Chapter 32

As Kai got closer to the gates of Thedaka he felt himself transforming into full kraken. Strangely, even though kraken usually felt at their best in their ancient form down in the deep, he missed his shifting self, because that self was the one he had shared with Luna. He had courted her on land as human and kraken, and that had made his shift state very special to him. Except for the other night in the warm pools when he had attained Metan. No mistaking he was fully kraken then. And she had not shied away from his kraken form, instead embracing the change in him with awe and love in her eyes. He had still been himself, after all.

Steeling himself, he sped closer to the arched gateway. This was not the moment for romantic daydreams. He had a job to do.

As he entered through the gate, the guard stopped him, then smiled and waved him through. “Kai. Welcome home again.”

“Good to be here.”

As he made his way through the bustling main thoroughfare, toward the markets, he greeted the many kraken he knew tending their shops, chatting among the coral and busy schools of fish, the wobbegongs and stingrays. Already a bar was open. A group of young kraken were gathered, playing backgammon and laughing.

“Hey there, loser,” someone called out. Acha. Of course, he should have suspected he’d be here, drinking Fash, the sweet sticky liquor favored by kraken, often consumed with strong coffee even early in the day. Like now.

Kai swam over, certain that Acha was already half-cut.

“You’ve joined an elite club.” Acha smirked and brought up several tentacles in the kraken equivalent of a high five.

Kai stood his ground, tentacles at his side.

“Please yourself, asshole.” Acha lazed against the rocky couch, his smirk widening. He represented everything about the young males here that was wrong. They needed to do some work on themselves, step up. It wasn’t just up to his parents’ generation to put this city to rights.

“I may have brought disrepute to the games last year, but cuz, you fucking annihilated them. Congratulations. let’s celebrate.” Acha raised his glass in Kai’s direction and the other young kraken smirked.

“It’s not even midday,” Kai said pointedly. “So, no thanks.”

Acha shrugged, sinking the drink and slamming down the glass. “RIP to the Kraken Games.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Kai said quietly.

“Sour grapes, eh?”

Kai shook his head. “Do you think the games do any real good? For our people? Really?”

Acha’s lip curled.“You’re only saying that because you lost. Defeated by a little bitch human.”

Kai saw red. He pulled Acha up by the ruff of skin around his neck. “Don’t you ever call her that. You hear me? Not ever.”

“Back off, dude, it was a joke.”

“Yeah, everything’s a joke to you. And that’s the problem.” With a shake, Kai let Acha drop into the sand. He wasn’t going to fight him here in the town square. He remembered Waldo’s words—he was a warrior, but not that kind. “Why are you all just sitting here gambling when you could be doing something productive? Is that what we males are reduced to here?”

He watched Acha trying to climb back into his seat, obviously drunk. His tentacles slid from under him, and he fell face first on the sea bottom, sand flurrying around him.

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’s really not 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.” He smirked. 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.”

Kai whispered, “Luna’s mom and dad.”

“Yes. The troops rescued this from the seabed when they went to see if any of the crew were left alive. They brought it back to me. It has informed my own work for the past fifteen years. The insights that Angus and Anna made on their travels through the world’s oceans have aided me in finding solutions to our pollution, to why our coral was not spawning and why our fish stocks were depleting. It has helped me and my team bring life back to Thedaka.”

Kai bit his trembling lip. This was so bittersweet. So very ironic. And now his father’s words at the hearing made total sense. In fact, everything started to fall into place. Why he had been so drawn to Luna from the start, the magic that Waldo talked about growing stronger in the world. It was like an invisible portal had opened up the day he first saw Luna in the water, linking everything together. Bringing things full circle.

Yes. The time was now.

He looked at his parents. “Angus and Anna were part of the magic, I’m sure of it.”

“And the magic has strengthened in Thedaka since then,” his father said. “You can sense it in how quickly this city has rejuvenated.”

Kai took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, so much has happened since I left for the games. And I need to tell you the whole story.”

Hana said, “Sounds like you need some time alone. We’ll pack up and go.”

“Can you all meet me at Grandpa’s palace in an hour?” Kai said. “I think I’m going to need your support.”

Hana looked uncertain. “It would be going against the rules if we turned up uninvited.”

Kai’s mom puffed herself up. “Hana, my dear, isn’t that the whole point?”

The other women murmured agreement. “You’re right.” Hana said. “It’s just a new feeling, taking back our power.”

“And it’s well overdue.” The women folk all hugged Kai’s mom, then they took their placards and left.

Afterward, Kai sat down with his parents and told them the details of the last few weeks.

“So, clearly you love this girl with all your heart,” his mom said softly when he’d finished.

“With all my heart and soul. I have…” Kai felt himself blushing, “attained Metan with her.”

His mother sighed happily; his father looked slightly embarrassed.

“That would not be possible if she were not your mate. How exciting that she will live among us. That hasn’t happened in centuries,” his mom said.

Kai frowned. “It’s not a given that Luna will want to live here in Thedaka. It would take time for her to get used to life here. Even if she has gills and can move around at ease, what if she doesn’t like it? A lone human among kraken. It’s a hard ask.”

His parents looked solemnly at him. “What would you do then?”

“I will live with her on land.”

His mom added, “There are other options. You could live both here and in Motham.”

Kai felt his brows raising. Even his father was smiling. “Pa, you’d support that?”

“Yes. It is time we kraken started to move further afield. For a long time now, your mom and I have felt we need to share Angus and Anna’s legacy. There is much to do, not only under the sea. A bond like yours and Luna’s makes it possible for us to share these findings more openly with the outside world.”

His mom added, “Your pa and I always sensed that you were different, Kai. That you would break the mold. Well, you’ve certainly proved that, with your love for Luna.”

Kai glowed with pride. He knew his mom and dad had always believed in him, but this… this was taking it to a whole new level. It was believing in a different society for kraken kind. One that could interact positively with the outside world. That valued their females’ opinions as equals. It was a radical shift.

He rubbed his forehead, laughing. “Gods, this is so ironic. All my life, I believed winning the games was the ultimate achievement for a kraken.” He shook his head. “But… it wasn’t at all.”

“Except were it not for the games, you would never have met Luna,” his mom pointed out.

Kai remembered Waldo’s words: that Razad had chosen him, even without knowing why. His sense when he’d first set eyes on Luna that she was his destiny. His one true mate. He was certain now that deeper magic was at play.

“Yes. For that reason, I will value the experience forever,” he agreed. “Even though the games are full of faults.”

“If the games continue, they’re going to have to change,” his mom huffed. “Female kraken competitors, for a start. No more rigging the event in our favour. It needs to be fair for all species. It’s time to go talk to your grandfather. And if he doesn’t come round, we women will be taking to the streets.”