Siren's Song 16
A whole new world of sensations swirled around Zed like the major currents of the ocean. His body wanted to get away from his master’s fingers but he wanted to snuggle closer and squirm around so he could get touched in more places. The great pleasure that would build up when Blurr sucked on his tongue peeked out for just a few seconds here and there.
Then he was making strange sounds and his lungs....it was hard to breathe. His tail wouldn’t stay in the water to allow him to breathe that way it kept flopping up and down on it’s own. In fact his body didn’t respond to his own commands it just wiggled and squirmed and he knew he should do something to make it stop but he couldn’t and he partly didn’t want to and then it stopped.
His tail dropped into the water as he rolled onto his back. Zed did nothing for a long time except take big deep breaths. His master must have stopped to let him breathe. Once his breathing slowed he turned to look at his master hoping it would all happen again. His master’s face was red and he looked as if he was holding himself back. It was if he was trying not to do something he really wanted to do.
“I need some time alone on the ship. Stay here.” His master ordered through tight lips. “Can you send me back on a wave like you brought me down?”
Without a second thought Zed called on his control of the water and brought it up onto the sand until his master was floating in it to his waist. Then gently as if he holding the water in his own hands he forced it to lift up and out over the wooden shell his master called ‘ship’. Slowly he lowered the water until his master’s feet touched the ground then he parted it and let it run down either side of his master so it wouldn’t push him off the ship again. As soon as the water was gone his master ran into the the box thing he slept in.
Zed couldn’t help but wonder what had caused his master to run off like that. His master had never shown the desire to be alone before in fact just the opposite. Although it had only been a few days there was obviously more to his master then he would learn in just a few days. He told himself that it shouldn’t matter his master didn’t want him involved. But he was terribly curious. He thought of the letters it seemed he didn’t know everything about humans. He didn’t even have their language right! And here was a chance to learn more and he wasn’t allowed.
Looking over at the ‘ship’ he noticed there was a hole on the side of the box like area that his master went into. It wouldn’t be hard at all to bring the water up so he could float just outside. Maybe he could peek in without his master seeing.
Of course his master had ordered him to stay where he was. And if he were caught the pain from his collar would be....well he didn’t want to think about it. But there was so much he needed to learn. He needed to know everything about what humans did. So that he could take care of his master of course. How else could he know what his master needed of him if he didn’t know these things.
Having sufficiently justified his idea several times over he swam out until he was just under the hole. A thought suddenly occurred to him. He couldn’t use his magic unless it was in service to his master. Well in a way this was a service to his master. He was going to learn something important. He kept that thought in his mind and tried make the water rise up below him. To his complete surprise it worked!
He lifted his head and peered inside cautiously. His master didn’t see him. His master wasn’t seeing much of anything at the moment. That was because his master was sitting on the floor with his eyes shut. Zed felt his heart skip a beat. His master was completely naked, a sight Zed thought he would never tire off, and holding something in his hand. It took him a moment to recognize it but Zed finally noticed it was the turtle like appendage his master had between his legs.
It was hard to tell from the distance he was but it appeared his master was rubbing and squeezing the appendage and the more he did so the longer it grew. Zed wondered how far up his master’s chest it must go when it was pushed back in. After awhile he noticed the sounds. His master was moaning and groaning. However Zed knew his master wasn’t in pain although it almost sounded like it. No he knew exactly what his master was feeling because he had made close to the same sounds he made when Blurr sucked on his tongue. In fact, he couldn’t remember but, he might have even made them a few moments ago when his master had ‘made him laugh’.
Suddenly his master threw back his head and gave a really long and loud moan. Zed was startled to see white foam shoot out of his master’s appendage like air through a blowhole. After a few moments of moaning his master slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and then stood up completely and started to put on his leg coverings. Fearing his master was finished with whatever strange ritual it was and was going to head back to the beach, Zed dove completely underwater and rode waves to shore. It would not do at all to not be found in the place he was ordered to stay.
It seemed his master was not completely ready to come back and Zed a while to wait. Desperate for something to keep his mind of what else his master was doing Zed tried to recreate the ‘alphabet’ his master had shown him. It burned in his gut that what he had thought was the human language was no obsolete. His people had used the same language since the sea god first created them. What did that say about his people? Were they less advanced than humans? And how much else of his human knowledge was obsolete? He was the last siren the foremost authority on humanity and it seemed he couldn’t even speak their language.
For awhile he just stared at the letters wallowing in self pity before he shook himself out of it. He wasn’t born knowing the human language he had learned it and he could learn the newest one as well. He would start by memorizing this alphabet.
“Your lines on the E are backwards.” His master’s voice spoke above him as his shadow fell over the letters. His master bent his legs so he was closer to the ground and changed the offending symbol. “It goes like this.”
“Thank you for correcting me, master.” Zed intoned without thinking. It was a phrase he had spoken often enough when he was learning only he used the title ‘teacher’ instead of ‘master’.
“Have you been writing the letters this whole time I was gone?” His master asked folding his legs in a graceful criss cross display and sitting next to where Zed lay on his stomach. Zed noticed that his master’s appendage wasn’t in the form of a big bulge in his leg coverings like it had been before he left.
“I have been thinking while I wrote.” Zed answered carefully. He thought that was a good answer to the question without actually lying.
“Oh what were you thinking about?” His master asked.
“Well,” Zed felt shame creep into his face and his tone. “I was thinking what a failure I am.”
“A failure? Why are you a failure?”
“Well, master.” Zed paused trying his best to think of a quick explanation. “I was supposed to be wisest merman when it came to knowing about humans. But I didn’t even know you had changed your language.”
“Well if it makes you feel better you know far more about humans than I do about merpeople. Since until recently I didn’t even know they existed and you’ve known for a long time that humans existed.” His master responded.
It was a strange thing to say and it took awhile for Zed’s magic to really translate the meaning of the words. His master wanted him to feel better. And to do so he was trying to make Zed look smarter than him. That was something he would have never done for Blurr. Mainly because he was far smarter than Blurr. It would be a lie to say otherwise. But in this case was he really smarter than his master? Perhaps in some ways he was smarter but in others he was not. But if they combined what they knew.....
“Do you really want to know what would make me feel better, master?” He asked keeping a close eye on his master’s bracelet.
“Yes, Zed I really would.” His master even nodded his head for emphasis.
“I would like to request an exchange. I will teach you anything and everything about merfolk and you teach me about humans.” Zed offered hoping he still sounded humble.
“That sounds like an even trade to me.” His master smiled and Zed thought there was nothing as beautiful as his master’s face when he smiled.
Shaking those useless thoughts away Zed felt the need to express his knowledge of his place as well. “Of course if you order me to tell you I will obey you without expecting anything in return. I am your slave.”
“About that.....” His master’s cheeks took on a slight pinkish color. “I don’t know much about slaves either....”
“Humans no longer have slaves?” Zed asked.
“No we do it’s just I don’t have much experience with them. I mean they mostly work in the fields as cheap labor. Unless you are extremely wealthy you might have some house slaves. But I’m not wealthy. Not even wealthy enough for servants.” His master explained.
“What are servants?” Zed asked.
“They are people who do menial work for the upper or noble class. Or sometimes high ranking officials have servants. Like the Captain of my ship he had a cabin boy.” His master explained hesitantly. “It was the cabin boy’s job to help the Captain dress, and bath and he kept the Captain’s room clean and well actually that’s what I was. I was a servant. I’ve always been a servant of sorts. I’ve never been the master before.”
That explained so much! Zed immediately felt a pressure he wasn’t even aware of disappear. His master wasn’t crazy or stupid he was just inexperienced and since he was then he wouldn’t notice all of Zed mistakes and maybe not even punish him for them. Although Zed knew as a good slave he should inform his master every time he did something wrong and offer himself up for punishment. He remembered his father teaching him to go easier on the slave the submitted to punishment and be harsher with the one who tried to get away without being punished.
“If I may be so bold I have been the master all my life and I can tell you it is very easy.” Zed explained. “Here’s what you do. You tell me what you want me to do, when you want me to do it and if I fail...”He found he had a sudden need to swallow. “You run your fingers over that bracelet until I get it right.”
“That sounds cruel.” His master objected.
“It’s the only way to teach slaves their place. And I’m going to be even harder to teach because I didn’t grow up with it. But I promise to work hard master and learn from my mistakes.” Zed reaffirmed.
“And you...you want it to be like this?” His master asked astounded.
“If I didn’t want to be your slave I wouldn’t have saved your life, master.” Zed lied. He had no idea what he was getting himself into when he saved Master Lars’ life. But he was going to stand by his decision and see it through. Perhaps it was fitting that he learn what he put Blurr through and even if that wasn’t reason enough watching his master smile, listening to his voice, knowing he would always have that.....well it was worth a change in status.
“Fine then first you are going to learn to read, write and most importantly speak English. This magic stuff where I hear you say gibberish and it somehow makes sense is unnerving.” His master ordered. His voice took on a strange sound like he was imitating someone else. Perhaps he was trying to sound like the Captain he mentioned earlier. Then again it did sound like earlier when he was pretending to give orders on the ship. Well it didn’t really matter he had his orders and he couldn’t be happier.
“Yes, master.” He gave an awkward bow and set his mind to inhale his master’s teachings like a whale inhaling plankton.