by Alyssa Breck
“Don’t get me wrong, you are hot and all, but I was under the impression that you and Kiera were having an affair. Plus, I sleep with the people I love.”
Frowning, Xavier looked back. “And you love Silver?”
“Yes.”
He clenched his jaw. “You should be careful of him. He’s not what you think he is.”
“No one is what we think they are,” Alayah muttered. “You seem like a nice guy, Xavier, but I’m not looking for another lover, and we have an important task to do.”
Xavier nodded. “I’m okay with being your friend for now. Though, I have to clarify that I have nothing to do with Kiera, and we aren’t romantically or sexually connected.”
“Then what are you?”
“Old acquaintances.”
“Alayah!”
The urgency on the voice had fetched her out in one scoop, and she woke up with a jolt.
Looking around her, Alayah tried to get a sense of where she was and what was happening. Rose and Kiera were waking up beside her and seemed as confused as she was.
The sound of shots fired made it clear that they couldn’t waste any time.
"Alayah! Rose and Kiera!”
It was Marina calling. Her voice resonated in the bedlam of voices and activity outside the tent.
The other warriors and Alayah were out of the tent by the time a new round of fire was heard.
Alayah’s eyes adjusted to the darkness that was only dissipated by the moonlight and the bangs of the firearms being shot. Silver was already up, and so was Xavier. They both were using their magic to send fireballs at the darkness.
Her body stood frozen as she watched the samurais with their swords clanging against claws or buried in the bodies of what looked like small creatures with dog-looking faces and red, menacing eyes.
“Where did they come from?" Alay asked as a monster ran toward her.
For a minute, she gazed at the pale blue skin and grotesque face with tiny sharp teeth like the ones she saw in sharks. But she had no time for contemplation. Therefore, she summoned the trident and joined the fight. One by one, the monsters fell dead or burst in myriads of flesh when hit by the blast of a gun. The sound of fire shots blurred her vision as Alayah’s magic shoved and pushed the monsters back. Then, she realized that the monsters were spitting red globs at Silver’s samurais. They tried to use their swords to defend themselves, but the spit made the metal on the swords melt. Guns and magic seemed to work better.
“Silver,” she shouted, turning around to see if he was okay. “Marina, Lyra, Rose.”
“Here,” another woman’s voice shouted from somewhere unknown.
Rose showed up next to her with Dawes in tow. “We are fine. Keep blasting them away with the trident.” Back to back, they had their guns aimed at the beasts, and the bullets pierced the creatures’ skin.
Raising her hand above her head, Alayah spun her body around and sent a shock wave across the space that exploded the devil-looking creatures.
The ground shook, and Xavier landed beside her. His eyes shone red, and his hands had orange sparkles snaking up his arms.
“The air is too dry to summon your water powers. Use fire instead,” he said, aiming his hands in front and blasting a few more monsters that turned into dust.
“I’m a siren,” Alayah reminded him.
He spared her a look and smirked. “Are you now?” He aimed at the trident. “That’s just a means to channel the power you already have. Either water or fire, you are much more than just a siren. Feel the heat around us, the wind, the hot sand under our feet and use that to blast these creatures away. Shock waves won’t be enough if we want to get out of here alive.”
Blood ran from her face with his words. “Are we in that much danger?”
“We are.” He sent a new wave of fire at the monsters approaching.
“Where are they all coming from?”
“Amujirs are little monsters who hide under the sand and wait for the dark of night to hunt their prey. The sunlight blinds them, but when night falls, they have the advantage.”
Alayah’s slammed the bottom of the trident on the sand, and a new blast sent more monsters back, making them roll and groan in pain. The sound of weapons increased as the samurais and the shooters aimed at the beasts.
Then the ground trembled, and Xavier grabbed Alayah before she fell on her knees. A white light erupted from the ground around them, and ghostly tentacles reached for the monsters, entwined around their limbs and throats, and pulled them under until they disappeared.
Alayah looked around to see where the magic was coming from. Not too far away, Silver’s face was illuminated by his magic as he bent his knee and pressed his hand against the sand.
All went quiet.
Silver got up and brushed off his clothes. “This will give us a head start. They will come back. We need to leave fast before the titans locate us.”
“The Titans?” Alayah looked at Xavier who still had his hands around her waist. Blood rushed to her face when she realized how close they were. Clearing her throat, she stepped away from him.
“The noise and the smell of dead meat is a problem,” Xavier said, running his fingers through his messy hair.
“Let’s pack and leave,” Silver ordered, passing by her without even glimpsing at her or asking if she was okay. His, suddenly, cold behavior was puzzling. Did I do something wrong?
“Let’s go.” Xavier grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. “I’ll help you pack.”
Alayah’s eyes followed Silver’s movements as he entered his tent and disappeared without paying attention to Xavier and her.
Alayah’s heart broke a bit more than before.
Chapter 35
There were jagged rocks spread around as far as the eyes could see. The aircraft, half a meter off the ground, billowed dust and particles under it.
Silver’s men expertly rode their bikes off it and went ahead. Alayah and the others jumped off.
“Why aren’t they waiting for us?” she asked Silver.
“They are going to find a place for us to stay. It’s less suspicious if we go in small groups. Sabbath is a dangerous place with a well-known market where warlords and marauders trade in slaves and technology.”
“Another nice place to live, then,” Marina commented as she passed by with her backpack.
“There’s also a nice waterfall not too far,” Xavier added as he happily walked to one of the remaining bikes. “Wanna come with me, Alay?”
Alayah looked at Silver.
“I’ll take Kiera,” the prince muttered.
She was hoping that he would ask her to go with him, but the cold treatment continued. Without saying anything, Alayah sat behind Xavier and wrapped her arms around him.
“Hold tighter,” he urged as he touched her hands and pressed them against his chest. “We don’t want you to fall off.”
Alayah obeyed before turning her head to see the aircraft gliding back toward the way they had come.
The riders fired up the motorbikes.
Silver stopped next to Xavier and pointed at the horizon. “The Town of Sabbath is nestled close to the mountains you see ahead. They are farther than they seem, about five clicks from here.”
About two miles in, they came upon a small village. Mostly tents and moveable camps. Here, too, Alayah saw how terrible people on land were living. Still, there was no time to stop.
Sabbath was a messy town with dirty streets, smelly and sick people, and small decrepit houses made of clay and red rock.
The group followed behind Silver as he pushed through a crowd of people dressed in robes.
A woman with half her face eaten off by some disease tramped by them. With two puss-leaking holes where her nose used to be, her body wrapped in dirty clothes and a tin plate in her bony hand, she begged for food.
One of the men by Silver pushed her off. “Sod off.”
Alayah rushed to the woman and helped her got up. “I’m so sor
ry.” She reached for her small purse, but a hand stopped her.
Looking back, she saw Xavier by her side.
He shook his head. “If you give her that, she’ll be dead. Give her something else instead. Like food or a coin.” Xavier reached for his pocket and took a silver coin that he offered the woman with a smile.
Nodding, Alayah searched her bag and removed a package with bread. She gave it to the woman who took it with shaking hands and grateful eyes. The beggar said something in a foreign language and quickly disappeared out of sight.
“She thanked you and called you beautiful lady,” Xavier informed as he offered his hand. “Not everybody speaks the common tongue. In these places, they speak old dialects.”
“Yet, you understood her.”
“I have too much free time on my hands, and it’s not my first time coming here.” He smiled.
Alayah’s lips curled into a smile, but her good mood was interrupted.
“Have you finished, or do you need more time? We are late.”
Turning around, she saw Silver Wind with a serious face and folded arms in front of his chest.
“We can’t stop to feed every single beggar that crosses our path, or we will run out of food,” he added.
“Your men don’t need to push them away like they are garbage, either,” Alayah complained.
“Do you know what kind of diseases they carry? No, you don’t. It can be infectious if they touch us,” Silver retorted.
She looked at Xavier.
“You are fine. It’s not contagious. I wouldn’t let you touch her if it was.”
Alayah nodded and exhaled in relief. “You’re a good friend.”
“We are wasting time,” Silver muttered. Stepping forward, he grabbed Alayah’s hand and dragged her behind him.
“What are you doing?” Alayah protested.
“Taking you where we need to be. The day is almost over, and we need to find the guide.”
Alayah rolled her eyes but did nothing to remove his hand from hers. She picked up the pace and strolled next to Silver with a smile playing on her lips. If that wasn’t a display of jealousy, she didn’t know what was. Maybe he wasn’t as immune to her as she thought. Though Xavier was always super sweet to her and not prone to change in how he treated her. She wasn’t trying to use him to make Silver jealous. It’d be unfair since Silver and Xavier had become friends.
A few meters ahead, they rounded a corner where they found a fairly large tin box shed.
“This is the pub where the High Priest said we could find the guide,” Silver explained.
Alayah nodded and counted the ten old motorbikes parked beside it.
Silver removed his hand and looked back at her. “Stay by my side and let me do the talking. It’s a dangerous place, and we don’t want to announce to the world who we are and what we can do.”
Alayah looked back at her siren companions. Xavier was behind her, too. He had his hand on the gun strapped around his waist as if expecting trouble.
“No magic,” Silver said, looking back at the rest of the entourage.
The sirens and Xavier nodded.
Silver Wind signaled his two men to stay behind before the group walked in.
The pub had opened windows, but it still smelled as if something had died inside. The air was heavy, and Alayah felt she could suffocate inside even with the hot wind blowing in from the large windows that lined both sides.
Several men sat at tin tables drinking a mixture that was served at the tiny bar.
As the two mages and the five sirens took their seats in an empty booth, the beer talk turned to subdued murmurs.
Alayah, Silver, and Marina sat facing the door. Xavier sat in front of Alayah, between Lyra and Kiera.
Silver Wind flicked his hand at the young boy serving the tables.
The young lad marched slowly over.
“Yeeah,” he drawled. “What you want?”
His face was a sunburned patch of flesh. Acne dotted his face like a million ants on cheese. He wore loose clothing with a wide neck, and Alayah could almost count his ribs.
“You got soda?”
“Naw, jast good ‘ol beer.”
“Let’s have six mugs then.”
He gawked at the girls for a while. Then, he dragged himself back to the bar where he conferred with a bald old man. He pointed at them, and they talked some more.
The old man hurried out the back of the bar. The boy went around and slowly began filling beer mugs.
Silver looked at Xavier. “I believe we are going to have trouble.”
“I think so, too.”
Silver looked at the dirty table. “If things get nasty, grab the women and get the hell out of here. I can deal with them on my own.”
“As if we would leave you here alone,” Alayah protested.
“She’s right, brother. The six of us have better chances of dealing with these fools without using magic.”
“The bald man might have left to call for backup. Are you sure that the bounty on their heads was lifted?”
Xavier arched an eyebrow. “I gave you my word. It’s not because of them, we are too well-dressed, and sex slaves sell for a high price in the black market.”
“They are targeting the women,” Silver muttered, closing his hand in a fist over the table.
“You saw how the boy looked at them.”
“As much as I’m enjoying your conversation, I need to remind you that we are here, and we can take care of ourselves,” Marina interrupted, flipping her hair back and sneering at Xavier.
Alayah looked at her nails. “It seems we keep having the worst luck every time we enter a pub.”
“Nah, most men are just pigs,” Kiera said, looking at the surrounding tables with narrowed eyes.
“Not all men are pigs. Some are waiting for the right person to come along,” Xavier said with his eyes on Alayah.
“Cheesy, brother,” Silver voiced with a yawn. “Just make sure to protect the sirens while I teach some manners to these fools.”
Xavier nodded.
“All the sirens,” Silver added.
“Don’t be so grumpy. You know I don’t mind sharing with you,” Xavier mumbled before adding out loud, “Where are those beers? I’m thirsty!”
The boy behind the counter stretched his neck and yelled, “I’m comin’.”
Silver’s hand grabbed Alayah’s under the table. “Don’t use your magic here. Remember that.”
She nodded.
He placed her hand on her gun. “Shoot to kill. Aim at the heart or head. Don’t get distracted.”
When the boy brought the first four mugs, Silver grabbed his wrist and prevented him from leaving.
“I need information, and someone told me this was the place to come. I also have to warn you that it’s unwise to try to do something to my friends and me.”
The boy’s face became crimson. “W-what y-ya talkin’ about?”
“The other guy, where did he go?”
The boy scratched the back of his head. “To grab sweet tamales for the pretty ladies.”
Silver arched an eyebrow, and Xavier laughed with his fist in front of his mouth.
“We don’t want any trouble here, sir,” the skinny boy said.
Silver released him and placed a few coins on the table. “The guide to the old railway track. Do you know where to find him?”
“Of course.”
“These are yours if you tell us.”
“I can show you once my father returns.”
Silver nodded. “Serve us the rest of the drinks, and we’ll leave once you are ready.”
Nodding, the boy grabbed the coins and returned to the counter to fetch the rest of the beer mugs.
Chapter 36
A man dressed in gray stood in front of Silver while they spoke in hushed tones. This would be their guide to the railroad under the sand. His hair was slicked back into a short ponytail, and his almond eyes were set above high cheekbones. He resembled the
other samurais in Silver’s service, but he obviously didn’t answer to Silver. The guide was someone more important.
“Spying on your boy toy?” Xavier whispered from behind her left shoulder.
“I’m not spying. I’m observing.” Alayah glared at him.
“Okay. Whatever you say, Alay.” He moved in beside her. “While Mr. Wind is busy with recon, how about I show you a few tricks?”
“I know you’re not propositioning me, X. Tell me you’re not propositioning me.”
Xavier clutched his hand to his chest in feigned indignation. “You wound me. Do you really believe me to be so shallow?” He broke out into a grin. “But seriously, I want to show you some ways to manipulate the elements. For your own protection.”
Alayah shrugged. “Okay.” She followed Xavier out to an open part of the compound.
“All right. So, we know that you can do some fantastic stuff with water, right?”
Alayah nodded.
“How about fire?”
“Fire is an opposite element. I don’t have that ability.”
“Aha, but I do.” Xavier smirked. His dark hair framed his handsome face. Where Silver looked like an angel, Xavier resembled the devil; wickedly beautiful.
He snapped his fingers and a small fireball formed in the palm of his hand.
Alayah raised her eyebrows. “Impressive. But you’re a mage. Your power is different to mine.”
“True, but it’s power just the same. You only have to learn how to bend it to your will.” He flicked the fireball up into the air, and it disappeared.
“Tell me how.”
“Hold out your hand, palm side up.”
Alay did as he asked.
“Now think about pulling the water from the trees or, however, you summon it.”
It didn’t take much concentration for her to grab water from any available source. “Now what?”
“We all have a fire inside us, Alay.” He touched her stomach just below her breasts. “It’s right here.”
A different kind of heat spread from that spot to color her cheeks.