Ben Archer and the World Beyond
Praise for the
Award Winning
THE ALIEN SKILL SERIES
Reviews:
“I’m spellbound...best in series to date.”
“Loved the ending, it was so amazing and powerful!”
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“The worst thing about the book is that it ended.”
BOOKS BY RAE KNIGHTLY
Free Prequel
The Great War of the Kins
www.raeknightly.com
THE ALIEN SKILL SERIES
Book 1
Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall
www.amazon.com/dp/B079QWKFNL
Book 2
Ben Archer and the Alien Skill
www.amazon.com/dp/B07FS4TK3K
Book 3
Ben Archer and the Moon Paradox
www.amazon.com/dp/B07KRN9Y5P
Book 4
Ben Archer and the World Beyond
www.amazon.com/dp/B0843RVPFT
Book 5
Ben Archer and the Star Rider
www.amazon.com/dp/B086RK31LT
BEN
ARCHER
and
THE WORLD BEYOND
The Realm of the Sea
Rae Knightly
BEN ARCHER AND THE WORLD BEYOND
THE ALIEN SKILL SERIES, BOOK 4
Copyright © 2020 by Rae Knightly.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information, go to:
www.raeknightly.com
Cover design by PINTADO
Book Formatting by Derek Murphy @Creativindie
Published by PoCo Publishers
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-989605-05-9
First Edition: April 2020
For our oceans.
C O N T E N T S
CHAPTER 1 Motu Oné
CHAPTER 2 Dark King
CHAPTER 3 The World Beyond
CHAPTER 4 Camping
CHAPTER 5 Trespassing
CHAPTER 6 Tofino
CHAPTER 7 Broken Balance
CHAPTER 8 The Orca and the Moon
CHAPTER 9 Beaching
CHAPTER 10 Ticking Time
CHAPTER 11 Cornered
CHAPTER 12 Negotiation
CHAPTER 13 A call
CHAPTER 14 Tide
CHAPTER 15 Rift
CHAPTER 16 Staying out of Trouble
CHAPTER 17 The SOVA
CHAPTER 18 Precious Cargo
CHAPTER 19 The Hold
CHAPTER 20 A Risky Plunge
CHAPTER 21 The Pillars of the Sea
CHAPTER 22 The Gathering
CHAPTER 23 The Message
CHAPTER 24 Believing
CHAPTER 25 Taking a Stand
CHAPTER 26 High Stakes
CHAPTER 27 Unidentified Flying Object
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER 1 Motu Oné
Ben Archer pressed his forehead against the window of the spaceship. The crystalline waters of French Polynesia stretched out before him. An uninhabited island curved out of the sea to his right, displaying its sugar-coated beaches, lush bushes and coconut palms.
The alien who sat at the controls by Ben’s side brought the spacecraft to a gentle stop, letting it hover above the water without making a sound.
The size of a fighter jet with two sets of wings and just enough room to fit eight people in its hull, the black craft escaped radar detection with ease. Nevertheless, the thirteen-year-old squinted as he scanned the sparkling horizon, confirming that no humans sailed in the vicinity. Cumbersome reports of UFO sightings could complicate their mission and were best avoided at this point.
Ben puffed his cheeks, the hot cabin making him sweaty under his diving suit.
Guess the Toreq forgot to install air conditioning…
“Mesmo, are we going or what?” he said, backing away from the spacious window and throwing an annoyed look at the humanoid. “Gotta save the world, remember?”
The coral reefs off Motu Oné, one of a string of islands in the remote South Pacific Ocean, had been on Ben’s mind for weeks. Yet, now that he was here, at last, Ben had to admit he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. Ever since he’d said goodbye to his mother that Sunday morning, a dark cloud had followed him from his pillow to this idyllic place. Mulling over why that could be, he picked up one of his fins and fought to pull the sticky rubber over his foot.
Mesmo didn’t answer – too absorbed with his task as he shifted through holographic screens that floated before his face. The shadow of intricate symbols scrolled down the man’s high cheekbones and honey-coloured eyes.
Irritated that the alien didn’t answer, Ben sighed and crossed the hollow interior of the vessel to activate a switch. It released a metallic door that slid open, letting in a hot breeze that smelled of summer at the beach. He plopped down at the edge of the opening, swung his bare feet outside and dipped his toes into the transparent sea, admiring the pure white sand that lay ten feet below the surface. He reached for one of his fins and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to pull it over his foot.
“Give me a moment,” Mesmo said in a delayed response to Ben’s question.
Ben knew he was reviewing the data given to him by one of the Wise Ones, who had last studied the area five years ago. “Jeez! You’ve gone over that ten times already,” he said, grimacing as he struggled to put on the second fin. “Let’s get our message out, Mesmo.”
“You’re right,” Mesmo said, tearing his eyes away from the screens and leaning back in the pilot seat. He clapped his hands together. “Let’s do this.”
Ben watched him from the corner of his eye, becoming seriously offended with the uncooperative fin. “Mom’s gonna need to dye your hair brown again,” he said, noting that the roots of Mesmo’s hair had turned white. Even though he looked like a normal man, the alien’s otherwise bleach-white hair and unusual height could stick in people’s minds.
“Yes, she told me.” The alien tossed his flip-flops aside and removed his Hawaiian t-shirt, revealing his tanned torso. “So, are we going or what?” he poked, before taking three big strides across the egg-shaped interior and executing a perfect dive.
“Show off,” Ben muttered, then whooped as his foot slipped into the stupid fin.
Mesmo resurfaced. He turned to face Ben and pointed behind him. “The coral reef’s that way. Or we could try our luck farther out. There’s a five thousand foot drop nearby – the entrance to the Pacific Ocean. Might be interesting…”
“No, thanks,” Ben cut in, slipping his mask over his head and eyes. “I’m not trained for the deep yet. And besides, it would take me hours to decompress.” He tapped his pressure gauge with his fingers.
“Come on, Benjamin, you don’t need that old diving stuff. You know I can take both of us underwater.” Mesmo’s hands began to glow as he called up his inner power. The alien’s fingers released a blue force that dented the surface of the sea until it reached Ben’s feet. A large bubble surged from the water before the boy.
Trying to hide his admiration, Ben strapped the air tank to his back. “Jeez’, Mesmo. We’ve been over this. You know I have to do this on my own. It’s not like you’re going to be around every time I need your water skill. And this old diving stuff – as you say – is the best my backward li
ttle civilization has got for now, so deal with it.”
“Suit yourself.” Mesmo shrugged with a smile. His hands stopped glowing, and the bubble burst, splashing Ben.
“Ha-ha.” Ben grimaced, before shoving the snorkel in his mouth and placing his hands at the edge of the door. But his right hand slipped on the wet surface, sending him tumbling out of the spaceship. The side of his head hit the water, shoving liquid into his mask. He tore at it, sending stinging salt water up his nose in the process.
Spluttering and wiping at his face, Ben found Mesmo staring at him with one eyebrow raised. “Are you ok?”
Ben gagged at the sea-salt sliding down his throat. “Don’t… you dare… laugh.”
“I’m not,” Mesmo said innocently, the corner of his mouth curling. “You know me. I’m incapable of humour.”
“Yeah, right. But you sure learn fa...” Ben cut short because a familiar rushing sound filled his ears. He raised his hands, already expecting them to shine a clear blue. Ben closed his eyes and felt his own alien skill take over his human blood cells, the way it always did when an animal was nearby.
Trying to ignoring his burning nose, Ben searching left and right. For the first time, he noticed how silent the ocean was. Wouldn’t he be hearing a mingle of voices from sea creatures by now? He swam to the front of the spaceship and found the source that had activated his translation skill. A shiny black animal flopped around the surface. He reached out to it with his mind.
Hello? Are you in trouble?
Silence.
As he waded towards the creature through shallower water, Ben had to form a mental block to fend off fear that emanated from it.
Sh, it’s ok. I’m here to help.
The animal twitched, and suddenly Ben recognized it.
A manta ray!
No bigger than a dinner plate, one of its triangular wings twisted in an awkward manner, deforming its sleek body. Leaning in closer, Ben understood the problem. The remains of a fishing net made from thin, nylon strings was wrapped around the young manta ray’s body, pinning one of its wings over its back and hindering its movements.
Mesmo joined him, and they both set to work removing the entangled mesh. When they released the pectoral fin, the manta ray slid away in a hurry.
Ben and Mesmo exchanged a glance.
“It wouldn’t even let me talk to it,” Ben said, disappointed.
The alien placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It’s ok. We’ll have better luck at the coral reef. They will listen to you there.”
Ben tightened his grip on the nylon strings. “I hope so,” he said. “Our lives depend on it.”
CHAPTER 2 Dark King
After the manta ray incident, Ben and Mesmo dove under the sea and swam towards the area identified by one of the Wise Ones as a reef that teemed with life.
Ben was admiring the crystalline water and white sand beneath him when he noticed Mesmo waving him over to the edge of a rocky ledge located a few feet away.
Ben kicked with his fins, wondering what his friend had found. He stopped and grabbed on to Mesmo’s arm in shock.
They stood at the edge of a mind-boggling precipice. The ocean wall dropped at their feet with no end in sight.
The boundary to the Pacific Ocean!
Ben’s heart raced with a mixture of awe and excitement. He had only experienced this overwhelming feeling of being a speck of dust once before, and that had been in the depth of space. He glanced wide-eyed at Mesmo, who nudged his head to indicate they should head the other way.
Relieved, Ben followed the man away from the abyss and focused his attention on the outskirts of the atoll, where Mesmo had said the coral lay.
They found nothing.
Mesmo turned to Ben, his face slightly distorted by the air bubble that surrounded his head. He looked like a weird cosmonaut who had forgotten to put on his spacesuit over his floral swim trunks.
Bewildered, Ben pointed at the seafloor.
Where’s the coral?
Mesmo understood his unspoken question and shook his head; I don’t know.
They both frowned, then headed in different directions in search of the missing reef.
Ben swam over some broken pieces of shells and found a dead fish resting on top of the sand, but that was it. His stomach twisted with worry. Could the Wise One have miscalculated the coordinates?
Highly unlikely!
Besides, Mesmo had gone over the information in minute detail, to the point of irritating Ben.
He tuned in to his skill, listening for any signs of life. Finding none, he wanted to report to Mesmo but his friend was inspecting the sea bed some way off – too far to catch his attention. Reflecting on his dwindling options, yet reluctant to head back to the spaceship empty-handed, Ben’s thoughts cut short when something moved out of the corner of his eye. He jerked around.
A few feet away, seaweed swayed above a lonely rock.
Chuckling nervously into his scuba snorkel, Ben gave himself a quick shake of the head, scolding himself for acting so jumpy.
S-s-s-s…
Ben froze.
Who’s there? Show yourself!
His hands began to glow. Something lurked out there, alright. Breath quickening, he stared at the rock. Maybe the manta ray was stuck again?
Vowing not to succumb to fear, he kicked hard with his legs, hoping to reach the rock before the silent creature could take off on him.
Wait! I have to talk to you.
He stretched out his arm towards the hard surface of the rock, grabbed on to it and pushed himself around it.
Nothing.
He circled again, his hand brushing against the slimy seaweed, baffled at the absence of life. But then the seaweed floated down and clamped around his wrist.
S-s-s-s…
Ben’s head snapped up.
That’s not seaweed!
A tentacle curled up his arm, aided by a dozen reddish suckers.
“Mmm!” Ben yelled into his mouth-piece as a large octopus materialized through the algae.
A confusing mass of slimy arms coiled around his armpits and brushed across his face.
Before Ben could react, the creature clenched its grip and yanked him away from the rock, then headed to deeper waters, in the direction of the abyss.
Ben looked on in horror. “Help!” he shouted, the word coming out as a useless mumble.
The octopus slid effortlessly over the sand, headed for the edge, and plunged over the precipice.
Ben’s heart dropped like a stone with it.
Wait! Stop!
Speeding down the abyss, one sucker stuck to the side of his mask, Ben saw darkness becoming more oppressive, silence more crushing. He fought desperately with the octopus, but it only squeezed his arms more tightly.
Please! I came to help.
The octopus slowed, but not because of Ben’s plea.
S-s-s-s…
S-s-s-s…
Ben’s heart beat so loud he was sure it could be heard on the other end of the Pacific.
There’s two of them!
The bulbous body of a second beast appeared in his field of vision, eyeing its struggling dinner. A multitude of arms coiled before him, sliding over his legs and body. They pushed him so hard, he hit the rocky wall and saw stars.
They’re fighting… over me!
Ben couldn’t figure out which way was up or down. His hands scraped the hard surface of the rock.
STOP IT!
His brain burst with angry words. This had to stop!
The octopus’s movements slowed. They spoke to each other.
What is-s th-this-s?
It s-speaks-s.
Ben felt their sense of curious caution. He jumped on the occasion.
My name is Benjamin Archer. Why won’t you listen? I’m trying to speak to you!
He knew he was meant to say those introductory words, but his tone sounded harsh, fueled by a mixture of rage and panic that he couldn’t suppress.
> The fifteen-foot long creatures forgot about their scuffle. Their large, black eyes scanned him.
It wants-s to s-speak to us-s.
I’m taking it to my nes-st.
No! Its-s mine. I found it firs-st.
Tentacles reached for him again, gooey skin brushing his neck and arms. Ben’s head swayed. The alien skill threatened to draw him into the beasts’ minds because he could not control his fear.
The arms drew back slightly.
I don’t like its-s s-skin. It is-s not good for eating.
The other octopus agreed. A similar thought floated between the creatures. Ben caught a glimpse of it in his mind and shuddered.
Lets-s give it to the dark king.
Yes-s. A peac-ce offering.
To calm his-s hunger.
Yes-s. The dark king eats-s anyth-thing.
Even bad meats-s…
Ben’s mind burst with anger and dread.
THAT’S ENOUGH!
He lashed the words at the octopus, who eyed him warily.
It became harder for Ben to think. How long had he been underwater? His air tank only allowed him an hour of swimming.
Listen to me. I came to give you a message.
The first octopus wasn’t impressed.
Th-the dark king will dec-cide.
I’m not here for your dark king. I’m here to tell you something, and to find out what happened to the coral…
He stopped mid-sentence because both eight-armed mollusks moved aside briskly and clung to the abyss wall like spiders without letting him go. Ben’s blood chilled as he heard them say:
He is-s already here.
Their rubbery bodies gave way to the ocean darkness. Ben blinked franticly, trying to make out the powerful beast that had entered into the outer vision of his mind. Whatever was out there caused his captors to show fear and reverence.
And then he saw it. The shadow of a great white shark streaked before him in the gloomy ocean.