The Last Emprex

by EJ Altbacker

  And what a rush it was to fight with the jurassic horde!

  The blood! The death! The shrieking cries of agony!

  It was glorious!

  Hokuu swam to the side of the main block formation. The very notion of jurassics lining up in a formation was revolutionary. Grimkahn had gotten the idea from facing Gray’s forces and AuzyAuzy Shiver before that. Before this, jurassics had never even attempted formation fighting. They usually traveled and fought alone. If there were five of them together in a family pod, no group of fins in the Underwaters would dare attack them.

  But here, sharkkind did fight them. And they did it in formation.

  Puny and small though they were, the sharks of the Big Blue were also cunning and well trained. They had inflicted unacceptable losses on Grimkahn’s forces. So the mosasaur king had adopted a simple block shape. At first it didn’t work. The mosasaurs were so big that the smaller mariners in the enemy formations could still get close and hurt them. Then the frilled sharks filled those gaps. It hadn’t been Hokuu’s idea, but he took credit as soon as it started working. With the ultraquick and agile frills to protect the mosasaurs, the horde, as the jurassic armada had taken to calling itself, became invincible.

  They had even sent groups of fifty frills and five mosasaurs to other oceans. The objective of these so-called fifty-fives was to search out and destroy all the shivers they could find. They brought terror and confusion to every expanse of the Big Blue.

  Hokuu adjusted his position so he could watch the initial clash from a safe distance. Then, once the opposing mariners tried to move a battle fin in their crumbling defense, he would blast those sharks with his shar-kata. Gathering power from the water was not as rewarding as sucking the life force from living things, but Hokuu couldn’t do that in the confusion of a battle. That only worked when the subjects were still.

  He could see the defenders clearly now. They came forward, straight ahead.

  They were fewer than he expected. That was odd.

  Wait, the sharkkind weren’t all there!

  Was it a trick?

  Hokuu reached out with his senses.

  A group of mariners had fled. Cowards!

  Then he saw the leader of the defenders. It was a muck-sucking port jackson shark! He was struggling to keep up with his own armada! Hokuu laughed before the two sides clashed.

  The horde ripped right through the defenders.

  The idiotic port jackson was eaten in one gulp. Foolish fin! That would show him.

  “No prisoners!” roared Grimkahn.

  The blood in the water was thick and delicious.

  A squadron of a hundred sharkkind led by an injured whitetip shark streaked from the side on a suicide mission to attack Grimkahn. She had the look of a leader, that one. With a flick of his tail Hokuu gathered a globe of sizzling energy and flung it. The orange power exploded in their midst, spreading through the water and electrocuting them all, including the whitetip.

  Hokuu felt a thrill course up and down his spine. He loved battle.

  The mosasaurs and frills made short work of everyone else.

  “What a spectacle!” Hokuu shouted to Grimkahn.

  The mosasaur smacked him backward thirty feet with his giant tail.

  “You almost killed me with your foul power!” he yelled.

  Hokuu couldn’t believe it. “They were attacking you!” he replied in a voice louder than he intended. It was never good to yell at a king, no matter how wrong he happened to be. “I saved you!”

  “Saved me?” Grimkahn chuckled, and it sounded like grinding rocks. “I don’t need saving from these sad little fish.”

  “I was doing my duty,” Hokuu insisted. “I’m not expecting any thanks.”

  “Of course not,” Grimkahn said. “And it’s you who owes me thanks.”

  Hokuu was genuinely puzzled. “For what?”

  “You should thank me that I only tapped you with my tail,” he answered. “Do that, will you?”

  Hokuu’s excitement about the slaughter was replaced with a bitter taste in the back of his throat. “Thank you,” he said.

  Grimkahn grunted and swam away to feed on the defeated sharks.

  Hokuu’s tail vibrated in fury as he watched him go. Grimkahn should have treated him with more respect. Much more. This wouldn’t be forgotten. He needed the mosasaur because the jurassics from the Underwaters wouldn’t follow him . . . yet.

  Grimkhan was their king and Hokuu his first in Line.

  But the day would come when Hokuu would be the one in charge.

  Then Grimkhan would be the one doing the groveling.

  CHAPTER 2

  THE MOOD WAS GRIM IN THE FATHOMIR throne cavern. Though the current flowed briskly from the protected entrance tunnel, it still seemed hard to breathe, as if the weight of the rock above was crushing Gray. It had been a week since Grinder and the seven hundred survivors from Hammer, AuzyAuzy, and Vortex Shivers had arrived. Kendra, Silversun, and the rest of the mariners had been wiped out. Gray was saddened by Silversun’s death. He had always liked the Vortex leader, and his keen insights would be missed. But Kendra’s loss struck him even more deeply. She had been a fast friend from the moment they had met.

  Since then things had only gotten worse. Marauding groups of Grimkahn’s forces were destroying peaceful shivers across the oceans. The quickfins came with messages, a parade of bleak news that Gray felt helpless to do anything about. And there was no word of Jaunt, Kendra’s second-in-command. Had she also been sent to the Sparkle Blue by Grimkahn and his horde? Gray couldn’t bear the thought of losing another friend and the brave mariners with her.

  The quickfin messengers themselves had also been targeted, depriving Gray of valuable information. And he couldn’t leave Fathomir as they only had Riptide Shiver available for combat. It would be foolish to meet Grimkahn and his monsters without a much larger armada, but Gray couldn’t be sure if his messages to combine forces were being received. These days, his life seemed to be filled with endless meetings consisting of only bad news. It was awful.

  “Gray,” said Barkley, hovering on his left. “Are you okay?”

  “Do you want to take a break?” asked Leilani, flicking her fins in concern.

  Barkley the dogfish was Gray’s oldest friend and leader of the ghostfins, a special force of stealthy sharks that Barkley himself had trained. Leilani was a new friend, a sleek spinner shark who was the youngest in AuzyAuzy Shiver ever to be named an Eyes and Ears spyfish. Without their support, Gray would have surely crumbled.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head and adjusting his thirty-foot bulk on the Seazarein’s throne, a flattened rock where he could rest his fins and not even have to hover. It was good for days like this. There used to be a hole in the throne for his tail but Gray’s agitated swishing had broken off the top part weeks ago. “I’m okay. Maybe a little tired.”

  He motioned to Judijoan, the long and flat oarfish who was the keeper of all things regarding protocol. It was her job to keep his schedule, and the throne cavern in general, organized. Right now that meant making sure the quickfins gave their messages and then waited outside for any return orders.

  Takiza fluttered his gauzy fins before Judijoan could call the next messenger. She paused as the betta fish spoke to Gray. “A wise leader knows when to rest.” Gray ground his teeth. Lately, instead of insulting him in his usually flowery way, Takiza was being sensitive.

  Gray didn’t like this new Takiza. It made him tense. “A leader also can’t swim away from his duties whenever he’s hungry or tired,” he told his teacher.

  In the old days Takiza would have said something scalding in return if he had disagreed in the slightest. Gray had deliberately not said wise leader when he answered, offering the betta a chance to reply with something biting.

  Takiza merely dipped his snout. “As you say.”r />
  Gray moved his tail back and forth in agitation. He wished he could go into the back caverns of Fathomir where he could be alone. Fathomir was far larger than he had initially thought when he swam inside the first time over a year ago. The caverns in the interior of the mountain went on and on and the place was a fortress. But Gray couldn’t hide like a cavefish. He was the Seazarein Emprex and everyone was counting on him. “Who’s next, Judijoan?”

  The oarfish curled her tail and called a sleek and muscular blue shark forward.

  “Message from Scarp, leader of Razorshell Shiver in the North Atlantis. Code word: Red Spire. The message is as follows. ‘Seazarein Graynoldus, a group of jurassic marauders attacked our homewaters. There were at least fifty frilled sharks and five mosasaurs. We managed to send one mosasaur to the Sparkle Blue along with ten frills. Two of our battle fins were wiped out, and two more badly mauled. One remains in good order. The invaders continue north at a ten-stroke pace.’ That is the end of the message.” The blue shark dipped his snout and went outside to wait.

  Barkley sighed. “They lost over three hundred sharks and only killed eleven of Grimkahn’s force.”

  “That’s even worse than the reports from the AuzyAuzy and Indi Shiver battle,” Leilani said. “Maybe Razorshell is poorly trained? They are new.”

  Judijoan shook the red plumes hanging from the crest on her head from side to side. “The news from Wannier and Puffin Shivers was similar.”

  “They’re fighting better. They’re learning,” Gray said, his heart sinking. He didn’t allow himself to shout but he slammed his tail once against the remainder of the throne’s backing, cracking it further. “Make sure our allies know which way the marauder force is headed. Also, send a quickfin to Salamanca. Maybe he can warn other shivers in danger.”

  Gray’s good friend Snork the sawfish was with a giant blue marlin named Salamanca in the northern Atlantis near the Spain landmass. Salamanca was one of the leaders of the bladefish, a type of fin with absolute mastery of their bills, and Snork was his trainee.

  Judijoan nodded. “I will see that it is done. The next fin seeking an audience isn’t a quickfin. He’s a shark on behalf of Trank the stonefish.” Judijoan said this with a heaping dose of disdain. Trank was a poisonous stonefish. He ran a place not far from the borders of Fathomir called the Stingeroo Supper Club, where criminal activities were said to occur.

  Although, to Trank’s credit, the Stingeroo Supper Club served a delicious seasoned fish.

  Much to everyone’s dismay, Gray had met with the stonefish a week before in an attempt to gain support from him and his many questionable dweller friends. Most sharkkind didn’t trust toxic dwellers. Gray didn’t trust Trank either, but he didn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing his allies. While Trank didn’t have mariners like other shivers, he might be useful somehow in the battle against Grimkahn.

  “I guess you’ll get your answer now,” Leilani said.

  Judijoan sniffed but signaled for the shark to come in. Gray had heard from Shear, his captain of the guard, that Trank had begun putting sharks on his payroll. They were older sharkkind, most of whom were problem mariners let go from their own shivers: ones who didn’t follow orders, things like that. So while it wasn’t a surprise that a shark came to deliver the message, the specific shark who swam in was.

  Barkley was first to recognize the battle-scarred hammerhead. “Ripper!” the dogfish gasped.

  Gray had known Ripper for a long time. He had even called him a friend when they were members of Goblin Shiver, long ago. Of all of Goblin’s Line, Ripper had been the strongest, the one with the most honor. That wasn’t saying much though. Goblin and his shiver had done bad things. Ripper had been missing since the Battle of Riptide against the Black Wave armada. Gray thought he had been killed since so many sharkkind were never found in the aftermath of that chaos. Obviously the hammerhead had survived.

  “Gray,” Ripper grunted. “How’s things?”

  Judijoan shot a series of angry ripples through her long body. “You will address the Seazarein appropriately!”

  Gray gave her a fin flick and the oarfish quieted. “It’s okay. We go way back.” He studied Ripper. The shark had a few more scars but still looked strong and capable. “I thought only old or crazy sharks worked with Trank.”

  “Who says I’m not crazy?”

  Barkley shook his head. “We thought you were dead. How could you leave in the middle of the fight against Finnivus? And why didn’t you come back for this war against Grimkahn? We could use you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’d use me, all right. Just like all the great leaders I swam with.” Ripper laughed. “I fought for Goblin, fought for you, Kayless, Whip Tail, and half a dozen others who thought they were the ones who should boss everyone around. I’m done with fighting for kings and causes. I swim for myself now, doggie.”

  Barkley hated when anyone called him doggie, a slur for dogfish, but didn’t press the matter. Ripper had changed. So had everyone.

  Gray nodded. “Understood. So, what did Trank decide?”

  “His answer is no,” Ripper said without emotion. “No to fighting with you, no to allying secretly with you, no to helping you in any way. He and the urchin kings want to be left out of this.”

  Barkley asked, “Aren’t you embarrassed about the sharks and dwellers that will swim out and fight for your freedom while you do nothing?”

  “Not a bit,” Ripper said, turning to leave. “For what it’s worth, it’s good seeing you two alive.” Then he was gone.

  Shear appeared above Gray and moved downward to speak. “I can wipe out Trank’s poisonous nest in an hour. Give the word and it’s done.” The prehistore tiger was the commander of the Seazarein personal guardians. Since Gray was so preoccupied these days, he sometimes forgot that Shear was usually hovering over his dorsal fin.

  Gray shook his head. “No. I won’t do that. They have the right to choose. I won’t force anyone to fight.”

  But in the back of his mind, Gray knew that soon, everyone would have to fight.

  Or die.

  CHAPTER 3

  BARKLEY WATCHED AS VELENKA WENT INTO the golden greenie fields of Fathomir. The blacker-than-black mako with her big eyes and striking silhouette disappeared into the thick kelp. He had sent two of his best ghostfins, Sledge and Peen, into the area ten minutes before to set an ambush for her. Velenka was cunning, devious, and deadly. Her progress had been remarkable and she was one of the best ghostfins now. But while Barkley was beginning to respect Velenka’s abilities, he could never think of her as a friend. She was much too untrustworthy.

  And she had tried to send him to the Sparkle Blue more than once.

  Now, though, she had changed.

  The sulky and egotistical Velenka of old had been replaced by a shark who was eager to learn. She not only accepted challenges, but welcomed them. She had actually given a few of the newer recruits advice on how they could improve without being asked.

  Not only that, but it was good advice.

  Yes, Velenka was a different shark all right.

  And Barkley didn’t buy it for one second.

  In the past all Velenka was ever interested in was power and how to get it for herself. If you were between her and that goal, look out. She even had the nerve to betray Hokuu! This caused the evil frilled shark to send assassin sharks after her. That was when Velenka’s single-minded focus switched from gathering power to staying alive. It was a change Barkley understood.

  But somewhere along the way Velenka had transformed yet again.

  Was Barkley actually the cause?

  He didn’t like to think about it. For some reason it made him uncomfortable. During the Battle of the Spine, when Gray fought off Grimkahn and the jurassic horde, Barkley accidentally saved Velenka’s life. A frilled shark had reared its ugly head to strike and in a moment of unthink
ing stupidity, Barkley rushed forward and shoved her out of the way.

  That was when Velenka claimed she became this new shark.

  She couldn’t understand how Barkley, who loathed her, could do something so selfless. Neither could he for that matter. It would be one thing to save Gray or any of the sharks or dwellers he called friends—but to risk his life for Velenka?

  That was a mystery.

  And now he was stuck with her. She had completed ghostfin training in record time. The mako had been pestering him for more important tasks. Barkley said if she could stalk and “kill” two of his top ghostfins—by ramming instead of biting so there were no permanent injuries—then he would move her up to squad leader.

  Barkley smiled. Velenka didn’t have a chance.

  Sledge and Peen, two hammerheads, were the best. And they had a ten minute head start to find a good place from which to strike in the thick, thick golden greenie. Barkley couldn’t see anything at the moment, but he was sure the contest would be over soon.

  Grinder and Striiker swam over, in mid-argument about something. Striiker was the large great white both Barkley and Gray had known since almost the first day they swam into the open ocean. He commanded the Riptide mariners at Fathomir.

  “It’s always been hammers on the bottom!” Striiker insisted.

  “That was true one minute before I led my formation against the jurassic horde!” Grinder growled. “It was outdated ten seconds later!”

  Barkley waggled his tail for them to be quiet. “Guys, please. Go shout by the training field. I’ve got something going on here.”

  “We came to get your advice, so we gotta yell here, next to you,” Striiker said. He and Barkley hadn’t gotten along well when they were younger, but now they were fast friends and battle brothers.

  Maybe we just grew up, Barkley thought.

  “What are you doing?” asked Grinder as he looked over Barkley’s head into the greenie field. “Watching kelp grow?”