trench. It landed on the empty field and exploded.
Ciran tugged her back. With him, she hustled into the shield and reinforced its strength.
“I decide,” the king shouted, immune to suffering and fear because he already marinated in those emotions constantly. “I will tear Lusca from the ground before I take orders from a female. The kraken obeys my mirror stones. Her squids are my mercenaries. I take them, I use them, and I kill them!”
More tentacles tore at the ground, undeterred by the sharp coral and the armored spines.
The Life Tree shrieked again. The bell echoed with alarm.
“The time of sacred brides has passed,” the king snarled. “We take what we need. No one will stop us. I am the king!”
The king dropped Lukiyo, turned, and raised his dagger at the kraken. “For Lusca!”
Bex dragged Lukiyo inside the shield.
Ancient castles collapsed around them.
Angie opened her arms to the frantic Luscans. “Get in. Come. Hurry.”
Everyone, friend and foe, huddled close as their world ended. Collapsed walls of the ancient castles crashed on the shield with the force of a hundred terrifying plane accidents…and then casually slid off, as the shield held up perfectly, impenetrable and safe.
“Dannika? Ciran?” Meg clung to Itime. “I lost it. Backup plan?”
“Summon the kraken,” Ciran said, hugging Dannika.
“I thought I did. We did, I mean.”
“We must ring the bell.”
Oh.
No time.
Backup plan?
“Ommmmm,” Dannika hummed.
“Um, what are you—”
“High G,” she said. “Ommmmm.”
“Yeah, but—”
Angie interrupted, matching Dannika’s tone. “Ommmmmm.”
Meg shrugged and tried it, and a moment later, Bex chimed in. “Ommmmmmm.”
Their tones couldn’t possibly compete with the crashing city.
But. The kraken’s tentacles lowered. She heard something.
Bong…ong…ng…ng…g…
A little sharp?
Dannika modulated her tone to match the bell. Her musical training came in handy.
The kraken turned away from the city.
Thank goodness.
Whoah!
Her movement caused a massive current as if an entire mountain range changed orientation. The Life Tree and remaining castles laid flat against the seafloor.
“You will not defeat me!” the king screamed, hanging from one of its red tentacles. “I will never be defeated!”
As an afterthought almost, the tentacle rolled up, wrapping around the king like a fist closing over a gnat.
His shouts went silent.
The kraken flew away.
It was over.
Ciran held Dannika. Her soft body melded perfectly to his. Her chest and fingertips glowed in the same shade as her corner of the shield.
She was magnificent with her power.
And so were the other queens.
They ranged equidistant around the sphere, like four lights of hope in a dark ocean. The remaining warriors of the city and the young fry sheltered inside. Across the crowd, Angie nestled against Konomelu, and on the other corner, Meg snuggled in Itime’s arms. Bex glowed fiercely in front of Hadali and Prince Lukiyo, her hands up and ready to ward off any danger.
But as the harsh current tore by them, they floated in place, untouched. For a long time after the kraken had left, they bobbed gently, alone with only each other, in the empty ocean.
The Luscans remained quiet. Warring factions pressed too close to each other to fight. They were all united by survival.
In time, the bedraggled Life Tree righted itself, but it had a deadly kink. One castle shakily rose. Animals, mostly smaller squids and fish, flew past their shelter.
Dannika and Angie lowered the shield.
The groups spread out, gaining cautious distance from each other to evaluate their new positions.
Itime stroked Meg’s hair. “You communicated with the kraken?”
Meg preened. “What can I say? I’ve got the Disney princess touch.”
Dannika and the other women laughed. Bex smiled.
The young fry hugged their parents, mothers and fathers, in a happy reunion.
Hadali hugged Prince Lukiyo. “I missed you so much. When you turned on us, I thought…”
Prince Lukiyo pushed him away and floated back from the families. His eyes reddened, and he swallowed hard. But most tellingly, his soul light dimmed.
In a mer, this was extremely rare.
Bex put her arm around Hadali’s slender shoulders.
Prince Lukiyo regained control. “Grandfather…he just died. It was so sudden.”
“He was awful to you.” Hadali frowned in confusion. “Evil. He killed Dad.”
Prince Lukiyo bowed his head. “I killed Dad.”
“What do you mean?”
Prince Lukiyo choked.
The other young fry gathered around. Hadali tried to swim to his brother. Bex held him back.
“I’m the reason Dad died.” Prince Lukiyo hugged his torso. “Grandfather promised to forgive everything if I pledged myself to him. I’d train to be a warrior. We could all be warriors just like we dreamed. So when Dad broke in to rescue me, I didn’t leave. We argued, and then the king caught him and…and it’s my fault