like the others we ve snuck past these last weeks, since the battle at the Black Waters. I thought we d get off easy after that, sail for the Last Ten

Transcription

1 1 A CHASE IN THE NIGHT Cat sits bolt upright and puts a paw on my hand, like he wants to steer the tiller. Meow, he says, his eyes glinting gold-green in the night. What is it? Meow! he says, his claws prickling into my skin. At the bow, Lexy lets out a squawk, then claps her hand over her mouth. Up ahead! she whispers through her fingers. There s a hall. A dark lump of thatch against the star-twinkling night, sat above the marsh on its stilts. Only a bend of the creek away, and probably stuffed full of reavers, just 1

2 like the others we ve snuck past these last weeks, since the battle at the Black Waters. I thought we d get off easy after that, sail for the Last Ten Counties. But even the next day there was reaver boats pacing the coast, and there wasn t a chance of getting past them. So there was nowhere to go but further back into the marshes, hoping we d find a sneaky way through, somewhere we could squeak back out to sea and head for home. But it ent turned out that way, cos these marshes are full of reavers too. And they re why we ended up sailing at night, and hiding out in the marshes all the midgebiting days, scared stiff some reaver d come poking in the reeds and find us. They re why we ent eaten anything cept the last of my biscuits, eked out in pieces, and the tiddling marsh fish and samphire we been able to find. And they re how come we re sailing in circles, lost so bad I ent even sure how to get us back to Angel Isling waters, where Zeph could help us. I get a flash of his cocky-looking face and bright blue eyes, and I wish he was with us now. There aren t any candles burning, whispers Lexy. They must be asleep, I say, hoping. I don t feel well, comes a voice. From a head, bobbing in the air between me and Lexy, that could be 2 a man, could be a woman, and that s glowing from inside, like a lantern. Shhh! says Lexy, and I nearly laugh. Cos there she is, telling off a puter! Talking to olden-times teknology like it ent nothing special, stead of screaming, or throwing it out of the boat for devil s work. You have to keep quiet, says Lexy, and the head huffs and looks grumpy. I pull on the lines to trim the small jib-sail, which is all I dare use in these narrow marsh channels. The reeds hush, and the water slip-slops as we glide along. I hate going so slow, but any faster we ll make too much noise or hit muddy shallows. The hall gets nearer, and my heart s thumping so hard I worry it ll wake the sleeping reavers. But we pass underneath them, looking right up at the windows, with everything stayed calm and still. Lexy s leaning out and Cat s next to me, ears pricked and eyes wide. All of us staring for any light, listening for any sound. But there s no one awake, not even a look-out. Just the saggy thatch roof, the warped deckway with scraps of rubbish laid all over, a hen house and some rotten-looking boats. The only thing with its eye on us is a sorry-looking cow, up to her hocks in the mud. I really am feeling unwell, says the head, loudly into 3

3 the quiet. I am need of urgent technical support. Shush! I say. Do you want to end up as reaver booty? Tho I reckon these reavers could do with some booty. Too idle to keep things proper, that s what Granny would have said about this place. But it looks poor to me, worse than back home where everyone s always saying what hard times we re living in. Maybe that s why they come raiding, if this is all they ve got for a house? I watch the brown warped doors and the black hole windows for a movement, or call of alarm. But there s nothing. I reckon we ve done it! Crept our way past another hall without getting caught. I can t hold it! groans the head. I think I m going to... grooarghwooogle ARGLEAARGH! A noise like fifty hunting horns blasts out of its mouth. A tower of light explodes in the air, colouring the reaver hall in reds and purples. Panicked birds burst from the reeds, squawking into the night as the tower grows arms, then legs, then a square, bumpy head. Standing above us is a great glowing giant, twice the height of the reaver hall. He s covered in shining armour, his eyes are red raging fires and bolts of lightning shoot from his fingers, blazing at the stars. 4 I m sorry, bellows the giant, in a voice that sets the boat shivering. I am having a spontaneous projection of an Aldarean battle-bot. From my Storm Ragers game series, which was actually rather successful in its day, though I say it myself. Turn it off! I yell. Make it stop! But it s too late, cos from inside the reaver hall come shrieks and screams. Their marsh house flares into light as people rush onto the deckway holding burning torches. They ve got open mouths and scared-looking eyes, staring at the monster in the sky. Demons! It s the marsh ogre himself! He s come to take us! Please, PSAI! cries Lexy to the puter. You ve got to stop! I did try and tell you, booms the bright-glowing giant. But would you listen? No. Because no one cares about me, even when I am clearly low on power and malfunctioning. Have you even taken the time to ask when I last had a full diagnostic scan? One hundred and forty-seven years ago, that s when. Perhaps you ll pay more attention next time 5

4 Shut up! Shut up! I shout at the puter. You re going to get us killed! And then I wish I hadn t, cos all them faces outside the hall turn to look at me and Lexy. And my white-sail boat. English witches! screams a voice. Bringing your fiends to eat us! shrieks another. Thwack! A spear hits the boat, missing my leg by the width of my hand, missing Cat by the width of his whiskers. He spins about, hissing and spitting. Back at the hall, another spear gets held up, this time with a burning rag tied on the end. English scum! screeches a woman. You ain t munching on our kids! The burning spear comes straight for us, flaming an arc through the darkness. It thuds into the centre of the boat, the rag sliding down and flicking flames onto my fishing nets. Lexy! I cry. Put it out! Lexy tries to scoop water from the creek with her hands, nearly falling over board. Get roasting, you demons! calls a voice from the hall. Burn the English witches! cheers another. I grab a scrap of canvas and beat at the flames while Lexy splashes more water. The little fire ends in black char on the nets. 6 SQUEEOOOarshkkkkkkargle... moans the monster over our heads, sucking down inside itself, back into the puter s mouth. Phew, it says, back to just being a ghostly floating head, that was rather unpleasant. But I think I ve managed to get control of the sub-routine. Now do you see how important it is for me to get technical assistance? The fire killed the demon! cries someone in the reaver hall. Let s finish off the others! There s a loud splash, and a cheer goes up from the hall as a boat s launched into the channel. Long and narrow, with a battered dragonhead on its prow. Dreadlocked men and women jump on board, grabbing at the oars. Heave ho! comes the shout. The oars clank and splash, and the reaver boat leaps through the torch-lit water. Now it ent mud banks or running aground we ve got to worry about. Lexy looks at me, her face thin and frightenedlooking. We ll get away, won t we? Of course we will! I lie, pulling at ropes, raising the main sail. It unfurls like a moon-flower, snapping as the 7

5 wind takes it, and then we re pelting along with the reavers at our stern. Marsh water sprays our faces, tasting like rotten cabbage and long-lost oceans. Cat hops about, growling and twitching his whiskers as he glares back at them reavers. And they keep pace, chanting as they row. I can t hear the words, cept when they roar out, And we ll wash our hands in their blood! I look back, and I m eye to eye with a reaver woman who s leant out the bow of their boat. She snarls at me, then shouts, We killed your demon and we ll kill you next! Make the monster come back! cries Lexy to the puter. Scare them away! The head s sat with its eyes shut. I can t do that, it mumbles. I ve had to shut down my projection system, isolate seven programs and restrict myself to basic functions. Do something else then! I shout. Swell yourself up to the size of a house, like you did to scare the English and reaver fleets at the Black Waters. The head s eyes snap open. You don t understand how serious this is! If I open any programs, who knows what might happen? I could be completely corrupted... I know it s serious! I yell. They ll kill us if they catch us. And it s all your fault! 8 Oh yes, blame my infirmities! But you ve been happy enough to let me project games for you day and night for weeks. Nothing but PSAI, please can we play another? And another, and another. No thought for my wear and tear. Cat gives out a howl of warning. Mreooow! Just in time I stop us crashing into a clump of scraggly willows. Branches scrape and clatter over the boat, nearly knocking Lexy out. We re going too fast! she cries. We can t go slower! The reavers ll catch us. Something whines in the air. Yrow! squawks Cat. An arrow smacks into one of the wooden boards of the cockpit. Splintering through, punching open the wood. First I m gonna spike yer, then I m gonna bite yer! shrieks the woman at the prow of the reaver boat. She s holding a crossbow at her chest. Watch out! yells Lexy. I snap my eyes to the front, and see a hard bend in the stream. I heave on the tiller, just about getting us round without hitting the banks. Whisht. An arrow whines past my head, splashing into the 9

6 water ahead of us. Can t you go faster? cries Lexy. I may be the last computer on the planet! shrieks the head. You have to get me away! I heave on lines, and push the tiller this way and that, trying to gain on the reavers. But my boat ent suited to these waters; she needs open space to get going. And the reavers narrow boat is made for getting along the bendy creeks. Whisht! An arrow breathes past my ear. First I m gonna slice yer, then I m gonna dice yer! shouts the reaver woman from behind. My back prickles up with fear. The marsh channel twists through rushes, bending away into darkness, and I pray it doesn t get any narrower. Whisht! An arrow cuts through the mainsail. English witches! yells the woman. How do you wanna be peeled? Starting from yer faces, or from yer insides out? I don t want to be peeled at all! wails the head. The reavers are only a length behind us, the mad woman clinging to the prow, aiming with her crossbow. A straight line from her to me. My belly goes cold 10 inside, and every part of me wants to throw myself down. Cept then we ll be wrecked, so I crouch against the tiller, waiting for the shot that ll kill me. But it doesn t come. Cos suddenly a light flares in the dark marshes. Whack! Thump! Cries and shouts go up from the reaver boat. I look back. There s two blobs of fire on the river bank, lighting up someone in orangey shadow. The fires hurl into the air, curving towards the reavers. Sphit! One hits. Hiss. The other misses. The reavers curse and yell, their oars crashing and flipping as they fight the fires on their boat. A burning lump thumps into the woman with the crossbow. She shrieks, tumbling head first into the water. I turn to the head, glowing and floating in front of me. Thank you! I m grinning all over my face. It shrugs on its neck. That wasn t me. As would have been obvious if you d listened to me, as I stated quite clearly that my projection abilities are off-line. In any case, I can only produce illusions, not actual weaponry. Cold panic fills me as I scour the bank for another 11

7 gang of reavers. Cos if they took out the lot behind us, they ll be wanting us for themselves. Look! Lexy s pointing at the bank, at a torch being carried by someone in a cloak. This way, calls a voice. A Scottish voice. If you re looking for safety, follow me. 12