hissed the earl and shut the door firmly but soundlessly, pressing his back against it and releasing his breath in one long exhalation.
The earl and Father Morrison peered into the darkness of the room. A small window admitted a thin sliver of light. As their eyes grew accustomed, they could see the outline of a man sitting on a barrel. His head was in his hands, his shoulders slumped.
‘Sir Kay! You scared me witless,’ accused Father Morrison, tiptoeing towards him. ‘How long were you hiding there?’
‘Long enough to consider what it is we do.’ Sir Kay’s voice was dull.
‘When did you get back?’
‘Over an hour ago by my reckoning, father. I came straight here. I wasn’t ready to face anyone … not yet. Not after what I witnessed …’
Father Morrison became aware that the ripe smell assailing his nostrils was not from the supplies stored in this room alone. Sir Kay had ridden hard and it was clear dread had driven him.
‘Out with it then, son,’ said Farwarn softly, joining the father by Sir Kay’s side. ‘The guards daren’t linger too long between watches. Only enough to share a drink and exchange news.’ We have but a few minutes. Let’s not waste them.’ He perched himself on another barrel beside Sir Kay and caught a glimpse of the knight’s face. He inhaled sharply and looked at Father Morrison, his eyebrows raised.
‘So, James,’ urged Father Morrison, ‘what did you see? What can you tell us? Are our fears well founded?’
At first the knight said nothing; his chin fell towards his chest, his eyes stayed lowered. ‘Come on, man,’ urged the earl. ‘What did you find out? Is it as we suspected?’
‘No,’ said Sir Kay, lifting his face. Even in the sickly light, Father Morrison could see that horror had recast the young man’s features. Darkness ringed his eyes and his cheeks looked hollow. His hair was unkempt and his clothing torn. ‘It’s much, much worse.’
‘Tell us, James,’ he asked softly.
Sir Kay looked at both men and seemed to shake himself, find an inner resolve. He took a deep breath and let it out in one long hiss. ‘I did as you instructed me, your grace. I went to the White Cliffs, right to the point where the Limen is in clear view and the markers you mentioned were apparent. I rode Bessy hard, too hard.’ He bit his lip. ‘I hid among the ancient barrows there, out of sight and, as ordered, waited. For three days I waited in the cold and snow and nothing happened. I saw no-one; nothing, only the strange, undulating silverness of the Limen. I thought we were wasting our time. That the reports you’d received were false. I was preparing to return. But you’d said to remain five days. Fortunate you did, your grace. For on the fourth day everything changed –’ He hesitated.
‘Go on,’ said the earl.
‘Just on dusk, they came.’
‘Who?’
Sir Kay spoke so quietly, at first Father Morrison thought he’d misheard. But the chill that swept through his body told him he hadn’t.
‘Morte Whisperers.’
Earl Farwarn whistled through his teeth. ‘I knew it. My informants were right.’
‘Oh yes,’ agreed Sir Kay. ‘They came across the channel on a bed of mist, like they were floating above the water.’ He shuddered. ‘There were hundreds, I tell you. I have never seen so many. I wanted to run, to get away from there and never return. But I didn’t, your grace. I knew that if things were to change, if we were to act, then we had to know. So I stayed. Gods help me. I stayed.’ He began to shudder. Deep convulsions made it difficult for him to stay seated, let alone continue with his story.
The earl leapt to his feet, unclasped his cape and threw it around Sir Kay’s shoulders, his hands clasping it in place, holding the knight still. Sir Kay gripped it gratefully, but tremors continued to wrack his frame.
‘What happened then?’ asked Father Morrison, his beads twisted in his fingers.
‘Nothing at first. I watched and listened. They gathered at the edge of the cliffs, like they too were waiting. And then the shepherd came …’
‘What shepherd?’ The earl glanced at Father Morrison, who shrugged.
‘A young boy who … who must have stumbled upon them. I don’t know who he was. He mustn’t have seen them, mustn’t have felt them. He was too busy chasing a lamb that gambolled far from its mother. When they saw him, they … they …’ He paused,