The crowd erupted in cheers. Morvyn whooped along with them.
But a frown tugged on Lumina’s mouth. “He’s cheating,” she said softly.
The fighting pair regained their stances, squaring off again. Raylik burned in merciless red and swam full speed back to Hylos, who was waiting for him with a smile.
They crashed into each other in a storm, grappling with their boulders of muscles, vying for grip. But Hylos had the upper hand, finally wrapping his forearms firmly around Raylik’s neck.
Raylik thrashed against the hold. Hylos’s smile was stark white in the water. He had Raylik right where he wanted him.
Raylik finally tapped on Hylos’s arm around his neck and the crowd went wild.
It seemed the sirens didn’t just fight for fun; they relished watching it too.
“Incredible!” Morvyn cheered.
The fighters finally broke the surface of the pool and pulled themselves up as water slicked their muscles.
Morvyn, still clapping, strode to meet Hylos.
“Good show, friend.” He cupped a hand around Hylos’s bare neck and shook him.
“It wasn’t easy,” Hylos panted, still trying to catch his breath. “Raylik always tries to make me look bad in front of my subjects.”
“All I saw was him letting you show off,” Morvyn said.
Raylik walked up, breath steady as he shook his hair dry.
“It was entertaining, but you need to be strong on both land and sea.”
Hylos ignored the statement and walked instead to meet Lumina and me.
“What did you think, Elowyn? Do they fight like that on land?” Hylos asked.
Lumina flinched at my side. Something in his stance or demeanor unsettled her.
“I’ve seen nothing like that before,” I answered.
Calypstra sauntered to Hylos’s side. Her creatures tried to follow her beneath the water, mindlessly bumping into the panes that thankfully kept them out.
“What did you think, Cal?” Hylos said as he swung a heavy arm over her shoulder. She didn’t answer. She kept her eyes locked on me.
“Let’s celebrate your victory!” Morvyn exclaimed.
“We need to train more,” Raylik said.
“Come on, Raylik, don’t be such a drag,” Calypstra drawled, oily eyes still trained on me. “Besides, we should show our guest how sirens like to have fun.” A smile exposed her sharp canines.
“She should return to her quarters,” Lumina answered, not looking at the pair.
“No,” I interjected. “I’d like to join you.” It was crucial for me to learn as much as possible about this place, its layout, and even the sirens themselves if I was to find a way out of here.
Hylos gave me an approving smile. “We’ll meet you all in the Grotto then.”
Raylik returned his and Hylos’s swords to a rack and reluctantly exited the training grounds.
“Tomorrow we train your swordcraft,” he grunted, passing Hylos, who was already buried in Calypstra’s neck.
“Come on,” Lumina said to me, turning to leave.
