Cormorants on the Water [Pre-Critique Night version]

Posted as a prompt inspired post on r/writingprompts here.

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"Three. With yourself." That's what I'd told him. The captain of the ship had come to me before, and I hadn't granted him an audience. This time though, he had something he said I was sure to find useful.

He arrived in the grotto with three other men, just as we'd agreed. They all wore blades on their hips, but none of us bristled. It would take more than a blade to stop a school of merfolk at a water source. The four of us were all armoured, of course, but it was just for show.

They knew that, of course. This particular crew, and mine, had tasted each other's weapons before, and no matter the balance of the scales, neither were eager for more. The fact that the captain hadn't balked on my suggestion that the representatives from each side be equal showed he was either extremely confident or extremely desperate. What was interesting though, is that the chest the captain was already walking up to lay at my feet wasn't the only thing they had brought with them.

Two of the men walking in carried an additional chest. Neither appeared to be much heavier than the weight of the wood they were made of would indicate. Not gold, then. They had learned early that anything they could scavenge from ships would usually pale in comparison to what we were able to plunder from wrecks that went undisturbed by humans, too far down into the water.

I kept eye contact as he bore the burden of carrying the chest, and to his credit, his gaze did not waver. Not many men could bear to look into our eyes, so different from their own. Human eyes are white with rings of colour, but ours are the same blue as our flesh. Depending how close one lived to the surface, a mermaid's skin went anywhere from a light blue to a deep purple. Those with me today all dwelled near the surface. I did as well. Our work required it, elsewise we would be down below, where things were safer.

Another thing that distinguished the surface dwellers? Our girth. The powerful tails we had meant we'd been selected from birth for our roles as protectors. We were the first line of defense against any threat. Of course, the militant members of my race were not limited to the surface, but it was true that you found most of us up here. Coming to the surface was considered akin to having a death wish by most. We were rewarded with a lot of comforts, and compared to the alternative, it made it worth it.

The captain was wearing a crisp outfit. His puffy white sleeves displayed no trace of dirt or blemish. Freshly laundered. The whole crew was, even the one in the back, brooding with his sword in front of his body, instead of at his side. This display was rude but none of my subordinates seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn't care.

"Show." I said to the captain. I broke our eye contact to really look down at the chest. It was plain enough, that was sure. I knew whatever was inside must be good. He took to his knee, getting down to a level where he could comfortably open the chest. Inside were four golden birds. Cormorants. A curious choice, for a sailor to present to a mermaid. "What is so special?"

"Those, dear, are a gift from us to you. No strings attached, just a little something to say thanks for meeting us here in the first place!" his smile was mostly hidden by the great beard he wore, but I could see it reached his eyes. Whatever else he had to show us, he was telling the truth. A curious choice indeed.

I straightened to my full height, and I could feel without looking that the others around me were doing the same. I felt for the presence of the water in the grotto, just in case I needed to call upon it. For the moment, things were still fine, though. I looked behind to the other chest. If it was possible, this one looked even plainer and cheaper than the first. No decorative markings of any kind, and the cheap iron fixtures would only rust and corrode in the salt water. It looked worse than useless.

The two men carrying it laid it at my feet. It fell on the floor with a dull thud. They looked up at me and grinned. One of them had a few blackened teeth. The chest looked worse up close than it had from far away. I spotted some rust around the keyhole. My large blue eyes regarded him, and I blinked slowly. This chest had better have something very good indeed inside of it.

"What is that?" I asked, with an attempt to furrow my brow. I felt the fin on the back of my head move with the effort and hoped it would produce the same effect.

The captain, having moved to the side to allow his crew to bring up the offering, said "That, is what is going to hold the head of the hydra that has been plaguing you. All you have to do for it is fetch me the bones of one of me old crewmates from a shipwreck."

We all stiffened. Going too deep was not a good idea for a surface dweller. Not because it was dangerous, but because it left a hole in our defences. Still, the humans weren't our only problem and it was true we had a common enemy in the hydra. It had been guarding what was rumoured to be a huge treasure cache for a very long time now. Still, I couldn't see how this horrible excuse for a chest was going to be any help.

"How? What does it?" I demanded, my voice hard. The others had all stiffened at the suggestion of making a deep dive, but I tried to maintain my demeanour. If I'd had legs, I might have kicked the weak wood in front of me. My great tail twitched at the thought.

As if he could read my thoughts, the captain laughed. "Well, see for yourself. Try to get it open, using any method you want."

I turned my head to my right, and nodded at Andreas. He'd been waiting for my cue, I could tell, because within an instant he brought down his great shell staff onto the chest. The shell had been sourced from the Puerto Rico Trench, and it was the strongest staff I'd ever had a chance to see in person. The staff met the chest and there was a great sound of shattering. Andreas brought the staff back to his side and regarded the remaining shards of shell at the end of it. The chest, for it's part, was intact.

"That chest," he began, bringing a foot up to rest on the top of it, "is indestructible. There is nothing better in the whole of the seven seas to hold the head of the hydra. Have we got a deal?"