Yellow eyes peered at me and a purple tongue pressed against long white teeth as it spoke again in my mind.
Well? Are you just going to stand there like a fish with its mouth opening and closing, or are you going to answer me? It suddenly jerked closer and bit the air near us. Its jaws snapped together like a bear trap, and I heard its laughter. That’s as I thought. You’re too weak to do anything for me.
Ren and Kishan immediately responded by leaping in front of me and changing to tigers. They both roared and swiped claws angrily near the dragon’s nose.
It wasn’t enough to frighten the dragon, but it was enough to catch its interest. It leaned closer and puffed foggy air over us. Cold dew settled over my skin, and I shivered. Ren and Kishan changed back to men but continued to stand in front of me. I stepped between them.
“Give us a task to prove ourselves,” I suggested bravely.
The dragon clicked its tongue and twisted its head. What could you possibly accomplish, young woman?
“You’d be surprised.”
The dragon grunted and yawned. Very well. Your challenge will be to make the journey up to my mountain temple. If you can do that, I will help you. If you can’t … well … let’s just say you won’t be worrying too much about the Necklace anymore.
It rose in the air and began to coil around the temple again.
“Wait!” I shouted. “How do we get up there?”
There is an underwater tunnel with steps leading up, but you must get past my guardian first, and it’s not as … accommodating as I am.
Desperate, I questioned, “Who guards you?”
Yo guài yóu yú.
I whispered to Ren, “What does that mean?”
“Uh … it’s something like a devil squid.”
Qnglóng snorted. Bah! It’s called the kraken. Now, be off with you.
The dragon’s soft laugh soon turned into a snore. I watched for a moment as fog drifted lightly from his nostrils and dissipated into the blue sky.
Kishan and Ren began heading toward the ladder.
I leaned over the side and asked, “Where are you two going?”
Kishan looked up. “To suit up. Looks like we’re diving.”
“Oh … no … you … don’t! Didn’t you hear what it just said?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think you did. The dragon said there’s a kraken down there.”
Kishan shrugged his shoulders. “And?”
“And … the kraken is huge! There’s no way we can fight it!”
“Kelsey, calm down. Just come down here, and we’ll talk about it. There’s no need to get hysterical.”
“Hysterical? This isn’t even close to being hysterical. Have you ever seen a kraken in the movies? No, you haven’t, but I have. They destroy whole ships! A couple of tigers would be like kibble! I insist we plan with Mr. Kadam before you two jump into the water.”
Ren was standing on the deck, and Kishan landed next to him with a quiet thump. They both looked up and gestured for me to come down.
“Promise me you know what you’re doing.”
Kishan said, “What we’re doing is getting the Necklace, Kells. Now come down so we can talk to Kadam.”
“I don’t know if I can be of assistance, Miss Kelsey,” Mr. Kadam said, rubbing his temple dubiously.
“What! What do you mean you don’t know? You know everything!”
“All I know about the kraken is what I’ve seen in movies and the little bits and pieces I’ve already told you. Nothing can kill it. It’s immortal. It’s originally from a Norse myth, described as a giant tentacled beast that attacks ships. It’s likely based on the giant squid. They were considered fantasy until recent years when a couple of them washed onto beaches.”
“That’s it? There’s nothing else? How do we fight it?”
Mr. Kadam sighed. “I only know a few middling facts. In the myth, when the kraken opens its mouth, water boils. When it raises its head above water, the stink of it is more terrible than any living creature can endure. Its eyes have great illuminating power; when they shine it’s like looking into the sun. The only things I’ve ever heard it’s afraid of are kilbits.”
“What are kilbits?”
“Mythological creatures resembling giant worms that latch onto the gills of large fishes, similar to marine leeches, though marine leeches are small enough that they’re unlikely to frighten a kraken.”
“That’s it? You want us to fight a kraken with worms?”
“Sorry, Miss Kelsey. There is a poem about a sea creature called Leviathan that some also call the kraken …”
Mr. Kadam picked up a book, turned a page, and began to read:
From THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL
by William Blake
But now, from between the black & white spiders,
a cloud and fire burst and rolled thro’ the deep black’ning all beneath,
so that the nether deep grew black as a sea, & rolled with a terrible noise;
beneath us was nothing now to be seen but a black tempest,
till looking east between the clouds & the waves,
we saw a cataract of blood mixed with fire,
and not many stones’ throw from us appear’d and sunk again
the scaly fold of a monstrous serpent;
at last, to the east, distant about three degrees
appear’d a fiery crest above the waves;
slowly it reared like a ridge of golden rocks,
till we discover’d two globes of crimson fire,
from which the sea fled away in clouds of smoke;
and now we saw, it was the head of Leviathan;
his forehead was divided into streaks of green & purple
like those on a tyger’s forehead:
soon we saw his mouth & red gills
hang just above the raging foam
tinging the black deep with beams of blood,
advancing toward us
with all the fury of a spiritual existence.
I sat back in my chair and reached for Kishan’s hand. “Well, that’s just great. Monstrously vague. Terrifically amorphous.”
When Mr. Kadam began describing theories and comparisons between the creature known as Leviathan and the monster called the kraken, I noticed Ren running his fingers over another book that he had set discreetly on the floor.
I turned to him and asked, “What is it, Ren? If you’ve found something else, you might as well share it.”
“It’s nothing. Just a poem that I’d found.”
Despite my love of his reading voice, the passage gave me chills.
THE KRAKEN
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides; above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumbered and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages and will lie
Battening open huge sea worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.
Mr. Kadam pressed his fingers together and tapped his mouth in deep thought. “That final part references the end of the world. Supposedly the kraken, or the Leviathan, will rise from the deep in the last days. Then it will finally be destroyed, and the world will be forever at rest. There are biblical references to the Leviathan being the mouth of hell or even Satan himself.”
“Alright. Stop right there. That’s enough for me. It’s bad enough thinking of fighting demons without dragging the devil into it. I’d rath
er be surprised. The more I learn, the scarier it gets, so let’s just get this over with.”
I took the Golden Fruit, my weapons, and the Divine Scarf and rushed down the stairs with everyone chasing after me.
“Kelsey! Wait up!”
Kishan quickly caught up, and Ren was right on his tail. Mr. Kadam puffed down the stairs behind us, but we soon outpaced him. I slammed into the wet garage like a hurricane and picked up my wet suit. Ren and Kishan were resigned to my actions at this point, and picked up their wet suits without protest and headed to the changing rooms. When I emerged, they were ready. Kishan had tied his chakram at his waist and the kamandal hung from a thong around his neck.
Ren left the gada but took the trident. I decided to leave my bow and arrows behind because they wouldn’t work underwater anyway and felt pretty naked with no weapon except my lightning power. Kishan pushed the button that opened the ship’s garage door. The fog was appearing again. Apparently, our resident dragon’s snoring was creating the miasma that seemed to seep into my bones. The normally blue-green warm water seemed gray and cold. Bubbles hissed and popped on the surface, and I allowed my mind to create the terrifying monster below.
I imagined the kraken waiting just beneath the water, gaping, toothy mouth open, patiently waiting for me to step off the boat and into his terrible maw. I shuddered. Just then, Mr. Kadam hurried in to hand Fanindra to me. I slid her up my arm and felt better knowing she would be with me. Ren approached and strapped the diving knife to my leg while Kishan handed me my mask and snorkel.
“Do you think she can breathe underwater?” I asked Mr. Kadam.
“She was twisted up, ready to go when I went to get her. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Ren and Kishan didn’t want to be hindered by the tanks just yet. This was to be an exploratory dive. We were just going to scope out the island and look for the underwater opening. If we needed the tanks we’d come back. I sat on the edge looking up at the jutting, rocky island and put on my fins. Ren went first, followed by Kishan. They looked around and gave me the thumbs-up sign. I pushed off with my hands and slipped into the cold, gray water.
After clearing my mask, I started off toward the island following Ren. Kishan stayed behind me. The water was calm if not clear. The island looked like a giant mountainous column just sitting in the middle of the ocean. There was no sandbar, no gentle slope of land. It just went on below the water as far as I could see. It wasn’t very big either, maybe the size of a football field. It took only an hour or so to swim all the way around the outside.
We studied the surface above as much as below, and it wasn’t until we were ready to return to the ship that we found the underwater entrance. After Ren did a short exploration, he confirmed that we would need diving gear. The only good news was there was no sign of the creature.
I’d exited the ship in a rush of reckless bravado, but now that I’d been in the water for a while, I felt my bluster diminish, washed away by the lapping ocean tide. I accepted the fact that I was afraid. Deathly
afraid. I nervously stammered in an attempt at humor. “He’s probably just waiting for all three of us. He’d rather get the combo special. A chicken, a cheese, and a beef enchilada. I’m the chicken, by the way.”
Kishan laughed. “I’m definitely the beef, which means Ren must be the cheese.”
Ren grinned malevolently at Kishan and punched his arm.
Kishan smiled good-naturedly. “That reminds me. I’m hungry. Let’s head back.”
After we ate lunch, enchiladas being the main dish, we strapped on our tanks and headed straight for the cave. This time I went slowly, cautiously, and let Ren and Kishan call the shots. I listened to the hiss of my bubbles as I descended. When we neared the cave, I felt a twitching on my arm. Fanindra became animated and unwound herself, moving away from my limb. Her golden body sparkled, gleaming in the water. Her mouth opened and closed several times, and she twisted, as if in pain.
Her hood collapsed against her body while her head elongated. Her tail stretched and flattened into a thin paddle and her body became thinner, laterally compressing, as if someone was squishing her between their hands. Her jeweled eyes shrunk to small beady buttons but kept their emerald brilliance, and her nostrils moved closer together.
The tip of her forked tongue shot out, and Fanindra swam around my body. Her paddle-shaped tail swung back and forth, propelling her forward quickly. As I paused, she floated lazily nearby. Her winding movements reminded me of the dragons. She’d become something new. She was a sea snake.
We began swimming toward the cave again. Ren kicked his fins and entered first, disappearing into the blackness beyond the opening, and was followed by Kishan. Fanindra and I took up the rear. Sunlight streamed into the opening, casting turquoise rays across the pebbled floor. My hand scraped against the bumpy rock wall, which was covered with green algae. Tiny fish swam in and out of dark holes. The cave floor was covered with basaltic rock, the only color coming from phosphorescent plants that grew between them in patchy clumps.
Bubbles hissed from Kishan’s regulator, and his fin hit the bottom, kicking up sand that momentarily obscured my vision. I swam carefully, trying not to disturb the area. We needed to see as far as possible. As we passed a rocky grotto, a strand of seaweed touched my hand. I jerked back but then, seeing no danger, tried to force myself to relax. The cave became darker. I worried that if it was too dark we wouldn’t be able to see where we were going. We turned a corner around a bumpy outcropping, and the light was cut off completely.
Fanindra’s body began to glow brighter, and she lit up the area around us like a powerful beacon. Pale stalactites hung down from the ceiling ready to impale us. I swam a little closer to the cave bottom. We approached another opening. This one was much smaller. Ren stopped and turned to signal us. He asked if we should go on or turn back. Kishan said go on. Ren swam through first while we waited.
He came back and gave us the thumbs-up sign, and we continued through. I kicked quickly to catch up. The opening was a tight squeeze for me, so it must’ve been claustrophobic for the two of them. We came to a wider area and floated, scanning the water around us. It was as black as the inside of a covered well. Fanindra swam out of the hole and lit the area. More stalactites hung from the ceiling. The gritty floor angled down and disappeared in the murky water below. Fanindra shot ahead of us, and we followed.
We’d used one quarter of our air. When we approached the halfway mark we’d have to turn around. The cave was wide enough to swim side by side now. In fact, we couldn’t make out the sides of the cave at all anymore. Ren and Kishan dropped back to flank me on each side. I had the creepy feeling that we were being watched. I scanned the water below, expecting a giant shark to attack, jaws open, but then I also had goose bumps across the back of my neck and wondered if an attack might come from above.
I looked up, but the water was so dark even Fanindra could light up only the area directly around us. I realized that we were very visible to any creature that happened to be looking when suddenly the entire cave lit up. We stopped swimming and hovered. The bright light was coming from the overhead stalactites. I could now see the sides of the grotto and the floor that dropped down into a deep chasm.
I could also see we were about halfway across to our destination. On the far wall, carved rocky steps led up through the ceiling. One light turned off, and another turned on. There seemed to be two lights about ten feet apart, and they were moving. One would hide behind a stalactite while the other one shone down on us. Then the lights both shut off and turned on again. I felt the water move me, shoving me against Kishan. The cavern shook, and the lights blinked again.
They … blinked? I panicked. Those aren’t lights. Those are eyes!
A stalactite started moving toward us.
No! It’s not a stalactite. It is a tentacle!
I grabbed Kishan’s arm and pointed up. He quickly unhooked his chakram. I pounded Ren’s back, but he’d already seen it. The p
urplishbrown tentacle that shot toward us was thicker than a tree trunk.
Hundreds of pale white, subspherical suction cups trembled, ready to grab anything the tentacle contacted. The arm shot between Kishan and me, and I got an up-close-and-personal view of the cups. The round discs were ringed with sharp, jagged rows of chitin and ranged in size from a teacup to dinner plate. On its way back, the tentacle touched Kishan, probing his shoulder as if testing his freshness.
The eyes blinked again, and I felt another rush of water as the giant creature moved closer. It shot out two more tentacles, and this time one smacked against Ren. The meaty arm slapped his chest and pushed him several feet back. The suction cups caught onto his wet suit and yanked him forward at an incredible speed before Ren could push it off, ripping the front of his wet suit in the process. He turned to check on me, and I saw three large circular wounds on his chest ooze blood into the water.
Ren started healing quickly, and Kishan swam over to check Ren’s gear. His tank and straps were all still secure; he’d been lucky. Another tentacle snuck out while we were distracted and wrapped around my leg. I barely stopped myself from screaming. Kishan swam over quickly, sliced cleanly through the tentacle with the chakram, and gently removed it from my leg. The detached arm quivered and pulsed as if still alive. It oozed black blood as it spun in a circle, falling to the rocky cave bottom below. My leg was bleeding, but I couldn’t tell how badly. I mentally asked the Divine Scarf to make a bandage to wrap around it. I felt it wrap tightly and hoped it was enough to stop the bleeding.
Another arm shot toward me, and I fired on it with lightning power. A black hole appeared in the tentacle, and we all heard the scream. It vibrated in the water all around us. The giant eyes moved quickly toward us, flashing revenge.
In a flurry of brownish-purple waving tentacles, the creature approached. Arms clung to the long stalactites as it moved like a monkey descending a tree limb. It paused when it reached the end and dangled in the black water above us. We finally got a good look at what we’d been fighting.
Tiger's Voyage Page 28