The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  But if she’d left last night, she could have been swimming for hours, Nevis thought. How long could she last before exhaustion set in? And what about sea creatures like sharks? And where the hell was she going?

  He stiffened as the most probable answer popped into his head. The Isle of Secrets. Oh hell, no. That was not a long swim; it was a damned voyage. Into the unknown. Surely she wasn’t attempting something that dangerous.

  Mother Ginessa motioned toward the dining hall. “We can discuss the matter over breakfast, if you like.”

  “No, thank you. Please go ahead.” How could he eat now? Dammit, Maeve’s sisters were going to kill him if anything happened to her. All the kings on the mainland would kill him, too. Hell, he’d kill himself if . . . “Do you mind if I check her room? And where does she go to shift?”

  “Her room is there.” Mother Ginessa pointed to a door that was halfway open. “And she probably left from Seal Cove. It’s just west of here.”

  “Thank you.” He bowed his head, then dashed into Maeve’s bedchamber. There wasn’t much inside. Two large beds, made up and unslept in. The trunk containing Maeve’s clothing and the book she’d brought from the Ebton library.

  On the table, he spotted a candlestick, a stack of paper, and an inkwell. He thumbed through the stack and discovered two maps. One was a new map of Aerthlan with the Isles of Moon and Mist in the Great Western Ocean. The other map, drawn on a yellowed piece of parchment, showed the large island continent of Aerland. Dammit, had she really gone off in search of the Isle of Secrets?

  He ran to Seal Cove and found the path leading down to the beach. “Maeve! Are you here?” he shouted as he darted down the path. “Dammit, you had better be here!”

  No answer. No seals in sight. Had they all gone with Maeve? On the beach, he discovered a blanket, a basket with empty bowls, and a bottle of wine, half-gone. Next to the basket was a stack of neatly folded clothes. A man’s shirt and breeches.

  Nevis straightened with a jerk. Had Brody come here? He scanned the sky and nearby cliffs. No sign of an eagle.

  Something caught his attention on the cliff to the west. A glimpse of cream color and a braid of long black hair. A woman? But the morning sun shone too brightly for Nevis to identify her.

  “Hey!” he shouted as the figure disappeared from view. “Maeve, is that you? Wait!”

  He sprinted to the end of the beach, then scrambled up the rocky incline to the top of the bluff. Holding a hand above his eyes to block the bright sun, he pivoted around, searching for her.

  There. Climbing a hill close to the shoreline, a slender young woman with a braid of long black hair. She disappeared over the crest of the hill.

  “Hey!” He ran after her and soon reached the hilltop. There she was. Sitting in a grassy meadow close to a cliff overlooking the ocean. There was a large basket next to her and something in her lap that claimed all of her attention. A flat board with paper on top? She seemed to be drawing something. Was Maeve drawing another map? Why the hell was she making everyone worry about her?

  “Hey, you!” He started down the hill, and she glanced up at him with a startled look.

  Shit. He halted with a jerk. He’d been shouting at a complete stranger. A beautiful stranger. Damn, but she must think he was a rude oaf.

  Other than her long black hair, she looked nothing like Maeve. Her face was more heart-shaped and her eyes were a brilliant blue. Her gown was a light blue, topped with a cream-colored apron that was stained with different colors of paint. She had a slender stick of charcoal in her hand that she was using to sketch something.

  He bowed his head slightly. “Begging your pardon, Miss, but have you seen another woman hereabouts? Or a bunch of seals? Or an eagle? Or a pelican, perhaps?” He winced as her eyes narrowed. She probably thought he’d ask about a hedgehog next. Damn, but she must think he was an idiot.

  “Are ye fond of birds and animals, then?” Her voice was soft with the musical lilt of the island accent.

  “No. I mean, yes.” Damn, now she probably thought he killed baby bunnies to pass the time. “I mean, actually I’m looking for a woman.”

  The young woman gave him a wary look.

  Damn, now she must think he was a womanizer. “She’s missing.” He descended the hill. “She’s young with long black hair. And she would be wearing a cream-colored convent gown.”

  The woman’s eyes widened. “Ye’re . . . friends with a nun?”

  “No!” Damn, now she must think he consorted with nuns. “I mean, we are friends, but she’s not a nun. She’s a selkie.”

  The woman blinked. “What?”

  “I-I’m not crazy.” Damn, but he was making a complete mess of this. Why did this young woman have him so flustered? And why did her eyes look so familiar? He could swear he’d never met her before. Definitely not. He would remember this woman. “She really is a selkie. So if you see any seals . . .”

  “Usually, there are some in Seal Cove, but they weren’t there this morning.”

  With a groan, he dragged a hand through his hair. “I’m afraid she’s gone off with them. Out to sea . . .” By the Light, he was going crazy. How would he ever find her in the middle of the ocean? “I can only hope that she’s with Brody—” He stopped when the piece of charcoal in the woman’s hand snapped in two.

  “Who?” She scrambled to her feet, letting the flat board and paper tumble to the ground.

  “Brody.” Nevis hesitated, not sure what to make of the stunned look on this young woman’s face. “Do you know him?”

  “Ye believe he is with the missing woman?” she asked.

  “Perhaps. Her name is Maeve.”

  “The youngest sister of the queens on the mainland?”

  Nevis’s mouth fell open. “You—you know Maeve?”

  “I know of her.” The young woman kneeled on the ground to stuff her board and paper into the large basket. “We must alert the queen. She can—”

  “Ha!” Nevis scoffed. “Good luck with that. The old biddy refuses to see anybody.”

  The young woman glanced up at him. “Excuse me?”

  Oh, he probably shouldn’t have insulted this woman’s queen. “No offense, Miss, but I’ve already tried to see Queen Esther. Three times. And she always refuses. She’s the most unfriendly monarch I’ve ever—”

  “She’ll see me.” The young woman grabbed the basket’s handle and started across the meadow.

  Nevis snorted. “Why would she see you when she refuses to see me? I’m an official envoy from King Leo of Eberon.”

  Apparently, the young woman wasn’t impressed. She didn’t even bother to look back at him. “The queen has no interest in what is happening on the mainland.”

  Nevis jogged to catch up with the woman. “How would you know? Has Her Royal Unfriendliness ever deigned to meet you?”

  “Aye. Ye may accompany me if ye wish to see her.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You sound awfully sure that she’ll see you.”

  “Aye.” The young woman slanted him a wry look. “The old biddy is my mother. I am Princess Elinor.”

  Nevis tripped and nearly fell on his face.

  * * *

  “Look! A bunch of seals!”

  Still groggy with sleep, Maeve cracked open her eyes at the sound of a young male voice. He was speaking Eberoni, but with an accent she’d never heard before.

  It had been an extremely long swim, broken by a few rest stops on tiny uninhabited islands that the seals had known about. Shortly after dawn, they had finally reached the northern coast of what she believed was the Isle of Secrets. Utterly exhausted, she hadn’t bothered to even look at the island or shift into human form. Her seal friends had shown her a secluded cove, and there they had scooted onto two flat rocks for much-needed sleep.

  “Quentin,” a female voice replied to the boy. “Leave them be. They look tired.”

  “But won’t it be easier to kill one of them if they’re asleep?”

  Maeve jerked completely
awake.

  “The queen loves sealskin,” the boy continued. “If we bring her a dead seal, she might give us less work to do.”

  The queen? Lobby hadn’t mentioned a queen, only a sea witch. Maeve lifted her head to look at the newcomers. Two people, one a young woman and the other a boy who looked about nine or ten, were on the western edge of the cove. They were descending a path down a grassy sand dune to the beach.

  The woman was dressed in a plain, unbleached linen shift with a ragged hem a few inches above her bare feet. Around her shoulders, she had knotted a linen shawl, and in her hands, she carried a large basket. The boy, dressed in shorts and a ragged shirt, was also barefoot. When he reached the beach, he ran toward the water, lifting a primitive, makeshift spear.

  Damn! He actually meant to attack them. Maeve slipped into the water and shifted. As she straightened so the water came to her shoulders, the young woman and boy flinched, dropping the basket and spear.

  “What the . . . ?” Quentin retreated a step.

  “Please don’t hurt the seals,” Maeve told them. “They’re my friends.” At the sound of her voice, the seals woke up and started barking at one another. Calm down, Maeve told them. I’ll make sure you’re not harmed.

  “How did you . . . how can you look . . . ?” The young woman glanced at the other seals, who had quieted down. “Are they like you?”

  “No,” Maeve replied as she took a step toward the shore. “I’m a selkie. It’s my gift as one of the Embraced.”

  The young woman stiffened with shock. “N-no. That can’t be true.”

  Quentin pointed at her. “She’s lying! We’re the only ones who are Embraced.”

  Maeve looked them over. With their ragged clothes and bare feet, they didn’t appear to be part of an army. “Are the two of you Embraced?”

  The young woman moved closer, eyeing Maeve with suspicion. “There are many Embraced on this island. We were told we’re the only ones.”

  “That’s right!” Quentin glared at Maeve. “So you’re a liar. And a fraud, pretending to be the queen! I’m going to tell!” He darted back up the grassy sand dune.

  “Quentin, no!” the young woman shouted, but the boy disappeared over the crest.

  Pretending to be the queen? What on Aerthlan did the boy mean by that? Maeve waded toward the shore, anxious to get some answers.

  The young woman approached her. “I don’t know where you came from or how you found us, but you had better leave now.” She motioned to the seals. “And you should take them with you.”

  “I will.” Maeve joined her on the beach. “I just have a few questions first, if you don’t mind.”

  The young woman gave her a wary look. “I have questions, too.” She unknotted her shawl and handed it to Maeve. “Here. You must be cold.”

  “Thank you.” Maeve tied the shawl around her hips. Her long hair was covering her breasts.

  “We must hurry.” The young woman glanced nervously to where Quentin had disappeared.

  “Why? Is there an Embraced army hereabouts?”

  The young woman gasped. “How . . . ?” She stepped back with a frightened look. “How can you know about us? Where did you come from?”

  “The Isle of Moon.” Maeve assumed this young woman was one of the babes confiscated by Lord Morris. “You came from Eberon, right?”

  “I—I don’t think so.” The young woman shook her head. “I’ve lived here as long as I can remember.”

  “Do you have parents here?”

  The young woman frowned. “Wh-what are those?”

  Maeve winced. “There was no one to raise you, take care of you—”

  “Oh, you mean the queen’s servants.”

  Another mention of a queen. Maeve recalled the dream she’d had of a castle with a beautifully strange throne room. And she’d called a woman Mother. Oh, good goddesses, that couldn’t be here, could it?

  “We were told we’re the only Embraced on Aerthlan,” the young woman said, interrupting Maeve’s thoughts. “They said all the others were killed. How is it that you survived?”

  Maeve took a deep breath to chase away all thoughts of her last dream. “It was always safe for our kind on the Isle of Moon. I grew up there with my four adopted sisters. We’re all Embraced.”

  The young woman’s face grew pale. “How . . . how can that be?”

  “My eldest sister, Luciana, is now the queen of Eberon,” Maeve explained quickly. “Her husband, King Leo, is Embraced, too, so it’s completely safe there now. You could go back and find your family, if you like.”

  The young woman stumbled back a step. “What? I . . .”

  “How many Embraced are here?” Maeve asked. “How big is the army?”

  “I-I don’t think I should say . . .” When the young woman smoothed back some strands of hair that had escaped her braid, her hand trembled. “Either you’re lying, or they . . .” Her eyes glimmered with tears. “This cannot be.”

  Maeve winced. She’d been in such a hurry to gather information she hadn’t realized how confusing and upsetting this meeting had to be for the young woman. “I’m sorry. I-I’ll go now.” She stepped toward the water, then turned back. “Will you be all right?”

  The young woman blinked away her tears. “I don’t know. Have I been lied to my entire life?”

  Maeve didn’t have the heart to confirm it. “My name is Maeve. And you are?”

  “Bettina.”

  “Oh! I’ve always loved that name.” Maeve smiled at the young woman, recalling how she’d almost named Brody that when she’d first met him as a dog. “I’m going to be twenty at the next Autumn Embrace.”

  “Me, too.” Bettina gave her a wobbly smile that quickly vanished. “You’d better go. Your presence alone is proof that we’ve been lied to. You won’t be safe here.”

  Maeve hesitated, not sure she could make the trip back on an empty stomach. The seals were happy with raw fish, but the only time she’d tried to swallow a fish whole, she’d felt like she was choking. “You don’t happen to have any food with you?” She glanced at the fallen basket, but there was only wet seaweed inside.

  “I could bring you some food, but for now, you had better hide.” Bettina motioned to the east. “If you follow the coast, you’ll find a cave—”

  “There she is!” Quentin yelled from the top of the sand dune as he pointed at Maeve.

  “Go!” Bettina shoved Maeve toward the water.

  Maeve ran, but a sudden blast of air knocked her off her feet. Umph. She slammed hard onto the beach. Wincing, she looked back. Bettina had also fallen over, and her basket was rolling along the shore, seaweed tumbling out. Where had such a fierce wind come?

  “Don’t move!” a male voice shouted at her.

  She glanced toward the western edge of the cove. Two young men were now standing at the top of the sand dune. Their linen shorts and shirts were dyed green and not ragged like the ones worn by Quentin, who was now sliding down the dune with a big grin.

  The men were soldiers, Maeve thought, even though they didn’t look any older than she. Their arms and legs were tanned and muscular, their hair cut short. Over their chests, they wore leather breastplates. Their forearms were banded with leather, their feet encased in leather sandals, and their calves covered with leather shin guards. They had to be members of the Embraced army, but neither of them had any weapons that she could see.

  With a start, she realized they didn’t need swords or spears. One of them had shot a gust of wind at her that was strong enough to knock her down. The same Embraced power that Rupert had! Good goddesses, she needed to get back to warn her sisters and their husbands.

  She scrambled to her feet and made another dash for the ocean.

  A bolt of lightning blasted into the ground a few feet away, kicking up sand and knocking her back onto her rear. She sat, stunned for a moment, while the air around her crackled with energy.

  “Alfred, no!” Bettina cried. “Don’t hurt her!”

  Maeve gl
anced at the two soldiers. One of them still had his hand extended toward her. Alfred. He had the same power as Leo!

  Hurry! Her seal friends called to her as they plunged into the water. We need to go! Now!

  Maeve eased to her feet, keeping an eye on Alfred.

  “The next bolt will strike the water,” he yelled at her. “And it will fry your companions.”

  “Awesome!” Quentin pranced along the shore.

  “Stop that,” Bettina hissed at him.

  A cold shiver slid down Maeve’s spine. She was caught. Hooked like a fish. If she went into the water to shift, she would cause her friends to die. She would die with them. Brody had been right. She was no match for an Embraced army.

  Alfred motioned to her with his hand. “Come with us.”

  Hot tears burned her eyes. Go, she told her seal friends.

  We don’t want to leave without you.

  I know. A tear ran down her face. But you have to. There is a sea cave east of here. Rest there and eat. I will join you as soon as I can.

  As her seal friends swam away, Maeve squared her shoulders and steeled her nerves. I will escape, she told herself. The kings on the mainland had to be warned.

  Soon they would face an army with the same powers they had.

  Chapter 8

  “Your Majesty.” Nevis bowed low as Queen Esther rose to her feet behind her desk. “I bring greetings from King Leo and Queen Luciana of Eberon.”

  The queen gave him a regal nod. “Please extend my gratitude to them for the lovely presents.”

  “Mother, we need to talk.” Princess Elinor led the queen into an alcove behind the desk.

  Nevis craned his neck, trying to hear their conversation, but he could catch only a word here and there. Maeve. More whispers. Brody. The queen’s reaction to Brody’s name was surprising. She gasped and reached out a trembling hand to steady herself against the stone wall.

  They were in the queen’s privy chamber in the castle, which overlooked the port town of Luna. Nevis was still amazed that he was even here. What a huge difference it had made when he’d entered the Great Hall with Princess Elinor. The guards who had barred him from going any farther the last few days now stepped back and bowed.