Enemy of Oceans (7 page)

VELENKA WAS IN A FOUL MOOD. SHE HAD BEEN
dragged by Takiza and a few others to the AuzyAuzy homewaters against her will after the betta received a quickfin message from Gray. Takiza said she would be safer with them but Velenka knew he wanted to keep an eye on her. He didn't have to worry that she was going to make a break for it. With Hokuu sending assassins her way, she was content to be guarded by the Riptide mariners.

She watched as the mariners were dismissed and the rest of the shiver sharks and dwellers who had watched the funeral left. AuzyAuzy had increased the size of their mariner force since it had been savaged by Finnivus and the Black Wave armada. They were understandably worried about being attacked again. Now their mariners numbered almost a double horde, or two thousand sharkkind. It turned out to be a wise decision. Velenka had heard that AuzyAuzy had gone out with five hundred sharks against the megalodons from the Underwaters and lost one and a half droves. One hundred and fifty mariners would greet Mari in the Sparkle Blue.

Velenka was annoyed that she felt bad about Mari's passing. They had been rivals and even enemies since they were members of Goblin Shiver. Mari and the sneaky little dogfish, Barkley, had captured her trying to flee the Battle of the Maw. The thresher had been the one to show her mercy. Velenka doubted she herself would have done the same, given the opportunity. And Mari had been one of her only visitors when she was imprisoned in the Riptide homewaters. True, most of the time the thresher was digging for information, but their conversations had relieved some of her boredom.

Being so nice was probably an act, Velenka thought. No one was as noble as Gray had made Mari out to be. You didn't live long in the Big Blue if you were a softie. Velenka gnashed her teeth together hard after a sniffle escaped her nose.

Are you going to cry, you fool? she thought. Weakling!

“Beautiful, wasn't it?” asked a spinner shark, interrupting Velenka's thoughts. “I'm Leilani. I don't recognize you.”

“That because I'm not from around here,” Velenka answered.

“Where are you from?” Leilani asked. Her question seemed innocent but Velenka saw great intelligence in the spinner's eyes. Who was this Leilani and why was she so interested in her history?

“You've probably never heard of it,” Velenka answered. “And yes, the ceremony was beautiful. Mari got herself a great send-off to the Sparkle Blue.”

“You don't seem so broken up about it,” the spinner declared. “Why is that? Don't you feel anything? You knew Mari, didn't you?”

Velenka swished her tail, acting unconcerned. It was best to seem relaxed when being questioned. “I did know her, but we weren't close. How is it that you feel so much? I saw you bawling like a pup and you couldn't have known her for more than a few days, right?”

Leilani shifted her position so she was looking straight at Velenka, now taking her measure. “The time I did know her I could tell that she had a kind soul. I've found you can tell a lot about a shark in a short period if you know what to look for, Velenka.”

“And here I thought you were just another mourner, Leilani, but you know my name,” she said. “It seems our meeting wasn't so random after all.”

Leilani's eyes bored into Velenka, her act dropped. “Takiza made sure to inform Kendra and several others that you were here. After all, you swam with Finnivus and the Black Wave.”

“I was forced to do that,” Velenka answered automatically.

“Please, stop,” Leilani told her. “Just know that Kendra isn't Gray. She won't hesitate to order an execution if she finds you're allied with Hokuu.”

Velenka swished her tail and remained at ease. “I guess it's a good thing he's trying to kill me, then.”

They stared at each other until Barkley slid into their view. “Well, this looks cozy. Are you two all right?”

“Couldn't be better!” Velenka answered in a faux happy tone. “I've got Leilani the junior spyfish interrogating me. That's what you are, isn't it?” She smiled at Barkley. “Makes me feel right at home.”

Leilani's tail moved in short strokes, her temper coming through. “I meant no harm and of course, and I'm not here officially. I was curious to see if the stories I heard about Velenka being a demon fish were true. Turns out they are.”

“Enough!” Barkley said, slashing his tail. “This isn't the time. Not here, not now.”

“Fine by me,” Velenka said, staring down Leilani.

The spinner met the gaze. “Me too.”

Snork swam over to the group. He was clueless about what was happening, of course. “I wish Striiker could have come. He wanted to be here, but there's too much to do. It's so sad about Mari. I'm going to miss her but she's swimming in the Sparkle Blue with Shell. Who knows? Maybe she'll meet my parents and say hi for me.”

Velenka marveled that the sawfish had lived for this long in the open ocean. It didn't seem possible. He didn't possess an ounce of guile or cunning. He swam about smiling and clueless every single time she saw him.

“That's a nice thought, Snork,” Barkley said. “It's the kind of thought everyone should have today. Right?”

The spinner shark ended her staring contest with Velenka. “Yes, it is. I'm going to leave so I can focus better on having those thoughts.”

“You do that,” Velenka commented as she left. Barkley gave her a look. “What? Can't you see I'm broken up and don't know what I'm saying? Please, give me a little current to swim in today of all days.”

With that Velenka left, her mind a jumble of unwanted thoughts. If the AuzyAuzy Eyes and Ears were getting reports about her then the other great shivers probably had the same information. This was troubling. It would limit where Velenka could hide if she chose to escape. For all its vastness, the Big Blue was getting smaller each day for her. Soon there would be no place to hide without an enemy shark's teeth ripping at her gills.

I need to find a better current, Velenka thought. I need to change my life. But how?

HOKUU WATCHED AS DRINNOK GAZED AT THE
sun shining into the water from above. He and the other prehistores of Fifth Shiver had never seen sunlight before. When it had risen this morning, some went into a panic until their king calmed them. Most of the other prehistores from his shiver were hunting now but Drinnok had stayed with a wounded friend who had lost half of his right fin and hadn't stopped bleeding. That had attracted a few would-be predators who soon discovered that they were actually the ones on today's menu.

“I heard reports from Bollagan's scouts so I knew to expect brightness,” Drinnok said of the sun. “But I didn't expect daylight to be so . . . beautiful.”

Hokuu curled his tail and pointed toward the chop-chop. “The sun shines for you, King Drinnok, and your holy mission to remake this ocean.”

The megalodon scowled. “Bah! The sun burns now as it has done for all time, even though we did not see it. Do not think I'm some feebleminded fish to believe your flattery.”

“Of course not!” Hokuu said. “I'm only trying to lift your spirits.”

“Lift them by bringing more of my mariners from the Underwaters,” he answered. “Though we are powerful, there are far too few of us to withstand an all-out fight against Graynoldus's allies.”

“I am so sorry about that,” Hokuu told the king. “My powers suddenly gave out. When I'm feeling stronger, I shall tunnel to the Underwaters once more.”

Hokuu smiled inwardly. Actually, he had so much power from the life force stolen from his finja makos, he was fighting to keep it under control. It was pup's play to bore to the Underwaters now, and easier still to collapse his tunnel before too many of Drinnok's guard came through the passage. It wouldn't do to give the king everything he wanted. Drinnok might become unsympathetic to Hokuu's desires and that was to be avoided.

Hokuu slithered through the water so he was close to the massive megalodon king. “You must send Graynoldus to the Sparkle Blue, King Drinnok. Then you will be Seazarein.”

What Hokuu really wanted was for Drinnok to kill the most beloved leader in the Big Blue. The megalodon king would have all sorts of enemies then. Hokuu would have to calm things by being named leader himself! But Hokuu could only lead after the Big Blue was conquered. And though he was very powerful, Hokuu couldn't do that alone. He needed an armada, and the prehistore mariners would only follow their king. Or someone in the Line after their leader's unfortunate death . . .

“Crowns are earned, not given, Hokuu,” Drinnok replied.

“Crowns are taken by those who are worthy,” he told the king.

Drinnok grunted, acknowledging that truth. “Graynoldus's son—tell me more of him.”

Hokuu spat. “An upstart pup. A bumbling usurper. The day you rid the ocean of him, the waters will rejoice!”

The megalodon king gazed at Hokuu before answering. “You told me that he led his forces to victory while outnumbered by a superior and better trained force—not once, but twice. I saw with my own eyes this AuzyAuzy Shiver come to his aid without question. And Kaleth, who was no fool, chose him to take her place as Seazarein. Graynoldus sounds like his father's son, not a bumbling usurper.”

“He may have some small talent, along with a large current of luck, but he isn't a true Seazarein!”

Drinnok considered. “One victory can be counted to luck. But twice? You underestimate him. It makes me wonder if you've given me an accurate image of Graynoldus.”

Hokuu gnashed his tri-tipped teeth as his spiked tail swished back and forth. “How can you doubt me, King Drinnok? I freed you!”

“After a time,” Drinnok noted.

“Because Graynoldus, Kaleth, and Takiza blocked me at every turn!”

Drinnok growled. “Takiza. That one. It's hard to imagine such a tiny dweller with so much power.”

Before he could stop himself, Hokuu snapped his tail through the water with an angry craaack! “I will take care of that little puffer. He's no match for me, and besides, I taught him everything he knows.”

Drinnok smiled. “That seems to have been a mistake. Back to Graynoldus. He did not immediately attack us. He wanted to speak of a peaceful solution.”

Hokuu sputtered, “My—my king, I can't believe I'm hearing this!”

“Even if all of Fifth Shiver were brought to these waters along with the dwellers, we would still number far fewer than those who swim her presently.”

“They are puny compared to any of you!” exclaimed Hokuu. “You can win!”

“Yes, but at what price?” Drinnok said, his voice rising. “What good is victory if there are so few of us left that illness or disease could wipe us out? It would mean the end of Fifth Shiver. That will not happen while I lead!” The megalodon calmed himself. “I must at least allow a chance for compromise.”

“When Gray spoke, it was a trick!” Hokuu said, his anger rising. The king was being a fool. “You saw how his allies attacked when you hesitated. The Big Blue may not be as dangerous as the Underwaters, but one thing does remain the same. On any day, you can either have lunch, or be lunch. Which would you like to be, Drinnok?”

The megalodon swiped at Hokuu with his mighty tail, missing by an urchin spine. “I am the king. Remember that. What I command of you is to free more of Fifth Shiver from the darkness of the Underwaters. If you can't—or won't . . . we have a problem.”

Hokuu relaxed his coils, straightening out his kinked and clenched body. He dipped his snout. “Rest assured, I will bring more of your subjects out from the depths.”

Drinnok grunted and left. Hokuu watched the powerful megalodon swim away. Perhaps Drinnok, for all his size and teeth, wasn't strong enough to conquer the Big Blue. Hokuu twirled his long body, thinking. He couldn't expect the currents to be smooth while creating a new watery world, now could he? It was hard work and some days would bring frustration.

Like today.

But still, Hokuu would do exactly as he had been asked and bring new and vibrant Fifth Shiver blood to the Big Blue. It would take a little time. Perhaps by then, Drinnok would see the error of his thinking and Hokuu wouldn't need to change his own plans. Perhaps Drinnok would realize that Gray, Takiza, and all the rest who opposed them had to be swept away.

Perhaps . . .