Waves of Grey - The Harem and the Guard

Chapter 8

The Siren glanced outside of their small cave warily, turning back to look at the sleeping pup hidden inside of a seagrass nest deep within, the glow of the vegetation giving the cave a blue hue. The little one was curled in on himself, whimpering in his sleep as hunger gnawed at his empty stomach. His ribs could be counted one by one, though not as well as Lance's own. The seas were empty, unable to provide for them as the Alpha's militants guarded and stole the precious fish released into the cove by the Alteans all for the Alpha and the Alpha alone.

Lance swam over to his little one, the cave's light shifted as Lance moved, his own luminance shifting the color around them with his sickly, weak white and blue glow. "I'll be back my little Petal. I promise I'll have something for you when I return. Stay strong little Petal." Lance whispered. He dipped down and placed a gentle kiss on his brother's head. He received a quiet trill in response. Truthfully he no longer saw Petal as his brother. No, Petal was his. He was the only one that Petal had ever known, and if his family never returned it would be easier to never tell his little one that their family was gone. He didn't ever want Petal to be hung up over the idea that he'd be left, that maybe he hadn't been good enough if they both lived long enough for him to live that long . . . mother didn't deserve Petal anyways, having been willing to abandon the newborn to die before it had even the chance to see light. 

He brushed a webbed hand through the little one's soft brown hair before reluctantly turning away. It was dangerous to leave, any Siren desperate enough could kill Petal for nourishment, but he couldn't stay. If he did then he doomed them both to die.

His hands shouldn't have been webbed. His magic was failing. His glimmer was fading and making way for his natural form, only he was banned from showing it to anyone just as every mer was. Wearing the natural skin was forbidden, but when you're starving because the higher power in their oceans is taking your food, how do you expect the lower sirens to follow the rules if they physically couldn't provide for themselves to do what was ordered?  

. . . Their magic weakened as their life force faded.

Lance has had enough. He knew there were no fish to be caught in the open waters or in the reefs. Everything alive would have dived down bellow the darkness of the sea to find safety. Too hard of a catch for a lone Siren . . . There was only one option. And he knew  he was taking a risk. But what could he do? If he ran into trouble he should be able to take care of himself. Lance was one of the greater Sirens in the area. His family never knew how to interpret their second youngest's development. He didn't look like anyone in the family, yet there was no denying he belonged there. He'd grown to become many times the size as his either his parents with long flowing fins quite unlike anyone in their family. He could flare them out threateningly or let them tail in the water like billowing ribbons. He looked delicate with such a decorative tail, but he was anything but. His scales were larger and thicker than most. They shone and glowed like no other in the darkness of the reefs. Every Siren shone, but his markings lit up in many colors, bright and vibrant in comparison to most. 

Lance's Abuela had told him he'd accomplish great things one day. That his magic ran deep and powerful just like the sea he was born into. "You're going to change the world," she'd said fondly to him as a little pup. He was innocent enough to believe anything and everything the wise old Siren has to say.

But look at him now. Abuela, long starved to death despite the great honor to their name. He wasn't going to change the world. He was planning to steal from the alpha's personal school of fish guarded outside of his . . . You couldn't call it a palace, but it was far greater than the average Siren den.

Lance had made a promise. He was going to keep his little pup alive. He was going to make sure he lived even if he had to feed him his own flesh. He would make certain the little one survived to see a great sea full and lively.

And was a fast and strong swimmer, there was no one who could challenge him and not perish or fall behind. He'd been able to easily snatch the prey and get away unscathed. But there was no mistaking him. He could not hide his fins or his size. Everyone knew who Lance McClain was after they'd seen him once. No one could mistake him once they saw him twice.

It had only taken him seconds in the end once he'd managed to get to the Alpha's den. He'd been able to snatch the prey. He'd been able to easily bring back to his little Petal more than enough food to last the pup weeks. The pup was very small, the fish Lance had snatched were large, nearly the length of his arm. And he'd caught two. The sheer joy on Petal's face when he'd come back and woken his sleeping pup to show him the yummy prize he had to eat. His smile had been enough to melt away Lance's worry as he watched Petal gladly tear into the fresh meat with his sharp little teeth, sharing his prize with Lance, trying to get him to eat too, trilling happily as he fed.

. . . Of course the happiness of that moment didn't last long.

Had it only been guards who'd shown at his den entrance, lance could have easily and guiltlessly slaughtered them. But it hadn't been the guards who'd showed at his entrance. It had been The Alpha. The only Siren Lance knew of who was rumored to be capable of challenging Lance and having a chance to swim away unscathed. 

Up against someone just as big if not larger than him who was well fed and backed by an army of Spears . . . Lance could do nothing but let himself be taken. He could do nothing as he listened to Petal's cries as he was dragged away by his bondages. They'd left the pup the fish much to Lance's relief. Dead fish were of no use to the Alpha after all. Neither was a stray Siren. 

"Stay!" Lance had cried out to Petal when the little pups head poked out of the den, wanting to follow after Lance, the only mother he knew. Lance wept as he was torn away, watching as the pup retreated back into their home with a whimper.

Lance knew that leaving a pup all alone in cave with only two weeks of flesh to feed from . . . Lance knew that one way or another Petal would die. And he'd been ready to kill himself for his failure.

. . . But he had been offered an exchange.

"I will ensure the survival of the pup as long as you commit yourself to your  highly elite role."

If Lance didn't commit . . . Then he wasn't going to be the one receiving the punishment. If he didn't accept then Petal would die, and Lance would have been sent up to the surface anyways to some random Altean, a small pawn in the grand arrangement between the empires. Lance was a delegate, as long as he presented perfect and professional then all would be well. 

A month after his hearing, once he'd been fattened up and brought back up to health they'd brought Petal in to see him before he'd depart. So excited Petal was. So utterly thrilled to be in the Alpha's home with so much fish. Seeing him had been a special gift given due to Lance's particular predicament. He'd gone to the surface never knowing if he'd ever see his little baby Petal ever again. Petal was a weapon, an influencer to control Lance.

When Lance had been offered the opportunity to see the only thing dear to him that he had left be kept safe, he'd just wanted to know that it was real. He was used to being able to power his way into getting what he needed.

It was easy to forget that in this situation he couldn't. He wasn't free. He couldn't be who he was, what he was. He was a pet. He had to obey to ensure survival.

When you are born free, but shoved into a free-range cage . . . You forget that you're a prisoner. 

It doesn't matter how big or glorious the cage. It is still a cage when someone shakes it, or you run into the prison walls.