Heart of the Kraken (Tales from Darjee)

by Exley, A. W.

  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 fins the slumbering green.

  There hath he lain for ages and will lie

  Battening upon huge seawyrms in his sleep,

  Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;

  Then once by men and angels to be seen,

  In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

  Nancy stared at him for a long moment. "Your other half. The kraken."

  Fenton nodded and worked up the courage to ask the question on his mind. "Can you undo what your kind did to me?"

  Nancy let out a breath and leaned back on the sofa. "Oh lad, I wish I could give you the answer you seek." He rubbed the back of his neck as he sifted through this thoughts. "What was done to you should never have been attempted. There are limits to our abilities, we should use our magic to enhance or help the unfortunate, not to play Creator."

  Fenton dropped back to the sofa and leaned his forearms on his knees. "Then I am stuck, my life forever entwined with the beast."

  Nancy's eyes softened as he gazed at the young man. "We could perhaps free you from the grip Reis' gauntlet has over you, if he would allow me to look at it."

  Fenton shook his head. "Reis would never allow it, the kraken is his greatest weapon and what gives him dominance at sea. Besides, free of the gauntlet's control, what would I be? Man or monster?"

  "Oh lad. You would be what the cosmic mistress intends you to be, rather than the shape your captain forces you to assume. Do not underestimate her, she plays a long game that one."

  His heart sunk. The powerful ore-mancer could not reverse the way his life was meshed with the kraken. Life free of the gauntlet would be no life at all. He would be trapped in a monstrous form, never able to extract himself from the kraken. He would rather embrace death, than lose himself forever. A sigh of resignation settled through his body and sunk into his bones. He set his pieces in motion to free her and claim his own freedom. Ailin had given him a gift, something worth dying for.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Reis watched a droplet of condensation run down the side of his tankard. Damn this island served good beer and ice cold. At least Nancy turned his talents to more useful pursuits than melding man and metal. Once established on the island, he took up an interest in brewery and perfecting a machine to keep the ale more frigid than a mermaid from the arctic region.

  He growled as the wench next to him unbuttoned the fall of his pants and slipped her hand inside. He shifted in his seat as she stroked him. Life was good, cold beer and a hot woman. Only one thing could make this day better, an obscenely large bounty for handing over the fish.

  And here came the delivery boy.

  Shame entered the Fancy Garter with several of his crew in tow. He never went anywhere alone and Reis privately bet he even crammed his men into the latrine to applaud when he evacuated his bowel. The Regulator captain stopped by the bar and pulled the corners of his jacket down and then brushed invisible motes from his sleeves. Or actual motes, you never knew what Nancy had cooked up and released for his own entertainment. The Regulator's blue eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room and locked on Reis. The lawman's lips pulled back in a snarl to reveal perfect white teeth and then he changed course and headed to the booth.

  "I believe we have a transaction to conduct." Shame glanced at Reis.

  Reis grinned, lordy the woman knew how to work those fingers. He toyed with making Shame stand to attention while the whore finished her job. He snorted at the idea of marking the expensive tailoring of his jacket with a cream emission, but this was business and rather high stakes business. Best keep things professional.

  He lifted the woman's hand out from of his pants.

  "We'll finish this later." He squeezed her voluptuous breast and rubbed his thumb over her tight nipple.

  She pouted and pushed her bosom into his hand as her lips parted in a sigh.

  "Later, wench," he said and shooed her to the corner. He left his pants open, he needed the breathing space. Shame's lip twitched in disgust, but Reis didn't give a damn. He held the fish.

  "The Lady Alise instructs me to take delivery of your cargo." Shame held his hands behind his ramrod straight back.

  Reis picked up his tankard and took a long drink while he evaluated his opponent. Damn man never seemed to sweat or shake. He appeared carved from marble, he had no visible ticks to betray what went on under that perfectly coiffured hair.

  "Of course." He set the beer down.

  Shame's shoulders eased just a fraction, as though he held himself ready to fight and saw that possibility diminish.

  "As soon as you hand over payment."

  Shame snapped back to rigid. The fine nostrils on the patrician nose flared and the eyes blazed. "I don't carry that amount of gold. I have a chit from our lady that you may redeem at the closest Darjee treasury office."

  Reis laughed. The man was insane, he wasn't handing over the fish for a piece of paper containing a vague promise. He wanted hard shiny coins tucked up in his hold or the fish wasn't moving. He leaned his elbows on the table and beckoned Shame closer.

  The airship captain rolled his eyes, took one step closer and then arched a plucked brow.

  "I know it's been some years since you were allowed to hobnob with the well to do, but let me explain to you how high finance works. Business requires that there is an exchange on mutual agreeable terms, meaning you get the cargo when I get my money."

  Shame's nostrils flared again. "I have my orders and they are to secure the mermaid."

  Reis leaned on the table and fixed his gaze on the Regulator captain. "And how does that make you feel, Shame, taking orders from a woman?" He tapped a finger on the tankard. "Oh, pardon me. I seem to recollect some vague rumour that you lost your position as a courtier due to your failure to take orders from a woman. I'm sure you leap to attention now, like a good little lap dog."

  A tic started in the handsome man's jaw. "This matter is not over."

  Reis smiled. "No, it's not, but remember I'm holding all the cards in this little game and if you want to play, you do so by my rules." He blew a kiss and leaned back in the booth.

  The tic twitched again as the lawman spun on his heel and stalked out of the tavern.

  Well what do you know, push him far enough and he does have a tell.

  ***

  Fenton spent the afternoon with Nancy and then took his leave to return to Ailin. He wanted to be ready should a fight break out. Plus whispers spread over the island that other pirates eyed the Edge with envy for the precious cargo she held. As he strode back through the Fancy Garter he spied Reis, tucked up in his favourite booth with a beautiful and half naked woman lounging in his lap. The captain looked like the cat that not only ate the canary but was set out a plate of cream for afters.

  He crooked a finger and beckoned the first mate nearer. Fenton swung his body away from the door and back to the darkened corner.

  "Cap'n," he said, locking his eyes on Reis while he tried to ignore the woman's head which bobbed up and down.

  Reis' black eyes rolled up and his heavy lids fluttered for a moment, and then he laced his fingers through the woman's dark hair and halted her motion. He took a deep breath and then smiled in a lazy fashion. "Tell the men to be extra vigilant. Shame wants the fish and expects me to take a promissory note in exchange. I wouldn't put it past the arrogant prick to try and force us to hand her over."

  "Aye, Cap'n," Fenton said. "Anything else?"

  "No, enjoy your time with the cold fish, I doubt its lips are this warm." Reis released the woman and her head resumed its course as the captain groaned and leaned back.

  Fenton spun on his heel and stalked out of the tavern. His bones held a weariness that didn't disperse until he set f
oot on the pier and walked out over the water. Each time he braved the land and the sickness returned, he thought on Nancy's words: a siren's lure only worked on a landwalker. With each day he spent at Lusions he became more convinced his soul aligned with the ocean and with each step over the sea, his love for Ailin strengthened. Being with her reminded him of sitting in Nancy's study. The same sense of peace washed over him, the gentle pull of the ocean soothed his mind.

  Despite her situation, she maintained a quiet dignity. There were no fits or pleas for him to free her, she asked nothing of him except his companionship. Given, he had spent his life in servitude on the Edge, it had novelty to be valued for who he was, to know she waited for him.

  The same two lads took him out to the ship. The one with mechanical legs had struck up a friendship with Timmy and he chatted the whole time, what the ore-mancers had done to him didn't affect his cheerful disposition. Lucky bastard, Fenton thought. At least he could still live a normal life on shore. He wished they had taken his legs all those years ago instead of fusing him with the monstrous beast that hid deep in the sea.

  Or could Nancy cut Ailin in two, remove her tail and give her mechanical legs to walk on land? As soon as the idea sprang into his mind, he pushed it back down. His heart swelled to think of her swimming in the ocean. Agile and nimble with her scales flashing shades of azure like her eyes. He loved her as she was, no, he could never approach Nancy with such an idea that would severe her connection with the sea.

  Back on board, he headed straight past Yusuf and down to the hold. Reis assumed he was the willing supplicant to her siren power so he used that to his benefit and spent as much time as possible with Ailin. The mermaid floated in the shallow water in her crate. Her eyes widened and she smiled on seeing him. She sat up and raised her arms for his embrace. He gathered her to him and she turned her head so their lips met. He kissed her and tried to convey the words stuck in his throat and the thoughts swirling in his brain. He couldn't live without her and didn't intend to. Soon they would both be free, but forever apart. He nipped at her bottom lip and she followed his lead. He would bury this memory deep in his mind. The feel of her in his arms, the taste of her lips, the flick of her tongue.

  They broke apart and she nuzzled his cheek. Still holding her, he knelt down and laid her on the ground next to him. He leaned back against the cool side of the crate as she settled into his side, an arm bearing a tentacle tattoo wrapped around her. While he understood Nancy's plan to do nothing on an intellectual level, his body rebelled against the inactivity.

  "Tell me a story," he asked, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Something about your childhood."

  A soft laugh came from her, like the gentle tinkle of water over rocks. "I was a naughty child. Forever swimming off to explore and escaping the watch of the elders."

  "Do your people stay in one place and have homes?" His mind tried to grasp what life under the water was like. All he knew came from the kraken and it swam alone and destroyed everything it touched. Until Ailin. She revealed a protective streak in the beast. He didn't need to make assurances that it wouldn't hurt her, it would fight to its last breath to shelter and ensure no harm befell the precious mermaid. Did she know she held the kraken's heart as well as his?

  "There are rock formations deep underwater where we live. Paired couples will have their own cave but our shoal will stay together. There are other colonies of merfolk elsewhere in the ocean, but we see them rarely and only if a female or male moves to find a mate."

  He tightened his arm around her, glad she had no mate waiting for her, and thankful of the few moments that allowed him to consider her his.

  "And what did little Ailin do each day?"

  "Mornings were lessons with the elders, learning history, stories and practical aspects of life." She ran a hand down his leg and drew pictures with a finger in the rough linen of his trousers. "I used to often slip away and chase brightly coloured fish or ride stingray."

  He watched the movement of her hand. Reis was wrong, she was warm and he would rather lose himself in her embrace than that of any high price prostitute. "How do you ride a stingray?"

  A wide smile broke over her face as she glanced up at him. "When I was young and small, I could hang on to their wings and tuck up against their backs as they swam."

  "Do you miss that life?" He had to ask, as much as he fantasised of building a world for the two of them, he couldn't imagine it being possible.

  She sighed and her hand stilled on his leg. "No." Large azure eyes like a calm ocean turned to him. "I just want to be with you, wherever that may be."

  "It's not possible, Ailin." He stroked the side of her face. Only in his dreams where the lines between land and sea blurred could he truly possess her.

  The smile softened to something tinged with mystery. "Trust Nancy. Love will find a way with the help of a little ore-mancer magic." She turned her face and kissed his palm.

  He wished her could believe her. He would hope for a miracle but in the meantime would continue with his plan.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The afternoon sun caressed the water with a lover's touch that turned her surface into velvet adorned with sparkling gems. Birds lined the high rock wall that surrounded the harbour and called to one another as they watched for small fish playing beneath the surface. The Razor's Edge crew on watch paced back and forth, keeping an eye on the other vessels around as they carried out their daily tasks.

  Fenton emerged from the hold and stretched cramped muscles. He could sit and listen to the soft lilt of Ailin's voice for hours, but his arse went to sleep from the hard timbers and needed a break. He lifted his gaze skyward to the airships dotted along the shoreline. The Imprudent broke away from her mooring tower and drifted over the harbour. The water's reflection rippled across her bottom and the airship seemed to undulate and breath as it floated.

  He watched the airship move closer. "What is Shame up to now?" he muttered.

  Reis emerged from his cabin at the stern and glanced upward as the shadow crossed the deck like an enormous bird of prey circling them. Fenton headed to the captain, it looked like his prediction played out. Shame was making his move. He just hoped enough chaos resulted for him to slip Ailin from below and over the side.

  The airship dropped a sea anchor which cut through the water, slowing her progress and pulling the dirigible lower and closer to the water. As she lost height, her hull would soon brush the tops of masts as they passed.

  "Bastard better not crash into my ship," Reis said as Fenton halted at his side.

  The Regulators reached the Razor's Edge and Shame threw the engines in reverse and the airship hovered above. The sea anchor butted up against the ship and caught on something below. The pirates watched as the airship aimed its canon downward at them. Fenton waited. Regulators normally dropped abseiling lines over the side and rappelled onto their prey below. He'd also appreciate a few smoke bombs to escape Reis' gaze and to cover his actions.

  The people milling on the beach stopped and turned to watch. A crowd gathered as the lawmen hovered over the pirates. Lusions operated on a policy of neutrality, any hostility would be relayed to Nancy and who knew what traps the ore-mancer set to ensure compliance. Shame took a huge risk in trying to out manoeuvre Reis but then given his near legendary arrogance, he simply acted to character.

  "Bloody idiot." Reis shook his head and then waved a hand at Fenton. "Kraken, Mr Fenton. Before Shame starts firing and boils your fish in her pot."

  Fenton stiffened, releasing the beast was an overreaction and a huge risk in the harbour with so many anchored vessels. Besides, if he had to control the kraken, he wouldn't be here to stand by Ailin. "Do you want to see what Shame proposes first? I doubt this will go any further than posturing. You risk angering Nancy by letting the kraken loose in his quiet waters."

  Reis scowled. "I doubt Nancy will want Regulators and pirates at each other's throats either. Bad for business if this is no longer neutral territory
. It will take time to turn all our canon around whereas the kraken can drag his sea anchor away before he does anything stupid."

  Fenton held his ground, new found courage strengthened his resolve. He had to stay close, the kraken couldn't access the hold unless the side of the ship was cracked open and he refused to leave Ailin unguarded.

  Reis laid one hand over the gauntlet but his gaze remained fixed on the copper undercarriage of the Imprudent. "The sooner the fish is gone, the better, Mr Fenton. It makes you insubordinate and that's not like you."

  "Perhaps you have been captain too long if you cannot listen to reason." Freeing his mind tore away the shackles that kept him compliant. Inside, he stretched and for the first time stood tall and filled out his skeleton. With his shoulders back, he no longer shrank under the captain's orders.

  "I shouldn't have to repeat an order." Reis flicked the switch and the blue light flashed from the captain to first mate.

  Electricity rippled over Fenton's body and he grunted as though he took a punch to his gut and then dropped to his knees. The kraken would follow its command and drag the Regulator ship away, but then it was coming back for Captain Reis.

  ***

  Reis watched pain grip his first mate, it turned his bones to steel as he jerked to the tune of an unseen musician who played his body. Hand over hand, Fenton crawled to the edge of the ship. Then he turned his back to stare up at the man who thought to take his fish without paying the reward first. Shame was born in the upper ranks with a silver spoon in his mouth. Although others claimed the silverware was wedged much lower down. His actions at court plummeted him back to earth. Only his father's intervention spared the former courtier from a prison sentence and he was labelled Shame and given control of the Imprudent. A constant reminder of his folly and arrogance. Reis laughed, no one could accuse the Lady Alise of lacking a sense of humour.

  Movement caught his eyes as a shadow detached from the Edge's hull and coalesced into the demon from the deep. This time, the kraken rose up, its elongated head emerging from the ocean as it opened the sharp beak to scream. Perhaps he imagined that it flailed a tentacle in his direction as it made the ear splitting screech. The enormous limbs lashed out above the water. One latched onto the line holding the sea anchor. Suckers clenched and it clung to the chain. Another tentacle joined the first and it sank back into the water, its mammoth weight pulling on the metal.