Siren Song

Chapter Nine

"I've already told you, I won't tell you the sirens' secrets."

"Oh, that's not what I want you to do."

Tyri blinked. "I think you'll find that that's exactly what you wanted me to do."

"Wanted," the King emphasised. "Before I was told what you can do."

"What I can do?"

"The harmonies, you dumbass," the siren in the corner called.

"Nobody asked you!" the King snapped back. "If you answered the questions we did ask you then you wouldn't be in the situation you are, would you?"

"Oh, fuck you, you old bastard. If you didn't spend so much time stuffing your face with whatever you could get your fat little hands on then maybe your wife wouldn't have left you."

The breath sucked in by every occupant of the room was audible. Tyri whistled through his teeth as the King's face began to flush crimson.

"Ooh. Burn."

Lionel looked at him, confused. "We're underwater. The fire would just be put out."

"You know what, I'm not even going to try to make sense to you anymore."

"You," the King said, through teeth so tightly gritted that Tyri was surprised they hadn't been ground into dust and floated away. "Are jolly lucky that I bother to feed you at all."

"Yeah, 'cos you've eaten all the food yourself already!"

"Shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you."

"You're good at shutting your mouth. Usually because there's food in it."

"Oh my god," Tyri called. "Shut up already, bro!"

The siren's brow furrowed. "Bro?"

"You're right, nobody should ever say that, even ironically." Tyri apologised. "I'm sorry. I meant to say, shut up already, you wanker. Though, they basically equate to the same thing."

Tyri felt the weight of six stares on him. In fact, make that seven-- the grunting merman, too, seemed to be watching him, just as confused as the rest of them.

"...never mind."

"Look, all I want you to do is teach us how to weave harmonies."

"Why? You don't have many, do you?"

The King looked incredibly affronted. "I do too! I have seven harmonies! That's more than him."

He pointed to the siren in the cell, who bit his thumb in reply. Tyri looked around, baffled, as more gasps rang out.

"Why's he sucking his thumb?"

Was it maybe that he was implying the King was a baby?

"It's a rude gesture," Lionel murmured to him, as the King practically inflated with rage, rising slightly through the water.

"Oh!" Tyri said, in a burst of understanding. "Like raising your middle finger?"

"Like what?"

Tyri began to grin. "You mean to say that isn't recognised here?"

"Well, I don't have a clue what you're going on about, so I doubt it."

"Ooh," Tyri whistled. "He got some sass!"

"Who?" Lionel asked, bamboozled.

Tyri blinked, disappointed in him. "You. Obviously."

"I wouldn't say it was very obvious."