Magnus Fin and the Selkie Secret (6 page)

The office of
Inside Lives
wasn’t as swanky as Billy had imagined. For one, it wasn’t even in London. It was in a dingy looking old warehouse on the outskirts of Milton Keynes – miles away! And the three other members of staff were dressed in dirty old jeans and baggy shirts stained with coffee and tomato sauce.

Billy swaggered into the office on day one wearing his new black suit, white shirt and black tie. His eyes roamed the poky over-heated office. No pretty girls then. In fact, no girls at all. A very large man, with his feet on the desk and a bacon roll in his hand, wolf whistled. “You’ll be the new tea boy then.”

Billy’s heart sank even further. His dad had said journalist. He’d never mentioned tea boy. Billy looked around, wondering where his desk was. He needed to put things straight, right away. “Uh, no, Billy Mole, junior journalist,” he replied, trying to sound confident, feeling a fool all dressed up in a suit.

The man sitting at the one other desk, also with his feet on it, also with bacon roll in hand, laughed. He bit into his roll and chewed noisily. “Gaza’s the name.”

“Hey, Gaza,” muttered Billy.

The only person who appeared to be working was a younger man, maybe he was twenty, who was scrolling through emails. He was squashed at the end of Gaza’s
desk. “Hey, listen to this,” he said, not acknowledging the new “tea boy”. He peered closer to the screen. “I think my grandmother is trying to poison me. I’m sure of it. She’s got strange herbs and cupboards she won’t let me look into. I don’t know if I should go to the police or not. Dear Hank – what do you suggest? Please help, I’m frightened for my life.”

Hank, who was really called Simon, pressed delete and swung round on his swivel chair. “See, tea boy. We’re supposed to print that garbage. Welcome to
Inside Lives
.”

“Right. Yeah. So, where do I sit?” Billy asked, still determined to be a junior journalist. They must have got the tea boy thing wrong. He looked around for a chair and found one. He didn’t know where to put the chair, so he pulled it over to a window ledge. That would do as a desk. The ledge was full of teacups. Dirty teacups.

“Good start, Billy Mole,” said the big man. “I see you’ve found the tea department. Three sugars for yours truly, two for baldy over there, and one for Swanky Hank.”

This was worse than stacking shelves. Billy bit his lip. He recalled his dad’s advice that morning. “When you’ve not got a college degree, son, you start at the bottom and work your way up – but,” he’d added quickly, “you’ll be at the top before you know it.” Billy picked up three cups, went to the filthy sink, and washed them.

When he’d made the tea and handed them out the big man nodded approvingly. “Make one for yourself, Billy boy. You’re one of the gang now. Who knows, we might let you write a bit of gossip soon!” Simon laughed and
spilt his tea. Gaza raised his eyebrows while the big man slurped loudly.

“Yeah, Billy boy,” the big man went on, “you’ll be at every celebrity bash in London in no time.” And the three men roared with laughter.

After the first day Billy discarded the tie. He’d seen how the other men smirked. They’d said nothing but he knew what those looks meant. After the second day Billy rolled the sleeves of his jacket up, and after the third day he got rid of the trousers and wore jeans like the other men.

“Smart,” said Gaza, looking him up and down. “Bit of casual, bit of neat. Very smart, Billy boy.”

But they didn’t like the new boy. “The young one’s keen,” Gaza sniffed.

“Yeah.” Simon raised his eyebrows. “Too bloomin’ keen.”

While the big man, Simon and Gaza drank cup after cup of tea and ate bacon rolls, Midget Gems and marshmallows, doing as little work as possible, Billy was on the trail of celebrities. He devoured gossip columns. He read up on the secret lives of the stars. Any scrap of gossip concerning anyone remotely famous he exaggerated and turned into a story.

So when the phone call came, from someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone in Scotland, the big man looked at Gaza and Gaza looked at Simon and they all looked at Billy Mole. “Want a really big scoop?” the big man said.

Billy looked up from his window ledge. “Sure,” he said, “what is it?”

The big man actually swung his legs off the table and stood up. Billy looked up at him. “Scotland, Billy boy,” the big man answered. “Know where that is?”

Billy nodded, though the truth was, he wasn’t sure. North, he thought. Up in the mountains – and cold. Billy wasn’t liking the sound of this.

“We need you, Billy boy, in the wild and remote north of that very country.”

Billy liked the sound of it even less.

“Go after this one, play your cards right and you’ll be rolling in it,” the boss went on. “Seems they’ve got an alien up there. A half-human, fish creature – looks like a boy. First of his kind. Get the story, Billy, and Vegas here you come.” The big man rubbed his fingers and thumbs together. “Bit of detective work. Sounds right up your alley. Just keep a low profile, take the camera, get the evidence, then scoop an exclusive interview. We’ll let you go for a week. Don’t blow it, Billy boy. This could be your lucky break.”

Simon and Gaza nodded. They’d be glad to see the back of him, keen as mustard and making them look like sloths. Sending him on a goose chase after an alien in the wilds of Scotland was a great idea.

“Right. Ace, boss, sounds – ace. When do I go?”

“Five o’clock tomorrow morning, Billy boy. Pack a bag. Gaza here will book you a train. You leave King’s Cross and go to Edinburgh. Then change and go from Edinburgh to Inverness. Then change and go from Inverness to Wick. Then take a bus from Wick to North Point. Takes fifteen hours. Probably more with the changes. Think you can manage that?”

Billy hated the way they talked down to him, as if he was six or something. He balled his fists and deepened his voice. “Course I can.”

“Been away from Mummy and Daddy before?” Simon asked in a whining voice.

Well, Billy hadn’t, but no way was he going to admit that. “Course,” he said, annoyed. “I’m twenty. Nearly. What do you take me for? A snot-nosed kid?”

Simon and Gaza exchanged glances and sniggered. That’s exactly what they took him for.

“Good,” said the big man, slumping back into his seat and swinging his legs onto the desk. “That’s sorted then. Billy Mole goes to the wilds of Scotland in search of the alien.”

Simon whistled and Gaza laughed out loud.

Billy gulped. Fifteen hours? He’d never been north of Watford before. He might as well be going to the moon. “Um, boss?”

The big man glanced over his shoulder. “What now?”

“Just wondering. Like, do they speak English?”

Gaza and Simon roared with laughter. The big man joined in. “Sort of,” he snorted. By this time the office of
Inside Lives
was echoing with belches, sneers and side-splitting laughter.

Only Billy Mole wasn’t laughing.

Someone, somewhere was singing. Magnus Fin, walking home from school, stopped on the bridge and looked about him. He’d been trying hard to be normal for a few days now, but something told him all that was about to change. It was something to do with the song. It wove around him – lilting, almost dreamlike – but with no singer in sight. It wasn’t the wind singing. It wasn’t the river. It was a woman’s voice, but where was she? Was she, he leant over the bridge and peered down, in the river? As mysteriously as it had begun, the singing died away. Magnus Fin hurried across the bridge, thinking maybe he’d imagined it. Maybe the effort of trying to be Robbie Cairns was taking its toll.

But he hadn’t imagined it. The song started up again. It was beautiful, mournful, and seemed to be calling him. Fin looked over his shoulder. He couldn’t see anyone. He felt uneasy and was ready to run up the track when a voice broke into his thoughts:

It’s me. Don’t be worried, Magnus Fin! I need to speak with you.

It was Miranda’s voice, but where was she? Then Fin heard a soft shuffling sound. He swung round, and gasped. Miranda stepped out from behind a crumbled stone wall near the bridge. He couldn’t believe she
would come this close to humans. He approached her, his heart racing. Something was wrong. What was it?

She stood on the grass in her bare feet, her long white hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She wore a dress of red and green seaweed. Around her ankles and wrists she wore bangles of shells, but some of the shells, Fin noticed, were broken. She stretched her arms towards him.

I have checked. The coast is clear. Come over here, Fin.

Fin dropped his rucksack and hugged her. It was always thrilling to see his magical grandmother. But it was surely a serious matter that brought the selkie queen so close to humans.

“What’s the matter?” he blurted out. “I mean, it’s great to see you, but why did you come? Are the selkies OK?”

“It is as I feared, only worse.” She took his hands in hers. “That was no mortal cut to your hand – perhaps you guessed that?”

Fin glanced at his hand. It was fine – normal – but in his mind’s eye he could still see the dark thick seal skin bursting through between his thumb and forefinger. He held his breath. What would Miranda say next?

But for a moment, standing there by the stone wall, Miranda said nothing. She took a step backwards, as if trying to merge with the green moss of the old wall. Fin shot a glance along the track. Someone could appear at any second, and what would they think, seeing Magnus Fin talking to a woman with shells around her ankles and a dress of green and red seaweed?

“We have to be careful,” he whispered, “someone might…”

“I know, but there are greater dangers, Fin. Listen to me. I went to see King Neptune – or I tried. The brave little crab – you know him, Neptune’s most trusted servant – wouldn’t let me near him. Our mighty king of the ocean is confused.”

At that moment a sharp whistling sound cut through the stillness, then footsteps. Miranda pressed herself even further into the shadow of the wall. Fin peered along the track. Someone was heading their way. Frantically he looked for a better hiding place.

“Under the bridge, Miranda – quick!” Fin scooped up a stone and threw it up the hillside, hoping to distract the stranger who was heading towards them. “Run!” he hissed.

They dashed from the wall, scrambled down the bank and in seconds were hidden under the arched stone bridge. Miranda knelt down, her head bent, her arms wrapped around her chest. She looked like a beautiful statue – so still.

Usually in human form selkies use human speech, but now, with the snapping footsteps and shrill whistling of a stranger close by they switched to thought-speak.

I came here because I needed to find you quickly. It’s urgent. Neptune is struggling to do his work. Too long now he has toiled without the guidance of the precious Seudan of wisdom. Perhaps Ragnor has spoken of them to you – the ocean jewels. Without them the great balance of the sea is under threat. Our dear king suffers. He will not be able to rule much longer unless his rightful treasure is returned to him.

Fin’s heart leapt at the word – treasure!

Miranda went on, her thoughts swift as light streaming into his mind:
The false king stole this treasure. So much he stole. So much destruction. So much greed.

At the mention of the false king, who Fin had defeated last summer, Magnus Fin felt his skin creep.

But Neptune’s stolen treasure is not treasure as humans think of it. The Seudan are jewels from the deepest sea that bear the ancient sea-script. This script is made of secret symbols to guide the ruler of our watery kingdom. The symbols, inscribed on the jewels, instruct on the turning of the tides, the making of the waves and many secrets of the sea. These treasures mean the life of the ocean. The terrible monster stole the jewels to add to his collection of riches.

Fin’s head spun with images of the awful ruins of the false king’s palace. Then he started as a shrill whistling reached his ears. The whistler, whoever he was, was close. Fin’s heart pounded in his chest.
Miranda! Your seal skin! Where is it?

It is on the beach. Oh, Fin, there is so little time, please listen well. We need you to help. King Neptune has done his best without the Seudan but his power is waning. He is growing forgetful. He must have it back. When Neptune raised the storm he succeeded in tearing the treasure chest – we call it a kist – away from the ruins of the false king’s palace. I believe that’s what you found on the beach. King Neptune is pleased that the Seudan is safe with you.
Miranda held her grandson’s hand and pressed it tight.

So, I don’t understand. Why did it hurt me?

The kist needs a key, Fin. Not even Neptune can open it without the key. To make sure the false king never would gain access to these treasures Neptune sealed it with magic. Anyone who tries to open the kist will burn. Only the key – in the hands of the truly good – can open this kist. Fin, you are such a one. You can breathe under the sea and you understand the magic ways. Neptune asks for your help.
Oh, Magnus Fin, this won’t be easy, but I beg you – find the key.

Fin felt a hard lump in his throat.
Where is it?

That I do not know. When the monster stormed King Neptune’s cavern, looting and wreaking destruction, so much was stolen. The key may lie amongst the ruins of the false king’s palace. It won’t be easy to find. But you must try. You must. Then, when you have the key, wait for a sign from me and return the Seudan to Neptune.

Memory upon awful memory piled up. It had been terrible to meet the dreaded false king, and terrible to kill him. The thought of the evil one-eyed monster made Fin feel sick. Images of that rotten palace – crumbling towers, crushed creatures, the seas running red, the monster writhing in agony – haunted him. And now Miranda was asking him to go back there?

The murk and ruins of the dead monster’s palace would spell death for selkies. Of course I would go if I could. I can’t. Neptune can’t. The crab tells me without the Seudan our sea king is losing his wisdom and powers. The sea suffers. You have seen for yourself. But with your human strength – and your selkie soul – you can go there, Magnus Fin.

At that moment a dull noise reached them from the path just metres away. Fin recognised it as his rucksack being kicked aside. Then the snapping footsteps carried on up the track, growing distant.

Miranda, your seal skin. I don’t know who that person is, but I think he’s heading for the beach. You have to go.

Say you’ll help, Fin. Neptune’s power will not last much longer. He is the true keeper of the Seudan. They must be returned. We believe in you, Magnus Fin.

He looked at her, poised as still as stone, but under that stillness, he knew, her selkie heart was breaking.

Yes, yes, I’ll help, but please, Miranda, save your seal skin.
Frantically Magnus Fin peered out from under the bridge.
I can see him. It’s a man – he’s young – I don’t know him. He’s not from around here, and I think he’s going to the beach.

Go and search for the key when the sky’s great lantern will guide you. You have two days to prepare yourself. Now that I’ve done what I came here to do, I will go. But first, fetch me a coat.

Fin sprinted up the track and into the cottage. He sped up the stairs and into his parent’s bedroom, pausing for a second to glance out of the window. The young man who wore a black jacket was now walking along the beach path. Fin fumbled in the wardrobe, pulled out his mother’s good red coat and ran back outside with it.

Miranda, at Fin’s signal, stepped out from under the bridge. She leapt lightly up the bank and put one arm through a sleeve of the coat. “Where is it now, Fin, the kist? Where is it?”

“In the sand. Tarkin and Aquella buried it again.”

Miranda pulled on the other sleeve. “It can’t be left there. With Neptune’s rages he might whip up another storm and it’ll go – back out to the vast ocean – then the Seudan will be lost for ever. You must dig it up then cover it with kelp. Don’t touch it with your hands. You have to keep it safe. Keep it in the cave.” Miranda pulled the red coat tightly about her.

“And then what?” said Fin, tugging at her coat, pulling her back. “How am I going to find the key?”

Miranda bent to kiss her grandson. “I am doing all I can – believe me. But it isn’t easy. The swell pulls
one way, then the other. Whirlpools appear and vanish as though the sea no longer knows what to do.” She hurried now along the beach path. Fin ran alongside her. “I will try to find someone to help you. We have two more days. Neptune will descend into madness if he endures another moon without the Seudan. Bless you, son of Ragnor,
Sliochan nan Ron.
” And with that she quickened her pace, leaving Magnus Fin far behind. In seconds Miranda was down at the beach.

The man was close to the place where she had left her seal skin. But this man wasn’t used to walking on a pebble beach. He stumbled and swore. He scuffed his shiny shoes. Twice he fell over.

He turned and stared as a woman in a red coat with long white hair and bare feet sped past him. Around her ankles shells jangled. He watched her scoop something silvery up from the sand. She pressed whatever it was to her then ran off. In the next moment she seemed to vanish into thin air.

Billy Mole scratched his head, staggered to his feet, then decided he was suffering from the effects of fifteen hours travelling and the wind. It was supposed to be summer, yet it was freezing. Shivering, he watched a silver seal slip into the water. He spied something red on the rocks. A tern dive-bombed dangerously close to his head. He yelled, and ducked. Beneath him the seaweed stunk. Dead fish ponged. Billy Mole held his nose, turned on his heels and hurried off to the warmth and comfort of his bed and breakfast.