She clutched the side of the boat, inhaling the briny air. There was nothing to do but wait. Wait, and hope that Thor was right.
“What in the name of Christ are you two doing?”
Thor jumped nearly as high as Flora. Thank God he managed to keep a hold on the towline—what she’d begun to think of as Liam’s lifeline.
“Liam went for a dive, sir.”
Flora was astounded at the speed with which Thor threw his friend under the bus. It was second nature to these jerks.
“A dive?” Apostolos turned a new and interesting shade of purple as he stormed across the deck toward them. It took everything she had not to cringe at the large man’s approach. “Why in the hell would he do something so asinine? Has he been taking retard lessons from you, Anderssen?”
“Not that I’m aware of, sir.”
“Then it was probably you that talked him into it, wasn’t it?” Apostolos spat the words at her, his face so close she could smell the garlic on his breath. “Are you trying to get everyone on this bloody barge fired so they can join you in the unemployment line?”
“Not that you’ll listen to me, but I tried to talk him out of it. I don’t think it’s safe.”
She was relieved when he pushed past her to lean over the edge of the ship, his thick brows furrowing. “Damn right it’s not safe. We’re about to push off to get new materials. If I hadn’t gotten the mind to check on you idiots, Lashay would have been left behind. If our props didn’t get him, the sharks would have.”
“He was determined to get a glimpse of the creature, sir.”
“Would you pull the wax outta your ears, Anderssen? There isn’t any creature out there, at least nothing we don’t already know about. I’m not sure what you’ve got between you, but you need to get it through your thick skull that she’s no more a scientist than she is a sailor.”
Thor cleared his throat. “I don’t believe that, sir.”
“Are you contradicting me? On my own ship? You’d like to join your girlfriend in the welfare office, is that what you’re telling me?”
“Don’t bother, Thor. It’s not worth it,” Flora said. She had the measure of the captain now, even more than before, and there was nothing Thor could say or do that would change his mind.
“Why are you standing there, flapping your gums at me?” Apostolos bellowed, growing even darker in the face. “Bring him up.”
She’d never expected to agree with Apostolos about anything, but it didn’t matter why Liam was pulled to the surface, as long as he was safe.
It would have been a good day for diving, had there been anything to see. The ocean was calm for a change. Unusually calm, come to think of it. Its surface was a shimmering aquamarine, as flat and placid as a lake.
The only thing that disturbed the surface was a series of ripples that expanded and collapsed into one another, following each other like train cars on a rail. Flora’s fingers tightened on the rough wood of the railing as she leaned over the side for a better look. The ripples were moving faster now, and coming closer. They were headed right for Liam. That sense that something was wrong increased until Flora thought she would scream. Before Apostolos could say anything else, she seized his arm and pointed, not even noticing when he shook her off hard enough to make her wrist crack.
“Thor, get him out of there. Hurry—something’s coming.” Her heart fluttered like a bird desperate to escape its cage. A wave of heat rushed over her, and her legs trembled, threatening to deposit her on the deck.
And then the towline went nuts.
Frustrated by Thor’s feeble attempts to haul Liam to safety, Apostolos shoved him out of the way. Swearing, he pulled the line in hand over fist, his thick arms bulging with the effort.
Tears slid down Flora’s cheeks, but she didn’t notice. Even though she hadn’t been to church since she was a child, she began to pray. She figured it couldn’t hurt, and reciting the familiar words kept her from running around the deck shrieking.
“There he is,” Apostolos yelled, and Flora felt overwhelming gratitude as she saw Liam surface. He appeared to be just the same as when they’d lowered the line, except that he was trying to clamber up the tow rope as if a demon were after him. The line jerked and swayed under his efforts, and Apostolos cursed him and his mother and any future children he might have. “Stay still, you dumb bastard, or I’ll put you in there myself.”
For an agonizing moment, Flora watched as Liam clung to the rope, his mouth working around his regulator. He was trying to tell them something.
“Don’t just stand there—do something. Get him out of there,” she screamed. As the strange ripples moved ever closer to the boat, the ship itself began to buck and sway, as if traveling over gigantic waves, though the sea was still calm as glass. The deck creaked ominously, and Flora could feel the wood shudder beneath her feet.
Jolted into action, Thor rushed to help Apostolos. With both men pulling the rope, the process went much faster. Soon Liam was crouching, wet and shaking, on the deck. The ripples glided past where he had been only moments before.
Everyone froze as the ship rocked violently from side to side.
And then the ocean was calm once more.
Liam ripped out his respirator, gasping and choking. Flora ran to get him some fresh water and a towel, her pulse pounding in her ears. The threat of her panic attack had receded, as it did whenever a genuine crisis was at hand.
By the time she returned, the men had helped Liam out of his wetsuit. He was unharmed, but his skin was the color of ashes and he shook uncontrollably. Flora tossed the towel to Thor, who wrapped it around the trembling man. When Liam spotted Flora, he started to babble, his eyes wide and scared in his pale face.
“I saw it. It was massive. It was gigantic…truly monstrous.” His words were cut off by a violent fit of coughing. Once his choking had subsided, Flora pressed the glass of water into his shaking hands. He had to use both of them to guide the glass to his mouth.
“Let’s get him below deck. This man has suffered a shock. He needs to rest,” Apostolos ordered. “Enough standing around gawking. Duchovney, you take Lashay to his quarters. Anderssen, I need your help at the controls. I want to get out of this place.”
Thor hesitated, but Flora waved him on. She could handle the young engineer, who didn’t weigh much more than she did. Besides, maybe Liam would talk about what he’d seen if another guy wasn’t around. She hooked Liam’s arm around her shoulders and guided him toward the stairs.
Apostolos didn’t spare them a glance, but he was in an uncommon hurry to get things underway. While he was always all business, he usually had the relaxed lassitude of a man whose check was already in the bank. Not today.
As the captain passed them, Flora was stunned to see a foreign expression on the big Greek’s face.
Apostolos was afraid.
Chapter Eight
They were lucky it was me.
If it had been my wife, they wouldn’t have been talking and laughing and sharing stories, I can tell you that. Their little ship would have been smashed to smithereens, and all that would have remained of their bodies would have been the odd tooth or bit of bone.
My wife didn’t like to play.
On the other hand, I was always up for entertainment. Life got tedious without it, enough that I often envied the smaller creatures who needed to have things like survival instincts. Our kind doesn’t have survival instincts. We just are.
Though our species had long communicated telepathically, I had never experienced that link with any other creature, and yet I had access to the geologist’s thoughts. Sometimes I could even view what was happening on the ship through her eyes. This unexpected mind meld was as disturbing as it was fascinating. Why this human? And why now? I had to find out.
Humans, while a nuisance, were definitely entertaining.
Their misguided confidence was amusing. Thinking they could pull that scrawny specimen away before I got to him—ha. If I’d bothered to st
retch out my neck, I could have bitten him in half before those idiots knew what happened. It was tempting. The commotion that would have occurred when they hauled that broken, bloody mess on board would have been priceless. Nothing was music to our ears like the sound of humans leaving our waters.
But something stopped me. He was so puny, so helpless, thrashing around on that rope. I could have eaten the entire ship and not suffered so much as a stomachache. But if I let him live, perhaps he would warn his fellow idiots. I’m sure they’d take their nasty drills somewhere else, but at least they’d be someone else’s problem, threatening someone else’s home.
I hadn’t revealed myself to a human for at least three centuries, and I admit I was curious about their reaction. I suspected modern humans thought themselves more sophisticated than their ancestors. It was obvious they were desensitized to violence, desensitized to the supernatural, desensitized to even their own suffering. Would they be desensitized to me?
On the first pass, I glided close enough that the human could feel my wake but would not be able to see me. It worked. The acrid stench of his fear was so strong I could almost taste it. His confidence on the ship had been nothing but bravado. Once he was in the water, he was in my territory, and he knew it.
There was one thing I’d always envied about the humans, although I’d never admit it to my wife. They had tremendous survival instincts. They always knew when some danger was lurking, or when they were about to die. What I’d never been able to figure out is why they never paid attention to them.
From several leagues away, I could see the man’s hands tighten on the rope. He wasn’t giving a signal—not yet—but he wanted to, that much was obvious. He knew something wasn’t right. His tiny legs flailed as he panicked, pushing small fish and other curious creatures aside. The man didn’t even acknowledge them. He was waiting for me.
Another pass, and this time I came closer. Too close. I’m afraid I might have damaged their little boat. Hopefully not enough to stop them from leaving. Then the wife would surely get involved.
The man had a little device held close to his face, and I immediately knew what it was. Uisge had warned us about these foul machines often enough. It would preserve my image and capture it for the people on land to see. I could be famous like our poor cousin. For a moment, I was tempted to bare my teeth at the puny thing so he could take his precious picture, but common sense prevailed. I merely flicked my tail at him, but that was enough.
To see him scramble up that rope with his gear and those ridiculous fins on his feet! I hadn’t laughed so hard in years. I was still angry about the damage that had been done to my home, but I decided to let them live, in return for the entertainment. At least humans were more amusing than fish.
By the time I returned home, the wife was in a lather.
“Where have you been, Nøkken? I see you haven’t brought us any food.”
The sneer on her face dissolved my good mood. At her side, my son whined with hunger. I’d never understood why my wife insisted that I do most of the hunting. She was much more skilled at it than I.
“Our dinner has found a new hiding place. Not much out and about today, but I’ll try again in a few.” In truth, I’d found plenty. A full school of tarpon and several tiger sharks had me stuffed. I cursed myself for not thinking to bring any home.
Her eyes narrowed. “You lie, Nøkken.” Her tail poked me sharply in the underbelly, drawing blood. My son drifted after the tiny fish that gathered to feast on my essence, snapping his teeth with relish. I’d hoped he’d take after me rather than his mother, but it appeared I was losing that particular battle. As I’d done hundreds of times since his birth, I resolved to spend more time at home, even though I knew I wouldn’t. Truth be told, I didn’t much like our son. He was a temperamental sort, whose moods ranged from nasty to demanding. More than once I’d threatened to send him to live with his aunt. He mostly ignored me.
“Your belly protrudes. You have stuffed yourself again.” She poked me once more for good measure. I winced, but tried not to snarl. Showing aggression would only make things worse.
“It was only a few sharks. Just a snack, nothing more. Shall I try again, sweetheart? I can bring something home for you and The Boy.”
“You should have thought of that before. You are full of lies. Why is it that I feel more and more as if I shouldn’t trust you?” As she circled me, I dared not meet her eyes. “What else have you been doing?”
“Nothing. Only surveying the territory, as always.” My eyes downcast, I could feel her swirling around me. The mood in our lair was heavy, stifling. Clearly she’d been waiting awhile for me, growing angrier with every passing second. I should have brought the little ship home, given it to our son as a toy. That would have pleased her.
“The humans are gone?”
“What?” I was startled by the question, and it took every ounce of self-control not to react. Of course she would narrow in on the humans. She was still in a bad temper over what they’d done to our home, ignoring the fact that the worst of the damage had been caused by her.
“Tell me the truth, Nøkken, or I will go to the surface myself. Are the humans gone, or are they not?”
I thought of that tiny helpless ship and the even tinier men aboard. Though I’d been able to calm her the first time, my wife would destroy them now without thinking twice. Centuries ago I would have done the same, but something gave me pause. Why I felt sympathy toward these particular humans was a curious thing, but it was something I was determined to discover for myself. So few things required deeper thought these days.
“They are gone.” I risked looking my wife in the eye as I said it, and thankfully my words appeared to satisfy her.
“Too bad. They would have made an adequate amuse-bouche for our son.” She moved past me and flicked her tail at the child, beckoning. “Come, Boy. Let’s go get you some food, since your father hasn’t seen fit to share his bounty with us.”
They barely made a wake as they left. Both Draugen and her boy were graceful swimmers.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Settling down for a nap, I thought once more of the humans and their ship. They’d better be gone by tomorrow.
Their lives depended on it.
Chapter Nine
“You have to calm down. You’ve been through a terrible shock. Try to get some rest.”
Liam seized Flora’s wrist with surprising strength. “Don’t leave. Stay with me. I can’t…I can’t be alone right now.”
“All right, I’ll stay for a bit. But you have to calm down, or you’ll get us both in trouble. And you have to let me go.”
The engineer released her immediately. She shook her hand to get the blood flowing again. He may have been scrawny, but he wasn’t nearly as weak as he appeared.
“I saw it, Flora. I really saw it.” His eyes were huge, and she feared he was going to panic again. She patted his hand in an attempt to comfort him, and wished for Thor, but Thor was helping Apostolos. The sad truth was, she was the only person on the boat who was seen as expendable. Her help was never needed.
“You need to rest. Please lie down.”
Every time his head touched the pillow, he bolted upright again, gasping in terror. And even though she understood what a panic attack felt like better than anyone aboard, she didn’t know how to help him. She didn’t know Liam. Before that day, they’d barely spoken two words to each other. How was she to comfort him?
“If I lie down, you’ll leave.” He reached for her arm again, but this time, she was fast enough to move out of range. He was going to bruise her if she wasn’t careful.
“I won’t; I promise. I’ll stay with you until the guys return.”
“I don’t want to talk to the guys. They won’t believe me. They’ll just make my life miserable, like—” An anguished expression came over his face. “Like they did to you. I’m so sorry. And I was just as bad. I’m such an idiot.”
“It’s okay.” Flora glanced at the doorwa
y, hoping against hope that Thor would be finished his duties soon and come relieve her. But outside the room it was dark and quiet. The creaking of the ship unnerved her. Why weren’t they moving? She wasn’t sure how long she’d been with Liam, but it felt like hours. “Try not to think about it.”
She felt awkward sitting on the edge of his bunk, and there wasn’t enough room.
“I should have listened to you. I didn’t believe—no, that’s not right. I didn’t want to believe you were telling the truth. But I saw it, Flora.”
All right, Liam. Obviously you’re not going to rest until you tell your story, so let’s get it over with. “What did you see?”
To her horror, the young man started to cry, tears rolling down his cheeks. “The sea monster,” he said in a harsh whisper. “I saw the sea monster.”
She stifled her impulse to remind him there was no such thing as sea monsters. Liam obviously believed he’d seen one, and in any case, it was common for people to refer to unidentified creatures as monsters. There was no doubt in her mind that whatever Liam had seen was uncategorized. The state of the drill string had told her that much. “What did it look like?”
“I didn’t see much of it. Thankfully, it didn’t get close enough,” he admitted. “But it was huge—gigantic. Bigger than a whale. Bigger than my apartment complex. And bigger than this ship. A lot bigger.”
Flora bit her lower lip, a habit left over from when she was a girl whose words always got her into trouble. It was impossible for the creature to be that big. For one thing, someone would have seen it long before now, and for another, what did it eat? What could possibly sustain something that size?
Liam slumped against his pillow, defeated. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“It’s not that. It’s only—” She struggled to find the right words, to be diplomatic. Unfortunately, diplomacy was not something she excelled at. Fuck. Where was Thor? “I’m sure the water distorted its size. It isn’t possible for the creature to be that large.”
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