Into the Abyss

by EJ Altbacker

  Gray lowered his snout in a bob of respect. “Forgive me, Shiro, but I don’t understand.”

  “There is another like myself, Gray,” Takiza told him. “I, and the Seazarein, thought him dead. But he is not. It was he who sent the fin’jaa to Finnivus. But not because he has any allegiance to that dolt. In fact, I believe he does not regard the emperor and his mariners as a threat at all.”

  “He doesn’t think Finnivus and his entire armada are a threat?”

  “You saw how I dealt with them?” Takiza said dismissively.

  “But that’s you, Shiro—” Gray started to answer.

  Takiza cut him off with a chop of his tail. “His mastery of shar-kata makes mine look clumsy by comparison!”

  “Now this is a myth,” Gray told the betta. “How could someone be better than you? That’s impossible.”

  Takiza swam in front of Gray, thinking out loud. “It is true, I have learned and improved. I have devoted myself to the divine art. So if he lives, he may not be stronger than I am presently. Perhaps.”

  “There, see?” Gray said. “I knew you were overreacting.”

  “I hope that is so,” Takiza told him.

  Gray was beginning to feel better until Takiza added, “Because master Hokuu was much better at everything when he was my Shiro, and I, his Nulo.”

  BARKLEY AND SEVERAL OF HIS BEST GHOSTFINS were shadowing a patrol of Indi Shiver advance scouts. The armada itself had been making huge progress because the currents were with them, but then, suddenly, it stopped. There seemed to be a disturbance in the royal court, but Barkley had ordered everyone to stay away from investigating it. He was thankful for any delay, but now Indi was on the move again. Any extra time was good for Gray, Whalem, Striiker, and all the others preparing for the defense of Riptide. Finnivus was just five days from the Riptide homewaters.

  Barkley and the ghostfins had remained totally undetected even though they followed the Indi scouts less than a hundred tail strokes behind. Whether using greenie to mask their movements, the currents to their advantage, or swimming carefully during the night, his corps were performing beautifully.

  Gray had given Barkley the important job of keeping an eye on the Indi armada since Riptide United’s regular scouts were being sent to the Sparkle Blue at an alarming rate. If the ghostfins had information, one of their unit would pass a message to another scout stationed a safe distance away who would then rush back with the news. They hadn’t been detected yet, even though, three times now, the royal court had lumbered its way directly over one of the unit’s members.

  Barkley’s heart wanted to burst with pride when he remembered how the two Hammer Shiver sharks came to him after one training session and apologized for every time they had ever been disrespectful. Both the larger Sledge and smaller but quicker Peen were with him today. The hammerheads were two of his best.

  The pair were so loyal that they got into a brawl with members of their own shiver when they heard a smart remark about hammerheads taking orders from a dogfish.

  That was a sight to see. Even Grinder wanted a report on what happened. The Hammer Shiver leader couldn’t believe that Sledge and Peen, whom he had to order to join Barkley’s unit, were now getting into fights to defend him. After Grinder saw what his mariners had learned, he told Barkley, “Dogfish, I don’t know how you’ve done this, but keep doing it.” Though Barkley had never admitted to wanting the respect of someone like Grinder, it felt terrific.

  The Indi scouts were very good compared to the first fins Barkley had ever tried to keep track of, the sharks of Goblin and Razor Shivers. Those mariners had made loads of mistakes and thank Tyro for that! Barkley got much better by stalking and watching them. He would have surely been caught by the sharp-eyed Indi mariners if he hadn’t had that practice. Since then, he had gotten much better. Now, even the scouts of Indi Shiver didn’t pose too serious a problem.

  Although the Black Wave patrols were excellently trained, they had a series of repetitive procedures that Barkley had figured out. He had been helped immensely by Whalem. The ex–mariner prime of the Indi armada provided many valuable ideas. For instance, Indi sharks would always break backwards to see if anyone was following them exactly when the sun set. And sometimes their patrols would separate for ten minutes, one covering the other from above. If you knew those things, you could avoid being defeated by them.

  Barkley signaled the others from his unit, staggered in the greenie below the Indi patrol, to keep their distance. The royal court and armada were passing about five hundred tail strokes to his left.

  One of the other interesting things Whalem told Barkley was that the armada had a series of tail and fin signals, so they could operate while remaining silent. This also allowed them to communicate in loud places like the Tuna Run, or even volcanic flats. The signals were basic: up or down, left or right, attack or hold. Barkley took the idea and over the past few days with Mari, developed a more complete, and totally silent, signal language. It wasn’t as good as speaking, of course, but the ghostfins were quick studies and could now converse to a high degree, even with its limitations.

  Sledge signaled from his position among a cluster of smooth volcanic rocks. He looked like a rock himself! The trick of the sign language was an unobtrusive tail waggle that was the equivalent of saying, “Look here! I need to tell you something.” Ideally you would only make this sign when you knew no one was watching, but the signal itself was usually hidden in greenie movement. It was just different enough that the sharp eyes of other unit members would pick it up, but enemy eyes would not. Sledge asked Barkley what he should do about an Indi mariner coming his way.

  Barkley adjusted his position and took a look. The young mako was swimming alone, so probably not on patrol, but hunting. He didn’t have the Black Wave tattoo that most Indi mariners had on their flanks, though. But to be allowed to swim the Big Blue unescorted—that was puzzling. Could this be one of the pups that attacked them at Riptide?

  The mako had a symbol on his tail—an orange dot. It reminded Barkley of something … . Then it hit him. It was the symbol of one of the refugee shivers that had come with Riptide United.

  Barkley made a snap decision that even he thought was a little crazy. Sledge signaled for him to repeat the message. Yep, it was crazy. But the rewards could outweigh the risk. Indi Shiver didn’t send many patrols through the areas they passed because they moved so fast. Barkley signed once more, making sure that Mari and the two other ghostfins got the message: Capture the pup for questioning.

  The mako was hunting in the greenie for a meal. He drifted past Sledge’s hiding place. The hammerhead rose behind the mako, who was focused on a fish. With a tremendous, silent rush, Sledge struck him in the gills, paralyzing him.

  Barkley joined with Mari and the rest of the unit. “Okay, we are taking this pup with us,” he said quietly. The ghostfins got to work with Sledge and a large tiger, squeezing the smaller mako between them and swimming toward Riptide using the tall greenie as cover.

  After an hour the mako prisoner woke and squeaked, “Where am I?”

  “None of your business,” Peen answered and knocked him cold once more. Although Barkley didn’t approve of the hammerhead’s action, he knew it was necessary. When you were out in the open ocean, miles from your friends and allies, a ghostfin had to be a hard shell.

  “I don’t want to question your leadership,” Mari whispered when they were off to the side. “But what are you doing?”

  Barkley told Mari everything he was planning, and she liked the idea so much, she sped ahead to have everything ready. He, Sledge, and Peen would remain with the prisoner.

  There wasn’t any talking on the way. The Indi mako was very young and scared. But anyone would be frightened to be brought to the homewaters of his or her enemies. Still, Barkley’s heart went out to the pup when he blurted, “Don’t eat me alive! Send me to the Sparkle Blue, but don’t eat me while I’m still alive!”

  Peen gave him a fin slap to t
he head. “Shut yer cod hole, flipper!”

  Barkley was going to speak with Peen about his treatment of prisoners when Mari came rushing over. They moved off to the side where they could speak in private. “You were right!” she whispered. “Righter than you could imagine!”

  “I knew it!” Barkley told her. “Where’s Gray? This could be important.”

  “He had to leave,” Mari explained as Barkley frowned. “It sounded important, too.”

  “Okay, we’ll have to do this without him. Is Whalem around?”

  Mari nodded. “Waiting where you asked.”

  “And our special guest?”

  “Also there,” answered Mari.

  “Perfect, let’s go,” Barkley told everyone.

  Their prisoner struggled between the two larger ghostfins. “Is that cave where you’re going to do it?” he said, voice cracking. He yelled at a passing dweller. “How can you live with these bloodthirsty psychos?”

  It took some effort to get their prisoner to where Whalem was waiting. The special guest was kept outside for now. The mako was finally bumped and rammed enough that he stopped struggling. He still hadn’t told them his name.

  “Why do you hate us so much?” Barkley asked once they were inside the cavern.

  For a moment it looked as if the pup wouldn’t speak. But then everything came spilling out. “The good Emperor Finnivus told us about you! He said you were the ones who came and destroyed my home! You ate my mother and father—while they were still alive! Chewing up from the tail! You’re a sick monster! You’re all sick monsters!”

  Sledge didn’t take being classed as a sick monster well. He stared down the young mako and growled, “Call me that one more time. See what happens.”

  The Indi pup glared defiantly. “You’re going to send me to the Sparkle Blue anyway. I hope you choke!”

  “Settle down,” Barkley said, taking control of the situation. He turned to Mari and the rest of the ghostfins. “See what Finnivus has done? He’s filled these pups with lies. You grow up hearing this kind of hate and it twists you. We won’t fight them. I won’t send any of these pups to the Sparkle Blue.”

  “Well, sure as a stonefish is poisonous, they’re taking a chunk outta you if they get the chance,” Sledge commented.

  “Yeah, what are we going to use against them in the battle waters?” asked Peen. “Harsh language?”

  “No. They’re going to join us.” Barkley enjoyed their surprised looks as he called, “Whalem?”

  The old tiger shark swam inside the cave, a commanding presence despite his age. His regal bearing and intricate Indi tattoos cowed the youngster. “Who—who are you?” the pup asked in a tiny voice.

  “I’m Whalem,” the tiger answered. “I used to be the first in the Line for King Romulus, commander and mariner prime of the Indi armada. I served Finnivus faithfully after his father died, even though I feared what he was becoming. I’m here to tell you these sharks are peaceful. It’s Finnivus whose bloodlust knows no bounds.”

  The pup was speechless for a moment but then shook it off. “Liar! I don’t know how you got those tattoos, but you don’t deserve them!”

  “That may be, son,” Whalem said in a tired voice. “But it’s Finnivus who destroyed your home. It was Kelp Shiver, right? Upper reaches of the North Atlantis. I recognize the orange sigil on your tail. You put up a fine fight for untrained sharkkind.”

  “How do you know that?” the mako asked, horror in his eyes.

  Whalem’s tail quivered with emotion. “Because I led the armada on that day.”

  The pup screamed, “You killed my mother and father!” The mako shot forward, escaping Sledge and Peen for an instant. He almost got to Whalem, who executed a savage turn and rammed the youngster into the wall. The old tiger could still fight, but Barkley could see it pained him. Sledge and Peen got control of the prisoner. They looked embarrassed that the youngling had gotten free. Barkley made a mental note to figure out a better way to keep someone still while questioning them.

  Whalem said, “Finnivus ordered me to attack. And at the time there were no pup soldiers. That was something the emperor did after I was gone. I know that isn’t an excuse.” The tiger’s tail drooped. He shook his head, despondent. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of all the horrible things I did for Finnivus. I’ll never be clean! But you—you—have a choice!”

  “Liar!” the pup yelled. “I don’t believe any of this!”

  Barkley glided in front of the pup. “I knew you wouldn’t. Even though Whalem is one of the most honorable fins I know.” Barkley paused and nodded to Mari. It was time for their special guest. “If you don’t think we’re telling the truth, maybe you’ll believe someone from your own shiver.” In swam an older whitetip with the same orange dot on her tail.

  The Indi pup’s eyes widened in surprise. “Aunt Larissa? Is it really you?”

  “It is, Deni. It is.”

  Barkley didn’t have to tell Peen and Sledge to release the prisoner. He had a joyful reunion with his aunt as everyone slipped out of the cave.

  Barkley had met many sharks whose shivers had been smashed by Finnivus and the Indi armada. When he saw the orange spot on the pup’s tail, Barkley remembered the conversation he’d had with one of those refugees. “They took our pups,” she’d said. Barkley didn’t know why Finnivus was doing that—until they faced those same pups in the battle.

  “That was touching, Bark,” said Peen. “But those pups are still going to come at us like crazy fish.”

  Barkley smiled. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  GRAY SEARCHED FOR THE ORCAS OF ICINGHOLME Shiver. The Indi armada hadn’t even left a holding force in the Arktik Ocean, so he didn’t have to fear being discovered. Whalem said Indi had spent their time in the icy waters without meeting a single orca. The coddled emperor hated the freezing waters so much, he declared victory and left as fast as the blue whale he rode upon could carry him.

  Gray couldn’t find the orcas either. Orcas didn’t keep homewaters like sharkkind, preferring to move from place to place in search of good hunting.

  If Takiza hadn’t given Gray a large dose of maredsoo, the glowing deep-ocean energy greenie, he would have never been able to make the swim. Riptide United’s forces—which he’d left under the guidance of Whalem, Striiker, Grinder, Silversun, Quickeyes, and Onyx—was nearly a thousand sharkkind strong. And as rumors of Finnivus’s approach spread, more sharks from small shivers from all over the ocean were coming to join them each day.

  But it still wasn’t enough. They weren’t trained mariners and could only be counted on to do so much. And time was running out.

  They needed more allies, and it was for this reason that Gray had set out. He rode the icy currents deeper and deeper into the Arktik. The crystal blue waters here were as cold as the Dark Blue, even in the sun near the chop-chop, so he ached from snout to tail. Sometimes Gray passed mountains of floating ice; other times he swam for hours with a layer of frozen water blocking him from the surface.

  The main forces of the Black Wave were half a week away at the most. But there was time enough to take one more gamble to grow Riptide United’s strength. Takiza told him it was a fool’s errand, but Gray wouldn’t be talked out of it. He had to at least try.

  His idea was bold. And dangerous.

  Takiza had explained to Gray what Lochlan had left out. Orcas, whom Gray only knew of from stories, really were part of the dolphin family! That hardly seemed possible. Dolphs were so chatty, and orcas were supposedly dour and close-mouthed. And then there was the size difference. Orcas were giants compared to dolphins and even the largest sharks.

  Maybe they won’t think I’m a big, fat freak, Gray mused. That would be a bonus.

  Gray had pressed Takiza on why the orcas wouldn’t help. After all, one of the most effective maneuvers in single or massed formation fighting was Orca Bears Down. Besides that, orcas were called killer whales! How could they not be good in a fight?

  But what Gra
y didn’t know was how the orca’s history was linked to the cruel empress of the ocean, Silander, and what the orcas called “our shame.” Ages ago, Silander had ruled the oceans with an iron fin until the combined forces of the free seas crushed her armada at the Battle of Silander’s End. It turned out that her personal guard and elite mariners were orcas!

  Their king at the time, whose name no one knew because the orcas had refused to utter it evermore, was the one who allied them with Silander. When the empress ordered her acts of cruelty, the orcas were the ones to carry them out. Some said the orca king was demented; others said he was pushed along by currents he was powerless to swim against. It didn’t matter. Doing Silander’s bidding was how they got their nickname, killer whales. The orcas stained themselves with so much innocent blood, it boggled the mind, and that became what they referred to as “our shame.”

  Takiza told him, “If you are set on this foolish course, then go. But under no circumstance should you ever refer to an orca as a killer whale. It is the gravest of insults, and you will most likely be eaten. And yes, they understand that killing anyone who says ‘killer whale’ proves the nickname, but that irony will not prevent them from sending you to the Sparkle Blue.”

  When Silander was defeated, the orcas dealt with their leader. After that, they decided not to side with anyone again. The rise and fall of empires and the great battles over territory would never, ever concern the orcas again.

  But I have to make them understand, Gray thought. Finnivus was everything that was wrong with the ocean. He was the beating heart of cruelty and had to be stopped. As it was, Riptide United would be down two to one when the armadas faced each other. If Gray couldn’t even up those numbers, at least he could surprise Finnivus with the orcas. If they would agree …

  He had to convince them!