Enemy of Oceans by EJ Altbacker Read Free Book Online

since the ones you reported to me?”
    The blowfish shook his head. “Regent Kendra thought it too dangerous. The fire waters in that area have been curiously active, curiously active.”
    Gray despaired. The fire waters were dangerous at the best of times. Maybe the missing scouts and Trank’s spies were just unlucky. “So, there isn’t anything that would lead you to believe that Hokuu might be there?”
    â€œNothing verified as of yet, as of yet,” BenzoBenzo said.
    â€œWhat about the flashes?” asked Leilani.
    The leader of the Eyes and Ears spun his stubby flippers in annoyance. “Leilani, that is unconfirmed, unconfirmed!”
    â€œWhat flashes?” Gray asked, curious.
    â€œOne patrol that was scouting the territory about a mile away from where the other disappeared did report that they saw blinding flashes of color. They took a closer look but when they arrived, nothing was there,” Leilani said.
    â€œWhich is why I told the Seazarein that nothing has been verified or confirmed, verified or confirmed!” BenzoBenzo exclaimed. “That could have been anything: reflections of the moon above the chop-chop, volcanic activity, a colony of lumo jellies, glowing plankton, or even ghost shimmer. You cannot bother the Seazarein with wild theories! That’s not what we do, not what we do.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” the spinner said, her tail drooping. “It’s just this Hokuu is a master of shar-kata, like Takiza, and I thought . . .”
    BenzoBenzo sucked water into his mouth with a shooop and quadrupled his size in anger. Now the blowfish was totally round and the knobby spikes covering his body revealed themselves as long and sharp. “Leilani, be quiet! Be quiet!”
    Gray cut his tail through the water. “Let her speak! And? Go on,” he told the spinner.
    â€œIt’s well known that Takiza can gather the power of the tides with his mastery of shar-kata,” she began. Leilani unconsciously swam back and forth as if she were lecturing a class. “When he does, a bright glow gathers because of this concentrated energy. The description I received from our patrol would rule out moon reflections, ghost shimmer, lumo jellies, and plankton. Volcanic activity can be that bright, but it’s almost always red, orange, or yellow. This was a bright green color, described as blinding.”
    â€œCould you lead me and a few others to where these flashes happened?” Gray asked.
    â€œYes, I have complete knowledge of the fire waters as well as every other ocean,” Leilani said. “I’m also an expert on prehistores, ancient legends, landshark objects in the Big Blue, and can translate most dolph and orca whistle-click-razz dialects.”
    Gray turned to BenzoBenzo. “I’m going to need to borrow her.”
    The blowfish sighed, releasing the water he had gathered into his body and deflating to normal size. “I was afraid you were going to say that, going to say that.”

SNORK CHURNED HIS TAIL AS HE BALANCED THE rounded piece of coral perched on his bill. He had to constantly shift position left and right as the choppy current kept threatening to knock it off.
    Takiza floated serenely off to the side but still in his vision. “Breathe,” the betta said.
    â€œI—am—breathing,” Snork gasped.
    â€œBreathe . . . better,” the betta emphasized.
    What did that even mean? thought Snork.
    Takiza had said to come with him to a huge coral reef outside the Fathomir homewaters. Snork liked being included in things. And he had never had a private conversation with the great Takiza. He was so surprised and excited he said yes without asking why.
    He definitely should have asked why.
    Takiza gestured with one of his delicate and colorful fins. “Toss the coral upward. While it is above your bill, cut down a single stalk of greenie and then catch the coral once more.