Between Scylla and Charybdis

Chapter 20.

Hours that felt like days passed. The pair spent most of it in a tense silence. Every so often, Scylla would stake out the edges of their cell, inspecting it for cracks or loose stones. Pushing and prodding in hopes something would shift. Nothing did. She'd settle back down, letting out a frustrated sigh. Charybdis watched her every time, without rising from his spot. Patience would be key here. Not wasting any strength. Scylla ought to do the same and rest, yet at the same time, these little bursts of activity seemed to keep her calm, so he didn't say anything.

Scylla plopped back down in what little empty space remained next to him. Back so soon? He thought about joking, but kept his mouth shut. There was a time and place for jokes. This wasn't it.

With a twist of her tail, Scylla rolled over, facing him with a bored expression.

'They'll come.' He said while reaching for her hand.

'I know...' with the tip of her claw, she ran a finger across his palm. 'I just hope it's before you grow hungry.'

Charybdis wanted to speak up, to tell her she needn't worry about that. That he'd just eaten, but wisely chose to keep his mouth shut at the last second.

'I have some self control.' He hissed.

'Can you teach me?' Her head lifted from the ground.

Once again, she showed her age. Sometimes he forgot how young she really was. Unable to stay still for any amount of time. Or maybe she was right and he was just an old man. Lying in wait for days on end was easy for him, harder was starting to move again after such a feat.

'Self control?' he purred with feigned innocence.

'No, blood magic!'

'Darling.' Charybdis pulled himself upright. The first real movement he'd made in hours. 'You're a matron. You don't need any blood magic.'

'Please Diz. I'll go crazy if I stare at those rocks any longer and I can't just take a nap like you. Just talk to me.' Actually, he'd been awake the entire time, listening to the stone in case another quake happened. From an outsider's perspective, it could look like he'd been sleeping.

Watching her ears flick back and forth, he let out an exasperated sigh.

'What would you like to talk about?'

Having achieved victory, her eyes lit up.

'Tell me about yourself. How did you become a blood witch?' Folding her arms across his chest, she settled back in. So right into the thick of it, huh? He glared at her for asking, but his scowl didn't seem to impact her.

'There never was a time when I wasn't one.' He began after a moment of contemplation. 'Even as a pup, I could do things. Strange things. Like sensing which of my family carried disease. Knowing when and how someone would die. Sometimes months in advance. I didn't eat as much as my brothers and sisters, so I always looked sickly and weak. As you can imagine, I was quite popular with my pod.'

'You look fine now.' Scylla cooed. Charybdis nodded curtly.

'Thanks. Yeah well, They all had their suspicions, so they didn't waste any time. As soon as I got old enough to take care of myself, they cast me out. I really came into my own after that.'

Curiosity crept onto her face.

'How long ago was that?'

It had been decades since Charybdis last thought of his family, and even then it was only in passing. Come to think about it, he probably outlived every single mer in his pod, even his mother, who was a matron herself last time he was allowed home.