True, Maldynado signed, hers hasn’tcome in yet either.
I imagine you’ll stop trying to set me upwith men when it does. Amaranthe continued forward. She lefther sword out, but she hoped no more trouble hid on the lake floor.She would hate to admit to Sicarius a fish had gotten the best ofher.
The thought of him sent a twinge of anxietythrough her. She had missed him more than made sense these lastcouple of days. It was not as if he were some cheery, warm presencein her life. Certainly the group had survived a few adventureswithout him, proof that, for all his skills, he was not somenucleus they could not do without. Professionally, she knew theycould go on without him, but personally… Her heart cringed at theidea of infiltrating this structure, only to learn they were toolate.
They neared one of the tunnels of thestructure, and she pushed stray thoughts from her mind. “Focus,”she told herself.
They had no trouble creeping up to the hullof the fortress, and Amaranthe worried that things were going tooeasily. She sidled over to a porthole, pushed off the ground, andrested a hand on the metal, intending to peer in.
Energy surged up her arm, thrusting her backeven as an electric jolt surged through her body. Spasms wrackedher muscles, she couldn’t breathe, and she swore her heart stopped.Panic flashed through her.
The convulsions ended as abruptly as theybegan, and her heart started beating again. She recovered with agasp, the experience leaving her shaken.
“Too easy?” she muttered. “I take itback.”
A hand gripped her shoulder. She realized shehad fallen back to the lake floor-and that she was clutching herchest as if to keep her heart from bursting out of it. She loweredher arm and nodded to Maldynado before he could ask after herhealth. Or perhaps after her sanity for presuming to touchsomething here.
I sense energy about the exterior,Akstyr signed.
Now he told her.
Amaranthe grabbed a rusty tin can sunken intothe silt and tossed it against the hull. Lightning crackled aboutit as it bounced off.
“Probably should have done that first,” shemuttered, picking up the can and tossing it again, this time at theporthole.
It clunked off without any sparks ofelectricity. She grabbed it and pushed off the bottom again. Withit in her hand this time, she prodded the clear window material-shewas hesitant to think of it as glass, since it might be somemagical creation. No lightning coursed through her body, so shedropped the can and rested her hands against the surface, kickinglightly to stay in place.
An empty, dimly lit corridor stretched ineither direction. She waited for a moment, in case a crew memberwalked through or something otherwise enlightening happened. Itdidn’t. She dropped back to the lake floor.
Maldynado had moved a few meters away and waslooking around a bend. He waved and signed, There’s a hatch overhere. Maybe we can get in.
Without getting electrocuted?Amaranthe signed.
Maybe…not.
I’ll look at it, Akstyr signed. Stillcarrying his keg, Books trundled after him.
Amaranthe popped back up for another lookinto the porthole. A naked woman darted into a nearby intersection,and her hopes rose. Was that one of the kidnapped athletes? Surelythe practitioners wouldn’t be running around nude.
She tried to press her cheek to the portholefor a better view, but her helmet clunked against it. The womanmust have heard the sound, for she crept closer. She came forwardin a slow, wary crouch. Snarls and knots tangled her hair, and herwide, wild eyes darted from side to side. Fresh scars marred herabdomen.
Amaranthe tapped on the glass.
The woman spotted her, and leaped back, eyeswide. She sprinted down the corridor and disappeared around theintersection.
Emperor’s bunions, that woman better not setoff an alarm.
Maldynado tapped Amaranthe on the shoulder.He was treading water beside her and grinning. You do look likea scary monster in that helmet.
Even without a mustache?
Oh, yes. Maldynado’s grin widened.
A tapping noise came from inside, andAmaranthe spun back toward the porthole. The woman had returned.She crouched in the corridor like a rabbit poised to flee. Narroweyes regarded Amaranthe with suspicion, but hope, too.
“We’re here to help,” Amaranthe said,exaggerating her words in hopes the woman could read her lipsthrough the face plate. “Can you let us in?” She pointed in thedirection of the hatch.
The woman sprinted away, not toward the hatchbut back toward the intersection, and disappeared around thecorner.
Amaranthe sighed and clunked her head againstthe porthole.
Maldynado patted her back. They’reathletes. They don’t have to be bright to win the races, justfast.
Several moments passed, and Amaranthe wasabout to give up and check other portholes when the woman joggedback into view with a crowbar in her hands. She nodded curtly andcontinued past, heading toward the hatch.
Amaranthe pushed away from the porthole andswam in the same direction. When she rounded the bend, she foundAkstyr sprawled on his back in the sand, a dazed expression on hisface.
Problem with that energy you sensed?she signed.
He struggled to sit up. I got a littleclose.
Amaranthe helped him to his feet. Thefive-foot-wide square hatch in the hull had a wheel-style dooropener, so it seemed one could get in if the defenses weren’t up.She wondered if the woman would be able to bypass them. Her snarleddark hair and bronze skin had appeared Turgonian, so she probablyknew nothing about the Science.
Scrapes and clunks came from the other sideof the hatch.
If she opens it, Maldynado signed,won’t water flood in?
Amaranthe shrugged. I don’t know. It’s myfirst underwater-fortress infiltration.
A shadow passed overhead. Dread sprang intoAmaranthe’s limbs, and she knew they were in trouble before shelooked up.
The kraken glided over the structure, itstentacles streaming out behind it. The creature had to be more thanseventy-five feet long from arrow-shaped head to tentacle tips. Aneye the size of one of the dive helmets rotated until it fixed uponthem.
Something that might have been a string ofcurses came from Maldynado. Amaranthe almost grabbed the wheel onthe hatch in a vain hope the woman had turned off the defenses, butshe did not need more lightning knocking her on her backside.
The kraken’s great mantle flexed, and itstentacles flared outward, allowing it to alter course towardthem.
Wait by the hatch, Amaranthe signed,then pushed off the lake floor before the men could object.
Books shouted something. The helmets and thewater made it indistinguishable, so it was doubtlessly herimagination that she heard the word “prudent.”
Amaranthe kicked and paddledone-armed-holding the harpoon launcher made her strokes awkward-tothe porthole, then treaded to maintain a position in front of it.She waved her arm, trying to draw the kraken’s attention. She neednot have made the effort. The beast had already spotted her. Hungryblack eyes bored into her soul, as if they might freeze her by themight of their stare alone. The tentacles spread out, suction cupslining the dark purple flesh, and two long limbs stretched towardher.
On the floor below, Maldynado and Akstyrraised their harpoons. Though Amaranthe knew they would not likeit, she lifted a hand, telling them to wait. She wanted to see ifher idea worked first. If not…they could fire everything they hadinto those tentacles. Each one was as thick as Maldynado’s chestand could wrap her in a grip she could never escape.
One darted toward her. Amaranthe kicked out,pushing off the porthole glass, angling down toward her men.
The tentacle clipped the fortress wall.Lightning streaked up the purple flesh, and sparks danced over thesuction cups.
A high-pitched squeal assaulted Amaranthe’sears. The tentacle jerked away. Black ink clouded the water, andthe kraken retreated.
Two harpoons flew from below. With the krakenalready swimming away at top speed, Amaranthe did not expect much,but one blade did clip a ten
tacle. It was hard to tell if thepoison had any effect on the creature.
She landed on the lake floor beside the men.Got that hatch open yet?
We were busy trying to protect you.Maldynado frowned at her.
Yes, Books added. Didn’t we discusshow you were going to partake only in prudent actions goingforward?
Is there a prudent way to fight a giantsquid? Amaranthe signed.
Hide behind someone tastier looking thanyou? Akstyr suggested.
Before they could discuss it further, asucking noise sounded-a seal being broken. The hatch swungoutward.
Amaranthe started for it, but Maldynadobumped her aside with his hip, gave her a pointed look, and wentfirst. Feeling protective, was he?
She followed right after, careful not totouch the outer frame of the hatchway, lest it be electrified aswell. They entered a tiny chamber full of water. Another hatch,identical to the first, waited on the inside.
Maldynado reached for the wheel-shapedopening mechanism, stopped with his hands inches away, drew backand poked it with his sword. No sparks or branches of lightning ranup the blade.
Metal conducts electricity, you twit,Books signed. If the door had been charged, thatwouldn’t have helped.
Maldynado sheathed his rapier and managed toelbow Books in the process. He tried the wheel, but it did notmove.
Maybe we have to close the outside doorfirst. Books eyed the walls. There must be a way to make thewater drain out before one enters the main structure.
Akstyr pulled the outer hatch shut. The lightfrom outside disappeared, and blackness dropped over them.
“Well, that’s lovely,” Amaranthe said.
Since the helmets and the water precludedtalking, she had to imagine the sarcastic comments from the others.It was a strange sensation, being in the dark with water swirlingabout her. Inside the helmet, her breaths echoed in her ears.Somewhere in the distance, a throbbing woo-wah noisepulsed.
A clunk sounded, reverberating from within anearby wall. Water tinkled, as if running down a drainpipe, butnothing happened quickly. When she reached up, Amaranthe found onlya two-inch-high pocket of air at the top of the chamber.
When the water lowered to chest level, sheremoved her helmet, figuring it would be better to talk to thenaked girl looking like a human being, not some mad tinkerer’sperson-shaped walking machine.
With the helmet off, the woo-wah soundrang more loudly in her ears. An alarm? And if so, was it for herteam, or for the marine ship overhead? The latter she hoped, butthere could be a squad of guards waiting with rifles on the otherside of the hatch, especially given how long it was taking thechamber to drain.
Water splashed behind her-someone elseremoving his helmet.
“Are we shooting people?” Maldynado asked,and Amaranthe imagined him hefting the harpoon launcher.
“We should save the poisoned harpoons for thekraken,” she said. “We don’t have many, and I suspect we’ll have todeal with it before this is over.”
“Are we stabbing people then?”Maldynado asked. “Or is this like with soldiers and enforcers whereit’d be bad for our image to kill them?”
Amaranthe winced at the idea that it was onlytheir image that kept her from killing people, but she knew what hemeant. “I doubt we’ll run into any enforcers down here, and we canassume any soldiers have gone rogue.” She thought of the messagethese people had sent to the enforcers, claiming they would beturning a dead Sicarius in for reward, and she had little troublehardening herself toward them. “We don’t need to go out of the wayto butcher anyone, but…we’re going to be outnumbered. Don’t letmercy get you into trouble.”
“Understood,” Books said quietly.
When the water level dropped to her knees,Amaranthe figured it was low enough. “Time to go,” she said, thoughher fastidious streak made her wince at the idea of water gushinginto the corridor, leaving the enemy’s floor in need of amopping.
Maldynado grunted a few times. “The wheel’snot budging. How do we get out?”
“Never overlook the obvious.” Amarantheknocked.
He snorted, but the hatch creaked open. Afoot of water flowed into the corridor. Though dim, the lightingwas bright after the darkness of the chamber, and Amaranthesquinted. After a few blinks, the nude woman came into focus. Shestood in the corridor, ignoring the water dampening her bare feet.She alternated glancing both ways down the passage and plyingAmaranthe with questioning looks. One of the men stirred, and thewoman jumped away, pressing her back to the wall.
Lowering her harpoon launcher, Amaranthestepped into the corridor and raised a friendly hand. “We’re hereto help.”
The men crowded out behind her. Maldynado andBooks had the maturity not to gape openly at the naked woman-evenin her frazzled state, she had a tall, athletic form with curvesenough to interest any man-but Akstyr was another matter. Amarantheelbowed him, and he closed his mouth.
“I’m Amaranthe,” she told the girl. “I assumeyou’re one of the kidnapped athletes?” The alarm going off made herwant to grab the woman by the arm and demand to be taken to theothers immediately, but they would get farther with a cooperativeguide.
“Yes, I’m Merva.”
“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” Maldynadomanaged a graceful warrior-caste bow even in the confiningcorridor, with the bulky helmet beneath his arm. “Are youperhaps-”
“Able to show us where the other prisonersare?” Amaranthe asked, giving Maldynado aplease-wait-to-seduce-her-until-later look.
“And can you let us know,” Books added, “ifthat’s an alarm? Are they trying to find you?”
“I-probably.” Merva touched her mouth withher fingers. “I think they’re after those two men though.”
Amaranthe stood straighter, eyes riveted onthe woman. “A blond man and a scarred one?”
Merva shrugged without dropping her hand.“I’m not sure. I’ve been…” She touched her head with her otherhand. “I don’t remember anything since… Two men grabbed me in mybunk at the athletes’ barracks and thrust a vial under my nose.After that… I don’t know how long I’ve slept. I woke up a littlewhile ago, like this. Someone had cut straps holding me to atable.”
Someone? That sounded too beneficent forSicarius, but Basilard perhaps? She wanted to pump the girl foranswers, but they had best find someplace less open for planningthe next step.
Merva leaned past her and pointed into thestaging chamber. “Can I get out that way? We’re underwater, right?Are we in the ocean?”
“Nah,” Akstyr said. “We’re just-”
“We can help you escape,” Amaranthe said,cutting Akstyr off before he could reveal how close to the citythey were. She did not want the girl swimming out there, only todrown trying to reach the surface. “But let’s get all the prisonersout first. Have you seen others since you woke up?”
Merva tore her gaze from the chamber. “Westarted out together, several of us, but then we ran into thosesoldiers, and one of them fired at us. Everyone scattered,and-”
A man in military fatigues jogged around thecorner and skidded to a halt. His eyebrows flew up when he spottedthe diving suits. “Intruders!” he shouted and grabbed for a pistol,but he seemed to realize he was outnumbered. Instead of shooting,he whirled for the cover of the corner.
Grimly, Amaranthe fired her harpoon launcher.They couldn’t let him run off and gather reinforcements.
The projectile zipped down the corridor andsliced into the man’s shoulder before he disappeared around thecorner. He stumbled and landed belly-first on the deck. His pistolflew free and clanged against the bulkhead, going off with anechoing bang.
Amaranthe winced at the noise.
Maldynado ran past her and checked thecorridors leading from the intersection. “No one else. Yet.”
The guard tried to crawl away. Maldynadostepped on his arm to pin him. The man scrabbled for a knife at hisbelt, but Maldynado took it from him easily.
“Want me to…?” He made a throat-slashingmotion.
Amar
anthe sighed. The poison should kill theman in a couple of minutes, but she had no idea if that would be amore merciful end than a dagger to the throat.
The man twisted his neck to look at her. Fearhaunted his eyes.
“Sorry,” Amaranthe said quietly.
A part of her was tempted to ask Akstyr if hecould do anything to keep the man from dying, but there was notime. Someone would come to investigate that shot.
“Leave him,” Amaranthe told Maldynado. “Afterthat entrance, I’m sure the whole vessel knows we’re here.”
She waved for Merva to come forward. Theyounger woman gave her the same wary look Amaranthe had seen somany people use on Sicarius. Having such an expression directed ather made her uncomfortable. I’m not a monster, she wanted to say.I’m just trying to do the right thing….
“Can you take us to the navigation area?” shesaid instead. Finding the captain-or whoever was in charge of thisplace-would be better than wandering around randomly. If they foundsomeone important, perhaps they could use him or her as a hostageand avoid more bloodshed.
“I think it’s on the second floor,” Mervawhispered.
They hid the harpoon launchers in thetransition chamber, drew their swords, and headed away from thefallen guard. They passed numerous closed hatches and ducked underand around knots of pipes. Another four-way intersection came intoview ahead of them, and, beyond it, a ladder rose to a secondlevel. Voices drifted from the corridor to the left of theintersection. Agitated voices.
Amaranthe lifted a hand for silence andpassed Merva. As if by magic, the clomps of her men’s heavy bootssoftened to imperceptible footfalls. She glanced back, intending tosign an order for someone to watch their hindquarters, but Bookswas already doing it. He stalked backwards, his sword at theready.
At the intersection, Amaranthe poked an eyearound the corner. She almost yanked her head right back. Not tenfeet away, six white-jacketed men and women stood before a closedhatch marking the end of the corridor. Only the fact that all theirheads were turned away from the intersection kept her there for alonger look.
Their hair ranged from blond to black,straight to wiry and tightly curled. Representatives from severalnations and, Amaranthe feared, practitioners as well.
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