The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  Another flash of light brightened the room for a few seconds. Maeve stepped closer to the tank, but couldn’t see anything inside but a few fish, darting about as they tried to find the way out.

  “It won’t be long now,” Alfred said softly.

  Maeve’s stomach rumbled, a reminder that she was hungry. She glanced at the mirror across from her and winced as she caught sight of her tangled hair and tired features. But she couldn’t let hunger and exhaustion beat her down. She squared her shoulders. After answering the queen’s questions, she would have to find a way to help the children.

  A slight swishing sound drew her attention to the staircase. It was the rustling of silk. A figure came into view, a woman dressed in a purple, hooded robe. She was tall and slim, but the voluminous hood was hiding her face so that all Maeve could see was her chin and mouth.

  Alfred bowed, so Maeve sank into a curtsy. This had to be Queen Cahira.

  The woman came to a stop at the base of the stairs. “Where did you come from?”

  She had a pleasant, melodious voice, Maeve thought. “The Isle of Moon, Your Majesty. I grew up in the convent there.”

  Queen Cahira’s hands curled into fists. “Did you now? And how old are you?”

  “I’ll be twenty on the next Autumn Embrace.”

  The queen stiffened. “And what name did they give you at the convent?”

  “Maeve, Your Majesty.” When the queen was silent for a moment, Maeve continued. “I had a good childhood there, filled with laughter and love. Quite the opposite of the way the children here—”

  “Enough.” Queen Cahira waved a dismissive hand. “You’re a selkie who can talk to seals and other sea creatures.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Can you shift into other creatures?”

  “No, Your Majesty.”

  She scoffed lightly, turning her head away. “And he said you would be more powerful than I.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Cahira didn’t reply, but walked slowly toward her. Maeve could feel the woman’s intense gaze boring into her.

  “Why have you come here?”

  Maeve winced inwardly at the sharp tone the queen had suddenly adopted. “I . . . was curious.”

  “Why?”

  “I read about an old legend that claimed there was once an ancient continent here called Aerland. I wanted to see for myself if any of it remained.”

  Cahira’s hand shot out and gripped Maeve by the chin. “Were you drawn to the legend? Did it speak to you?”

  Maeve attempted to pull away, but the queen’s fingers tightened, digging into her skin.

  “Answer me,” she hissed.

  Maeve recalled how she had lost an entire afternoon while immersed in the old book, how she had understood the ancient language and felt the terror of the catastrophic end. “Yes. It drew me in . . . as if I was there.”

  With a slight smile, the queen released her. “Good. It’s in your blood.”

  “My—” Maeve began, but was interrupted by Alfred.

  “I don’t think she’s being entirely truthful,” he muttered. “She failed to mention that she was asking about the Embraced army.”

  Cahira stepped back. “She did?” Her voice rose in anger. “Did you come here to spy on me? Are you working for those evil queens on the mainland?”

  Maeve shot Alfred an annoyed look, then faced Cahira. “Those queens are my adopted sisters. I love—”

  “No! They are nothing to you! They are beneath you,” Cahira hissed, then pointed at Maeve. “You are the last descendant of the ancient race of Aerland. You have the blood of noble sorcerers in your veins.”

  Maeve gritted her teeth, fighting to remain calm. “How would you know anything about me?”

  Cahira scoffed. “I know more about you than you do, you silly child. Do you actually believe you were born on the Autumn Embrace?”

  Maeve stiffened. “Of course I was. Being able to shift is my Embraced gift.”

  “You’re not Embraced.”

  Maeve jolted and stumbled back a step. “Th-that’s not true. My sisters and I are all Embraced.” It was the one thing they had always known for sure. They hadn’t known if they had family. They hadn’t known why they’d been abandoned. But they had always agreed that they were all Embraced. “It’s not true.”

  Cahira waved a hand impatiently. “It is. You were born a month before the Autumn Embrace.”

  “No!” Tears burned Maeve’s eyes. This one belief had been the bedrock of her childhood, the only fact that she could count on. “It’s not true! How else would I be able to shift?”

  “You inherited the gift from me.” Cahira shoved her hood back, and Maeve gasped.

  The queen looked like an older version of herself.

  Cahira smirked. “I can shift into any sea creature I desire.”

  “Then . . .” Maeve gave the tank a wary glance. “You were the seal? And the octopus?”

  Cahira nodded, her mouth still twisted with a smirk. “Apparently, you inherited only a small portion of my ability.” She grasped Maeve by the shoulders and turned her toward a mirror. “And a small portion of my beauty.”

  A shiver crept down Maeve’s spine. Good goddesses, no. Not this woman. “You’re my . . .” Goddesses help her, she couldn’t even bring herself to say it.

  “Yes.” Cahira released her with an irritated look. “I’m your mother.”

  Chapter 10

  The sea was so close, yet so far away, Maeve thought as she peered out the window of her new bedchamber on the third floor of the castle. She glanced back at the open door, where Alfred was standing in the hallway, giving instructions to an armed guard.

  Was she a prisoner here? she wondered as Alfred marched away. If she was, then her cell was a beautiful one, not anything like the dungeon where Gabby was being held. Maeve could hardly remember the walk from the tank room to this room, for she had been too stunned by the things she’d heard from her mother.

  Her mother. Good goddesses. It would have been shocking enough to simply find her mother, but no—her mother was hiding the Embraced army! If Lord Morris had sent the Embraced children here to her mother’s island, then she must have been in league with him. How involved was she with the Circle of Five?

  This was terrible, Maeve thought with a groan. Now she knew how Gwennore must have felt when she’d learned that her mother had been allied with the Circle of Five.

  “Welcome to Aerie Castle,” a servant said as she walked into the bedchamber, carrying a large tray filled with plates and a pitcher. “I expect you must be hungry from your long journey.”

  It was the same old woman who had brought a tray to Gabby in the dungeon. How ironic, Maeve thought, that she was receiving a warmer welcome from this servant than she had from her mother.

  After her mother had announced who she was, she’d turned to Alfred and told him, “Take her to the blue bedchamber and post a guard.” Then she’d sauntered from the tank room without saying another word to Maeve. Without even glancing at her.

  But Maeve could hardly be surprised by her mother’s cold behavior. After all, the woman had abandoned her as a babe on the Isle of Moon. Like Gwennore, Maeve could only be grateful that she had been abandoned. Growing up with her sisters at the convent had been a blessing.

  She hurried toward the older woman. “That must be heavy. Let me help you.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m used to it.” The servant smiled as she set the tray onto a round wooden table in front of a carved wooden chair.

  “Your name is Ruth?”

  “Aye, Your Highness.” Ruth bowed her head.

  Maeve winced at the title—not only unfamiliar, but unwelcome if it meant ruling over an island where children were forced into labor.

  “If you desire more food or anything else, simply pull the cord over there.” Ruth pointed to a bell pull next to the large bed.

  “Thank you.” Maeve selected a piece of bacon off a plate and bit into it. “I am star
ving.”

  Ruth’s eyes softened as she regarded Maeve fondly. “It is such a relief to see you alive and well.”

  Maeve tilted her head, not sure how to interpret these words. “Why would I not be alive and well?”

  Ruth glanced at the open door where the guard was standing in the hallway, then lowered her voice. “I was with the queen when you were born.”

  “Really?”

  Ruth nodded, and her eyes glimmered with tears. “You were such a sweet baby. I took care of you for nine months, but then you were sent away.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Nearly broke my heart, it did.” A tear rolled down Ruth’s face, and she quickly wiped it away. “The queen said you had died.”

  Maeve flinched. Apparently her mother had disliked her for a long time.

  “I’m so sorry, lass,” Ruth whispered.

  “It . . . it was a long time ago,” Maeve murmured. Instead of lamenting the past, she needed to plan for the future. And it would be a great help if there was someone here in the castle whom she could trust. Ruth appeared to be her best choice. Still, it would be hard to talk to the servant with the guard so close by.

  She glanced around the bedchamber as she finished the piece of bacon. The walls were painted a creamy pale yellow, but decorated with paintings of a deep blue sea. The curtains at the window were blue, as well as the curtains surrounding the four-poster bed. The coverlet was blue velvet, matching the pillows on the chairs and window seat. No wonder this was called the blue room. “Is there a privy or a dressing room?”

  “Aye. I’ll show it to you.” Ruth walked across the room. “Her Majesty will have some appropriate clothing delivered to you.” She lowered her voice once more. “Old gowns and shoes she has outgrown.”

  Maeve snorted, thinking about all the lovely gowns her sister Luciana was always having made for her. When Ruth opened a door, Maeve stepped inside and looked around. There was a dressing table and shelves for clothing, and toward the back of the room, a chamber pot and empty bathtub.

  “Is it possible for me to have a bath?” Maeve walked farther into the room and motioned for Ruth to follow her.

  “Of course. I’ll have some hot water delivered to you.”

  Maeve stepped close to the servant and whispered, “Am I a prisoner here?”

  Ruth winced. “You are free to move about the castle as long as a guard accompanies you.”

  “And leaving the castle?”

  Ruth shook her head. “You would be stopped. Alfred is convinced you are a spy.”

  Maeve sighed. Alfred was right. She needed to alert her sisters and their husbands that she had located the Embraced army, but she couldn’t get to the sea to shift. How could she escape to the Isle of Moon?

  She wandered over to the tub and ran her fingers along the brass rim. How to get to the ocean?

  She froze. The tank room. It was here in the castle and it had some sort of access tunnel to the ocean.

  Her heart raced. Yes, that would be her escape plan! But before she could leave, she needed to help the children. “Why is Gabby in the dungeon?”

  “She has a very special Embraced gift,” Ruth whispered. “She can turn iron into gold.”

  Maeve’s mouth dropped open. That explained why the smithy was making iron coins. “Gabby is a goldmine?”

  Ruth nodded. “The queen spent most of her gold bribing a few people on the mainland to join forces with her. Just as she was going broke, Gabby’s gift appeared, so you can imagine how thrilled Her Majesty was. But Gabby refused to help the queen further her evil plans.”

  “So the queen locked her up,” Maeve muttered.

  “More than that.” Ruth bowed her head with a defeated expression. “She took Gabby’s twin brother away. We don’t know where Gavin is. Gabby will never see him again unless she makes all the gold the queen wants.”

  “Oh, this is terrible.” Maeve recalled Gabby asking about Gavin. If the boy’s life was in danger, Maeve had to do something.

  She touched Ruth’s hand. “Thank you for telling me so much. It’s a great relief to know you are here.”

  Ruth smiled and gave Maeve’s hand a squeeze. “I’m not the only servant who is happy to have you back home. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Thank you.” Maeve wandered back into the bedchamber and spotted the guard, still standing in the hallway, frowning at them. She raised her voice. “Thank you for showing me how everything works.”

  “My pleasure, Your Highness.” Ruth bowed. “I’ll have the hot water brought up for you right away.” She rushed out of the room. “Her Highness will need privacy in order to bathe,” she told the guard, then shut the door.

  Thank the goddesses she had Ruth on her side. Or at least she thought she did. Maeve winced at the possibility that Ruth could be rushing off right now to report their conversation to the queen. Aargh. She needed to get away from this place as soon as possible.

  She pivoted, looking around the bedchamber. Was that another door? She dashed toward it. No luck. It was locked.

  With a sigh, she trudged back to the table, then sat down to eat. How could she escape? How could she help Gabby and the other children? Did she have any power here as the princess and heir to the throne? Or was she simply a prisoner and suspected spy?

  Would she have more success if she pretended to play along with her mother’s plans? Clearly, Cahira was working with the remaining members of the Circle of Five. If Maeve allied herself with her mother, she might learn the identity of those members.

  As she poured some apple cider into her cup, her hand trembled. Could she actually do this? Befriend her mother in order to betray her?

  And what was Brody doing? He’d said he had a plan to find the army and last Circle members. Did that mean he was coming here?

  Maeve jumped in her chair when a knock suddenly pounded on her door. “Yes?”

  The door swung open and a line of servants marched in. The first five servants were carrying buckets of hot water, and the last five had their arms full of clothing.

  “I’ll get the door.” Maeve dashed over to the dressing room and opened the door.

  As the servants filed past her, a flash of gold caught Maeve’s eye. “Wait.” She stopped the woman who was carrying a stack of four gowns. On top was a beautiful gown of shimmering gold satin.

  The same gown Maeve had worn in her dream.

  She stumbled back a step and leaned against a wall.

  “Is there a problem, Your Highness?” the servant asked.

  Maeve shook her head and motioned for the woman to proceed. The servants finished their work, then headed back out the door. The guard peered in at her, then shut the door.

  Maeve’s knees gave out, and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. It was all too much. She’d found her mother. She’d found the Embraced army. She’d learned she wasn’t Embraced.

  And now, she’d seen the gold satin gown from her dream. Why was this happening? First, she’d seen the burial cairn and Brody on the Isle of Mist. Then, she’d seen this castle on the Isle of Secrets. In her dream, she’d even addressed her mother by name.

  Holy goddesses, she could no longer deny the truth. Somehow, even though she wasn’t Embraced, she had acquired a new magical gift.

  She was able to see the future.

  * * *

  “I have good news and bad news,” Nevis said as he carried two tankards onto the main deck. He handed one of the tankards to Princess Elinor.

  She sipped some apple cider and smiled. “Thank you. ’Tis cool and sweet.”

  “Aye, that’s the good news.” Nevis drank some cider, trying not to think about how adorable the princess looked in her breeches and floppy hat.

  “Then what’s the bad news?” she asked.

  “Cider is all we have. The cook has drunk all the wine.”

  Elinor’s eyes widened. “There was a whole barrel.”

  Nevis nodded. “He’s currently passed out on the flo
or of the galley.”

  Elinor winced.

  “He’s afraid we’re all going to die,” Lobby grumbled as he stood at the wheel.

  “We’re not dying!” Nevis growled.

  “Definitely not.” The princess sat on a trunk and calmly sipped her cider.

  How could she be so incredibly brave? And so perfect? Nevis wondered, then slapped himself mentally. She was a princess, dammit. Far beyond his reach. And she was Brody’s sister. Brody would probably kill him if he even attempted to court her.

  “Have a seat, Colonel.” Princess Elinor patted the spot next to her on the trunk. “I want to hear all about my brother. What has he been doing the past six years?”

  Nevis perched on the edge of the trunk in order to leave some space between himself the princess. “Did Brody never visit you in all that time?”

  She sighed. “Only a few times. Mostly, he just sent us notes that he was alive and well. How did ye meet him?”

  Nevis told the story of how Brody had appeared in the army camp as a bedraggled dog and how Leo had hired him as a spy. “He would be gone for a month or so at a time, gathering information; then he’d return to camp. I kept his clothes in my tent, so he could go there to shift.”

  “So ye were roommates?”

  “I suppose you could say that. I made a pallet for him out of old blankets. The other soldiers thought he was my pet.”

  Princess Elinor gave Nevis a beaming smile that nearly made him fall off the trunk. “Thank you for being his friend. I’m so glad he wasn’t alone.”

  “I-I’m not sure if I was that good a friend. I used to get mad at him when he wolfed down all my food. Or when he infested my tent with fleas.”

  The princess wrinkled her nose. “Fleas?”

  Nevis nodded. “I hate fleas.”

  She gave him a wry look. “I doubt Brody liked them much, either.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s true.”

  Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “Ye’re blushing.”

  “I am not.” He stiffened. “Soldiers don’t blush.”

  Her mouth twitched. “I see.”

  He cleared his throat, searching his mind for a way to change the subject. “Is there a reason why your mother is reluctant to ally herself with the kings on the mainland?”