When the water reached his chest, Tanetoa took a deep breath and dived. The lagoon floor was sandy and flat, littered with orange clams and rosy conches. A
school of blue tang flashed past, herded along by the snapping jaws of a hungry barracuda, and a red-tinged jellyfish drifted by in a mass of fluttering membrane. As he neared the reef, thickets of jewel-colored staghorn coral rose from the bottom, filling the water with a luminous garden of tangled scarlet branches and sapphire starbursts. The giant swam closer to the surface now, so he would not brush any of the delicate formations and break them off. The coral was a living thing, and even the slightest damage could take centuries to repair.
Eventually, the luminous garden grew so tall and tangled it formed an impenetrable wall of color and motion. There were dozens of different corals: pink staghorn and golden elkhorn, diaphanous finger coral and tiger-striped fan, contorted spheres of brain coral, sweeping sheets of queen's lace, and more than even Tanetoa could name. Hiding among the corals were hundred-tentacled anemones, furtive clown fish, sponges of every shape and form-a profusion of different creatures that looked more like plants than animals.
Tanetoa swam along bare inches above the coral. Finally, he began to feel the rise and fall of the waves breaking over the reef. He entered a narrow, winding channel. Alongside him, the coral thickened into a solid mass, reaching the water's surface and forming a broad flat of dead, rocklike reef that served as a breakwater for the lagoon. It was the only ugly part of the reef, but one that teemed with crabs, starfish, and three-foot sea cucumbers.
Tanetoa reached the end of the channel and struck out into the open sea. The warships were anchored less than two hundred yards away. As he approached, the sound of alarm bells and screaming voices echoed across the water all the more loudly. He tried to take comfort in their fear, though he knew it was also their fear that made them swing their ballistae in his direction.
Tanetoa swam to the largest of the ships, stopping twenty yards off her starboard side so the sailors would not think he meant any harm.
'Ahoy, little people!' He waved his hand, which caused a great rustling among the men and prompted the flaunting of several dozen harpoons. Tanetoa scowled at the display of weapons. 'There is no need to be frightened. I come in peace.'
A bearded man in a white turban stepped forward and stood between two harpooners. 'Then you declare for us?'
'Declare?'
'Declare your side.' The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then motioned the ballistae crews to stand ready. 'In the war. Surely, you know about the war?'
'I have heard the whales sing of it,' Tanetoa answered, 'but this is not my war.'
'Of course it is,' the man retorted. 'This war is everybody's war. Now, where do you stand?'
Tanetoa considered this, then shrugged. 'What are my choices?'
The man scowled. 'You dare mock an officer of the caleph's fleet?'
Tanetoa started to apologize, then remembered he was a giant and clenched his jaw. He kicked his feet, raising himself high enough to display his mighty shoulders and chest. 'Do you speak of the Caleph of Najron?'
The officer paled and could not help retreating a step. 'The very one, may the One grant him all blessings.'
'And where does the caleph stand?'
'On the side of j-justice and honor, uh, of course,' answered the officer.
'On the side of justice and honor,' Tanetoa repeated, trying to disguise his disbelief. He had heard the whales sing of this Caleph of Najron and knew the man to be a Cyric-worshiping blackguard who thought nothing of pouring his city's filth into the sea. 'Truly?'
'Truly,' answered the officer.
Considering the ships and their ballistae, Tanetoa decided a diplomatic answer might be best. 'I have always favored justice and honor.'
The officer smiled, displaying a huge gold tooth, and spread his arms magnanimously. 'Then we are allies!'
'If you stand on the side of justice and honor,' Tanetoa answered carefully. He touched a hand to his breast. 'I am Tanetoa of the Reef.'
The crowd at the rail parted, and a new man in a golden turban stepped forward. Like the first, he had a long black beard, but his face was much more stern, more hawkish.
'And I am the emir Bahal yn Nadir, Admiral of the caleph's fleet.' The newcomer gestured with a bejew-eled hand, and the harpooners lowered their weapons. 'I have come to occupy your island in the name of the caleph.'
'Occupy it?' Tanetoa glanced around at the eight carracks, trying to guess how many hundreds of men they held. 'The island can barely sustain my wife and me.'
'We have brought supplies,' said the emir.
Tanetoa eyed the overburdened ships, trying to imagine the humans ferrying tons of casks and chests through the winding channel into the lagoon. There would be accidents-and even if there were not, the mere presence of so many humans would poison the reef. Tanetoa shook his head vigorously.
'No. It will be bad for the reef.'
'The reef?' The emir scowled, clearly confused. 'What does a reef matter? We are at war!'
'This is the Crystal Reef,' Tanetoa explained. There is no other like it in the Shining Sea.'
The emir looked unimpressed. 'And?'
'And its death would be a great loss to the world.' Tanetoa spoke in a stern voice. 'I have sworn to protect it.'
The emir surprised him with a broad smile. 'Then you should be glad for our presence. That is the very reason the caleph sent us-to protect this island.'
'Protect it from what?'
'From the Enemy Beneath, of course,' the emir replied. 'Already, the sahuagin and their allies have raided Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and many other places along the Sword Coast.'
'But Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate are wealthy places,' said Tanetoa. 'So the whales tell me.'
The emir's brow rose. 'The whales tell you?'
'We sing to each other,' Tanetoa explained. 'They tell me the sahuagin are stealing human treasure.'
'The whales tell you correctly.' The emir and his officer exchanged meaningful glances. 'What else do they tell you?'
'Only that the war is spreading,' said Tanetoa. 'But what could the sahuagin want from my island? Those other places have things worth stealing. My island is too poor to even have a name. Let me take you ashore, and you will see there is nothing here for them to steal.'
The offer seemed to take the emir aback. He glanced at his officers nervously, then shook his head. 'Your island's poverty is of no consequence. The caleph has commanded me to protect it.'
'Yes, so you have said. But why?'
'It is not for me to question the caleph's wisdom,' said the emir. 'It is enough that he has commanded it. We will come ashore with the next high tide. Make ready for us.'
'And if I do not?' asked Tanetoa.
'As the caleph's ally, you have no choice.' The emir glanced at his ballistae, which remained trained on Tanetoa. 'We must all sacrifice for the war.'
Tanetoa swam forward, crossing the last twenty yards to the ship in three quick strokes. The ballistae crews cursed and scrambled to bring their weapons to bear, but Tanetoa pretended not to notice. He reached up and grabbed the gunwale, hauling himself up to stare at the emir eye-to-eye. The ship listed steeply in his direction, sweeping a handful of men off their feet and drawing several muffled booms from the cargo holds.
The emir gasped and stumbled back, motioning a dozen harpooners forward.
Tanetoa ignored the warriors. 'We will talk again before the tide, but I warn you not to cross the reef without my consent. The rocks are very sharp, and the smell of blood in the water will attract hungry sharks.'
The color returned to the emir's face, and he straightened his robe. 'Of course. The caleph thanks you for your counsel.'
'He is most welcome.'
