Red Queen

by Jolie Jaquinta

  Chapter 12

  Playing Tag

  The young boy was thrown roughly against the sagging Triton ruin. Disturbed mud billowed around him further dimming the water, blued by depth. His body was adolescent and wiry, a shock of black hair floating in a nimbus around his head. Blue eyes darted about warily under thick brows.

  “Nice try, Winter”, called the voice of his adversary, taunting. “But you haven't the guts to stand up to me.”

  “More like the stomach, Balanoptera”, said Winter, suddenly pushing off towards him. He held fistfuls of muck from the ruin, which trailed enveloping clouds, spiraling outward as he spun in to tackle Balanoptera. There was a grunt, a brief scuffle, and Winter was propelled backwards out of the cloud.

  “Ugh, you barnacle”, swore Balanoptera, spinning himself to slough the mud off and clear the water. “I've had it with your dirty tricks!” He spat mud out of his mouth. It was typical of this surface brat. He couldn't stand up to the true rulers of the ocean and had to cheat.

  No sooner had he dispersed the cloud than Winter was on top of him again, having circled above. He wrapped his legs around him and started to wrestle. Balanoptera twisted first one way, then another. He tried to bash him against the sea floor, but it did not shake him. Finally he slammed him hard up against some shapeless outer part of the ruin. He felt Winter loosen and flung him roughly into the collapsed gateway. Winter lay there, unmoving.

  Balanoptera shook himself, recovering. He glared at Winter's unmoving form. “Serves you right, you uppity krill.” There would be hell to pay if his foster brother was dead. Even if it was his own fault. Winter's hand moved slightly. Balanoptera swam closer, warily. “What's wrong sea cucumber? Did I hit you too hard? You have to expect that if you play with the big boys.” The gloating in his voice was spoiled by a trace of worry. It wouldn't be great either if he was seriously maimed.

  Winter raised his head a little, and then it sagged back. “Not dead I see”, sneered Balanoptera, worry gone. Eventually his usefulness would be over and no one would care if Winter had an accident. “Pity. I'd finally have my vengeance for my sister.” Balanoptera minced around. “It was an accident Daddy! I was going easy on him in the race and he got caught in a collapsing ruin. So sad!” A cruel smile crossed his face. “Maybe I should anyway.” Even an accident wouldn't be good for him. But Winter didn't have to know that.

  Winter curled up into a fetal position, his hands covering his head. Balanoptera swam closer, threateningly. “Afraid, are you? You should be.” Balanoptera gloated. “You don't mess with the son of Atlantica. A true son, that is. You're just a foster son, and you shouldn't forget it. Your surface politics won't protect you here.” The little clam always had his mother’s skirts to run to.

  A weak sound came from Winter. Balanoptera drew closer again. “Crying? You're crying!” he said, unbelieving. “Can't run with the big boys in the race? No pearl to bring home to show your foster father you're as good as his true sons?” Balanoptera held out a small shining object. “The prize is mine! You have some arrogance running the race at all.” He aimed a gleeful kick at Winter, who sobbed harder.

  “You just lie here, surface crybaby”, taunted Balanoptera. “Even better, don't bother finishing the race. I won't say you slunk off. Go back to your dry barren land. Break your treaty. See if we care. Atlantica and his sons will...”

  In a sudden movement Winter sprung out of his crouch and snatched the pearl from Balanoptera. He spun in mid-water and pushed off of Balanoptera himself and shot into the depths of the ruin. With a cry Balanoptera shot after him, but was brought up short by the gate. Mud cascaded down as he slammed up against it. “Ill spawned red tide!” screamed Balanoptera, trying to batter pieces of the posts and lintel loose so he could get in. “You can't get out except by me! I'll crush you! Give that back! You cheat!”

  Winter ignored the cries as he swam deeper into the ruin. It had been carved into the compressed mud of the sea ridge, and reinforced and faced with stone. The deeper in he went, the more intact it became. There was only occasional subsidence where the facade had cracked and mud had flowed into the passages. These had been cleared just enough to allow Winter passage as he traversed them with familiarity.

  He reached and rubbed a stud on his belt. A faint light illuminated the area around and ahead of him. The textured stone facing was covered with dirt. Although the occasional glint reflected from stone mosaics under the grime. The walls moved past quickly as Winter swam in strong strokes, pushing off frequently as surfaces allowed.

  Near the center was what had been the vault of the edifice. A final length of corridor ran straight up, with two twists for a last ditch defense to be fought over. It then opened into a small room. The walls of this room were covered in a shimmery glaze, making it resistant to magical investment. It also made it air proof, which Winter had clearly used to his advantage. He surfaced in the room and pulled himself up on a ledge until he was entirely free of the water. He paused, listening, and then smiled.

  He held up the faintly shimmering pearl and turned to some shell bowls. Sorting through the contents he first touched a rock, which added its own light to the gloom. He pulled an hour glass from another one and set it up, cascading. Carefully, from under a small pile of rocks, he extracted a finely crafted wooden chest. He touched the surface in several places and it popped open.

  He pulled out, and held for a while, a small portrait. It was an Elfin woman with fiery red hair, wearing a Romitu officer's uniform. He placed it gently back and brought out a small, nondescript metal box. Into one compartment he placed the pearl, and into the other he placed a small clear crystal from the box. He clicked the two compartments shut, and there was a discreet vibration. He took the crystal out and sequestered it in his short trousers. The pearl he kept in his hand. With care he replaced all of the contents, and sequestered the box back under the carefully arranged rubble.

  He checked the timer and the sand was three quarters run through. He pulled something from another shell, and chewed on it a while, resting. When the last of the sand had run out, he placed the shell bowls back from the edge, turned the glow stone off, and slipped back into the water.

  Winter swam directly to another part of the ruin, and then peered cautiously into the greater ocean. All seemed quiet. He darted out, and made his way along the ridge, keeping to dark spots and seaweed banks. Eventually the ridge ran out, and all that was left was open sea floor in the direction of Atlantica's palace.

  He paused for a while, looking to see there was any surface weather that might change the lighting. Seeing nothing he sighed, and brazenly swam into the open water, using his fastest long distance stroke.

  He passed only startled fish for a while. But as he drew closer to the palace, he was shadowed by a hammer head shark. First on one side, then a second appeared on the other. Their dull eyes tracked him unblinking. He did not even try to evade, only going for speed. As the third came up, they started to hem him in. Swimming close enough to nudge him, or perturb his strokes. As his speed slowed, a dark shadow loomed above him.

  “That's quite enough”, said Balanoptera. Winter stopped and the two faced off. Balanoptera glared at him malevolently. This little minnow had caused him a lot of trouble. Giving him the slip like a hermit crab was really low. It was disgusting that his father tolerated his presence at all, even worse as a foster son. It was only his massive intellect that made him think of making a break for the palace. We had to break from the ridge at some point. And Balanoptera had many friends in the ocean to keep lookout.

  “Don't even think of trying another trick. I've had enough of you playing the sea otter today” growled Balanoptera. Winter remained expressionless. “Now. Are you going to give me the pearl, or are my friends going to tear it from you?” Winter looked sidelong at the hovering sharks, considering. “It doesn't matter how smart you think you are”, said Balanoptera. “If you walk into that palace with that pearl, I will make life, very, very, very hard for you
.” The menace dripped from his voice. “You know I can.” Balanoptera had lots of friends. And Winter had none. He might not be able to arrange a big accident, like Winter deserved. But plenty of friends meant plenty of people who could make plenty of little accidents. Not one on its own would create a political incident. But collectively Winter would be quite unhappy.

  “It was fun while it lasted”, said Winter, smiling wryly. He held out the pearl, but pulled back just as Balanoptera reached for it. “Just remember: you didn't win by your own merit. I did. If it ever comes down to just you and me...”

  Balanoptera snatched the pearl from him, and swam off without looking back.