Chapter 33

Hana and the other kraken females were already outside the palace when they arrived. A rather disapproving looking sea serpent opened the huge rock gates and led them to Razad’s quarters.

“He’s been resting,” it snapped, “You have half an hour.”

Kai was shocked at the change in Razad. He was hunkered down, half hidden in his grotto, and came slowly forward, as if his tentacles were too heavy to drag with him. In less than a week he seemed to have shrunk into himself, become more wizened. His body was loose, his tentacles limp. The barnacles that covered him stood out on his flaccid skin, more gray now than blue.

He raised dull eyes. “Ah, Kai. You are home. How did the journey go?”

“Very well, Grandpa.”

“She is reunited with her kin,” he muttered. “We have done penance.”

He looked beyond Kai and frowned. “Why the need for females to accompany you?”

“We’re Kai’s support team,” Hana piped up.

The old man grunted. “You have your time to speak to me, once a month at the ladies club.”

Hana braced her shoulders. “We’re disbanding the club, sir.”

The old man growled, “Do what you will. I’m past caring about all these silly notions you young’uns get into your heads nowadays. Why did you bring females with you, Kai? Is your own voice not strong enough?”

Kai heard a ripple of dissent among the female krakens.

Grandpa better watch out.

“They are here to support me in my decision, sir. To be with Luna.” Kai stood tall in front of the old man. “Luna is the woman I love. She is my mate, and I will spend my life with her.”

Razad roused himself at that, puffed himself up. He could still be scary. “I told you, no more of this, boy. Once you attain Metan you will forget ab?—”

“I have attained Metan, sir. With Luna.”

Kai held his breath, waiting for his grandpa to explode. But Razad merely gave a deep, ragged sigh. “It is as I feared. The worst has happened.”

There was silence. Kai looked closer at Razad. To his surprise, he did not see power, or greatness. He saw a tired old man who longed to rest, to have the responsibility of leadership taken off of his shoulders.

“No, Grandpa,” Kai said softly. He swam over and laid his tentacles at his grandfather’s feet in a gesture of respect. “It is not to be feared. It is to be welcomed.”

The old man raised bushy brows toward Kai’s mom. “Ellen, talk sense into your son.”

“He’s talking perfect sense in my book, Razad.” His mother crossed her tentacles over her chest.

Razad rallied a little, his voice growing stronger. He turned his watery gaze to Kai’s dad. “Pieter, how do you feel about your son letting your brilliant genes be weakened with human blood?”

Together, Kai’s parents stepped forward.

“Father,” said Pieter, “take a moment to look around you. Look at the thriving landscape outside the palace, the verdant gardens, the coral and myriad species of fish. Remember when it really started. It was not my work, at least not all of it. Without the research of the humans Angus and Anna, there would be no coral here, no life, no food. We would be starving, eking out a sad existence, as we had since the Great War. Their work led me to some amazing discoveries. Breakthroughs that Ellen helped me with, advised me on, even though no credit has ever been given to her either.”

“You would have discovered them yourself, eventually,” Razad grumbled.

“Perhaps. But that may have been too late. Our people were struggling, our food supplies running low, the reef was dying. It was this tragic wrecking that allowed us to fast-track change.”

The old man’s shoulders sagged. He was silent for long moments. “Maybe you speak some sense,” he said finally. “This Thedaka has not come from my efforts or those of my generation. We lived through great hardship, I have always fought to retain our dignity and our strength. I remember the times when we were barely able to feed ourselves. The constant fear of human attack. Mashinka and I, we knew we had to save you all from that. But our regime crumbled after Mashinka lost his mind. He tried, my dear brother, he tried, even when he could no longer remember who he was.” Razad shook his head, his face full of sorrow.

Kai stepped forward, took his grandfather’s shrunken tentacle in his. “You helped our species survive, Grandpa. Your iron will and determination, your steadfast leadership saw us through the bad times. But now it is time for change. We need a new way of being to take us into the future.”

Razad did not move. For a moment Kai wondered if he’d stopped breathing. Finally, that gnarled tentacle moved around Kai’s and squeezed gently. “Maybe it is time for me to let go. To rest. To allow someone younger to take my place.” He looked up, and a smile twitched on his lips. “Even so, I’m not sure I can cope with so many females challenging me on a Tuesday.”

“It’s Wednesday,” Hana whispered.

Razad continued. “This past week or so I have felt my life force weakening. I have little time left, and what I have I want to spend peacefully, not fighting for things that my people no longer want or value. You… Kai, you will take the reins.”

Kai’s eyes widened. “No, Grandpa, not me.”

“Not immediately, but once you are settled in, with your human. If you have attained Metan with her, then the new order spoken of in legend and song is here. I cannot fight that. Nor should I. Now, let me sleep a while.” His eyelids drooped. “And females, it’s strange, to have you here. But it feels right… yes, it is time…”

Kai watched as his grandfather’s head lolled back and he started to snore.

All the assembled kraken looked at each other, uncertain what to do next.

“I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Kai said with a soft smile.

“I think he almost gave you and Luna his blessing,” his mom whispered.

“As close as we’re going to get, I think.” Kai grinned. “And that’s good enough.”

They stood and gazed on the old kraken fondly. Finally, Hana went over and tucked his tentacles back into his grotto. Kai’s mom placed a sea grass blanket over him and then, on soft tentacles, males and females moving as one, they left Razad to his dreams.