Tides of Mana Read online

  TIDES OF MANA

  MATT LARKIN

  INCANDESCENT PHOENIX BOOKS

  For my daughter.

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  DRAMATIS PERSONAE

  People of Uluka‘a

  Haumea, the former God-Queen of Uluka‘a, now vanished

  Kū-Waha-Ilo, her mate, also missing

  Namaka, her eldest daughter, the Sea Queen

  Pele, her second daughter, the Flame Queen

  Kapo, her third daughter, who left for Sawaiki as an apprentice to Uli

  Hi‘iaka, her youngest daughter, still a child, raised by Pele

  Leapua, kahuna to Namaka

  Upoho, wererat foster brother to Namaka

  Milolii, a mo‘o (dragon) who raised and trained Namaka and Upoho

  Kahaumana, Namaka’s first husband

  Kanemoe, Namaka’s second husband

  Aukele, Namaka’s third husband, from Sawaiki, son of Huma and Uli

  Lonomakua, kahuna to Pele and her mentor

  Moho, a spirit working with Pele

  People of Kuau‘i

  Uli, a sorceress from Kahiki who came to Sawaiki fifty years ago with Kapo

  Huma, first husband to Uli, King of Lihue

  Kalana (deceased), brother of Huma, husband to Uli after she divorces his brother

  Hina, daughter of Uli and Kalana, wife to Hakalanileo

  Hakalanileo (Haki), King of Waimea, husband to Hina

  Kana, elder son of Hina and Hakalanileo

  Niheu, younger son of Hina and Hakalanileo

  Lonoaohi, Hakalanileo’s chief kahuna

  Kamapua‘a (Kama), a wereboar son of Uli and Kalana, raised by his sister Hina, now banished and living as a bandit

  Makani, a bandit, Kamapua‘a’s second-in-command

  Ioane, another bandit

  Malie, a female bandit

  People of Mau‘i

  Hinaikamalama, Queen of Hana, loyal to Poli‘ahu

  People of Vai‘i

  Poli‘ahu, a queen on the Vai‘i, a kupua associated with Mauna Kea

  Nalani, her counselor

  Lilinoe, a snow akua, Poli‘ahu’s mentor

  Waiau, a snow akua subordinate to Lilinoe and bound to Poli‘ahu

  Kahoupokane, a snow akua subordinate to Lilinoe

  Kepawa, King of Puna on the Vai‘i, recently dead

  Naia, widow of King Kepawa

  Milohai, her younger brother

  Keanu high kahuna to Kepawa and Naia

  Kamalo, second kahuna to Kepawa and Naia

  Makua-kaumana (Makua), a prophet kahuna from unknown lands

  People of Moloka‘i

  Kaupeepee, a raider based on Moloka‘i, working against the Kahikian invaders

  Ilima, one of his warriors

  Keoloewa, King of Moloka‘i, Kaupeepee’s brother

  He‘e

  Punga, he‘e ambassador to Mu

  Rogo-Tumu-Here (Rogo), the legendary leader of the he‘e rebellion and originator of the Rogo War

  Mer of Hiyoya

  Latmikaik, Queen of Hiyoya, Voice of Rongomai ‘Ohana

  Inemes, her cousin

  Matsya, an ambassador to humans, Rongomai ‘Ohana

  Mer of Mu

  Aiaru, Queen of Mu, Voice of Kuula ‘Ohana

  Hokohoko, a warrior of Kuula

  Ikatere, Voice of the Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana

  Kuku Lau, his eldest daughter

  Nyi Rara, his second daughter

  Tilafaiga, her niece, sister of Taema, a tattoo artist

  Taema, sister of Tilafaiga, a tattoo artist

  Ake, Commander of the Dakuwaqan Rangers, younger brother of Taema and Tilafaiga

  Opuhalakoa (Opu), High Priestess and Keeper of the Urchin, Voice of Ukupanipo ‘Ohana

  Daucina, a diplomat, Ukupanipo ‘Ohana

  Deities

  Elder Deep, the mer name for the master of Avaiki

  Kanaloa, god of the ocean and of magic, god-king of the he‘e, enemy of Kāne

  Kāne, the highest of the gods who created the Worldsea with the Deluge but spared mankind through the line of Nu‘u

  Kū, war god, affiliate of Kāne

  La, a sun god defeated by Maui

  La‘amaomao, wind goddess

  Lono, agriculture god, affiliate of Kāne

  Manua, deified ghost king from the first wave of settlers to Sawaiki

  Maui, a kupua who brought fire to man, defeated monsters, found Sawaiki, and died trying to give mankind immortality

  Milu, queen of the damned, mistress of mist

  Mo‘oinanea, progenitor queen of the mo‘o

  Toona, an ancient taniwha killed by Maui

  Wākea, the sky god

  TERMS

  General

  aikāne, intimate often sexual relationships between members of the same sex

  aloha, “love” used for “hello” and “goodbye”

  heiau, a temple

  kai e‘e, a tsunami

  ki‘i (tiki), carved wooden masks representing gods

  kilu, a game like quoits where a gourd is spun to hit a spoke, often earning one sexual favors

  kōnane, a game like checkers

  mahalo, “thank you”

  mana, spiritual energy, but also life force

  mele, a chant

  mo‘olelo, tales, legends, and genealogies that contain within them a kind of mana

  ‘ohana, family including extended family

  pahu, wooden drum topped with sharkskin

  tabu, sacred proscriptions

  ‘ūkēkē, stringed musical instrument

  ali‘i, the chiefly class, including royalty

  kahuna (plural kāhuna), a member of the educated class of priests, shamans, and teachers

  Places

  Uluka‘a, an island off the coast of Kahiki

  Kahiki, an island (Tahiti)

  Sawaiki, an archipelago north of Kahiki (the Hawaiian islands)

  Savai‘i, an island (in Samoa)

  Old Mu, a continent that sank and left behind various archipelagos

  Mu, a mer kingdom centered on the sunken ruins of Old Mu

  Hiyoya, a mer kingdom that broke away from Mu

  Avaiki, the World of Water, native world of the mer

  Pō, the Astral Realm (e.g. the Penumbra), literally “night”

  Lua-o-Milu, the “pit of Milu,” an underworld of ghosts

  Uekera, the Tree of Life

  Bestiary

  akua, gods, including mer and menehune

  ‘aumakua (plural ‘aumākua), ghost gods and ancestor spirits

  kupua, demigods, including shifters and mo‘o

  lapu, angry ghosts

  menehune, Earth akua

  mer, Water akua (e.g. mermaids and mermen)

  mo‘o, smaller dragons descended from the great taniwha of old, sometimes able to take human form

  Nightmarchers, spirits of darkness or possibly ghosts that steal souls (The Wild Hunt)

  taniwha, sea dragons

  Clothing

  malo, a man’s loincloth

  kihei, a shoulder wrap

  pa‘u, a woman’s skirt

  tapa, cloth made from tree bark

  Food

  awa, a narcotic drink

  imu, an underground oven

  poi, paste made from taro root

  PROLOGUE

  Days Gone

  MOONLIGHT BARELY FILTERED down through the waters to the seabed. A human w
ould have called Tenebrous Chasm a place of utter darkness, but Nyi Rara’s mer eyes could make out a dance of shadows in the depths.

  A plethora of vibrant scents drifted on the ocean currents here. Fish, of many kinds. Mer, concealed within the chasm. And decay—rotting corpses far below being slowly devoured. No blood left though.

  It made her gills itch, nonetheless.

  “Easy,” her father said, swimming up beside her.

  Nyi Rara flashed a mirthless smile, not bothering to conceal that her shark teeth had descended in agitation. “This is a mistake. You cannot trust the Hiyoyans.”

  Her father peered into the chasm, then glanced back at his assembled crew. Merchants, mostly, though they had a pair of Rangers among them, and common warriors as guards. Father had left Nyi Rara’s older sister in charge of the ‘ohana while they were away, insisting Nyi Rara come along and witness this historic deal. A deal that was meant to heal the rift between Mu and Hiyoya, or at least begin the process.

  A reversal of the Sundering.

  That, Nyi Rara thought, sounded unbelievable. The two mer societies had held in tenuous peace—or even open skirmishes—for all the centuries since they’d split apart. Reconciliation would require forgoing vengeance for more than two thousand years of grievances. It was before Nyi Rara was born, before many of the mer now were born, but her father remembered the time when Mu was a single people.

  He leaned in close to her. “If this truly allows for a blending of societies, Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana may have the chance to reclaim the throne.”

  “‘Ohana is everything,” Nyi Rara intoned, hardly thinking about it. Their family had lost the throne so very long ago—retaining only the titles of prince and princess for her bloodline. So long, only a handful in the ‘ohana had lived back then. Still, she would enjoy putting the bitch queen Aiaru in her place.

  Would enjoy it … if it were possible. But Tenebrous Chasm was a no man’s land dividing Mu from Hiyoya to the south. Tales told that any who swam here failed to swim out again. Some claimed the he‘e—sentient octopuses—occupied the chasm, for it lay near enough to their Aupuni. Others believed the Hiyoyans themselves patrolled the depths, hunting for trespassers. Once, her cousin Tilafaiga had even told her a rumor that a taniwha lurked down in the darkness, though the great sea dragons were almost all gone now.

  The merchants carried shells filled with trade goods. Worked jewelry of pearl and gold, human-wrought iron—it didn’t last long, but it had numerous uses—coral knives, and some prize Father seemed especially convinced would entice even the most reluctant of Hiyoyan merchants into a trade.

  Nyi Rara grimaced, shaking her head. “I have misgivings. Severe misgivings.”

  Father had arranged this trade envoy with Queen Aiaru’s blessings, but if it went wrong, Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana would bear the blame for it.

  “It’s too late,” her father said. “They know we’re here. We cannot simply swim away. This is our chance to restore Dakuwaqa. Trust me.”

  “‘Ohana is everything,” Nyi Rara mumbled, even as her father swam down into Tenebrous Chasm. A trio of warrior mer swam out ahead of them, led by a Ranger whose senses were no doubt even more acute than Nyi Rara’s own.

  The further down she swam, the chillier things seemed to grow. Mer had plenty of tolerance for the cold—the bloodlines in the North Sea lived in much greater cold than this—but Nyi Rara didn’t exactly enjoy it. Her gaze darted from side to side, sweeping over shifting shadows, hunting for any sign of predators.

  Mer were, in a sense, humanoid sharks, and thus few creatures of the deep truly saw them as prey. Few, yes, but he‘e might ambush them, and there were always benthic monstrosities like taniwha that would eat just about anything. Priests claimed they all hailed from the Elder Deep, but that didn’t mean mer shared any kinship with those behemoths.

  A shifting in the waters, a minor disturbance, as someone swam around behind them. Hiyoyan scouts, no doubt. Come to watch them. Come to see if her father was true to his word.

  Their Ranger banked to the side, descending deeper, having clearly spotted something Nyi Rara could not yet make out. Tattoos enhanced the mana of Dakuwaqan Rangers, allowing them to push their hosts beyond the physical limits even other mer could manage. Stronger, faster, and keener of awareness. The ultimate warriors.

  Possibly insane, of course.

  She had often wondered whether the power itself unhinged the Rangers, or whether the unstable were the only ones able to survive the process of—

  The Ranger slowed, allowing them to draw up and catch sight of the Hiyoyan envoy. Seven mer: three mermen, four mermaids. Others swam around the merchants, tridents and coral knives at the ready, tails twitching in anticipation of aggression. The Hiyoyan ‘ohanas seemed to have tails more in the blue and green spectrum, whereas most Dakuwaqans like herself had orange, red, or yellow tails. And all of the Hiyoyans had descended their shark teeth, flexing their webbed fingers, looking more than ready for a fight.

  Her father pushed forward around the Ranger and twirled his tail in greeting. “I am Prince Ikatere of Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana.”

  One of the mermaids swam forward a few feet. “Inemes of Rongomai ‘Ohana, cousin to Queen Latmikaik of Hiyoya.”

  A moment of silence followed, Nyi Rara’s father shifted in the water, while the Hiyoyans looked around with visible nervousness. It seemed their side had just as many misgivings about any overtures toward peace as the Muians did.

  Her father beckoned a hand to his merchants, not bothering to look back at them. One thing Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana had managed to hold onto was extensive trade contacts, reaching all across the Worldsea, from Ryūgū-jō in the East Sea all the way to far Cantref Gwaelod in the West Sea. They had goods no one else in this region could easily come up with, and Hiyoya must know that.

  The merchants swam forward and began opening their treasure trove of goods. Even in the near darkness of the chasm, hints of light reflected off gems and jewelry, though Nyi Rara imagined the Hiyoyans would have to value the iron even more.

  Inemes cocked her head and Hiyoyan merchants swam forward, revealing sacks of glittering pearls that must have come from far off indeed. With that much wealth, Dakuwaqa could almost buy their way back into power.

  “A fine arrangement,” her father said. “Of course, for the real prize, I require a trade worth more than any pearl. Any other pearl, at least.”

  What was that all about?

  “You have it?” Inemes asked.

  Her father nodded, now beckoning forward a mer who held a clamshell shut between his arms. At a signal from her father, the mer cracked the shell open, spilling blue-green radiance into the chasm, so bright Nyi Rara had to shield her eyes after the adjusting to the darkness.

  Blinking, she gaped at what lay within the clam. A glowing pearl the size of her head, one that seemed almost aflame even underwater. Indeed, the currents around it pulsed, responding to its power. That was a … a wish pearl, a Chintamani. A physical manifestation of coalesced mana stronger than any other. She had thought they were all lost during the Sundering. The priests claimed the loss of the Chintamaniya had resulted in the loss of mastery over the taniwha.

  All Nyi Rara could do was stare, awed. Its power thrummed through the waters, tickling her skin and scales, as if someone massaged her whole body all at once. It left her giddy, euphoric.

  And this was madness. Her father would trade one of the greatest treasures in all the Worldsea to Hiyoya. That was … treason. If Queen Aiaru learned he had traded away the Chintamani, at any price, the Elder Deep alone knew what the queen would do.

  “A fitting bride-gift for a queen, I would say,” her father said.

  Oh. Oh, by the Deep. Father intended to marry Queen Latmikaik of Hiyoya. And return Dakuwaqa ‘Ohana to glory by crushing Queen Aiaru the usurper beneath their combined forces.

  He hadn’t consulted Nyi Rara, probably hadn’t even told her older sister. He’d committed them to this course—and terrible war could be
the only result—and had not bothered to even ask if they wished to swim this way. How many in the ‘ohana even knew of his plans? The worst of it was, she could never turn back. Not now. Father had seen to that. Even if she would have balked before, Father had already made Nyi Rara a party to treason. Besides, the Hiyoyans were here and would never leave without that pearl.

  She shot a glare at her father, who didn’t look in her direction, though she suspected he knew of her displeasure.

  Inemes, too, was staring in awe at the Chintamani, tail twitching as if moving outside of her control. Her shark teeth had descended in excitement or perhaps even arousal. “Ah, it’s real.”

  “Yes,” her father said. “One of the last of the wish pearls.”

  “Amazing.” Inemes grunted and cocked her head.

  It happened fast.

  The surge of waters as Hiyoyan mer warriors rushed in, trident blades glinting in the Chintamani’s pale light. Nyi Rara froze, her chest seizing up in realization. Hiyoya had betrayed them after all. And she’d be lucky if she ever got the chance to castigate Father for his folly.

  A single beat of his tail carried the Dakuwaqan Ranger into a pair of charging mer warriors. He caught the shaft of the trident in both hands and twisted around, flinging the Hiyoyan into the chasm wall with such force it must have broken bones.

  The other mer lunged, his trident scraping over the Ranger’s scales. As if unfeeling of the pain, the Ranger lunged in and sank his teeth into the Hiyoyan’s throat. A blinding cloud of pink filled the waters an instant before the blood scent hit Nyi Rara and sent her pulse pounding in visceral reaction.

  Snarling with the frenzy, Nyi Rara lunged at the nearest Hiyoyan merchant, caught his tail, and drove him down in the chasm floor. The merman twisted around in her arms, apparently having never imagined the Dakuwaqan princess would assault him unarmed. Nyi Rara’s mouth opened far wider than a human’s ever could.

  The merman screamed the instant before her jaws closed over his face. His cheek bones crunched under her teeth and the delicious, intoxicating rush of blood filled her as the mer’s head collapsed. Salty brains and copper blood, so sweet Nyi Rara shuddered in delight.

  These barnacle-cocked Hiyoyans thought to betray Dakuwaqa? There would be a price for that.