The Atomic Sea: Volume Nine: War of the Abyss

by Jack Conner

  Glancing outside afforded no relief. Everything was bloodshed and carnage.

  Eventually they passed beyond the lines of the Ghenisan Army, brought here by the Ghenisan Navy. Soldiers surrounded them, and some, not to Avery’s surprise, were armed with venom whips and spears and crossbows. They must have been told about Layanna, though, as they didn’t fire. Captains shouted at each other, and one came out of the throng.

  “You must be Layanna,” he said. “Don’t worry, we won’t attack.” He gestured the men holding the weapons to lower them, which they did. “We know you’re on our side.”

  She released her other-self, disgorging Avery and the others first. The last captured pirate she turned over into Ghenisan custody, and he was sobbing in thanks as they handcuffed him and led him away.

  “Lord Avery?” said the captain who’d addressed them.

  “That’s me.” Avery was still a bit shaky after experiencing the effect of the organelle and he listed on his feet.

  The man steadied him. “I’m to take you to the Queen-in-Waiting.”

  Dismay overcome Avery. “You mean Ani?”

  “That’s right, my lord. Your daughter.”

  Damn it all. She did it. She came. “Very well, then,” he said. “Take me to her.”

  People bowed to him as he passed, and he took a moment to marvel, That’s right, I’m their king now. It was not something he ever thought he could get used to.

  Ani looked up, Hildebrand on her shoulder, as Avery and the others were led into her presence. She was escorted by Prime Minister Gwendolyne Denaris, and the P.M. and Avery nodded respectfully at each other. Avery wasn’t sure if he was supposed to kneel to Ani or not, but, since he was technically in charge, he only refrained from kissing her and picking her up. She seemed to want to come to him, too, but her own queenly pride wasn’t allowing it. He did, however, give her a long kiss on the top of her head, and she smiled and gripped his hand tightly. At the pressure, a hitch developed in his throat.

  “Thank the gods you’re safe, Ani,” he managed. “You really shouldn’t have come here. Into a warzone! Your mother would kill me.”

  Ani blinked rapidly as if suppressing tears, and he realized that she must have thought he would die aboard the submarine—that she would never see him again. “I thought you might need me,” she said, patting Hildebrand on her shoulder, where the monkey hunched low-backed and wide-eyed, darting at every sound.

  “I don’t think you should’ve brought Hild here, either,” Avery said. Checking his frustration, he regarded Denaris. “I’m surprised to see you. Shouldn’t one of the nation’s leaders have remained in the nation?”

  Denaris allowed herself a small smile. “I had Ani to look after, not to mention a war. And, possibly, the fate of the world. It wasn’t something I could delegate, if you’ll forgive me. Don’t worry, I left Ghenisa in capable hands.”

  Her hands weren’t as capable anymore, he saw with chagrin. The last time he’d seen her she had just been forcibly infected with food from the Atomic Sea, and although he had known she’d survived the infection and had heard of her new mutation, it was still hard to believe. One of her arms had remained as it was, but the other had gone boneless, elongated, and the fingers had all fused together, creating a rudimentary, skin-colored tentacle. As well, her nose had receded somewhat, and there was the suggestion of scales on her face, although he wasn’t sure if there were any real scales or not.

  She seemed very conscious of her mutation, and she shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. He made himself look away. Poor woman, he thought. Then: Damn Rigurd. Avery thought of the countless banners with her likeness on them that hung throughout Ghenisa. Had they been altered now to reflect her new condition or did they still present her as fully human, which is doubtless how she wished to be thought of to judge by her discomfort?

  “Look, Doc,” Janx said and pointed. All followed his finger to an enemy zeppelin surrounded by a large fighter escort as it approached a particular section of Monastery branch. Just as it neared the limb, the red crystal flashed and a section of darkness opened.

  “Fuck,” said Sheridan, in her cold, detached way. “Thraish is getting in first.”

  Avery turned to the general who, having taken over from the captain, had finished escorting him here. “We need to get up there, General. Can you give us some airships? And soldiers?”

  “I’ll get you up there, sir.” Without missing a beat, the general turned to one of his men and started barking orders. Soon airships began congregating overhead, then setting down.

  “Can you take care of him for me?” Ani asked Denaris, and pressed Hildebrand into the Prime Minister’s arms, with only a little screeching from the furball himself. “I don’t think he should go where I’m going.”

  “I’ll be happy to,” Denaris said, stroking the monkey’s head with the hand that still had bones.

  “Ani, you are not going anywhere,” Avery said. He started toward one of the zeppelins, accompanied by Janx, Sheridan, Layanna, Ani and her bodyguards. He was just about to order Ani to stay on the ground when all of a sudden there came shouting, screaming and shooting to the west.

  Avery turned to see a large globe of water bobbing through the air, a figure floating cross-legged inside it in a posture of meditation. Lightning crackled from the water, indicating that this sphere was actually taken from the sea. After a moment, Avery made out the figure inside it and swore.

  “Uthua,” he said, then told the general to order his soldiers to stand down; slowly, as if reluctantly, they stopped shooting at the floating ball of water and the serene fish-man inside it that glided over their heads, crackling with blue-white death.

  “Fuck this,” Janx said.

  Sheridan turned to Layanna. “How did he find us?”

  Layanna clearly didn’t like being questioned. “I summoned him.”

  “You what?” Avery said.

  “I sent a psychic pulse, signaling him to our whereabouts.”

  “How could you?”

  For the first time, her eyes wavered. “I thought we might need his strength.”

  She’s lying, Avery thought. Gods help me, she’s lying. Oh, maybe that’s one reason, maybe the main one, but there’s another reason behind it or I’m a fool. The question is which way the pendulum swings.

  Avery said nothing as Uthua lowered to the ground—the men stepped away, creating a clearing for him—then emerged from his watery cocoon. As he left it, a discharge of lightning clung to him, then faded.

  “Ah,” Uthua said, “that is a comfortable way to travel.”

  “Did you come alone?” Layanna said. “I’d hoped you would bring some of our people ... and weapons.”

  “Alas, only I can move on land, and I’m all the weapon you will get.”

  Her face was bleak. “So. They’ve decided on the Atomic World, then.”

  “Not yet. They’re in constant contact with me.” Uthua tapped his head. “They’ll know as soon as I do whether things go our way or not.” To Avery, he added, “Which should provide some incentive for lesser beings not to turn on us once the Monastery is in our power.”

  Avery didn’t take the bait. “We’ll see.”

  Janx stepped forward aggressively. “I’m tired of lookin’ at that face. It doesn’t belong to you.”

  Uthua smiled his—Muirblaag’s—needle sharp teeth. “Isn’t that too bad?”

  All around soldiers were aiming their weapons at him, and by this time the wielders of the venom weapons had appeared, looking tense.

  “Are you friend or foe?” barked the general.

  “Neither,” said Uthua. “But we have the same destination.” His black eyes peered over their shoulders. “And it looks like someone’s getting there first.”

  Even then the aerial convoy bearing Thraish was beginning to enter the vast portal that had opened in the Monastery. As they disappeared into it, winking red light enfolded them, then eclipsed them.

  “Let’s hurry,�
�� Avery said, and resumed his trek toward the stately zeppelin that had just touched down. The ship’s captain met him, then ushered him and the others aboard. When Avery realized Anissa and her bodyguards had followed him into the ship’s gondola, he said, “Ani, you can’t come with us.”

  “You can’t stop me,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Unless you can get through them.” The guards stood at rigid attention around her, and Avery suppressed a groan of irritation.

  “Damnit, Ani, it will be dangerous.”

  She regarded him soberly. “It’ll be dangerous to enter a place of the Ygrith without someone who can work with Ygrithan technology, Papa.”

  She was right, of course. “But Ani ...”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Uthua said. “Even now the enemy nears the prize. Well, go!” he snapped at the captain, who had been waiting for orders. When Avery nodded at him, the captain returned to the bridge, where he ordered the ship prepare to lift off. In moments it rose into the skies and joined the rest of the fleet, which massed, swiftly, then drove in a wedge toward the portal above. Even then the last of Thraish’s convoy was entering the red-lit archway.

  A line of pirate airships formed between the aerial armada of Ghenisa and the Monastery.

  “Looks like they’re going to put up a fight,” the captain said. “Perhaps, your Majesties, you would like to wait somewhere safer.”

  “We’re staying right here,” Avery said, grabbing a railing for balance just in case. “Proceed with the attack.”

  The captain scowled, but nodded, and the assault on the pirates began. The Ysstral air fleet joined the Ghenisans and together they fired at the pirates, who, gifted with weapons by the Muugists, promptly retaliated with breathtaking results. One Ghenisan zeppelin flipped inside out, now steaming and fleshy, then plummeted to the ground. A squadron of fighter planes that was streaking for the pirates diminished in size so slowly that at first Avery thought it a trick of perspective, but then the planes popped out of existence completely. Green blasts of energy bolted out from the pirate ships, spearing into the attackers and causing them to burst into green flames.

  The Ysstral lords were captaining many of the zeppelins, and they quickly put their mental gifts into effect. Pirate ships wheeled toward each other, firing into friendly ships as their crews became disoriented and paranoid. Other pirate vessels broke formation and fled the battle as fear overwhelmed their captains’ minds. Other ships simply milled, not firing and drifting off course as if their crews were sitting in a daze.

  The Ghenisan and Ysstral fleets took heavy losses, but they scattered the pirates and soon Avery was at the forefront of the V heading toward the portal leading into the Monastery. All he could see inside was that bright red light.

  “Hurry!” he shouted at the captain. “The doorway is closing.”

  Indeed, the visible light was growing narrower as the portal began to seal shut with shocking swiftness.

  “Thraish is trying to keep us out,” Layanna said.

  “Good,” said Janx, one hand curling into a fist. “That means he’s scared.”

  “He should be,” said Uthua.

  Avery braced himself, prepared to be dashed against the crystal wall. The zeppelin neared the narrowing gap ... closer ... closer ...

  It shot into the doorway, red walls passing on either side ... Avery could almost imagine the canvas sides of the craft scraping off the crystal ... then shot through into open space.

  “Hot damn!” said Janx. “We made it.”

  Avery sagged in relief. “Thank the gods.”

  “Yeah, but how many came with us?” Sheridan said. This was addressed at the captain. After consulting with his operators, the captain swore.

  “Only one other ship made it before the doors closed,” he said.

  Around them, the red light had faded, replaced by red walls instead—high, red, crystalline walls in a vast hall or tunnel stretching gods-knew-how-far. Avery couldn’t see the end of it, as it gradually curved. The air shimmered with light and exotic energies.

  And then, without warning, the walls came alive. And began to attack.

  Chapter 11

  A red spike sliced the air right before the zeppelin, having speared directly out of the ruby walls.

  More spikes thrust out, stabbing from floor and ceiling. Having released his handhold, Avery was flung against the deck when a spike penetrated the envelope. The whole world rocked around him, and all he could hear was screaming; nearly everyone aboard the zeppelin cried out in fear. Punctured and losing air, the zeppelin plummeted toward the ground, which still stabbed out with red blades. Some hit the craft, causing it to shudder and careen violently. Avery finally managed to grab hold of another railing or else he would’ve been dashed against the bulkhead. Around him the others grabbed onto what they could.

  The ground pitched up at them, and Avery fumbled for Ani and finally flung an arm around her, drawing her close to him so that he could shield her with his body. The ship struck the ground and went sliding ...

  … sliding ...

  Winking knives thrust up around them, and the ship bumped and shrieked. The roar of its grinding filled the world.

  A great ruby fang ripped from the ground and angled straight at the window of the bridge. It was a grand pinnacle of flashing crystal, mostly merged with the floor all along its considerable length, with only the diamond-hard multi-faceted point thrusting up, centered right on the gondola.

  This is it, Avery thought. We’re all dead. There was no way to escape the fang. He could see the pilot frantically pulling levers, perhaps trying to make the rudder swerve them around the point, but it was a futile gesture and by the expression on his face he knew it. Indeed, the ship did veer slightly, grating even louder as it did, but not enough. The winking, mostly horizontal pinnacle rushed up at them. Avery gripped Ani tighter.

  Suddenly she was struggling out of his grasp.

  “Ani!” he called, but she thrashed about fiercely and he released her.

  The fang gleamed, less than a hundred feet away.

  Ani held out her hand, which was gripped around a glinting green crystal similar to the one she’d gifted Avery, but more intricate-looking and sized to fit a child’s palm.

  The ruby knife rushed in.

  “Away!” Ani shouted, eyes blazing.

  The zeppelin continued to hurl itself forward to impale itself on the fang ... but the fang slipped back into the ground, vanishing from sight and leaving smooth flooring in its wake. Everyone in the bridge (excepting Uthua, with air blurring around him) shouted in joy and relief.

  As if something had gone out of her, Ani leaned backward and seemed to topple. Avery caught her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, and she nodded shakily. “That was amazing, honey. You saved us all.”

  She made herself straighten. More knives thrust up at them. She stretched out her fist and said, “Clear us a path!”

  The ruby blades folded away and the ship careened on, beginning to slow, then, finally, stopping. Avery jerked forward but caught himself, then gradually let go of Ani, who was white with fear but whose eyes were curiously resolved, even confident. Avery touched his ear and saw blood on his fingers. Sheridan was picking herself off the deck. A trail of blood trickled down from one corner of her mouth and Avery had the urge to wipe it away. He resisted. She wiped it away herself.

  “Fuck that all to hell,” Janx said, straightening and rubbing his head, which had been scraped.

  Uthua was helping Layanna up. The sight of them being so close prompted Avery to step forward and take her hand.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her.

  She nodded, and when she spoke her voice was strong: “We need to get clear. This place could still be after us.”

  Heeding her advice, Avery’s group sought out the nearest exit and the ship’s captain led his crew, all bleeding and shaking their heads, after them. All kept as close to Ani as they could get, and those who’d
seen what she had done passed the information on so that soon nearly everyone looked on her with something akin to reverence. As they emerged into the faceted red cavern, Avery at first feared the air wouldn’t be breathable, but he had no trouble taking in air, although it did taste strange. Like salt, he thought.

  “How did you do that?” he asked Ani.

  “It’s what I’m made to do,” she said. “Interact with Ygrithan buildings. It’s why I had to come.”

  “I see that now. But I mean, with the crystal.”

  She held the fist-sized green diamond before her, and Avery stared into its interior, which seemed to shine with a light of its own.

  “I made this back at the tower,” Ani said. “Like the one I gave you. I don’t need it, really, but it helps me focus. I’ve made this one to broadcast my thoughts to ... well, here.”

  “Is it alive?” Janx said, staring about him at the walls.

  “In a way,” Ani said. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Where’s The Sword of Dawn—the other ship?” said the captain, a man named Tevic, and someone pointed. A fang of red had apparently impaled the second zeppelin, sending it to the ground at tremendous speed. It had dashed against a bed of upthrusting red knives, each of which had penetrated all the way through it. There was no chance anyone could have survived. “Damn,” Tevic said, and his crew muttered and made religious gestures.

  “It’s just us, then,” said Sheridan. She checked the magazine of her pistol, then moved to confer with a group of soldiers who carried spears coated with jellyfish venom: a precaution against Uthua. “I’ll take one of those,” she said, and the troops didn’t argue with her as she grabbed one and returned to Avery. When she saw Uthua gazing at the spear, she smiled humorlessly and said, “In case I see a rat.”