Pretty Fin- Raging Seas

by Smokey Moment

  The opposing bodies swam into one another, lunging their knives into the bellies of their foes. Lark dodged the knife of a young Eulachon soldier with, as he tried to jab Lark with the knife. The soldier, who Lark was sure had a family and possibly a wife and kids would not be going home. He twisted quickly around the soldiers back and brought his arm up, hitting him in the heart and killing him instantly. Another soldier grabbed him from behind, but Ziege interjected and stabbed him in the neck. The soldier floated down slowly as the life drained from his eyes. Lark charged at a soldier that had Casiohad in his clutches. He yelled out and Lark plunged his spear into the enemies’ side. He looked Clem over then nodded as he swam away, headed to another soldier. Lark looked around. He wanted Andreus. The king was missing from the battle front.

  “Coward,” he said, as he swam to a ball of four men embattled with one another. Three soldiers were stabbing one of his men. His soldier has lost a lot of blood. Lark swam to one and grabbed him by the neck. He pushed him down away from the group and sliced his neck. The soldier managed to stab Lark in the thigh. “Ahh,” he winced in pain, as he stabbed the man in the neck once more. Ziege heard his voice and swam quickly to him. “Are you alright,” he asked. “Yes. Don’t fight for me. Fight for yourself. I will be okay,” he assured, as he swam to a group of them with two blades. One in each hand. Lark began slicing at their gills, as Fin had taught him. The men were disabled instantly.

  He swam to another group, hitting three of the four quickly. He disabled them then swam away. He looked back and watched as some of his soldiers finished the job. Lark looked to a group attacking a smaller soldier. He wondered who the soldier was. It was a small framed man. Lark attacked one of Andreus’ men and stabbed him in the back. He quickly pulled another soldier from the attack and hit him twice in the gills then watched as he floated down. The other soldiers were attacked from his men, as they came to help him. Lark turned the small framed soldier around. He was too late. His body was limp. It was obvious he was gravely injured.

  Lark gasped when he saw the face. It was the young boy Tinslee whose mother allowed him to make the errand and retrieve Arfusei from Panga. “Noooo,” Lark shouted. He was just a boy. Lark had promised him he could work for the castle when he became a man. He had given him the medal the boy wore on his sleeve. Lark removed the medal then hugged the boy’s dead body. “I promise you won’t die in vain,” he said as he let him go, and watched as the boy floated to the bottom. “Lark! Watch out,” Ziege warned, as he was embroiled in his own battle with two men, who were trying desperately to kill him. Lark turned as the soldier came at him with a long spear. The soldier stabbed Lark in the back. He arched his back as the pain from the knife crippled him.

  “Lark!” Ziege cried out. His anger turning him vicious and brutal. Ziege cut deep into one soldier’s neck, severing his head with one fatal and powerful thrust. He grabbed the other soldier, and the men tussled for control over Ziege’s knife. Lark was weakened. He struggled to remove the spear but couldn’t. It was stuck in his shoulder and his arms weren’t strong enough to reach it. Suddenly the spear was removed. Rotiro looked him in the eye then left him to fight more soldiers. Lark turned around. Before he could get his bearings, Rotiro’s body jerked violently.

  A force behind him causing him to move forward. Lark reached out to grab his hand. “Rotiro!” he cried out. A soldier standing behind the beloved and now fallen soldier snickered then removed his spear and lunged at Lark. Ziege approached from above, ramming his knife in the nermeins head. Ziege grabbed him. “No! Stay with me. You’re okay. We just have to get you home,” Ziege said. Rotiro’s eyes drew closed. Ziege felt his life slipping away. “No! Stay with me. Fight!” he shouted. Lark dropped his head. It was Sparrow all over again. Rotiro was Arfusei’s brother. They knew him all his life. This was a devastating loss.

  Blood filled the waters as the fight raged on. Fin swam close to the north end miles from the war path. Soon she picked up the scent of blood. Her heart skipped a beat. “Lark!” she said in a low voice. Nimah looked at her. Fin’s face was filled with pain. The blood shed was massive. It meant there were many deaths. It was possible Lark was among the dead. Fin slowed. Zion swam to her face and touched her cheek.

  “It’s okay baby. I’m sorry. We’re almost there,” she said. Nimah pulled away. “Give me your hand. It’s not safe. You can’t swim around. We have to get you back to daddy,” she said. Fin stopped. She stared at Nimah as she floated and looked around. Something was different. “Come on. Give me your hand,” she said, as she reached out. Nimah shook her head no, then swam away from Fin.

  “Come back! Please,” she shouted. Nimah stopped then closed her eyes. Fin swam up to her slowly. She would never be able to catch her. She was fast as Fin was when she was small. She swam like a guppy, darting around swiftly thought the water. Zion held Fin’s hand. The baby was getting nervous. Fin pulled him to her then rubbed his back. She pulled him up to her and held him. Zion turned his tail into legs and the wrapped them around his mother. She could see he was frightened. “Okay,” she said, hoping to calm him. Zion laid his head near her breast and began to nurse. Fin stopped. Her baby wanted to nurse. Her emotions ran high. She was in shock. It was a dream of hers. Images of a baby boy nursing. Fin exhaled sharply. It was all too much at once. She looked down at his sweet face as his eyes closing slowly. She touched his cheek. He was hungry and tired. They had been in the water too long. She imagined he was hungry and ready for a nap.

  She eased up to Nimah. Zion opened his eyes then put his arms around Fin’s neck. Fin felt his strong pull. His grip was firm. She needed to get them out the water but Nimah was proving hard to control. And if Nimah got it in her head to check out the waters, Fin would never be able to catch her. And going too far south, could alert others of their presence. They needed to get away.

  Fin got in position next to her. She reached out slowly. Nimah saw her hand and scurried away. “You have to come with me. This is not play time,” she said. The words were all too familiar. They were the words of Zander when she failed to obey him in the water as a child. But there was something else at play. Nimah wasn’t exploring. She was floating motionless, looking towards the south. The area of the war. Fin looked in the same direction. Nimah held something in her hand. “Can I see what you have,” Fin said. Nimah looked in her hand. Fin saw it was a yellow diamond. Only Lark knew where to find them. Nimah stared at the rock then looked back towards the depths. Fin was floored that Nimah had somehow been in contact with Nimah. It all made sense. It was him who brought her there. Then suddenly a thought.

  Fin flashed back to all the moments Nimah was around Lark. How she abandoned falling asleep on Lance and began being under Lark. Fin remembered the swims in the water with Lark and how Nimah kept up with him. Even abandoning play with Isla in order to be near him. Her attention always seemed intensely focused on Lark. Then thoughts of the passionate moment she had with him. The night she was laying in her mother’s sleeping chambers as Lark entered. The night they sat up talking as he tried to convince her to stay. Her foot was mangled and Lark wanted to take care of her. Love her. He wanted her with him. It was the night she realized she loved him. And it was the night she made love to him.

  “Lark!” Fin said. Nimah turned quickly towards her. Fin looked intensely at her baby girl. Fin shook her head. “We can’t go to him. He will be alright. You must come with me. He will come back to the house once the fighting stops. Please Nimah,” she begged. Nimah swam further away then closed her eyes. Fin caught up with her once again. She wondered what Nimah was doing. She could feel vibrations. She could hear clicking sounds. The combination was strange. Fin knew how to call to sea life. She was unaware that Nimah could too. She wondered what Nimah was communicating. The signals were unreadable. The sound waves were powerful. Nimah didn’t talk, but Fin was convinced she knew things she didn’t show. Her inability to vocalize hadn’t masked the fact that she was smart. That she was special. And now Fin c
ould see she was powerful. Fin believed her baby had gifts she didn’t want known. She had mastered the water in a way even Isla hadn’t. Fin stood in awe at her baby’s ability. It was a gift from the gods. A power no one possessed but her.

  “Don’t make those animals come here. Some are deadly. Nimah do you hear me,” Fin said. Nimah opened her eyes and stared into the distance. Fin watched hoping they would not be overwhelmed with sea life headed their way. Fin braced for the rush. The signals were making more sense. She began to understand some of the clicking sound. She began to pick apart the sound waves. Fin gasped. Nimah was communicating with the fish. And her message was unsettling.

  Lark was weak but refused to give up. He swam into battle with soldiers, even as he began to tire. He and Ziege looked around. They had lost many men. The numbers weren’t on their side. As the battle raged on, it seemed they had made very little impact as more men from Eulachon swam in. They had lost many men. They weren’t going to win this battle.

  “We must turn back. If they kill us all it is over,” Ziege said. Lark refused. “No! This will be the end. And Fin will die. We can’t. We die if we have to. But we fight,” Lark commanded. He looked around then charged another soldier. Darr came up from behind and stabbed the man several times in his side then swam off to attack another. Darr tussled with a large soldier. The soldier swung his tail around and knocked the knife out of Darr’s hand. He stared him down. The soldier came at him, knife drawn then stopped and looked off. Darr furrowed then turned around. Something was coming. Lark had a soldier in a neck hold, as another soldier clawed at him with long sharp nails. The soldier had been disarmed and was trying to kill Lark with his bear hands. The men stopped then pushed Lark away.

  “What is that?” one soldier asked. Lark swam closer, squinting as he tried to see what was swimming their way. Whatever it was appeared to span the length of the water. Lark stared off unaware that Andreus was not deterred by what was approaching. He floated discreetly behind Lark then slowly pulled a huge blade. “Lark!” Ziege yelled out, as he tried to reach him. Andreus thrusted the knife into Lark’s back, then pushed it further in. Lark turned around. His eyes filled with distress and pain. Blood came flowing out of his wound.

  Ziege grabbed Andreus and the two tussled. Ziege had lost his knives in the battle and had nothing but his bare hands to fight. Andreus tried to twist out of Ziege’s grip so he could swing his powerful tail and strike him. Nermein males could kill with their tails. But Ziege had him firmly in his arms, as he squeezed tighter. Ziege saw Lark. His body floated motionless to the bottom. “Lark…” he said. Andreus laughed.

  “He’s dead. And now it’s your turn,” he said. Andreus’ soldiers were bracing for whatever was coming. Many remained in place, weapons in hand for whatever was coming. Darr smiled. It was his men. He looked at the enormous number of men. Soon he recognized the uniform of Piratchu. Queen Rasbora had sent her men as well. The men swam past the Mojarroian soldiers and into an immediate battle with Andreus’ weak and tired men. The men were no match for the energized force who were ready for battle. A soldier from Eulachon, who was watching out from below, saw something else in the distance. Suddenly the soldier yelled out. “Fish! Watch out for the fish,” he warned. An alert that came much too late.

  The fish swam past the soldiers of Mojarro, Panga and Piratchu and right into the Eulachon men. The men were unable to handle the force of the fish, as they crashed into them. Ziege let Andreus go fearing he would be attacked. He watched as a tetra grabbed Andreus and shook him violently. Ziege swam quickly to Lark’s body and held him as he tried to remain still. Fish continued swimming past at high speeds, attacking the men and bitting through their flesh. Some men were decapitated. Some were missing arms. Tetra bit limbs in half and feasted as baika attacked and left their bodies for the smaller fish to devour. The attack was gruesome. The fish were in a frenzy.

  Eulachon men tried to get away, but the fish surrounded them. Huge Baika were biting men in half. Tetra swam alongside them, continuing the brutal attack, as the soldiers from Mojarro, Panga and Piratchu watched in horror. The men shouted to one another to get back. Many turned and began swimming back to Mojarro’s shore. They swam hurriedly, trying to flee the area. It amazed them that the fish swam right past them as if part of their army. Their numbers had dwindled and they were surely losing, but the war was over.

  Darr looked back. Lark was weakened and swimming too slowly to get away. He swam to him and grabbed his arm. The blood prevented him from seeing anything else. He wondered where Ziege was as he swam away. He could hear the screams of men being torn apart by sea life. Even fish who were typically passive and non-threatening, were part of the swarm. Darr swam fast pulling Lark with one hand. Lark’s heavy body slowed him a bit but was strong. And his love of the man who was like a brother to him had him determined to get him to safety. Lark was close to death. Darr hoped he wouldn’t die on the way. Casio swam behind him, weak and injured. He would defend Lark to the death. He looked around. Ziege and Rotiro were missing.

  “Where is Rotiro? And I don’t see Ziege,” he noted. Darr gave a look. “They floated to the bottom,” he replied. “What? And no one grabbed them. What if they are not dead,” he said, as he turned and went back. “Casio!” Darr shouted, as he slowed. “Go back with him. Watch over him. Help him retrieve Ziege and Rotiro,” Darr ordered.

  “What! With all those fish back there,” the soldier said. Darr glared at him. “Yes. Or take Lark and I will go,” he said. “I will go,” the soldier replied. “So will I,” another chimed in. Darr knew Casio was devastated. He and Rotiro joined the queen’s army together. And Ziege was a father figure to him. It was a huge loss. The only thing that would make the pain better was to give them a proper burial. Darr thought of Arfusei. He would never be the same. Rotiro was his younger brother and he and Ziege had a long history under King Zander’s reign. Darr feared the worst. He worried about his comrade. Arfusei had saved his life and he had convinced King Nephrus to let him take refuge in Panga. He would have to deliver the heartbreaking news to him. They had become close friends.

  Fin could smell more blood. Nimah swam slowly to her than held onto her and laid her head on her shoulder. Fin looked out in the distance. Her baby was sad. Fin feared the worst. Something had happened to Lark, and Nimah picked up on it. It explained everything. Her days at his bedside when he first arrived at their home. Her stares. Their immediate connection. And the fact that she had the most intense powers of her children.

  Fin floated motionless. Her children gripped firmly on both sides. She was in shock. Nimah wasn’t Lance’s child. Fin tried to erase the night she’d given herself to Lark. The morning she broke his heart and told him she wasn’t staying. She had made love to him. Taught him what to do. Showed him what it was all about. And he surprised her. So much so, that it threatened her life with Lance. The reason she risked going back, even though she had not completely healed. It explained her succumbing to the gases in the lair so quickly. Her tail was damaged but she was also pregnant.

  Fin stared out into the abyss. It was a defining moment. She had some decisions to make. And at the heart of it all was her child. Nimah was only barely two. Fin wondered would her child hold onto the memories or would she forget. Fin needed her to do the latter. Lark being her father would have to remain a closely guarded secret. Even from him. She was sure Nimah loved Lance. Her and Isla were both daddy’s girls. She looked for him to come home from work. She took every opportunity to crawl on him. Occasionally falling asleep on his chest, as he watched television. He was the only father she knew. She was sure Nimah wasn’t looking to replace him.

  But Fin wasn’t sure what her baby’s presence in Madaka had done. She took a deep breath of water then exhaled it slowly. Time would tell.

  “He’ll be okay. We will see him before we leave. Did you send the fish?” she asked. Nimah raised her head. She nodded. Fin smiled. Her baby responded. And it was enough. No more needed to be said. The fi
sh were sent for Lark. He was important to her. It was her father. And she knew it the same as Zion had recognized her.

  Fin swam towards Mojarro. She was happy they had defeated Andreus. She hoped Andreus was dead. All his men were in the water which meant he had no army. His reign of terror was over. The threat of a takeover no longer loomed over Madaka.

  One war had ended and another would take its place if Lark ever discovered she was his. He would want her. Fin loved him but he couldn’t have her child. And Lance would wish Madaka destroyed before he would let go of Nimah. He would never forgive her indiscretion or her inability to break from a lifetime bond she shared with Lark. The weakness that caused her to surrender to him that fateful night, could never be known. It was in that weakness that would make Lance question their love. The truth was she loved two men. She loved Lark but she was in love with Lance. And he was her choice. And so, she would return to him.

  13

  Still Waters

  “Hi there,” Lark said, as he opened his eyes to the angel staring into his. Nimah smiled then ran to get Fin. She walked into the room with Nimah and Zion in tow. “You’re awake,” she said. Lark sat up. “Ahh,” he moaned. “Not too fast. You are still healing,” she said. Lark took a sip of water then laid his head back. He glanced down at Nimah. The face that was always there. He swiped his finger across her nose then smiled. He looked at Fin. He could see she was ready to go.