that she was running
fast, long hair streaming behind her, legs pumping. She seemed to have no chance of outrunning Tooth and Claw. The sea was still a long way out. But then I noticed the channel directly ahead. It was like a river running through the sands and the tide was racing in from the west. The choppy water already looked deep. Claw was at the woman's heels now, jaws open wide, but suddenly she put on an extra spurt, almost leaving the dog standing.