Krakens and Lies

by Tui T. Sutherland

Jasmin nodded, grabbed Zoe’s hand, and set off running. As Logan turned to follow them, he suddenly felt something coil around his ankle. Alarmed, he looked down and had a moment to realize that the something was a long dark-purple tentacle reaching out of the lake. And then he was yanked suddenly off his feet and dragged toward the water.

  Logan’s hands scrabbled in the pebbly sand, trying to grab onto something, but all he felt were grains of sand slipping through his fingers. A moment later, the kraken had dragged him all the way into the freezing water.

  The lake closed over his head and Logan had a horrible memory of something like this happening one week earlier, when the kelpie had taken him underwater to drown him. But that time the kraken had mysteriously saved him. Why was it trying to kill him now?

  He struggled, but the tentacle drew him calmly down until Logan was floating opposite a giant eye. The kraken stared at him for a long moment, and then it began making odd noises. Logan was starting to feel lightheaded, and the noises wouldn’t have meant anything to him anyway. But he got the feeling the kraken was trying to tell him something.

  Bubble. Squerk. Wheek. Fwelk. Bubble.

  Maybe it was trying to warn him the basilisk was loose. Maybe it was just saying hi.

  Logan waved his hands at his face, trying to convey, I’m sorry, but can we chat sometime when I’m not drowning?

  The kraken let out a long stream of bubbles like a sigh, and then it released Logan’s ankle.

  Logan kicked and kicked his way back to the surface, bursting out into the air with a gasp. He could see Zoe and Jasmin running up the hill; they hadn’t noticed yet that he wasn’t behind them. Only a minute had passed. He paddled toward the shore, glancing around. Still no sign of the zaratan . . . or the basilisk.

  He looked down at his clothes, wringing them out as he staggered onto the beach. He’d have to borrow something dry from Blue again. He twisted around to look back at the Reptile House across the lake. No sign of Matthew.

  His foot hit some kind of enormous log and he tripped, falling forward to land on his face.

  “Ow,” he groaned, rolling over and feeling his forehead to see if he was bleeding.

  The enormous log lifted its scaly, greenish-gray head . . . and slowly turned it toward him.

  Logan slammed his eyes shut.

  The basilisk.

  It was RIGHT. THERE.

  Don’t look at it. Don’t let it look you in the eye. Oh, please let the earplugs work. Maybe it’ll go away without hissing. Don’t open your eyes. Is this how I die? Mom isn’t going to be pleased. I don’t even have a mirror or anything. If I survive, and when I find her, I will tell her this is why I need to go to Tracker training camp.

  He tried to inch backward, away from it. Maybe he could scuttle away before it made any noise.

  But then a weighty claw slowly settled on Logan’s knee and he froze. An eternity later, another claw came down on his stomach.

  The basilisk was crawling on top of him.

  Maybe it’s just climbing over me, Logan prayed. On its way to somewhere else. Don’t look. Don’t look.

  The basilisk dragged itself up, one millimeter at a time. Logan could sense its head coming closer and closer to his face. The smell was overwhelming, worse than the jackalope milk, like a thousand crocodiles had just eaten a thousand rotting antelopes and were now breathing all over him.

  Something flicked his nose lightly.

  Don’t look. Do not look. The basilisk’s eyes had to be directly over Logan’s eyes now. It was staring down at him, waiting for him to give in, open them up, and die.

  Something tickled his nose again, faintly rough and slightly damp.

  The basilisk’s tongue, Logan guessed.

  From far away, he thought he heard screaming.

  And then he felt the basilisk lean forward so its tongue was touching his ear. It poked his ear for a minute, and then with a sudden flick, dislodged the earplug.

  Logan tried to clamp his hands over his ears, but his arms were pinned by the basilisk’s weight and it was too late, anyway.

  “HIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.”

  EIGHT

  Am I dead? Logan wondered. I assume I’m dead now. Is this what being dead feels like? It didn’t feel all that different. His clothes were still sticking wetly to his skin and the wind was still freezing him all over. And the basilisk still felt as heavy as a boulder on top of him.

  “Hisssssss,” the basilisk said irritably. “HIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSS.”

  Wait, there was something new. A burning heat suddenly seared through Logan’s upper chest, like a small supernova going off right above his ribs. Was that from the basilisk?

  The basilisk’s front claws clamped over Logan’s shoulders. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

  “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” a rooster crowed. “Cock-a-doodle-doo! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOOOOOOOO!” It was the most aggressively furious crow Logan had ever heard; it sounded less like “hey, morning’s here” and more like “DIE, BASILISK!”

  Just as he had that thought, the basilisk slumped forward. Its head landed on Logan’s shoulder and its claws went limp. The giant lizard flopped down over him like a scaly blanket.

  Logan risked squinting his eyes open and saw the basilisk’s fast-asleep face only inches from his own. Drool was already sliding out of the corners of its mouth.

  He tried to wriggle backward and shove it off, but it was too heavy to move.

  Another eye appeared, very close to his own—this one black and beady, and topped by a fine cheery crest of red feathers. It peered at him, then stalked around to scrutinize the basilisk.

  “Bkk-KAWK,” it said with great satisfaction.

  “Thank you, Marco,” Logan gasped.

  “Logan! LOGAN!” Zoe slid to her knees beside him. She started shoving at the basilisk and he saw that she was close to tears. “Logan!”

  “I’m alive,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. “It’s okay. I’m alive.”

  She let out a breath that was half sob. The basilisk was too heavy for her to move, either. “Marco, turn back into a human and help me with this.”

  “Bkk-KAWK bkk-kawk,” the rooster said, ruffling its feathers in outraged dignity.

  “All right, fine,” Zoe said. “Go get dressed and then come help me with this.”

  The rooster fluffed his tail and stalked away, muttering roostery things that Logan guessed were about ingratitude.

  Jasmin and Blue came pounding up.

  “Dude, Logan,” Blue said, shoving his hand through his hair. “No way. No one survives meeting the basilisk that close up.”

  “I got you,” Jasmin said to Zoe, kneeling beside her. Together the two girls heaved the basilisk up and off of Logan. It flopped over onto the sand, belly up, and made a small “zzzzzz” noise.

  Logan sat up and a wave of nausea hit him. He scrambled away from the others and threw up onto the sand, shaking all over.

  “That was completely terrifying,” Jasmin said. “Are you all right?” She handed him a little packet with a wet wipe inside, produced from one of her pockets. He ripped it open and wiped his face. The smell of the basilisk was still haunting his nostrils. He had a feeling it would be there for a while. Like possibly for the next century.

  “I’m okay,” he said. “Thanks.”

  “How is that possible?” Zoe cried. “Did you, like, talk the basilisk out of killing you? Are you just so inherently awesome that it restrained itself? I know you’re basically a mythical creature superhero, BUT SERIOUSLY, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!”

  “I have no idea,” Logan said, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. “It hissed in my ear. I thought I was dead.” He fished the other earplug out and stuck it in his pocket.

  “Hang on,” Zoe said. She darted toward him and reached down his shirt. He started back with a yelp, but not before she’d pulled out the beetle necklace. It thumped against his chest, winking bright blue-green-gold in the gray light.<
br />
  Zoe and Blue stared at him with their mouths open.

  “Why are we shocked?” Jasmin asked. “I agree it’s definitely not fashionable. I’m not sure wearing insects has ever been in style. But this seems like a bit of an overreaction. I mean, you’re hardly Heidi Klum yourself, Zoe.”

  “I don’t know who that is,” Zoe said. “Logan. Why are you wearing a scarab?”

  “And where did you get it?” Blue asked.

  Logan fingered the glass box, looking down at the beetle. “My dad gave it to me last night. He said my mom gave it to him.”

  Zoe let out her breath with a whoosh. “Oh,” she said. “Oh. That’s how he’s been getting around the Menagerie without being attacked by anything. Wow. Your mom must really love him. Giving away a scarab—that’s, like, definitely against protocol.”

  “There’s only about fifty of them in the world,” Blue said. He stepped closer and studied the beetle. “Most of them are in SNAPA custody—Trackers check them out when they’re going on particularly dangerous missions. I bet Abigail told them she lost this one so she could give it to your dad.”

  “That’s why the basilisk didn’t kill you,” Zoe said.

  “A scarab is protection against other mythical creatures?” Jasmin asked, catching on. She lifted the necklace and watched how the beetle’s wings flashed in the light. “I’ve never heard that before. Okay, the fashion police will allow a life-or-death exception, just this once.” She smiled at Logan.

  “Is this also how my dad was able to get in?” Logan asked Zoe. “Could the scarab trick the intruder alarm?”

  She shook her head. “It shouldn’t. I still don’t understand that.” She looked down at the sleeping basilisk and sighed. “Let’s get Basil back to his cage and then maybe we can talk to the dragons.”

  “Yes!” Jasmin said excitedly. “I mean, yeah, okay, that sounds fine, if you want to.”

  “They should be yelling about you,” Zoe said to Jasmin. “They must have been distracted by the basilisk escaping.”

  “I’m telling you,” Blue said. “Worst alarm system ever.”

  “Yes, all right, maybe you’re right,” Zoe said.

  Marco came galloping toward them, followed more sedately by Keiko.

  “Did you see that?” he crowed. “I saved the day! I slew the basilisk!” He turned to Keiko with a grin. “Me! I’m like a dragon slayer! I just took it down, pow pow!” He punched the air like a ninja.

  “Yes,” Keiko said. “What a fortuitous genetic accident that you are capable of growing feathers and making horrible noises. It’s so impressive.”

  “Exactly,” Marco said. “Impressive! That’s me!”

  “Thank you again, Marco,” Logan said sincerely. “Really, I will literally never be able to thank you enough.”

  “Me too,” Zoe said. “We should tell Matthew it’s safe to come out.” She unhooked the walkie-talkie at her belt.

  “And my dad,” Blue said. He stepped toward the water and whistled, a high and swooping noise like a whale flying overhead.

  “Um,” Jasmin said. “Do I want to know what’s about to—”

  She cut herself off with a yelp as a dark, bearded head broke through the surface of the water, rising up as King Cobalt stormed out of the lake carrying a trident.

  He had decidedly not stopped to put pants on.

  “AAAAAACK!” Jasmin, Marco, Zoe, and Logan all yelled, covering their eyes.

  “Dad!” Blue cried. “The rule! About clothes!”

  “THERE WAS A BASILISK IN MY KINGDOM,” King Cobalt thundered. “THE INEPTITUDE OF THESE PATHETIC ZOOKEEPERS HAS ENDANGERED MY SUBJECTS. WE SHALL NOT STAND FOR THIS!”

  Through his fingers, Logan saw Blue run over to a sturdy plastic trunk sitting on the side of the beach and pull out a pair of large yellow shorts decorated with vibrant pink flowers. “Dad, please put these on,” he said.

  King Cobalt snatched the shorts and a moment later, Blue said, “It’s okay, guys, he’s decent now.”

  Logan lowered his hands. The mermaid king was somewhat less intimidating in floral shorts, but he still looked very, very angry.

  “A basilisk!” he roared. “The SNAPA agents were right! They said it wasn’t safe housing a creature like that so close to my kingdom!”

  “They did?” Zoe said skeptically. “They didn’t tell us that, as far as I know.”

  “Dad, it’s fine, we took care of it,” Blue said. He shifted on his feet and glanced at Jasmin, who seemed entirely speechless for once.

  “No,” said the king. “It is not fine. We will not keep working for such an incompetent pack of useless humans. We demand to be sent to the Hawaii menagerie!”

  “The Hawaii menagerie is full,” Zoe protested. “You know that. Besides, Melissa and Blue live here.”

  “The prince will, naturally, come with me,” King Cobalt said, putting one arm around Blue’s shoulders. Blue wriggled free and shook his hair out of his eyes, staring at his feet.

  “That’s not up to you,” Zoe said fiercely. “And no one is going to the Hawaii menagerie. If you insist on leaving here, you’ll be reassigned to Manitoba, if you’re lucky. I don’t know where any of you got the idea that Hawaii was even an option.”

  “We know someone can make Hawaii happen,” Blue’s dad said, pointing at Zoe. “Or Samoa would be an acceptable alternative as well. And until our demands are met, we are officially on strike. Do you hear me? ON STRIKE. You can groom the kelpie and feed the kraken YOURSELF.” He struck the ground with his trident, making a thud sound and a small hole in the sand, and then turned and strode back into the water.

  “Oh, Dad,” Blue said halfheartedly.

  King Cobalt stuck his head out of the lake, flung the wet shorts back at Zoe, and then dove again, splashing them all with his massive blue tail as he went.

  There was a dripping-wet moment of silence.

  “Wow,” Jasmin said.

  “Sooo,” Blue said. “That was my dad.”

  “Are you a mermaid prince?” Jasmin asked him.

  “I’m not a mermaid,” Blue said. “I’m a merman. But . . . yes.”

  “Zoe, I know this has probably been a rough morning for you,” Jasmin said to her. “But I want you to know I am having the best day ever.”

  “Hey, Logan,” Marco said. “Are you okay?”

  “I think your new employee is about to die of hypothermia,” Keiko observed. “Which probably won’t do much to discredit Cobalt’s claims of incompetence.”

  Logan didn’t feel okay. He felt extremely cold and sick to his stomach, and his teeth were chattering too hard for him to talk. He wrapped his hands around his upper arms.

  “Oh, Logan, I’m sorry!” Zoe cried. She took off her jacket and threw it around his shoulders. “Why on earth were you in the lake? Never mind, tell me later. Let’s get him back to the house.”

  Logan felt Marco put his jacket around Logan’s shoulders as well, and then Blue added a blanket he must have gotten from the storage chest. In a daze, he let them turn him around and steer him up toward the house.

  “Is that going to be a problem?” he asked through his shivers. “The mermaids? On strike?”

  “You let us worry about the mermaids,” Zoe said, rubbing his arm. “You need to worry about your dad.”

  And the kraken, Logan thought. Was the kraken trying to kill me, or was it actually trying to tell me something? What could a kraken want with me?

  “Like, what does your dad know about this scarab,” Zoe went on, “and why is he sneaking into the Menagerie, and did he use the scarab to get close enough to the dragons to break Scratch’s chains, but mostly why would he do that?”

  “Maybe we could catch him in action,” Blue said. He nudged Logan’s shoulder. “What do you think? Sleepover tonight?”

  Logan managed a shaky nod. There had to be a good reason for what his dad was doing. If they could catch him sneaking in, perhaps they could get one of their questions answered.

  Dad . . .
what are you up to?

  NINE

  Jasmin lay on her back on Zoe’s bed, gazing up at the blank wall beside her. On the floor, Captain Fuzzbutt was flopped on another giant pillow and Zoe was leaning against his side. Logan was in the shower, with permission to use up all the hot water, and Blue and Marco were downstairs scrounging up lunch. Matthew and Mooncrusher had taken charge of getting the basilisk safely locked away again, which was the least they could do, Zoe thought, after Logan and Marco had risked their lives to knock it out.

  Zoe still couldn’t believe Jasmin was actually in her room.

  She also didn’t know quite what she was going to do about it.

  Did she have to give her more kraken ink? She knew that was what Matthew would vote for. But would it erase Jasmin’s memory of their reconciliation? What would it leave behind?

  And how could they go back to being friends if Zoe had to lie to her all over again—only worse, now that she knew how thrilled Jasmin was about the mythical creatures?

  But the Sterlings were perhaps the biggest threat the Menagerie had ever faced. Could she really let Jasmin go home to that house, knowing what she knew?

  “Do you actually live here?” Jasmin asked, poking the empty wall with her toe. “Why haven’t you put up any posters or anything?”

  Zoe shrugged. “I don’t have time to shop for that stuff. Besides, no one ever sees this room except me and Keiko.”

  “Who has made her half of the room very Keikoesque in less than a year,” Jasmin pointed out.

  It was true. Zoe knew Keiko had brought the two scrolls painted with fox-girls from home, but she wasn’t sure exactly when Keiko had acquired the origami mobiles or cherry blossom landscape photographs.

  “I have books,” Zoe said, waving at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on her side. “And I have Captain Fuzzbutt.”

  “True,” Jasmin said. She rolled onto her stomach and reached over to scratch the mammoth’s ears. “I’m glad I’m not allergic to him.”

  “You know,” Zoe said hopefully, “the jackalope milk could probably cure your allergies.”

  “Zoe, I’m really not sick, I promise. I have no idea why Jonathan told your sister that.”