by EJ Altbacker
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.
GRAY LISTENED AS HIS FRIENDS, NEW AND OLD, put forth their opinions on what course of action would be best to combat the jurassic threat. Striiker was readying the Riptide armada, so he wasn’t present. That was just as well. The great white’s forceful personality sometimes prevented others from speaking their minds. Besides, there was no two ways about it: Striiker was a fighter; he was needed on the front lines. By now the great white had swum the diamondhead for Riptide longer than Gray. The mariners were used to his booming voice and Gray wasn’t about to change things before facing their biggest threat yet.
He wished that Mari was here. He had walled off his emotions but couldn’t help noticing that her calming influence was missing from the meeting. Gray could only hope Mari was happy and at peace swimming the Sparkle Blue. Though he tried to squash his feelings into the back of his mind, the consequences of that day would always haunt him. Gray’s mind had been shocked with grief, disbelief, and anger after Mari was killed by Hokuu. He was battered and rammed by Shear and his guardians and they had led him back to Fathomir.
That wasn’t where they should have gone. It was a mistake.
If Gray had been thinking clearly, he would have swum to AuzyAuzy Shiver and joined with their full armada.
But he hadn’t.
Now the two armadas were separated by Grimkahn’s forces. It would be suicide for Riptide to fight the frills and the jurassics without AuzyAuzy supporting them. At the same time, they were cut off from the landshark canal that woul
d have let them take a shortcut and get to the Indi Ocean, where they could have met up with Xander’s force in the Indi homewaters.
They were trapped in Fathomir with no one to come to their aid.
Gray focused his attention on Onyx as he went through a summary of the scouting reports. Between Barkley, Takiza, Shear, Snork, Leilani, Velenka, and Onyx himself, there was a loud and lively mix of opinions. Judijoan had fallen into the role of designated shusher when someone spoke too much. Usually one or two shushes were all it took to quiet the offending party.
For now, Gray only listened. He had seen Lochlan, the former king of the Sific and leader of AuzyAuzy Shiver, do the same thing when he was alive. Loch would allow his Line to argue among themselves about the best course of action as he hovered quietly. They would thoroughly exhaust every option, even coming up with ideas that Loch himself hadn’t thought of. This process allowed the golden great white to make the best decision.
“So, for now everything is quiet,” Onyx said, ending his report. “But the jurassics will be coming sooner rather than later. I recommend we send out hunting parties to stock up on food before this battle starts.”
“Like we have a choice,” Velenka grumbled.
Snork waggled his bill. “Is there any chance that they won’t come? I mean, what makes this spot so special? We can always hope.”
Barkley gave the sawfish a pat to his flank. “It’s not bad to hope, but that’s all it would be.”
Onyx nodded. “By the ancient ways, it will be understood whoever rests their fins on the throne in Fathomir has earned the right to be called Seazarein.”
“Is that so true, I wonder?” asked Leilani. “It hasn’t always been the case, you know.”
Gray found the knowledge that the spinner brought to these strategy sessions invaluable. If they survived Grimkahn, Gray was going to have to figure out a way to keep her as an advisor to the Seazarein. Both Kendra and BenzoBenzo wouldn’t like it but he would insist.
Onyx slashed a fin through the water, interrupting Leilani. “If you think that great, toothy jurassic will speed by the golden greenie of Fathomir without so much as stopping in for a hello and good day, then you are sadly mistaken, my pretty young pup.”
“Shh!” hissed Judijoan at Onyx. “Don’t be rude. Let the lady speak.” For some reason Judijoan had taken an instant liking to Leilani, treating the spinner shark as if she were a daughter.
Velenka had noticed this also and didn’t like it. “Looks like there’s only one lady here, huh? I don’t remember you sticking up for me like that,” she said to the oarfish.
As much as she liked Leilani, Judijoan disliked Velenka. She gave the mako a quick “Shh!” and motioned for Leilani to continue.
“Um, yeah,” the AuzyAuzy shark went on. “What I meant was that Fathomir wasn’t always here. There were at least two other places. One was Atlantis—the island, not the sea. That’s gone and sank. The other no one is exactly sure where it was, but it did exist. Probably in the Sific somewhere . . .”
“A crackerjack point you’ve made!” said Onyx. He swished his tail derisively. “Be sure to mention it to Grimkahn as he’s swallowing you whole.”
Judijoan raised herself perpendicular to the floor, towering over Onyx. “If I have to ask you to be civil once more, I won’t be asking. Shear will be bumping your snout from this cavern. Is that understood?”
Onyx looked to Gray on the throne. “We must prepare for the attack that will surely come. It’s foolish not to!”
Takiza swished his own gauzy fins back and forth. “Foolishness can come in many forms, Onyx. You would do well to remember that.”
The blacktip settled into a sulky hover.
Velenka nodded at Onyx. “Relax, old fin. It wouldn’t make a difference, anyway. Grimkahn and Hokuu are coming. One is the strongest dweller that’s ever swum in any ocean, the other the best there ever was at shar-kata. Defense is a waste of time.”
Gray thought about the truth of this. If it was only Grimkahn and his mosasaurs attacking, they could probably hold them off. But with Hokuu’s shar-kata energy blasts roasting anyone who tried to defend a choke point, staying inside Fathomir amounted to a trapped death sentence.
Barkley shook his head at the mako. “Sure, Velenka. Maybe we should all hover outside in a row for them to eat us.”
“We’d be less tired when our time comes,” she answered.
“Like you’d wait around to swim the Sparkle Blue,” Barkley said. “You’d sneak away as soon as the fighting started.”
“Of course I would!” the mako said.
Now Gray did interrupt. He swam off his chair and slashed his tail through the water to keep everyone quiet. “Why would you sneak away?” he asked.
Velenka looked at Gray. “You’re going to make me say it?”
“I’m not going to make you do anything,” Gray said. “But please, tell me exactly why.”
Velenka flexed her fins, embarrassed. “Because the chaos of them going after you would give me my best chance to get away.”
Leilani shook her head in concert with Judijoan. “You only look out for yourself,” the spinner said. “Disgusting.”
Gray swam a quick circle as he met everyone’s eyes. “But she’s right. Leaving when they were chasing me would give her or anyone else the best chance of getting away. Grimkahn will come after me. He needs me to swim the Sparkle Blue and he wants to be the one to make that happen. And Hokuu wants me gone, too.”
Barkley slapped his tail against the rough cavern wall. “Leilani’s point is important, sure. It’s not Fathomir Grimkahn wants. It’s Gray.” His friend gestured at him with a fin. “But if you think we’re going to let you swim off to be a distraction so we can get away, you’re crazy!”
Onyx dipped his snout to Leilani. “I bow before the lady and apologize for my earlier sarcasm. But unless someone can explain how swimming into the open ocean is better than defending the strong point that is Fathomir, I suggest we make do. All things being equal, there’s no better option.”
Gray nodded at Onyx. “But knowing this does give us the option to leave if we can think up a way to make it unequal and in our favor, which is exactly what I’d like everyone to do.”
Velenka rolled her eyes. “Grimkahn and Hokuu are between us and AuzyAuzy, who could already be destroyed to the last fin.”
Barkley gnashed his teeth. “I hate when she’s right,” he said, gesturing at the blacker than black mako. “We can’t join up with anyone unless we could somehow fly over the Arktik ice.”
“Why fly?” Leilani asked. “You could swim between the icebergs. It wouldn’t get you to the Indi Ocean, though. Only the Northern Atlantis.”
Gray focused on the AuzyAuzy spinner shark. “Wait, what do you mean? It’s winter. Everything’s frozen, and it would take months to go around.”
Leilani became nervous when she noticed everyone was watching her. “Um, that used to be true twenty and thirty years ago. But it’s been warmer for a while now, so not as much ice. The Arktik isn’t frozen solid like the old days.”
“You mean there’s a way through?” Barkley asked. “Now? Today?”
“Sure,” answered Leilani. “It’s called the Northern Passage. It comes out in the Northern Atlantis by the Spine at the end of the Tuna Run. Is that important?”
It certainly was. Their discussion lasted long into the night.
GRAY SWAM OUTSIDE THE THRONE CAVERN IN the Fathomir homewaters as Striiker left to prepare the Riptide armada. Judijoan was outstanding at scheduling his meetings so that sharkkind and dwellers arrived exactly as he needed. Gray couldn’t bear lying on the throne inside the mountain strong point and came outside because he needed a change of scenery.
Takiza and Snork had already been dispatched on a secret mission. Gray had asked the betta if the sawfish w
as ready for such an important role in their plan. Takiza had replied, “He is as ready as you were when I sent you for the maredsoo before the Battle of Riptide.”
That didn’t give Gray a boost of confidence.
When Takiza had ordered Gray into the depths of the Dark Blue to retrieve the glowing energy greenie called maredsoo, he didn’t know why it was important. If he hadn’t succeeded in that mission, their forces would have been defeated in the Battle of Riptide by Finnivus. If that pressure had been added to Gray’s already plentiful nervousness and fear, he would have failed for sure. But Takiza would keep what they were actually doing from Snork, just as he had with Gray. The betta had called for another ally to join them also. All Gray had gotten was that his name was Salamanca and that he was a blue marlin. Takiza refused to say anything more about him.
Gray was past getting mad about the betta keeping secrets. Let his old master do what he thought best. He was a good and goodly fish and Gray trusted him. Besides, as the Seazarein, Gray had many other currents to set in motion.
He saw Judijoan waiting for his signal to send over Shear. Gray nodded and the captain of his guard swam over.
“Seazarein,” the guardian finja said, coming to attention hover before dipping his snout.
“Could you stop that, Shear?” Gray asked.
“I am greeting the Seazarein as that position commands,” he said. “You can let your friends bump your flank or slap your belly, but I refuse.”
“What if I ordered you to tail-slap my belly?” Gray said.
“Since I have spent many days swimming by your side, I’d know that you were joking.” While Shear’s rigid ways could sometimes be annoying, they also could lighten Gray’s mood from time to time.
As the tiger always reminded him, Gray was the Seazarein. “What if I politely asked you to shimmy around in a victory swim to lighten my mood because it would help me make an important decision that might save lives?”
This caught Shear by surprise. He had to think a bit. “Before doing my victory shimmy, I would have to report to Takiza and the rest of your friends that you might be mentally unstable and so unfit to make any important choices.” He dipped his snout to Gray. “I would, of course, only be doing that for the good of those same fins who you had hoped to save by making me shimmy about like a fool.”