Free The Battle of Riptide by EJ Altbacker Page B

right now, and he didn’t want to be spun around again. Gaining speed, Gray used the wickedly cold and fast currents to his advantage just like the betta had showed him the day before.
    These currents had a heaviness the ones above lacked. It was tougher to get in or out of these as the water flowed through the coral spire field and fell downward toward the Dark Blue. Takiza told him this was because water heading down had an entirely different weight and thickness. Lighter and thinner currents moved upward, while the heavier ones traveled downward. Takiza also said that all currents, no matter if they felt level or not, moved in one direction or the other, rising or falling. This was how the Big Blue cleansed itself, apparently.
    Gray only knew it was hard to swim here.
    Coral spires whizzed by on the left and right. Gray twisted and turned, instinctively leaving a heavy current that was rushing too fast over the edge and sliding into a slower one to brake himself without actually using his fins or tail.
    â€œExcellent!” Takiza said, swimming upside down in front of his left eye. “Use your lateral line to feel the obstacles in your path.”
    The lateral line was another amazing thing Takiza had taught him. It was that buzzing feeling Gray got inside his head when he couldn’t see but knew something was there. Sharkkind used it instinctively to hunt, Takiza had said. But to truly master it, you needed to practice and exercise its power.
    â€œDon’t rely on your eyes or your nose! Both can be fooled,” the betta commented as he deftly dodged a thick rope of greenie. Gray’s weight snapped it, and Takiza shook his head. “Never swim through things you can avoid.”
    â€œBut, Shiro,” Gray said, panting. The water felt thick pumping through his gills. “If I can go
through
something, isn’t it faster because I’m swimming in a straight line?”
    The frilly fish nodded, thinking. “That is true, except for . . .” Takiza trailed off as he adjusted his position upward.
    â€œExcept for what?” Gray wheezed, just before smashing snout first into a giant coral spire, which didn’t give at all. For a second, he was paralyzed with pain, the current pushing his back and tail up against the coral.
    Takiza shook his head and nudged Gray’s stunned body into an area where the current wasn’t about to sweep him off the ledge and into the Maw. “
Except for
the inevitable fact you will lose any time you have saved when striking an object thicker than even your very thick head, Nulo!”
    Gray saw glowing motes swimming and winking everywhere. “Pretty,” he mumbled, before taking a much-needed nap.

THE CURRENT FLOWED BRISKLY ACROSS THE battle waters, which were very clear today. Whalem gave the orders for the armada to make the last of its preparations. Indi’s mariners were massed on the south side of the Riptide territory. Apparently, the leader here had renamed the ancient shiver after himself, but that didn’t matter. According to Indi Shiver, these were the Riptide homewaters. The terraced area, full of different single-colored greenie, was in the distance with Riptide Shiver sharks in a loose battle formation in front of that. Whalem could see their mariners were nervous, fins flicking and tails swishing. His stomach turned, sensing another oncoming slaughter. There was no glory in this. None at all.
    Whalem noticed the industrious court shark Tydal making his own preparations in the floating royal court. Whalem disliked the court with all its pomp and vanity, but after this victory Finnivus could rightly call himself emperor of the seven seas. The arrogant tiger would want an elaborate ceremony, of course, hence Tydal’s activity.
    The past year was wearing on Whalem. Seeing Finnivus grow more capricious and cruel with each victory sickened his stomach. He hoped his nausea was due to the slightly different fish