The Last Emprex (17 page)

Barkley blinked, hoping that his eyes were lying.

His friend had been swallowed whole by Grimkahn.

My friend is dead, he thought.

Grimkahn roared in triumph, shaking the battle waters around him.

“I'VE WON!” he cried as he gnashed his teeth back and forth.

The chunky pup was made of tough stuff, Grimkahn would give him that.

Even now Gray's carcass was stuck tight in his throat.

But something was wrong.

There was no blood.

Blood always gushed pleasingly in his throat when he crushed the life out of prey.

Where was the blood?

Gray thought he was incredibly calm given the fact that he was entirely inside Grimkahn's mouth.

His shield glowed with power, but it was cracking. He could feel it beginning to give way to the incredible force of the mosasaur king's grinding teeth.

He couldn't dodge Grimkahn's last attack. He had known that.

It was then, a split second before the giant, toothy mouth closed on him, that Gray got an idea.

It was his craziest—and maybe best—yet.

He couldn't beat Grimkahn with his own size and speed. The monster was too big.

And shar-kata didn't work against the mosasaur's armored hide, so Gray couldn't hurt him . . .

 . . . from the outside.

What Gray hadn't tried was attacking from the
inside
. Not totally inside since Grimkhan's mouth wasn't
entirely
closed around him, but Gray was staring down the mosasaur king's gullet and that was close enough.

It was all or nothing. This would work or he would be eaten.

Gray's shield flattened, and he could feel the dagger spikes on the roof of the monster's mouth touch his back. He gathered power until he felt as if he would explode into a fireball and then released it.

The pressure on his back stopped.

Gray couldn't hear anything from inside Grimkahn's gullet.

For a moment everything was silent.

Then the mosasaur's mouth disintegrated into charred pieces, falling to each side of Gray.

After a moment blood gushed forth from where Grimkahn's head used to be and the ocean around him turned red.

The rest of the mosasaur king's body crashed onto the seabed.

Grimkahn was finally dead.

CHAPTER 26

GRAY HOPED THE DEATH OF THEIR LEADER
would cause the jurassic horde to stop fighting.

It was a false hope.

If anything, the monsters became more enraged. Grimkahn wasn't lying when he told Gray about his standing order to wipe them out. They would have to win this outright.

With the addition of the Hideg Shiver sharkkind from the Arktik and at least three or four battle pods of orcas from Icingholme Shiver, the tide had turned. Frilled sharks started swimming the Sparkle Blue at a faster pace. And the bladefish were deadly against the mosasaurs. They too, were dying. But there were still at least thirty of the giants left, along with several hundred frilled sharks.

They could have escaped if they wanted to, but instead they drove deeper into the Riptide United forces, inflicting huge casualties. Gray powered back into the melee. He rammed a frill away from an AuzyAuzy mariner and then bit the tail off another.

Gray saw Xander die in the fighting. Another of his friends was gone. The mariners he commanded slowed for a split second, unsure what to do. The swarm of frills and three mosasaurs they battled ripped into them.

The entire Indi and AuzyAuzy force was about to be annihilated. Gray whipped himself into the diamondhead. “To me!” he shouted. “Triple Tail Turns Up and Left!” Thankfully one of Olph's battle dolph cousins was there to click-razz the order so everyone could hear it.

The move swung their force over and crashed it into the weak side of this section of the jurassic horde. But the frilled sharks were quick to adjust and soon it was bloody, snout-to-snout, close combat again. Sharkkind and frills thrashed every which way, dying. One mosasaur was taken out by Salamanca. He sliced the beast's guts out from underneath while another swordfish drove its sharp bill deep into a mosasaur's eye socket to the brain. It sank, flippers jerking and twitching.

But still, sharkkind all around Gray died.

A shiver of terror crept down his spine. Even without Grimkahn the jurassic horde could win. They were driven by an almost psychotic madness to kill everyone around them.

And we don't have any more friends left who can show up and help, Gray thought as he avoided a wild tail strike from a frill.

Suddenly the frilled sharks were compacted against his mariners.

Unable to move freely, they became easier targets. Gray thought it was the orcas pushing forward, as the figures in the hazy red waters were larger than sharks.

They were swimming upright, though, with long necks.

They looked like prehistores but were sending frills and mosasaurs to the Sparkle Blue.

As they got closer he saw they were giant sea dragons.

Gray couldn't believe it.

Yappy's cousins from the Dark Blue had finally arrived.

The giant sea dragons were used to swimming where the water was thick and heavy, so in these higher depths they were lightning fast and more than a match for the frills. They were also big enough that three or four of them could take down a mosasaur.

Still, the jurassic horde didn't relent. They fought and died to the last.

When it was over there was a great cheer and then silence as the survivors took in a sight no one would ever wipe from their mind. The dead and dying formed a twenty and thirty foot deep pile on the seabed.

It was horrifying.

Gray felt guilty when a spasm of
relief
washed through him.

He was alive, the battle had been won, and the war was over.

CHAPTER 27

THE BODIES OF THE FALLEN HAD TO BE
moved after what would forever be called the Battle of Fathomir. The honored dead of Riptide, AuzyAuzy, Indi, Vortex, Hammer, Hideg, Icingholme, and all the smaller shivers that had fought were placed in one location while the jurassics were dragged to another. Thankfully a fierce current surged through the area for three days after the battle and helped the process. Even the mosasaurs were taken far enough away—with much help from Yappy's giant sea dragon cousins—so the living didn't have to be reminded of their evil and smell their stink.

Out of those piles of dead, life did spring. In short order entire new reefs were created from the bodies. They burst forth with thick greenie, corals, and whole new ecosystems.

It was the way of the Big Blue.

It seemed even if you swam the Sparkle Blue, you still had a job to do.

Gray swam out to speak in front of the Fathomir home and battle waters. A hundred thousand sharkkind and dwellers waited for his words. He had sent dozens of quickfin messengers to call representatives from every shiver they could think of, with Judijoan, Leilani, and BenzoBenzo, the huge blowfish head of the AuzyAuzy Eyes and Ears, being a tremendous help there.

Gray had already told the closest of his advisors what he would say to the gathered. That discussion, which included old friends and loved ones like his mother, Barkley, Snork, Striiker, Onyx, Jaunt, and new friends like Leilani, Tydal, Salamanca, Aleeyoot, BenzoBenzo, and Judijoan, was one of the rowdiest he had ever seen.

They were shocked and some disagreed, but he had made up his mind.

Gray would give up the title of Seazarein Emprex.

When he swam to a place where everyone could see him, there was a thunderous cheer. Gray called forth the energy of the waters to amplify his voice.

“I am Graynoldus Rex the Seazarein Emprex of the seven seas and all the oceans,” he began, and the crowd quieted to listen. “As you might have guessed, it's a big job. I tried to do it as well as I could. Unfortunately we had to fight two wars in the short time I've been in charge.”

Someone shouted, “And you won!” This set off another rousing cheer.

Gray waved his tail for order and the crowd quieted. “Despite the fact that we won—and it was
we
who won, not me—many of our friends and loved ones swam the Sparkle Blue before their time. Though it seemed that both of these wars were unavoidable, I'd like to try something different, something that may let us avoid future wars. I propose sharing the power between the shivers of the Big Blue. I want to form an assembly where shivers big and small can work together and more importantly, listen to the sharkkind, dwellers, and even those from the Underwaters and Dark Blue, so that there can be understanding between everyone. I want to stop wars before they start.”

The crowd was hushed as they thought about this radical concept. The Five in the Line had been around since the time of Tyro. Gray was replacing it with a structure where power would be shared by many shivers. It was a big deal.

“By banding together, this oceanwide alliance would prevent not only bloodshed but also injustices committed by shivers who decide to use the fact that they are bigger and stronger to do evil. Each shiver will choose a representative to send to Fathomir and form this assembly. Yes, there will be a leader because I've learned you can't run a meeting without someone being in charge. But the leader wouldn't make the decisions, only guide the process. The assembly will vote on what to do
together
.”

Out of the Riptide armada a chant began, softly at first but then gaining strength as more and more picked up the chant. Soon the waters thundered with, “GRAY-FOR-LEADER! GRAY-FOR-LEADER! GRAY-FOR-LEADER!”

Gray used his shar-kata and a slash of his tail to say, “NO!”

This hushed the crowd and even startled a few. “I apologize for raising my voice but I'm retiring not only the title of Seazarein Emprex but from any leadership role.” A dismayed moan rolled through the gathered fins and dwellers. “I want the Big Blue to have a brand new start and I'm too connected with the old ways.”

There were shouts of “No!” “We need you!” and “Please be our king!”

“Wait! Wait!” Gray told everyone and they once more strained to listen. “I don't want to leave you without any guidance, though. I'll be the Seazarein a little while longer until we get the process going and I'll even give you my choice for who should be leader of what I'll name the First Assembly of Fathomir.”

Gray glanced at his advisors, giving Barkley a special grin.

There was one thing that he hadn't told his oldest and best friend during that loud meeting from before. He faced the crowd again and was pretty sure he heard Barkley say, “Gray, wait a second, what are you doing?”

“I nominate one of the smartest, bravest, and most kind sharks I know to be the first First Assembly leader of Fathomir—BARKLEY!”

“BARK-LEY! BARK-LEY! BARK-LEY! BARK-LEY! BARK-LEY!”

Gray swam to his friends and gave Barkley a nudge. “You always said you wanted more say in how things went.”

“Actually I don't think I did!” Barkley said as the crowd continued to chant his name even louder. Then his friend became bashful. “I—I don't know. The job is so . . . big.”

“I think it's a great choice!” Striiker exclaimed.

“Don't go laughing too hard, chowderhead,” Barkley said. “If I'm elected, you're the new captain of the guardians.”

“What? Aww, no!” Striiker replied before he nodded in acceptance. “Good one.”

Gray flicked his tail at his closest friends and allies. “You'll all be playing large roles in the assembly. You can share the work together.”

“But what about you, Gray?” asked Leilani. “What are you going to do?”

“I don't know yet,” he said. “But when I do, you'll be the first to know.”

Then Gray went to see the one important fish that hadn't been able to come to his speech.

Barkley couldn't believe it. He was leader of the Big Blue.

A dogfish!

The crowd continued to chant “Barkley! Barkley! Barkley!”

They didn't mind him being a dogfish one bit.

Maybe I should finally stop thinking like that, he thought.

It was a new day in the Big Blue.

A fresh beginning for everyone.

Anyone could be anything . . .

Barkley went over to Velenka, who was off to the side and by herself, not with the group of Gray's closest friends and advisors.

“What are you doing?” she asked, momentarily uneasy. “Don't you have to make a speech or something?”

“There will be time for speeches later,” he told her. “I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you. You wanted a new start? Well, here it is. I'll need a fin that isn't afraid to tell me what they think even if they disagree. I want you to be my assistant and advisor. Are you up for the task?”

Even with the waters vibrating from the crowd chanting his name, Barkley heard Velenka say, “Thank you with all my heart.”

Barkley gave the mako a pat on the flank. “It also doesn't hurt to have someone sneaky when we're dealing with the more devious fins, now does it?”

“Oh
that
I can help with,” Velenka said, her big black eyes sparkling.