Morgain's Revenge - Laura Anne Gilman [50]
“A distraction,” he said. “Excellent. With luck, when it gets to shore, the creature will go for the easy food and leave us be.”
Gerard shrugged an apology at Newt’s accusing look and followed suit. Newt looked as though he might resist, but then did the same for Loyal.
“Sorry, boy,” he said, resting his palm against the horse’s muscled neck. As much as he loved his charges, Gerard was right. It wasn’t much of a chance, but it was the only one they had. People before animals, and no room for sentimentality.
With a hard, openhanded slap, he startled Loyal into a dash of speed, made easier by the lack of rider on his back. The other two horses and the mule, likewise encouraged, took off up the steep path after him.
The sea-beast’s snake-like head swiveled to watch the animals run. For a long moment, all three humans held their breath, praying that the ruse would work. Then, with a low moan, the serpent turned its attention back to the smaller prey, resuming its gliding approach through the deep water toward the rocky shoreline.
“It’s intelligent,” Sir Caedor said, in a tone of total disbelief. “To go after smaller prey, when it’s that size…”
“It’s not interested in horses. It wants humans. Someone sent it after us,” Gerard said flatly. “And no fair guessing who.”
“Morgain. Perfect. We’re dead.” Newt wasn’t whining, only stating a cold, dry fact as he watched the beast reach the shore and emerge onto the rocky soil.
The beast was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. One quick glance at Sir Caedor confirmed that he was at a loss as well. Sinewy and sleek, like a sea-monster, it nonetheless moved easily on land, propelled by a dozen thick legs with wide paddle-like paws.
Propelled quickly, Newt realized. Up the steep cliff-side trail directly toward them.
“Run!” Newt urged his companions, turning to take his own advice.
“Where?” Sir Caedor stood tall, drawing his sword. “Where will you go that it cannot reach you?”
The knight had a point. They were a long distance from the village, and they did not want to lead the beast there, to unprotected fisherfolk, no matter how unfriendly. Morgain might have sent it after them, but there was no assurance that it could tell one two-legged figure from another. Hiding was out, as well. The nearest rocks would not have hidden them all. The beast was far taller than any of the scrub-trees they might climb, even if it hadn’t been easy to knock those trees down and make a mouthful of them.
Newt noted, even in his fear, that the thing didn’t have much of a mouth, just a narrow slit with a pair of fangs hanging over either side.
And then the serpent-beast’s mouth opened. And kept opening, its jaws unhinging until it could have swallowed Newt and Loyal whole, and still had room for a small dog or two.
“We need to jump.”
Gerard said it in such a matter-of-fact voice that it took Newt a moment to process what he had heard.
“Jump?” All three of them risked a glance over the cliffs. It wasn’t all that far, as suicidal leaps from cliffs went. And the rocks below weren’t all that sharp, for the jagged-edged shards that they were. Odds were they might even survive the attempt—at least one of them.
“And what if there’s another one of those beasties in the surf?”
Gerard looked at Newt and flashed him a totally unconvincing grin. “Then you don’t have to explain to the stable master how you lost yet another pack mule.”
“I’m not jumping down there! I’m not jumping anywhere!”
“You have a better suggestion?”
“I want to die on land!”
“I don’t want to die at all!” Gerard retorted.
“Neither of you will die today,” Sir Caedor said grimly. He had been watching the sea-beast as it moved farther up the trail, and his sword-tip was slowly tracking its movements. His face under his helm was tense, but his shoulders were relaxed, his one-handed grip on the hilt of his weapon steady.
“Sir Caedor…” Gerard stepped forward, his hand going to his own sword, still sheathed at his side.
“I swore an oath to