The mer king squared his shoulders. His thick muscles rippled with strength. Easily dwarfing the mage, the mer was thrice the size of Syryn. The muscles in his arms flexed when he lifted his trident and stabbed it hard into the sand.
The noises decreased when the king threw away his weapon. It was an insult and a challenge. He was showing them that he didn't need a weapon to beat Syryn.
"I'm not doing this," Syryn told the mers. "It takes brains and good subordinates to rule a kingdom. You had a brawny king for all this time so it's no wonder that Silisia has stagnated in so many ways. You're not even allowed to visit the surface because this brute of a king refuses to look past the actions of a few humans, so much so that he won't even make an attempt to secure diplomatic relations with the surface kingdoms."
Rowan applauded Syryn's strategy. Going up against the powerful mer king was suicidal while the mage remained ignorant of his abilities.
