corner and stuck another hand around. He pressed a button and they saw a live video feed of the Kraken. They could see a ripple where Kayana was walking and even a faint outline when she went into direct light. The poisonous snakes encircled the Kraken, sending roils and ripples through the water. But they parted ways when Kayana went through.
Kayana reappeared right in front of the Kraken’s eye. The Kraken quivered, clicked and shook in surprise. It tried to grasp at Kayana, but she was too close to it; it started to beat itself with its own tentacles. It started clicking more and more furiously, but couldn’t grab hold of her; she was right by its ear, whispering something. The Kraken slowly stopped thrashing about, as if listening to her words. It secreted a black substance into the water, and soon it was still.
“She made it calm,” said Tommy.
“It’s not calm,” said Saoirse, “it’s terrified. That black substance in the water is ink.”
Kraken’s ink , thought Gunnar. The Norsemen believe it to be a legendary substance. I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes.
Kayana walked behind the Kraken and climbed up the perch next to Bes. She was at the entrance.
“Hurry,” she said, “it won’t be still for long.”
Gunnar took one more look at the creature. Its eyes were dull and vacant, and its limbs were quivering slightly. A Kraken can do many things, thought Gunnar, but it doesn’t give ink unless its world is about to end. Gunnar signaled them to move forward. All the sea serpents seemed to have vanished, and the team trudged quickly by the giant monster.
It smelled horrendous. Gunnar pushed Tommy and Saoirse up the ledge to safety, but couldn’t help but to stay there for a moment. He examined the juvenile Kraken up close; its giant eyes, its tentacles, and its enormous head sagged with gravity. From an angle he could even see its pale beak. A thousand generations of Norse marines have come and gone, he thought, but not one of them have been this close and lived to tell the tale.
Gunnar crawled up to the ledge and was joined by Bes.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You’ve passed the test, unharmed as well. I cannot say the same for the other teams.”
Bes went out the door, followed by Saoirse and Tommy. Kayana was about to leave, but Gunnar held her back.
“What did you say to the Kraken?”
Kayana laughed.
“I didn’t say anything; Krakens don’t speak,” she said.
“What did you say?” he asked again. “Please tell me.”
Kayana sighed deeply, and then looked up at Gunnar.
“No one, not even a god, can capture a living Kraken, even a juvenile,” said Kayana, “so this Kraken must have come from an egg brought to this place. This world is all he’s ever known, and so far his life has been only darkness and hatred, nothing more.
“He sensed me, and for the first time in his life he understood that he would one day die . He then sensed that he’d most likely die here, alone in this artificial dungeon. He became afraid, and since he’s never felt fear before, it overwhelmed him.”
Kayana pointed at the Kraken quivering on the floor beneath them. The water was now almost completely black with ink.
“Krakens have no language, but they experience emotion on a deep level, deeper than we,” said Kayana. “He’s more afraid than we could ever understand.”
THE PLEDGE
Saoirse’s hyaena met her at the door a few moments after she walked out of the labyrinth. He wasn’t brought by Bes or anyone else; he’d navigated around the Kraken’s maze by himself. Bes didn’t seem to have any problem with this and barely paid it any notice. Why are they so comfortable with a free-running hyaena? Saoirse wondered. She looked into the creature’s eyes as he laughed twice and began to whine. This hyaena was worried about me , she thought. I should give it a name soon . Saoirse pet the hyaena twice more and walked forward; the
Kayana reappeared right in front of the Kraken’s eye. The Kraken quivered, clicked and shook in surprise. It tried to grasp at Kayana, but she was too close to it; it started to beat itself with its own tentacles. It started clicking more and more furiously, but couldn’t grab hold of her; she was right by its ear, whispering something. The Kraken slowly stopped thrashing about, as if listening to her words. It secreted a black substance into the water, and soon it was still.
“She made it calm,” said Tommy.
“It’s not calm,” said Saoirse, “it’s terrified. That black substance in the water is ink.”
Kraken’s ink , thought Gunnar. The Norsemen believe it to be a legendary substance. I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes.
Kayana walked behind the Kraken and climbed up the perch next to Bes. She was at the entrance.
“Hurry,” she said, “it won’t be still for long.”
Gunnar took one more look at the creature. Its eyes were dull and vacant, and its limbs were quivering slightly. A Kraken can do many things, thought Gunnar, but it doesn’t give ink unless its world is about to end. Gunnar signaled them to move forward. All the sea serpents seemed to have vanished, and the team trudged quickly by the giant monster.
It smelled horrendous. Gunnar pushed Tommy and Saoirse up the ledge to safety, but couldn’t help but to stay there for a moment. He examined the juvenile Kraken up close; its giant eyes, its tentacles, and its enormous head sagged with gravity. From an angle he could even see its pale beak. A thousand generations of Norse marines have come and gone, he thought, but not one of them have been this close and lived to tell the tale.
Gunnar crawled up to the ledge and was joined by Bes.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You’ve passed the test, unharmed as well. I cannot say the same for the other teams.”
Bes went out the door, followed by Saoirse and Tommy. Kayana was about to leave, but Gunnar held her back.
“What did you say to the Kraken?”
Kayana laughed.
“I didn’t say anything; Krakens don’t speak,” she said.
“What did you say?” he asked again. “Please tell me.”
Kayana sighed deeply, and then looked up at Gunnar.
“No one, not even a god, can capture a living Kraken, even a juvenile,” said Kayana, “so this Kraken must have come from an egg brought to this place. This world is all he’s ever known, and so far his life has been only darkness and hatred, nothing more.
“He sensed me, and for the first time in his life he understood that he would one day die . He then sensed that he’d most likely die here, alone in this artificial dungeon. He became afraid, and since he’s never felt fear before, it overwhelmed him.”
Kayana pointed at the Kraken quivering on the floor beneath them. The water was now almost completely black with ink.
“Krakens have no language, but they experience emotion on a deep level, deeper than we,” said Kayana. “He’s more afraid than we could ever understand.”
THE PLEDGE
Saoirse’s hyaena met her at the door a few moments after she walked out of the labyrinth. He wasn’t brought by Bes or anyone else; he’d navigated around the Kraken’s maze by himself. Bes didn’t seem to have any problem with this and barely paid it any notice. Why are they so comfortable with a free-running hyaena? Saoirse wondered. She looked into the creature’s eyes as he laughed twice and began to whine. This hyaena was worried about me , she thought. I should give it a name soon . Saoirse pet the hyaena twice more and walked forward; the
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