After the Tide

Chapter 7 - AT 2781 -Matthias

"Care for him as if your life depends on it," the General says, cold hand on the back of my neck.
I look down at the half naked, frightened, child, curled up in a ball, sobbing bitterly. It would look like a child. A little boy. But there's fully formed gills down it's chest. And down its back in place of a spine there's lines of dark scales, pearlescent black scales on the boy's shoulders, his hands and feet are webbed. Half monster.
And I have no doubt my life does depend on it.
"My son. You'll see he has the finest care," the General says, strolling away, looking at the child as though he would a dog.
"Sir—what—," do I do with it? It looks like it belongs in the sea.
"I trust I don't need to repeat myself do I? You've served me so well Matty," the General says, smiling so disingenuously. Then he leaves.
The room is bare except the rug. The little monster is still weeping. He shrinks away, mumbling in another language.
"Come here, ah—damn it. You need the water don't you?" I ask, moving over. I don't want to touch it. Skin a bit too slick. Those terrible scales poking through the skin. An abomination.
"I want my mama," the monster whispers, tipping his head up. That's clear, English.
"What?" I ask, even though i did hear it.
"My mama. I want mama," he mumbles, tears overflowing big brown eyes, "I'm scared."
I pick him up. Slippery wet skin. And the boy slings his arms around my neck like a human child might, pathetically lowering his head to my shoulder.
"It's—you'll be safe here. We need to get you into water. I think," I say, looking at the awful monster. It shouldn't exist. None of them should but especially the halfbloods. I don't know how the thing is alive. And yet.
"Please? I'm so scared. No one's supposed to know, please don't tell anyone," he whispers.
"Tell them what?"  I ask, frowning.
"That I'm a monster," the boy whispers.
"You're—," you are a monster. "I'll look out for you. That's my job now eh?"
"Just don't tell them I'm a monster."
Everyone knows. He's the sea-prince, the General's longed for son. They all know.
"Doesn't matter, I'll look out for you," I say, quietly.
"Do you live here?" He wipes his face with the back of one hand, only smearing tears and snot across his face.
"Yes. I work for your father," I say simply.
"You hurt," he touches my arm.
"I—how do you know that little fish?" I ask quietly.
"I feel it. He hurt you," he says, quietly, "I feel everything."
"Don't—I'm fine, now I'm going to take you to the water. You're—you're meant to be in the sea," I say. His skin feels clammy. Like a fish or rather a shark. Mako, no wonder the General calls him that.
"No, my mama—I'm supposed to be human," he whispers.
"Not here. Here you get to be a little—fish," I say, as the fish-boy clings to me, unnaturally strong.
Tears run down his face.
I walk out of the room and down to a lower floor of the cave. The child clings to me the entire way, content to be carried. Others cast their glances at me. A cruel trick of the General's they are well aware. The General stands by waiting, watching. His followers stand with him. All turned. Monsters.
I say nothing, walking past them with the child in my arms.
The very pool my son died in. Fed to the sea monsters. And yet i can't bring myself to hate this creature. His father yes. I wish I could trade their places.
"You hurt again," the fish boy whispers, tapping my chest.
"No," i say. I'm not allowed to. My boy is gone. I can't even mourn him. And the cruel humor of sending me to care for his half-breed.
The pool is cold and dark. The child slips from my arms unbidden and walks towards the water, feet bare on the pebbled floor. Tiny slight thing, face stained and puffy from crying.
Unbidden I feel myself move forward to take his arm. Painfully. My sons screams are echoing in my head. I grip his arm. Ripping flesh. The pool filled with blood.
"Let him go," The General says, coolly, "He has nothing to fear from the water. Go on, Mako. This is a shallow pool, the young servants play here, little ones just like you."
The boy looks up at his father, fear in his eyes. Then he looks at me. He feels my fear for him entering.
"Go," he's a monster. Let him go. Let him watch his son be torn apart.
Hand shaking I release him, his slippery arm dropping from my hand. I take a step back.
He steps forward towards the water, feet sliding on the round stones. But there's no fear for the water. He belongs in it.
He wades in, first up to his knees then his chest, little gills opening on his sides. He takes another step back, then nearly laughs.
It's all I can do not to dive into the water and drag him back out. My every instinct tells me to scoop him up and bear him from the water. I can hear my son's screams echoing in my head. My broken arm holds no pain just the memory of not being strong enough to go rip him free.
"I'm okay," little Mako whispers. The others don't hear it. He's looking at me.
The General speaks his own tongue. I don't know it. But the words are familiar.
He's calling his monsters.
I see the first splash, a fin rising from the water. Then it's gone.  The glint of scales.
But the boy has no fear. He looks down in something like amusement then drops beneath the surface.
I feel myself quivering. I want to go get him out. I want to go and just get him out. Monster or not he's a child. He's just a child.
Mako rises, laughing and coughing as he inhales air again, water running down his face. One of the sea monsters coils around him then descends in a flash of glowing blue scales.
"Perhaps he'll bond to one of Draig's young," the General says, amused, "You can speak to them Mako, they'll know your tongue soon enough."
Mako looks up at me, eyes filled with soft concern. I'm still shaking. My son stood there. Screaming as they tore him apart.
"I'm okay Matthias," he whispers.
"What?"
"I'm okay," he smiles.
"No," how did it know my name? The General calls me Matt or Matty how did he know my name? No one spoke it.
"I'm okay, don't hurt," he whispers.
"Go fetch him Matty," the General says, not hearing the exchange or not really caring what it is.
"What?" I stare at the water, I can't enter. Those beasts won't accept a human in their waters.
"If he's fond of you he'll tame them. If not. Well. I suppose I'll find a new minder," the General nearly laughs, "Your son was brave enough to step in."
I want to go hit him. I want to go hit him. I know he'd kill me. I don't care. Let him kill me. It doesn't matter any more. I'll die. My son is dead. I'll just die punching him. It would be worth it for once. For someone to defy him.
"Please?" Mako holds out his arms, cocking his head a bit.
I stare into the fish-boy's eyes. He holds out his arms sweetly.
"You can watch me feed them tomorrow Mako. You'll learn to speak to them," the General says.
Feed them people. Captives. Slaves who displease him. Little boys who die for thier father's error. A lesson I won'T forget as long as I live.
And If I don't step in then what? I die who does he call next to enter the pool for the boy? And who would do it. Half blood or not. It is only a child. A little necklace about it's neck. It needs shoes my son always took them off as well.
He doesn't deserve him.
A longed for son. And he doesn't deserve him. As long as this little creature can live. It's drawn no blood committed no crimes.
I step into the water, it laps against my legs. I feel something slither over my foot.
"It's okay. They know you're my friend," Mako says.
Oh the General isn't controlling them at all. The little boy is.
The General laughs, "He's spoken to them. Or they'd be tearing you apart Matty."
"I'm here," Mako whispers, arms out still gently.
I wade another step, something wraps around my leg, spines tearing through the pant leg and into my skin. I take another step. They are thrashing around my legs, eager for the blood.
Mako takes one step towards me and I'm able to sweep him into my arms. He wraps his slippery arms around my neck, avoiding my broken arm neatly.
He presses his face to mine, "Thank you. I was scared. I'm glad you're here. And nice. I thought everyone would be afraid of me."
"No. I got you kid, you're okay" i whisper, standing in the pool, holding him well free of the monsters below, "We're okay."
I don't even know it's true or not.