by EJ Altbacker
“YOU’RE NOT SURE? You’re not sure that Lochlan isn’t here with an armada! He hates me, that one! I had to strike first! But that’s beside the point! The point is YOU’RE NOT SURE!”
“I am! The prisoner is lying. We haven’t seen anything.”
Ripper was unconcerned. “You wouldn’t. They’re hidden, call themselves the Golden Rush. He’s coming for you.” The hammerhead smiled maliciously.
Finnivus swished his tail furiously. “Take an entire battle fin and find them! But do not attack. I want to be present for my victory. And their destruction.”
“Yes, Magnificence!” yelled the new commander before swimming off as fast as he could.
The emperor looked back at Ripper. “You said there were two things. What’s the second? Speak. I command it.”
“The second is . . . watch your tail, pal.” Ripper gestured toward Velenka. The court let out another louder gasp. “If you’re going to let this one near you, better watch it close.”
Velenka couldn’t help herself. “Kill him!” she yelped as everyone was shouting and talking at once. “He’s insulting you!”
The emperor whirled. “I give the orders around here, Velenka! You do what we say, and we say . . . shut your cod hole!”
Velenka went silent and said nothing more. Unfortunately, she should have spoken up earlier. She should have listened to that nagging feeling when they had brought in Ripper without a struggle. If Velenka had thought about it more, she would have realized that the scarred hammerhead would never allow himself to be brought in without a fight.
Amid all the shouting and accusations, what Velenka, Finnivus, the squaline, and everyone else in court failed to notice was one sneaky little dogfish swimming unseen, right past their distracted snouts.
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, THEY WENT INTO THE blackness of the Maw. Gray’s mind boggled. How could there be so much ocean? The world he swam in was just a tiny drop of water compared to the immense area below.
But who lived down here? What exactly was he passing?
Perhaps it was better to slide downward not knowing. The glimpses Gray saw were unsettling. At one point, there were a thousand tiny lights floating in the darkness, just like the stars in the sky. It was only when Gray got close that he realized that every single one of these lights belonged to a devilfish, or to their larger cousin, the deep-sea angler. That fish was like a puffer squashed flat with a wedge taken out for the mouth. In place of the missing wedge were bristling needle teeth jutting in all directions.
Gray caught glimpses of other horrors that didn’t give themselves away with lumo lures. Briny and Hank pointed out the eerie black chimera, the mantis shrimp with its deadly claws, the deep sea swallower—that could eat a fish three times its own size in one gulp!—and deadly jelly fish, giant squid, and even bigger octos that dwarfed Gray as they spread their arms to embrace their lightless kingdom.
“Are-are we th-th-there yet?” Gray asked, shivering from the intense cold and pressure.
“We’ll get there when we get there!” Hank grumbled. “One more word and we’ll turn around!”
Gradually, Gray had to work to swim downward. The water became lighter than he was, even with the rock’s added weight, something Takiza had warned him would happen. He was stiff and sore from the vicious cold that froze him inside and out. Gray panted as he fought the elements, swimming his way down, down, down.
“There it is!” said Briny as she scooted in front of Gray. The devilfish was a poor swimmer in the waters Gray called home but did just fine here. Briny shined her glowing lure and illuminated the area where the ghostly, glowing maredsoo grew. There was no other greenie or coral here. This one plant grew by itself in the desolate sand and stood alone as if waiting for Gray.
He wanted nothing more than to get the magical greenie and head up to Takiza. Exhausted beyond belief, he tilted himself to get rid of the rock inside the harness—only to hear Hank yell, “No, no, no!”
It was then Gray remembered: Get the maredsoo first, then lose the rock. But it was too late. The stone rolled out and Gray shot upward as if he were being pulled by his tail! He was no longer heavy enough to stay at this depth!
Hank looked at Briny and said, “See? The big ones never think.”
Frantically, Gray shook off his numbing terror of the blackness and cold, focusing on the glowing plant. He panted, pumping the thick water through his gills, furiously swimming for the bottom. For all his exhausting efforts, Gray only inched closer with agonizing slowness. The tail length he was short seemed like a chasm.
Gray wouldn’t—no, he couldn’t—fail. Not after all the training. Not after Takiza had saved the lives of Rogue Shiver at the Tuna Run. He must complete this task! With one final burst, Gray closed the distance to the maredsoo. It was like swimming through syrup. He forced himself to open his jaws—despite the pressure that wanted to slam his mouth closed—and bit! His teeth sheared off the maredsoo plant at the stalk, and somehow it floated into his harness!
But then gray saw it wasn’t luck at all. Briny had pushed the plant into position. He barely had time to chatter a final, “Th-th-thank-you!” before being pulled up and away from the pair. Gray didn’t know if she had turned off her dangling light lure or if he’d shot away so fast he couldn’t see it anymore. By the sound of the water rushing past his ears, it could have very well been the latter. Gray’s mind reeled and everything spun. He tried to make sure he wasn’t actually spinning but couldn’t tell. He passed an angler fish with its light lure and thankfully left it underneath him. But Gray found he was upside down!
Flipping himself, he saw a distant lightness in the blackness. It couldn’t be called light, but it was a lighter shade of the total black surrounding him. That was where home was.
Heartened, Gray willed himself to swim toward the less dark darkness. He forced his tail to stroke left and right but often got this simple order wrong, which stopped his upward ascent and turned him sideways.
He kept his eyes fixed on the light. It was definitely light. He fouled up the order of his tail strokes yet again—left then right, what’s so hard about that? At least there was no one around to see, he thought.
“Do you recall when I compared your swimming skill to that of a pregnant sea cow?”
Gray’s heart leaped with relief and joy. He had never been so happy to see the little fish, no matter what insult was coming.
“Yes, Shiro.”
“I am withdrawing my comment,” the little betta said as he swam in front of Gray’s left eye. “It’s an insult to all pregnant sea cows. And you are late! Now follow me!” Takiza led Gray upward. They were only a few minutes from the ledge, which was the gateway to the Maw. When Gray crested the cliff, Takiza told him, “Rest, Nulo. You’ve done passably well in this task.”
“Thank you,” Gray answered, panting.
“Thank you—what?”
“Thank you, Shiro.”
Takiza nodded and moved in a blur, taking off Gray’s harness and weaving a smaller harness from it. The frilly betta turned with a flourish, wearing the new harness. He looked positively heroic carrying the glowing maredsoo greenie as his fins rippled majestically in the water. “Nulo, you will swim as fast as you can to join your friends. Remember to tell them to wait for me before they do anything.”
Gray was pained. There was no way he could rush the entire distance back this instant. He felt like he wanted to sleep for a week! “I can’t!”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
“I can’t! I just swam to the bottom of the ocean!” Gray protested. “Where are you going, anyway? You’re rested. Can’t you do it?”
“Where I am going is none of your concern,” Takiza told him.
“But—”
The betta shook his fins and cut him off. “It is of no use for anyone to know what I am doing
. It is useful to remind Lochlan and your friends not to attack Finnivus before I get back! Time is short, so swim!”
Gray got himself off the seabed. It felt like he weighed less than normal, but still, he was tired. So tired.
Takiza sighed irritably. “Fine!” The betta did a quick roll, and a large leaf of the glowing greenie floated from the harness. “Eat!”
“I’m not hungry. I’m tired!”
“No talking! Only eating!”
Gray obeyed and closed his mouth on the still glowing greenie. He didn’t feel the single leaf go into his mouth or down his throat. “Did I do it? Did I eat it?” he asked, puzzled.
All of a sudden it felt as though something had bloomed inside his stomach! Something hot! The feeling spread outward in each direction, all the way to his snout and tail. It warmed Gray’s body, banishing the coldness as well as his dreary thoughts. He suddenly felt he had the strength of ten sharkkind!
“YEEEE-HAAAAA!” Gray yelled as he swam in a tight circle so fast it spun the sand on the seabed into a whirling funnel.
“I will be there soon. Tell them to wait!” Takiza began moving his frilly fins in an odd pattern.
“What if that isn’t possible?” Gray asked.
“Then be prepared to do the impossible!” Takiza said. The betta shot away so fast Gray only saw a churning wake in the water.
THE MAREDSOO POWERED GRAY’S FURIOUS swim from the training grounds back home to Coral Shiver. There was a dull roar in his ears and his heart raced. But after Gray was about halfway home, the Dark Blue greenie’s effects stabilized. He wasn’t hungry or tired, even though he had swum at a sprinting-attack speed the whole way. Finally, he saw the Rock Lobster formation near Coral Shiver’s homewaters.
A cold fear gripped Gray when he noticed a steady stream of sharkkind and dwellers leaving the hidden entrance. But then he realized it was okay. His mother and Mari were leading everyone in an organized move. Gray scanned the waters and saw nothing of Indi Shiver. Not yet, anyway. He hurried to his mom and Mari.
“What are you doing?” he asked them. “Takiza wanted you to wait.”
“That would have been useful to know earlier in the day,” Mari said. The thresher waved her tail for the crowd to keep moving. “Come on, come on! No time to waste!” she told everyone.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Gray asked his mother.
Sandy replied, “Lochlan and AuzyAuzy Shiver left early because Finnivus is going to execute the armada commander.”
“Oh, no!” Gray felt his heart sink. “I’ve got to help! Where are they?”
Mari quickly told Gray what everyone was doing and where they most likely were, and he streaked off toward the Riptide homewaters. Luckily, Slaggernacks was on the way, as he wanted to make a quick stop. But no one was there. The place looked like just another series of caves and greenie-covered coral.
Gray was about to leave when he reached out with his senses and found stonefish and octos hiding among the rocks. Gray was surprised he could tell which one was Trank. He glided over to what most fins and dwellers would see as an innocent pile of rocks.
“Get up, Trank,” he said. Nothing moved. For a moment he felt silly. But Gray could feel the stonefish breathing now that he was close. “Quit fooling around.”
Trank didn’t move, but did answer. “Wouldja keep swimmin’? Youse is attracting unwanted attention.”
“You said Gafin would help, and we’re going to need that help now.”
“We’re closed. Move along!”
Gray nudged the stonefish by swishing his large tail directly over it. “Come on!” When he tried to move the stonefish again, its spikes sprang out.
Trank turned slightly. “I told youse, we’re closed.”
Gray grew hot with anger. “You know what? Sharkkind say that stonefish can’t be trusted. And I always stick up for you. I say, ‘No, you have to get to know Trank. He’s loyal.’ But you’re not, are you? When the current gets rough, you stick your head in the sand like a baby turtle. Well, I’m done with you. You hear that, Trank?”
But there was no answer from the stonefish. Gray shook his head, feeling more sadness than he should. The others were right: Trank wasn’t to be trusted. Gray blasted away, covering the dweller with sand as he put Slaggernacks behind him.
He forced himself forward, faster and faster, trying to make up for lost time. Gray wouldn’t let Lochlan and AuzyAuzy fight without him. Takiza would be angry that they hadn’t waited, but it couldn’t be helped. If Gray could go around to the far side of the old Goblin Shiver homewaters, he could swim into battle with the small AuzyAuzy force.
It was then he saw a hundred Indi Shiver sharkkind rise over the crest of the Riptide homewaters.
While Gray wanted to fight, he didn’t want to be foolishly sent to the Sparkle Blue. He descended into the greenie and watched as the battle formation passed, leaving the homewaters. Gray counted and figured it wasn’t the entire armada but about a third of it.
The odds just got a little better, he thought. But this meant two thirds of the Indi armada was still around. How could the splinter force of AuzyAuzy, along with Rogue Shiver and some sharkkind of Coral, beat Finnivus and his force of well-trained mariners? Gray had never seen the armada set a single fin out of place once they were in formation and being guided by their mariner prime.
It was then that a thought hit Gray, making him tingle all over. He hoped the tingle was because his idea was a good one, and not some funky after-effect of the maredsoo. The concept was crazy and had the longest odds of succeeding. And it would require him to wait patiently and not do anything until the perfect moment—something he wasn’t used to doing.
But if Gray could pull it off, his friends just might have a chance against Finnivus and the Indi armada.
“WE NEED TO MOVE SOON,” ONYX WHISPERED.
They were well inside the Riptide homewaters. Barkley nodded that he understood but motioned for the blacktip to stay put. He could see the royal court and Riptide’s colorful terraced greenie cliffs in the background. But there was nothing to do but be still. Usually Barkley could do this quite well. He prided himself on being able to outwait and outwit others. But this wasn’t training or sneaking up to scare a friend or even hunting for lunch. So much was riding on this crazy mission that Barkley’s patience was stretched to the breaking point.
Ripper swam by, led by two armored squaline. Barkley hissed softly, “Here we go.” They were so close! But they had to wait for the signal. If they broke Whalem out of prison before it was time, every one of them would end up on Finnivus’s dinner menu.
Barkley had taken a long look at Whalem’s cage. It wasn’t like the whale-skeleton prison he had been locked in by Velenka last year. This was different. There was no system of interlocking bars on the door. In fact, the front door looked much like the three other sides of the cage, although it did have a rectangular section with a hole in it. But there was no way a shark could get a fin into that small hole! How would they open it?
One squaline tugged on the chain that held Ripper. The scarred hammerhead glared, growling in a menacing tone, “Do that again and you’ll be sorry.”
The guard laughed. “The only thing I’ll be sorry about is if I don’t get a piece of you for dinner.”
The other squaline added, “Or if you give the emperor gas!”
“Oh, that would be bad!” agreed the first one. “I’m on throne duty tonight!”
The first guard placed one of the links of the chain holding Ripper onto a pole in front of the cage housing Whalem. This had the effect of acting as a brake on Ripper while the other guard was still connected to him.
Whalem roused himself when he heard the clanking of the metal door. The first guard saw this. “Looks like you’re getting company, Commander.” The squaline used the title as an
insult. “Hope you two get along. Open the cage!”
For a moment, nothing happened, but then an octopus crawled out of its hiding place holding a shiny object in one of its suction-cup-covered tentacles. Barkley cursed to himself. How could he have been so stupid? He had lived in a landshark ship and knew landsharks had things called keys that opened doors and chests. So there wasn’t a knob or lever to push and release Whalem. This cage could only be opened with a key!
And there was no way this Indi octo was going to give it to them! Barkley’s mind raced as the octopus crawled its way up the bars, inserting the key into the lock. Had the octo heard them the last time they were here? If so, why hadn’t he reported it? Did Trank have something to do with that? Trank had said Gafin had treaties with dwellers all over the Big Blue. But these were questions for another time. The door swung open! They had to act while it was open!
“Inside,” the second guard ordered Ripper.
This was their chance! Just then there was a tremendous cry from the guards in the royal court. Barkley could hear, “Alarum! Alarum! We’re being attacked!”
It was the signal!
Barkley streaked up and speared one of Ripper’s guards in the liver. Onyx took care of the second. Being chained to Ripper, the smaller guard had no chance, and the hammerhead helped batter him into submission. Barkley let the octo scoot away. He was probably just another dweller forced to do the emperor’s bidding.
Ripper saw and didn’t approve. “You’re still weak,” he said to Barkley after spitting out the bite blocker in his mouth. “Much better,” he said, gnashing his rows and rows of teeth.
Whalem crept to the edge of the cage, and Ripper moved to block the tiger. “What are you doing?” Onyx asked crossly. “We’re here to get him out, not keep him in!”
“Looks like he’s getting second thoughts,” Ripper said. “Maybe he’d like to turn us in to prove his loyalty?”
Barkley saw that Ripper was right! There was doubt in the armada commander’s eyes. Of course, there would be. Onyx didn’t want to believe it. “That’s crazy! Let him out. Sir, I am so sorry.”