Simon Thorn and the Shark's Cave Page 17

  “Don’t you dare touch him,” growled his mother, jumping to her feet so quickly that she was a blur in the shadows. “If you do—”

  “You’ll what? Murder me? Darling, if you could, you already would have.” Orion picked up the end of a loose chain hanging from her collar. Returning his attention to Simon, he added, “I hear you have something of mine.”

  “It isn’t yours,” spat Simon, trying to bite Rowan’s fingers. Somehow, despite Simon’s best efforts, he managed to artfully evade each pinch.

  “It isn’t yours, either, so I have no qualms taking it from you.” Orion turned his attention to Rowan. “Let Simon go. He’s going to shift back into a boy and hand me the underwater kingdom’s piece of the Predator without any trouble.”

  “And why would I do that?” said Simon, feeling far braver than he had any right to feel in that moment.

  “Because,” said Orion, “if you don’t, I’m going to kill your mother.”

  Any retort Simon might have been able to fling his way died on the tip of his tongue. “You … what—” He broke off, certain he hadn’t heard Orion right. His mother, on the other hand, snorted.

  “It’s a bluff, Simon. He won’t kill me. Not when he doesn’t know where the other pieces are.”

  “I know more than you might think.” There was a strange glint in Orion’s eye, and Simon had a sinking feeling that his grandfather did know more than either he or his mother realized. “It would be more difficult for me to find what I need, but it wouldn’t be impossible. So, I will ask you one last time—do we have a deal, young man?”

  “Don’t do it, Simon,” said his mother. “He won’t touch me, not until—”

  “Do be quiet, Isabel,” said Orion, tugging sharply on the chain around her neck. His mother staggered, but she didn’t break eye contact with Simon.

  “Don’t,” she whispered. “Whatever happens, Simon, don’t give him the piece.”

  Orion pulled a knife from a sheath hanging off his belt. “This will be painful,” he warned, running a thumb over the serrated blade as if to test its sharpness. “It’s entirely up to you, boy.”

  “Sir,” said Rowan quickly. “There must be another way—”

  “Quiet,” barked Orion. “Or I’ll break your wings.”

  Rowan fell silent, and bile rose in Simon’s throat. He couldn’t stop staring at that knife. The dead peregrine falcon—the countless soldiers who might be dying at that very moment to defend the city from Orion’s armies—memories of Darryl lying in a pool of his own blood on the rooftop of Sky Tower morphing into images of his mother lying in a pool of her own blood inside the tent. Simon couldn’t let that happen. No matter what it cost him or the Animalgam world, he couldn’t lose her, too.

  “Okay,” he said at last with a shuddering breath. “I’ll give it to you.”

  Orion studied him, and he nodded to Rowan. “Drop him.”

  Rowan set Simon on the sand with more gentleness than Simon expected. Still, as soon as his talons touched the beach, Simon morphed back into his human form, shivering in the chilly predawn air.

  “Simon, no,” said his mother, her voice catching. “Don’t do it—”

  Orion yanked on the chain again, and his mother fell to her knees, her hands flying up to the collar as if it were choking her. A hot knot of rage formed in Simon’s chest, and he dug his nails into his palms.

  “Stop it,” he snarled. “Or the deal’s off.”

  “Is that so?” Orion took a menacing step toward him. “You aren’t the one who makes the rules, Simon, or have you forgotten?”

  “And she’s your family, or have you forgotten?” said Simon, resisting the urge to shift into something with enough teeth to give his grandfather nightmares for months.

  Orion lifted the knife threateningly, tip pointed toward Simon’s mother. “The piece, now, or I’ll—”

  His voice faltered, and a strange look passed over his face. For a moment nothing happened, as if time had frozen him in place. But then, without warning, his knees buckled, and he crumpled to the sand.

  Simon stared at his body, his mouth hanging open. Orion was absolutely still.

  “What—” he began, but then he spotted a shiny black spider crawling out from underneath Orion’s collar. “Ariana? Is that—what are you doing here?”

  Sure enough, the black widow waved one of her legs in greeting. “I hitched a ride to the boat with Zia and Crocker. Figured you’d check on your mom, and I wanted you to have backup.” She shifted into her human form and picked up Orion’s knife, focusing on Rowan. “Are you going to be a problem, too?”

  Rowan shook his head, holding his hands in the air. To Simon’s surprise, he also held a knife. “I wouldn’t have let him do it,” he said. “He wouldn’t have done it—he needs Isabel—but if he’d tried, he wouldn’t have gotten past me.”

  Simon didn’t have the chance to consider whether Rowan was telling the truth. His mother knelt beside Orion, checking for a pulse. “He isn’t breathing.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” said Ariana, gaze still fixed on Rowan. A block of ice formed in the pit of Simon’s stomach.

  “You killed him?” Horrified, he stared at his friend, seeing her—really seeing her for the first time since they’d arrived in California. The dark circles were back, but there was a haunted, savage look in her eyes, too, one that reminded him of a wild animal that had been cornered. Still, never in a million years would he have thought Ariana capable of actually killing someone, no matter how terrible they were.

  “He’s only a little dead,” she said, gaze flickering toward Orion. “He’ll be deader in a few minutes.”

  “No,” said his mother with surprising firmness. She rolled Orion over and pressed her ear to his chest. “He can’t die yet. He doesn’t get to die until this is over.” She started compressions on his chest. “Do you have the antidote?”

  Ariana snatched the knife from Rowan. “The antidote? He was going to kill you. I get family loyalty and all, but—”

  “He can’t die yet,” repeated his mother, growing breathless now. “He’s the only one who knows where the bird piece is. If he dies—”

  “We’ll never be able to destroy the Predator,” finished Simon, realization dawning on him. He looked at Ariana. “You need to save him.”

  She scoffed, but she sounded a little less sure of herself now. “You’ll find the piece without him. Someone must have some idea—”

  “I don’t want to be the reason you’re a killer,” said Simon suddenly. His cheeks grew warm—not from embarrassment, but frustration. “I don’t know what’s going on with you. I don’t know why you’ve been so secretive and quiet and scared all the time. I want to help, and I will if you let me, but whatever’s going on, it isn’t worth this. Killing someone—it’ll change you forever. And all I want is one of my best friends back.”

  Ariana stilled. Simon could barely breathe, and the seconds ticked by like hours until he was sure Orion had to be dead by now, despite his mother’s best efforts. But at last Ariana reached into her pocket and pulled out a syringe.

  “He’ll need the whole thing with the dose I gave him,” she mumbled, offering it to Simon’s mother. “Hope it’s worth it. We’d all be better off if he wasn’t here.”

  “He won’t be forever,” said his mother as she pulled the cap off the needle and stuck it in his arm. “But until that day comes, we need him, like it or not.”

  “I take it that means you won’t be coming with us,” said Ariana dryly. Simon glanced at his feet. He already knew the answer to that one, and hearing his mother say it aloud again would only reopen an old wound that had barely begun to close in the first place.

  Thankfully his mother didn’t bother. Instead, once she’d finished administering the antidote, she waited for a pulse. Nodding once, satisfied, she stood and brushed the sand off her pants. “It’s a brave thing you did, Ariana, protecting us. Thank you.”

  “Yeah, well. Didn’t exa
ctly help.” She glared at Orion. “He’s going to come after my family next.”

  “Probably,” said his mother. “But your kingdom has always been the strongest of us all. You’ll be all right.”

  There was something in Ariana’s expression that made Simon think she disagreed, but before he could ask, the look was gone. “He’ll have a wicked headache when he wakes up, and he’ll be confused for a while. I’ve seen full-grown men convinced they were back in diapers while recovering.”

  His mother’s lips quirked into a smile. “A little humiliation won’t hurt him too badly.”

  Behind them, Rowan moved, and Simon spun around, ready to stop him from attacking. But the young man was squinting through the opening of the tent and into the lightening sky. “Sun’s coming up. The flock will be back soon. You need to get out of here before they find you.”

  “Before we leave,” said Simon, “you need to know that Rhode Fluke is sending someone to kill Mom.”

  “I know,” said Rowan, still watching the sky. “Leo was here half an hour ago.”

  “Oh,” he said. “Good.”

  “Leo was here?” said his mother.

  “I sent him,” confirmed Simon.

  “You sent him?”

  He nodded. “I met him—him and Zia and—” Simon stopped, putting the pieces together as he stared at Rowan. “You’re Leo’s spy in the flock?” he managed in a choked voice. Rowan grimaced.

  “If you tell anyone in my kingdom, they’ll kill me.”

  “I won’t,” said Simon hastily. “I swear.”

  His mother set a hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’ve met your grandfather. He’ll help you as much as anyone can. But Simon—”

  The cry of a falcon filled the early dawn, and whatever his mother was about to say died on her lips. Instead she caught him in a hug, and Simon wrapped his arms around her in return. He was still bitter that she’d chosen to stay with Orion over being with him and Nolan, but he understood now, as much as he ever could.

  “I love you,” said his mother into his hair. “Be safe.”

  “He’d be a whole lot safer if he didn’t have to worry about Orion,” said Ariana, but Simon ignored her for now. She was right, of course, but that didn’t mean anything had changed. He had learned on the rooftop of Sky Tower that life was made up of difficult choices—the kind of choices that had consequences, the kind of choices that would change the course of their lives. This was one of them. Orion had to live because no matter how dangerous he was, he still had a purpose in his mother’s plans—in their plans. And without everything and everyone right where they had to be, Simon would fail. They all would.

  That understanding was also the reason that, when Simon finally let go of his mother, he smiled. “Love you, too. We both miss you.”

  “I miss you both, too. Tell Nolan as much as you can without putting him in more danger,” she said. At Simon’s guilty look, she managed a watery smile. “Ah. Of course you already have. Just … try to remember that you two are the reason I’m doing this—all of it. And if anything happens to either of you …”

  “I’ll protect him.”

  “I know you will, sweetheart,” she murmured, touching his cheek. “But who will protect you?”

  “Pretty sure the spider princess has already answered that question,” said Rowan. “Hate to break this up, but the flock’s returning. I’ll only be able to hold them off for so long.”

  Simon’s mother nodded and kissed his forehead. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “See you soon,” he echoed, and he shifted back into a golden eagle and waited for Ariana to crawl into his talon. Once she was secured, he took off and flew over the water toward the bobbing boat in the distance. The dark sky was turning pink now, and an entire army of birds soared toward the beach, no doubt with news of the battle.

  Simon landed on the deck of the boat only a few feet from where Crocker stood, still surveying the ocean. “Took you long enough, boyo,” said the bald man as Simon shifted back. “Birds don’t look too happy.”

  That didn’t mean everyone underwater had survived. Simon tried to keep an iron grip on his nerves, but it was a fight he was quickly losing. Instead he focused on Ariana, who shifted back into her human form and curled up on the deck, trying not to look into the water as her face turned a sickly shade of green.

  “Come on, it’s warmer in the cabin,” said Simon, kneeling beside her, but she shook him off.

  “That’ll only make it worse. I’ll be out here.”

  Reluctantly Simon left her in Crocker’s care and ducked inside. Leo paced the room, and Winter sat on the sofa, looking grumpier than he’d ever seen her while Zia plaited her hair.

  “Simon!” Winter jumped up, her complicated braid falling apart. Zia groaned, but Winter ignored her, launching herself into his arms instead. “Are you okay? You look pale. Were you bitten again?”

  “I’m fine,” said Simon, his knees nearly buckling under her slight weight. As he set Winter down, Zia handed him his dry clothes and a towel.

  “It’d be a shame for you to die of pneumonia after surviving a shark attack,” she teased, but there was a hint of gravity behind it. Simon chose not to argue, and he disappeared into the bathroom to dry off and change.

  As soon as he reemerged, Felix crawled up his pant leg and into his sweatshirt pocket, muttering a string of chastisements about his recklessness. Simon wisely decided not to try to defend himself against the little mouse. He probably deserved them, after all.

  “Did you get the piece?” said Leo, and all of Simon’s relief at seeing Winter faded.

  He pulled the burning piece from his jeans pocket, silently offering it to his grandfather. “Will you let her go now?”

  “Let who go?” said Winter while Leo took a hasty step back, nearly tripping over his own feet.

  “You,” said Simon, frowning. He glanced between her and the others. Leo was staring at Simon’s outstretched hand like he was offering him a live python, and Zia looked puzzled. “Isn’t that why you wanted me to get the piece? So I could give it to you in exchange for Winter?”

  “You think they could hold me hostage?” said Winter, looking both amused and insulted at the same time.

  “We’d never dream of it,” said Zia, joining her father and setting a calming hand on his elbow. “Like we keep trying to tell you, we’re the good guys.”

  “But—” Baffled, Simon dropped his hand, though he still clutched the hot crystal. “If you didn’t want it, then why did you make Winter stay?”

  “They didn’t make me do anything,” said Winter. “I could have left any time I wanted.”

  “And instead you stayed and let Zia braid your hair?” said Simon, his bewilderment only growing.

  “No one’s ever braided my hair before. It was nice,” said Winter, raising her chin as if daring him to make fun of her.

  Leo eyed Simon’s closed fist, still keeping a good distance between them. “I don’t want the pieces, Simon,” he said quietly. “I thought I’d made that clear before, and I apologize for any confusion. Your friend was never a hostage. You were never kidnapped. All I’ve wanted is to keep you safe.”

  “But …” Simon looked at the piece. “You want me to keep it?”

  “You’re doing a pretty good job of protecting them already,” said Zia. “No use trying to fix something that isn’t broken.”

  Winter rolled her eyes. “Put it back in your pocket already and stop looking so confused. You’re smarter than that.”

  Simon did as told. Maybe it was the pain and exhaustion, but after months of adults trying to steal the pieces of the Predator from him, he couldn’t imagine someone not wanting one. But Zia seemed adamant, and Leo looked downright sick at the thought of taking it. Whatever was going on, it didn’t seem to be a trick.

  “We need to go back to Atlantis,” said Simon. “Crocker said the battle’s over, and—” He couldn’t say the words. Jam might have been fighting down there. And if the birds
and sharks had managed to break into Atlantis, his uncle would have fought to protect Nolan with everything he had. Maybe the birds weren’t happy because they hadn’t found the piece. Maybe it had nothing to do with the battle, and maybe …

  “I would much rather you stay here with us,” said Leo. Simon snapped his head up.

  “What?”

  “We can offer you protection,” said Leo. “Assistance while you seek the remaining pieces. You don’t have to do this alone, Simon.”

  “I’m not alone,” he said, glancing at Winter. “And my family’s down there—the rest of my family, I mean. I can’t leave them.”

  “We’re heading back soon anyway,” said Zia to her father. “We’ll make sure Simon and Winter get there safely.”

  “And Ariana,” said Simon. She gave him a sharp look, and sheepishly he explained everything that had happened on the beach.

  By the time he’d finished, Leo looked green around the gills. “I would rather the Black Widow Queen not find out I’m still alive,” he said.

  “I’ll ask Ariana not to tell her,” said Simon. Normally that would have been enough, but with the way Ariana had been acting lately, he wasn’t so sure. “Can we go back now?”

  “We’ve almost reached the dock,” said Zia, poking her head through the doorway. “Looks like the submarine’s already here.”

  “You still need to finish my braid,” said Winter, hurrying after Zia. Before she stepped out onto the deck, however, she turned back to Simon, flashing him a knowing smirk. “Told you Rowan wasn’t a bad guy.”

  Once the girls had left, Leo and Simon were alone, other than the mouse in his pocket. The pair of them stared awkwardly at each other for a long moment, until Simon finally asked a question that had been simmering in the back of his mind ever since he’d woken up on the boat. “How did you know about Felix?”

  “Felix?” said Leo, sounding surprised. “I sent him to you.”

  He might as well have punched Simon in the gut. “You … he … you sent him?”