Shattered by the Sea Lord - Starla Night Page 0,69
would fly out to heal Val.
The Atlantis queens would teach their queens any needed skills—especially Angie, who, even after a week of practice had not yet discovered her powers.
And they would all descend in an organized fashion to Lusca, turn aside the enemy units, charm the giant squids, overthrow the king and rescue everyone.
Easy.
But it all depended on how things went today.
Nuno emerged from the water, shifted to human effortlessly, and gestured at the distant coral. “They’re acting weird.”
Uh oh.
Now? Of all times?
Itime looked at Ciran.
Up at the firepit, Konomelu reviewed contingency plans with the queens. What to do if Meg couldn’t enter the water. What to do if a predator interrupted their tests. What to do if they felt like they were losing control and might reveal their secret prematurely to the Luscan patrol.
But none of those contingencies had taken in the possibility of the Luscan patrol becoming a problem.
Ciran dropped his fraying human clothes and strode into the waves. “Show us.”
Nuno led him and Itime to the center of the reef and pointed. “They’re all around the reef today. It’s like they know we’re doing something.”
Out beyond the dead coral lattice, one Luscan warrior kicked slowly back and forth. He watched more intently than on the other mornings.
A second patroller floated beyond the first.
“They never post more than two warriors in one place on the island,” Itime vibrated.
“There’s a third.” Nuno pointed to the far end of the lattice, closest to the cavern, “and at the other end, a fourth.”
Itime stilled.
“Should we cancel the training today? I do not see Lieutenant Orike.”
Nuno pointed. “He’s there.”
The lieutenant was far out enough to see the curve on the island.
“Good eye,” Ciran said.
Nuno puffed his chest.
The whole patrol had gathered to watch their demonstration.
Konomelu kicked to their position, bubbles trailing from his swift dive. “The brides are ready.”
“But we are not.” Ciran pointed out the odd behavior. “They are planning something.”
Konomelu squinted at the patrol. “We altered our schedule. Perhaps they have guessed that we are planning something.”
“Should we delay?” Itime asked.
Konomelu considered it for a long time. “No. If our brides demonstrate the powers Ciran says they are capable of, they will defeat the patrol as planned. If they do not demonstrate those powers, then they will not engage. The patrol will be none the wiser.”
“Unless the patrol comes through the coral barrier,” Ciran said.
“They will not violate the agreement.” Konomelu nodded to his son. “Prepare the trainees.”
Nuno kicked to the younger trainees. “Squid races! Right here, pick your squids.”
“Mine is named Lieutenant Ori-idiot!” one of them cried.
“Don’t name it that,” Nuno jeered. “That name’s always a loser. A sore one, too.”
The patrol drifted closer to the lattice, definitely watching the young fry.
The back of Ciran’s neck itched. Would they really respect the coral barrier? It was symbolic, not functional, with its fragile dead lattice and gaping holes. The other warriors shared his unease, but they moved forward with the test.
Squids clustered en masse at the entry point for the women. Tentacles and mantles, long club arms, and the occasional parrotfish squirmed and intermixed. But they weren’t as frantic as in times past. Light glimmered within the mass, and then the squids all changed color from agitated to peaceful. They dispersed, their fins fluttering, tentacles-first without a single ink squirt.
Dannika released her glowing shield. It had encased just three women: herself, Meg, and Bex.
Meg opened her eyes with a pleased smile. “It worked. I told them to go away, and they went away.”
“Where is Angie?” Konomelu demanded.
Meg’s smile slipped. “She, uh, stayed on shore with Val. She still hasn’t figured out her powers.”
Konomelu set his jaw and glared at the shoreline. “She has never backed down from a challenge.”
“That probably makes her failure extra upsetting,” Dannika said. “Did you want us to wait while you go talk to her?”
He frowned heavily. Again, another long pause, and Konomelu finally ground out his answer. “We will continue. Itime, the first test.”
Itime stared at Meg, expressionless.
Konomelu turned to him. “Itime?”
He twitched. “Yes?”
“The first test. Begin.”
“Ah. Yes.” But he continued to stare.
Meg beamed at the cornflower blue warrior, then hugged him. “Don’t cry.”
Itime shook his head, looking very far from crying. “It has been a long time.”
“I know. It’s exciting to be in the ocean again.” She kissed his flat cheek. “This is the first of many swims. Everything’s about to change. Today is the beginning.”
He nodded.
Meg gave him one last squeeze and resumed her place in line.