by Alyssa Breck
Alayah looked at the road they were on. It was a crossroad, and she wondered where they were heading. “What’s the path that leads to Blyst?”
“We need to keep following the coastline. This road will bring us to Blyst where the White Mage lives. The road to the right leads to the city of Derryel which was lost in recent blood battles,” Marina said.
Alayah got up and looked into the horizon. “Do you believe it’s safe for us to travel on our own? I thought the elders would give me more soldiers for such an important task.”
“We travel better in small numbers. All of you just need to remember to cover your heads with the hoods and don’t show fear when someone talks to you. Men prey on weak women, but they fear our kind because they know what we are capable of doing to them,” Marina explained.
“They also like our kind.” Kiera giggled.
Marina smirked. “Yes, a few would give all of their possessions just to spend a night with one of us.”
“Ugh.” Alayah scrunched her face with the thought of sleeping with someone for money.
“It gets lonely here. We need to have some fun,” Kiera retorted.
Alayah waved in dismissal. “It’s your body, you are allowed to do whatever you want with it as long as it doesn’t interfere with the mission.”
Rose packed her things and stood. “Let’s go. We are wasting daylight. We have plenty of time to get to know each other when we arrive in Blyst and wait for an audience with the White Mage.”
“Wise words, Rose,” Alayah said.
Chapter 14
The sirens strolled into Blyst at mid-morning. The sun was still rising. A broken road sign dangled from a steel pole. Alayah imagined what the village had looked like before the crash. Remnants of a once bustling farming community were evident; shops with broken in windows and dilapidated homes surrounded by large swatches of dry, dead meadows. There was nothing green or growing there.
Blyst was run down. The asphalt under their feet was pocked and crumbling in places. A tattered flag flew on the corner from the roof of another abandoned store.
Alayah stopped to look around. She hadn’t the foggiest idea which way to go to find the White Mage’s quarters. A boy riding a bicycle and wearing a gray shirt rode by them. He smiled, revealing slightly crooked teeth behind thick lips.
“Hey,” Alayah called.
The boy circled back on the bike and stopped beside her. He put one boot-clad foot on the ground to balance himself. “Yeah?”
“I need to speak with the White Mage. Could you point me toward his home?”
The boy was no older than fourteen or fifteen. He looked Alayah up and down. “What’s in it for me?”
“How about we don’t break your legs? Does that work for you?”
Rose smirked, and Marina laughed.
He frowned and pushed a tuft of dark hair away from his eyes. “I’ll just show you.”
Alayah grinned. “Excellent.”
The group of sirens followed the boy on the bike as he rode slowly down the main drag. An older woman in a patchwork dress sat before a loom weaving what looked like a rug. She nodded at the boy after he waved at her.
After a few blocks of fast walking to keep up with the boy on the bike, the women stood before a three-story, beige-stucco building. Unlike the other homes in the area, the White Mage’s house was impeccable. It had either been built after the crash or had been restored.
She climbed the concrete stairs and looked up at the wrought-iron fenced balcony on the second floor. A lantern-style light hung beside the ten-foot oak door. Alayah grabbed the brass knocker and gave it two hard raps.
A young man in a black tunic pulled the door open. “May I help you?” The scent of burning herbs and spices wafted out.
Alayah sniffed. “I need to see the White Mage. It is most urgent.”
“And you are?” the man asked.
“My name is Alayah. I have traveled from Madeira.” She gripped the golden trident in her hand to emphasize that she was an important warrior. “It is imperative that I speak with the mage, please.”
He looked over her shoulder to spy her entourage of sirens. “And them?”
“They are my team. But only I need to speak with the mage.”
Rose grunted behind her. Alayah gave her a backward glance and winked.
“Wait here.” The door was closed again.
Alayah spun around. “If he’s going to be all secretive, it’s better if I speak with him alone. You keep watch out here.”
The other sirens looked at each other then back to Alayah.
“Okay,” Rose said. “If anything happens, just yell, and we’ll storm the castle.” Then, she winked.
Alayah laughed. If nothing else, the mission would be interesting with this group in tow.
The door opened again, and the black tunic man beckoned her inside. “This way.”
Alayah stared at the back of his bald head. The light glinted off his smooth scalp. He was tall but slight in build. The tunic hung on him as if it were perhaps a size too big.
Her boots were silent on the marble floors as they traversed a long hallway that ended at open double doors. Her escort stopped at the doors.
“He’s just inside.”
“Thank you.” Alayah walked into the room.
The ceiling was impossibly high with a large chandelier suspended above her. One wall held books and knick-knacks while another held magical implements; a mortar and pestle made of wood, jars of powders and liquids and burning incense.
The White Mage seemed to suddenly materialize in the corner of the room. “Commander Alayah from the siren clan of Madeira.” He squinted. “You are young.”
She bowed slightly. “Your majesty.”
He laced his hands behind his back with a neutral expression. “What are you doing so far from home?”
“The elders sent me here with a request and important information that can save our world.”
He arched an eyebrow. “And what’s that important information?”
Alayah frowned. “Have you not read the missive that our king sent you? Did he not explain why I am here?”
Waving his hand in front of him, he replied as he climbed down some steps. “I have, but I want to hear it from you.”
Placing her hand on the left side of her chest, she projected her voice. “I’ve been chosen by the elders in Madeira to seek out the magical Legacy Stone to heal our lands. I was also told that I cannot do it alone.”
The mage interrupted her. “I’m informed that you are not alone.”
“I have my team of sirens, but we require a powerful mage to assist us in our quest.”
He tucked a lock of dark hair behind his ear. For an older man, he was attractive with olive skin and light brown eyes.
“A magical stone, you say? What nonsense are the elders from your clan preaching about now?”
“Hasn’t the news reached your ears? The 13th Region sent a messenger to each region to assist with this endeavor. We need to do our part and find our stone so that our land is also cured, and the world saved from starvation and the Titans. There are thirteen magical stones. Each stone is powerful enough to heal a region if taken to the altar under the sea.”
“Have you seen that happen?”
“No, but I trust my king and the elders.” Pausing, she fisted her hands. “The plants are dying, and the fish are scarce. Many sirens are being affected by a strange disease that infects their gills and prevents them from breathing underwater. It won’t be long until we need to abandon the underwater world and move to land. The exodus of that many people will bring new wars to this already dying land. Finding the stone is our only hope for a future.”
The mage shook his head. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, child, but there is no stone. And even if there was, I have no interest in helping the sirens again.”
“We are willing to pay.” Alayah pulled out the pouch of pearls and held it up.
The White Mage raised hi
s hand up to stop her. “My ancestors have used our magic for dishonorable purposes. That magic unleashed the Titans. I refuse to sacrifice anything more for this world. I’m old, and I’m tired. I’m afraid your kind will have to handle this quest without my magic.”
Alay felt like he’d punched her in the stomach. How could he refuse to help her and deny the Legacy Stone even existed?
“Please, sir. We absolutely must find the stone. Without it, my people will perish. Our world will succumb to the slow death it’s been dying.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
Alayah took a deep breath and touched her forehead. “I can’t go back home without the stone.”
“I’m old, and I have no intention of leaving my domain to pursue a myth. Do you think that it’s the first time that someone comes here to ask for my help to save the world?”
Alayah squinted.
“There’s always someone with a new theory and a new way to save the world.” He towered over her. “All I care about now is protecting my kingdom and preparing my soul to leave this plane of existence.” His eyes aimed at her necklace. “Interesting. Where did you get that necklace?”
“My mother gave it to me.”
He clenched his jaw and looked her in the eyes. “Where’s your mother now?”
“Gone. Eaten by a Titan.” Touching the pendant, she added, “I was very young when it happened.”
After an uncomfortable moment of the mage staring at Alayah, he turned his back on her.
She grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
He shook his arm, and she let him go.
She pleaded, “What should I do, then? My people are counting on me to save them.”
Facing her, the White Mage’s face took on a softer expression. “If you truly believe in your quest, then you should go to Rheyn. There are mages for hire there. Find a man named Glenn. He will be able to match you with a suitable mage for this quest. Save your pearls for that.”
Alayah swallowed hard. The White Mage wasn’t going to budge. It would be a monumental waste of time to keep asking him.
Disappointed, she bowed to him. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“While I feel your quest is for naught, keep that spark in your eye.” He gave her a stern nod before striding back toward the corner that he had materialized in.
“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath as she walked back into the hallway. “What the hell am I going to do now?”
Lost in her thoughts, she ran into a figure and almost landed on her ass.
A black hood cloaked the man’s head. Grey eyes stared at her. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
She curved slightly after staring at his handsome face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
The man smirked. “Distracted much?”
“Yeah. A whole lot.”
He bowed with an amused glint in his eyes. “No harm was done. It was a pleasure to bump into you, milady.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “E-excuse me again. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“Goodbye,” the young man said as Alayah brushed past him to report the bad news to her team.
Chapter 15
Alayah and her team of sirens arrived in Rheyn just as the sun was dropping in the western skies, leaving a yellow flush across the horizon.
Alayah liked to listen to Marina talk about the places they were going. She was a source of information.
“Rheyn used to be a trade route for gold in a forgotten past,” Marina explained. “It has gone from a prosperous city to a rundown, one street backwater town. It’s also where we can find the mage mercenaries we need to continue this quest.”
The five horse-riding warriors trotted through the dusty traffic of both human and animal.
Kiera spoke. “Because there was a lot of gold here, the thieves came and made this place a hotbed of crime.”
As the light of the evening faded faster, Alayah grew more concerned about finding a place to rest. “We seem to be drawing a lot of curious stares.”
Alayah understood that despite its infamy, Rheyn was a small town. Medium sized houses lined the single street, lamplights hung from long poles that stood about five meters apart. Late travelers hung by their horses and watched the strangers. Meanwhile, the majority of the places they had stopped by claimed not to have spare rooms, so they continued their way until they could find a place to spend the night.
They halted by a chalet just a little off the road. It looked like an inn. Horses were tied to wooden stilts in front of its muddy lawn.
“Are you sure about this place, Commander?” whispered Marina.
Alayah looked up and down the street. The chalet had a small window up on the roof like an attic or maybe a room. For strangers who needed a place to pass the night, it should suffice.
“I don’t know, but we can’t seem to find anywhere else to stay. Maybe they have a vacancy.”
“It looks dirty,” Kiera complained.
“Our horses need to rest. We need water and a floor to lay down. Staying under the stars would be too dangerous in a place like this, filled with thieves and mercenaries.”
“Alay is right,” Marina said. “I’d rather be indoors.”
Alay jumped down from her horse and looked at the lone figure at the door, head bowed. His face was hidden underneath the edge of his wide-rimmed hat.
As Alayah walked toward the door, the acrid smell of vomit escorted them in.
A horse whinnied somewhere across the dark road, and a hurrying foot fall followed the heavy sounds of horse hooves.
“Steady, ya old fool!” the rough voice scolded.
The horse kicked, and the voice hollered in exasperation. “Aw, you pesky bag o' shit intestines!”
Alayah paused by the swinging doors of the inn and took a long look at the quiet lump on the floor. She debated waking the man.
One of the other sirens moved around him. “Want me to wake him up, Alay?”
“No, Kiera. Let’s not draw attention just yet.”
“I’ll watch the horses and entrance,” Rose volunteered. She was a broad-shouldered woman with a cold stare that never thawed.
Alayah led the rest into the deserted place.
It was lit by two large orbs that hung by an oval handle from a hook that disappeared into the darkness beyond. The flames were like a glowing Erther leaf that her people used for birth purposes.
Two men sat at a table by the far wall, one had a large tin cup covering half his face, and he watched the girls over the rim. The other had a back like a large door. His hair was tied in a ponytail. His face was away from the door. He sat so motionless, he looked painted into the scenery.
Alayah and her escort went over to the bar where a bald bartender stood cleaning tin cups with a dirty looking rag.
The napkin on his chest had an inscription in a foreign language. His eyes were dull and too close together. To be blunt, he was just plain ugly.
Alayah sat on a stool and put her hands on the counter. The bartender looked at her, and she forced a smile.
“Can we get a room here for a night?” she asked.
“Depends.”
“Only for one night.”
“Still depends.” His voice sounded like metal scraping against metal.
“On what?”
“How you pay?” His beady eyes danced in their sockets, flicking across the room to the table where the two men sat, the ponytail not moving, and the one with the tin cup not dropping it.
“What’s your proposition?”
“I have a room upstairs. Comfy with two beds and a mattress on the floor. You’ll have light and a restroom.” He grinned.
Marina touched Alayah’s shoulder. “Why is your inn so empty? Do you have a rat infestation?”
The bartender sneered. “I keep everything clean. We just happen to be having a slow night.”
Marina looked back at the only two customers. “How much do you want for that room and can you provide wat
er and hay for our horses?”
He stopped what he was doing and moved closer. “You look like you can afford what you are requesting. Pretty ladies in leather clothes and traveling with horses. Are you mercenaries?”
“Not quite,” Marina replied. “We are just passing through.”
“Are you looking for trouble?” he asked, glancing at the man with the ponytail and the other one that seemed too busy drinking.
Alayah looked back and made eye contact with Kiera who smirked and replied, “No, we aren’t looking for trouble.”
His grin grew wider, and he almost drooled on himself as his eyes traveled Kiera’s body up and down. “Are you looking for company?”
She folded her arms. “No. We just want a place to rest.”
“Do you have the right currency?” he asked, looking at Alay.
She stared back at him. “Do you accept pearls as payment?”
The bartender’s eyes glittered. “One pearl for the bedroom and another for keeping your horses safe in the barn. Deal?”
Marina was about to protest, but Alayah held her hand. “We’ll take it.”
The man behind the bar opened a hatch by the far end of the counter and came over. “I’ll call for the boy in the kitchen to tend to your horses.”
“We have another friend outside, she’ll help.”
The bartender nodded. “I’ll be right back, ladies.”
Chapter 16
They walked up two flights of wooden stairs. Its guardrail was made of a type of wood that Alayah had not seen before. It felt superior. The way up was also lighted by a single lamp that shone out of sight, from somewhere up on the landing.
On the first landing, the barman talked over his shoulder as he led the way up. “We don’t have strangers come up this way that much anymore. Been an awfully long time since I’ve seen an all-girl group such as yours traveling through here.”
“Been a while since I’ve seen someone have a tin cup up to their mouth for a whole ten minutes like it’s glued to their lips,” Marina said.
Alayah chuckled. She held her sword, which was disguised as an ordinary stick, closely. Her eyes swept the wall, strange markings decorated them. The walls felt hard and dry to the touch. It was a peculiar sensation.