protestors—they’ve got plenty of time on their hands. Getting dressed up in weird costumes would be right up their alley. I expect you’d think that some of them wouldn’t even need to change.” He gave Jane aconspiratorial wink. Col felt a pang of pity for her and wished he could whisk his father away. Then it got worse: Mack peeled off his jacket and shirt to put on his wetsuit, revealing a tattoo of a great tentacled creature on his back. Jane did not know where to look. “Up for an expedition, girls?”
“Er…no thanks, Mr. Clamworthy,” Anneena excused them hastily.
“Mack, darling, call me Mack.”
Col noted dismally that everything he hated about his father seemed magnified in the presence of girls.
Anneena looked flustered. “Thanks, Mr.…er…Mack, but we’ve really got to get these posters up.” Janewas already abandoning ship with the scrolls stuffed haphazardly under her arm. “Some other time, perhaps.” The girls hurried off, shouting their good-byes before the invitation could be pressed any further.
“So,” said Mack, leaning on the wheelhouse and assessing his son, “you haven’t started to make progress with the girls then? Give it a few more years.”
Col was bored waiting for his father to surface from his dive, having tired of staring out across the same patch of ocean for several hours. He wished Connie was with him—with her there, they’d have a chance of catching sight of a siren, or a selkie, or any mythical creature in the vicinity, come to think of it.
He thought back to the Society meeting last night. Dr. Brock had stressed that they were far from ready for Kullervo’s next attack with Connie unable to continue her training. The adult members were working hard in secret for the expected confrontation with the shapeshifter and his supporters—even junior members like Col were being taught ancillary tasks, like treatment of weather injuries for the unicorn companions, search and rescue for the selkie companions, and evasion techniques for pegasus and dragon riders. They all expected Kullervo to unleash a devastating revenge, an assault that would require everyone to play their part—especially the universal. Col hated the feeling of powerlesspanic that hit him every time he thought about the shape-shifter. He wanted to be braver—stronger. He had wanted to learn how to fight, to know how to protect Connie from Kullervo. He’d be good at it, he was sure of that, and he’d enjoy learning the skills. But Dr. Brock had firmly put him in his place when Col had expressed this wish.
“The Trustees are strongly of the opinion that children must not be used in battle. When you are eighteen, you can apply to join one of our active units, but until then you must be content with learning these other, equally useful skills,” Dr. Brock had told him.
Watching the sea lap against the fenders, Col yawned. Adults were all the same really. There was Dr. Brock spoiling his plans, just as Connie’s great-aunt was determined to spoil hers.
There was an explosion of bubbles in the sea and a masked head bobbed to the surface. Col helped pull his father’s gear over the side before Mack slithered back on board, dripping liberally, shaking himself like a dog emerging from a bath.
“How was it?” Col forced himself to act interested.
“Amazing,” Mack replied, his eyes still bearing a faroff look as if part of him had not yet returned.
“Yeah, right,” said Col, starting the engine. “Connie said the Kraken was one of the weirdest creatures she’d encountered.”
Mack looked up abruptly, anger sparkling in his dark eyes. “Weird? She knows nothing then.”
Col, already irritated by his father’s crass behavior earlier, scaring off his friends, sprang to Connie’s defense.
“Nothing, huh? A universal and she knows nothing? Well, Dad, she knows a lot more than you’ll ever know about mythical creatures, and if she says the Kraken’s weird, then it’s
“Er…no thanks, Mr. Clamworthy,” Anneena excused them hastily.
“Mack, darling, call me Mack.”
Col noted dismally that everything he hated about his father seemed magnified in the presence of girls.
Anneena looked flustered. “Thanks, Mr.…er…Mack, but we’ve really got to get these posters up.” Janewas already abandoning ship with the scrolls stuffed haphazardly under her arm. “Some other time, perhaps.” The girls hurried off, shouting their good-byes before the invitation could be pressed any further.
“So,” said Mack, leaning on the wheelhouse and assessing his son, “you haven’t started to make progress with the girls then? Give it a few more years.”
Col was bored waiting for his father to surface from his dive, having tired of staring out across the same patch of ocean for several hours. He wished Connie was with him—with her there, they’d have a chance of catching sight of a siren, or a selkie, or any mythical creature in the vicinity, come to think of it.
He thought back to the Society meeting last night. Dr. Brock had stressed that they were far from ready for Kullervo’s next attack with Connie unable to continue her training. The adult members were working hard in secret for the expected confrontation with the shapeshifter and his supporters—even junior members like Col were being taught ancillary tasks, like treatment of weather injuries for the unicorn companions, search and rescue for the selkie companions, and evasion techniques for pegasus and dragon riders. They all expected Kullervo to unleash a devastating revenge, an assault that would require everyone to play their part—especially the universal. Col hated the feeling of powerlesspanic that hit him every time he thought about the shape-shifter. He wanted to be braver—stronger. He had wanted to learn how to fight, to know how to protect Connie from Kullervo. He’d be good at it, he was sure of that, and he’d enjoy learning the skills. But Dr. Brock had firmly put him in his place when Col had expressed this wish.
“The Trustees are strongly of the opinion that children must not be used in battle. When you are eighteen, you can apply to join one of our active units, but until then you must be content with learning these other, equally useful skills,” Dr. Brock had told him.
Watching the sea lap against the fenders, Col yawned. Adults were all the same really. There was Dr. Brock spoiling his plans, just as Connie’s great-aunt was determined to spoil hers.
There was an explosion of bubbles in the sea and a masked head bobbed to the surface. Col helped pull his father’s gear over the side before Mack slithered back on board, dripping liberally, shaking himself like a dog emerging from a bath.
“How was it?” Col forced himself to act interested.
“Amazing,” Mack replied, his eyes still bearing a faroff look as if part of him had not yet returned.
“Yeah, right,” said Col, starting the engine. “Connie said the Kraken was one of the weirdest creatures she’d encountered.”
Mack looked up abruptly, anger sparkling in his dark eyes. “Weird? She knows nothing then.”
Col, already irritated by his father’s crass behavior earlier, scaring off his friends, sprang to Connie’s defense.
“Nothing, huh? A universal and she knows nothing? Well, Dad, she knows a lot more than you’ll ever know about mythical creatures, and if she says the Kraken’s weird, then it’s
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