Page 97 of The Kraken Games

Acha muttered a string of foul kraken words.

The others looked away. Embarrassed maybe, that their hero was too wasted to even sit straight on his tentacles.

Disgusted, Kai turned to leave. “At least make yourself useful and help him up,” he called out to the young krakens, who just gawked at him.

Kai swam on, toward home. He moved along their street until he came to a little house set in a deep cave at the very end. Twisted seaweed adorned the porch, and small fish swam in and out of it, forming a vibrant colony. It had not always been this way. Not so long ago their porch had been bare rock, devoid of life.

When he went inside, his mom was nowhere to be seen. Weird, she was usually cooking up a storm in the kitchen. He found her in their cozy living room. She wasn’t alone.

Hana and a bevy of female kraken sat on the ground, paints and brushes around them. Tea was being poured, and they all chatted as they painted words onto large pieces of card.

It struck Kai that it was a much more productive scene than the one back at the bar.

“Oh Kai, you’re home.” His mom bounced off her tentacles, swam toward him and gave him a huge hug.

“Is this some kind of art class?” he asked, puzzled.

“Nope. We’re planning our first ever protest.”

Kai’s eyes flew wide. “About what?”

“About our young males being made to perform like circus animals. About the lies, and the cover-ups. About how our feminine wisdom has been confined to the home, not openly celebrated in the community.”

Hana piped up. “This whole issue with Luna has brought it all to a head, Kai. We females have been worried for a while. Our community is focused on the old ways, not the new. I for one have put off having younglings with your uncle Shen, and it struck me after all this came out that I don’t want them to grow up in such a male-dominated culture. With the truth now out about Luna, it feels like a weight has been taken off me. And when Luna challenged me about our customs, I realized it’s not fair. It’s not balanced, it’s not good for any of us.” Hana raised herself up indignantly. “And it’sreallynot fair that you and Luna can’t be together if you choose to be.”

Kai stared, open-mouthed. “H-how did you know about me and Luna?”

“Like durhh, Kai.” Hana motioned with two tentacles at her eyeballs. “I’m not blind.”

“Especially with all the good her family has brought us,” his mom added now. “It’s kind of uncanny really.”

Kai whipped round sharply to face her. “What is this all about, Mom? Dad mentioned something similar at the hearing.” He shifted a tentacle over his scalp. “I mean, how could Luna’s parents’ death benefit Thedaka? It’s been puzzling me ever since he said it.”

His mother sighed. “Not their death, but what we found in the wreckage of their ship. Your father is out in his study, I’ll go get him. We have much we need to share with you.”

Kai sat down, rubbing at his forehead. Hana motioned to the teapot. “Feel free to pour yourself a cup.”

He grinned. Usually, the kraken female served the male. Not today. This was… good. How it should be. “Thanks.” Hesmirked. Hana beamed at him and happily continued painting. Kai poured himself a cup of tea and sat down nearby.

“What’s it say?” he asked.

“Love is love,” Hana replied.

Kai’s chest expanded. Here, right here, among the women of Thedaka, he had his strongest allies. That must have been what Waldo meant.

Moments later, his father entered with his mom, carrying a battered metal chest. He put it down on the table. Kai hugged his father and thanked him for his support at the hearing. “What did you mean when you said Luna’s family had benefited Thedaka beyond measure?”

His father sighed. “Ah, my boy, I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for the last fifteen years.”

Fifteen. Years.

It struck Kai with sudden clarity. His pulse racing now, he swam over to the table.

His father opened the chest and brought out the first of several books.

He laid it on the table and began turning the pages. Kai stared at the drawings, the words in small neat hand written script. Observations about different species, the habitats they thrived in, where in the ocean they were healthy and in abundance, and the conclusions drawn from what was clearly years and years of observing ocean life. He stared at the pages for many minutes.

Finally, his father explained. “These works are the research of two humans. A man called Angus and a woman called Anna.”

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