FIC: The Breaking Wave (3/4)
Title: The Breaking Wave: Chapter Three (Death's Shadow)
Characters/Pairings: Superman, Bruce Wayne, Arthur Curry (King Orin, Aquaman).
Rating: PG-13 for violence
Summary: Superman's world is turned upside-down when he meets a mysterious ambassador from Atlantis.
Word count: 3400
Continuity: DC doesn't seem to worry about keeping Atlantis consistent, so this Atlantis (and Arthur) are almost entirely my cobbled-together creation.
Notes: Written for the World's Finest Gift Exchange, Prompt F07: An AU in which young Bruce Wayne's ship sinks during his travels and he becomes Prince Arthur's tutor and foster-brother. The full mini-series can be found here.
Poseidonis, the capital of Atlantis, gleamed and glimmered deep beneath the ocean. Superman paused a fair distance from it, watching its lights waver dimly through the water. Then he began to swim slowly toward it.
He came up short at the distance Buruzh had indicated, feeling the force field that encased the city like a dome prickling in front of him. Through the dim ocean he saw Buruzh and a contingent of trident-wielding guards approaching. The guards looked extremely suspicious. But when Buruzh caught sight of Superman, his face lit up in a smile that made Kal feel just a bit dizzy.
As beautiful as the sea and as deep.
One of the guards pressed a button on his trident and the tingling sensation of the force field lessened; Superman swam through it to join Buruzh on the other side. "Thank you for allowing me to visit," he signed.
"It is our honor," Buruzh signed back, as the guards glowered. Buruzh frowned and responded to something Superman couldn't hear, in a "voice" that buzzed faintly in the bones of Kal's head. "Don't be completely foolish, Khelin," said the ambassador. "Please remember he could boil the water around you in an instant."
Superman kept his face impassive; no one but he and Diana knew that he could overhear Buruzh's telepathic comments to the Atlanteans around him, and they had agreed it was best if he kept silent about that for a time. Buruzh turned back to him and smiled slightly, his hands moving as gracefully as waves dancing. "I shall take you to meet King Orin, if you will follow me."
The towers of Atlantis were slender and arching, the brightness of the coral and shell clear even in the dimness. They entered a massive audience chamber, a throne carved from what appeared to be a single enormous pearl at one end. Ranks of guards flanked a scarlet-paved path to the throne; Superman floated between them and up to the throne. As they drew closer, Buruzh moved away from him and took his place to the right of the man on the throne, who was currently leaning forward to get a closer look at the Kryptonian.
King Orin's long golden hair floated about his shoulders and his keen aquamarine eyes looked at Kal with curiosity and intelligence. He was wearing some kind of light scaled armor which glittered gold in the pale lights of the hall. There was a slight movement behind the throne and Kal realized a large octopus was curled up there, peeking out from behind, the horizontal slit of its eye appraising.
The king made an imperious gesture and the guards turned and filed out, leaving the three of them alone. Superman bowed deeply before the king. "Thank you for your invitation, King Orin. It is an honor indeed to be invited here to mighty Atlantis of legend," he signed.
Buruzh translated Kal's sign language into telepathic speech: "He thanks you for your hospitality, my liege, and says it is an honor to be invited to Atlantis."
Orin's face was grave, but the corner of his mouth quirked very slightly as his eyebrows raised; he was clearly saying something but Superman couldn't hear it. "The King of Atlantis says the honor is his, that the land dwellers would send their greatest champion for this visit. Word of the land-dwellers' Man of Steel has reached us even here in far Atlantis," Buruzh explained in hand-speech.
Superman started to give his formal greetings on behalf of the various rulers of the land. Partway through, to his surprise, Buruzh suddenly said in mental speech, "No, my liege, I really hadn't noticed." Kal's gestures almost faltered until he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be able to overhear the ambassador's speech; clearly the king had said something and Buruzh was responding, unaware that Kal could hear him. He forged ahead with his speech and Buruzh "spoke" again, his mental voice overlaid with something like a laugh: "I was there to discuss the Sub Diego crisis, Arthur; it never crossed my mind."
A moment passed and the undercurrent became an open mental laugh, rich and affectionate, even as Buruzh's face remained entirely officious and serious. "All right, my liege, I will grant you there is a certain...appeal. Maybe just a little."
Kal struggled to focus on his hand gestures, grateful that the sea water was keeping his cheeks cool, as it was beginning to dawn on him that this was most certainly not a conversation he was supposed to be privy to. King Orin's head tilted almost imperceptibly and Buruzh's mental voice went very soft. "A tie, Arthur. Allow me to claim it's a tie for most beautiful man I've ever seen."
Fortunately Kal was at the end of his speech by then and could hand over the translation to Buruzh and stand there, fighting to keep his composure, torn between sudden lust and deep embarrassment. He made his way through the rest of the interview in a confused daze, stumbling over his answers; more than once he realized Buruzh was fixing his statements in translation so they made a little more sense.
Eventually King Orin rose from his throne and nodded regally; the interview was clearly at an end. "King Orin thanks you again and requests that I give you a full tour of Atlantis," Buruzh explained.
Kal signed his thanks. As the king made his way to the door, Buruzh spoke to him one last time in mental speech. "Arthur, I am not going to show him that. Stop teasing, you're making this completely impossible for me." For the first time his telepathic voice sounded just a touch annoyed, but none of that showed on his face as he turned to his guest. "Shall I show you the wonders of Atlantis?" he signed.
"I would be honored," Kal signed back. As Buruzh turned to escort him from the room, he couldn't resist adding in a flicker of motion, "But I suspect I've already seen the greatest wonder."
Buruzh didn't falter as they swam from the room, and Kal was left to wonder if he'd seen the words at all.
: : :
Nine years ago
Prince Orin pored over the report, sensing Buruzh's presence behind him, reading over his shoulder. The news was grim indeed: a great white shark gone rogue. Usually the great whites avoided Atlantis, but this one--the Atlantean symbols for its name meant "Death's Shadow"--had developed a taste for blood and was preying off the kelp farmers who worked outside the protective dome. He was wily and elusive, striking when guards weren't around, hiding in the deep rifts nearby. Atlantean lives were being lost and people were starting to discuss the ill omen of these attacks.
The report was filed by Khelin, now a member of the King's Guard. Beneath the official language the implied message was clear: Death's Shadow was a manifestation of the prince's curse and a sign of what they would all suffer under his rule as king. Arthur could feel the undercurrent of icy anger from the man behind him; he supposed he should have found it something other than reassuring and comforting.
Arthur rubbed his forehead and let the report float to the desk. "I'll have to do something about that."
"About the shark or about Khelin's mutinous behavior?"
"Both, preferably."
Buruzh's hands rested on his shoulders lightly. "Your telepathy with the creatures of the sea is more advanced than anyone's. Go out there, talk to Death's Shadow, see if you can convince it to leave Atlantis."
Arthur tapped the report wearily. "Predators. They sense weakness and they attack, over and over again. Kindness and mercy are alien concepts to them."
The hands on his shoulders tightened. "Try reason first. If reason doesn't work...then you merely will have to prove beyond any doubt that you're stronger than they are, that you can defeat them."
His thoughts were warm and reassuring, with a steely thread to them. "Predators, Arthur. Don't let them scent your blood in the currents."
: : :
At the edge of the dome, Orin turned to dismiss the guard.
"My prince," said Khelin, clearly confused, "You can't go alone to fight Death's Shadow."
Orin tilted his head to glare down at Khelin coldly. "This is my nemesis and my shadow, Khelin. I must fight it alone. If it defeats me...so much the better for Atlantis, is it not?"
Khelin hesitated a moment more, discomfited at this turn of events, then pivoted sharply and marched the guard back.
Orin hefted his trident and slipped alone through the force field, heading for the deep rifts where Death's Shadow waited.
He had traveled for about twenty minutes when he finally sensed it. Without turning, he said, "You've gotten much better at shielding yourself. I couldn't even tell you were there."
Buruzh emerged from an outcropping of rock, his expression torn between amusement and grimness, holding a trident of his own. "Did you really think I was going to let you face this alone?"
Arthur reached out and clasped Buruzh's arms. "No, my brother. I didn't." After a moment he broke away and the two of them swam further into the depths.
"The Guard hasn't been able to find him yet," Buruzh pointed out as they descended into the blackness of the chasms on the edge of the mesa kelp farms.
"I have a few advantages the Guard doesn't. Even besides having you at my right hand." Arthur concentrated, one hand to his forehead. For a moment, there was no response, but then a softly undulating movement caught their eyes.
An large octopus the color of coral with a bright yellow eye peeked out from a hole in the rocks, its boneless body shifting in the current. Orin concentrated again, and the octopus shrank back into the hole entirely, as if startled. Then it peered out again cautiously and lifted two tentacles to point.
Arthur bowed politely to the octopus, which quailed further back into its hole, trembling.
They went the direction the creature had pointed, Arthur sometimes stopping to take his bearings and continue on. "His directions were actually very detailed," he explained as they wove through a maze of rocks. "Octopi are surprisingly good at spatial relations."
They moved deeper and deeper into the darkness, unaware of the drifting form shadowing their movements from a safe distance.
: : :
They had been expecting an attack, but when it came it was still a shock: out of nowhere, the compact, bulky body of a great white shark plunged down at them, jaws clashing hungrily. Buruzh caught the edge of a massive tail and was knocked against a rock, his vision blurring. The shark veered away for another pass and Arthur was there at Buruzh's side. "So much for negotiation," Buruzh noted, trying to keep his alarm and fear under control so they wouldn't swamp his friend.
The prince's face was grim as he braced his trident. "We always knew it would come to this," he gritted.
Death's Shadow came at them again, teeth slashing, the water around them churning in a frenzy. Buruzh's trident caught it a glancing blow on the dorsal fin and it convulsed, snapping at its tormentor's arm.
Ribbons of blood in the water, curling lazily. The shark went mad at the scent, lunging at Buruzh again. He struggled to keep out of the way, hearing Arthur calling his name in a panic, the water shifting to red around them. He couldn't tell how badly he was hurt, how much of it was his blood and how much was Arthur's.
The scene cleared briefly and resolved into Arthur standing between Buruzh and Death's Shadow, brandishing the trident. Red mist drifted from small cuts along his side and a deep gash in his shoulder. The shark wheeled and came at them again, building up speed. The wound on its fin hampered its movement, but the advantage was all its right now. Buruzh knew a sudden moment of deep despair: he was going to die here and never see the sky again, never see Gotham again, he was going to die with his oath forsaken, his heart and soul betrayed.
In that instant, his prince and brother turned to look at him, compassion overcoming everything else.
Death's Shadow lunged.
And from the rocks nearby the coral-colored octopus squirted to wrap its tentacles around the great white's jaws and hold them closed. The shark lashed and struggled, slamming its body against the rocks, but the octopus remained focused on keeping that terrible maw closed and useless. Arthur sprang forward, Buruzh at his side, dodging the flailing tail to drive two tridents home.
The shark's death spasms slammed the prince into a rocky outcropping; he floated, dazed, blood floating around him in streamers from the deep tear in his shoulder. Buruzh knelt near him, calling. "Arthur. It's over, Arthur. You did it."
"We did it," muttered the prince. He reached out to grasp Buruzh by the arm, eyes sharp with concern. "Buruzh--Buruzh--"
"Yes, my Lord?" He had to get Arthur back to the healers.
"--The octopus, is it all right?"
Buruzh felt torn between laughter and affection at the worry in those aquamarine eyes. "The octopus is fine, Arthur. Maybe bruised a little. It's right here."
"Don't...don't leave it behind..." Arthur's voice was weak, his eyes drifting closed. Buruzh lifted him gently into his arms. Behind him, the octopus swam up, towing the body of the shark behind it. It looked at Buruzh, its beak gaping in an unmistakable cephalopod grin.
"Come along, then," Buruzh said wryly, and began to swim back toward Poseidonis cradling his friend, the octopus following in his wake with their trophy.
As the lights of the city came into view, the dome drawing near, Arthur suddenly stirred. "Buruzh, wait." When Buruzh paused and looked at him inquiringly, Arthur said, "I swear to you...I swear it on my mother's grave, Buruzh...that someday you'll return to the world above. When I'm king...when things are different...I'll find a way."
"Arthur, I can't--"
Arthur shook his head and winced; gold hair floated in the water. "Buruzh. If it were a person to come between us, I'd fight that to my last breath. But to fight your destiny would be like fighting the tide." He reached up and touched Buruzh's face. "I swear that I won't let you...die forsworn."
Words wouldn't come; Buruzh kissed his brother gently on the forehead and let his shields down so Arthur could share his emotions fully.
The octopus waited politely until they began the journey again.
: : :
The day Prince Orin and his friend returned with Death's Shadow defeated, both of them bleeding profusely and covered with bruises, was the day things started to change in Atlantis. Not immediately, and never completely, but from that day people were less likely to refer to the prince as cursed, less likely to doubt his judgment, less likely to murmur rebelliously.
It was a beginning.
: : :
Buruzh nearly had to pull Superman from the laboratories. "Sorry," said Kal unrepentantly, hands waving with enthusiasm as they headed down a winding corridor, "I'd never seen magic and science being used together quite like that. It was amazing!" A thick curtain of beads arranged in the form of Buruzh's seal hung before a door, the curving wave forever suspended in the air. "Are these your private quarters?" Kal asked without thinking.
"That's not part of the official tour," Buruzh signed with a faint smile that made Kal's pulse leap.
"Official? How do I get the unofficial tour?"
"Don't push it, Kal," Buruzh said as he moved through the curtain and entered the room. Superman followed, smiling helplessly.
The room was spare and utilitarian, with a neatly organized desk in the middle, colored sheets of the weighted plastic-like substance the Atlanteans used in place of paper organized into piles. Buruzh picked up a few and shuffled through them as Superman looked around. The room gave away little of its owner's personality until Kal caught sight of a plaque made of mother-of-pearl, nacreous and iridescent. There seemed to be bas relief carvings on it, but Kal couldn't make them out. The dark grayish purple shimmered in the low lights as Kal drew closer, until he realized that engraved into the plaque was the skyline of a city, painstakingly recreated from memory.
Superman recognized the skyline, and he felt his heart turn over. He reached out and touched the shining surface. Then he let his fingers gently spell out the name he had been holding close all day: "Bruce."
Behind him the silence went tense. Superman turned to see the ambassador staring at him, at the Gotham skyline with his hand resting on it, signing his old name. Kal reached into a pocket in his cape. "I brought this for you," he said as he handed it over.
Buruzh held the thin, folded sheet of plastic in his hands for a long time, staring at the meticulous looping handwriting on the front: "Master Bruce Wayne." He opened it slowly and started to read. Almost immediately, he bit his lip, his face rigid with a struggle against great emotion. Superman knew he should give the man his privacy, and yet he couldn't look away from the face, as beautiful as a stormy sea.
Buruzh reached the end of the letter and paused for a moment, reaching up reflexively to wipe his eyes. He smiled weakly at Superman. "No tears in Atlantis," he said.
A motion in the door; Superman turned to see King Orin enter the room, his eyes fixed on Buruzh. The king glared, his mouth a tight line, and Clark heard Buruzh's mental reply to whatever Orin said: "My Lord--!"
The King of Atlantis cut off anything else Buruzh might have said with an imperious slice of his hand, his head tilting, eyes narrowing.
"Arthur--!" Buruzh's mental voice was anguished. Orin looked at him for a long time, his face implacable. He didn't seem to be speaking any more. He moved forward and rested his hands lightly on Buruzh's shoulders for a moment. Then he pulled away and turned to go. The look he shot Superman as he left the room was unguardedly hostile.
Kal discovered to his surprise that he liked King Orin more for that.
Buruzh covered his face for a moment as the curtain swung shut behind Orin. "Thank you, my brother," Clark heard him whisper. Then he focused on Superman once more. "I have...apparently been dismissed from my service here in Atlantis," he said a bit shakily.
"I'm sorry--" Superman started; Buruzh shook his head but Superman continued, "I've caused him to be angry at you."
Buruzh's smile was wry. "He's not angry at me. Not at all. You he's not so fond of at the moment, but it's nothing personal. You're just...the bearer of inevitable tidings." Buruzh waved the letter with his free hand. "So. You've met Alfred?"
Superman bit his lip and refrained from apologizing again. "Yes."
"Then you know that when he summons me, I must go."
Superman couldn't help smiling a little. "He is a...formidable man." He paused, remembering the empty house, the man in it. "He misses you very much. When I told him you were alive, he--he seemed very pleased." Sign language didn't seem able to get across exactly how Alfred Pennyworth had reacted on being told; Clark wasn't sure any language could express the combination of restraint and joy he had witnessed.
Buruzh's smile was tender and wistful. "I've missed him as well. Would you tell him--it will take me a few days to wrap up some business here, to pack and prepare. Would you tell him I'll...be home soon?"
"I will. You know...when you're ready, I can take you there. If you like."
Buruzh smiled slightly. "It might be nice not to go home alone. Yes. I'd like that."
The ambassador's words warmed Clark the whole long, dark swim back to the surface.
Four days until he would be taking Bruce Wayne home to Gotham.
Characters/Pairings: Superman, Bruce Wayne, Arthur Curry (King Orin, Aquaman).
Rating: PG-13 for violence
Summary: Superman's world is turned upside-down when he meets a mysterious ambassador from Atlantis.
Word count: 3400
Continuity: DC doesn't seem to worry about keeping Atlantis consistent, so this Atlantis (and Arthur) are almost entirely my cobbled-together creation.
Notes: Written for the World's Finest Gift Exchange, Prompt F07: An AU in which young Bruce Wayne's ship sinks during his travels and he becomes Prince Arthur's tutor and foster-brother. The full mini-series can be found here.
Poseidonis, the capital of Atlantis, gleamed and glimmered deep beneath the ocean. Superman paused a fair distance from it, watching its lights waver dimly through the water. Then he began to swim slowly toward it.
He came up short at the distance Buruzh had indicated, feeling the force field that encased the city like a dome prickling in front of him. Through the dim ocean he saw Buruzh and a contingent of trident-wielding guards approaching. The guards looked extremely suspicious. But when Buruzh caught sight of Superman, his face lit up in a smile that made Kal feel just a bit dizzy.
As beautiful as the sea and as deep.
One of the guards pressed a button on his trident and the tingling sensation of the force field lessened; Superman swam through it to join Buruzh on the other side. "Thank you for allowing me to visit," he signed.
"It is our honor," Buruzh signed back, as the guards glowered. Buruzh frowned and responded to something Superman couldn't hear, in a "voice" that buzzed faintly in the bones of Kal's head. "Don't be completely foolish, Khelin," said the ambassador. "Please remember he could boil the water around you in an instant."
Superman kept his face impassive; no one but he and Diana knew that he could overhear Buruzh's telepathic comments to the Atlanteans around him, and they had agreed it was best if he kept silent about that for a time. Buruzh turned back to him and smiled slightly, his hands moving as gracefully as waves dancing. "I shall take you to meet King Orin, if you will follow me."
The towers of Atlantis were slender and arching, the brightness of the coral and shell clear even in the dimness. They entered a massive audience chamber, a throne carved from what appeared to be a single enormous pearl at one end. Ranks of guards flanked a scarlet-paved path to the throne; Superman floated between them and up to the throne. As they drew closer, Buruzh moved away from him and took his place to the right of the man on the throne, who was currently leaning forward to get a closer look at the Kryptonian.
King Orin's long golden hair floated about his shoulders and his keen aquamarine eyes looked at Kal with curiosity and intelligence. He was wearing some kind of light scaled armor which glittered gold in the pale lights of the hall. There was a slight movement behind the throne and Kal realized a large octopus was curled up there, peeking out from behind, the horizontal slit of its eye appraising.
The king made an imperious gesture and the guards turned and filed out, leaving the three of them alone. Superman bowed deeply before the king. "Thank you for your invitation, King Orin. It is an honor indeed to be invited here to mighty Atlantis of legend," he signed.
Buruzh translated Kal's sign language into telepathic speech: "He thanks you for your hospitality, my liege, and says it is an honor to be invited to Atlantis."
Orin's face was grave, but the corner of his mouth quirked very slightly as his eyebrows raised; he was clearly saying something but Superman couldn't hear it. "The King of Atlantis says the honor is his, that the land dwellers would send their greatest champion for this visit. Word of the land-dwellers' Man of Steel has reached us even here in far Atlantis," Buruzh explained in hand-speech.
Superman started to give his formal greetings on behalf of the various rulers of the land. Partway through, to his surprise, Buruzh suddenly said in mental speech, "No, my liege, I really hadn't noticed." Kal's gestures almost faltered until he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be able to overhear the ambassador's speech; clearly the king had said something and Buruzh was responding, unaware that Kal could hear him. He forged ahead with his speech and Buruzh "spoke" again, his mental voice overlaid with something like a laugh: "I was there to discuss the Sub Diego crisis, Arthur; it never crossed my mind."
A moment passed and the undercurrent became an open mental laugh, rich and affectionate, even as Buruzh's face remained entirely officious and serious. "All right, my liege, I will grant you there is a certain...appeal. Maybe just a little."
Kal struggled to focus on his hand gestures, grateful that the sea water was keeping his cheeks cool, as it was beginning to dawn on him that this was most certainly not a conversation he was supposed to be privy to. King Orin's head tilted almost imperceptibly and Buruzh's mental voice went very soft. "A tie, Arthur. Allow me to claim it's a tie for most beautiful man I've ever seen."
Fortunately Kal was at the end of his speech by then and could hand over the translation to Buruzh and stand there, fighting to keep his composure, torn between sudden lust and deep embarrassment. He made his way through the rest of the interview in a confused daze, stumbling over his answers; more than once he realized Buruzh was fixing his statements in translation so they made a little more sense.
Eventually King Orin rose from his throne and nodded regally; the interview was clearly at an end. "King Orin thanks you again and requests that I give you a full tour of Atlantis," Buruzh explained.
Kal signed his thanks. As the king made his way to the door, Buruzh spoke to him one last time in mental speech. "Arthur, I am not going to show him that. Stop teasing, you're making this completely impossible for me." For the first time his telepathic voice sounded just a touch annoyed, but none of that showed on his face as he turned to his guest. "Shall I show you the wonders of Atlantis?" he signed.
"I would be honored," Kal signed back. As Buruzh turned to escort him from the room, he couldn't resist adding in a flicker of motion, "But I suspect I've already seen the greatest wonder."
Buruzh didn't falter as they swam from the room, and Kal was left to wonder if he'd seen the words at all.
: : :
Nine years ago
Prince Orin pored over the report, sensing Buruzh's presence behind him, reading over his shoulder. The news was grim indeed: a great white shark gone rogue. Usually the great whites avoided Atlantis, but this one--the Atlantean symbols for its name meant "Death's Shadow"--had developed a taste for blood and was preying off the kelp farmers who worked outside the protective dome. He was wily and elusive, striking when guards weren't around, hiding in the deep rifts nearby. Atlantean lives were being lost and people were starting to discuss the ill omen of these attacks.
The report was filed by Khelin, now a member of the King's Guard. Beneath the official language the implied message was clear: Death's Shadow was a manifestation of the prince's curse and a sign of what they would all suffer under his rule as king. Arthur could feel the undercurrent of icy anger from the man behind him; he supposed he should have found it something other than reassuring and comforting.
Arthur rubbed his forehead and let the report float to the desk. "I'll have to do something about that."
"About the shark or about Khelin's mutinous behavior?"
"Both, preferably."
Buruzh's hands rested on his shoulders lightly. "Your telepathy with the creatures of the sea is more advanced than anyone's. Go out there, talk to Death's Shadow, see if you can convince it to leave Atlantis."
Arthur tapped the report wearily. "Predators. They sense weakness and they attack, over and over again. Kindness and mercy are alien concepts to them."
The hands on his shoulders tightened. "Try reason first. If reason doesn't work...then you merely will have to prove beyond any doubt that you're stronger than they are, that you can defeat them."
His thoughts were warm and reassuring, with a steely thread to them. "Predators, Arthur. Don't let them scent your blood in the currents."
: : :
At the edge of the dome, Orin turned to dismiss the guard.
"My prince," said Khelin, clearly confused, "You can't go alone to fight Death's Shadow."
Orin tilted his head to glare down at Khelin coldly. "This is my nemesis and my shadow, Khelin. I must fight it alone. If it defeats me...so much the better for Atlantis, is it not?"
Khelin hesitated a moment more, discomfited at this turn of events, then pivoted sharply and marched the guard back.
Orin hefted his trident and slipped alone through the force field, heading for the deep rifts where Death's Shadow waited.
He had traveled for about twenty minutes when he finally sensed it. Without turning, he said, "You've gotten much better at shielding yourself. I couldn't even tell you were there."
Buruzh emerged from an outcropping of rock, his expression torn between amusement and grimness, holding a trident of his own. "Did you really think I was going to let you face this alone?"
Arthur reached out and clasped Buruzh's arms. "No, my brother. I didn't." After a moment he broke away and the two of them swam further into the depths.
"The Guard hasn't been able to find him yet," Buruzh pointed out as they descended into the blackness of the chasms on the edge of the mesa kelp farms.
"I have a few advantages the Guard doesn't. Even besides having you at my right hand." Arthur concentrated, one hand to his forehead. For a moment, there was no response, but then a softly undulating movement caught their eyes.
An large octopus the color of coral with a bright yellow eye peeked out from a hole in the rocks, its boneless body shifting in the current. Orin concentrated again, and the octopus shrank back into the hole entirely, as if startled. Then it peered out again cautiously and lifted two tentacles to point.
Arthur bowed politely to the octopus, which quailed further back into its hole, trembling.
They went the direction the creature had pointed, Arthur sometimes stopping to take his bearings and continue on. "His directions were actually very detailed," he explained as they wove through a maze of rocks. "Octopi are surprisingly good at spatial relations."
They moved deeper and deeper into the darkness, unaware of the drifting form shadowing their movements from a safe distance.
: : :
They had been expecting an attack, but when it came it was still a shock: out of nowhere, the compact, bulky body of a great white shark plunged down at them, jaws clashing hungrily. Buruzh caught the edge of a massive tail and was knocked against a rock, his vision blurring. The shark veered away for another pass and Arthur was there at Buruzh's side. "So much for negotiation," Buruzh noted, trying to keep his alarm and fear under control so they wouldn't swamp his friend.
The prince's face was grim as he braced his trident. "We always knew it would come to this," he gritted.
Death's Shadow came at them again, teeth slashing, the water around them churning in a frenzy. Buruzh's trident caught it a glancing blow on the dorsal fin and it convulsed, snapping at its tormentor's arm.
Ribbons of blood in the water, curling lazily. The shark went mad at the scent, lunging at Buruzh again. He struggled to keep out of the way, hearing Arthur calling his name in a panic, the water shifting to red around them. He couldn't tell how badly he was hurt, how much of it was his blood and how much was Arthur's.
The scene cleared briefly and resolved into Arthur standing between Buruzh and Death's Shadow, brandishing the trident. Red mist drifted from small cuts along his side and a deep gash in his shoulder. The shark wheeled and came at them again, building up speed. The wound on its fin hampered its movement, but the advantage was all its right now. Buruzh knew a sudden moment of deep despair: he was going to die here and never see the sky again, never see Gotham again, he was going to die with his oath forsaken, his heart and soul betrayed.
In that instant, his prince and brother turned to look at him, compassion overcoming everything else.
Death's Shadow lunged.
And from the rocks nearby the coral-colored octopus squirted to wrap its tentacles around the great white's jaws and hold them closed. The shark lashed and struggled, slamming its body against the rocks, but the octopus remained focused on keeping that terrible maw closed and useless. Arthur sprang forward, Buruzh at his side, dodging the flailing tail to drive two tridents home.
The shark's death spasms slammed the prince into a rocky outcropping; he floated, dazed, blood floating around him in streamers from the deep tear in his shoulder. Buruzh knelt near him, calling. "Arthur. It's over, Arthur. You did it."
"We did it," muttered the prince. He reached out to grasp Buruzh by the arm, eyes sharp with concern. "Buruzh--Buruzh--"
"Yes, my Lord?" He had to get Arthur back to the healers.
"--The octopus, is it all right?"
Buruzh felt torn between laughter and affection at the worry in those aquamarine eyes. "The octopus is fine, Arthur. Maybe bruised a little. It's right here."
"Don't...don't leave it behind..." Arthur's voice was weak, his eyes drifting closed. Buruzh lifted him gently into his arms. Behind him, the octopus swam up, towing the body of the shark behind it. It looked at Buruzh, its beak gaping in an unmistakable cephalopod grin.
"Come along, then," Buruzh said wryly, and began to swim back toward Poseidonis cradling his friend, the octopus following in his wake with their trophy.
As the lights of the city came into view, the dome drawing near, Arthur suddenly stirred. "Buruzh, wait." When Buruzh paused and looked at him inquiringly, Arthur said, "I swear to you...I swear it on my mother's grave, Buruzh...that someday you'll return to the world above. When I'm king...when things are different...I'll find a way."
"Arthur, I can't--"
Arthur shook his head and winced; gold hair floated in the water. "Buruzh. If it were a person to come between us, I'd fight that to my last breath. But to fight your destiny would be like fighting the tide." He reached up and touched Buruzh's face. "I swear that I won't let you...die forsworn."
Words wouldn't come; Buruzh kissed his brother gently on the forehead and let his shields down so Arthur could share his emotions fully.
The octopus waited politely until they began the journey again.
: : :
The day Prince Orin and his friend returned with Death's Shadow defeated, both of them bleeding profusely and covered with bruises, was the day things started to change in Atlantis. Not immediately, and never completely, but from that day people were less likely to refer to the prince as cursed, less likely to doubt his judgment, less likely to murmur rebelliously.
It was a beginning.
: : :
Buruzh nearly had to pull Superman from the laboratories. "Sorry," said Kal unrepentantly, hands waving with enthusiasm as they headed down a winding corridor, "I'd never seen magic and science being used together quite like that. It was amazing!" A thick curtain of beads arranged in the form of Buruzh's seal hung before a door, the curving wave forever suspended in the air. "Are these your private quarters?" Kal asked without thinking.
"That's not part of the official tour," Buruzh signed with a faint smile that made Kal's pulse leap.
"Official? How do I get the unofficial tour?"
"Don't push it, Kal," Buruzh said as he moved through the curtain and entered the room. Superman followed, smiling helplessly.
The room was spare and utilitarian, with a neatly organized desk in the middle, colored sheets of the weighted plastic-like substance the Atlanteans used in place of paper organized into piles. Buruzh picked up a few and shuffled through them as Superman looked around. The room gave away little of its owner's personality until Kal caught sight of a plaque made of mother-of-pearl, nacreous and iridescent. There seemed to be bas relief carvings on it, but Kal couldn't make them out. The dark grayish purple shimmered in the low lights as Kal drew closer, until he realized that engraved into the plaque was the skyline of a city, painstakingly recreated from memory.
Superman recognized the skyline, and he felt his heart turn over. He reached out and touched the shining surface. Then he let his fingers gently spell out the name he had been holding close all day: "Bruce."
Behind him the silence went tense. Superman turned to see the ambassador staring at him, at the Gotham skyline with his hand resting on it, signing his old name. Kal reached into a pocket in his cape. "I brought this for you," he said as he handed it over.
Buruzh held the thin, folded sheet of plastic in his hands for a long time, staring at the meticulous looping handwriting on the front: "Master Bruce Wayne." He opened it slowly and started to read. Almost immediately, he bit his lip, his face rigid with a struggle against great emotion. Superman knew he should give the man his privacy, and yet he couldn't look away from the face, as beautiful as a stormy sea.
Buruzh reached the end of the letter and paused for a moment, reaching up reflexively to wipe his eyes. He smiled weakly at Superman. "No tears in Atlantis," he said.
A motion in the door; Superman turned to see King Orin enter the room, his eyes fixed on Buruzh. The king glared, his mouth a tight line, and Clark heard Buruzh's mental reply to whatever Orin said: "My Lord--!"
The King of Atlantis cut off anything else Buruzh might have said with an imperious slice of his hand, his head tilting, eyes narrowing.
"Arthur--!" Buruzh's mental voice was anguished. Orin looked at him for a long time, his face implacable. He didn't seem to be speaking any more. He moved forward and rested his hands lightly on Buruzh's shoulders for a moment. Then he pulled away and turned to go. The look he shot Superman as he left the room was unguardedly hostile.
Kal discovered to his surprise that he liked King Orin more for that.
Buruzh covered his face for a moment as the curtain swung shut behind Orin. "Thank you, my brother," Clark heard him whisper. Then he focused on Superman once more. "I have...apparently been dismissed from my service here in Atlantis," he said a bit shakily.
"I'm sorry--" Superman started; Buruzh shook his head but Superman continued, "I've caused him to be angry at you."
Buruzh's smile was wry. "He's not angry at me. Not at all. You he's not so fond of at the moment, but it's nothing personal. You're just...the bearer of inevitable tidings." Buruzh waved the letter with his free hand. "So. You've met Alfred?"
Superman bit his lip and refrained from apologizing again. "Yes."
"Then you know that when he summons me, I must go."
Superman couldn't help smiling a little. "He is a...formidable man." He paused, remembering the empty house, the man in it. "He misses you very much. When I told him you were alive, he--he seemed very pleased." Sign language didn't seem able to get across exactly how Alfred Pennyworth had reacted on being told; Clark wasn't sure any language could express the combination of restraint and joy he had witnessed.
Buruzh's smile was tender and wistful. "I've missed him as well. Would you tell him--it will take me a few days to wrap up some business here, to pack and prepare. Would you tell him I'll...be home soon?"
"I will. You know...when you're ready, I can take you there. If you like."
Buruzh smiled slightly. "It might be nice not to go home alone. Yes. I'd like that."
The ambassador's words warmed Clark the whole long, dark swim back to the surface.
Four days until he would be taking Bruce Wayne home to Gotham.