by EJ Altbacker
As they traveled, word spread and shivers came out of hiding, many Gray hadn’t heard of but which were powerful in their own right. All of them brought gifts of fish, which were welcome as they didn’t have time to properly hunt. Later Gray figured out that these sharks weren’t necessarily there to honor him, but to size him up.
“It’s only natural. They’re curious,” Mari told him. “You just defeated Finnivus.”
“And they want to make sure you’re not a crazy finner like him,” Jaunt added.
Meeting the smaller shivers in the North and South Atlantis and Sific warmed Gray’s heart. They were genuinely happy to see him and, of course, relieved that the Black Wave was gone. Every territory they swam through in those areas was celebrating. The darkness was gone from the Big Blue. Their loved ones were safe and they were grateful.
Gray and his entourage avoided going into Indi Shiver’s territory. Tydal, their new minister—he had refused to take the title of king—sent a representative saying Gray was welcome to come, but emotions were still running high. This was especially true because of the conditions that Gray set upon them.
First, he hadn’t allowed the royal court to return to the Indi Ocean yet. They would stay in the North Atlantis as Riptide’s “guests” for a year while Tydal made some agreed-upon changes. Gray also sent five hundred AuzyAuzy mariners to protect Tydal, in case one of the royals living there tried to take over by force.
The Black Wave armada was disbanded, and every sharkkind was told to return to their original homewaters. In some cases this seemed harsh, as those shivers, conquered long ago by Indi, hadn’t existed for hundreds of years. But as soon as those in the armada had a chance to think it over, they understood that Gray was offering them freedom and a chance to make their own future, and they took it eagerly.
He also released the three poor blue whales that had been slaves for Finnivus’s family since they were pups. It took some doing, but the Speakers Rocks were removed from their backs and dropped into a deep trench. Heaving those symbols of the emperor’s cruelty from the whale’s bodies with Takiza’s greenie harness was the most rewarding training session Gray ever completed. The whales were frightened to be on their own at first but then heard another blue whale singing in the distance, and they eagerly swam for it.
After Tydal was firmly in control of the Indi homewaters, the AuzyAuzy mariners would leave. Gray would allow Indi Shiver to train two battle fins, no more. And those two hundred sharkkind could only be used in defense. Gray told Tydal that his forces couldn’t leave their homewaters without his express permission. If Indi ventured past their boundaries for any reason, they would be utterly destroyed. Far from being angered by these conditions, the new epaulette leader seemed relieved.
This would be a hard current for Indi to swim, and it would probably take some time to sort everything out. So many of their own had died in their years of conquest. While their mariners had an idea that Finnivus was insane, the regular shiver sharks didn’t like being told what to do. The Indi homewaters were filled with anger, sadness, and shame. But that was just too bad. They had caused enough trouble, and Gray wouldn’t allow them the chance to do more harm. He hoped Tydal was the shark to lead them toward the light, so they would be good citizens of the Big Blue once more.
Or else.
Takiza came along on the journey, of course. He was correct to insist Gray appear everywhere. After they showed up, even though they were only swimming with a quarter of their mariners, more than a few medium-size shivers changed their plans about going to war to settle their (sometimes age-old) disputes.
Gray and his procession swam into the North Sific, toward what Takiza told them was the Seazarein’s secret stronghold. Only the betta knew the way, and he led them on a winding current so as not to alarm anyone. But finally, as the sun was setting in the third week of their journey, ten massive sharkkind materialized out of the half-lit waters. They were the Seazarein’s finja guardians.
“Stop the procession,” Takiza ordered. Striiker ordered everyone fins up, ready for anything. But these ten sharkkind were unconcerned, even though there were nearly three hundred fins with Gray. He had a feeling that those ten could chew through everyone if they wanted.
“Come. We must go alone,” Takiza told Gray.
“No way!” Barkley exclaimed. “No possible way you’re going by yourselves.”
Takiza gave the dogfish an appraising look. “You may join us, and Mari. But that is it.”
“You give the signal and we’ll come get you, no matter who’s in the way,” Striiker told them. Jaunt gave the great white a tail slap of approval, and Tik-Tun’s orcas also nodded.
“We’re invited,” Gray told everyone. “Relax. Hunt. We’ll be back soon.”
Takiza led Gray, Barkley, and Mari toward the Seazarein stronghold. It was only a quarter mile from where they were but cunningly hidden. The thin path to the entrance was invisible, and there were groups of finja everywhere.
They swam into the mouth of the most ancient of caves. The interior was a marvel. There were giant pillars of glowing coral in a gigantic cavern. In the central area were two rows of even larger sharks, hovering on either side of the cave, creating a path to a throne. This was an actual giant throne like Gray had heard landshark kings sat upon, but made for a shark! There was a hole, so your tail wouldn’t get bent and you could rest your fins, staying in one place without even hovering. It was amazing!
And on this throne waited the Seazarein.
She was much younger than Gray expected. Older than he was, but only by four or five years. She was also massive. In fact, she was larger than everyone in the room, even himself.
It was then that Gray’s heart skipped a beat because he realized something shocking.
The Seazarein was a megalodon!
“So, it’s true. I am no longer alone in this Big Blue,” she said to Takiza.
“It is,” the betta replied, dipping his head as a sign of respect. Takiza motioned toward Gray, Barkley, and Mari. “May I introduce the Seazarein, Emprex Kaleth, unseen ruler of the—”
The Seazarein cut Takiza off. “None of that. Call me Kaleth.” She snorted at Takiza’s look of haughty dismay.
“May I introduce plain old Kaleth, apparently,” Takiza said.
“You’re—you’re a megalodon. Like me,” was all Gray could whisper. “How?”
The Seazarein adjusted herself on the throne. “I came to these waters the same way as you did.”
Gray was confused and it showed. The Seazarein glanced at Takiza. “You’ve told him nothing?” she asked, swishing her massive tail in slow, powerful arcs off the back of the throne.
“I did not want to fill his mind with unnecessary thoughts,” Takiza answered. “His head is dismayingly chowder-filled as it is.”
The Seazarein laughed, a musical rumble.
Gray asked, “How did I get here? How did you?”
Kaleth turned to Takiza. “Does he always ask so many questions?”
“Unfortunately.”
The Seazarein looked back at Gray. “You will be my Aquasidor, my royal representative and ambassador, bearer of my word, and teeth of my will. There are many things I would have you do.”
Gray was totally shocked. He glanced to Takiza, and the betta nodded in approval!
“But—but, your royal Seazarein-ness,” Barkley stuttered, hunting for the proper title, “with respect, we need him!”
Mari added, “Yes! I’m sure this is an honor, but he’s the leader of our shiver!”
“Not anymore,” Kaleth told them. “And that’s why Tyro invented the Five in a Line. Put your first in charge.”
Mari turned to Barkley, who shook his head in stunned realization as they both gasped, “Striiker?”
The guard sharks in the throne room came to attention and shouted as one, “All hail the Aquasidor! Hail! Hail!”
For a moment no one said anything. It was dead silent in the throne room. Not even the current ma
de any noise.
Gray thought he was going to pass out.
Barkley finally whispered, “Didn’t see that coming.”
“QUICKLY, MY SON!” GRAYNOLDUS SHOUTED at his terrified pup. “You must swim faster than you have ever swum before!”
The little megalodon wasn’t old enough to speak, but understood and churned his tail as quickly as he could. Would it be enough? Graynoldus could not believe how the situation had spun out of control so quickly and completely.
It was madness!
Did the Seazarein know of the coup? Were Hokuu and the mako fin’jaa that agreed with Drinnok part of it? If so, the Seazarein was in terrible danger! He had to get to the other side and warn the others. Everything depended on it!
“Stop him! By the order of Drinnok, stop him now!” yelled one of the giant frilled shark guards in hot pursuit.
Graynoldus risked a look back as he made a sharp turn, guiding his young son into the narrow canyon leading upward toward the new world above. Frilled sharks were better suited for swimming in tight spaces and flowed over the jagged ridges and switchbacks while he scraped himself on the sharp rocks. The frills were part eel, and that made them very tough in a fight, especially in cramped places. They could turn quicker than any sharkkind, and though their tri-tipped teeth were smaller than his, they could tear chunks off a shark with alarming efficiency. They also had a razor-sharp spike on the end of their tails to pierce even the toughest shark hide. And they were swimming in a swarm of at least twenty.
If he and his pup were caught …
Graynoldus kept his attention on moving upward through the twisting passage. There was no time for playing “what if” right now. He would deal with that situation if the time came. Graynoldus ground his teeth and bore down, pushing his son forward.
Fifth Shiver had been sealed off for eons. It had been so long that only in legend was it whispered that there were a sun and moon above what was called the chop-chop, a term that had lost all meaning. Their watery world was hemmed in by a limestone- and lumo-encrusted boundary. You could swim five thousand aqualeagues in any direction and no further. Such had it been from barely a thousand years after the time of Tyro, the First Fish who created all sharkkind and then set them in a Line to protect those who lived in the ocean. There were ancient stories that the Big Blue was bigger than their own waters, but there was no way to prove it.
Not until the seaquake.
The titantic quake had cracked the stone barrier and opened a path upward into the wider ocean world. A scout had swum through the falling rocks, hissing steams, and glowing lava—and made it to the other side! What he discovered was hailed as a miracle, a sign that their time was not over in the Big Blue. Graynoldus, too, was overjoyed when he swam out from the warm darkness of their pocket ocean. It had taken some time for his eyes to adjust, but he had seen the waters of the Big Blue, and the sun and moon above! Miraculous!
It was called the chop-chop because it was choppy from the waves! Who knew?
But this was a different world; much colder, the water different, but most importantly it was teeming with brand-new sharkkind and dwellers. They were younger races, but doing wonderfully.
Graynoldus’s wise king, Bollagan, had decided that other than his fifth in the Line, the Seazarein, and a small group to guide the younger race of sharkkind, no one would swim into the new world until he had time to think over the consequences. Rightly, he thought that the younger races should swim their own current, with just a little help from their older, wiser cousins, as in the ancient times.
Bollagan did not want to start a war by rushing out and surprising them. If Fifth Shiver was to join the new world they should live in peace with the younger races. Yet although Bollagan was supported by Graynoldus and most others of his Line, Drinnok disagreed. He thought that they, the prehistores, as the younger race called them, had the right to reclaim the Big Blue as their own. He wanted to destroy everyone already there to the last fin.
“Let only the strongest survive! Death to everyone else!” he shouted as he sent Bollagan to the Sparkle Blue, along with the rest of the Line. Now Graynoldus was the only one left to tell the Seazarein of Drinnok’s treachery! With her fin’jaa guardians they would be able to deal with him before he could invade the Big Blue.
If she was still alive.
Graynoldus used his massive tail to dislodge the loose rocks he hurtled past, but it wasn’t enough. The frilled sharks, very willing allies in Drinnok’s plan, were too agile. A pocket of steam blasted out, scalding his side. The path was swelling and contracting, as if it hadn’t yet decided if it wanted to stay open.
“Swim, my boy! Swim!” Graynoldus urged his son as he felt a tug on his tail. One of the frilled sharks had taken a bite out of it. Their teeth were so sharp you almost didn’t know you were being bitten.
Almost.
Graynoldus pushed little Gray forward and then flipped over, blasting the attacker away with his massive tail. The rest of the frills came forward in a rush. Each time one of the swarm struck, a scoop of flesh was taken from his flank or tail. He was streaming so much blood that little Gray had stopped in shock, his mouth trembling. Graynoldus’s son watched as his father was being eaten alive.
They weren’t going to make it… .
“Swim, Gray! Swim or you will be punished! Do what I say!”
Little Gray, frightened beyond belief, began moving upward once more.
Graynoldus turned and brought his own massive teeth to bear, snapping two frills clean in half. They went writhing and twisting into the blackness. He ground several others to paste against the rough passageway before turning to his enemies. The way was thin enough so that the frills would need to attack him face-to-face now. Though Graynoldus dwarfed any one of them, the combined strength of the swarm would tear him apart.
“You will not pass!” he yelled with all his might. “By Bollagan’s mighty heart, YOU WILL NOT PASS!”
Then suddenly the mountainous walls around him cracked and heaved. An orange glow brightened the waters before deepening to an angry red.
Steam hissed, louder and louder.
Graynoldus turned and looked at his son for what he knew would be the last time. “Swim, Gray! Swim! I love you!”
Little Gray disappeared around the last corner.
Good boy, Graynoldus thought.
The frilled sharks rushed forward to finish him.
And then the world exploded.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to all the great people at Razorbill for putting up with me, but most of all Ben Schrank, who took a huge chance by choosing someone who never wrote a book before; Jessica Rothenberg, past super-editor, future super-novelist; Emily Romero, Erin Dempsey, Mia Garcia, Shanta Newlin, Bernadette Cruz, and everyone else from marketing and pubicity; also Gillian Levinson and finally Laura Arnold, my fin-tastic Shark Wars editor.
Special thanks to everyone in Los Angeles who helped me over the years but especially the awesome Jim Krieg, who I met in film school and who despite that still picks up the phone when I call; John Semper, who hired me first; Mark Hoffmeier, great writer and fantasy football superstar. Also my friends from Notre Dame, Go Irish! And finally my sister Jude, who’s not the most annoying sister in the world, most of the time.
Visit www.SharkWarsSeries.com to learn more and to play the Shark Wars game!
EJ ALTBACKER is a screenwriter who has worked on television shows including Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Ben 10, Mucha Lucha, and Spider-Man. He lives in Hermosa Beach, California.
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