“How are we going to get in?” Skinner wanted to know. “Is your other friend in there, waiting to lower the gate?”
“No. He’s in Atlantis too.”
“I don’t have another flag with me,” Skinner said. “And if memory serves, before you ran up the one I gave you, they nearly blew you out of the water.”
“I’ve nothing to gain from getting your ship fired upon. Not as long as I’m a passenger on board.”
“So how do we get in without the flag?”
“Leave that to me,” Dean said. “I’ve got something better than a flag.”
“Really? What?”
“That’s my business.”
Skinner stroked the stubble on his cheeks. “You’re a cagey one, Seaborne. Just remember, so am I. We’ll make for Aquatica, but all the way there, you’ll stand where I can see you with a sword at your back. If this is a trick . . . if we walk into an ambush, or they fire so much as one shot at us—even by accident—you’ll be dead before the cannonball leaves the cannon.”
“I’m not worried,” Dean said, putting on a brave front.
Skinner barked orders at his men, and the Crimson Tide set sail for Aquatica. The sun was not yet up, and the fortress at sea loomed large in the fading moonlight. Dean, standing at the bow of the ship, advised a direct approach to avoid the mines that surrounded Aquatica.
The sun was rising as they closed in on the main gate. Dean quietly hoped that Mookergwog’s watch would be less vigilant this time around, but a pirate stationed up in the crow’s nest called out movement on the castle walls. Dean saw it too. A cannon behind the battlements had pointed its barrel straight at them. Behind Dean, Marlon Spyke twirled a dagger, ready to make good on Skinner’s threat. Dean stepped out onto the bowsprit and held up the vial of the Blood of Poseidon. He prayed Mookergwog would recognize him, and what he carried, before sending off a warning shot.
“Mookergwog! Open in the name of Poseidon!” he called out.
Dean held his breath as long, agonizing seconds passed. If a cannon were to sound, it would be the last thing he ever heard. Fortunately, the cannons of Aquatica remained silent. The gun barrel drooped downward, and soon after, the round castle gate slid open.
Dean turned around to face Skinner. “What’d I tell you? Nothing to worry about.”
Chapter 28
Parley
Inside Aquatica, Dean sat at a round table with Skinner, Gentleman Jim, Verrick, and Mookergwog. Skinner’s two best mates, Marlon Spyke and Long Tom Cannon, stood behind their captain. They didn’t have a seat at the table, but they were in on the conversation—or would be, once the conversation started. At the moment, no one was talking.
All eyes were on Mookergwog, whose own eyes were fixed on the vial containing the Blood of Poseidon. Dean had presented it to him upon entering the castle. Mookergwog studied it with equal parts reverence and fear. By Dean’s estimation, Mookergwog was more afraid of the liquid inside the vial than he was of the pirate crew inside his home.
“Is this real?” he asked. “It can’t be real. Can it?”
“It’s real,” Dean replied.
“I don’t understand. Why do you have it?”
“That’s a long story. The short version is, I stole it.”
“What?” Mookergwog looked back and forth between Dean and the blood. “How?”
“Believe it or not, the ‘how’ was the easy part. The ‘why’ is a bit more complex.”
Mookergwog sat hypnotized by the Blood of Poseidon a few moments more, tightening his grip on the vial. The shock was wearing off and the severity of Dean’s crime sinking in. “You violated the sacred chamber of Poseidon? This is blasphemy!”
“Actually, it’s treason,” Dean replied. “The queen’s nephew put me up to it.”
Mookergwog’s eyebrows went up. “Lord Finneus?”
“The very same. He’s trying to steal the throne. Duke Shellheart is helping him. After Finneus takes over, he’s going to let Neptune declare war on Abyssal.”
Mookergwog paled. “That can’t be.”
“It can be. It is. Finneus wanted to kill the queen, but that didn’t work, so he made a play for the blood instead. That’s where I came in.”
Mookergwog looked down at the vial in his hand. “You double-crossed him?”
“He was going to do the same to me. I just beat him to the punch.”
Mookergwog was starting to sweat. “If what you say is true, they’ll be coming after you. Coming here.”
“Can you help us?”
“Help you?” Mookergwog’s breath quickened. “Help you how? I’m no warrior. I’m a clerk who likes to tinker.”
“I’m lost,” Skinner said. “What are you lot goin’ on about? Why’s this bloody potion so important? What is it? What’s it do?”
“The Blood of Poseidon is no mere potion,” Mookergwog said. “It’s a bona fide miracle. One of the Great Wonders of the Sea! The slightest touch transforms man into merman, and merman back into man. If you drink it and the sea god deems you worthy, you will be blessed with his power.”
Skinner scratched at his chin. “Miracles, eh?” He blew a sharp snort of air out through his nostrils. “When I was a lad, I drank the wine in church once or twice. They said that was blood too, but I know wine when I taste it. Never filled me up with no Holy Spirit, either. I don’t believe in miracles. Let’s talk treasure.”
“This is more valuable than any treasure,” Mookergwog said. “This is the power to control every fish in the sea. The greatest, most unstoppable navy in the world.”
“Really?” Skinner looked over his shoulder at Spyke and Long Tom Cannon. “What do ya think, lads?”
“I think he believes it enough for all of us,” Marlon Spyke said, twirling his blade.
Long Tom Cannon shrugged. “S’worth a try, isn’t it?”
“So it is.” Skinner turned back around and motioned for the vial. “All right, ya convinced me. Let’s have a taste.”
Mookergwog clutched the vial to his breast, appalled.
“You’re not drinking it,” Gentleman Jim said. “None of us are.”
Skinner frowned. “There you go again, giving orders. Get it straight, Captain Harper.” He said Harper’s name like the words put a bad taste in his mouth. “Just ’cause I’m playin’ nice at this here parley, don’t make you the boss of me. You got a crew with one wee lad, one old geezer, and whatever you want to call Greeny here. My crew’s fifty killers strong. If I decide I want something, there ain’t nothin’ you can do ta keep it from me.”
“The power doesn’t last,” Dean said. “The queen has to drink that blood every month to keep it going.”
“If that potion’s real, one month’ll be plenty. In that time, I could own the Caribbean.”
“Only the royal family can drink the Blood of Poseidon,” Mookergwog said. “If the contents of this vial passed your lips, it would drive you mad—at best. At worst, it would kill you. Such power isn’t meant for the likes of us.”
Skinner’s eyes narrowed. “Yer makin’ that part up.”
“There’s one way to find out,” Gentleman Jim said. “You a gambling man, Skinner?”
“Sometimes,” Skinner said with a scowl. “One thing I ain’t never been is a patient man. Seaborne promised me gold. So far, I ain’t seen any.”
“It’s down there,” Dean said, pointing to the water. “It’s all down there.”
“How did we get to this point?” Mookergwog asked Dean. “They can’t really mean to start a war, can they? Atlantis is about bringing people together.”
“On the surface, maybe,” Dean said. “Once you go deeper, nothing’s what it seems. Not us, not Galen Fishback—he’s dead, by the way—and not the honorable Lord Finneus either. He had Fishback hire assassins instead of performers the last time he came up.” Dean turned to Skinner. “Those were the men you raided, the ones we replaced. They were hired to kill the queen of Atlantis. They would have done it, too, if you hadn’t do
ne them in first.”
“That much I believe,” Skinner said. “They were a tough lot for a group of theater types.”
Dean turned back to Mookergwog. “When we showed up here, you said we were late. That was because Skinner’s interference delayed Fishback’s assassins—or delayed me, Ronan, and Waverly, once we replaced them. The waiting around must have gotten to Fishback, because he got cold feet. He was going to tell Captain Lyndra everything, but they killed him before he could do it.”
“Fishback’s body was found in Lyndra’s quarters,” Gentleman Jim said. “Finneus and Shellheart would have framed her for the murder, but I knew she didn’t do it. That’s why I took the blame. To protect her.”
Dean turned toward Gentleman Jim in surprise. “That’s why you confessed? To save Lyndra?”
“I had to buy her time to find out who the real villain was.”
“By going to jail for life? Are you mad?”
Gentleman Jim thought it over. “Maybe a little.”
“More than a little! How’d you know for sure that she was innocent?”
“I knew. She was with me when Fishback got himself killed.”
“With you?”
Gentleman Jim raised an eyebrow. The realization struck Dean like lightning.
“You mean . . . you and her?” he asked Gentleman Jim.
Gentleman Jim shrugged. “Like he said, Atlantis is all about bringing people together.”
Dean was gobsmacked. Skinner cackled. “Ain’t love grand? The good cap’n bagged himself a fish bride!” Skinner roared with laughter and his men joined in. Dean thought Gentleman Jim and Skinner might come to blows, but the ugly pirate stopped laughing and slapped an open palm on the table. “Enough! Let’s talk about bringing me together with my gold. You say it’s down there. That’s one place it don’t do me—or you—any good. How do we get it up here?”
“We have to go back,” Dean said.
“We have to save Waverly and Ronan,” Verrick added, speaking up for the first time.
“Don’t forget the queen,” said Mookergwog. “We have to stop this war before it starts. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate.”
“Cap’n!” One of Skinner’s men called down to him from the walls of Aquatica. “Something just surfaced in the water to the east!”
“What is it? What’s comin’ up?” he hollered back.
“I don’t know! Some kind of ship!”
Mookergwog sunk in his chair. “We may already be too late.”
Chapter 29
Tides of War
The ship that surfaced in the east was not part of Shellheart’s fleet but rather a lone pod-ship carrying Ronan. He came out of the Waterway closer to Aquatica than Dean and Gentleman Jim had, but he was still a good ways off. It was too far for Ronan to swim, but not too far for Dean and Gentleman Jim. Once they realized who was inside the pod, they dove into the water and together pushed Ronan’s craft safely into port. When he emerged from the pod, his first order of business was a proper reunion with his former captain.
Ronan threw his arms around Gentleman Jim. “I don’t care if you remember me or not. I’m just blasted happy you made it out.”
Gentleman Jim patted his back. “How could I forget my first mate? You know me better than that.”
Ronan looked up. “So you’re back?”
“I’m back.”
Dean came in to put an arm around Ronan. “It’s good to have you back too. I was afraid that sponge monster was going to smother you.”
“It tried,” Ronan assured Dean. “Fortunately, we came to an understanding.”
“I’ll bet you did,” Dean smirked. He had a pretty good idea how Ronan had made himself understood. “How did you get away?”
“I didn’t. They let me go.”
“Just you?” Verrick asked. “What about Waverly?”
“Verrick!” Ronan embraced him next. “I’m sorry. I begged them to send her up instead of me, but they wouldn’t do it.”
“Who’s they?” Dean asked. “Finneus and Shellheart?”
“Aye. They want the Blood of Poseidon back. Said they’d trade us Waverly for what you stole, but that’s as much as I know about this mess. I hope you didn’t use it all getting out.”
Dean shook his head. “We didn’t, but—”
“Good.” Ronan ran a hand through his hair. “That’s a relief. What happened to you, mate? We thought you were half dead. Next thing we knew, you were all-the-way-gone!”
“I’m sorry, Ronan. I didn’t mean to leave you behind. I was trying to save everyone.” Dean grimaced. “It didn’t go so well.”
Ronan looked around at Skinner and his crew of cutthroats. “You can say that again.”
“Trust me. It’s worse than you think.”
Over the next few minutes, Dean told Ronan what was really going on with Finneus. How he and Shellheart planned to overthrow the queen and start a war. How they had killed Fishback to keep it a secret, and had nearly killed Dean, not once, but twice. The whole time Dean was talking, Ronan’s jaw was on the floor.
“If Finneus gets his hands on the Blood of Poseidon, there’s no telling how many more will die,” Mookergwog said. “We can’t let him have it.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Verrick asked pointedly. “There’s a girl still down there. A girl I’m responsible for.”
“We’re going to get her back,” Dean told Verrick. “I promise.”
“You can’t trade the Blood of Poseidon for her life,” Mookergwog said. “The last time Neptune and Abyssal went to war, the ocean turned red with blood. Imagine the next time, with Atlantis joining the fight instead of stopping it. You don’t know what kinds of horrors lurk in the deep places of the world. The ocean would be all but uncrossable for anyone—above the waves or below.”
“The blood . . . ,” Dean said. “That’s it. We have to use the blood.”
Mookergwog huffed. “I told you, you can’t drink it. You’ll go mad.”
“I didn’t say we should drink it.”
“What are you talking about, Seaborne?” Ronan asked Dean.
“I’m talking about the one advantage we’ve got. Finneus thinks we’re alone up here with Mookergwog. He doesn’t know we’ve got a crew of murdering scoundrels with us.”
“Heh!” Skinner laughed. “I was wonderin’ when you were gonna come back ’round ta me. Here’s where yer wrong. I’ve got a crew of murdering scoundrels. You ain’t got nothin’. My men don’t work for free. You were supposed to get me my fortune, Seaborne. Remember our deal?”
“The deal was to get you into Aquatica,” Dean said. “I’ve done that. If you want your fortune, you’re going to have to work for it. There’s gold down there. I’ve seen it.”
Skinner rubbed the scruff on his chin. “How much gold?”
“More than you can possibly imagine.”
“I can imagine quite a lot,” Skinner said. “You have a plan to get me that gold?”
“Haven’t you been paying attention? The queen of Atlantis is about to be knocked off her throne. If you help save her, she’ll give you a bigger reward than you could ever steal.”
“I don’t know, I can steal quite a lot too.”
“But can you get it out? Back up here?”
Skinner thought about that for a moment. “You make a good point,” he said, nodding reluctantly. “I’ll ask ya one last time. What’s the plan?”
“That depends. Mookergwog, you said you like to tinker?”
Mookergwog put his thumb and forefinger close together. “A bit.”
“And you mixed the explosives outside this castle, didn’t you? The mines?”
“I did.”
“Any chance you’ve got the ingredients here to do a bit more?”
Mookergwog nodded. “I’ve got all kinds of ingredients in my workshop.”
Dean grinned a crooked grin. “Let’s you and I go have a look. I’ve got an idea.”
Chapter 30
Just Add Water
Dean rode the Waterways back to Atlantis with a newfound appreciation for the smooth, comfortable ride that a pod-ship afforded its passengers. Together with Mookergwog and Gentleman Jim, he coursed through the depths in silence. The current flipped the three of them around in every possible direction as it carried them from warm to freezing water and back again. No one said a word. Everyone was far more concerned with what lay ahead.
Soon Atlantis was in sight. The pod exited the Waterway and coasted toward the city. There was no Abyssian commando to pull them off course this time. The ship hit the Heavy Water barrier and rolled, eventually coming to rest at the edge of the main plaza. The trio stepped out of the pod and were greeted by a battalion of soldiers clad in the golden armor of Neptune.
“Hmph,” Gentleman Jim grunted. “Quite a different welcome than the one I got last time.”
“Not me,” Dean said. “Well, it’s a shinier welcome, but the sentiment is the same.”
“Look there,” Mookergwog said, as Finneus and Shellheart pushed through the line of soldiers. They stood at the center of the formation, waiting for Dean and his mates to make their move.
“Let’s go,” Dean said.
Dean, Mookergwog, and Gentleman Jim walked to the center of the plaza. Shellheart’s men stayed put as he and Finneus went forth to meet them halfway.
“Welcome back,” Finneus said, with the smug confidence of a person who greatly outnumbered his enemies. “I see you brought friends. Not enough to matter.”
“Who is this?” Shellheart asked, pointing at Mookergwog.
“No one important,” Finneus explained. “Just the customs clerk from Aquatica.”
“And a loyal citizen of Atlantis,” Mookergwog replied. “Unlike yourself.”
“Atlantis is changing,” said Finneus. “I’d advise you to change with it.”
The soldiers behind Finneus and Shellheart stood with spears in hand, waiting for the order to attack.
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