Sanctificetur nomentuum!
Aelfric didn’t belt out his OurFathers like that, as if the words were rocks he could throw toward off the devil.The distant voice faded, and Cai decided he’dbeen dreaming.He pressed tighter to Fen’s side, moaning softlywhen the arms around him locked him more firmly into place.Thestorm was over.The tide had gone.The sand was softer than hisbunk at Fara, Fen’s hold on him warmer than sunlight, and he couldfall back into sleep.
Something tugged at his sleeve.Stillnot looking, he jerked his arm away.The scrabbling touch cameagain, this time at his belt.Trying to pull it free.Well, Fen waswelcome, if he wanted to start over.It had been years since Caihad awoken with another body next to his.Hundreds of morningstrying to quell his waking erection in the name of God.Burrowingagainst him, Cai shivered at the powerful lift of his own flesh.The tugging came again—insistent, more like a bird plucking at himthan Fen’s frank grab—and he cracked one eye open tolook.
A monster was standing over him.Hesat bolt upright, tearing out of Fen’s embrace, scattering sand.The monster jerked back.It put its head on one side.It wasn’tafraid—just startled by Cai’s sudden movement.It considered for amoment, then opened its toothless mouth wide and emitted a weirdcry.Four others exactly like it emerged from the pale dawnlight.
Cai’s erection died.He snatched forthe fisherman’s knife at his belt.Behind him Fen was waking up,scrambling onto his knees.“Cai, what the hell—”
“Fara devils!I’ve heard ofthem.They eat shipwrecked sailors.”
“Devils?They look human tome.Almost.”
There were eight of them now.Yes,almost human.All of them skeletally thin, dressed in a few rags ofsealskin.Horribly alike in the twist of their wasted features,their narrow, hairless skulls.Two of them had harelips, stumps ofrotting teeth showing in the gap.
Instinctively Cai got to his feet andpressed his back to Fen’s, and felt him doing likewise, gettingready for defence.“I can take three of them.You?”
A contemptuous snort.“Thesebags of bones?I’ll take what’s left and come back foryourthree.”
“Wonderful.What are yougoing to do about the dozen more that just climbed up over thoserocks?”
“Pater Noster, qui es incaelis!”
The devils nearest to Caistarted and cringed at the voice.It was much closer now.Cai’svision was still blurred with sleep and salt, and he dragged hissleeve over his eyes.An old man had appeared at the crest of thenearest dune.He could have been brother to Danan.His wild whitehair flew with the same vigour, and he came leaping down the sandyslope with much of that lady’s unlikely speed.His hands were raised over hishead.In one of them he clasped a staff like a shepherd’s, and hegesticulated with it powerfully, gestures of banishment that camein time with his shouted prayers.
“Sanctificetur nomen tuum!Adveniat regnum tuum!Fiat voluntas tua…”
Now he was on the flat, hisragged brown robes flying to expose skinny ankles.The devils beganto fall back from around Cai and Fen, whimpering sounds emergingfrom their twisted mouths.“Sicut in caelo et in terra!”
On earth as it is inheaven.Toomuch for the devils of Fara, who turned in one ungainly movementand began to run, hopping and stumbling in their haste.The old mangalloped after them a little way down the beach, then came to agasping halt, arms still upraised.He dropped out of Latin andcontinued, sadly, as if to himself, “Give them this day their dailybread.Just not the flesh of these sailors.”
His arms fell.He turned, leaning onhis staff.“Are you all right?Did they hurt you?”
Cai glanced at Fen, who was staring atthe old man in disbelief.Perhaps they both were dreaming.Benedicthad died, and perhaps Cai had gone down with the coracle.This wasa strange afterworld, with snaggle-toothed cannibal denizens andfleshly joys beyond imagination in the sea foam, but he would takeit over Aelfric’s hellfire.
“No,” he called, steadyinghimself against Fen.“What are they?Why are they afraid ofyou?”
“They don’t seem to likethe sound of Latin prayer.I use it to chase them off.”He shruggeddespondently.“I might as well give the poor devils a blessingwhile I’m at it.”
“Theyaredevils, then?”
The old man stumped towards them upthe beach.“Not in the sense you mean.They’re as human as youare—the first people of these islands.Heaven knows how they cameto be cut off here, but they only breed among themselves, and itdamages them.”
“Would they have eatenus?”
Another shrug.“They eat what theycan.Speaking of which, you boys will want your breakfast.Iwondered why he dropped me such a big one this morning.Godprovides.”
Cai shook his head.“I don’tunderstand.”
“The eagle.Such a bigfish,” the old man told him easily, as if he ought to have known.“He brings me one each day, clutched in his great claws.Thismorning, a salmon the size of a young seal!Well, sailors havegrand appetites.And being washed ashore is hungry work.Comealong.”
The old man set off at a brisk pace.After an exchanged look, Cai and Fen followed him.
“Do you think he knowsLatin for more than his prayers?”Fen asked quietly, dropping intostride at Cai’s side.“I understand a bit of your uncouthnorth-shores tongue, but clearly not enough.I thought he said aneagle dropped a fish for him.”
“He did.”Cai jogged aheadand caught the old man up.“Sir, we’re grateful for the rescue.Myfriend isn’t from here.Do you speak Latin, so that he canunderstand?”
“Of course.Ita vero.” He switched without effort,the neat Roman syllables falling more naturally from his mouth thanthey ever would from Cai’s.“But I’m surprised that sailorsdo.”
