"Sebek, why don't you go relax? Training is all well and good, but getting enough rest and relaxation is just as important to ensure you can fulfill your duties when the time comes."
Lilia's words were wise, of course, which is why Sebek was headed to the pond Lilia had recommended. The older fae must have known how much Sebek missed the warm waters near his home in Briar Valley, especially as winter approached and the air took on a biting cold that always seemed to cut Sebek to the bone. It wasn't as if he was weak to the cold, of course! It just wasn't his favorite weather, that was all. He was perfectly capable of defending Malleus in any conditions. But the idea of a pond heated by the same generator that kept the greenhouse warm was tempting, and Lilia had mentioned that warmth would revitalize a fae like Sebek in winter.
The other bonus was that it was isolated, the area behind the greenhouse mostly overgrown with only a few indentations in the grass marking the footsteps of what must be a maintenance person. Beyond the weeds and waving fronds of plants Sebek couldn't identify lay the pond. It wasn't large, probably the size of a spell-drive field, but it would do.
Sebek glanced over his shoulder once before heading to the pond's edge. The air took on the scent of plant life and algae, and the water looked brackish, but the scents didn't bother him. Algae meant warmth. And an overgrown pond reminded him of home.
He glanced behind him one more time. Foolish, of course. No one was here, and his sharp fae senses, better than any humans, would warn him before anyone approached. And it wasn't like any human other than Silver would be able to tell.
He disrobed and slipped into the water at the same time he called up the magic, letting the transformation take hold. His fae form.
Intermittent scales appeared on his face, a few marks on his cheekbones. Others appeared on his hips, and he pushed through the water with the help of his long tail, ridged with armored scutes. His fingers sharpened to claws, and his fangs grew long in his mouth. His eyes took on a yellowish glow, the mark of fae power.
This form was nothing compared to his mother's full fae beauty. But now he could enjoy the warmth of the pond. He swam further out, moving toward the center where the heating system created a zone of warmth that felt almost like a heated bath, but one big enough to accommodate him.
Sebek let himself float, the warmth seeping into his entire body. The cold wind blew above the surface of the water, but it couldn't touch him here. He closed his eyes, listening to the gentle lap of water.
Master Lilia was a genius. Perhaps he would stay here for an hour, and then he would be fully revitalized, ready to look after Lord Malleus with even more determination!
"Eh? Crocodile is here?"
Ice flowed through Sebek's veins. Water splashing in all directions, he spun and faced the source of the voice.
Moray eel. No—One of Azul's henchmen. Jade? No, he knew the difference.
"Floyd!" he shouted, his voice breaking the tranquil silence like a bolt of lightning. "What are you doing here?!"
Floyd was a merman, and Sebek knew that on one level but had never seen the eel transformed until now. Floyd was huge, almost ten feet from head to tail. Bigger than Sebek, covered in scales, with a powerful tail and a vicious row of teeth. The voice twisted in Sebek's mind. Not a half-breed like me. He pushed it down, baring his double row of fangs at Floyd.
"Crocodile is cute~" Floyd sang, swimming in a graceful circle around Sebek. "You have a little tail."
"My tail is not little!" Sebek shouted, thrashing it back and forth. It sent a wall of water toward Floyd, who merely dove beneath it, resurfacing on the other side of Sebek in a blink of an eye.
"Aw, don't be boring," Floyd said. "Why are you in my pond anyway?"
"Y-your pond?" Sebek spluttered, wishing his fangs in this form didn't get in the way of his speech. "This pond was recommended to me by Master Lilia, and thus is at the very least available for use by all of the college! And since I was here first, by rights you should get out and leave me be!"
Floyd blinked lazily. "Don't wanna."
Sebek grit his teeth. "I was told to relax and warm up by Master Lilia, and you are making that impossible! By being here you are infringing on Master Lilia's orders!"
"Little crocodile wants to warm up?" Floyd said. "He can't handle the cold?"
Sebek's face reddened. "I can handle the cold just fine!"
"The northern waters are much colder, but I come here for the water itself," Floyd said. "But watching you paddle so sloppily is funny. Much better than being here on my own."
"How dare you!" Sebek shouted. "I come from a line of powerful swimmers, fae who drove terror into the hearts of even feared pirates!"
Floyd tilted his head. "Yeah, but aren't you like…half fae?"
Curse Silver for spreading that information! "What would you know, merman?!"
Floyd's gaze sharpened. "You know, when you talk like that, it makes me wanna squeeze you."
Sebek snapped his teeth. He may not be as big or as scaly as his mother, but he would show this mer the strength he had cultivated for Lord Malleus! "Try it then, merman!"
Floyd grinned. Then he vanished.
Sebek blinked, and in an instant a powerful tail bludgeoned him from behind. His mouth was filled with water as the force of it smacked him beneath the surface, and he snapped it shut.
Trailing algae and fronds waved in the murky water, but there was no sign of his opponent. Sebek swung his tail, propelling himself deeper. He may not be able to breathe water like a mer, but he could hold his breath easily for as long as it would take to find—
Scaled arms grabbed his shoulders, and a long tail wrapped around his neck, squeezing hard.
Fool! He would regret that when Sebek showed him one of the many prized abilities of his lineage.
Sebek bit down hard with all the force of a snapping crocodile on the tail that had threatened to choke him.
The tail released him immediately, bubbles appearing as Floyd shrieked. Sebek spat out the taste of mer blood and rubbery flesh and raced for the surface to grab a lungful of air.
"You see!" he crowed. "You should leave now and nurse your wounds, foolish—"
Scaly arms grabbed him again, so fast that Sebek didn't have a chance to grab them with his own before the trap was sprung. Floyd wrapped one hand over his head and the other below his neck, shoving his mouth shut. This time the tail wrapped around his waist and chest, squeezing even harder than before.
"Little baby crocodiles should be punished for biting," he said, his voice a hiss in Sebek's ear.
Sebek tried to grab at Floyd's arms to free his mouth, but his claws didn't gain purchase against Floyd's rubbery skin. He pulled hard, but the angle was wrong, his own prized strength not enough to pry the eel off of him. And for all his biting power, he couldn't use it if he couldn't open his mouth!
No! He couldn't lose like this!
He whipped his tail, taking Floyd into a spinning roll that by all rights should have knocked the merman off of him. But Floyd held on, his squeeze growing tighter and tighter, his hands making Sebek's teeth grind against each other with the force Floyd used to hold his mouth shut.
If only there was a stone wall, he could knock the eel against it, smash him with the power of his tail or body. He tried to whip his tail against the merman, but it was useless.
Sebek's ribs began to ache as Floyd squeezed him tighter. He hated to admit it, but he couldn't get out of this. Not without magic.
There was only one thing to do. Lightning magic began to build along his spine. It would hurt him too, but he was a fae. He could handle more magic than this puny merman!
"Hey," Floyd said, his voice dangerous. "You're not gonna—"
"No, he certainly won't," a familiar voice said. "Unless you really want to disappoint Lord Malleus by getting yourself reprimanded by the headmage, Sebek?"
What was Silver doing here?!
"Let him go, Floyd," Silver said. "Unless you want me telling Azul you're attacking Diasomnia students when you should be at the lounge."
Sebek's tooth cracked and split, pain spiking in his jaw, as Floyd squeezed him one more time with even more force before letting go. "This is boring anyway," he said. "You're boring, little half-croc."
Sebek almost turned and tried to bite him again, but the pain in his jaw and the sight of Silver at the edge of the pond made him stop. He floated in place, his tail lashing, his claws flexing and wanting to tear at something, as Floyd leisurely, mockingly, swam away to the far side of the pond.
Sebek's mouth began filling with blood as he swam back to where Silver stood next to his clothes. His mind spun in circles. He needed to do something. He couldn't let this happen. Couldn't just…
"Sebek? Are you alright?" Silver held out Sebek's shirt as Sebek left the water, his gaze fixed away from Sebek's naked form. Silver didn't want to look at him, and that somehow made it worse.
"I'm fine!" Sebek bellowed as he snatched the shirt, his stomach twisting in a mix of satisfaction and regret when his over-sharp claws left a trail of blood down Silver's arm. Silver jumped back, his blue eyes meeting Sebek's, and he covered his bleeding arm with one hand. The satisfaction faded, and Sebek grit his teeth. With a surge of magic, he resumed his normal form, the scales and tail disappearing. The pain magnified as the cracked tooth lost strength, and he fought not to whimper with pain as he pulled his clothes on, hating the taste of a fresh surge of blood in his mouth. He wasn't weak!
"Are you sure?" Silver repeated. "You usually—"
"This is your fault!" Sebek shouted, so loud a crow took flight past the greenhouse. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he spat it at Silver's feet. "You pathetic human! Leave me be!"
Silver blinked, in his utterly infuriating way he always did when he was confused or about to fall asleep. Sebek shoved past him, kicking at the weeds as he went and trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his jaw. A cold gust of autumn wind whistled in his ears and made him shiver, the warmth of the pond forgotten.
So much for relaxing.