She led them onto a small ship. There were patches of mismatched metal, rusting rivets, and trails of moisture running down the seams of the vessel.
“Is this safe?” Evan whispered to Caspian as they gripped handholds in the cargo area.
“As safe as breaking into the enemy’s palace and running away with a smuggler we don’t know.”
“Fair point,” Evan said.
“Hold on!” Venus called from the cockpit.
A shudder went through the submarine and they were off. It only took Venus a few minutes to pilot them away from the castle and dock them at a decrepit building on the edge of town.
“Where are we?” Caspian asked.
“My not-secret hideout.”
“Isn’t a secret hideout more effective?” Cas asked.
Venus smirked. “Worked well for you, did it?”
Evan watched the exchange with rapt attention. Each eye roll and smirk seemed to mean something else. Evan suddenly realized that Caspian and Venus were flirting. She considered being annoyed by it, given their current predicament, but then she remembered what it had been like with Gideon, and how she couldn’t stop her feelings for him even when she knew better.
She shook her head to clear away the thought of Gideon. He was a Siren. Even if he wasn’t part of the conspiracy against the Triton kingdom, there could never be anything between them. There was too much bad blood between their peoples.
She followed Venus and Cas out of the ship and into the not-secret hideout. The room was open, but dim. There were a couple beds in the corner stacked with threadbare blankets. One was occupied and a disconcerting cacophony was rising from its occupant.
“Is he okay?” Evan asked.
Venus laughed. “Don’t worry. Sami always snores like that.”
“That might be a reason to worry,” Evan mumbled.
Venus led them to the corner opposite the beds. There were two men sitting there, rummaging through boxes. They seemed to be separating into two piles—edible or not.
“Find more strays?” one asked.
He was the younger and smaller of the two, with thick black hair hanging in his eyes. He looked up at them, dark eyes unreadable, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“You know how she is,” the other one said. “Can’t keep her out of trouble.”
Venus smiled. “This is Evannia and Caspian.”
“Evan, please,” Evan said.
“Evan,” Venus nodded. “The obnoxious one is Mailik and the squirrely one is Crow.”
Evan nodded, though she wasn’t really sure which was which. The second man was bulky, not muscled, just big. She guessed he was probably too big to be called squirrely, so the dark-haired boy must be Crow.
“I picked up these idiots breaking into the castle,” Venus said nonchalantly.
“Why’d you wanna do that?” Mailik asked.
Evan glanced at Caspian. He smiled at the question and returned just as casually with, “Thought we might steal a ship. Turns out they’re all shit.”
Mailik laughed heartily, and Crow’s tiny smile expanded into a grin. Evan was glad she let Cas do the talking. She felt out of her element, but he seemed at home.
“Where’s Myrthe?” Venus asked.
Mailik shrugged. “Probably scavenging.”
Venus sighed. Yelling across the room she said, “Sami, wake up. We’ve got business.”
Sami rolled out of the bed and stood. Evan was immediately taken aback by how big he was. She had thought Mailik was bulky, but Sami made him look petite.
He lumbered over to the group, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He nodded at Cas and Evan, then asked, “What’s up, boss?”
Evan felt herself smiling without thinking. The voice that came out of him was gentle, as if he were trying to tame his sound to set others at ease.
“Sorry to wake you, big guy, but I need to talk to you all about this.” Venus waved her hand at Cas and Evan and said, “I brought trouble to us, and I want everyone to decide what we do with them.”
“What you do with us?” Caspian asked. “We can be on our way right now, if we’re too much trouble.”
Evan could hear his voice hardening, as if he were shutting Venus out with each word he spoke. Venus saw it too, because for a fraction of a second her powerful frame looked frail. It instantly returned to normal, and a frown appeared on her face.
“I’m sorry if you don’t like what I’m saying, but my allegiance is to my crew. I’ll help you if I can, but I’m not going to risk their safety without telling them what’s going on.”
After a tense moment, Cas nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Sounds like you’ve already decided,” Mailik said.
Venus sighed. “You know I try to do what’s best for the crew. Most of the time, I can make the decision without you guys because I already know what you’ll want to do. But this is a little different.”
“Because of Princess?” Crow asked, nodding towards Evan.
“Yes,” Venus said, her face showing no surprise that he knew who Evan was. “Evan is being hunted by Calix and his pet Sirens. I am going to help them. If you don’t want to, that’s your right. I won’t speak for the whole crew on this one.”
Crow walked in a wide circle around Evan and Cas. While he watched them he said, “There’s a hefty reward for her.”
“More than we could make in a year,” Venus agreed.
“Two years,” Mailik said, rubbing his chin.
Evan could feel the emotions in the room and she knew the tides were turning against her. She took a deep breath and said, “If you can get paid. Do you really trust Calix to come through?”
Sami sniggered. “I don’t trust him as far as I could throw him, and I could probably throw him pretty far.”
“Exactly,” Evan said. She could feel Sami’s emotions turn in her favor and knew she could press his mistrust of Calix to fully win him over. “I thought I was coming for his celebration, but in truth he brought me here to force my kingdom to submit to him. He cannot be trusted.”
“Just look at what he’s done with the food tithes,” Venus said. “As soon as his father became sick, Calix began starving the lower castes with his demands for tribute. What sort of man does that?”
“The sort who could squash us if he found out we were helping her,” Mailik said.
“That’s what makes this appealing,” Crow said, his eyes alight.
“Crow, don’t make this decision lightly,” Venus cautioned.
But Evan knew he was already decided. As soon as Venus had mentioned Calix taking food from the poor, his emotions flipped from self-preservation to righteous anger.
“I don’t know what to say to convince you that I’m worth it, so I’ll just tell you the truth,” Evan said. “I need help. It will be dangerous. And I don’t know if it will matter in the long run. But I can’t just sit by while Calix and the Sirens work to take my kingdom from me. What he’s done to your people is wrong and I’ll be damned if I let him do it to mine.”
“I appreciate your fire, Princess, but passion doesn’t pay,” Mailik said.
“Didn’t I mention how very grateful my family will be for the help? Grateful enough to double whatever reward Calix has offered.”
Mailik smiled. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a crew, Princess.”
Sami made a strange whimpering sound as he said, “There’s still Myrthe. There may be a conflict of interests with that one.”
“She’ll do it,” Venus said.
“How do you know?” Sami asked.
“She will do anything to get back at the Sirens.”
“Why?” Cas asked.
A crash caused them all to turn around. A young woman had thrown her wares against the wall and now she stalked towards them. Her white-blonde hair was short and spiky, sticking up all over her head. The woman looked at each of them in turn, her eyes flashing silver when they landed on Evan.
“Because the Sirens betrayed my fami
ly. They’re vile, worthless, and beyond redemption. I would know. I am one.”
Twenty-Six
Evan followed Myrthe through the hole, taking in a huge breath as her head emerged in the market. Myrthe pulled her up and helped her to her feet. Like the Tritons, the Proteans had enclosed walkways through most of the city that allowed the inhabitants to walk rather than swim; however, those walkways would be full of nobles eager for gossip and guards searching for the missing princess.
If a noble saw Evan, her arrival to Protea would be broadcast through the city in under an hour. If a guard saw her, she’d be in a cell even faster. Myrthe had explained all this to her as she led her into the water under the not-secret hideout. The safest way to get them to the market was to enter through a service hatch near where they wanted to be.
“But there are guards and Sirens searching the water for me,” Evan had said.
“There were. They’ve cleared out.”
“How do you know?”
“I was watching them,” Myrthe said. “I’m always looking for a way to try to hurt them. I was hoping I’d find you before they did.”
“What did they do to you?” Evan asked.
She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. Myrthe turned to Evan, eyes shooting daggers. “That’s my business.”
Swimming to the hatch had been quick since no one was looking for them. Myrthe led them into a disused alley and unpacked the cloaks she had stowed for them. She passed one to Evan and said, “Hood up, Princess.”
“You should probably not call me that,” Evan said. “Someone could hear you.”
“They’d just think you were being a baby about using the waterways. They’d be right, too,” Myrthe said.
Evan frowned. “I haven’t complained once.”
“Every time you gulp in air like a drowning human, you’re complaining.”
“I can’t help it,” she said. “I don’t get a lot of swimming time at the palace. I’m used to breathing with my lungs.”
Myrthe swung her head back and forth, checking to make sure no one was near. “And you say I’m going to get us caught? Careful with the ‘palace’ talk.”
“Sorry,” Evan said with a cringe.
“Let’s get moving before anyone starts to pay attention to us.”
“Too late,” Evan said, nodding to a small boy in the alley ahead of them.
“Hi there,” Myrthe said, stepping towards the boy.
The boy took a step back.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Myrthe said, her voice gentle. “We’ve got some food you can have.”
The boy paused in his backward step as he considered Myrthe’s offer. Myrthe took another step towards him, reaching for a piece of bread in her pack. When she extended it towards him the boy reached forward, but his instincts kicked in and he pulled back just as Myrthe tried to snatch his wrist. The boy turned and bolted from the alley.
With a curse, Myrthe ran after him. She reached the end of the alley and turned into the crowded market street. Evan caught up and looked out into the street after the boy, but he was lost in the throng of bodies.
“Is he going to be a problem?” Evan asked.
Myrthe pressed her lips together. “Depends on who he works for.”
Evan asked, “Who could he be working for? He’s just a kid.”
“A lot of gangs employ orphans to get information, or sometimes as pickpockets if they’re fast enough.”
“He was a quick little thing.”
Myrthe nodded. “All he knows is that we came out of the water and don’t want to be seen. If he tries to take that to his boss, he’ll probably get smacked for bringing too little information.”
“Was he there when you called me ‘Princess’ or when I talked about the palace?”
“I don’t know,” Myrthe said. After a few seconds she shook her head and said, “It doesn’t matter. We need to get what we came for and get out of here.”
They walked down the street. A few people glanced at them, but most ignored the hooded women. They were in a seedy part of town and most people here were happy to oblige those who didn’t want to be seen.
They reached a stall where a short, thin man was seated. His hair was silver and his face was creased with wrinkles, but his dark blue eyes were keen.
“We’d like to make a purchase,” Myrthe said.
“No,” the man said. “What I sell is not for you.”
Myrthe frowned. “I was told I could buy quality goods from you.”
“You were told wrong,” he said.
“Your goods aren’t quality?” Myrthe asked in annoyance.
The man’s eyes shot her a dark look. “The finest you will ever see, Siren. But I will not sell to you.”
“Why not?” Myrthe demanded, her temper flaring. “My coin will spend as handily as anyone else’s. Or are you so rich you do not need payment?”
The little man turned his eyes back to the street. “You are not fit to speak to me. Be gone.”
Evan placed her hand on Myrthe’s arm before she could respond. She felt anger coursing through her, white-hot rage for being lumped in with the rest of the Sirens, but also hurt that her people were regarded in such a way. Evan instinctively reached her own emotions towards Myrthe, blanketing her in calm. It wasn’t something she’d done before, but in that moment, she knew how to use this aspect of the gift she had never explored.
She saw Myrthe take a deep breath and felt her emotions return to normal. Evan turned to her and said, “Take a walk.”
“Prin—”
Evan shook her head and cut her off. “Go.”
Myrthe turned and stalked towards another stall. Evan turned back to the old man. “You know who I am?”
He nodded.
“You know why we’re here?”
He nodded again.
“And you will not help us?”
The man turned his eyes to Evan, regarding her in silence for several moments. “Your friend is a stubborn, spoiled, selfish woman. I will not help her.”
“It isn’t about her being a Siren?” Evan asked.
The old man shook his head. “Why should I care where she was born? It is her pride that irks me.”
“What about me?” Evan asked. “Am I worthy?”
“You are nothing. At least, not yet.”
Evan felt her face flush, but she stilled her emotions. She reached for his feelings and felt him trying to anger her. She forced herself to wear the face she used when visiting her mother. Once she found the face, her words came easily, placidly.
“I don’t understand.”
The man’s lips curled in a smile. “That’s a handy trick, Princess. Your anger subsided so fast I would’ve missed it if I were anyone else.”
“I am not ruled by my emotions,” Evan said.
The man watched her for a moment as if he were appraising her. Finally he said, “There are two paths for you, child. One will save you and doom all others. The other will crush you under its weight, but these waters will be better for it. I cannot see which path you will take.”
“I will save those I love,” Evan said.
The man tilted his head as he looked at her. “It isn’t as simple as that. I can see the goodness in you, I know you desire to do right, but there is darkness alongside it. You’ve buried it so deep I’m not sure you even know it’s there.”
Evan eyed the man as she again reached her gift towards him. She could feel his calm, his earnestness, and that made her even more fearful of his words. She felt a chill move up her spine.
“The darkness is something you have yet to face. Your fate will be decided once you do.”
“How do you know these things?” Evan asked, dreading the answer.
“You have your gift, I have mine.”
Evan gasped. “How do you know about that?”
“It is an easy thing to see if you know where to look. The gifts were common once, but no longer. They’ve dwindled so that only those of the p
urest bloodlines can access them.”
“And you are a true descendant of Poseidon?” she asked.
“As much as you are, Evannia.”
“You know me, but I have no idea who you are,” she said.
He nodded. “That’s how I prefer to do business.”
“So, you are going to do business with me?”
“I will help you,” he said, “but it will cost you.”
“I can pay,” she replied.
The man shook his head. “I don’t need money. I deal in favors.”
“What sort of favor?” Evan asked.
“Favors,” he corrected. “Three of them.”
She pursed her lips. “What do you want me to do?”
The man rubbed his chin. “I don’t know yet.”
“When will you know?”
“Don’t worry, Princess,” he said with a smile. “I’ll collect when it most benefits me.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said.
“For now, head back to your hideout and I’ll meet you there with all you need.”
“But I haven’t told you what we want.”
The man shook his head. “I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t already know.”
Evan looked side to side, checking to see if anyone was watching. The old man’s words were making her nervous as she wondered how many others might know exactly who she was.
“They don’t know,” he said, as if reading her mind. “It hasn’t made it through the underground. Yet.”
“Yet?” she asked.
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “You have less than an hour.”
“An hour?” she blurted. “That’s not enough time to carry out our plan.”
“You will revise your plan entirely when you get back to the smugglers.”
Evan sighed. She didn’t like hearing about the things she was going to do as if her fate was sealed. She turned, her eyes following Myrthe as she passed the stalls down the street. When Myrthe looked towards her, Evan signaled her to come back.
Myrthe approached, a small sack in hand. Her eyes passed over the old man in disdain before she said, “I’ve finished our shopping. Ready to move on?”
She nodded. As they started to leave, Evan turned back to the man. She reached out her hand to shake, sealing the deal. As soon as their skin touched, Evan gasped. Her hand began to tingle, the sensation spreading up her arm and into her ribcage. After a moment, it seemed to settle and fade, leaving her feeling like an ember rested in the center of her chest.
Black Sea Bright Song Page 20