Page 118 of Treasure of the Abyss

Jax didn’t bother surfacing yet. After a brief conversation, the guards picked up their long guns and left, one of them raising his arms overhead and stretching as he moved. Only when the door was closed and Aymee stood in front of the tank did Jaxrise.

“We don’t have much time,” she said. “We’re going to make our move tonight. Macy will be ready to leave, and we need to figure out how to get you out of thistank.”

His hearts quickened, and excitement swept through him, heightened by his need for action. “How?”

“We’re not really sure how it’ll play out. Macy’s father is going to take her to the docks to wait for you, and Camrin is going to lure the guards away.” Her eyes strayed to the crack in the glass. “The main thing is we want to keep anyone from getting hurt, so we need to be quick andquiet.”

“You need to try to call Arkon andDracchus.”

Her eyes widened. “They’rehere?”

“Arkon said he would wait and watch. He is in the water, not far offshore. He and Dracchus will help, if you can contact them and lead them to thisplace.”

“How do I contactthem?”

“A sign.” Jax ducked under the surface and showed her the quick series of arm and hand movements. She repeated them with him several times until she got themright.

“What does that mean?” she asked when he came backup.

“Swim withme.”

“Swim with you? Nothelp? Ordanger?”

“It is the only sign I can think of that doesn’t require tentacles or a color change, but still holds enough meaning to catch theirattention.”

“What do you want me totell—”

The dooropened.

Aymee glanced over her shoulder. “I need to go.Tonight.”

She turned and went to meet the guards. Their voices were too muffled by distance for Jax to make out, so he sank down and closed his eyes. His tentacles twitched with anticipation, but all he could do waswait.

Tonight.

Chapter 24

“It has been five days,”Dracchusgrowled.

Arkon exhaled through his siphons and dropped his forehead to the rock he was leaning against. “I amaware.”

“How long do you intend towait?”

“I willnotleave them behind,Dracchus.”

Grunting, Dracchus moved forward along the stone, shifting his gaze to the human settlement. “That is not what I was implying. It is past time for us to go and getthem.”

The idea was appealing; the two kraken had waited in the water since Jax returned Macy to her people, lurking along the cliffs as the tide rose and fell. Dracchus had very nearly charged in when the humans took up weapons and led Jax away, but Arkon had managed to stop him. Jax had been calm, and that was a goodsign.

Or a very, very badone.

“What do you propose?” Arkon asked. “Do you know where either of them are? Do you know what structures they have up on the cliffs, their layouts, their defenses? We don’t even know how many humans are upthere.”

“Perhaps if you spent as much time thinking about what we can do, rather than why we shouldn’t do anything, you would have come up with a plan of your own.” Dracchus’s scowl was deep; even after everything that had transpired, Arkon couldn’t deny his satisfaction at seeingit.

“I would love nothing more than to go in there and see my friends again.” Arkon lifted his head and looked at thedock.

Most of the ships that had departed with the dawn had already returned, just ahead of the sunset. Humans moved in and out of the vessels, hauling barrels and netfuls of fish. Arkon couldn’t help his fascination as he watchedthem.

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