The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (boyxboy)

CHAPTER 10

The Merry | Present Day

Thinking about all that Paver has probably done to it, Az is certain the siren won't hurt him, either by its own will or because it will be incapacitated enough to do so. This, somehow, is of little comfort.

And why should Az be the one afraid anyway, now that it's locked up and bound? Underwater, in its own element, of course it would be fearsome and strong. But this is Az's territory now. A siren is likely incapable of moving very far or fast on solid ground. Cut off from its environment, he guesses its magic likely isn't quite as potent either.

He makes his way across the breezy deck to the stairs and down below without a plan. His palms sweat and his stomach gurgles dangerously. It hasn't reacted to anyone else, so what makes Slade think it will respond to him? What if it does? His small frame and soft face is far from the imposing figure that Paver cuts, what if it decides he's prey enough to try its luck?

When he reaches the door at the end of the corridor, he pauses. For one stupid moment, he debates knocking. It's a captive animal, but somehow he thinks just barging in and spooking it would be...rude.

Tentative, he raps twice on the wood and pushes into the room.

There's a dull shimmer of gold as the siren moves, lunges.

He slams the door shut and, in his panic, realises he has closed himself inside the room and not outside. Then he notices that his head is still attached to his body, and the siren hasn't moved at all. There's a small window in the corridor, through which light must have caught on the siren's many scales.

He blushes.

The room is long and narrow, stacked high with boxes that fill most of the space along with a few barrels tied together in the corner. A single, tiny window near the ceiling lets a little light in: not much, just enough to see by.

When he looks at the siren, he's not sure what to think. Half-human, half-fish. That's what people said. He looks at the creature and recognises why they would describe it like that. Az can't help but feel there's a little more to it.

It sits against the far wall, golden tail — nearly as long as Az is tall — stretched out in front of it. The colours, like orange or yellow or maybe gold itself, seem to shift and move as his eyes do. Pale, yellowy flukes at the end of the tail curl delicately, gossamer in translucence but thick all the same. Frills line either side of it from the fins at the bottom all the way to its waist where the scales fade to what looks like skin, and the animal becomes human. It's hard to tell in this lighting, but it could be tanned, or maybe golden in complexion too. This human-seeming half has the bodily appearance of a fit young male.

Az glances at its arms raised above its head by thick metal cuffs snapped tight around its wrists. The chain wraps around a crude hook in the wall several times. He distinctly remembers it had claws two days ago, remembers the feeling of their sharp points on his skin. When he looks now, he sees only blunt stubby nails, much like his own. Someone must have cut or filed them. One less weapon at its disposal, Az supposes.

Finally, he dares to look at its face. Its uncannily human face. Long lashes fan out over high cheekbones. It can't be asleep, not with the racket Az made coming in. But it's breathing, bloodstained chest rising and falling in a careful rhythm. Is it...pretending to sleep? Hiding behind that wavy blonde hair that falls down past its shoulders?

The creature is beautiful, Az decides as he watches it breathe. Elegant even with dried blood caked down its chin and chest.

He swallows.

He feels...awkward. How does he start? What does he say? Will it even understand him? It spoke with human words, of course, but how much of that is just the mimicry Slade warned him about?