An older couple stood at the foot of a massive white marble stairwell ahead of them, each wearing an elaborate crystal seven-pointed star pin on white sashes: Cabalists.
“Your Honors, may I introduce Kyoko de Brazil, via-enchanter, and her consort, Thomas Bant de Atlantic,” Wilhelmina stated, and both Kyoko and Thomas inclined their heads. Kyoko squeezed Thomas’ forearm slightly, and he hoped no one was expecting them to bow and curtsy as if to royalty. Or worse, to shake hands as if they were Americans. Thomas had no desire to touch any of the Cabalists.
“Kyoko, I am Cabalist Eloise ric Western, and this is Cabalist George ric New South Wales. We have been so eager to meet you.” Eloise was a plump woman, with dirty blond hair swept into an elaborate up-do. She was wearing what appeared to Thomas to be a pure white dress, studded with clear crystals in a swirling pattern that seemed to shift in the light. From what Kyoko had explained, he was sure that to mage-sight, the dress would have a very different appearance.
George, in contrast, was rather thin, with steel-gray, close-cut hair and a deep tan broken by a thick white scar that extended from the corner of his forehead down to the edge of his mouth. He too wore white: a white jacket and pants, with a royal blue shirt beneath. Thomas suspected that George was probably the weaker of the pair. Western Australia was Australia’s richest state, with most of the continent’s deserts contained within its borders. To hold onto such a territory, Eloise had to be one of the strongest in the Cabal.
Eloise and George led them up the sweeping staircase. Halfway up, Thomas realized that Wilhelmina had stayed in the receiving area below. He wasn’t sure whether this was a sign that the Cabal was unhappy with the job their handler was doing, or whether she simply didn’t rate an invitation to what was probably a highly elite event. Meeting one member of the ruling Cabal was probably a high honor; Kyoko must be very important to them if they were to introduce her to four in such a manner.
The two Cabalists kept up an innocuous chatter on their way to the dining room. What did they think of Australia so far, the weather, what a shame it was that only four of the Cabal were in residence at the moment... Thomas thought it was interesting that so far, no one had asked them how long they intended to stay in Australia or why they were there.
“Kyoko,” Thomas began, “You were telling me that you wanted to see more of Australia.”
Kyoko picked up on the hint. “Eloise, please tell us more about your state. We’d like to tour the continent, and know very little about Western Australia.”
“I would love to show you my state!” Eloise gushed. “The Great Sandy Desert is spectacular. Our most productive silica-salt fields are located there, and the patterns and colors are unmatched across the continent.” Eloise continued to regale them with descriptions of the landscape and architecture in Western Australia until they arrived at what was probably one of the smaller dining rooms in Parliament House. Butlers opened the heavy, inlaid doors and Eloise swept inside, pausing her description of the latest museum opening in Perth.
A large rectangular table was centered in the room, decked with a royal blue tablecloth. Where white tablecloths seemed to be the norm everywhere else, in Australia, all the tables were covered in blue. Kyoko had speculated that it might be because the color white was rather distracting when seen through mage-sight. Since Australia had been founded as a sanctuary for mages, it made sense that everyday items would cater to mage comforts instead of mundane traditions.
Perhaps a dozen people were clustered by the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the main entrance. “George,” called a woman in a red dress holding a vape pipe, “Come here! You have to see this.”
They walked in a group towards the others looking out the windows. Across the tree-line in the distance, a jagged fork of green lightning flashed across the early evening sky. It was quickly followed by a purple flash, then yellow. Thomas didn’t hear any thunder, and the sky was otherwise clear.
“Dahlia is playing again,” the woman in red stated, shaking her head and exhaling a jasmine-scented vapor from her pipe.
“Who is Dahlia?” asked Kyoko.
A thin man standing next to the vaping woman responded. “Dahlia ric Northern is showing off for her latest fling instead of coming to visit our honored guests. I’m Trevor ric Victoria, and am most happy to welcome you to Australia,” he smiled, and his teeth shone white against his ebony face. Thomas marveled that someone in a powder blue tuxedo could actually look stylish. Like Eloise and George, Trevor also wore a white sash with a crystal star.
The woman in red turned to them. “I doubted Dahlia would come tonight, despite Eloise’s pressuring. She is consumed by interests other than the Cabal at the moment. Nevertheless, we are grateful to finally make your acquaintance. I am Juliana de Northern, Minister of Defense.”
Juliana’s red dress was cut low in almost a Renaissance style, emphasizing her large chest. Thomas thought her debutante drawl, vape-pipe, and dress were a careful form of distraction from the keen focus she was paying to them, and to the entire room for that matter. Minister of Defense was the title used in polite company; others would know her as the Minister of War or Minister of Death.
A waitress offered them drinks, and Thomas was grateful for something to hold in his hand. He was very eager to avoid shaking hands with any of the mages if they chose to adopt an American-style of greeting. Kyoko also took a glass, but she drank it quickly, and her grip on Thomas’ arm remained tight. The Australians might prefer that they separate to mingle, but Kyoko was having none of that.
A wave of people introduced themselves. There were few spouses or consorts in the room. None appeared affected by Thomas, and he thought this might be the first time since his transition that he had been around so many humans without needing to prepare for an immediate assault. Still, he was unable to relax, though he tried to counter Kyoko’s taciturn demeanor with a more affable air.
Most of those present were ministers, and except for Bo-Long, the envoy from the Pacific Court, all were mages. Bo-Long only spent a brief moment with them before gliding away so that another Australian could make her introduction. Because of his accent, Thomas thought the envoy had probably been born Chinese, though his current appearance vaguely resembled a 1970s-era American football player: shaggy blond hair, chiseled jaw, and a chin divided by a deep cleft.
Thomas was so pleased that Kyoko didn’t act the least bit drawn to the other siren, he didn’t bother to analyze the oddity of her indifference. He did feel uncomfortable under the barely hidden interest shown by Bo-Long and all the other guests. They were the center of attention, even when they merely stood and smiled. Kyoko hid the strain well, and Thomas was proud of her.
Members of the dinner party gave every appearance of joviality and openness. They chattered about local gossip. Trevor even lamented about the recent lag in silica-salt production due to worker unrest at the refinement facilities. Nothing, Thomas supposed, that wasn’t already in the local papers, but it gave a feeling of openness to the evening.
After Wilhelmina’s careful management over the past few days, Thomas found the ambiance refreshing. But he didn’t doubt that this conversation was any less carefully selected. Thomas knew he needed to find a way to get the Australians to disclose their purpose so he could strike a bargain and get them to back off. As safe as Australia seemed for Kyoko, the Cabal’s incessant attention was making him think that returning to Bahia and Kadu’s clan might be a better choice.
The lights in the room went out, and a silent firecracker illuminated the room with white sparks that hovered above the table like twinkling stars. That was a rather extravagant way to ring the dinner bell, Thomas thought. Eloise approached, beckoning them to the table.
Kyoko murmured responses to Eloise’s remarks on the pending meal with a small smile, but did not relinquish her grip on Thomas’ arm as he gracefully escorted her to her seat. Eloise took her place at the head of the table, and Kyoko was seated to her right, clearly intended as
the seat of honor. The seating arrangements made it obvious that they would have to separate, at least for the duration of the dinner. Thomas pulled out her chair, then leaned down to kiss her on her cheek.
“Will you be all right, or should I make a fuss?” Thomas whispered. Kyoko pressed against him for a moment before brushing her hand against his cheek. A tingle ran through his body at her touch. As much as he wanted to protect her, he felt her sigil upon him, and knew that she was trying to protect him as well.
She turned to look at him. “This is the last dinner,” she whispered, then sat down. Thomas pushed her in and looked over at the others, who were taking their seats. At least Juliana, the Minister of Defense, was at the opposite end of the table. Trevor, the Cabalist in the powder blue suit, was seated across from Kyoko. Unlike Eloise, he seemed to sense that Kyoko did not enjoy idle banter, and had focused his previous conversation with them on enchantment methodologies.
Thomas walked down to his own seat of honor, at George’s right hand, and across from Juliana. It could be worse; he could have been seated next to Juliana, like Bo-Long. After all the women had been seated, the men sat down. Australian formality, probably a holdover from past centuries.
“How are you enjoying Australia?” George asked. A question that almost everyone had asked Thomas since they’d arrived, and one that he’d already answered five times that evening. Instead of the pat response he’d given before, Thomas tried a different tact.
“Honestly, we’re tired of being under the microscope. We came here to get away. Australia is reputed to be a sanctuary for mages. I brought Kyoko here for sanctuary, to have a quiet honeymoon of sorts, and you’re suffocating her with your constant attention. I promised Kyoko a quiet break on the beach. Instead, I’ve somehow thrust her into the kind of political intrigue my sister enjoys, but which I’ve avoided for thirty years.”
Thomas’ honesty was met with silence, and he wondered if he’d gone too far in his blunt attempt to start the negotiations and elicit a different kind of reaction than what they’d encountered thus far.
Juliana looked at Thomas and nodded her head slowly. “We’ve been so focused on our own relief at her arrival, we didn’t consider how she might perceive our attention.” She sipped her wine. “Wilhelmina told me that you were not happy, and I thought perhaps we had failed to show you sufficient honor.”
“You mentioned sanctuary,” George said. “Why does Kyoko need sanctuary?”
“I met Kyoko in Rio years ago, while she was still indentured to the vampire ruler of the city. When she broke her indenture, I got her safely out of the city. But her escape didn’t go unnoticed, and a battle mage destroyed my home only minutes after we left. Atlantis is no place for her; she can’t walk freely among all the sirens without being bespelled. I brought her to Australia for her first breath of freedom since she was indentured. I thought we could fly under the radar here. Explore the Great Barrier Reef, walk on the beach. I brought her here to rest and recover. I didn’t bring her here to be monitored and corralled, as kind as you’ve been.”
George’s wife patted Thomas’ hand. He barely kept from recoiling. “We’ve been anticipating the Breaker’s arrival for decades. I’m a prognosticator, you know. When the ocean roiled, and I felt the backlash from a great working, I knew she was close. I spent days casting to follow you on your journey here.” Her voice was gentle, but the feel of her touch simultaneously froze and burned. The only mage Thomas ever wanted to touch him was Kyoko.
“The Breaker? You mean Kyoko?” Thomas asked.
“Whether you or your mage want the attention or not, she has a powerful and unique skill. The fulfillment of a prophesy.” George’s previously bland demeanor seemed harder, but Thomas felt that his new pragmatic tone was less threatening than his empty small talk had been. At least now, they were beginning to negotiate.
Thomas knew objectively that Kyoko’s power was incredible and unique. But until that moment, he had also never questioned the common wisdom that the members of the Australian Cabal were the most powerful mages on Earth — aside from Amir Khalid, of course. Listening to them, Thomas realized that perhaps his beautiful Kyoko was in fact more powerful.
It was obvious that the Cabal was courting them, as off-putting as it had been. But Thomas had assumed it was simply how the Cabal behaved when any strong mage arrived — kind of like a college recruiting visit for a great high school player. The stakes were a lot higher if her power were infinitely greater than everyone else’s at the table. Thomas was glad he’d pointed out how heavy-handed their recruiting tactics had been. It bought them time before the Cabal might perceive Kyoko’s reluctance as a threat, and deal with them accordingly.
“I fell in love with Kyoko from the moment I saw her,” Thomas said. “She has always been unique and special to me, so I suppose I never considered what she might mean to others.”
Bo-Long spoke, his mild Chinese accent contrasting with his beach boy appearance. “Kōkai-Heika has been waiting for the breaking of the Atlantic Curse predicted long ago; the fulfillment of the prophesy given to the Cabal decades before.”
The Pacific sirens still viewed the Atlantic sirens’ role in the Third Mage War as immoral. They called Morgan le Fay’s curse, “the Atlantic Curse,” the war, the “Atlantic War,” lest anyone forget the guilt of the Atlantic sirens. Thomas ignored his irritation at Bo-Long’s semantics. “Kyoko said the geas was almost irresistible. She found it hard not to break it.”
“Kyoko may enjoy meeting with some of our binders. We battle mages are often able to joust with one another, but practitioners of other disciplines don’t often have the chance to play like that.” Juliana smiled.
“Practicing magick is what Kyoko loves to do,” Thomas replied politely. This was so true, Thomas worried for a split-second that he might be setting her up for the ultimate seduction. He stifled his jealousy and turned to George’s wife. “You’re a prognosticator?” Thomas asked, his inflection rising in a question.
“That’s right. A fortune teller, really. I read crystal,” George’s wife responded as the waiters served what looked like a miso soup for the first course.
“Now, don’t be modest!” George exclaimed. “Ava is the most accurate prognosticator in Australia.”
“I simply have the best tools,” Ava demurred. “The best crystal balls are made from silica-salt skimmed from the Sahara and smelted with Arabian sand. Mine are practically irreplaceable.”
“You can have the best equipment in the world, but without the proper skill, they just won’t matter,” Juliana said.
“So you saw our arrival?” Thomas asked.
“My visions were constantly changing, which makes sense because of how much was — and still is — in flux. But just before your arrival, I had a very clear image of the two of you, and knew that the Breaker was coming to our country.” Ava seemed rather excited by that. While it was odd to think of Kyoko as a celebrity, Thomas was used to thinking of himself as a hanger-on.
“I have to apologize for our delay in meeting with you, but it does take at least three days for the impotence injections to work,” George explained.
“Impotence injections?” Thomas asked.
“Once Ava saw that you, a male siren, were accompanying the Breaker, we needed to prepare for your arrival. Sterility spells are unfortunately ineffective against sirens, as we have learned.” George smiled ruefully, and Bo-Long laughed.
“Yes, indeed! That is why my visits are short and infrequent. But I am delighted to be able to meet you, Thomas Bant de Atlantic, and extend my King’s greetings to you and the esteemed Kyoko. We would be honored if you would visit us in the Ryukyu Arc.”
Bo-Long smiled and Thomas smiled back, rather surprised at the invitation. This was the first invitation the Pacifics had made to anyone from the Atlantic that Thomas could recall. Even his mother met with them in Kasos. “That is most generous,” Thomas replied.
“We will soon have a binding tie linking us throu
gh my offspring, Liu Yang, who is pregnant with your son’s child.”
That was why his name sounded familiar! Kevin had mentioned Bo-Long. Thomas made a mental note to call Cordelia. After spending most of the past year in Kasos, she’d likely have some idea what kind of player Bo-Long was in the Pacific court.
“I am extremely happy for Kevin. We discussed placing the child with adoptive parents in Panama City.”
“Yes, Liu Yang has convinced me that this would be an appropriate location.” Bo-Long said, and his tone made Thomas wonder if he truly approved of the placement.
“I would love to see Amami,” Thomas said. “I have never been to the Pacific court.”
“But first, you should see more of Australia,” Juliana interjected. “I understand you would like to visit some of the sites outside Canberra. Perhaps, George, they could stay in Townsville? See the Great Barrier Reef? Bo-Long, you should take them to your villa tomorrow. That way, you’d be able to have that long-delayed honeymoon.” Juliana winked at Thomas. Thomas merely smiled.
“Yes, that would be perfect,” George replied. “Maybe Kyoko would like me to arrange a meeting with Professor Wanda de Victoria? She teaches binding at the University of Queensland. She’s the foremost expert in Australia.”
George’s tone remained light; despite the seriousness of their negotiation, the Australians wanted to pretend they were all simply friends. For once, Thomas thought, his carefree demeanor made it easier for him to navigate politics. The Cabal’s indirect proposal felt like a fair bargain: they wanted Kyoko to break another spell, and Bo-Long wanted the geas on him broken. The Australians had arranged to have an expert available to see how it was done. This request was something Kyoko would enjoy anyway, and then they could have a measure of their freedom back.
Active sirens are also susceptible to certain fae illnesses, including the common heat. While only rarely contracted by sirens, the heat typically only afflicts older, more powerful sirens. The common heat is non-contagious, and sirens typically recover within 3 to 10 days, although the fae can suffer for more than a month. Symptoms include fever (37°-39°C), sweating and a fixation on a particular person, animal, or thing. Afflicted fae are at risk of fading if the object of their adoration is taken from them before they recover. Although sirens cannot fade like the fae, their obsession while in the grip of the heat can cause them to attempt suicide or take other actions that are not only self-destructive, but harmful to those around them.
Sirens Unbound Page 39