by EJ Altbacker
Yet the great white’s golden color, so deep and healthy before, was now grayish and lacked its usual shine. Was Lochlan dying? Gray couldn’t bear to think about that.
“Finally!” Lochlan shouted as Gray successfully completed a difficult series of moves capped by Spearfisher Streaks by the Cliffs with a large portion of AuzyAuzy mariners. “Not bad at all!”
“Not bad?” Jaunt said loudly. “That was bloody perfect.”
Gray chuckled, relief apparent in his voice. “Guess I’m finally getting the hang of it!”
Just then Olph the dolph released a rapid series of clicks and whistles. Gray caught a word or two, but didn’t understand all of what was being said. The AuzyAuzy mariners who did hear began talking urgently among themselves.
Lochlan’s eyes widened in surprise. “That can’t be,” he said.
Olph released a single loud click again, and the great white was silent for a moment.
“Jaunt, Mari, form everyone up.”
Both sharkkind disappeared in a flash. A bad feeling crept into Gray’s stomach as Lochlan told him, “That’s all we have time for, mate.”
“What?” asked Gray. “What do you mean ‘that’s all we have time for’? You mean for today, right?”
“They’re here. Somehow, Finnivus’s mariners are here.”
“No, no, no!” Gray repeated, shaking his head from side to side. “I was there for the report this morning and we most definitely heard that they were far away!”
“And now I’m telling you they’re here,” Loch answered, gesturing for him to follow.
Gray felt a rising fear that paralyzed his body. He couldn’t swim. His tail didn’t work. Instead, he grinned at Lochlan. “Is this a joke? It’s a joke, right? To see how I’ll do under pressure. Very funny!” Gray cackled, but Lochaln didn’t join in and the panicky feeling raced up and down his spine in hot flashes.
The golden great white gave him a steely gaze. “Okay, you’ve had your moment to freak out. But it’s over, Gray. You hear me? It’s over.”
Gray’s voice cracked. “This can’t be happening, Loch! They’re far away! The scouts—”
Lochlan was amazingly calm. How could he be so composed? “The scouts missed something, Gray. Olph heard it from one of the other dolphs. Their senses are even more fine-tuned than ours. We still have some time left. Our fastest fin just got here with this news, so we can get into proper formation and meet Indi snout to snout and at the ready. But if you want to do anything special before the battle, now’s the time.”
Gray immediately threw up.
“Not what I meant, but okay,” said Lochlan. “Come on, big fella. Let’s get going.”
“Oh-okay,” was all Gray could muster. He wanted to tell Lochlan that today was no good. Maybe they could postpone the battle until next week?
But Gray knew that there was no rescheduling.
Finnivus was here.
“Tyro help me,” he whispered as Lochlan led him toward the Riptide training fields, which were literally vibrating with motion and emotion. Every sharkkind in their forces was rushing to get to their positions. The water would arc electricity if it got any tenser.
“Okay, I want to see even spacing above, below, and side to side!” bellowed Striiker to the Riptide mariners as they adjusted their section of a standard pyramid formation.
AuzyAuzy Shiver would form the center of the formation, Riptide taking position behind their mariners. It was the most protected position for the new mariners as they were still the least experienced, but they could counterattack from there. The experienced Hammer and Vortex Shivers hovered at the ready on either side and would guard everyone’s flanks.
Lochlan waved Gray over to where he was talking with Grinder, Silversun, and Quickeyes. The golden great white swam out and spoke low. “Look, this was sooner than we expected. Maybe Finnivus split his forces; it doesn’t matter. Just be confident. Our fins want to feel good about you.”
I’m not feeling good about me, Gray wanted to say. But he didn’t.
“How you doing?” asked Grinder. The brown and blue hammerhead twitched his large, pointed dorsal fin, nerves from the upcoming battle sparking from him.
“I feel fine,” Gray said woodenly.
Lochlan gave him a stinging slap on the underbelly. “’Course he’s fine! Better than fine!” Gray could see the look on Lochlan’s face. You need more fire in your eyes, it said.
“Right!” Gray exclaimed forcefully. “Time to end this threat!”
“Good, then,” Quickeyes added. “I like our new homewaters and don’t want to leave.” Quickeyes had only left a small holding force led by Sandy, Gray’s mother, in the old Razor Shiver section of the Riptide territory. Gray hoped the battle would not touch that area.
“Hear, hear!” added Silversun.
Whalem slowed from his sprint swim. “Their advance scouts are battling with ours!”
“What does their main force look like? Size? Formation?” asked Silversun, flicking his fins up and down.
“Not as many as we thought. We’re even in numbers!”
“There’s some good news!” said Grinder.
Whalem continued, “They’re in a single horde of a thousand, moving in a diamond formation. We can’t get close enough to see the absolute lineup, but it seems to be an even distribution of different sharkkind. And more good news, a bunch are undersized!”
“You can’t eat properly if you’re always fighting, I guess,” Gray said, a little too quietly.
“Only one horde?” asked Quickeyes. “What luck! Maybe the others got some sense and deserted that crazy fish.”
Lochlan swished his tail through the cold water, thinking. “Indi’s armada is much bigger than that.”
“Perhaps they’ve taken losses in a previous battle on their way here,” reflected Silversun. “Maybe they couldn’t replace their mariners fast enough?”
“Might be,” Lochlan said. “But let’s stay keen. There may be another force out there. I’ll have Whalem send scouts to make sure they don’t go for our tails during the battle.”
“Good thinking,” said Grinder.
“Let’s form up!” Lochlan boomed. “Everyone in position and at the hover!” The golden great white turned to Gray as everyone else went off to their positions. “You understand I would do this, if I could.”
“I know,” Gray answered. He could smell Lochlan’s blood leaking from the ghastly wound on his flank. Despite the best efforts of the doctor and surgeonfish, it had not closed.
“Don’t be nervous. If you get confused, do what your gut tells you!”
“Is that a fat joke?” Gray said, smiling the best he could, which wasn’t much. The quip fell flat to his ears.
Lochlan thought it was great, though. “That’s the stuff, mate! You can do this!”
Gray got into the diamondhead position. Even though it sounded like the fin in the diamondhead should be the absolute first, that wasn’t the case. Gray swam four rows back with the largest and fiercest AuzyAuzy mariners arranged directly in front to protect him. It gave the shark in that position a perfect view of the battle waters.
“Advance, ahead slow,” Gray said, his mouth so dry it came out a squeaky whisper. But Olph the dolph’s sharp ears heard and clicked out the command. Everyone moved forward.
Gray struggled to control his breathing, not letting his gills pant too fast. That always made you look winded or nervous. He didn’t want to give either impression.
I have to be strong, he thought.
Then Gray saw the Indi mariners.
“There they are!” cried someone many rows below as the Black Wave slid into view. Of Finnivus there was no sign. But Gray’s heart leapt. It wasn’t the huge, overwhelming force he expected. In fact, Riptide United’s formation was almost as big! Gray’s tension fell away. A few seconds after seeing the enemy, a totally unexpected feeling rose inside of Gray. They could do it. He could do it. They could win!
The Indi formation split itself into tw
o triangles, small ends joining in the middle. Gray shifted his mariners accordingly. The Indi armada came forward, speeding up. They seemed a bit sloppier than usual. Not everyone was perfectly in position as he had seen them before.
Gray increased their speed. “Ten strokes!” he yelled. It looked as if the two formations were going to strike each other head on. Gray was glad. That way he wouldn’t have to give any orders at all!
But something nagged at him. This was a much simpler attack than Indi was known for. Usually they split into several battle fins which feinted and nibbled, pulling an opposing force apart before striking a crushing blow. Maybe the Indi mariners were tired of fighting—so exhausted they weren’t thinking clearly.
He got a closer look at the attackers. Something was wrong. Not every shark had the Black Wave tattoo, marking them as armada members. Then Gray realized.
They were all pups!
Every single one!
This wasn’t the Indi armada at all! The evil Finnivus knew that sharkkind, especially the females, would hesitate sending a pup to the Sparkle Blue. And this was an armada of kids!
“Gray!” shouted Jaunt from her subcommander position. “Orders!”
“They’re pups!” he shouted. “They’re all pups!” Olph the battle dolph made a razzing noise of disapproval above him.
“It doesn’t matter! Orders!”
Gray’s mind reeled. It was a key moment and he did …
Nothing.
But suddenly—Lochlan was there!
He was swimming so fast! The golden great white cut through the pup formation, bashing the guards away to give a tremendous tail slap to its leader, a large boy tiger shark.
“You can’t catch me, you jelly-drifting flipper!” he shouted as he darted away from the Indi formation, creating a huge mess.
The youngling leader was enraged! He took off after Lochlan, shouting, “I’ll kill you!”
“Protect the leader!” Lochlan shouted at the Indi formation. And while Gray could see that the golden great white was the one saying it, the Indi mariners couldn’t! They tore off after their angry commander. Soon, all the pups were madly following—and more importantly—not attacking, Gray’s formation!
But Lochlan couldn’t get away. The wound in his side opened as if it were new, streaming a thick trail of black blood. The pups grew mad with the scent. They bumped and bit one another as they struggled to get at Lochlan.
Just as he was overtaken, the golden great white made a furious turn and got above his pursuers. He smiled at the Riptide United mariners, waggling his fins. “To victory!” he cried out in a strong and clear voice. And just before the frenzied cluster of Indi pup mariners engulfed him, Lochlan winked at Gray. Then the AuzyAuzy King was swarmed by hundreds of sharks as the pups went into a feeding frenzy.
“Loch!” yelled Gray.
Suddenly, a second group of Indi mariners smashed into their formation. They were only five hundred, but these were real Black Wave mariners. They rammed the center of Gray’s formation, right under the diamondhead, throwing his defenders out of position.
“We’ve got to withdraw!” shouted Mari, as she fought off an attack by a ferocious blue shark. Even though Riptide United vastly outnumbered these new attackers, the Black Wave mariners knew what they were doing.
And we’re totally disorganized and drifting dead in the water, Gray thought, a cold dread gripping him.
But what to order? Swim Away? They would be caught from behind and slaughtered. Swordfish Parries? How could that be used? That was wrong to even get inside his head. Then Gray couldn’t think of anything but Swordfish Parries! He forgot every other move! Gray was paralyzed by indecision!
Time slowed as sharkkind died all around him, spiraling away to the Sparkle Blue. Soon the Indi mariners would smash completely through their formation.
Suddenly there was a whirling ball of water growing in front of them. Gray’s eyes adjusted as everything got brighter. “Hold steady at the hover!” he shouted. Olph repeated his order. Gray found the source between their massed formation and the bulk of the Indi battle fins—it was Takiza!
“YOU LUMPFISH SHALL NOT PASS!” the little betta’s voice boomed, impossibly loud. The light grew brighter and brighter, and the Black Wave’s formation melted as their mariners gave in to panic. They bumped and jostled one another to get away. This chaos rippled and cascaded across their tight formation, destroying it. The pups scattered also, retreating as fast as they were able. Their feeding frenzy was no match for the terror that Takiza was inspiring.
“Left turn, ahead slow,” Gray said, and Olph relayed that to everyone. “Jaunt, you have the diamondhead. Take them in. Run patrols and have Onyx and Barkley swim out and keep an eye on where those enemy sharks are going!”
“But I want to—”
“I’ll look for him!” Gray said. “You follow orders! Finnivus and the rest of Indi could be anywhere!”
“Yes sir!” Jaunt shot back, but she wasn’t happy about it.
Gray went to the area where he last saw Lochlan. Takiza’s turbulent power had cleared the area of blood, but not of dead pups. Of the golden great white, there was no sign.
“Lochlan!” Gray said in a clear voice. Since the warring parties had left, it was so quiet. The dwellers in the area had all been smart enough to swim away. “Loch, if you’re hiding, now’s the time to come out!”
“Nulo, stop,” Takiza said in a firm voice, floating in front of his right eye.
“But I’m trying to find—”
Takiza slashed his fins through the water, cutting him off. “Lochlan boola Naka Fiji swims the Sparkle Blue now.”
The cold current carried away Gray’s tears.
Mari watched the two from a distance. Though she knew Takiza was there, her eyes were glued on Gray. Her friend had suffered another, almost unimaginable, loss. King Lochlan was like a big brother to Gray, though she doubted her friend fully realized this.
She gagged, the smell of blood drifting in the water interrupting her thoughts.
And it was the blood of pups!
Mari pictured her stomach as a stone to stop from heaving everything she had eaten for the last week into the water. Finnivus was evil! How could he order children to fight? Didn’t they know their lives were being used as a distraction, to be thrown away so the real Black Wave mariners could complete their surprise attack? Of course they didn’t, she thought, answering her own question.
But her larger concern was Gray, who she saw was crying freely. Would he be all right? He absolutely froze in the battle, but who wouldn’t? Mari knew that Gray could be a great leader one day, but they didn’t have many more days. King Lochlan was gone, and Gray had even more doubts about himself than before.
Just five hundred Black Wave mariners had almost destroyed them. And Finnivus and the real armada were swimming toward them to finish the task. Mari’s stomach clenched again, and fear crept like an icy urchin down her spine.
Could Gray recover in time?
One way or another, they would get their answer soon.
GRAY PAUSED, OUT ALONE IN FRONT OF THE massed mariners of the Riptide, AuzyAuzy, Hammer, and Vortex Shivers, as well as many of the refugees that had been streaming into their homewaters in hopes of safety. It was silent in the cool waters with the sun shining from the chop-chop above and colorful terraced greenie behind him. He wished Takiza was here to tell him what to say, but the unpredictable betta was gone once more.
In a loud voice Gray began, “King Lochlan boola Naka Fiji was a great leader and a good friend of mine.” He picked his mother, Sandy, out of the crowd, and she nodded, her barbels vibrating with emotion. Even though she hadn’t known Lochlan the way Gray had, she had a tender heart and was moved by his death, as was everyone.
“His sacrifice saved us from Finnivus and the Indi armada. He taught me so much about being a leader, about being a good fin. I wish I were a better student. But as he swims the Sparkle Blue, I know he’s watching over us.
With all my heart, I want to tell you that the danger is over, but it’s not. That was only their first attack. The Indi sharks were pushed away this time, but a larger force is coming. The Black Wave is swimming toward us. I’m asking you to stay and face the danger, face Finnivus’s evil.”
Gray saw the mariners were putting on a brave face even though they had doubts. He needed to rally them, but his heart was heavy. The loss of Lochlan was so huge. The golden great white was the bond that kept everyone together. How could Gray hope to take his place? He couldn’t.
“We will continue to swim and be ready. We will not be caught by surprise. And when we meet Finnivus and his mariners for real … we will, umm, we will fight.”
The gathered fins had expected more, and there was a low murmur. They picked up on Gray’s doubts. That he was no leader. That Lochlan was wrong about him. Gray was about to admit this when Striiker bellowed, “You heard him! There’s no time for lazy summer swims. Mariners of Riptide, we have work to do! AuzyAuzy, Hammer, and Vortex check with your commanders.”
Thankfully Grinder and Silversun immediately ordered their mariners to combat drills as Jaunt did the same with AuzyAuzy. Striiker slapped Gray on the flank with his tail as he passed and said, “Good speech.”
Followed by Jaunt, Mari came over, her lobed thresher tail switching back and forth in short, hesitant strokes. “Are you okay, Gray?”
“I’m fine,” Gray told Mari; then asked Jaunt, “Is there any word?”
“We sent a messenger but no answer,” Jaunt told him. “Indi has been taking out our scouts, though.” The small tiger waggled her fins. “I’m thinking you’re wrong, if you’re looking for another opinion.”
“I’m not.”
“What’s this about?” asked Mari.
Gray turned to his friend as Barkley and Whalem joined them. “I told Jaunt to send for Xander or Kendra to replace me.”
Kendra and Xander del Hav’aii were first and third in the Line for AuzyAuzy, but more importantly they were royalty and could take command of the mariners. But both were busy fighting in the Sific against Indi’s large and powerful holding. Could either leave where they were so badly needed? It would take time. Perhaps time Gray wouldn’t have before the next attack. But he wanted a leader whom their fins would follow without question. “Everyone here deserves someone better than me.”
