Page 16 of Heart of the Deep

Vasil gasped when another bucketful of seawater hit him. His siphons gaped open and closed. Streams of bloody water poured down his face, trickling over his neck and chest. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and his lips were split in two different places.

Dracchus bore similar wounds, and they stung as seawater ran over them. If nothing else, the sting confirmed he was alive.

Time had become strange for him; he knew this was the second day since waking in this cage, the second day ofquestioning, but his mind couldn’t reconcile the time that had passed. How could two days feel like years?

The Commander stood in the space between the cells, wiping blood from his knuckles with a rag. He’d joined in the beatings today, moving between the cages to assist Brock, Sanson, and Altez in their work.

Despite the punishment they’d endured, none of the kraken — not even Neo, whose rage was growing as his body flagged — had given up any information. Dracchus was proud of them. They were remaining strong in the face of this pain.

He didn’t let his thoughts dwell on the notion that his pride meant nothing now.

“I am disappointed and impressed,” the commander said as he folded the bloody rag. He extended his fingers, staring thoughtfully at his split knuckles. “We’ll see if you break tomorrow.”

Neo fought against his restraints. “We will breakyou, human!” he shouted as the humans, without a backward glance, walked out of the room. “We will gut you! Feed upon your—”

The door slammed shut, and Neo’s words ended in a snarl. The kraken’s voice was raw, but that hadn’t stopped him from making his threats.

Did Neo realize that the humans were intelligent enough to see through his fury and recognize the distress beneath the surface?

“Save your energy,” Dracchus said.

“Every one of them will die!” Neo growled. “First those on this boat, then on the other two. We will return to the Facility and slaughter those humans as well. It is because of thatslitJax brought back that this is happening!”

“I will not tolerate threats against them.” Dracchus narrowed his eyes at Neo, ignoring the sharp pain as a cut on his forehead widened.

“How can you defend them after this?” Neo shouted.

“They are not responsible for the actions of others,” Vasil said quietly.

“Now you speak? Now you have something to say?” Neo flashed his color in challenge at Vasil. “You haven’t uttered a word to these humans, but now you will speak against me?”

“You would allow your hate to bring you to kill innocents,” Vasil replied, looking at the angry kraken. “Where is your honor?”

“Honor is—”

“The way of our people,” Dracchus said. “You and your lot claim to uphold our traditions, but you have lost your honor. You are no better than the humans holding us.”

Neo growled threateningly but said no more.

Dracchus closed his eyes. With the swaying of the ship, he couldalmostimagine himself riding the waves, could almost taste the salty breeze. The sound of water against the hull was still strange to him, but at least heknewit was the sea. That had to be comfort enough for now.

Breathing slowly, he reviewed the day’s wounds, exploring each pain individually. The damage inflicted on the first day had healed overnight. He expected today’s damage would be nearly gone by the next morning, leaving what Arkon would call ablank canvas.

He missed Arkon and Jax. It was a strange feeling for him, especially after years of conflict with them, but he couldn’t deny how much he wished they were near. They’d proven more dependable than anyone else he knew. They’d become his friends.

They were where they belonged, defending what was important to them, what was important to all kraken — the future.

The sound of the door drew Dracchus out of his contemplative state. He opened his eyes to see a dark figure enter the room — a human carrying a light. The cord of red hair hanging over the figure’s shoulder was the first detail to come into focus as his vision adjusted.

What blame should he place upon this female? She’d fired the shots that incapacitated him, Neo, and Vasil. She’d been essential to their capture. He should’ve hated her.

But there’d been something in her voice the night before that had given him pause.

Every kraken hunting party was led by an individual, and that individual’s decisions were to be obeyed for the duration of the hunt. That had been the kraken way for as long as anyone could remember. What if it was the same amongst the humans?

The commander led this massive hunting party. The female had followed his orders, had carried out his plan. She was an enemy to the kraken, but were all enemies equal? Was it possible for her to be an…unwilling enemy?

The female closed the door and raised her lantern to look at Vasil; he simply turned his head away from her. Neo snapped his teeth when the light touched him. Dracchus averted his eyes from the harsh glare when she drew closer to him. Pausing, she placed the lantern on the floor — turning it so it did not shine directly upon him — and approached his cell.

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