Chapter 18 No Use Crying

 

Chapter 18 No Use Crying...

In which Aoibheann and Aoife find themselves in greater danger.


Mannanán leaned over the side of The Wave Sweeper and gave some sage advice to the three in the lifeboat. “Your best hope lies in achieving your goals before Maedhbh realises you are on her island. She uses the crows as her spies and messengers but I can summon up a sea fog to give you some concealment. Where’s the fun in being the God of the sea if I can’t create the odd sea fog to hide your approach. We will give you an hour. Get ashore silently and find the girls. Rescue them if you can before the Sidhe arrive and battle begins.”


The three Cullens looked up at him from the lifeboat. Manus was in the stern steering it while Dermot and Cúan held an oar each and were already gently pulling away from the larger fishing vessel. The Gaebolg which lay against Cúan’s side suddenly rose and slipped over the side. Cúan made a grab for it but it dived deep down into the water before breaking the surface twenty metres away. Mannanán laughed. “Remember it comes from the sea, Cúan. It is as at home in the water as a fish or a dolphin. Let it keep watch beneath the waves for dangers.”


The Gaebolg resurfaced and spun in the air as agile as a salmon up a waterfall, or as an eel beneath a pond or as a swift upon the wing. It had spouted two small fins on either side and the boss had turned into a powerful thrashing tail to power it through the waves. It slipped below the surface and set off ahead of them toward the island.







Aoife wasn’t managing to swim very well. The small groans she emitted very time she brought up her right arm to swim sounded to Aoibheann as if the bullet she had taken to protect Aoibheann was doing more damage than Aoife was letting on. Aoibheann stopped to tread water and looked back at Aoife’s white face. It looked pale in the swells between the wave crests. Aoibheann remembered that Aoife was still losing blood and that there was no way the girl could make it to the mainland. If fact she was nearly fainting away already.


A dense sea fog rolled in over them across the water, turning the dim light even dimmer still. Aoibheann saw the whites of Aoife’s eyes roll upwards and her hand stalled in mid air. Then she just sank beneath the waves as if unconscious. “You must save Aoife, as she saved you!” Her conscience spoke to her in a disconcerting but clear voice inside her head.


Aoibheann was an accomplished swimmer but she had never taken any lifesaving lessons and now she regretted it. ‘There is no use crying over spilt milk’ she thought flipping herself upside down beneath the waves and kicking her feet to gain depth. She found Aoife drifting about two metres below where she had last seen her and cradled her right arm across Aoife’s inert upper body and kicked and pulled to break the surface hauling the double weight up,up, up.


As they broke surface both girls gasped for the cold salty air and Aoife stared at Aoibheann. “Why did you do that?” Aoife whispered “I can’t make it. You have to leave me. If you leave me you have a chance to make the mainland. If you stay with me we’ll both drown.” “Then I’ll take you back to the island and we’ll hide.” reasoned Aoibheann. “No,” croaked Aoife “then Maedhbh will just find you again and she will kill you too.”Aoibheann became very serious “I’m not going to leave you out here. What kind of friend would I be if I did that? Look just float and I’ll pull you along with one hand.” Aoife shook her head weakly “I’m feeling very cold all of a sudden,” she whispered then her eyes fluttered and just closed.


“What next?” thought Aoibheann and turned back towards the island. Twenty metres away a sinister black fin broke the surface. When Aoibheann saw the fin her heart began to race and the thought struck her that Aoife’s blood would attract sharks! The waters had many sharks, especially around Howth Harbour, and they would be drawn by the blood.


She watched the shark’s dorsal fin circling and circling as she made for the island. She knew that it must be a top predator to show interest in them. It passed beneath them to have a good look. Its body appeared at least three metres of dark blue determined danger. It would strike soon to weaken them by gashing one of them with its sharp teeth. Aoibheann felt like a sacrificial victim tied as an offering to some ancient and vengeful sea monster. Her heart sank as tears of helplessness sprang up in her eyes.


The fin which had been holding a direction parallel with her strokes suddenly turned towards her. She was frozen with panic and alarm. Then there was something white colliding with the shark’s snout. It looked like.. it was… Cúan’s hurl. “Not Cúan’s hurl but my camán,” she thought and straight away wondered why she said it.


The shark whipped around and started after them again. The hurl shot up out of the water in a high arc, transforming in mid air into a glittering silver spear with an emerald tail and drove down straight through the shark’s head and down below beneath the waves. The dead shark’s body rolled over unnaturally so that Aoibheann could see all of its rows of sharp serrated teeth and pale belly before it sank slowly beneath the water.


The hurl broke surface again and whipped its way over to her. Its eye opened as it considered her. “Do you understand me?”Aoibheann asked “Can you help me get her ashore? She has lost a lot of blood.” The hurl blinked and then twisted around and came to within a metre of her pointing out to sea. She reached out and grasped it only to feel a shock of electricity like that she felt when Scátha had burned her arm. Then the hurl whipped its powerful tail and little fins appeared beating the water at high speed. Aoibheann was being dragged clutching the unconscious Aoife with her other arm through the water at speed as if being dragged by a small motor.


Ahead of them a dim outline became a small rowing boat and Aoibheann saw sitting in the rowing boat her Dad, Dermot, her Grandad, Manus and her younger brother Cúan. “Help,” she cried now filled with joy and hope “help, we’re over here.”


The next thing she knew she was alongside and Dermot’s strong arms were hauling the deathly white Aoife over the gunwale into the stern. Then Manus was reaching over and pulling her into the boat. “She’s been shot by Inspector Callan,Dad,” Aoibheann said through chattering teeth. “Here,” said Dermot “press my jumper over the wound to keep pressure on it.” We can get you to the Wave Sweeper and away from the island. Aoibheann shook her head “Dad, there’s this weird woman back there. Her name is Scátha you have to rescue her.”


Cúan interrupted “We are not going back for her. She stole the Claiomh Solais and brought it to Maedhbh. She is a traitor.” Cúan banged the side of the boat with his fist as if he were giving Scátha an angry punch. Aoibheann shook her head again,“No, Cúan you’re all wrong. She betrayed Maedhbh to free us. She cut my bonds and stayed behind to cover our escape but she’s up against their guns. We have to go back to get her. Philly and that Alex are also on the island. They must be stopped before more people get hurt,“ she looked from Cúan to Dermot appealingly.


Manus coughed.”Son, I can set you ashore in a minute, then I will take the girls back to Mannanán and get Aoife medical attention. Cúan remember you took an oath and this fight is not over yet. I think you will have to see it to the finish or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”


Manus plied the oars and in a minute he had Cúan and Dermot alighting on a rocky shore. Then expertly rowing again he and the girls slipped back into the fog. Darting up out of the water the Gaebolg flipped up into Cúan’s hand. “Cúan stopped for a long moment which kind of scared Dermot. “Are you alright Cúan ?” he asked hesitantly. “Cúan looked over at him and said “ I have to keep my word, don’t I ? So let’s find this Maedhbh and her warriors and end this.” In Cúan’s hand the Gaebolg transformed into a fierce warrior’s spear.


The look of grim determination on Cúan’s young face surprised Dermot and he realised that they were outnumbered. There was another father and son on the island, both of whom were dangerous and that Maeve who had tried to poison him. Then there was Carl Cullen also armed and dangerous. He took out his pistol, chambered a round and followed his son towards the dim Martello tower.