She shrugged. “It looks like the mage who created your sub-species did a pretty good job.”
“There is no mage where we are. Not anymore. That’s why I’ve come here, looking for you.”
“Me?” Kerina touched her chest. She shook her head and turned away from him. “I don’t think—”
“Please.” He reached out and grabbed her wrist. His hasty motion made the wet cloth fall from his nose and mouth, and wrenched a harsh cough out of him. He steadied his breathing. “I’ve traveled so far to find you. The monsters are coming out of the deep. My people are dying and I need your help to save them.” His voice shook in spite of his best efforts to control it. “We have to find and return the Legacy Stone.”
She turned back to him. The faint furrow between her brow smoothed. “The legacy what?”
Gabriel held the cloth back to his face and gratefully drew in a breath of moistened air. “A messenger came from the thirteenth region. He said they’d found a stone pulsing with light and heat as if alive. When they returned it to the sacred place, the deep recalled its monsters. The ocean healed. Even the lands came back to life.” His grip tightened. “We need that miracle. Please. I can’t do this without you. My people will die if you turn your back on us.”
“You don’t understand—”
“I think I know where the stone may be. Tua is a creature of our ancient myths, but it’s said that he collects precious things. Legend says he resides in the caves over what was once the city of Rio de Janeiro.”
Kerina frowned. “But that’s on the other side of the ocean. Is that where you’re from?”
“The ocean near Rio.”
“But that’s thousands of miles away.”
“I know. I swam all that way.” A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Please, I—”
She yanked her hand from him and paced the small room, the parrot bobbing merrily on her shoulder. “When you said you’d traveled far, I thought you meant a day or two. Not weeks. Not months.”
“It’s two weeks at top speed, without any rest. Three weeks was what it took me to get here.” He drew another deep breath, grateful for the cloth that moistened the dry air before it entered his lungs. “My people…I don’t know how much longer they can hold on. We’ve already been driven from our home in the shallows. We hide in underwater caves, but the monsters are chasing the fish away and closing in around us. Please help us, Kerina.”
She shook her head sharply. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
“If there was any other mage near Rio de Janeiro, don’t you think I would have gone there first? You are the only mage we’ve heard of. There is nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to.”
“You can do it alone, surely. You and your siren clan.”
Despair was a leaden weight in his chest. “We can’t. You saw me. I couldn’t even travel a hundred feet inland without collapsing.”
She rolled her eyes. “If I’d swum four thousand miles in three weeks with an injured leg, I’m not sure I would be able to stand, let alone walk.”
“The Legacy Stone is magic. We need a mage. We need you, please. There is no one else who can help.”
“I’m not the person for this job.” Kerina glared at him, exasperation in her voice, yet, oddly, he recognized empathy in her dark brown eyes.
“It’s not a job.” His eyes met hers. “It’s our lives. My people’s lives. What do you want? Anything—everything we have—whatever you demand, I’ll pay it.”
* * *
I’ll pay it...
After his bold, desperate offer, Kerina had turned and walked out of the cottage, muttering something about collecting vegetables for dinner. The furrow on her forehead, however, suggested that she was turning over his words in her mind.
Would she accept the bargain?
Whatever you demand, I’ll pay it...
It sounded so simple, so confident.
In truth, he had nothing to give. His people were skimming on the brink of starvation. Only the warriors and clan leaders were fed full diets, and even then, only so they could protect the rest of the clan. But even if that were not the case, there was still nothing they possessed that a human, let alone a mage, would want. The sirens in his clan lived simple lives, surrounded by little because, in truth, they needed little. Food, when it had been in abundance, was everywhere; there had been no need to purchase it. The female sirens used shells to decorate their homes, but even those were freely obtained from the seashores.
The ocean had once given without reservation, without demanding payment.
And now, it had run out.
There was no wealth in the ocean, no sunken treasure—nothing he could offer that Kerina could possibly want. Yet as he looked at her simple surroundings, he wondered what she would ask for. What clues did her home offer about her?
He pushed the covers aside and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. The polished stone floor was a little gritty from sand that had blown in through the curtained windows, but felt cool beneath his feet. His body ached as much from his exertions as from his rest, but he could stand, even walk. His left ankle still did not hold much weight, but the room was so small that he could hobble around it without much effort.
He touched everything—the wooden table, chairs, and shelves; the glazed earthenware pots; the intricately woven wool tablecloth and the finely combed cotton curtains—marveling at the different textures. And the scents were amazing. He carefully worked out the stopper in one of the small jars and breathed in the sweet fragrance of flowers. The contents of another were so acrid they made his eyes water. Coughing, he quickly resealed the jar and returned it to its place on the shelf.
“Sneaky private eye.” The parrot cawed. It raised a claw and rubbed at it with its hooked beak. “Snoopy meets Charlie Brown.”
Gabriel laughed. He had no idea what the parrot was saying, but that it said anything at all was absolutely magical.
He limped over to the window where the bird perched. “I’m Gabriel. Do you have a name?”
“Pretty angel. Your majesty.”
“Is that your name?”
“Your majesty,” the parrot squawked again. “Dinner’s at six. Dinner’s at six.” It spread its wings and took off, flying out the house to circle over Kerina’s head as she returned from the garden patch, her arms filled with plants. “Starchy potato tastes like glue,” the parrot hooted.
“Nobody asked you.” Kerina glared at the bird. “I’m not feeding you anyway. Get lost. Go hunt your own bugs.”
Gabriel chuckled softly. He was fairly certain the plate of seeds and nuts on the table was intended for the bird. The parrot’s eyes were bright, its wings glossy. It definitely did not go hungry.
Kerina looked up, and their eyes met across the dusty path that connected her house to her garden. She was short, her clothes were simple, and she was alone, but her shoulders were squared, and her chin proudly raised. Bathed in the last glow of sunset, she radiated power. The gods themselves had marked her face.
It did not look as if there was anything she needed. It did not seem as if there was anything she wanted.
Despair forced Gabriel to yank in a sharp, unsteady breath. The dry air tore at his lungs. He was out of time, as were his people. They needed Kerina—he needed Kerina—but if she wanted nothing in exchange, what did he have to offer but a plea?
Not just a plea.
He laughed, but the sound was low and bitter. He did offer her something—four thousand miles of travel across an ocean plagued by pirates, across tossing seas where savage, nameless terrors lurked in the deep, then a battle with the mythical Tua and his seven monstrous children.
There was no plea, no payment that would move her, or anyone. If she comes with me, then she is a fool. And I was a fool for hoping. He squeezed his eyes shut. But hope was all we had left…
It wasn’t enough.
He pressed the wet cloth to his nose and mouth and drew in a deep breath, but it did not seem to f
ill his lungs. The sharp ache in his chest—surely it was just the grating effect of dry air. It could not possibly be emotional. It could not possibly be the despair of knowing he had failed his people, of knowing that he had damned them all to die.
He stared at Kerina. He felt no anger or hate toward her, but he had to press his hand against the wrenching ache in the pit of his stomach. A muscle twitched in his cheek. He could not even blame her for saying no when no person in his or her right mind would have said yes.
His free hand curled into a fist. He had to return to his clan. If only there was more he could do to stave off the end for a little longer. Perhaps there was a deeper cave, a safer one—
Shadows flickered at the edge of the forest. His heartbeat racing, Gabriel squinted as figures peeled out of the darkness and crept toward Kerina.
Chapter 6
Kerina was a terrible liar. A great thief, yes, but as was evidenced many times in her life, straying from the truth was not a strong point of hers.
And that is why she did not necessarily lie to Gabriel. It was not her fault he had assumed she was the mage. She had even tried to tell him otherwise, but he’d said too much before she’d had the chance and she’d thought the better of it. By the time she had a chance to tell him, it’d been too late. She’d realized that not telling him could be her only hope of survival.
As she picked the last of the herbs from the dying garden, she recalled his plea. His people were dying. It was selfish of her to waste his time, to let him believe she was the mage, and for what purpose? So she would not have to suffer these days alone?
She had the stupid bird for that.
But she hadn’t begun to feel better until he’d come along. She smiled at him through the open doorway as he held the wet cloth over his mouth to breathe.
Well, not quite human conversation. But it was welcome company following Anja’s death. In fact, if someone were to come by, they might even think she belonged to him. She hated belonging to anyone, but he seemed kind enough. Like she would be safe if people made that assumption.
Once a slave, always a slave. Her parents had sold her into this life, and once people realized her master was dead, she’d be up for grabs to the first person who claimed her.
Unless she got away from here...
She shook her head, moving onto the next plant, and picked the dried herbs even as they pricked her calloused fingertips. He wasn’t here to stay. He was here to retrieve. Believing she was the mage, he wanted her to come with him, to save his people. And he would continue his mission, with or without her.
Most certainly, it would be without her.
After all, she was no good to him. Her fighting skills were minimal. Her smarts limited to parlor tricks. And most of all, she was without magic. If she were to go with him, it would only mean death would claim them both sooner than if he went on without her and found a real mage to help him.
If time didn’t run out first.
She glanced down at her wooden gathering bowl, at the scattering of herbs inside. On their own, they would not be enough for even one basic tincture. Was this what she would bring back to her people? Her worth would soon run out. They would not see her the same way the siren did.
Then again, he only saw her that way because he believed she was the mage. She needed to tell him the truth.
As she straightened her legs to stand and head inside and do just that, something towered behind her, casting a dark shadow over her body, her garden, and her path to the apothecary. Chills zipped up her spine, and cold dread froze her in place.
Slowly, Kerina turned around, unable to stop the tremble in her body or sinking feeling in her gut. A gang of bandits gathered a few feet away, eying her.
The bandit closest to her, more beast than man in his size, grabbed her bicep and tossed her to the side before storming past her. He growled as he stalked toward the apothecary, flanked by two other bandits.
She could run. Leave Gabriel to fend for himself. After all, she was no match for bandits. Even Anja hadn’t been. That’s why she’d used her mage magic to protect their land. That magic, however, must have died with her.
This was karma for the life Kerina had led, for all the times she stole, for being a thief. Hell, without even meaning to, she’d even stolen Anja’s identity.
Which meant Gabriel didn’t deserve to face these bandits alone. Kerina couldn’t run. She’d have to fight.
But even with that thought, she couldn’t seem to get her feet to move. Through the window, she could see that the bandits were already inside, knocking things over, shouting, roughing up Gabriel who was still trying to keep the wet cloth over his mouth to breathe.
Without a weapon, what was she to do? Run into the apothecary and throw punches at three oversized men? They likely hadn’t been the best of men before now, but with the earth dying, it wasn’t as though they were going to settle for a simple barter.
Kerina glanced around the garden for a tool that could be used as a weapon, but most had broken down over time. Anja always tended the garden by hand.
Looking down, she spotted a large, smooth rock and bent to lift it. It was a little too big to be comfortable in her hand, but it was something—the only thing, really.
Inside, Gabriel was in combat with two of the bandits, biting the wet cloth between his teeth, while the third bandit rummaged through the shelves and boxes.
Kerina tiptoed closer to the door, trying to stay out of the bandits’ line of sight. All she had going for her was a large stone and the element of surprise.
Gabriel made eye contact with her and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, as if trying to warn her back. She shook her head, inching closer to the fighting men.
Although he looked uneasy on his feet during combat, Gabriel fought well, almost instinctively knowing where to throw each punch. He didn’t kick. Instead, his arms moved with such speed that, while breathing on land seemed hard for him, throwing punches on land appeared to be surprisingly easy. One blow to a bandit’s head, the next to a bandit’s gut, another to the second one’s chin and then one to the first man’s chest.
He went to hit the bigger of the two bandits again. The bandit grabbed Gabriel and swung him around, placing Kerina directly in the bandit’s line of sight. Gabriel fell to his knees and pounced toward the man’s legs. He wrapped his arms around the bandit’s knees and drove him forward until he fell.
The second bandit ran toward Gabriel to pull him off. Kerina bolted toward the trio, stone lifted high. When she reached the bandit who was about to attack Gabriel, she brought the rock down hard against the back of his head.
The bandit grumbled, turning back toward her and swinging his fists. She ducked his block and sprinted under his arm. Before he could react, she jumped on his back and started hitting him repeatedly with the stone. He clawed at her, trying to pull her off, but she wrapped her legs around his torso and one of her arms around his neck. Gritting her teeth, she kept slamming the stone into his head.
It didn’t seem to be doing much good; her weak arms didn’t deliver much of a hit. But it did keep the bandit distracted while Gabriel fought off the other one.
The bandit got a good grip on her arm, bent down, and yanked her forward, pulling her over his shoulder and slamming her down on her back against the floor.
The breath knocked from her lungs and wouldn’t seem to come back. Her whole body ached. She couldn’t move. The pain was paralyzing. The bandit hovered over her. He lifted his boot over her face. Before he could stomp down, Gabriel dove toward her. He knocked the man over and pushed her out of the way.
Kerina winced, pulling in a slow breath, and tried to push through the pain. The two bandits had teamed up on Gabriel again, but the one kept stealing an occasional glance at her.
Maybe he felt threatened, or maybe he was planning to go after her again. Either way, she found it prudent to act more injured than she felt, despite her ability to breathe returning and the adrenaline numbing do
wn the pain. The less of a threat she seemed, the less likely he would be to expect another attack.
“Prepare to die, Peter!” the bird squawked from the other room.
The bandits froze for a moment, looking in that direction. It was exactly the distraction she’d been waiting for while pretending to be too injured to do anything.
“Come on, Rufio! Hit him back!”
Kerina used the distraction to scramble to her feet and dart toward the main room. She forced her body to move through every lingering ache. Inside the room, she panted as her gaze darted from counter to counter. Then she snatched up the spray bottle of milky sap that Anja had bottled a few weeks earlier and returned to the fight.
By now, a third bandit had given up on the looting to help his friends in the fight against Gabriel. The poor siren was taking quite the beating; three against one wasn’t a fair fight.
Kerina was about to level the playing field.
“You little scalawag!” the bird chimed again.
The bandits swiveled toward the sound of the bird—and Kerina, standing in the doorway. She swallowed hard, keeping the spray bottle low, positioned slightly behind her thigh, out of their line of sight, as she continued closer, all eyes on her.
The bandit who had tossed her earlier paused, and a slow grin pulled at the corners of his lips.
Kerina lunged for the bandit, jerking the bottle up to spray the milky sap in his eyes. The bandit lumbered forward, growling and reaching for her, but when she stepped aside, he continued as if expecting her to still be there.
It’d worked. Anja always had the strongest, most concentrated form of milky sap, which made for quick—if temporary—blinding.
As if finally realizing he couldn’t see, the man started clawing at his face and rubbing his eyes. It wouldn’t be long before his friends realized something was up. She would have to act fast if she wanted to take out the other two.
The bandits had already managed to pry the wet cloth from Gabriel’s clenched teeth, leaving the man of the sea struggling for air and unable to block to the blows, which came in rapid succession against his face from the first bandit who was sitting on his stomach, while the second bandit kicked at his ribs.
Mage’s Legacy: Cursed Seas Page 5