by Billy Wong

When the cage had reached the mouth of the stream, the ropes were passed from the ponies to a pair of rowboats which pulled it to the center of the lake. Then the rowers reversed their course to flank the platform and began to undo the latches which kept it in place. The Magnificent Mathias raised his arms. "And . . ." He brought them down. "Now!"

The boats pulled away as fast as their rowers could manage, taking the top of the cage with them. And the Kraken of the Mountains thrashed to the surface, to the cheers and . . . boos . . . of the audience.

Finn squeezed Rose's shoulder, laughing. "L-look at that thing! It's barely the size of a large dog!"

Rose stared as the gathered spectators jeered the "giant" squid. It was less than half the size of the one she had fought. Of course, catching a more impressive specimen in that cage setup might have proven difficult. "Hey, at least he's not letting people on the water--and even if he was, it couldn't be too dangerous."

"Quiet! Quiet!" Mathias said. "The show is not over! My sea monster manual tells me krakens are very good parents, and will rush to aid offspring in distress. And I assure you, this little pretty has been put through great distress!"

A hush came over the crowd as the waters began to bubble furiously. "Oh, no," breathed Rose. A huge tentacle burst from the water, followed by another and another, and the screaming began.

"Behold now! The Kraken of the Mountains!" And then, a tentacle thicker than Mathias himself reached for him. "No, get away!" he screamed as he dove off the platform. The tentacle smashed into the wooden structure, splintering it to pieces and burying Mathias beneath the wreckage.

The baby kraken disappeared below the surface, and the great tentacles began plucking fleeing humans off the shore. A few entranced spectators still just stood there, watching the great beast inflict its revenge. Rose and Finn ran to intercept the nearest limbs, swinging their weapons frantically. "It really is the size of a small castle!" Finn beamed.

"Shut up and fight! How are we going to beat this thing?"

"You just stay back, Rose! You're hurt--I'll handle this."

"I really don't think that's feasible, Finn . . ."

The kraken's massive body appeared in the center of the lake, a fleshy white mass the size of a two-story building. With a loud, shrill cry it surged across the water, smashing through the dock. Bodies splashed into the lake to be dismembered by the gigantic beak. That beak, Rose knew, could tear even her or Finn in half with a single bite.

Rose continued to hack away at the monster's tentacles, two of which now assailed her. The first one she'd attacked was down, slashed a score of times by her heavy sword. One of the tentacles coiled around her, but she stabbed into it and ripped the blade out its side. It fell limp around her, but its dead bulk impeded her movement and another tentacle slammed down on her back, crushing her into the ground. She heard ribs snap, and something tore apart inside her abdomen. Hot blood rushed into her mouth. She had once been hit by a boulder from a catapult, yet this seemed to hurt more.

Vomiting a waterfall of blood, Rose rolled clumsily to her feet and sliced into the limb. It reared away, dripping clear fluid. She wondered how many tentacles the monster had, and how many it would need to lose before deciding to flee. She hoped there were only ten, like on a normal squid.

But apparently, Finn had a different strategy in mind. Running up the remnants of the dock, he leapt off the end and landed on the kraken's back with a loud smack. "You idiot!" Rose cried. "What are you going to do up there with that club?" She would've disapproved less if he had an edged weapon, but doubted the effectiveness of his mace against the colossal beast.

Finn ignored her, struggling now to keep his balance atop the thrashing squid. Obviously, it had noticed him on top and was trying to dislodge him. Rose ran, ducking a tentacle swipe, next to a group of Mathias' braver guards who were attempting to make a stand against a tentacle. Already, one man lay twisted and dead on the ground, and another slumped stunned against a tent. A plan began to form in Rose's mind.

Beating back the tentacle with a flurry of slashes, Rose grabbed the dead man's spear and flung it at the kraken. It hit the monster next to an eye, lodging in flesh but hardly slowing it. Finn lost his balance and began to slide down the squid, but hammered his mace into its body. The flanged edges bit into the flesh, and Finn hung there cursing. Rose darted to the stunned man and took his spear, but as she raised it to throw a tentacle swipe snapped it in half. She stabbed the tentacle and kicked it back, then ran to a standing guard.

"Give me your spear!" she said.

"Why? What will I fight with?"

She glanced at his wounded comrade. "Just take your friend and get out of here!"

The man nodded, a hint of relief in his eyes, and handed her the spear. Watching out for the tentacles, Rose leaned back and cast. This time she hit the kraken in the eye, and it screamed and reeled in the water. A sudden wave of agony tore through her mangled innards, and she stumbled to one knee. "Finn!" she yelled.

Her partner, who had braced his feet against the kraken's side only to slip from its sudden movement, looked at her and snapped, "What?"

"Drop down, catch hold of one of those spears, and hammer the other one in!"

Finn smiled. "Smart girl." Bracing himself again, he yanked his mace free and fell down alongside the kraken. But before he could grab a spear, a tentacle slapped him away and into the lake.

Rose pushed herself up, drooling blood and thicker liquids. "Shit!" She ran up the broken dock as Finn had, leaping at the kraken as it turned on him. The beak gaped open, but Finn hit it right on the tip as it bit at him. For a moment, the squid shrank back. Rose's hand closed around the spearshaft near its eye, stopping her fall, and she smacked the other spear with the flat of her blade. It sank deeper into the eye, and the monster flailed its limbs in agony. Then, it rolled over in the water.

The plunge beneath the surface surprised Rose, but she managed to hold on to the spear. A tentacle wrapped about her waist just as she hit the other spear deeper into the eye. Now the water filled with blackness, and Rose could see nothing. But she knew that the ink was the prelude to the squid's retreat, and released the spear shaft and swam to the surface.

Rose burst from the water next to Finn, gasping for breath. "D-did it get away?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes.