The Silence of the Sea
from "The Red Book of Rhiannon"
(Go to All The Red Book of Rhiannon stories.)
If you’re new to The Môrdreigiau Chronicles, welcome! You might find the Glossary helpful for some of these words. Colons indicate the sea dragon’s thought communications.
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:We have an issue.:
The Esteemed Emrys focused upon the speaker, Aled, the youngest Council member. The ruler sensed the tension grow in the chamber. :What is your concern?:
:It’s naught but rumour, Esteemed,: said another.
:It’s no rumour. Coastal dreigiau môr are going missing.: From his sleeve pocket, Aled withdrew a long dark braid and threw it to the floor. Another followed it. He flung down a third braid, thinner than the rest and woven with tiny white shells. :This is my sister’s.:
Emrys’ gills flattened against his neck. No dreigiau môr would willingly cut their hair. :See to it,: he commanded. :Take what resources and royal guards you need.:
Aled obeyed. Friends from the royal guard joined him. Through the city gate, they transformed from human form into sea dragon. The journey to the coast took several hours. Aled showed them where he’d found the braids floating in the sea.
Between them, they divined the flow of tide and current. They searched the coastline, remaining beneath the waves in their dragon forms.
After a time, they heard crying, sobs that sounded stifled. The sound led them to a small bay with inviting shallows. There they found a young draig môr curled up in a submerged wicker basket.
Aled darted forward, but his friend Gryffri pulled him back by the tail. :It could be a trap.:
The five dreigiau môr circled, discovering almost invisible threads stretched between them and the young child. Gryffri pointed up. A large net floated on the surface.
:Child,: Aled called, :we’ve come to rescue you.: The wicker basket gave the child no room to move. They moaned in response.
:They’re bait,: Gryffri remarked. :How do we free them without getting caught?:
One guard dove away and returned, struggling with a large boulder. Two others aided him. :We spring the trap.:
Aled worked out the trajectory. The royal guards hurled the boulder. Lines snapped. The net above plummeted, nearly pinioning the arm of one. From Above Sea, they heard the tinkling of bells.
:We won’t have much time,: Aled observed. They reached the wicker basket, tearing it apart with their taloned hands.
The young draig môr sank. Aled gathered her up. The girl-child, no more than four or five winters, curled into him, its tiny body riddled with old scars and fresh wounds.
They swam to deeper, safer waters. The girl’s sobs eventually reduced to hiccups. :Are the others alive?: Aled asked.
:I don’t think so,: said the girl. :One is still at the hut. The rest have…have been sold to the fack tories.:
Aled didn’t know what a ‘fack tory’ was. :Sold? Can you show me the way?:
The girl trembled. :He kept me in that basket. I’ll … I’ll try.:
They returned to the shallows. The net lay undisturbed on the rocky bottom, the large boulder an awkward lump in its centre.
Robert glared at the naked woman curled into the cottage’s far corner. He pushed up his spectacles. “Doan make me ask twice.”
Her head ducked, her partly shorn locks concealing her sickly complexion. These creatures he pulled from the sea had strange yellowing flesh, like aged paper, not the pearly whiteness as told in the old tales.
He couldn’t believe his luck the first time he trapped the giant eels. Once he pulled up the nets, they transformed into humans. One grabbed a knife, flailing while still trapped. He ended the creature’s life with his fishing spear. Not wanting any more surprises, he killed the second adult. He untangled them from the net, rolling over the dead to find a naked woman and a girl-child—the latter unconscious. They weren’t from around here. They wouldn’t be missed.
He knelt by the woman. He’d trapped them. They were his. His sea-worn rough hands curled around the woman’s breast. Squeezed.
A flopping movement caught his attention. The child struggled to control its limbs. Robert pinned it by the throat. “There more of you?”
The child gurgled, spat up water.
“I bet there are.” He trussed up the child and threw the dead adults overboard.
Robert shook off the reverie. Now he had another of the female creatures. He rubbed his aching jaw from where she’d hit him. She’d scratched him up pretty badly before he clubbed her. Pity she was awake now. The dead and unconscious ones were easier to handle.
The girl-child led them to a cottage that slumped into the cliff behind it. Fresh grey slate tiles glistened amongst the moss-covered roof. Nets hung between poles in varying states of repair.
The door burst open. A naked form ran out, stumbling to a stop when she saw them.
:Eiddwen,: thought Gryffri, agonised. Aled had no idea Gryffri felt so strongly about his older sister.
Eiddwen ran to them. Gryffri handed off his spear and dashed forward. He gathered her into his arms, murmuring soft words.
“Ye’ve got nowhere to run!” The trapper emerged from the cottage, swinging an axe handle. He fiddled with his spectacles at the sight of the group of naked men and froze.
Aled had already seen Eiddwen’s bruises, the dried blood along her face. :We should kill him.:
Gryffri agreed.
:It’s not our way,: Eiddwen murmured, now safe behind the wall of male dreigiau môr. :We don’t take lives.:
:He’s not one of us,: growled Gryffri. He reached behind him and she took his hand, squeezing it.
:He can’t be allowed to do this again.: Aled watched the trapper heft the stout stick.
:He can’t tell others of our existence,: another put in.
Gryffri turned to Eiddwen. :Take the girl back to the sea. Wait for us there. You don’t need to see what happens next.:
Her eyes grew wide. :You’ll kill him?:
Gryffri bared his teeth. :We’ll cut out his tongue and cut off his hands. He won’t hurt anyone again.:
Eiddwen nodded her assent. She took the girl’s hand. They retreated down the path to the rocky beach and the sea.
If you enjoyed reading this, there are a few other stories in The Red Book of Rhiannon.
You might also enjoy reading a longer serial, beginning with A Grail for Eidothea.
In two weeks (as of posting this), a new limited serial begins: Obsidian & Flame.
Don’t read on if you don’t want to see behind the curtain…
This story was written in response to two prompts, one of which restricted me to 1,000 words. It was these two prompts:
Just in case you want to try it out yourself!
