Chapter Thirty-One
“Weapons,” Cricket growled, the sound choked off with fear. “Radley, fire weapons.”
Radley slammed his hand on the red button again, but they’d already used the spikes. In his panic, he’d forgotten. With a curse, the wolf started pushing buttons, firing grenades at the kraken, but it was too big to care. The small explosions were tickles, maybe a pinch, and they only seemed to piss it off more.
Another tentacle slipped from the water and wrapped around them, squeezing until the Ferrari groaned under the pressure. Though the car was reinforced, she wasn’t sure if it was rated for a kraken. If it flattened the car, they’d be out of the race, but it didn’t seem intent on smashing them. Instead, it started to drag them closer to the water.
“If it drags us into the sea, we’re done,” Radley warned, pressing another button.
The kraken made a noise that made Cricket grimace and cover her ears. One of the tentacles pressed against the driver side window and it shattered inward despite the stronger glass. She squeaked in surprise at the glass suddenly raining down on her, but it opened her up to an idea. She’d been born with power. Perhaps, she could use it.
“Cricket!” Radley shouted, pressing another button. “We have to do something!”
Taking a deep breath, Cricket stared out the window up at the face of the kraken watching them, its eyes squinted in anger. “Okay,” she answered, flipping the quick release on the harness again.
“What are you doing?”
“Something.” She hoisted herself up and onto the window seal. Glass cut into her arms, but they were simple cuts that would heal quickly. This was more important.
Radley grabbed for her. “It’s going to fucking eat you!”
But Cricket had her mother’s powers. She wasn’t sure if it would work on a creature so large—she’d never tried it—but the least she could do was attempt to use what she was born with. A kraken was still a creature, the same as any bird that preferred to spend time around Cricket.
The tentacle waved around her, slamming into the car right beside where she sat so she had to scoot closer to the front of the car, clinging onto the Ferrari for dear life as they were jerked around violently.
Cricket held up her hand and looked into the yellow eyes. She focused on her power, on talking to the kraken and her veins sung with the power. “You don’t want to hurt us,” she breathed, convincing the kraken as much as herself of its intentions. “We just need to pass.”
At first, the kraken didn’t seem to understand. They continued to wave wildly in the air, but the more Cricket talked to it, the slower the movements got until they were simply suspended in the air.
“We didn’t mean to hurt you. We were scared,” Cricket continued. “If you let us pass, we’ll leave you alone.”
Radley was silent in the car, his eyes flicking between where Cricket cooed to the giant kraken and the kraken itself. Cricket wasn’t even sure if he was breathing.
“Could you set us down gently, please?” Cricket asked, stroking her hand down the wet tentacle beside her. “We’ll leave you alone.”
The kraken made a chuff sound, and they slowly began to lower to the track again. The creature carefully set them down before the tentacles unwrapped. A few of the suckers left imprints in the metal but the car was otherwise untouched.
“That’s a good kraken,” Cricket cooed. “We appreciate you helping us and letting us go.”
She moved as if to climb back in the car, but the kraken chuffed again and she paused, her eyes on a large spear sticking from its side. “What is that?”
The kraken seemed to growl in frustration and Cricket dragged herself from the car.
“Cricket!” Radley panic whispered, his eyes wide as she stepped up to the kraken that had just attempted to kill them.
“Did someone hurt you?” Cricket asked it, standing on her tiptoes, and reaching for the spear. It beeped in time with something. “It’s a transmitter.” Her eyes widened. “Is that how the council got you to the track?” When it chuffed again, Cricket scowled. “How cruel. Here, let me take it out and you can leave. We’re the last team that should be coming through here so no one else will bother you.”
With a gentle tug, she pulled the transmitter from the kraken’s side free and dropped it on the ground. The creature chittered happily, such a small sound for such a large creature, and when a tentacle wrapped around her gently and gratefully for a moment before releasing her, she smiled up at the kraken despite the bit of wetness it left behind. “You’re free to go, buddy. I’m sorry for the mistreatment you endured.”
Cricket turned and popped open the door before climbing back in. She waved her hand to the kraken but instead of him taking off, the kraken reached a tentacle to the side and interrupted the stream of water. A new tunnel opened up while it held the water away and Cricket’s eyes widened.
“Thank you!” she called out to the kraken and dropped the Ferrari into gear before easing through the tunnel. The moment it pulled its tentacle back, the water fell back into place, blocking off the tunnel.
They were silent for all of five seconds. Radley was staring at her, his eyes wide.
“What?” Cricket asked, glancing between him and the narrow tunnel ahead of them. She didn’t chastise him for not paying attention. They were clearly on some sort of shortcut, and she didn’t know where it led but he was looking at her as if she’d grown a second head.
“You talked to a kraken,” Radley breathed.