You should have chosen better company then, Murgleis said. And not trusted the Order.
She chewed the inside of her cheek gently. True. This had happened due to Vaana’s machinations. But Vaana hadn’t planned for this to happen and something in Lorelei’s gut told her that the Order was up to something. Had they just wanted the tablets for safe keeping or was it for something else? She wanted to see where this thing with the tablets took them.
The shadow of something moved on the shore at the edge of Nearon. The light glinted off a white mask.
Lorelei leaned forward on the rail and peered into the darkness. The mask was attached to a cloaked figure that was hard to make out in the darkness.
Footsteps sounded behind her and Vandermere leaned on the rail beside her. “What are you staring at so hard?”
“There’s someone on the shore watching us,” she said in a low voice.
Vandermere gazed in the same direction for several moments before giving a huff of surprise. “I think that’s the Legate.”
Lorelei did a double-take at the figure. “You’re joking.”
“He supposedly is always seen in a mask.”
“So? Someone could be impersonating him. I mean, why would the Legate be watching us leave?”
Vandermere shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You could look,” Lorelei said. “Use your nifty prophet powers. You know, to make sure it’s not going to send us some nasty surprises.”
“I’d rather not,” Vandermere said. “I don’t want to risk an episode.”
“Like what happened at the Menhir where you were all crazy? That’s brought on by your visions?”
Vandermere sighed and looked down at the rail. “They are linked. Sometimes the visions come and I can’t stop them. With them comes the madness.”
Lorelei rested her hand on top of his. “I’m sorry. That’s a terrible thing to live with.”
He squeezed her hand gently but didn’t say anything.
“The rumors about the Dark Lord. You mentioned that was you…before all the craziness with the tablets and Daan happened. The people seemed afraid of you. Have you ever…done anything?”
Vandermere sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t know honestly. The helmet was supposed to deflect…the madness…and it sometimes helped…at least enough for me to get away from people. I tried to stick to the Menhir since it was in Winderward, a place most sane people avoided. Still, I don’t know what I’ve done when I’m fully taken.”
Lorelei swallowed at the sudden dryness in her mouth. Vandermere could be dangerous to them. He could have murdered people.
He turned her direction. “You wanted to know why I’m traveling with you and Vaana. It’s because of you.”
Lorelei blinked. “Me?”
His hand brushed her cheek, causing her heart to speed up. “You freed me from the episode at Menhir Du Moura. There is more to you than you believe. And from what I’ve seen, you may be my hope.”
“Vandermere, Lorelei,” Vaana called from the stairs. “Could you give me a hand? I found some things in the hold that could help salvage our mattresses. At least, if yours are anything like mine.”
Vandermere gave Lorelei’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before stepping back and turning in Vaana’s direction. “Sure.”
He joined Vaana and they headed below deck. Lorelei stayed near the railing for several minutes, trying to calm her pounding heart. Vandermere seemed to have put such faith in her, but she was a mess and constantly screwing things up. How could she be anyone’s hope?
Lorelei yawned as she stood at the helm and guided the ship along the river. She narrowed her eyes as she peered into the night, the darkness only cut by the lanterns that hung on the ships.
They’d been traveling for several days and this was the first night she’d taken over for Wes so he could get some much-needed sleep. She’d learned the basics of sailing from her father’s sailors when she could slip past her father, but most of that had never been hands on. Over the last few days, Wes had taught her how to sail diagonally and catch the wind in order for them to sail upstream. It had taken her some time, but she managed to succeed enough for him to give her free reign. It helped that the ship had some magic to it. She’d asked Wes where they’d gotten such a ship, but he’d only winked at her.
Vaana stood on the forecastle of the deck with a lantern in hand. She kept watch out at the river. She’d been annoyed to draw the night lot. However, they needed all four of them to run the ship, even with the magic on it.
The smell of sea salt caused Lorelei to wrinkle her nose. The scent had faded not long after leaving the dock, so why was it returning?
She glanced to the side of the ship with narrowed eyes. The song of a beautiful female soprano filled the air. Lorelei couldn’t make out the words, but the sweet singing filled her mind and her soul. The world faded away and all that mattered was the music.
No, something wasn’t right.
She let out a small gasp as she focused on the ship’s wheel. Its wood grain dug into her palms as she tightened her grip on it. Someone in the water was using song to lull her into a trance.
Not someone, but a creature.
The same sailors that had taught her about sailing had also told tales of the sirens of the sea. Their voices were so beautiful they could lure a male to his death under the waves. Some argued they did it to find a mate to bear them children. Sailors who fell under their enchantment were never seen again. Those who braved the water to dive after were never able to find their shipmates.
Different sailors had argued that sirens must have been Fomorians, and that was why they sought to kill sailors. Others had ended that argument that their blood was the green of seaweed, not red like Fomorians. They were elementals of the sea.
The crash of a lantern echoed over the sound of the song. Lorelei’s heart raced.
Vaana.
Vaana shuffled toward the rail with her eyes half closed. Her shoulders were tilted forward as if she was being led. Without thinking, Lorelei raised her voice into the night in a song of her own. The songs clashed. When one would gain dominance, the volume of the other would raise to overcome it.
Still singing, Lorelei raced down the steps of the deck and grabbed Vaana’s arm as she reached for the railing. A glowing formed peeked out from the surface of the river. It was female, and her appearance matched the beauty of her voice. Her bluish white hair had a glow that illuminated the water around her for a few feet. Her eyes had the same whitish luminesce as she glared up at Lorelei with her soft full lips moving with her song. Lorelei dug her nails into Vaana’s arm deep enough to draw blood and yanked her back from the rail.
“What?” Vaana blinked, then looked down at her arm. “What the hell, Lorelei?”
Lorelei released her and pointed to the railing. The siren had risen from the water enough that her bare breasts were visible. She hissed at Lorelei, revealing a set of pointed teeth, and the surrounding water began to ripple.
Lorelei pulled the fire heartstone from a pouch on her side and switched the cadence of her song to match that of the spell she knew to call forth fire. Flame burst from the ruby in her clutched fists and flew into the river to hit the siren in the chest. The siren’s song broke, and her screech of pain filled the air. She vanished below the water, and her glow faded into the black depths.
Lorelei shifted her song to a slower melody as she tread the deck, keeping her gaze on the water. The ship bobbed on the river, but the waves remained dark. She let her song fade and turned to Vaana.
“Siren,” she said.
Vaana’s eyebrow raised. “Aren’t they sea creatures?”
“Usually. I’ve never heard them living in any freshwater. Those are usually claimed by other water creatures.”
“So, what is she doing here?”
“Something must have driven her from the sea.”
Lorelei returned to the helm and took control of the wheel. She had to maneuver the boat back o
n course. The encounter with the siren had probably lost them a few hours of travel. As she wrestled with the ship, her mind wrestled with a question.
What could have driven a siren from the sea?
19
The Winddancer made port in Ebonshire early the next afternoon. Lorelei stepped off the gangplank and yawned as she stretched, raising her arms above her head. They’d had no more issues with sirens or any water creatures that were actually supposed to reside in rivers. Still, she’d tossed and turned in her bed during the early hours of the morning, barely able to get much sleep.
She smiled at Vandermere as he stepped onto the dock. He rubbed his face and returned her smile.
She looked up at Vaana who was watching them from the rail. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
“The local Lord is connected with the Order in Kirkwall up the river. I’m known there, so I should stay. Don’t want to ruin this little mission by getting recognized.”
Lorelei nodded. “You have a good point.”
Wes stuck his head over the edge of the boat. “I have a few things to do here, but I’ll meet you at the Swift Swan. It’s the inn just off the harbor.”
Lorelei nodded. “All right. Hopefully, we won’t be too long.”
Vandermere held out his arm for Lorelei. “Shall we?”
Lorelei rested her hand in the crook of his elbow and they strolled from the pier and along the wooden dock. She gazed up at the ebony wood buildings that filled the town. Rising above them was a black guard tower that had to have sat in the center of town. The smell of fish drifted from the sparse market stalls along the harbor. Groups of faeries glanced their direction with cautious gazes before turning back and whispering among one another.
“You’d think they would be used to people,” Lorelei murmured. “They are a port off the river, after all.”
“Hmm, perhaps it has been a while,” Vandermere said. “They are at the fork of two rivers.”
“Have you been here before?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I didn’t do much exploring of the West after moving to Nearon. My duty was to watch the Menhir and keep unwanted intruders out.”
“But not any longer? You haven’t abandoned your responsibilities for us, have you?” Lorelei felt a mixture of dismay and something else she could not quite identify in the pit of her stomach.
He patted her hand that was resting in his elbow. “No. My watch is done there. Another of House Essus will take that up.”
The wooden planks of the harbor ended and a dirt road started. Across the road stood a two-story ebonwood building. A small oval sign with an image of a flying swan hung on a post to the right of the door.
“I guess this is the place,” Lorelei said.
“Indeed,” Vandermere said.
They crossed the road and opened the solid wooden door of the inn. The heavy aroma of spiced fish and baked bread greeted them. The inn appeared to be filled with the lunch crowd. Dock workers sat with merchants at small tables around the walls. Two large trestle tables filled the center of the inn and at them sat various faerie in twos or threes. A set of stairs in the far left corner led to the second story. In the far right was the bar.
The barkeep, a hob with dark mustard colored skin and brown hair, nodded to them as he continued to clean glasses. A few of the patrons glanced up at them before returning to their conversations.
Lorelei took a stool at the center of the bar, and Vandermere sat next to her.
The barkeep smiled at them. “Good morrow, folks. Did you just arrive on a ship?”
Lorelei nodded. “Who can we talk to about getting a room?”
“That’d be me, Arry.” He pointed to himself with one hand, still holding a mug. “But our inn is too humble for the likes of such a lord and lady. We’ve only one room to spare aside from that.”
Lorelei glanced around the inn with a raised eyebrow. Most of the patrons appeared to be locals. “Really?”
“We’re expectin’ a ship in any day now,” he said. “Been savin’ some rooms for the men on it.”
Lorelei sighed and glanced at Vandermere. “Well, we could stay on the ship…or we could share.”
The last part held a hint of hopefulness.
He chuckled. “Why don’t we start with lunch and discuss it when Wes arrives?”
“What are you serving?” Lorelei asked Arry.
“Fish gumbo. My wife just pulled out a fresh loaf of bread to go with it.” Arry puffed his chest out with pride.
“Two of that then,” Lorelei said with a smile. “And two glasses of wine.”
Arry poured their drinks before he shuffled off towards the kitchen.
Lorelei turned to glance back at the patrons. Her gaze caught that of a phooka merchant who stared at her with wide eyes. He ducked his head to whisper something to his companion on the right.
“I’m not sure if there is something going on, or if they are just unused to seeing many sidhe,” Lorelei said in a low voice.
“The lord and his family may be the only ones here,” Vandermere said. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t something happening, though.”
Lorelei leaned closer to him, lowering her voice to a murmur. “Have you been able to see anything?”
Vandermere shook his head. “No, but something feels off. I feel it in the pit of my stomach.”
“Great.” Lorelei leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. “I hope Wes knows someone we can talk to here.”
“We should probably visit the lord as well to see if there has been anything he is aware of,” Vandermere said.
The door to the kitchen swung open and Arry came out carrying a tray filled with two bowls and a loaf of bread wrapped in a cloth. He climbed back to the bar and set their food before them.
Lorelei dipped her spoon into the bowl and scooped out a large bite of the stew. Fish was mixed with vegetables and rice in a white cream sauce. She took a bite and immediately sucked in air at the heat that filled her mouth. She sipped her wine to help her swallow and then continued to drink while she waited on the food to cool. Vandermere chuckled at her and broke off a piece of bread. The second bite was much cooler temperature wise, but the stew itself was spiced to give a different sort of heat. Lorelei found she liked the balance of spiciness with the cream of the sauce.
Halfway through the meal, Wes entered the inn. He took a seat beside Lorelei and after eying her food, ordered a bowl of his own.
When Arry left, West turned to Lorelei and Vandermere.
“I’ve found a contact,” he said in a low voice. “We’re to meet tonight.”
“Good,” Lorelei said. “Have you been here before? Does it seem any different to you?”
Wes shook his head. “I haven’t visited Ebonshire in a year or more, but everything seems like it was.”
“What could have your leader been talking about then? What’s the big disturbance?”
“I don’t know,” Wes said. “Maybe that siren you saw?”
Lorelei sat up straighter as Arry returned with Wes’s food. “This is such a nice town. Seems to have a lot of history.”
Arry beamed. “It does. That guard tower you see was built nigh seven decades ago by a band of revolutionaries. ’Course, they faded out when the Order and Lord Zaos Nematona came.”
He glanced around uneasily and turned back to cleaning his glasses.
Lorelei’s shoulders stiffened at the name Nematona. Decades ago, House Nematona had been caught trying to overthrow the Quorum. They would have been executed, but they sought sanctuary with the Elemental Order and were granted it. After years of negotiating, the new High Lord was admitted a seat back on the Quorum, though few trusted the house.
Lorelei tilted her head at Vandermere with raised eyebrows. He shook his head and shrugged, the slightest lift of his shoulders.
Lorelei finished her wine and set down her glass. “Arry, have you heard about anything strange going on in the town?”
Arry scratched
his chin. “Well, I hear Martin’s got a weird rash, but that could be from—” He stopped, his eyes widening as he glanced at Lorelei and Vandermere. “Well, never mind. It’s not for such company.”
Lorelei let out a soft laugh as Arry left to serve one of the tables. “So, nothing the innkeeper knows of except for a possible sexual disease.”
“Oh, maybe it’s some sort of sex demon.” Wes’s eyes got a glazed look.
“You know they kill you and steal your soul with sex?” Vandermere said.
“Yeah, but what a way to go,” Wes said.
Lorelei shook her head. “Haven’t you had enough experiences with Sluagh?”
Wes shuddered. “True.”
The door to the inn opened and an ankou in green and silver livery stepped inside. He scanned the room with a lifted chin and narrowed eyes before his gaze landed on them. He marched to the bar and gave a stiff bow to Vandermere and Lorelei.
“My lord and lady, Lord Zaos ap Nematona requests your presence at his manse.”
Lorelei blinked. Word certainly traveled fast in this town if the lord already knew of their presence in the span of lunch.
“I suppose we should pay him a visit.” Lorelei slipped off the stool and glanced at Wes. “Are you coming?”
“Nah,” he said. “I’ll stay and look after the ship. I’m just hired help after all.”
Lorelei nodded and took Vandermere’s arm. They followed the ankou out of the inn. A carriage waited for them on the road. The ankou held the door open for them. Lorelei stepped inside first followed by Vandermere. The door shut behind them. As they settled on the cushioned seats, the carriage jolted forward. The town passed through the window in a slight blur and they traveled a few miles outside the city to stop at the gates of a large manse centered on a small hill. The gates opened and they were moving forward again. After several moments, the carriage stopped and the door opened.
Lorelei stepped out and stared up at the manse as Vandermere got out. It was several stories high, made of the same black wood as the town with two large spires, one on either side. Steps lead to a set of double doors with stained glass windows.
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