by Michelle Fox
I ran after him. "Do you know where to go?"
"The sea, right?"
"Well, yes. But in the south. The witch lives in warm waters."
"Then I'll fly south. But which south is it? The one on my right or left?"
"This way." I pointed in the general direction of home. No matter how far I went, the pull of my home waters remained, an anchor on a long line. I could never be lost. The sea was part of my heartbeat. The only thing that ever stirred my heart like the sea, had been Niall. That day in the stone circle, I'd felt something I'd never expected and still didn't quite understand.
Outside, Alec set his brother in the grass and shifted into his dragon. The air shimmered with a blast of heat that accompanied the change in form. Where Niall's dragon had orange-tinged scales, Alec's ran copper with a hint of red. Same as his brother, he was formidable in dragon form; tall, powerful and radiating waves of heat.
"How does this work?" Siya asked, her eyes wide.
"I'm not sure." I pointed to Alec's shoulders. "I sat there when we flew out here."
"How am I going to get up there?" Siya flicked her tail.
Alec didn't show any sign of hearing her question, but answered it anyway when he bent down and scooped her up in his talons. With a deft movement, he set her on his back and returned to do the same to me. Niall he kept in his talons.
Sara waved as the ground dropped away beneath us. She shouted something but we were too high up for the sound to reach us. I waved back, hoping her parting words weren't important. Alec shot us all up into the sky with a flap of his wings and headed home.
We flew through the blistering day. Siya huddled on Alec's back, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of a red scale. Alec flew with a smooth gait, but his body rocked as his wings flapped and each muscular ripple made Siya just hold on that much tighter.
I leaned close until my lips almost touched her ear. "It's okay."
She looked down. "If we fall, we die."
"We won't fall." With Niall, I'd been afraid and then tired. On this flight, I'd lost my fear and was learning to move with Alec's body, to fly with him. The rocking motion reminded me of the sea.
Siya coughed as a cloud enveloped us. "How long will this take?"
I fanned the cloud away from her face so I could see her. "I don' know. Just try not to worry. We should rest."
"All this for a dead dragon." She looked at me. "What do you care if he lives or dies?"
"He was helping me. Helping you. He died for you, Siya, not me. I think we owe him this." I spent a few minutes telling her everything that had happened since I left to search for her.
"I think he's more than that to you."
"And so what if he is?"
"He's fire, you're water. It doesn't work."
"Maybe. Maybe not." I crossed my arms. "We're just going to help him and then send him home. He's not staying."
She nodded. "That's good to hear."
"And if he did stay, it would just be to help me find the slavers."
"So now he's staying?"
"I didn't say that."
Her eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing. "Uh-huh."
"We're not mate mates. We just...helped each other. He had a curse. I needed to find you, and Sara said I couldn't save you by myself. I did what I had to."
"You should have left me. I told you, I'm no good now."
"Stop saying that. It's not true."
"I'll have to go live with Ndia in her sunken boat."
I rolled my eyes. I'd pictured a happy reunion with my sister, not this grudging anger and distress. Somehow, I had to prove to her she still mattered, that she hadn't lost everything with her tongue.
"We should sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Not giving her a chance to respond, I laid on my back, sinking into Alec's heat and the movement of his body. The cold air made his heat a welcome respite. Siya did her best to lay down like I had, but couldn't give up her death grip on the edge of Alec's scales. I didn't try to convince her to let go.
Closing my eyes, I tried to feel good about rescuing my sister, but it was hard. Siya was so angry and hopeless. Niall was dead. The slavers had taken so much more than my sister and I wasn't sure I could get all of it back. Where could I chase down hope? Where could I rescue my sister's confidence? How would I find a soul already gone a day? How do you bring back a life? I had no idea and feared the price the witch would demand.
Chapter Twelve
Night came and went. Dawn started out cool and gray but quickly gave way to a hot sun without a cloud in sight. My lips cracked from the dry heat and the scales on Siya's tail curled up as her skin dried up. At least I had pants to protect my legs, but my sister had nothing.
As the sun finally weakened and fell toward the horizon, we reached our destination. Looking down, I recognized a small island I liked to visit. Smacking Alec's neck as hard as I could, I yelled, "There. Down there."
He turned his head and regarded me with one golden eye. Then, with an abrupt nod, he started a sharp descent.
Dragon wings and sand do not mix. We landed smoothly enough, but his wings stirred up the sand, stinging us with it. Coughing and sputtering, my eyes mostly closed, I felt my way down his neck, climbing up and over the round part of his skull to the bridge of his nose. He ran even hotter here and I moved fast, fearing my feet might burn. Trusting the beach to be soft, I leaped off his snout, my body making a dull thudding noise as I landed. Siya followed suit and for a moment, we both lay on the beach, staring up what was, by now, a bright blue sky.
"If I never fly on another dragon, I'll count my life as happy," she muttered as she righted herself and headed for the water.
I took off my clothes and twisted the earring in my ear to revert to my original form. My tail in place, I stretched, relishing the feeling of being in the right body. Being human hadn't been as much fun as I would have thought. Kinks all stretched out, I undulated through the sand to throw myself into the surf.
Delicious saltwater flowed over my skin and scales. I relaxed into the sea's embrace as it washed the desert off me. Diving under, I swam to a nearby seaweed bed and tore off a few pieces to eat. Salt filled my mouth as I stuffed the seaweed into my mouth, making my taste buds sing. I closed my eyes, savoring the flavor of home.
Refreshed, I returned to the beach where Alec had shifted into his human form, donning the clothes he'd brought with him in a small bag. He'd set Niall under a palm tree, the fronds keeping him away from the full power of the sun.
"Where do we find the witch?" he asked.
"We don't. She finds us." I held up a hand when he started to ask what that meant. "Just give me a moment." I cleared my throat and hummed a few quiet scales, preparing to cast the magic that would draw the witch to us. The notes that would reach her ear were biting, dark things not often sung among my people. We feared the witch. I'd been the only one brave enough to call her in more than a century.
I just hoped I could pay her price. Asking for legs had been easy. I knew I could pay for them. Bring back the dead? That I was not sure I could afford.
Eyes closed, head thrown back, the wind dancing in my hair, I called forth the witch, sending my dark song to seek out the desolate darkness of her magic. When something pulled on my song, dragging it from my throat, I stopped. "She's coming," I said.
"How soon?"
I shook my head. "I don't know, but not long." My song had laid a bridge, note by note, that would bring her to us. I could picture her tentacles, long thin black tendrils full of destruction, suctioning onto each note, using my magic to heave her thick body forward.
But she didn't come. Not when the sun flew high in the sky. Not when it hit the midpoint of its fall into the horizon.
Alec gave me a doubtful look from where he sat next to his brother's body. "Are you sure she's coming?"
"Yes."
"What's taking so long?"
"I don't know, but she'll be here." I scanned the sea, looking for a sign, just
as frustrated as Alec by the delay.
At dusk, she finally arrived. The first sign was a small whirlpool created by her swimming and the way her body shoved the sea out of the way. Then the tapered ends of her tentacles groped the beach, looking for something to latch onto to pull her onto land. They tapped from side to side in the sand, feeling everything in their search for something big enough to use as an anchor. Siya and I dodged them, moving behind the line of palm trees dotting the beach. Alec dragged Niall farther away as well, and we waited, watching as the tentacles wrapped themselves around the palm trees. They went taut as they pulled their mistress forward through the sea.
The witch emerged slowly—ponderous and heavy—her form a blot of darkness along the coast. The setting sun backlit her body, tracing her immense breadth and towering height.
She looked down on us, her green eyes glowing like jellyfish in deep ocean. The rest of her was the color of midnight. Even her face.
"Who calls me here?" Her voice started high, like a soft spring rain, and then plummeted down into rolling thunder.
"I did." I stepped forward.
"You again. The legs weren't enough?"
"The legs were...fine."
She rubbed the two tentacles that sat just under her face together. "The price will be higher this time. What do you want?"
I pointed to Niall who laid just beyond the palm trees. "Him. We need him back."
Her tentacles made a squicking sound as they released their hold on the palm trees and then tightened on the trunks again, pulling the witch close enough to see Niall.
"He's gone to the abyss." She swung her head back toward me. "That's very big magic."
"But you can do it, aye?" asked Alec, stepping from the shadows.
"Yes, but he might not come back like he was."
"What do you mean?
"Death changes a soul, and if he fights his return, he could leave a piece of himself behind, making him only half of who he was."
"We have to try," I said. "No matter the risk."
"No matter the cost?" she asked, her tone sly.
"Whatever I can pay, I will," I said. "I have some gold from a shipwreck. You can have all of that."
She dismissed my offer with a wave of a tentacle. "Gold doesn't buy a soul."
"Then what does."
"An even trade. The abyss demands that." Her head snaked down to peer at us. Her breath soured the air as she looked at us one by one, her green eyes searching our faces.
I stepped back, not wanting to be so close. That made her laugh and she turned her attention to Alec and Siya. "Which one of you will it be, hmmm? Which one will step across the threshold to replace Niall?"
I looked at Alec and Siya. I'd known the price would be high but I hadn't expected it to involve someone else dying.
The witch crooned a song.
Blood and bones are all in pawn.
Go down blood, drip and drop.
Go down bones, stumble and fall.
The abyss takes you all.
Alec stepped forward. "I'll do it."
"No," I said. "What about Sara?"
His face grew pinched and his jaw clenched. "My brothers will take care of her."
"Not if they're still cursed. They can't leave to go get her." I shook my head. "No. You have to go back to her. We can't leave her in that place by herself."
"It's not like we have legs to help her anyway," Siya added.
"Are you lasses volunteering then?"
Siya and I exchanged glances. "I'll do it," I said, finally. "It's my fault he's dead anyways."
"No. It's my fault," Siya said.
I rubbed my forehead, trying to decide which horrible choice was less awful. None of us deserved to die. That thought sparked another and with a slow smile, I said, "It's none of our faults." I grabbed Siya's hand in mine, afraid she would move forward and offer herself to the witch. "It's the slavers who need to pay this debt."
Alec tipped his head in a nod. "Aye. You're right lass."
"The abyss likes stained souls." The witch smacked her lips.
"We'll bring you more than one," I said.
"When?" The witch's green eyes focused on me.
"As soon as I can."
"Your dead man does not have a lot of time. The longer the soul strays, the less of it that will return."
I looked to Alec. "What do you want to do?"
"How fast can you find the slavers?"
"Fast. If they're anywhere near here. I just don't know how to control them once I have them."
Alec flexed his fingers. "Donna fash about that, lass. I'll take care of it." Looking to the witch, he said, "You'll have your choice of stained souls no later than tomorrow."
"Good. Don't be late." The witch inched her body up the beach, moving closer to the palm trees. A few tentacles unwound themselves and snaked toward Niall's body.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"He comes with me."
I propelled myself through the sand, using my fins to push my body forward faster."He's not yours."
"He doesn't belong to you, either." She grunted as her tentacles wormed their way under Niall and dragged his body toward her.
"Alec," I said unable to keep the panic out of my voice.
Red-faced, he roared, "Leave my brother, witch."
"He's mine until you pay the price," she said, her voice cold.
"Careful, witch." He stalked toward her, smacking her tentacles out of the way when they rose up to touch his face. "We're not the enemies you want. We dragons have our own magic."
"Then you know, it's never free." She undulated down the beach, her black body oozing across the sand as it headed for the surf. Niall thumped through the sand behind her.
"We'll honor our word," I said. "You know that."
She snorted. "Honor is not a payment. Call me when you have souls to trade."
I hurried over to Alec. "Shift. Kill her," I said. "Set her on fire. Something."
"I want to lass," he said through gritted teeth. "But she's his only chance."
We both watched as more tentacles wrapped around Niall until all we could see were small glimpses of him through the gaps. The witch had reached the sea now, half in and half out, moving faster as the water flowed in to support some of her weight.
"I'll follow them," Siya said. "Make sure he's okay."
"That's a good idea," Alec said.
I gave her a hug. "Just be careful."
"Find those slavers so we can end this mess, okay?" She hugged me back and then moved down the beach, slipping into the water after the witch, making sure to stay out of reach of the tentacles.
Chapter Thirteen
Once the witch was gone, I too headed for the water, ready to sing.
"How will you find them so fast?" Alec asked. "Not by swimming."
"No. Not by swimming. I'll sing a lure."
"Will it work?"
Had I ever sung one? No. It wasn't magic we used, but I didn't want to worry Alec. "A mermaid's lure is irresistible. Just be ready."
"I'll shift and hide back there." He pointed away from the beach, past the palm trees. "When they show up, I'll swoop down and grab them."
"Good. Now let me sing."
He nodded and stepped back, shedding clothes as he moved. Once he was naked, he let his dragon come over him. I couldn't help but watch the transformation, finding it as fascinating as the first time I'd seen it. Fire burned through his body, collapsing bone and flesh in a shower of sparks. Then a large flame shot straight up and out, expanding with every leap it took toward the sky. Alec's dragon formed first of fire before solidifying. When it was done, he shook his body and stretched his neck until a bone cracked. Steam rose off his scales like little clouds. I pushed myself back with my fins, in awe of his size.
With a flap of his wings, he rose in the air and searched for a place to land in the interior of the island.
I turned my attention to the sea, ready to cast the biggest lure of my l
ife. Everything rode on my voice now. If I failed...
No. I wouldn't contemplate it.
Taking a deep breath, I threw my lure into the air, supporting its ascent with a flurry of short, high notes. The wind rushed over to see what I was doing and picked up my song with a little hiss of glee. I kept singing and the wind helpfully escorted the lure out over the sea, tossing it into the distance.
Same as the witch, I felt a corresponding tension when my magic found its mark. The notes I'd stretched out across the sea, linking them one by one went taut at first and then slack as they reeled in my prey. I smiled. The slavers had caused this mess, it was only right they pay the price to fix it. I just hoped it wasn't too late for Niall.
"They're coming," I sang up to Alec, pushing my words to him so he would hear me.
The large dragon stretched his neck and wings at the sound of my voice. He'd gone still and quiet while I sang. His golden eyes blinked at me, and he gave a nod.
As long as I'd sung, that was how long it took for the slavers to arrive. The sun had bowed down before the night, leaving the world lost in shadow by the time I saw their lights. I sang a second, more urgent lure, causing them to swing the spotlight on me. How strange to think when I started to search for Siya that I'd been afraid to use my song. I hadn't wanted them to see me then, but everything had changed. I wasn't the same mermaid who couldn't figure out how to protect her sister. Let them come. I was the one with the traps they needed to fear now.
"Now," I shrieked to Alec.
His wings stirred the air, fanning me with a soft breeze. Clouds obscured the night sky, making him a shadow among shadows. Only his movement made him visible. The slavers didn't see him at all, they were too focused on me. Excited shouts came from the boat and turned the boat to the side, jabbering about dropping anchor.
Their voices were different than the slavers who'd taken me, but I didn't care. They still deserved to die. When I found the ones who'd captured me, I would make sure they met a similar fate. Perhaps I would give them to the witch, too.
I crossed my arms, enjoying the knowledge that their plans to trap me would soon be thwarted. When Alec swooped down to grab the boat with his claws, I clapped with delight. The sound of their panic raised goose bumps up and down my body in gleeful waves.