We Are Earthlings (Soldiers of Earthrise Book 6) by Daniel Arenson

Author:Daniel Arenson [Arenson, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Bakunawa

The Court of the Drowned King celebrated.

The king was betrothed again. And that meant a grand feast.

A thousand guests filled the throne room, the noblest nobles of the drowned city. No two were alike. They were mutated—once human, now beings of the deep waters. One nobleman sported a coat of spikes like an urchin; they grew directly from his skin, and he strutted about, sending others scurrying to safety. A graceful lady with pink skin fluttered by, her fins flowing through the water like the tail of a bridal gown, undulating in the current, beautiful ribbons that intoxicated the mind. An old, plump man strolled around with six arms like a starfish. He wore many golden jewels and gemstones, and a young woman dangled on each of his six arms. An old woman scuttled by along the floor. Instead of legs, she had eight tentacles. She gripped a fallen clam with one tentacle, cracked it open, and slurped the meat inside.

There was plenty of food. Tables carved from shimmering stone were laid out. Upon them rose a thousand dishes of plenty. Clams rested on beds of seaweed, their shells open, exposing the quivering delicacies within. Succulent tubes of coral stood like bread sticks inside glass vases. Guests simply had to pluck one of the lumpy sticks and suck out the sweet innards. Punch bowls contained severed tentacles. They draped over the sides, some still squirming. Guests sucked them up like noodles. Starfish wriggled on skewers. Silver platters held strips of raw fish rolled in kelp leaves. Thousands of boiled crab legs rested on beds of polished stones. The head table boasted the pièce de résistance—a huge crab, easily the size of a car, with claws that could slice men in half. The Downed King himself carved it open, and everyone approached, bowed, and partook in the flesh.

Only one thing was missing. The Drowned King's other wives.

In his throne room, he had boasted of them. Claimed that Maria would be his greatest bride. But the others weren't here. Maria shuddered, afraid to ask. Had they displeased him and ended up on these platters?

Maria felt out of place here. So afraid. She sat at the king's side, breathing through her filter of brass gears, leather bellows, and glass tubes. It was impossible to eat like this. So she just sat there. Watching. Wishing she were anywhere else.

The Drowned King sat beside her, thrice her size. He leaned over a platter of fish heads. His tentacles flailed over the dish, creating a maelstrom in the water, sucking up fish into his mouth. He crunched the skulls with little mandibles instead of teeth. Maria tried not to shudder in disgust.

Charlie sat at her other side. For a moment, she watched the king eat, her face locked in an expression halfway between horror and fascination. Finally she leaned toward Maria.

"Nini, I can't believe you agreed to marry that squid!" Charlie whispered. "He's disgusting."

Maria winced. Her heart nearly stopped. "Shh!"

"Oh, he can't hear me!" Charlie whispered, louder now.

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