Page 2 of The Kraken Games

Kai’s chest nearly burst open with joy and gratitude, but he contained his emotions, bowing his head, hiding the smile that threatened to crack his face in two.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

The older male grunted. “Don’t let your head swell. It’s more from necessity than by choice,” he grumbled, and Kai felt his tentacles deflate beneath him. Not that Razad had ever been prone to paying compliments. “Foolish Acha getting beaten by an orc last year has forced my hand. A gods damnedorc.” Razad spat sideways, little bubbles flying from his lips.

Kai kept his face dutifully serious. Acha had been champion of the Kraken Games for five seasons. But last year he’d let down his guard, become overly confident and sloppy in his execution. The orc who’d challenged him every year for the past four had learned some clever moves, and had managed to lock Acha’s tentacles around him. He hadn’t been able to hold that orc in the dungeon for more than a couple of minutes.

Acha’s defeat had been a deep humiliation for kraken kind.

Kai and the rest of the juvenile krakens had suspected Acha would not be returned this year. Not after that. But now that he’d heard it from his grandpa’s own lips, Kai’s elation was followed by a jab of uncertainty. Was he ready for this? Gods knew he’d trained hard, so hard, but he’d always been passed over because of the weakness in two of his tentacles.

And now that it was a reality, fear of failing threatened to surge through him like the icy water of the deep.

As if reading his mind, his grandfather asked sternly, “Do you believe you’re ready?”

“Yes, sir.” Kai raised his chin, set his jaw. “I have been ready for a while now.”

Razad nodded curtly. “From what I’ve seen, your training has been worthy of note, your dedication exemplary. And your performance in training heats has been impressive. Your hard work means your injuries are less of an impediment than they were, but you will need wit and cunning. Other monsters have been studying our ways. They learned Acha’s moves. And the foolish lad was too full of hubris. You will have to do things differently.”

Kai bobbed his head respectfully. “I understand, sir.”

The old kraken narrowed his eyes. “You do?”

Kai nodded again, shifting his weight on his tentacles.

“We cannot afford to lose this year. Two years in a row will challenge our supremacy. If humans see our weaknesses, they will become confident venturing into our waters.” The old kraken sighed. “Since the Treaty, the games are our only way to prove our might. Not nearly adequate, but all we have.”

Kai had only vague memories of the period before the Treaty was signed twenty years ago. In those days the kraken had controlled all the waters around Motham Bay, regularly taking down human boats before they could get anywhere near Thedaka, their underwater city. In those days, with humans living in fear of them, it had been safe to spend many hours in these caves closer to Motham City, which were kept clear of pollution by the nearby whirlpool that only kraken kind could churn.

But then the revenge attacks had started.

Kai had been injured in one such attack. A human bomb had ripped through these very caves during his school camp, killing three of his friends, and seriously damaging two of Kai’s tentacles.

The tragedy had struck fear into the people of Thedaka. Kraken armies could not compete with human missiles. If the bombs reached the sanctuary of their city, many more would be killed, and the kraken way of life decimated.

And so, the elders had signed the Treaty. Now, the occasional churning of the whirlpool near Orc Island and the games were their only public show of strength.

And even though the games were highly staged, they served their purpose. Humans kept their distance, and once again, kraken felt safe holding meetings in these caves.

“When will I have this honor, Grandpa?” Kai asked now.

The old man sighed. “They are getting the arena ready; it will happen on the full moon of next month. When the tides are right. You must go ashore within the next couple of days and mix with your adversaries, publicize yourself. A new face will hopefully stop the other species getting cocky.”

Kai gulped. That was so soon. “I will train and stay with Shen?”

“You will.”

Shen was one of Kai’s uncles, the first of the Kraken Games warriors, who now spent a quarter of the year in human form near the marshes. As was tradition for the fighter, Kai would stay there and practice the complexities of wrestling in his human form.

Kai’s mind was a whirl of emotion. This was short notice, yes, but he’d known he wouldn’t get much warning if he was chosen. Too much talk could spread to other monsters.

Up until last year, krakens had been the unrivalled winners of the games.

That was the unspoken rule. The krakens won. Period. They funded the whole shebang; the other monsters in Motham City knew how it went. That was why an orc taking the trophy had been such a shock—to everyone. And an insult. But it was morethan that. A kraken losing was a bad message for humans to get wind of. Humans hated krakens still, would do anything to see them brought down.

The feeling was mutual.

Razad sighed heavily. “Go now boy. I need to get myself back into deeper waters. Half shift is terrible for my arthritis,” he grumbled, leaning back and looking tired in the light filtering through the water.

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