Page 85 of Heart of the Deep

Make the kill.

Memories of the night they were captured flitted through Dracchus’s mind. The kraken were armed this time, but what good would it do when their view beyond the surface was naturally obscured, while the humans could see down unhindered?

We must go, Dracchus signed.

The others looked between Neo and Dracchus, seemingly torn on who to obey. Their duty bound them by honor to follow the hunt leader, but at least a few of them must have understood that, however weak and fragile humans appeared, this battle would exact a heavy price.

This is not worth our blood. Dracchus removed his eyes from Neo for only a moment to glance at the boats; time was nearly up.

Kronus touched Neo’s shoulder, calling his attention. He mimicked Dracchus’s signs with strengthened emphasis.

This isnotworth our blood.

The red of Neo’s skin deepened, and he bared his teeth in a scowl. He thrust a finger in the direction of the boats and swung his gaze over all the other kraken, challenging them to disobey, to oppose his decision. On the edge of Dracchus’s vision, Randall moved closer, harpoon gun in both hands, and Ikaros raised his spine fins defensively.

Before anyone could offer a response, the humans launched their attack.

A powerfulthunkfrom the surface sent ripples outward from the nearest boat. A large harpoon, longer than Dracchus’s arm, hit the water and sped toward Neo and Kronus in a torrent of bubbles.

Neo darted aside. The harpoon hit Kronus low on his abdomen, shearing through to emerge from his back andclackagainst the rock behind him. Dracchus surged forward, flashing yellow. He wouldn’t allow this to happen again. No kraken would be taken.

Anotherthump.

Something punched Dracchus’s tentacle hard enough to push him to the bottom, kicking up a cloud of loose sand. The pain was distant, but the pressure extended clear through the affected limb. He glanced down as the sand cleared. A harpoon jutted from one of his rear tentacles. A fine mist of blood drifted into the water.

The ground beneath him shifted, and he snapped his head to the side to see a sandseeker erupt from the bottom. The creature’s mandibles spread wide, revealing its toothy mouth, as its small, paddle-like legs propelled it toward Dracchus.

Dracchus rolled aside as quickly as he could. The harpoon grated against his torn flesh, but he ignored the agony. He felt the impact of the sandseeker beside him, felt the displacement of water as the creature thrashed in search of the prey it had so nearly captured. He dragged himself away as the sandseeker burrowed into the sand.

He swung his gaze toward Kronus as the water cleared. The ochre kraken scrambled to grab hold of the rocks as the harpoon tether went taut and dragged him toward the boat. Neo held the line in both hands, battling its pull.

More projectiles hit the water, trailing small streams of bubbles behind them. These lost momentum before making it halfway to Dracchus, lingering briefly until their paths reversed and they drifted toward the surface. The little objects were familiar to Dracchus.

Sleep bullets.

Neo stared up at the new projectiles, and the crimson of his skin wavered. Releasing the tether, he fled toward deep water. Several other kraken scattered at the sight of his panic.

Dracchus buried his claws in the seafloor and pulled himself toward the struggling Kronus. Resistance against his forward momentum began suddenly, increasing the pressure on his wound. His claws raked across the sand as the tether dragged him backward. He couldn’t find the purchase to anchor himself in place.

A weight settled on his back; the soft, pliable scales could only belong to Ikaros. Dracchus looked over his shoulder to see the prixxir close his mouth around the tether. Ikaros swung his tail to counteract the tension on the line, granting Dracchus a bit of slack.

Randall sped by, swimming toward Kronus. The ochre kraken held onto the bottom only by his hands, arms stretched and muscles straining.

Dracchus’s gut clenched in fear. Kronus had made no secret of his hatred for humans. What would he do when Randall neared?

Without hesitation, Randall grabbed hold of Kronus’s tether and drew a knife from his thigh. He set the blade to the line, sawing frantically. Strands of the tether snapped with metallictwangsthat resonated through the water.

Brexes arrived at Kronus’s side and took hold of the rocks with his tentacles before reaching up to grasp the tether, leaning back to alleviate some of the pressure.

Vasil rushed toward Dracchus from the right. His spear glinted in the sunlight as he moved behind Dracchus and set to work on the tether. Vibrations pulsed through the line, along the harpoon, and spread into Dracchus’s limbs, producing twinges of new, unique pain.

Dracchus was freed a moment after Kronus’s tether broke.

Brexes helped Kronus flee, trailing blood behind them, as the severed tethers sped toward the surface. Vasil grasped Dracchus’s arm and helped the big kraken right himself. Ikaros charged to Randall and gently closed his mouth around the human’s arm, tugging.

Randall stared up at the boats for another heartbeat before turning away. He and Ikaros fell into place beside Dracchus and Vasil, and the four began their hurried trip home.

Dracchus focused on his pain, on the uncomfortable weapon still embedded in his tentacle, on the thundering of his hearts.

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