Selkie Warrior

by Finn Black

  A few moments later, the mighty submarine broke the surface. It was an overcast day with dark, bloated clouds hanging low in the sky. Heavy rain fell, splashing on the Aronnax’s glass roof.

  ‘Eyes peeled, everyone,’ said Will. ‘Look out for that boat!’

  The bridge of the Aronnax was glass-walled, but Ant couldn’t see any sign of a vessel. The sky was so dark it was hard to pick anything out. The rain was falling harder, huge raindrops bouncing off the glass, and the sky seemed to be getting darker by the moment.

  ‘Looks like we’ve arrived in the middle of a storm,’ Will said. ‘Could be a bad one.’

  ‘A very bad one,’ Kaiko replied. She was looking at the reading on the console’s electronic barometer. ‘The atmospheric pressure is dropping. It’s below a hundred millibars –’

  The rain stopped abruptly. An eerie silence fell on the bridge of the Aronnax.

  ‘Uh-oh,’ said Will. He pointed at the barometer. The needle was now rising. Fast.

  ‘Uh-oh,’ echoed Kaiko.

  ‘Why is everyone saying “uh-oh”?’ said Ant.

  Then two things happened at exactly the same moment.

  An almighty crash shook the Aronnax, hurling everyone to the floor.

  And Fontaine yelled ‘Cyclone!’

  CHAPTER THREE

  Ant grabbed a table leg and clung on. The giant swells and waves of the storm rocked the Aronnax so much it felt as if his arms were being torn from their sockets. The floor dipped and bucked under him like a wild horse. Fontaine had fallen to her hands and knees, hair covering her face. Before Ant could do anything to help, she slid past him, her body crumpling against Will’s feet as their dad braced himself against a doorframe.

  ‘Take the Aronnax down!’ yelled Will. ‘We’ll be safer underwater!’

  ‘I’m trying!’ Kaiko called back. She was clinging on to the console with one hand while her finger jabbed at the submerge button. Her face was flushed. ‘It’s not working!’

  ‘What the –?’ Will was helping Fontaine to her feet as she brushed the hair out of her eyes. ‘What’s wrong? We’d normally be fifty metres under by now!’

  ‘The ballast tanks aren’t filling!’ said Kaiko. ‘And before you ask – no, I don’t know why!’

  Ant felt his body go weightless as the cyclone lifted the Aronnax and dragged it through the water at incredible speed. He saw huge waves smashing against the Plexiglas windows.

  ‘Whoooaaa!’ cried Fontaine. ‘This is –’

  CRRAACK!

  Something smashed into the window. Ant caught a brief glimpse of a big, dark shape, like the curved prow of a boat. The next second it was gone. All that was left was a long, jagged, forked-lightning crack in the glass.

  ‘What was that?’ shouted Kaiko.

  ‘The glass –’ said Will. He fought his way across the wildly pitching floor and rubbed his hand over the window. ‘Seems to be holding, thank goodness!’

  ‘But what hit us?’ demanded Fontaine.

  ‘It looked like a fishing boat,’ said Ant.

  ‘What’s it doing out in the middle of a storm like this?’ said Fontaine.

  ‘Might have been the boat that sent the SOS,’ said Will. ‘If only this wind would drop, we could try to –’

  An enormous wave smacked against the window, making the whole submarine shudder. Ant stumbled and fell. He scrambled up, looking to see if the cracked Plexiglas was still holding. It was.

  So far.

  ‘Can’t you get us out of this, Mum?’ begged Fontaine.

  ‘I can’t control the sub,’ Kaiko said. ‘The cyclone’s too strong – all we can do is go with the wind.’

  The cyclone redoubled its fury, seizing the Aronnax and lifting it clear of the water. For a few seconds they were rushing through the air, and then the belly of the submarine smashed back down on the turbulent sea. The Nektons staggered and collapsed in a tangled heap.

  ‘Everyone needs to buckle up!’ Will said. He reached for a lever on the wall and tugged it.

  At once, ropes and webbing dropped from the ceiling.

  Ant reached out to rescue his Jorange. Gripping it under one arm, he managed to wind a harness around his waist and strap himself in. Across the deck, he saw Will help Fontaine into her harness and then snap his own buckle into place. Kaiko somehow wrestled her body into a harness while clinging on to the console.

  Beneath Ant’s arm, Jeffrey was looking distinctly seasick. There was a miniature cyclone raging in the Jorange too.

  ‘Don’t worry, little buddy,’ said Ant. He slung the Jorange on to his back. ‘You’ll be safe with me!’

  Another thought struck him – the Circlotron! He tried to reach for it, straining at the straps of his harness.

  ‘Ant!’ warned Kaiko. ‘Don’t mess about. This is serious!’

  ‘But I have to protect the Circlotron!’ He reached as far as he could, his fingertips scrabbling through the air. Then his hand closed around the Circlotron and he was able to scoop it from its holder. Working quickly, he tucked it safely away in the Jorange alongside Jeffrey.

  ‘We’re going to have to ride this out and wait for the storm to drop,’ said Will.

  ‘And hope that crack in the window doesn’t split open,’ said Kaiko. ‘Because if it does ...’

  There was a pause as they all imagined the angry water rushing in.

  ‘Oh, thanks, Mum!’ said Fontaine sarcastically. ‘Way to cheer everyone up!’

  The wind and waves continued to batter the Aronnax as it hurtled through the storm, rising and falling and twisting like a rollercoaster. Only there was no one in charge of this rollercoaster ride, thought Ant. Except the elements.

  ‘How long does a cyclone usually go on for?’ he asked weakly.

  ‘They’ve been known to last for up to a week,’ Fontaine told him.

  ‘Oh, thanks, Fontaine!’ said Ant, mimicking her. ‘Way to cheer everyone up!’

  The next instant, there was a huge THUNK! – as if the Aronnax had been struck from below by a giant fist. The whole submarine bucked and jumped into the air.

  The Nektons were thrown upwards in their harnesses. The straps dug viciously into Ant’s shoulders – he could feel angry red welts appearing beneath his wetsuit.

  This is too much, Ant thought, sweat prickling in his armpits. If this was a fairground ride, he definitely wanted to get off.

  There was another, smaller thunk.

  The Aronnax came to a standstill. The wind and spray continued to rush past the windows. But they were no longer moving with the storm.

  ‘Er ... what just happened?’ said Ant.

  ‘I think we must have run aground,’ Will said. ‘Hit a low-lying island.’

  ‘So ... we’re safe?’ asked Fontaine.

  ‘It all depends on what you mean by safe,’ said Will, daring to unbuckle his harness. ‘But at least we’re not going anywhere for the time being.’

  The other Nektons also unstrapped themselves. Ant took the Jorange from his back and looked in at Jeffrey. ‘Are you all right, little buddy?’

  Jeffrey looked sad and slightly unwell.

  ‘I’ve never heard of a fish being seasick before,’ Ant said. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get over it. Let’s go and see where we are.’

  Ant’s legs wobbled as he walked towards the window. It felt strange that the floor wasn’t moving any more. He peered out, but it was impossible to see anything much. Dark clouds rushed across the sky at frightening speed. The ground in front of them seemed to be a level expanse of black rock, but the air was so thick with spray and debris that he could only see a few metres ahead of the Aronnax.

  ‘Shall we go and explore?’ he said.

  ‘Are you crazy?’ said Will. ‘In a wind like this you’d be swept out to sea and never seen again!’

  ‘Off you go then, Ant!’ said Fontaine.

  Ant made a face at his sister.

  ‘I’ll tell you what’s really bugging me,’ said Kaiko slowly. ‘It’s not the
cyclone, it’s the way the Aronnax is malfunctioning. We lost our satellite connection – why? That’s never happened before. Then the sub wouldn’t dive, which I’m guessing means a problem with the ballast tanks. Two malfunctions of completely different systems at the same time? There’s got to be some reason for it – but what?’

  ‘You’re right,’ said Will. ‘We need to check those systems out. But we can’t do much about it right now. I reckon all we can do is sit tight until the cyclone blows itself out.’

  Ant stared out at the storm. They were stuck here. And what had happened to the boat that had crashed into them? It was out there … somewhere. He shuddered. I wouldn’t want to be out there on my own.

  They gathered around a table to eat a simple supper. The storm continued to rage outside. Ant dropped some fish food into the Jorange for Jeffrey – but the fish merely looked at it and turned away with a nauseous expression.

  ‘I don’t blame you,’ Ant whispered, looking sadly at his own plate of food. ‘I don’t have much of an appetite myself.’

  ‘Reckon we might as well turn in,’ said Will after a while. ‘There’s nothing more we can do today. If the wind drops tomorrow we can check out the Aronnax’s systems – and try to find the boat that sent the SOS.’

  ‘Do you think they could have survived?’ asked Kaiko.

  ‘We can only hope,’ said Will.

  Kaiko stood up. ‘Right, kids – clean your teeth and get to bed.’

  Lying on his back in his bunk, Ant closed his eyes and tried to ignore the howling wind outside. But it was impossible to sleep. He could feel the submarine rocking. How incredibly strong that cyclone must be to move a massive two-hundred-and-fifty-metre vessel like the Aronnax!

  He opened his eyes. Through the window a new moon was visible, like a fingernail paring, with scraps of black cloud racing past it. Did that have anything to do with the violence of the cyclone, he wondered? The moon influenced the tides, he knew that. He sat up and reached for his tablet. Maybe he could find out a little more about cyclones and whether a new moon affected them.

  Ant soon found what he was looking for. It was true: a scientific study had found that cyclones happened more frequently when there was a new moon, and they were usually fiercer too. But nobody was quite sure why ...

  A shadow appeared in the gap of light beneath his bedroom door.

  ‘Ant,’ came his father’s deep voice from the hallway. ‘Put the device away, please. Time to sleep.’

  Ant sighed. It was like his dad could see through walls!

  He put the tablet down and closed his eyes. Whatever mysteries lay beyond the walls of the Aronnax … for now, they’d have to wait.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘Oh, look, it’s the walking dead,’ said Fontaine as Ant shuffled into the galley area, carrying his tablet under his arm. He’d been woken by sunlight streaming through the porthole of his cabin. The storm had passed.

  The rest of the Nektons sat with cereal bowls in front of them, and Will reached to pour himself a second cup of coffee.

  ‘Oh, leave him alone,’ said Kaiko. ‘He needs his beauty sleep, don’t you, Ant?’

  ‘It would take more than a night’s sleep to make him beautiful,’ said Fontaine.

  ‘All right, enough,’ said Will. ‘Let’s plan our day. First, we need to try and track down the boat that sent the SOS. And hope we’re not too late to help.’

  ‘The distress signal hasn’t been repeated,’ Kaiko said. ‘It might not be in the area any more.’

  Ant hoped that didn’t mean the boat had sunk.

  ‘Do you think they could have run aground, like us?’ asked Fontaine.

  ‘It’s possible,’ Will said. ‘This is a good-sized island. I’ve looked it up on the chart.’

  ‘Let’s go out and search!’ said Ant.

  ‘I think that’s a very good plan,’ Will said. ‘You and Fontaine go. The island’s inhabited – you can ask if anyone has seen anything. Meanwhile, your mother and I can inspect the damage we’ve suffered.’

  ‘Yes!’ Kaiko clapped her hands. ‘I need to get down to work. First thing to sort out are those ballast tanks. A submarine that won’t submerge – something’s wrong there!’ She slid open a cupboard door, took out a tool belt and attached it around her waist.

  ‘And I’ll need to replace that cracked window,’ Will said. ‘That’ll take most of the morning.’

  ‘Come on then, Fontaine!’ Ant leaped to his feet and slung on his Jorange, with the Circlotron still slotted inside next to Jeffrey. ‘Let’s go exploring!’

  ‘Hold on,’ Fontaine said, with her hands on her hips. ‘You’re seriously going to take that fish? And the Circlotron? The priority is finding the boat that needs help, not your toys.’

  ‘I’m not leaving Jeffrey on his own. Mum and Dad are going to be busy working – what if someone sneaked in and stole him?’

  ‘I don’t think that’s very likely, Ant,’ said Kaiko.

  ‘They’d have to be a pretty dumb thief,’ commented Fontaine.

  In the Jorange, Jeffrey looked directly at Fontaine.

  ‘That’s not funny!’ Ant said. ‘You’ve offended Jeffrey. I can tell by his face that he’s really upset.’

  ‘Yeah, because fish have such expressive faces, don’t they?’ said Fontaine.

  ‘Let him take his pet if he likes,’ said Will.

  ‘And the Circlotron?’ Fontaine peered at the small globe with the Lemurian etchings. ‘I mean, why? It’s asking for trouble. Just like when you took it on to the Dark Orca.’

  ‘Yeah, but we definitely shouldn’t leave the Circlotron unprotected while Mum and Dad are busy. Any thief would want this!’

  ‘Just stop bickering, you two, and get out there!’ Kaiko touched a pad on the instrument panel and the Aronnax doors silently slid open. Sunlight flooded in.

  ‘So, we’ll ask everyone we meet if they’ve seen the fishing boat,’ said Ant as they walked through the doors. ‘And while we’re at it we could ask if they know who King Batu is!’

  ‘You’re obsessed!’ said Fontaine. ‘It’s more important we find that boat that needed help.’

  They stepped out into the fresh air. The breeze was warm on Ant’s cheeks. Beneath their feet was dark, volcanic rock, with little clumps of coarse, springy grass still lying flat after the storm. Broken tree branches and palm fronds were strewn around.

  They began to walk up a gentle hill, waving goodbye to the Aronnax. Ant saw that it had suffered some damage in the storm; as well as the jagged crack in the window there were scratches all along its sides and it was smeared with sand, mud and seaweed. Even though he lived in the world’s oceans, it was still amazing to him – and a bit terrifying – to think how much power the water could yield.

  The hill grew steeper. Ant spotted a lizard dart away across a rock, and he began to pant in the heat of the sun. Eventually they arrived at the top of the hill and his gaze scanned the coastline. The island was like nothing Ant had ever seen before. In the far distance, he could see a cluster of buildings. At the heart of the island was a valley, verdant and lush. In stark contrast, the beach was an expanse of pure white sand skirting the glittering sea.

  ‘It’s like looking at two totally different terrains rolled into one,’ he said. But Fontaine wasn’t listening – she’d been searching the water and the horizon for any sign of a boat, and now she was staring hard at a shape on the beach.

  A figure was crouched at the water’s edge.

  ‘Let’s go and talk to him,’ said Fontaine.

  As Ant and Fontaine approached, the figure stood up and faced them. He was tall, with gold-rimmed spectacles and a black moustache. He was holding a glass beaker full of seawater, and on the sand beside him was an open case full of scientific instruments. He stared with narrowed eyes at Ant and Fontaine, as though the siblings were a pair of interesting specimens.

  ‘Hello! Where did you spring from?’ he asked.

  ‘From our submarine. We were washed up
here in the storm,’ Fontaine said, cheerfully pointing over the hill. ‘I’m Fontaine Nekton. And this is Ant.’

  ‘My name’s actually Antaeus,’ said Ant, a bit annoyed that his sister had got in first with the introductions. ‘But everyone calls me Ant.’

  The scientist raised his eyebrows. ‘You didn’t hear the cyclone warning, then?’

  That was the second time someone had mentioned a failed warning – first Kaiko, and now this scientist. Ant felt a prickle of unease. It was odd that the WOA hadn’t been able to get any message through to them.

  ‘Our satellite system went down,’ Ant explained. ‘We’ve been following a route along the celestial equator.’

  ‘Along the celestial equator?’ the man echoed.

  Fontaine flashed Ant a warning look, but he was already scrabbling to pull the Circlotron out of his Jorange.

  ‘Using this!’ He proudly held out the small orb.

  ‘Ah. So you’re stargazers,’ said the man, eyeing the globe. He took a step back, as though scared to touch it, and Ant began to think that maybe he shouldn’t have brought it out. It had been hidden beneath the ocean for thousands of years – should he be showing it to total strangers? He eased it back into the floating lid of the Jorange.

  ‘Not exactly stargazers,’ said Fontaine, frowning at Ant. ‘Our submarine is state-of-the-art. The Aronnax. We usually steer using satellite technology, but we had a few problems in the storm. Our mum and dad are repairing it right now.’

  ‘You’re lucky it’s repairable. I haven’t seen many cyclones as bad as that one.’

  ‘I expect the new moon made it worse,’ Ant said knowledgeably.

  Fontaine rolled her eyes, but the scientist looked at Ant with respect. ‘You’re probably right. My name is Dr Fesuzia, by the way. The storm did a lot of damage here too – it’s going to take a long time to clear it up.’ He pointed down the beach, where a crowd of people were at work, picking up pieces of wreckage. ‘It destroyed half our village.’