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S UDDENLY THE water rippled, and Kinchen startled. It was as if someone had dropped a large stone into the middle of the bay—but someone hadn’t; it was a still afternoon— and the waves echoed out from it, round and perfect.
“Ah,” said Old Ren. “It’s time.” He waded out into the bay, the children following a few steps behind. When the water reached his knees, he stopped. The tide slapped gently; Kinchen’s feet went immediately numb from the cold. His back to them, Ren swayed, perfectly silent. Kinchen waded next to him and looked up into his pale, wrinkled face questioningly. But he didn’t seem to notice her, his features so focused on the bay that it was as though he were in a trance, communing with the water. She looked out again; now the sea had calmed completely and unnaturally, right in the center of the bay: a circle of quiet within the lightly dancing water.
Something was out there, just under the water’s surface.
Something big.
Caesar materialized at her side, and without meaning to, Kinchen took her hand. They watched the water.
“Odd Bay,” murmured Kinchen. “That’s what we call it.”
Ren sighed deeply as if completing a long vigil, and he took Kinchen’s free hand. “Here he comes. He’s agreed to show himself.”
“Himself?” said Kinchen. At that moment, Caesar squeezed her hand so hard, she gasped.
And then Kinchen saw, and she gasped again.
Out of the bay rose the domed head of the biggest—what was it, anyway? Squid didn’t describe it correctly. More rounded, and more—well, more solid. Octopus? But by a hundred times the biggest she’d ever seen or heard tell of. As big as an island, and as craggy. Brown and covered in algae. One eye, large as a house, rose out of the water and aimed at them. It blinked.
“He says Good day ,” said Ren.
“Nice to meet you,” called Caesar, her voice high with awe. She raised her free hand to wave.
Kinchen didn’t speak. Her mouth had gone dry. Surely this wasn’t real?
“He’s going to get you started on your trip,” said Ren. “He’ll take you close to Raftworld—and Caesar will take you the rest of the way.” Then, to the creature: “Thank you for coming up for an introduction.”
The beast blinked its eye again, a moon eclipsing and reappearing.
This is what lives in the sea? The sea that Pip walks into every day? “What—What is that thing?”
Ren squeezed her hand gently. “Not polite to say thing .”
Kinchen’s mouth opened in a giant O, but no more sound came out. She couldn’t think what to say. How could she let Pip go into a sea that held such monsters?
The eye blinked again.
“I heard stories,” said Caesar, her words round and clear in awe. “That’s a Kraken.”
Kinchen’s voice returned. “A sea monster ?”
She nodded, her bright eyes fixed on the creature.
Ren said, “A Kraken.”