Between Scylla and Charybdis - chapter 8 (Patreon)

Masterpost

The disapproving glances her mother so kindly offered Scylla were no surprise. If anything, Scylla expected her to be used to the disappointment by now. But no, mother was nothing if not persistent. As she swam over, she braved her mothers glares and nestled down by her side on the elevated dais overlooking the pit. As its depths stretched out before her, a similar emptiness turned in her stomach.

Several fights were already underway, Scylla watched  pairs of mer circling each other, their movements often resembling a sort of dangerous dance. Until one of them lunged and drew blood, that is…

‘You’re late.’ Her mother growled. Scylla was supposed to lead by example, her continued tardiness was as much a stain on herself as her mother.

‘I was held up.’ Scylla couldn’t hide the bitterness in her voice. ‘Scython seemed to have some expectations regarding today.’

Scylla's mother looked at her daughter with a skeptical expression, raising one eyebrow. ‘Oh? Did the two of you get along?’ Of course that would be her mothers primary concern.

‘He is a maniac!’ Scylla spat.

With a short eyeroll, her mother dismissed her statement.‘Perhaps he’s just determined? That’s not a bad thing, is it? ’ Alarm bells rang inside of Scylla’s head. Her mother had to have seen the mark on Scython's chest by now, yet she wasn’t even mentioning it. Something was off.

‘Scython doesn’t interest me.’ she stated, in a matter-of-fact way.

Her mother grinned wide, it was enough to send a shiver of discomfort down Scylla’s neck.

‘Come now, Scylla,' She exclaimed in a shrewd fashion. 'I heard you say on multiple occasions that you found his appearance' she paused, seemingly looking for the appropriate word,'agreeable.’ Continuing her train of thought, mother glanced over at the competitors.‘On top of that, he’s strong, clever, and a good fighter. What has changed?’

‘Just because something looks nice, doesn’t mean I want to be tied to it for the rest of my life!' She exclaimed. 'Sure, in theory he’s agreeable, but look at you and father!' Mother visibly tensed.

‘He was a fine mer too. You chose him and yet, I can’t recall a single time when the two of you actually liked being in each other's presence.’ Scylla stated.

The Matron gazed back in silence, melancholy creeping onto her face. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

‘What Sylas and I had wasn’t perfect, but I loved your father. In my own way.’ She responded quietly.

Talking about father was hard for the both of them. They usually avoided the topic at all costs. Mother acknowledging him caught Scylla completely off-guard in this moment until she spoke once more,

‘-But trust me when I say this, you can’t rule on your own.' The words had a sad weight to them. 'What kind of partner do you want by your side when things get difficult? One that crumbles under pressure or one that can bolster you? One that can fight against the currents or one that gets swept away by them?’

She had a point, but at what cost? Scylla frowned. This wasn’t what she wanted to hear and although she didn’t want to admit it, her mother was making sense.

‘Remember sweetheart. Once your mate gets swept away,--- it’s just you out there.’ Her mother leans in and quietly adds, 'You need to choose wisely.’

Indeed, mother had chosen wisely, and father still died. Scylla bit her lip in thought. If a matron really wanted to, she could outlive several generations of her pod. So what was the sense in getting attached to someone, if they’d get taken away regardless?

‘You really loved father?’ Scylla whispered.

Agathis smiled. ‘On most days, yes. It took some effort in the beginning, but he gave me your brothers and you. I’ll always be thankful for that.’ A short silence fell between the two females.

‘It also didn’t hurt that he was drop dead gorgeous in his prime.’ Her mother grinned.

‘Gross.’ Scylla mumbled, but a slight smile curled onto her lips.

Instead of taking another mate, her mother had chosen to pass the role of matron down to Scylla, who wasn’t remotely ready or interested in the job. Yet, for the first time since the ritual started, Scylla had at least an inkling as to why her mother was stepping down. It didn’t make her own situation any easier, but the resentment she felt towards her mother eased.

It was as if a chunk of ice hit the bottom of Scylla’s stomach when Scython moved into the pit. His entrance was accompanied by excited cheers and thrills from the crowd. Of course they all loved him…The male made two laps, making sure to catch her eye before he drifted down towards the bottom of the pit. As if peacocking was going to help at this point. Scylla stirred though, her mothers words tugging at her soul.

Though the crater was easily forty feet wide at the top, the bottom siphoned into a narrow plain.

Scylla’s gaze shot towards the other side of the crater as Diz’s familiar back and white colorings appeared from amongst the crowd. Two guards held him, one had an arm pinned behind his back while the other held him at the nape of his neck. Almost simultaneously they shoved him into the pit with no small measure of force. Diz twisted around himself, making an obscene gesture towards the pair, before floating to a halt halfway down the crater.

‘We need to talk about that outsider…’ Her mother hissed, her tone of voice turning almost hateful all of a sudden.

‘Now? Can’t it wait?’ Scylla’s heart nearly thumped out of her chest. What was he doing? How did he manage to piss off the guards in such a short amount of time?!

‘I suppose it might not matter after this fight.’ Her mother huffed a sigh. Those words did nothing to ease Scylla’s worries. Her body crept forward to the utmost edge of the pit as the males both sunk to the bottom.

Mer fights usually didn’t last long,as they were quick clashes, meant only to assert dominance. Once it became clear which party was stronger, the battles concluded as swiftly as they’d begun. Scylla prayed this fight would turn out like that, but her gut feeling told her otherwise.

The surrounding mer stilled. Gone were the taunts and cheers of the crowd as the pit sank into a deafening silence. All eyes rested on the males in the crater. This fight would play a part in determining the future of the pod. They all knew this and the knowledge casted a weight upon those present. It took a moment for that realization to hit Scylla, but when it did, she shuddered. Her fate was well and truly out of her control now.

Agathis swam out over the crater, the fins of her tail trailing behind her like an enormous veil. She halted in the middle, floating motionless like a ghost as she gazed upon the two males.

‘We have reached a momentous occasion.’ All eyes settled on the matron, who took her time with each and every word. ‘The second trial is often considered harsh, but it is necessary. I welcome all prospects today and wish all of you the best of luck. By sunset, only half of you will continue to the last trial. May the best mer win.’

The crowd erupted into cheers as the two males crouched down almost simultaneously, pressing their stomachs and chest as close to the rocks as possible. As they crept along the bottom of the crater, moving around each other in increasingly smaller circles, the remaining mer watching inched closer to the edges of the pit to get a better view at the bottom.Even Scylla found herself leaning over the edge, so much so, that she failed to notice the pair of guards making their way towards her mother…

As expected, Scython was the first to move. He lunged forward with unmatched speed, and as Diz prepared to dodge, Scython suddenly feigned to the side and hurled the full weight of his body into Diz's shoulder. Both males twisted around each other for a moment, in a deadly tango. When they disconnected, each was hurled towards their respective side of the crater. Another wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.

Loud hisses rose up as Diz clutched his teeth around a stray quill sticking out of his palm. No, don’t… and pulled.

Scylla cringed. Those are barbed, you idiot!

But it was already too late and Diz’s body flinched, muscles ripped over his back as he repositioned to shift his weight away from his wounded hand. Scython crawled forward again, a malicious grin on his face.

Scylla couldn’t hear them over the noise of the crowd, but it looked like they were talking. It probably wasn’t anything more than a pissing contest as the smug look on Scython’s face spoke for itself. Her gaze wandered over to Diz, who looked remarkably calm despite his situation. His body was perfectly still, curled as close to the rocks as possible. How could he be so calm when her stomach was doing summersaults!

Without waiting for Scython to finish gloating, Diz shot forward. He caught Scython by surprise as he whirled his body sideways, swooping his tail underneath Scythons arms, knocking the other male off balance. It was hard to tell from this far away, she could have been mistaken, but his tail remained completely free from any quills.

Without wasting a breath, Diz continued his assault, going straight for the newly created opening in Scython's defense. Claws flashed and fangs bared, the two males clung together for a split second. By the time they released each other, the smell of blood wafted inside the crater. Scylla strained to see and noticed both of them had wounds, claw marks spanning across their arms and tails. Most of the ones on Diz looked superficial. Even better, Scython clutched at his ribs, the mask of confidence ripped clean off his face.

Scylla couldn’t believe her eyes, and a similar air of disbelief seeped into the crowd. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as one-sided of a fight as they’d thought.

Scython and Diz both unhinged their jaws, fangs portuded as both males let out deep growls, the sound of which made Scylla’s heart flutter. Several other females perked up their ears as well, their interest clearly peeked. An unpleasant choke gripped Scylla’s chest. Most were looking at Scython, but there were quite a few of them appreciating Diz as well. Heat rose to her neck and crept up towards the back of her head. This was an, —unfamiliar feeling.

Once again bodies clashed. The impact hurled the males away from the bottom of the pit and upwards towards the spectators, whirling around each other with unmatched ferocity. Many of the spectators gasped as they watched the pair claw into each other. Moving away from the bottom was dangerous, it was the only cover they had. Fights between mer all boiled down to one thing: Who could get to the other's throat or stomach first?

Floating in open water, neither of them had an opportunity to back away safely. The slightest hint of hesitation from one would leave an opening for the other. This fight had rapidly escalated and there would no longer be an opportunity to surrender if this continued.

Scylla needed to speak with her mother. She could halt the fight before anyone got really hurt, this didn’t need to go any further. They’d listen to her. Her heart dropped as she turned.

Her mother wasn’t there.