Kingdom of the Deep (11 page)

CHAPTER 19

HOKUU RIPPED INTO THE FLANK OF A LARGE
Riptide scout he had picked off. The frilled shark motioned with his tail at the torn hammerhead. “Come! You must be starving!”

That was true. Velenka hadn't eaten in a long while. And the food in the Riptide prison always seemed stale. Maybe that was because she wasn't the type of shark that liked anyone else doing her hunting. But still, Velenka didn't want to eat. “I caught a fat grouper earlier,” she lied.

Hokuu shook his head. He knew it was untrue but let it pass. He had other things on his mind. “Are you ready to tell me your idea of getting to Gray? It would be a shame if I had to kill a fellow prehistore. Especially one with royal blood.”

“Gray is a
royal
prehistore?” she asked. How very interesting.

“Yes,” the frill answered. “It would be good to have him alive as insurance.”

“Can you tell me why letting the prehistores into this world is a good thing?” Velenka asked. “I need to explain that to Gray. Especially the part about Drinnok coming in and eating everyone. Why is it good? If I can make him understand that, maybe I can sway him.”

“Maybe?” asked Hokuu, his emerald eyes narrowing to slits.

“I mean, I
will
sway him,” Velenka corrected herself.

Hokuu nodded. “First of all, Tyro will be pleased. It's because of his will that I'm doing this. There's no better reason than that.”

Velenka's mouth hung open. “Um, yes. But as you definitely know, we in this world don't have as good a connection with Tyro as you do.”

“True, true,” Hokuu said, nodding to himself.

Velenka felt her stomach clench. Hokuu believed he was doing Tyro's will by killing the sharkkind in the Big Blue. That didn't make any sense. But much of what Hokuu said to her didn't make sense. Her experience with Finnivus was a grim and unsettling one. But at least he—and Velenka couldn't believe she was even
thinking
this—at least he wanted to rule the sharks of the Big Blue. Sure, he would eat the ones that displeased him, but for the most part, Finnivus wanted everyone to worship him.

Hokuu led her to think that Drinnok wanted the prehistores to resettle the Big Blue and send
everyone
to the Sparkle Blue doing it. They didn't want anyone to bow before them? It seemed odd for a royal shiver to simply want everyone
gone
.

Was Hokuu lying to her? Why?

“So when the prehistores and this Drinnok come, they'll conquer the Big Blue. And then what?” she asked.

Hokuu gracefully rose from the seabed and his kill. His eyes seemed to shine even brighter. “Oh, it'll be glorious! Drinnok and his mega-armada will sweep out of the South Sific and conquer everything in their paths! And we'll get to watch!”

“I assume you'd help Drinnok rule,” Velenka said, and then in a much lower voice she added, “Or maybe take over if he didn't make the best decisions?”

Hokuu was on her in a fin flick, grasping her so tightly with his coils that Velenka thought she would die. “No! That's what you'd do! I know about your hunger for power. I'd never do that!” The coils wrapping her relaxed. “But I will
help
Drinnok rule, of course. You see, I'm not royalty, so according to the laws of Fifth Shiver, I can't rule.”

“But Gray could . . . ” Velenka whispered.

Hokuu nodded. “And so you finally get it. The Big Blue needs to be conquered by Fifth Shiver, but Bollagan the fool wouldn't even consider it. Only Drinnok saw the glory of taking our rightful place, which is everywhere.”

“But if Drinnok disagrees—”

“Exactly!” said Hokuu, snapping his tail so it made a loud
crack
! “If he doesn't appreciate what I, and my species, have done . . . well, there's always Gray and his claim to the throne.”

“Gray won't stay still while all his friends are eaten though,” Velenka said. “I know this for a fact.”

The frilled shark waved his tail dismissively. “Once they're gone, what's he going to do? He'll have no choice but to follow orders or die. And if he wants to die by killing Drinnok, should that megalodon not give me and all frilled sharks our due, then so be it.” Hokuu pointed at her. “And of course, I haven't forgotten about you. You'll also have your reward.”

With dread in her stomach Velenka asked, “What is it? My reward?”

Hokuu waved his tail with a flourish. “You get to watch all of this happen before you're eaten!”

“Before . . . I'm eaten? How—how's that a reward?” Velenka asked in a shaky whisper.

“The reward is that you'll be eaten
last
!” Velenka could only stare as Hokuu sent ripples of excitement down the length of his body. “Think of it, you get to see the new watery world order become a reality! And then when you swim the Sparkle Blue after a bite to the gills from Drinnok himself—what an honor—
you
get to bring the news that Fifth Shiver has been fully restored . . . to Tyro himself! I'm
almost
jealous of you.”

“I—I never thought of it that way,” Velenka told him as her stomach heaved. By telling her this, it was as if Hokuu wanted her to swim away as fast as she could. Or betray him. That couldn't be true? Could it? “And to be clear, you won't send Gray to the Sparkle Blue. Am I right about that?”

“I'd like to have Gray as an option for later, of course. But it does depend on his actions not
forcing
me to kill him when I open the new passageway.” Hokuu flicked his tail back and forth in glee and looked up toward the chop-chop. “You see? It's almost full. We're so near the appointed time. So near.” He gestured at the glimmering moon far above the surface of the water. Hokuu then whispered. “And to think he was so close. If Gray stayed where he was, he could have been a real problem.”

“What does that mean?” Velenka asked.

Hokuu went back to his meal. “Never mind that. Concentrate on turning Gray to my side. You should practice what you're going to say right at the beginning since he and his friends might eat you before you can get too many words out.”

Oh, right, Velenka remembered. I totally forgot I'm an escaped prisoner and they probably want to bite me in the gills. Great.

CHAPTER 20

“HALT AND APPEAR!” SHEAR CRIED, STARTLING
Gray and the fins behind them. Twenty guardian finja that were hiding at the edges of the Riptide formation materialized in the water.

To the tired Riptide mariners, it seemed as if these ferocious sharkkind basically appeared out of nowhere. The advanced scouts screeched to a halt, bumping and jostling each other as they did. Even though the scouts were battle tested mariners, everyone in the armada was jumpy. And the mass of frightened shiver sharks, their pups, and other dwellers in the center were thrown into total confusion.

“Why are we stopping?” bellowed Striiker from the diamondhead position of his battle formation. “We're almost there!”

Gray was puzzled for a moment until the leader of the finja guardians dipped his snout. “Apologies, Aquasidor Graynoldus. The Seazarein will not permit anyone but yourself to swim into Fathomir.”

Barkley gave Shear his most wounded look. “What? No welcome feast? Are you sure?”

“I received word an hour ago as we were swimming in, so I am
quite
sure,” the huge tiger shark finja replied.

“If you're not, I could go ask,” said Snork, missing the sarcasm that floated thick in the water between Shear and Barkley.

The guardian leader ignored the sawfish and waited for Gray's reaction.

“I don't much care,” Gray told him.

Shear signaled with a flick of his tail and fifty massive finja appeared in the water behind him. These prehistore sharks were from Fathomir, the Seazarein's personal guard. “I'm ordered to not let any others pass.”

Mari swished her tail. “Gray, maybe you shouldn't push this.”

“No!” he yelled. “We're moving ahead and that's that!”

Shear didn't budge as Gray moved forward and the two sharks bumped snouts.

“You want a piece of me, Shear? It didn't work out so well for you on the training field.”

The guardian captain gave Gray a pleading look. He was between sharp coral and a rough current. “Aquasidor Graynoldus, please do not do this.” The big tiger didn't want to fight, but he would.

Barkley tapped him on the flank, distracting Gray as he was going to Bull Shark Rush the finja. “Are you really going to waste time brawling like a jelly-headed bully? Get in there and see what she has to say.”

“Yeah,” Snork said. “Let's save the fighting for that giant snake and his friends.”

Mari agreed. “We're tired and hungry, anyway. And there are lots of fish here.”

“With all these finja around I think we're pretty safe,” Striiker added. “Go.”

Gray gave Shear a cold stare. “When this is over, you and I are going to dance. But if you're still captain of the Aquasidor's guardians, stay and protect these sharkkind. That's an order.”

The finja leader snapped into attention hover and dipped his snout. “Yes sir, Aquasidor Graynoldus!”

Gray turned to Barkley. “You coming?”

His friend shook his head. “That would not go over well.” The dogfish motioned for Gray to go on alone. “Beside, I'm hungry, too.”

Gray frowned in mock seriousness. “Turtle.”

“A
smart
turtle,” Barkley replied. “Call me Shelley, because I'm staying put.”

Gray smiled to himself. His friend had so much more confidence now that he was a subcommander and leader of the ghostfins. At least Gray had gotten that right. He swam toward the Seazarein's homewaters, and her fifty guardians fell into position around him. Shear was good as his word, though. He and his twenty guardians stayed, melting into the waters, unseen once more.

Soon Gray was deep in the Fathomir homewaters and inside the even more heavily fortified throne cavern in front of the Seazarein, Judijoan the oarfish, and Takiza.

Of course, everyone was displeased with him. What else is new? he thought.

“In case you were all wondering, there's peace between Icingholme and Hideg Shivers in the Arktik,” Gray announced.

Judijoan shook her head at his terribly rude act. This was one of the first, and easiest, of lessons. Always let the leader of the place you were visiting, in this case the Seazarein, speak first. It was a simple rule and a very common courtesy.

Well, too bad!

Gray wasn't about to let Kaleth stare haughtily from her throne while making him cool his fins in silence. Not when Riptide Shiver was exposed to danger outside of the Fathomir homewaters. No way! Gray set his jaw and waited for the explosion that he was sure would follow.

But there wasn't one.

The Seazarein replied in an even tone, “That's good news, Aquasidor Graynoldus. I'll want those details later. The question I'd like answered this moment, however, is why you've returned with a few more fins than when you left. Can you explain this?”

Gary switched his tail right and left. He wasn't expecting Kaleth to say anything below a shouting voice. And certainly not ask a question calmly.

“Well, yes, um—on our way here, the guardians and I detected blood in the water. When we investigated—in your name, of course—we found that it was Riptide Shiver and they were under attack by Hokuu and his renegade makos.” Gray decided to make some effort to make up for his rudeness. “Knowing how much you, the Seazarein, love peace in the Big Blue, and how, um, large and good your heart is, I decided we should help them. In your name.”

“So by bringing them here, you think you saved them?” she asked. Kaleth was as calm as a summer lagoon and it unnerved Gray.

“You're the most powerful shark in the Big Blue, the Seazarein Emprex of the ocean,” Gray said. “I think you'll help them because why
wouldn't
you help them?”

“You forget yourself!” shouted Judijoan as she rose perpendicular to the seafloor.

Kaleth waved off her advisor and locked eyes on Gray. “By bringing these sharkkind and dwellers, you deplete our food supplies. That makes us vulnerable to attack. As you said, we are the only force that's a match for Hokuu.
Maybe
. And only if the conditions are perfect. Your mariners are nothing to the mako finja, and certainly not to Hokuu. If my guardians show themselves by protecting your untrained masses, the renegades can pick them off one by one until there are none left. Then what? Who will protect your friends? By bringing these sharks to Fathomir, you have made us all less safe.”

Gray swept at the sandy cavern floor with his tail. “I didn't think of that.”

“No, you didn't!” Judijoan huffed.

Kaleth sighed. “But even if he did, he would have done the same thing.”

Gray didn't answer. Everyone knew it was true.

“I think it is a credit to the boy,” said Takiza. “Kindness and caring are never a mistake.”

Gray was grateful for that. Could someone who said that actually leave his father to die? He drove the thought from his mind. This wasn't the time for that conversation.

“And if this kindness is the reason that Hokuu prevails? Will it be worth it then?” asked Judijoan. The oarfish swirled her tail through the water.

“Silence!” yelled Kaleth, slamming her tail on the ground. “I have decided.”

Gray waited. He could feel that even Takiza was on edge, although the betta seemed his usual calm self.

“Your friends can stay to rest and heal.” Judijoan gasped like a steam vent in the ocean floor. Kaleth gave her a baleful look and she quieted. “They stay on the far edge of Fathomir and can hunt all they want. But your mariners will be responsible for the safety of the Riptide sharks.”

It was more than Gray could have hoped for. He nodded, his tail sagging as a cool wave of relief rolled down his spine. “Yes, they will.”

“And one more thing,” Kaleth added. “I don't want you as my Aquasidor.”

Gray blurted, “What?” Takiza looked shocked, too.

“I believe you heard me,” she said. “You cannot serve me
and
Riptide Shiver. Your heart is with your friends. So you are relieved of your duties until this crisis is at an end.” She glanced over at Takiza. “You may also go.”

The betta dipped his snout. “Please reconsider this.”

“I don't believe I will,” Kaleth shot back, swishing her tail side to side. “My decision is final. Do not test me.”

Takiza jerked his fins through the water and swam out of the throne room. Gray was so shocked he hovered, motionless, until Judijoan said, “That is also your signal to leave.”

And so Gray swam out of Kaleth's throne room a free shark, Aquasidor no longer.

Strangely, this really bothered him.