Page 3 of Taken By the Alien Kraken King

I shrugged. “Nonmore Chasm is not a place for a land-walker.”

“As if it is a natural place for us.” Ahtu’s voice held a hint of sadness.

“It is for the best. We are abominations. Half-breeds. We result from forbidden love.”

“We should not hide in the darkness. Nothing about love is wrong. We are not wrong, nor are we abominations.”“So you say.” Now in my private quarters, I turned to Ahtu. “Drop the servant angle. In here, we are equal, old friend.” I flopped on my plush chair made from the softest sea sponges and allowed my tentacles to part, displaying my humanoid legs. Few in Nonmore knew my dirty secret, and Ahtu could be trusted.

“Bourne, shall I accompany you to the meeting with the others?”

“To the surface only. I assume it will be a closed-door meeting.”

“As you wish.” Ahtu fussed around my chamber collecting the ceremonial armor and the crown last worn by my father. I had not worn it since the day I ascended the throne. He rested the crown on a sea sponge used for displaying my precious possessions. For the last few seasons, an image of my late mother graced the stand. Ahtu placed the crown around her likeness, and a strange calmness washed over me as if the crown belonged to my parents and I was only an impostor pretending to rule. “I will let you change.” Ahtu inclined his head. “Bourne, do not procrastinate. This is your birthright.”

I reached forward to clasp his hand. “Thank you for being a voice of reason.”

Ahtu laughed. “Who else would have the balls to stand up to you?”

“True.”

The chamber grew quiet once Ahtu left, save for the distant murmur of the sea and the steady pulse of the lives of my peoplehumming in the water. This meeting had the potential to be fraught with danger from the land-walkers. I didn’t think the other species would frighten them, but my presence most likely would. Since my parents passed in an unlikely alliance of the trench people and land-walkers, it fell to me to ensure the peace and prosperity of my land and my people.

The iridescent plates of the ceremonial armor shimmered with the colors of the deep sea, each a symbol of the power I held. I allowed the weight of the armor to ground my thoughts. When the armor was in place, I turned to face myself in the floor to ceiling mirror.

“Are you ready, Bourne? You’ve taken longer than usual.” Ahtu waited at my door.

“Yes.” I turned to leave.

“Forgetting something?”

“No.” My trident hung on the wall near the exit.

Ahtu entered and held the crown in both his hands.

“I can’t.”

“You must.” He placed the crown upon my head, just as he had at my coronation. “There. Now, you’re ready.”

“Ahtu, I will not allow our people to let the balance of Sanos tip from the sea dwellers to those on the land. We have the wisdom of our ancients flowing through our veins. I have learned from my parents’ mistakes.”

“Understood.” Ahtu palmed his trident. “The others were not asking to alter the power, only that we listen. You have an equal voice and vote among the royals.” He clapped me on my shoulder. “Now, let’s go.”

We swam in silence toward the surface. Our bodies, inky blue-black that blend with the depths, clashed with the ever brightening colors closer to the landmasses. Simple fish, corals in varying hues and single finned creatures, the Quxoni, dwelled here.

“Do you hear that?” I asked Ahtu. We paused in the middle of our ascent.

“Hear what?” His eyes shut. “Nothing unusual.”

Thud. Thud.

“That one. A thud.”

Ahtu cocked his head. “No. Nothing.”

There it was again. “What about now?”

Thud. Thud.

“No, nothing.” Ahtu glanced my way. “Maybe it’s your nerves. We’re close to breaching the surface.”

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