Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
I t had been decided that Lewis would stay in Tobias’s house. When all was said and done, it seemed silly to make Lewis bunk on the floor of Luke’s tiny flat above the bookshop, when there was a huge house standing empty. Hammer had asked whether Lewis wanted to have Winter, thinking that the dog might prefer to be back in his familiar home, but Lewis said he wasn’t really a dog person. And besides, Winter was still largely glued to Hammer’s side and whined pitifully when Lewis held a hand out to pat him.
Over the next couple of days, Lewis spent time with the islanders individually and as a group. He won over Seren with effusive compliments for her food and by eating more than one meal in a sitting because ‘it was impossible to choose between the options, they were both so delicious’.
He went fishing with Hammer and, although their time was largely spent in silence, Hammer seemed less hostile towards Lewis after their trip.
He went for a beach walk with Fiona and Hamish and, by the time they were on their way back, he was carrying Hamish on his shoulders. The boy had his hands wrapped around the top of his head, occasionally covering his eyes, and all three were laughing.
Things even seemed easier with Luke. The brothers seemed to have rediscovered their old rhythms and inside jokes.
Esme was still wary. It was impossible for her not to be, but she had to admit that Lewis was easy company. He was quick to smile and, while his charm had made her suspicious, it seemed effortless and instinctive to him and she decided there was no harm to it. She remembered that she had distrusted Luke’s charm in the beginning, too, and now she was certain that he had a good heart. She decided to extend the same trust to Lewis. He was, after all, Luke’s kin.
Lewis had been on the island for four days. There was no sign of Tobias’s return, and the causeway was still closed. The water had receded at times, but not enough to make it passable and nobody could understand it. ‘This will happen eventually, but it’s not due yet,’ Bee said. The islanders were gathered in The Rising Moon for their evening meal. She looked around at the blank faces before explaining. ‘Climate change.’
Seren was looking worried. ‘Supplies are getting low. Fresh stuff, anyway. I’ve got plenty preserved and in the freezer, but that’s not a long-term solution.’
‘Hamish is due his jabs on Friday,’ Fiona said. ‘Being a wee bit late with them is fine, but I’ll need to take him to the mainland, eventually.’
‘I can take you in the boat,’ Hammer said. ‘And pick up some fresh food. Give me a list.’
‘It’s important for the causeway to open?’ Lewis asked, looking around. ‘I thought you liked being isolated?’ He looked to Esme. ‘You said Unholy Island was a sanctuary, cut off from the rest of the world.’
‘Not entirely,’ Esme said. ‘We’ve always had visitors and we trade with the mainland. We like to stay private, but if someone really needs sanctuary, they can find us.’
‘Okay. I understand.’ Lewis nodded. ‘I will see what I can do.’
‘You going to part the sea, pal?’ Hammer said.
Lewis smiled, but he didn’t seem to be entirely joking. ‘Maybe.’
Esme didn’t know where he got his confidence. She was supposed to be the island’s Ward Witch, she ought to be the one reassuring people. But she hadn’t got a clue how to fix the causeway and she wasn’t going to start lying.
She looked at Bee to gauge her reaction. The older woman was watching Lewis with quiet intensity. Then she stood up. ‘I’m tired. I’ll see you all tomorrow.’
‘I’m going to head off, too,’ Esme said. She looked at Luke to see if he was going to offer to come with her, but he was whispering with Lewis.
Esme followed Bee outside. It was twilight and the houses were clothed in deep shadow. Esme didn’t know how she was going to broach the subject with Bee, but she didn’t have to wonder for long.
‘Something’s not right,’ Bee said. The lines in her face seemed deeper than usual, and she looked tired.
Esme glanced at the window of the pub. ‘I think it’s…’
Bee stiffened, listening. ‘Not here,’ she said. ‘Walk me home.’
Once they were safely away from The Rising Moon, Bee spoke again. ‘Have you noticed that the fog has gone?’
‘The weather is pretty changeable at this time of the year,’ Esme replied. ‘Do you think it’s significant?’
‘I’m not certain,’ Bee said. ‘But the tide is receding. I think the causeway will be passable again in a day or two. Maybe even tomorrow.’
Esme absorbed this. ‘That’s good, isn’t it?’
‘Maybe,’ Bee shrugged. ‘Maybe not.’
Esme stopped walking. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Tobias has gone, that upset the balance, and the island closed the causeway. Maybe to protect us. I don’t know for sure. But if the causeway is opening, it suggests something has changed. The balance has returned, but Tobias isn’t here…’
Esme went cold all the way through. She could see her ruined painting in her mind’s eye. The dark shape in the sea like a hole in the world.
‘We need Tobias,’ Bee said. The frown was back and Esme didn’t think she had ever seen Bee look so worried. ‘He’s the only one strong enough to sort this mess out.’
‘We’ve tried to get him back,’ Esme said. ‘My spells didn’t work and I don’t know what else I can do.’
Bee was facing away, looking out to sea. Esme couldn’t see her eyes when she said: ‘I can look for him.’
‘You can’t go back to the island. You’ve always said we should keep away from it. We’re not even supposed to say its name.’ Esme didn’t want to point out that Bee had already tried going to the island and it spat her out.
‘Not physically,’ Bee replied. ‘Tobias is Elsewhere and there is an entrance on àite Marbh. But there are other ways in for those who can walk outside their bodies.’
‘Astral projection?’
‘Spirit walking. Astral projection. Soul travel. It has many names. My sisters will have to watch my physical form. Make sure I’m safe. Make sure I wake up.’
‘That sounds dangerous.’ Esme felt a mix of guilt and relief that Bee was going to do something. Her own spells hadn’t been strong enough to pull Tobias from Elsewhere, and she didn’t know what else she could try.
‘It is,’ Bee said plainly. ‘I don’t want to do it, but I don’t see what other choice we have at this point.’
A couple of hours later, when Esme was half-way ready for bed and just about to text Luke to say ‘goodnight’, her landline rang. Luke’s voice was always welcome, but the note of excitement sounded a clang of dread in her own heart. ‘Lewis has had an idea about how to fix the causeway.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘A ceremony. He says we need to do it now. We’re all meeting at Shell Bay.’
‘It’s almost eleven.’
‘I know!’ Luke sounded giddy.
‘Bee said that the tide is receding anyway. She thinks the causeway will be open tomorrow.’
‘It will be if we do the ceremony,’ Luke said.
‘I don’t understand why you’re taking his word…’
‘We need the causeway to open, right?’ Luke broke in. His voice was soft, and there was an undercurrent of hurt. ‘Why can’t we try Lewis’s idea?’
The ceremony had to be that night. Lewis, and nobody seemed to know where he had got this information from, insisted. She had tried to speak to Luke about it once she arrived at the beach, layered up in clothes against the chill of the night air, but he had been oddly quiet. She realised that he was caught between his girlfriend and his brother. She didn’t want to be the cause of stress or to make him feel as if she was trying to drive a wedge between him and Lewis. She remembered one of the families she had been fostered with and how the siblings had closed ranks against her. She knew that blood was the thickest.
Instead, she sought Fiona. She was further down the bay, collecting driftwood for the bonfire. Hamish was wearing a waterproof all-in-one and stacking a pile of pebbles with Euan. His eyes were huge in his face and Esme was surprised that Fiona had brought him out at this time of the night.
Fiona stopped to speak to Esme, clutching her bundle of sticks and turning so that the wind wasn’t blowing her hair into her face. Esme tried to explain her reservations but found they were difficult to articulate.
‘Isn’t it good that he’s got an idea? I mean, we need to try something. It feels better than doing nothing.’
Esme felt the stab of rebuke, even though she knew Fiona wouldn’t have meant it that way. She was the Ward Witch, she ought to be the one coming up with ideas, she ought to be fixing the situation. ‘I’ve been researching,’ she said, ‘reading everything I can find in the bookshop and there’s nothing about the tides.’
‘Well, you looked,’ Fiona said. ‘That’s all you can do.’
‘Nothing useful, I mean,’ Esme ploughed on. There was something off about Fiona’s manner. Something different that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. ‘There’s lots of lore to go along with the science. Myths and stories and spells that are best at certain tide times, but nothing concrete about what to do when you have a high tide that won’t recede. And it’s huge. If I go in and do the wrong thing, it might make things worse.’
‘It’s good that Lewis had an idea, then,’ Fiona said. ‘So you don’t have to worry about it.’
Esme frowned. Why was Fiona so calm? ‘But what if he makes things worse? He could flood somewhere or cause a storm.’
‘Lewis says this is the best way. He seems to know what he’s doing.’
‘But how does he know? He’s a mainlander. A newcomer. I don’t understand why you are so willing to trust him.’
Fiona looked uncomfortable, as if Esme had committed a social faux pas. ‘He’s our Book Keeper’s twin brother,’ she said eventually. ‘I think that gives him a bit of leeway. And we’re desperate for help.’
Again, Esme felt the sting of criticism. ‘I wish Tobias was here,’ she said.
‘That’s why it’s good we have Lewis,’ Fiona said, brightening. ‘Are you going to help with the firewood?’
Upstairs in the house of The Three Sisters, Bee lay on her back in her bed. She hadn’t gone Elsewhere for a very long time, but she slipped out of her body as easily as breathing. Finding her way between the worlds wasn’t quite as simple, but with focus it was possible. Realities were layered like tissue paper and there were places where that tissue had torn. In the end, all it took was patience and Bee had always had plenty of that.
The firelight illuminated the islanders’ faces. The fire crackled and sparks flew up into the dark sky. Being so early in the year, night had fallen early. Hamish was standing between Fiona and Euan, each of them holding one of his hands. He was swaying on his feet with tiredness. Next was Seren, who was holding hands with Lewis. Luke was on the other side of Lewis, followed by Matteo and Esme.
There was no Bee, but when Esme had suggested they wait for her, Lewis had said that they couldn’t. ‘The time is now,’ he had said, lifting his chin and gazing out at the dark sea, as if receiving wisdom from it. The act, and Esme was certain it was an act, made her stomach churn.
Lewis smiled encouragingly at Seren and she let go of his hand in order to step toward the fire. She was too close and Esme was about to warn her, when she thrust a hand into the flames.
Esme had a moment of pure horror before her brain caught up and she realised that Seren wasn’t screaming in pain and that her hand was back out of the flames. She was wearing a thick glove. The sort she used to tend the fireplace at The Rising Moon.
There were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ around the fire. Belatedly, Esme realised that the flames had changed colour. They were flicking green and blue. Seren had to have thrown something in to the fire. A party trick.
Lewis tipped his head back and yelled at the sky. ‘Give it back. The causeway is ours.’
If it wasn’t for her growing uncertainty, Esme would have laughed. This wasn’t a spell. This wasn’t magic. This was an overgrown child demanding a toy. The island and the sea weren’t indulgent parents ready to cater to your whims, nor people you could bully. Lewis was treating the ritual as if he could intimidate a higher power by yelling at it.
She looked at Fiona, wanting to share a moment of disbelief, but Fiona was gazing at Lewis as if he was speaking in beautiful poetry. Looking around the circle, the rest of the islanders were similarly impressed. Esme wondered if she had stepped into a parallel universe. Or had she suffered a blow to the head? It was as if she was experiencing an entirely different reality to the rest of the group. It was profoundly disorientating.
‘It is done,’ Lewis said. He put a hand on Seren’s shoulder. ‘We thank you for your tribute.’
The others filed up and repeated his gesture and his words. Esme didn’t and she could feel Lewis’s gaze upon her.
Luke was looking at her, confused. That did it. She moved over and put her hand onto Seren’s shoulder, repeated the words.
Luke’s expression relaxed into a smile.
Lewis was smiling, too, but it wasn’t relaxed. He was watching her closely and her instincts told her that she needed to be very, very careful indeed.