Enemy of Oceans (10 page)

GRAY NERVOUSLY SWAM BACK AND FORTH AT
the meeting area outside the fire waters. When he'd sent Barkley to talk with Drinnok, it seemed like a wise decision. His friend was the only fin who could sneak past everyone and speak to the Fifth Shiver king without enraging him. Sending Takiza or a finja like Shear would have started a war for sure. Barkley was the only choice.

But now that Gray had time to mull it over, it seemed like his worst idea ever.

What if Drinnok simply ate Barkley?

Gray scanned the waters and saw nothing. “What was I thinking?” he muttered.

“It was a good decision,” said Shear who swam above him, matching Gray's every move while guarding his dorsal fin. “You are the Seazarein. You cannot—”

“Yes, Shear,” Gray said, interrupting the prehistore tiger. “I'm the Seazarein. I can only risk the lives of others and never myself. Blah-de-blah-de-blah-blah.”

The finja captain of the guard harrumphed. “You're risking your life right now, attempting to meet with Drinnok without your armada. Foolish.”

“The AuzyAuzy mariners are not my armada,” Gray answered.

Shear replied, “They are all your mariners should you wish it.”

Gray circled up and bumped the tiger from his position. “Well, I do not wish it. And stop hovering over me. It's like swimming under a cloud.”

“Oh if only I could guard you by hovering,” Shear said. “You swim from side to side like an expectant father. At least let my mariners blend into the waters.” Shear gestured toward the finja, silently on guard, but visible, as they were not using their abilities to hide themselves.

“I told you, no. I don't want Drinnok thinking this is a trap.”

Gray did stop moving back and forth. Here, Shear was right. Though Gray was nervous, he shouldn't be showing that fact to everyone. It didn't send the right message to Drinnok or even his own mariners. He was the Seazarein, after all.

“He comes,” Shear said, again from above his dorsal fin. The tiger had returned to his position over Gray while he had been thinking. The guardian captain could be very tiring. Gray flicked his fins and snapped his tail to get the blood moving. Drinnok moved forward with five of his Fifth Shiver prehistores, most likely the sharkkind of his Line. The rest hovered fifty tail strokes away, wary and alert.

“Shear, don't do anything unless I order it,” Gray told his captain of the guard. “Understood?”

“I hear you,” the tiger answered in a clipped tone.

Gray swam out to meet Drinnok—and Barkley!—between the two groups of sharkkind. “Good to see you, Bark,” he told the dogfish. He was so relieved his friend was all right that his heart was pounding. He tried not to show this but Drinnok noticed anyway.

“You care for your mariners,” Drinnok said. “That is good. Some born into positions of power don't realize that their orders have consequences.”

Barkley remained silent, hovering at Drinnok's massive flank. He didn't join the conversation because it was between the two leaders. Barkley also didn't swim over to Gray's side for protection. With Drinnok's prehistores all around, it wasn't as if that would guarantee his safety anyway, and it would be an insult to the king.

Gray nodded. “Every fin and dweller's life has great worth. And I don't like to order anyone to take a risk that I wouldn't face myself.”

“Nor should you,” Drinnok said. “It's the coward's way. But this time you were right to send another as I wouldn't have listened to you after our first meeting.”

“I didn't order that attack,” Gray said.

“Your friend Barkley explained,” Drinnok said. “I believe him. He also tells me you remember nothing of your father. Is that true?”

Gray nodded. “It is.”

“I knew him well,” Drinnok said. “He was a constant urchin spine in my gums.” The megalodon king nodded to himself. “But I respected him. Your father didn't care about hurt feelings when he gave advice. He wouldn't say what I, Bollagan, or anyone wanted to hear if it wasn't the truth. That is admirable . . . most of the time. In other cases, when the decision is very important, a leader must decide and his subjects must obey. Don't you agree?”

Drinnok was a more thoughtful shark than Gray would have imagined. It proved you could never judge a shark by looks or size alone. He was smart and laying a verbal trap here.

“I would say that I'm like my father in that way,” Gray answered, choosing his words carefully. “I don't expect Barkley to agree with me on everything. In fact, if a day goes by without him complaining, I'd be worried. I think it's okay for someone who has earned my trust to disagree with me on even the most major of decisions.”

“But he had to earn that trust,” Drinnok countered. “And you would make the decision that was best for the sharkkind in your shiver even if he didn't agree, would you not?”

Drinnok had Gray there. “I would and have,” he told the bigger megalodon.

“Your ally Takiza kept us imprisoned in the Underwaters,” the prehistore king stated.

“Because he feared what you might do to us,” Gray said. “He thought you had led a coup and betrayed your king, sending everyone in his Line to the Sparkle Blue.”

Drinnok slashed his tail through the water so hard it churned up greenie from the seabed. “I would never swim such a low and dark current! I would have challenged Bollagan and fought him snout to snout if I wanted to rule. That is our way and my right. But it would have been dishonorable. Instead, I waited for his final answer.”

“But others didn't wait,” Gray said. “It wasn't hard for me to find out who killed Bollagan, so you must know also.”

Drinnok nodded. “It was Grimkahn. The dwellers in our Underwaters are powerful, not like here. After it had been done, there was nothing to do but swim aside or claim leadership.”

“Takiza didn't know that,” Gray said. “He didn't know you well enough and couldn't take that chance of not acting. And it wasn't only Grimkahn. Hokuu helped.”

“That was his right and choice. Only the strong survive the Underwaters. And you don't know me either,” the megalodon king added.

Gray flicked his fins up and down in agreement. “That's true. But you're here now so I can see you're a thoughtful fin. I'd like to think I am, too. I think Fifth Shiver should have the choice whether they want to live here or there. I won't block you from coming up.”

“And you'll give up the throne of Fathomir?” Drinnok prodded.

Gray shook his head. “With respect, King Drinnok, I can't. As you say, we don't know each other well, so I can't leave the safety of my friends and family to someone I don't know.”

“Then where does that leave us?” Drinnok asked. “I am the king of Fifth Shiver. I was in Bollagan's Line before you were born.”

“I have no doubt you proved yourself in the Underwaters and earned that position,” Gray told the megalodon. “But in the Big Blue, I've proved myself.”

“I grant you that,” Drinnok grumbled. “Now that we've met, I see you're not entirely unsuited to lead. But still, I will not dip my snout to you.”

“I'm not asking you to. You rule Fifth Shiver—that won't change,” Gray told the king. “Perhaps in time you'll lead everyone. Who knows? Until then, we should agree to live in peace. We can all live in peace.”

Drinnok nodded. “I believe this is worth trying.”

Gray exhaled, relieved. “I'm happy to hear you say that.”

“And so am I!” said a familiar voice. Gray and Drinnok turned to see Hokuu. He weaved his eel body, which rippled in excitement. “Because those words will be your doom!”

GRAY TAPPED DRINNOK ON THE FLANK. “WE
should swim away right now.”

“Swim away?” said Drinnok. “From a frill shark? He answers to me! Your inexperience shows, Graynoldus. Watch and learn.”

Barkley bumped Gray. “You're right and I don't like this. Hey, I'm sounding like Shear.”

The tiger finja was over Gray's dorsal fin. “Which means you're being smart for once.”

Drinnok yelled at Hokuu. “Explain yourself! What are you doing here?”

Hokuu snapped his lithe tail in the water and pointed. “Isn't it obvious? I wanted to see with my own eyes when the king of Fifth Shiver betrayed everyone who swims in the Underwaters.”

“You question me?” Drinnok roared. “I am your leader! You follow my orders!”

Hokuu's emerald eyes glittered with hate. “And I have been doing just that, my king,” he said. The frilled shark waved his lithe tail with a flourish as a monstrous sea crocodile crested the ridge next to him.

The beast was seventy feet long and as wide as Gray was long. His giant snapping jaws could swallow a school of marlins in one bite.

“Is that—is that . . . a mosasaur?” Barkley asked in awe.

“Grimkahn,” Gray whispered.

Drinnok slashed his tail back and forth in anger, sweeping away a section of coral reef. “What's he doing here, Hokuu?”

“You ordered me to free more of your subjects from the Underwaters, so I did,” the frilled shark answered.

“You know I meant sharkkind!” Drinnok yelled.

“Of course you did!” Grimkahn interrupted. “That order, like the others that come out of your mouth, was foolish. I won't be led by a fool any longer, Drinnok. None of us will!”

“This is gonna go bad, and fast,” Barkley said.

Hokuu swam by the giant mosasaur's side. “The Underwaters have nearly been cleared of your vain sharkkind filth! The dwellers and frill sharks rule there now! As it will be here!”

“Mariners, to me!” Drinnok shouted.

The megalodons formed a giant pyramid formation. It was impressive because of how large each of the prehistores was, but there weren't enough of them. Though Drinnok's forces would have easily beaten Grimkahn—and maybe even Hokuu with him—those two hadn't come alone.

Other mosasaurs appeared, not as large as Grimkahn, but most bigger than Drinnok or his mariners. A swarm of at least a hundred giant frilled sharks joined the megalodons, these all at least twenty feet long. The frills weaved and slithered between the giant jurassic dwellers.

Grimkahn roared, a ferocious sound at once rumbling and screeching. “You will be lunch today, Drinnok. It turns out that the crabs here need to eat, too!”

Hokuu twirled his tail and a glowing orb of energy gathered. “You have insulted us jurassics and frilled sharks for the last time!”

“Attack!” shouted Drinnok, as he launched himself forward.

But at that moment Drinnok was struck by a stream of Hokuu's energy and stopped cold. He drifted from the pyramid formation, sinking. His Line wanted to help him, but Grimkahn and the others came at the megalodons, forcing them to put up a wall to protect their king. All the Fifth Shiver sharkkind were under heavy assault from the jurassics and the frills in seconds.

Gray darted to where Drinnok lay on a reef of purple coral, away from the battle for now. “We have to help him,” he told Barkley and Shear.

“There's no way to move his bulk,” Shear said.

Gray whipped his tail through the water. “We have to try! I won't leave him behind.”

“He weighs a ton!” Barkley said. “Literally. Way more than that, actually.”

“They are right, Graynoldus,” Drinnok said in a weak voice. He coughed, gasping for breath, and blood drifted from his nostrils. “You must go.”

The megalodon king looked with dying eyes at his mariners in the battle. The Fifth Shiver sharkkind couldn't defend against both the ferocious might of the mosasaurs and the lightning quick attacks of the frilled sharks. Over half of Drinnok's mariners were swimming the Sparkle Blue already. The others would join them shortly.

“I don't want to leave you to them,” Gray said.

“My life is forfeit and I refuse to have your blood on my conscience,” the mighty king said. “Go. Save your friends. Save the ocean. Do this for me . . . and your father . . .”

And with that King Drinnok of Fifth Shiver died in the Big Blue.

Hokuu watched in satisfaction as the jurassics and frills fed on the remains of Fifth Shiver. A few mosasaurs and more than a few frilled sharks had been sent to the Sparkle Blue, but it was worth it. Drinnok was gone. Gray and Takiza still had to be dealt with but their time would come.

Soon.

Grimkahn swung his massive head from Drinnok's bloody carcass and looked at Hokuu. “You have proven yourself today, frill,” he said. “Many have promised you things and never given them to you.”

Hokuu dipped his lithe neck to Drinnok as the jurassic leader flippered his bulk from the seabed. “Some fins do not keep their promises.” Little did Grimkahn realize how much his own life depended on keeping Hokuu happy. If Hokuu had to teach him the same way as Drinnok, he would. He waited to see if this jurassic had learned the lesson of respecting him.

“Well, not me! I want everyone to hear this!” yelled Grimkahn loudly enough that all the other jurassics and frills stopped eating to listen. “This is a new ocean, a new world, and the dawning of a new age! Fifth Shiver is dead.” Grimkahn slapped Drinnok's corpse in the flank with a clawed flipper. “Fifth Shiver is nothing more than this carcass. I will lead you as king of Sixth Shiver. Show me you agree!”

All the jurassics bowed at once. The frills waited until Hokuu dipped his own snout, which he did only slightly, but enough to acknowledge Grimkahn as leader. The rest of the frilled sharks followed, although not as enthusiastically as the jurassics a moment before.

Grimkahn chuckled. “As I thought. You frills are not as excited to serve me.”

“We have been betrayed before,” Hokuu said. “As you have rightly pointed out.”

“Unlike Drinnok, I say what I mean and I mean what I say. You've proved your worth so I would like you, Hokuu, to join my Line . . . as my first.”

Hokuu had expected—had planned for this moment—to be asked to the Line, but was prepared for a position of fourth or even fifth. No worry there. He could move up as those ahead of him died. And they would have.

But to be named first in the Line! Above every other jurassic—even every mosasaur! It was an honor. Hokuu almost found himself consumed by real emotion.

Grimkahn went on, “These waters are held by the pitiful descendants of Tyro—the same fins that left our kinds off the First Shiver Line. We owe them nothing. They will either dip their snouts or become food. There will be no peace! We will take what we like whenever we want, for we are Sixth Shiver!” Grimkahn turned back to Hokuu. “So, will you serve me, Hokuu? Will you serve me as my first?”

It was the right current to swim. He would earn the respect of the jurassics. Let Grimkahn lead for now. When the time came, it would be Hokuu who was king! He dipped his head below his entire body and raised it with a genuine smile. “I will!”

And the ocean trembled as the frills and jurassics cheered as one.