Kraken

"This is a bad idea," Night says for the fifth time, "we have no control over it and we've already destroyed enough of their home."

"Technically Tamara destroyed their home," I say, "had she not stolen the pearl we wouldn't have been sent to the Coral City. Besides she was adamant about keeping us from seeing Queen Galicia clearly she's hiding something."

"R..." Night sighs, "Jaya you demolished their home and you siphoned me without asking."

"So, what you're saying is we both destroyed their home."

"Jaya...

I interrupt him Onyx is swimming towards us, "Look, Onyx said the Kraken stayed away because of you so clearly it'll do as we say," a large octopus swims towards us its eyes are glassy I make out about eight tentacles all covered with tiny spikes on the side, "I didn't think he'd be so big."

"She," Onyx corrects, "her name is Galia and she's agreed to your terms."

Night swims over, "our terms?"

"To destroy the Coral City in exchange for her freedom," Onyx says smugly.

"That's not what we agreed on," I say swimming closer to Night, "we can't grant her, her freedom besides we are helping her retrieve the item she was supposed to be guarding."

"Galia, we're not taking her with us," Night turns to face me, "guarding the pearl was probably her punishment for attempting to destroy the Isle of Luna."

Isle of Luna is considered sacred land only the Dark King and his descendants have access to it. It is where the goddess Luna lived when she and the King of the Underworld fell in love and had the Deity of the Underworld its where they raised the first child born of the Celestial Palace and Underworld. While the goddess and King didn't bind their eternal souls keeping the so-called balance, their son was gutsier, while visiting the Celestial Palace he met Deity Rania and brought her to the Underworld but not before binding their eternal souls in the Celestial Palace the naming her Empress of the Underworld. The first Dark King was tasked with looking over the Island.

Considering Night is the Dark Kings adopted son I can see why he would rather keep the Kraken trapped here. Picking my word carefully I say, "I will bind her to me like Onyx."

"No."

"She won't free," I place the back of my hand next to his cheek, "just trust me. I know I can control her and if she gets out of line you can always kill her.

Night takes my hand into his and kisses my wrist right on top of that pulsing artery, "fine."

My skin crawls at the thought of having the Kraken living within my skin after all that's what Shadow Souls are, they live so long as the Shadow that wears them lives. The moment that Shadow dies so do they unless granted freedom. The only problem with that is they have to live within your skin for a minimum of ten years. Since Shadow Souls feed off their host life force their creation doesn't offset the balance. Only the strongest of Shadows can give the choice, it is believed they are somehow descendants of the first Shadow Queen which when you think about it, we all are.

The Kraken remains at the edge behind the seahorse statue I swim over and extend my hands, "chose life or death," so simple those words yet they hold immense power.

Galia growls if you can call it that tentacles knocking the seahorse statue over, "do you know who I am? I've destroyed worlds and snap children smaller than you in half."

"I'm not impressed," I look over my shoulder at Night and Onyx, "how about you guys?"

"Not in the slightest," Night says sending a small wave of darkness through me and straight to the Kraken. Galia gets thrown back crashing into a piece of coral, "throw another tantrum and I'll, end you."

"Not bad, I guess she chooses death," I lift my bow and pull the string back the Kraken wraps its tentacles around its self.

"Wait," she peeks through a tentacle, "life, I chose life," she swims closer reaching one tentacle I take it, it's so slimy. The Kraken takes her place on my right leg tentacles wrapped around my calf head resting on my knee and thigh.

"Once this is over, I'll kill her for you," Night sends.

I nod and try to keep from thinking about the thing currently living in my skin. There's something twisted about the Kraken's soul even its essence is slimy. Onyx reclaims his place on my left arm while Night opens the gateway back into the Coral City.

###

The city remains in ruin without a soul in sight. When I look at Night he sends, "time moves differently in the Underworld regardless of which level you visit."

"Got it," I send to him when I spot pink and orange waves no not waves hair, "look," we swim towards the hidden figure shrouding ourselves in darkness. The little mermaid is still cradling her mother's corpse at least what remains of it.

"Don't," Night sends, "let's find what we came for we've wasted too much time."

"Look at her."

"Just remember what Mother taught you," he sends as we swim away from the little mermaid, "there are always casualties in war this is nothing compared to what the world will experience if we fail. Turn off your emotions."

I don't bother telling him I did that already nor that I was fine until I saw her. Without thinking I swim back and drop the cover of darkness.

The little mermaid looks at me or more like through me, "why?" her voice is raspy her emerald eyes dim.

"I can show you," I extend my hand she looks at it but doesn't move, "Princess Tamara stole something from the Underworld. Do you know what that means?"

Emerald eyes lock with my fiery cherry blossom ones, "the wrath of the gods."

I only nod, it's not that I'm trying to justify my actions but had Tamara not stole the pearl we could have warned them about the coming war without this catastrophe.

"They're not here anymore," her voice is small but her eyes hold a fire I've seen in my own eyes, she wants revenge.

"Where did they go?"

"Into the Reef."

"Why didn't you go with them?"

"They wouldn't let me take mama."

"Why didn't they lay the dead to rest?" Night asks I was so distracted with the little mermaid that I didn't feel his approach.

"The Princess called mama a traitor," she looks at Night then me, "mama lifted the veil so you could cross into the city."

"Veil?" I look at Night.

"I think someone else removed the barrier they keep around the city," he sends, "there wasn't one when we got here, I thought it strange."

"But said nothing."

"I wasn't sure if I recalled it correctly," he sends before addressing the little mermaid, "what's your name?"

"Esmeralda."

"Figures," Night extends his hand and she takes it, "I need you to take us to the reef," he extends his free hand over the remains of Esmeralda's mother and turns them into a pink pearl, "she'll always be with you," he places the pearl against her third eye the pearl gives off a faint glow as it merges with her skin. Even after she's been laid to rest Esmeralda will carry that pearl into the Underworld. What Night just did only a few can do. The pearl will act as an anchor to her power and since it has a mother love it will be her greatest protection.

Esmeralda leads us to the reef guards float outside various caves' question is which one is Tamara's and where is the Queen. We tuck Esmeralda into a cave furthers from the others her eyes widen when I call Onyx out and instruct him to keep her safe. His response is snarky as expected, "I am a warrior, not a nanny."

"I don't recall asking," I say and call forth Galia, "find what was stolen?"

The Kraken shakes her tentacles out I guess it's her version of stretching she sends waves crashing towards the opposing caves. Night hands Esmeralda an obsidian blade then places a protective barrier around her and Onyx.

We watch as guards attempt and fail to land a blow on Galia the Kraken smacks them around like their flies eating the few that get close enough. Only two caves remain guarded one had to be Queen Galicia's the other Tamara's unless one's a decoy.

Night seems to think the same thing and sends tendrils of darkness to both he pulls the darkness back and shakes his head. I send out shadows into all the caves finding them empty.

"What if we were meant to find Esmeralda?" I send Night.

"She didn't lie," he sends back.

"Maybe she didn't know," I send just as a siren guard manages to plunge a trident into the Kraken's eye.

We leave the Kraken to her fight and swim back to the cave Esmeralda's hiding in. Night shrouds us in darkness to anyone looking we're just dark water. A cloaked figure swims towards the cave a webbed hand starts running scaling up and down the outer cave walls. The barrier Night placed made it seem like the opening has been closed off if the fool were to strike the barrier would send him by the smell of it flying back each attack would be returned to the sender ten times worse than the last.

"Just wait," Night sends.

Sure, enough the moment the cloaked figure lifts the trident in his hand and strikes it against the barrier he's thrown back crashing into a rock formation. Two other figures emerge from below, "they're in the deep," I send Night.

"I saw it," he sends out darkness trapping the sirens in a cage made of pure darkness. I follow him swimming past Esmeralda's cave and down the crack the sirens came through. Sweet darkness greets us the temperature drops the lower we swim. A few sirens and mermaids swim about oblivious to our existence.

There at the far end sits Queen Galicia in a throne of coral and pearl a crown of seashells and bones adorns her head. Tamara stands over her shoulder as the Queen holds up a pearl of deepest black.

"You did well," the Queen says, "no let's see who's stronger, that Shadow Queen or myself."

"Will it work?" Tamara asks.

The Queen closes her fist around the pearl, "it has too."

"What now?" I send Night.

A guard swims in half his arm missing, "your Majesty there's a Kraken and we can't hold it back any longer."

Another guard swims in blood dripping from his sides, "it has killed half of our men, what should we do?"

Tamara swims forward inclining her head to the Queen, "mother allow me to deal with this nuisance."

"No," the Queen says, "are you certain it's a Kraken?"

"Yes, my Queen," the first guard says, "we don't know where it came from or what it wants."

"I'll deal with it myself," she swallows the pearl, "let's test its power."

"What the fuck," I send Night.

"I informed mother and father," he sends, "we have new instructions."

I can only guess what those instructions are as we swim after the Queen and back to the reef. Tamara tries to break the cage her guards are trapped in realizing there's no use she sends out a burst of magic and kills them. I lift my bow but Night stops me, "mother has plans for her," he sends. I lower my bow and swim to where Queen Galicia is attempting to defeat the Kraken.

"My how you've aged," the Kraken says, "tell me sister do they know what you truly are?"

Queen Galicia answers by lifting the seabed towards her sister. I'll have to ask Night about it later. I swim to one side while Night swims towards Queen Galicia I lift my bow pull the string back and three arrows zoom past taking out three guards. I swim away before anyone can spot me and fire once more, he's almost close enough I just need to keep them distracted. How I miss being on land.

Tamara swims over trying to find the source of the arrows. Where I only shrouded in shadows, she might be able to spot me, after all, she's half Shadow thanks to Night's darkness I go unnoticed. By the time she swims to where I was, I'm already at a different spot. The moment Night's in position, I pull back the bowstring and pray my aim, be true.

Queen Galicia's to distracted to notice the silver arrow gliding towards her. Night's blades are quick cutting off her tail as my arrow pierces her heart.

"NO!" Tamara screams like a banshee the Kraken lifts a tentacle and knocks her to the side.

"So noisy just like your mother," the Kraken changes forms before us stands a replica of Queen Galicia twins. Her eyes are still silver and her hair is moldy green unlike Galicia's silver hair and blue eyes, "release me."

"That's not what we agreed on," I say, drawing the bowstring back two obsidian arrows fly out piercing her heart, "can we go?" nothing remains of the Kraken.

Night leans down and slashes Galicia's belly open, "found you," he pulls the pearl out one of the boxes his parents gave us appears he places the pearl inside and the box closes a red seal appearing over it just as it appeared it vanishes. Tamara's still unconscious as we swim over to Esmeralda's cave the guards that remain don't get in our way.

Onyx zooms out and hides behind my back, "she wouldn't stop touching and poking me," Night and I laugh.

"She's a child," Night, helps Esmeralda out of the cave, "you're about to go to the surface and met your aunt Crimson try not to piss her off."

Esmeralda's eyes light up, "the surface," she does a little twirl, "wait, aunt Crimson she's the Shadow Princess."

"Yeah," a Shadow appears she winks at us and extends her hand, "come along now can't keep them waiting." Esmeralda thanks us and takes the Shadow's hand.

"Why?" I ask as we start swimming upward. Onyx returns to his resting spot on my arm.

"Esmeralda's, Tamara's only relative and the only one that could challenge her for the throne. Odds are she'll end up like her mother if left here."

The moment we break the surface I grunt there is no land in sight. Night chuckles wrapping an arm around my waist he pulls us out of the water and into the sky.

"How?" I can't believe he has wings.

"Darkness like shadows can be shaped into anything you want," he says, "don't tell me you've never tried."

At my silence he lets me fall I call the shadows to me before I can plunge back into the water.

"I guess you should get used to flying first, hu," Night flies down and helps me adjust.

Who knew flying was this difficult after some time I give up and wrap my arms around his neck, "I'm sleeping," tucking my head into the crook of his neck I close my eyes and fall asleep the first rays of sunlight breaking through the horizon.