She turned toward him, but he was already in eagle form, his hooded robe and small clothes discarded on the floor. He swooped through the window and out into the darkening twilight.
* * *
“You’ll be safe after the sun has set,” Bettina told Nevis and his companions. “The soldiers come to the village during the day to harass us and make sure we’re working, but they never come at night.”
“Are you sure?” Nevis asked.
Bettina gave him with a wry look. “They’re not worried about any of us escaping. Where would we go?”
Nevis nodded. “We’ll stay for a while, then.” If he learned more information, he might figure out a plan to rescue Maeve. But at the same time, he needed to send a message to Leo. Somehow, he would manage to do both.
“We should remain hidden till the sun goes down,” Bettina told them, and they followed her over a big sand dune. After she set her basket down, they sat in the sandy valley to wait for sunset.
“What can you tell us about the island?” Nevis asked.
“What can you do for us here?” Bettina countered.
“What do ye need?” Elinor asked.
Bettina sighed. “It’s hard to explain. We were raised here, so this is the only home, the only life, we have ever known. But from what Maeve told me, I believe we were taken away from our families in Eberon.”
Nevis nodded. “That is true.”
“There are young children in the village and two toddlers in the castle nursery,” Bettina said sadly. “If they could be returned to their homes, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“We can certainly do that,” Nevis told her. “But we’ll need to defeat your queen and her cohorts first. For now, I need all the information I can get.”
“The Sea Witch is going to kill us all,” Lobby muttered.
“We’re not going to die,” Nevis growled. “We just need to increase our number. Once I get a message to Leo, all the kings on the mainland will come here with their forces.”
Bettina’s eyes widened. “You mean there will be a battle?” When Nevis nodded, she asked, “Can you take the young ones to safety before that happens?”
“Of course,” Nevis assured her. “So Cahira lives in the castle with thirty guards. What else can you tell us?”
“The guards have their headquarters at the south end of the garden. There’s also a dormitory there for the Embraced army, along with some practice fields.”
“Ye mentioned a village?” Elinor asked.
“That’s where I live with the other Embraced children,” Bettina replied. “Once the little ones in the castle nursery reach the age of five, they’re moved to the village so they can work.”
Elinor gasped. “Children that young are forced to work?”
Bettina nodded. “The Embraced children live at the village until their powers are manifested. Then Cahira and Kendric decide if their power is good enough for the army.” She ducked her head, blushing. “There are older ones in the village like me. Our powers were deemed worthless.”
“What is yer power?” Elinor asked gently.
Bettina grimaced. “I can communicate with birds.”
“Ah.” Nevis recalled the flock of seagulls on the beach. “That’s how you knew we were here. The birds told you?”
Bettina nodded.
Elinor huffed. “That is not a worthless power.”
“It’s an excellent one,” Nevis agreed. “You have access to a huge network of spies. Cahira was foolish not to realize how valuable you are.”
“Oh.” Bettina’s eyes widened.
“How many soldiers are there in the Embraced army?” Nevis asked.
“Seven,” Bettina replied.
Nevis blinked. “That’s all?”
Elinor gave him a wry look. “Ye wanted more?”
“I feared there would be many more,” Nevis admitted.
Elinor shrugged. “Perhaps there weren’t very many children born in Eberon on the nights the moons embraced. Or it could be that most parents simply lied about the time of their baby’s birth so their babe wouldn’t be taken away from them. I know I would certainly lie in order to keep my child.”
Nevis nodded. “I would, too.” He glanced at Bettina. “So there are only seven.”
Bettina frowned at him. “Seven may not sound like many to you, but with the powers they have, I fear they could destroy a much larger army. And then, there is their general, which brings their number up to eight. But Kendric is rarely on the island.”
“Who is this Kendric?” Nevis asked.
“He’s a powerful shifter,” Bettina replied. “He can take the form of any animal, bird, or person.”
Nevis sat back. The Chameleon. “Is he here now?”
Bettina shook her head, then rose to her feet and picked up her basket. “The sun is almost gone. I can take you to the village now.”
As they followed her, Elinor sidled up close to Nevis. “Can we take the children to my boat? We need to get them away from here as soon as possible.”
Nevis considered. “We should wait a few days. If we do it now, their disappearance will alert the army and they’ll come after us. We won’t be able to help anyone if we’re captured.” He gave her a pointed look. “Speaking of which, I would feel a hell of a lot better if you got away from here. You can take the boat back tonight with Lobby.”
She shook her head. “I’m staying.”
He groaned. “It’s not just for your safety. You need to go back so we can send a warning to Leo.”
She bit her lip. “I’ll think about it.”
By now, the last of the twilight was fading away, and Nevis was grateful Bettina knew where she was going. He never would have found the village in the dark.
At the summit of a hill, he spotted the village. A half dozen torches illuminated a few wooden huts. They headed downhill, then traversed a field of wheat and a vegetable garden.
“That’s the house where the smith lives with the boys.” Bettina motioned to the different buildings. “This is the smithy. And over there is the house where I live with the other girls.”
“Bettina, is that you?” An elderly man stepped out of the smithy, along with two boys and a young woman. “Catriona was just telling me that ye were missing.”
“Bettina!” The young woman ran toward her. “We were worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” Bettina motioned to Nevis and his companions. “I was waiting until it was dark to bring our guests.”
“Who are these strangers?” the younger boy demanded.
“Mind yer manners, Quentin,” the elderly man grumbled. “Ye’re still in trouble for the way ye snitched on that poor woman earlier.”
Quentin winced and shuffled his bare feet in the dirt. “I said I was sorry.”
Nevis assumed the elderly man was the smith. “Good evening, I’m Nevis.”
“Tommy?” Lobby whispered. “Is that you?”
The smith gasped. “Lobby?”
“Holy goddesses!” Lobby lurched toward the smith. “Ye’re alive!”
“Lobby!” Tommy grabbed him in a tight embrace. “I thought ye were dead.”
Tears streamed down Lobby’s old weathered face. “I thought ye were dead, too. I thought all me mates were gone.”
“I did, too.” Tommy leaned back to look at his old friend. “After the shipwreck, I washed up here on this accursed island. What happened to you?”
“I hung on to a broken mast for two days; then some fishermen found me and took me back to the Isle of Moon.” Lobby grinned at Nevis and Elinor. “I found one of me mates!”
Nevis nodded, smiling. “We gathered that.”
The young boy, Quentin, pranced around the two old men, grinning.
“I’m delighted to meet you.” Elinor shook Tommy’s hand. “We’ll be happy to take you back home.”
“She’s the princess,” Lobby whispered in a loud voice.
“Princess Elinor? Good goddesses!” Tommy quickly bowed.
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Bettina’s eyes widened. “You’re a princess?”
“She’s a princess?” Quentin gawked at her.
She nodded. “Please call me Elinor. And yer names?”
“I’m Quentin!”
“A pleasure to meet you, Quentin.” Elinor ruffled his hair, and the boy grinned up at her.
“Elam.” The young man sketched an awkward bow.
“I’m Catriona.” The young woman sidled up close to Bettina. “Where did you find these people?”
“They found me. Come this way.” Bettina led them all to the girls’ cottage. After leaving her basket by the front door, she ushered them inside.
Elam agreed to stand watch outside. Inside, Nevis noted five girls of various ages, all eating bowls of soup as they sat on the wooden floor at one end of the cottage.
Quentin sat beside them and whispered loudly as he pointed at Elinor. “She’s a princess!”
The girls all stared.
“I’m afraid we have only two chairs.” Bettina motioned to a chair in front of a large loom and another by a spinning wheel. “If Your Highness would like—”
“I’ll be quite comfortable here.” Elinor sat on the floor next to the girls. She smiled at them. “Hello. I’m Elinor.”
They all nodded, their eyes wide.
Nevis smiled to himself. He loved how the princess never put on airs.
Catriona sat next to Quentin. “We never get any visitors here, so they’re a bit stunned.”
Nevis settled on the floor on the other side of Elinor while Lobby and Tommy sat by the door, whispering to each other.
Bettina brought two wooden cups to Nevis and Elinor. “I’m afraid we’re out of soup. All we can offer you is water.”
“Thank you.” Nevis downed his cup.
“Ye’re very kind.” Elinor took a sip, then set her cup on the floor so she could rummage through her canvas bag. “Ah, here it is. I brought this in case we needed it.” She opened a linen-wrapped bundle, revealing seven honey cakes topped with cherries.
The young girls gasped.
Elinor passed the bundle to Bettina. “Please enjoy these. Nevis and I are quite full, so we don’t need them.” She gave him a pointed look. “Isn’t that so?”
He winced inwardly. He hadn’t eaten in hours. “Exactly. We’re stuffed.” His stomach growled, and he cleared his throat to cover up the noise.
With a smile, Elinor gave his hand a squeeze, and he suddenly felt full to the brim.
“This is wonderful. Thank you.” Bettina handed out the seven cakes to Catriona, Quentin, and the other five girls.
“The other boys don’t know what they’re missing!” Quentin laughed, then gobbled down his cake.
“What about you?” Catriona asked Bettina.
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine.”
The youngest girl rose to her feet and hesitantly approached Bettina. She tore off a piece of her cake and offered it to her.
With tears in her eyes, Bettina knelt down and gave the girl a hug. “Thank you, Sarah. You’re very sweet.”
Nevis took a deep breath. Damn, but Elinor looked like she was about to cry, too. He needed to get back to business. While the girls in the room happily nibbled on honey cakes, he turned to the older men. “Lobby, can you and Tommy take the boat back to the Isle of Moon tonight?”
The two men exchanged a glance, then nodded.
“I can’t stay away for very long,” Tommy said. “The soldiers will know I’m missing.”
“We could tell them you’re ill,” Bettina suggested.
Tommy nodded. “That could buy us a day or two.”
“Good.” Nevis turned to Elinor. “You have paper and pen with you, right?” When she nodded, he continued. “I need you to write down as much information as you can. Then Lobby and Tommy will take it to your mother, and she can have it sent on to King Leo of Eberon.”
“A king?” Quentin whispered, then turned to Bettina. “What’s going on?”
“Hope,” she whispered back. “Freedom and a better future for all of you.”
Quentin’s eyes widened. “A better future?”
Elinor took out her stack of paper, then opened a bottle of ink and readied her pen.
“Now let’s start with a list of your names and ages,” Nevis began.
As the girls introduced themselves, Elinor wrote down their information. Then Quentin told her the names of the boys.
Elinor paused in her writing. “Yer names seem to be in alphabetical order.”
“They are,” Catriona agreed. “The queen named us that way so she could keep us straight. Alfred and Bettina are the oldest, followed by Darroc and myself.”
Nevis glanced at the list. “Is this everyone who isn’t in the army?”
“There are two four-year-olds in the castle nursery.” Bettina winced. “And there are the twins, Gabby and Gavin. They’re seventeen years old. We . . . we don’t know where Gavin is.”
“He’s missing?” Nevis asked.
“The queen insists he’s still alive, but we don’t know what happened to him,” Tommy grumbled. “No one has seen him for two years.”
“That evil Sea Witch,” Lobby muttered, and his friend agreed with a mumbled curse.
“Gabby’s in the dungeon,” Olana whispered, and the other girls shuddered.
“She can turn iron into gold,” Bettina explained. “But she didn’t want to help the queen, so Cahira took away her brother and locked her in the dungeon.”
Elinor shook her head. “This is terrible.”
“That’s why I spend most of my time making iron coins,” Tommy mumbled.
Catriona sighed. “I hope Maeve isn’t in the dungeon.”
Nevis winced. He hoped not, too. “So the youngest Embraced children are four years old?”
“Aye.” Bettina shrugged. “We don’t know why the babies stopped coming.”
Nevis thought back to when Leo had taken over Eberon. That had been about four years ago, so that was when Lord Morris had lost his position as chief counsel and head of the Eberoni Church of Enlightenment. “Lord Morris fell out of power, so he was unable to send any more children. Shall we talk about the Embraced army now?”
Elinor readied a new sheet of paper.
“First we have the general,” Nevis began. “We call him the Chameleon on the mainland.”
“You know about Kendric?” Bettina asked.
Nevis nodded. “Who else is in the army?”
Bettina described them all while Elinor took notes.
Nevis looked over the finished list. There were a total of eight, including the Chameleon. Five males, three females.
“They’re so powerful,” Catriona muttered. “I don’t know how anyone could defeat them.”
Her concern was echoed by Quentin and the other girls as they talked amongst themselves.
“The kings from the mainland will help us,” Nevis assured them all. “They’re very powerful. You all have Embraced gifts, too, don’t you?”
Catriona winced. “Our powers aren’t any good.”
Elinor scoffed. “Says who? We think Bettina’s is excellent.”
Nevis nodded as an idea formed in his head. With the right strategy, he might be able to turn these rejected Embraced children into a formidable force. “What is your gift, Catriona?”
Sarah opened her arms wide. “She blows things up!”
Nevis and Elinor gasped, while Catriona winced.
“That’s a fantastic power!” Nevis exclaimed while Elinor quickly wrote it down.
“But it’s quite limited,” Catriona mumbled, her face turning pink. “I can blow up only one thing.”
“Castles?” Nevis asked. “Mountains?”
Catriona bit her lip. “Fish.”
Nevis blinked. “Fish?”
Catriona looked away, her face bright pink.
“That’s why she stays here, working the loom,” Bettina said quietly. “If she goes to the beach, too many fish die.”
Catriona nodded. “And I’m not allowed anywhere near the castle, because I make the queen’s fish dinner explode.”
Nevis bit his lip to keep from smiling. “I see. What other gifts do you have?”
“Elam can make people trip!” Quentin boasted.
“That’s a good power.” Nevis imagined making an entire army of soldiers fall flat on their faces.
“Only one person at a time,” Bettina added.
Sixteen-year-old Hannah raised her hand. “I can make it rain.”
“That’s a wonderful power,” Nevis told her and she blushed.
“But I can do only a small area,” she mumbled.
“We’re very grateful for your gift,” Bettina told her. “We’re able to water the vegetable garden every day while leaving the wheat field dry.”
“And then there’s Kurt,” Catriona said. “He can shift into a rabbit.”
“A human-sized rabbit?” Nevis hoped. “With huge, chomping teeth?”
“He’s a cute little bunny.” Eight-year-old Rose grinned. “I like to feed him carrots.”
Bettina sighed. “We have a hard time keeping him out of the vegetable garden.”
Nevis glanced at the list. It was going to be a challenge to turn these outcasts into an army. “Anyone else?”
Bettina shook her head. “The others are so young, their powers have yet to be revealed.”
“I want to make honey cakes appear!” Sarah said.
“I want to make our chores disappear,” Quentin muttered.
“So Kurt is a shifter.” Elinor finished writing her notes. “Has anyone seen my brother around here? He’s a shifter, too. Usually in the form of a dog.”
The children shrank back with frightened looks.
“The only dog on the island belongs to the guards,” Bettina explained. “They use the dog to scare the young ones into working.”
Elinor grimaced. “This is terrible.”
A flurry of scratching noises sounded at the door.
“Oh!” Elinor sat up. “That could be Brody!”
Nevis jumped to his feet, silently beseeching the Light that it would be his old friend.
Chapter 14
It wasn’t Brody.
As soon as Tommy had cracked open the door, an orange blur shot into the cottage.
The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea Page 18