Page 111 of Tiger's Voyage
Desperate, I questioned, “Who guards you?”
Yo guài yóu yú.
I whispered to Ren, “What does that mean?”
“Uh … it’s something like a devil squid.”
Qnglóng snorted.Bah! It’s called the kraken. Now, be off with you.
The dragon’s soft laugh soon turned into a snore. I watched for a moment as fog drifted lightly from his nostrils and dissipated into the blue sky.
Kishan and Ren began heading toward the ladder.
I leaned over the side and asked, “Where are you two going?”
Kishan looked up. “To suit up. Looks like we’re diving.”
“Oh … no … you … don’t! Didn’t you hear what it just said?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think you did. The dragon said there’s a kraken down there.”
Kishan shrugged his shoulders. “And?”
“And … the kraken is huge! There’s no way we can fight it!”
“Kelsey, calm down. Just come down here, and we’ll talk about it. There’s no need to get hysterical.”
“Hysterical? This isn’t even close to being hysterical. Have you ever seen a kraken in the movies? No, you haven’t, but I have. They destroy whole ships! A couple of tigers would be like kibble! I insist we plan with Mr. Kadam before you two jump into the water.”
Ren was standing on the deck, and Kishan landed next to him with a quiet thump. They both looked up and gestured for me to come down.
“Promise me you know what you’re doing.”
Kishan said, “What we’re doing is getting the Necklace, Kells. Now come down so we can talk to Kadam.”
“I don’t know if I can be of assistance, Miss Kelsey,” Mr. Kadam said, rubbing his temple dubiously.
“What! What do you mean you don’t know? You knoweverything!”
“All I know about the kraken is what I’ve seen in movies and the little bits and pieces I’ve already told you. Nothing can kill it. It’s immortal. It’s originally from a Norse myth, described as a giant tentacled beast that attacks ships. It’s likely based on the giant squid. They were considered fantasy until recent years when a couple of them washed onto beaches.”
“That’s it? There’s nothing else? How do we fight it?”
Mr. Kadam sighed. “I only know a few middling facts. In the myth, when the kraken opens its mouth, water boils. When it raises its head above water, the stink of it is more terrible than any living creature can endure. Its eyes have great illuminating power; when they shine it’s like looking into the sun. The only things I’ve ever heard it’s afraid of are kilbits.”
“What are kilbits?”
“Mythological creatures resembling giant worms that latch onto the gills of large fishes, similar to marine leeches, though marine leeches are small enough that they’re unlikely to frighten a kraken.”
“That’s it? You want us to fight a kraken with worms?”
“Sorry, Miss Kelsey. There is a poem about a sea creature called Leviathan that some also call the kraken …”
Mr. Kadam picked up a book, turned a page, and began to read:
From THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL
