The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  He nodded. “There is always some fear. That’s why I had everyone practice so much. You feel better when you know exactly what you’re supposed to do.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad ye’re here.”

  “I’m glad I had this time with you.” He entwined his fingers with hers. What would happen once the battle was over? he wondered. No doubt Elinor would want to return to Lessa Castle to be with her mother and brother.

  As for himself, Nevis had already been named the next general of the Eberoni army. His father wanted to retire soon, and Leo was expecting him to take charge. That meant a life of living in army tents, something he was accustomed to, but not a proper life for a princess.

  They walked in silence for a while. Bettina and Catriona were about twenty feet in front of them.

  Suddenly, Bettina stopped and tilted her head as if she were listening. “Fourteen ships have set sail from the Isle of Moon. The birds are amazed by how fast they are traveling.”

  “That’s because the king of Tourin can control the wind,” Nevis explained.

  “He’s just like Darroc?” Catriona asked.

  “Yes. And the king of Eberon has lightning power just like Alfred,” Nevis added.

  Bettina and Catriona exchanged excited looks.

  “Then we really would be accepted on the mainland,” Catriona said.

  Bettina nodded. “I’m hoping we can reunite the little ones with their families.”

  “Have you heard anything about the elfin navy?” Nevis asked. “Where are they?”

  “They’re approaching from the east,” Bettina replied. “Six ships.”

  “So there will be twenty ships in all,” Elinor concluded.

  “With Rupert pushing them here, it won’t take long for them to arrive.” Nevis began walking at a brisk pace. “We need to get started.”

  As soon as they returned to the village, Nevis gave the order for the Spiders to advance. There were a total of eight in their little army, including himself and Elinor. Bettina, Catriona, Hannah, and Peter each carried a large canvas bag filled with strips of linen for tying and gagging their prisoners. Elinor’s canvas bag was filled with paper, pen, and ink, along with the six spider pictures she’d drawn. She had also strapped on her sword belt.

  Nevis had his usual sword at his hip and two knives in his boots. As they strode through the forest toward the castle, they passed by the hole they had dug to hide any confiscated weapons they couldn’t use. They stopped at the edge of the forest, close to the guardhouse.

  The thirty guards worked in two shifts—fifteen guarding during the day and the other fifteen at night. So right now, the night-shift guards were inside the house sleeping.

  “Ready, Elam? Kurt?” Nevis asked the boys and they nodded. Kurt dashed behind some trees to undress and soon a dark gray bunny came hopping out from beneath the bushes.

  The three of them darted toward the guardhouse. Nevis hid around the corner, while Elam and Kurt approached the door. It was a long, rectangular building with many windows, but fortunately all the shutters were closed so the guards inside could sleep during the day.

  Elam knocked on the door.

  Standing close to a shutter, Nevis could hear some rustling noises inside as the guards stirred.

  “Go away!” one of the guards yelled.

  Elam pounded even harder on the door.

  “Dammit,” one of the guards growled. “Sheldon, go see who it is.”

  “Why me?” a whiny voice answered.

  “Because I told you to!”

  “Aye, Captain,” Sheldon grumbled.

  As the guard shuffled toward the door, Nevis moved to the building’s corner and from his boot, he drew a knife that had a hard metal knob on the handle.

  Sheldon opened the door and let out a big yawn. “Why the hell did you wake us up?”

  “Quentin is missing!” Elam said in a frantic voice. “He didn’t come to work today.”

  “What else is new?” The guard yawned again. “Go tell one of the day guards.”

  “I couldn’t find any,” Elam said. “Can you help us? We’re worried about him.”

  “Go look for him!” the captain shouted.

  “Who, me?” Sheldon cried.

  “Yes, you!” the captain yelled. “Take care of it and make sure we’re not disturbed again.”

  “Aye,” another guard complained. “We’re all exhausted. If I ever catch that cat, I’m going to wring its neck!”

  That cat? Nevis wondered what Gavin had done to upset the guards.

  “I’m going to wring Quentin’s neck,” Sheldon grumbled. “Wait here. I need to get my boots on.”

  While Elam waited, Nevis peeked around the corner. The door was still partially open, and Kurt slipped inside the building unnoticed by the sleepy guards.

  Sheldon returned and, with a yawn, he shut the door behind him. “So where do you think Quentin could be?” He walked forward a few steps, and, with a wave of his hand, Elam tripped him.

  As Sheldon landed on his face, Nevis dashed forward and clonked him on the back of the head. He hefted the unconscious man over his shoulder, and then he and Elam ran toward the edge of the woods.

  When Nevis dropped the guard on the ground, Elinor and Bettina quickly tied his hands and feet while Catriona gagged him. Then the three women dragged him a bit farther into the woods.

  Nevis and the others waited at the edge of the woods, and soon they heard loud voices filtering through the closed shutters.

  “Ouch!” a guard shouted. “Something bit me!”

  “What is it? Ouch, it just bit me!”

  “What the hell?” the captain growled. “I can’t see in the dark.” He flung open some shutters.

  “It’s a rabbit!”

  “Where? Ouch! Dammit, he bit me.”

  “Kill the damned thing!” the captain shouted.

  “But it might be Kurt,” a guard protested.

  “Then chase it out of here!” the captain ordered.

  “Aye, Captain.” Footsteps ran to the door; then a guard flung it open.

  Kurt bounded outside, headed for the forest, with two guards chasing him, shouting and waving their swords. As soon as they reached the forest, Elam tripped one and then the other. With a quick clonk to the head, Nevis knocked both guards out. Elinor and the others quickly tied and gagged them.

  The captain peered out the door. There was no one in sight, so he let out a big sigh. “At last we can get some sleep.”

  That’s what you think, Nevis thought as the captain slammed the door shut, then closed all the shutters.

  Nevis threw one of the unconscious guards over his shoulder, while Elam and the women dragged the other guard. Soon they deposited the two guards next to the first one.

  Quentin pranced around the three unconscious guards. “It’s my turn now, right?”

  “Yes.” Nevis gave the young boy an encouraging slap on the back. “Good luck, soldier.”

  “Aye, Colonel.” Quentin saluted him, then skipped through the woods.

  As they headed back to the guardhouse, Nevis realized they were lucky that Quentin was so nosy. He had known the captain’s greatest weakness. According to Quentin, the captain had gotten drunk one night and confessed that he was enamored of the Embraced soldier Farah.

  Nevis and Elam positioned themselves at the corner of the building while Quentin sneaked up to the door, grinning. He pounded on the door.

  “What the hell is it now?” the captain bellowed.

  Quentin pounded again on the door.

  “See who it is and get rid of him,” the captain ordered.

  “Aye, Captain.” More footsteps shuffled toward the door, and then a guard opened it. “Oh, it’s Quentin.”

  “Tell him to go back to work!” the captain growled.

  “Did Sheldon find you?” the guard asked. “Where is he?”

  “He’s talking to Alfred,” Quentin said in a loud voice. “And guess what I heard.”

&nbs
p; “You little snitch,” the guard mumbled. “Go back to work.” The door squeaked as he started to shut it.

  Quentin raised his voice. “They were talking about you, Captain!”

  “What?” the captain asked, and the squeaky sound of the door stopped.

  “Alfred said you were fat and lazy,” Quentin announced.

  “What?” the captain roared.

  “And Farah was there, and she agreed with him.”

  “What the hell? I’ve had enough of that asshole Alfred.” After some rustling sounds, booted feet stomped toward the door. “I don’t care what kind of power he has. I’m going to whip his ass!” The captain charged out of the guardhouse, slamming the door behind him.

  Elam promptly tripped him, and Nevis clocked him. Soon, the captain was tied and gagged and lying next to his unconscious comrades.

  Back at the edge of the forest, Elinor gave two of her pictures to Bettina, another two to Catriona, then kept two for herself.

  Nevis made sure everyone was equipped with a sword, knife, or hammer from the smithy. “This will be the tricky part,” he warned them. “There are eleven who will come running out. Elam will trip the first two, and hopefully, the rest will fall over them. We have to knock them all out quickly.”

  The Spiders nodded, their hands tightly gripping their weapons.

  “Let’s go.” Nevis led half the group to huddle by one corner of the guardhouse, while Elam led the other half to the corner on the other side of the door.

  The women with the pictures sneaked up to the shuttered windows at the back of the building. There was a back door, but Nevis figured that once the pictures came to life at the back of the building, all the guards would flee out the front door. That would mean the three women at the back would be safe. Still, he worried about them, so he eased to the back corner to make sure they were all right.

  They had the drawings unfolded and ready to go. With a nod from Elinor, they all quickly opened the shutters and tossed the drawings in to land on the floor. Then they ran to join the groups at the front corners of the building.

  “Hey! It’s too bright in here,” a guard yelled. “Who opened the shutters?”

  “What’s that? Ack!” a guard shrieked.

  “Sp-sp-spiders! Giant spiders!”

  “Run!”

  The front door burst open, and the guards jostled with one another as they all tried to escape at the same time. Two squeezed out, and Elam promptly tripped one, then the other. As the others broke free from the jammed entrance, they fell over the first two.

  Nevis and Elam and their groups dashed forward to clobber all the guards on the head.

  Nevis had knocked three unconscious when one that Elinor had hit turned to her and said, “Ouch! What the hell are—” He slumped over when Nevis hit him.

  Elinor winced. “I’m not very good at this.”

  Nevis smiled to himself. “You’re not hitting hard enough.” Another soldier that Hannah had hit sat up, and Nevis clonked him, too. Then Catriona’s target sat up, and Nevis hit him.

  Quentin laughed. “They’re like moles sticking their heads up.”

  Nevis grinned as he knocked out Bettina’s guard. “I’ll make sure they’re unconscious. You all just start tying them up and dragging them away.”

  “Aye, Colonel!” Quentin saluted, then helped the others tie the guards up.

  As they started to drag the guards into the woods, Nevis noticed a huge, hideous spider creeping out of the guardhouse.

  “Dammit.” He drew his sword and sliced the spider in two. More spiders were crawling about the room, so hideous looking that he leaped into the room and hacked them to bits. Black hairy legs flew through the air. “Die, you ugly beasts!”

  “What are ye doing?” Elinor asked from the doorway.

  “Don’t worry. It’s safe now.” He sheathed his sword. “I killed them all.”

  Her mouth twitched as she entered the room. “Ye didn’t have to do that. They would have turned back to paper in an hour or so.”

  “That’s too long.” Dammit, why did she have to look so amused? “I hate spiders.” He motioned to the weapons stashed at the back of the building. “And we have to hide all these weapons. We couldn’t do that if the damned spiders were in the way.”

  She nodded, her eyes still twinkling. “That’s true.”

  He stepped over some dead spider parts to retrieve a sword from a table in the back. “Would you like a sword? This is a good one.”

  “No thank you.” She patted her canvas bag of art supplies. “In my case, the pen is mightier than the sword.”

  He smiled. “That’s true.” When she smiled back, his heart squeezed in his chest. He cleared his throat. “Have all the guards been dragged into the woods?”

  “Yes. The children will be back soon to take the weapons away.” She stepped closer. “Ye do realize that ye’re their hero? Especially Quentin—he practically worships you.”

  Nevis scoffed. “Whenever his gift appears, he’ll probably be able to kick my ass. I’ll never be Embraced like they are. Or you are.” To his surprise, she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. “Wh-what are you doing?”

  “Now ye’re embraced.”

  Damn, if he didn’t suddenly feel twice as powerful.

  “Oh, look!” Quentin was in the doorway with Peter and Hannah.

  Nevis jumped back.

  “What is it?” Bettina asked as she peered in the doorway. “Are the spiders still in there?”

  “No.” Quentin pointed at Nevis. “The colonel was—”

  “The colonel has killed all the spiders,” Elinor announced. “Ye can come in now.”

  As the human Spiders filed in, Nevis and Elinor handed them all the swords, knives, and spears.

  “Take these to the pit we dug, then cover them up,” Nevis ordered.

  As they rushed outside, Quentin whispered loudly to the others, “I saw the colonel hugging the princess!”

  Nevis winced. “Sorry.”

  “Why should ye be?” Elinor frowned at him. “I’m the one who hugged you.”

  “I realize that. And I’m grateful, but . . .”

  Her beautiful blue eyes narrowed. “But what?”

  “You’re a princess—”

  “And ye’re a strong, brave, and handsome colonel. I don’t see a problem.” She folded her arms across her chest, glowering at him. “Why are ye just staring at me? Am I a mess?” She hooked a tendril of hair behind her ear.

  She was a bit of a mess. Her hair was escaping her braid, and there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek, but he’d never thought her more desirable than she was now. He swallowed hard. “You’re always beautiful to me.”

  Her gaze searched his. “Ye do like me, don’t you, Nevis?”

  “How can anyone not like you? I’m sure you have plenty of suitors.”

  “I only need one, if he’s the right one.”

  “I’m not a nobleman.”

  “Who said I wanted a nobleman?” With a huff, she turned to leave.

  He caught her by the arm. “Is there truly a chance for me?”

  She lifted her chin. “That’s up to you. Chances only happen when ye’re bold enough to claim them.”

  “In that case . . .” He pulled her into his arms and planted his mouth on hers. And she responded, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him back. By the Light, he was in heaven, and Elinor was his angel.

  “Oh, my goddesses, now they’re kissing!” Quentin yelled from the doorway.

  Nevis broke the kiss with a groan.

  “Shh.” Bettina pulled the boy away from the door.

  Nevis slanted a worried look at Elinor, but she smiled back and gave him an encouraging nod.

  With a smile, he took her hand and led her outside where the Spiders were waiting. “We’ve eliminated fifteen guards, but there are still fifteen more to go. Time for step two of the plan. Are you ready?”

  The Spiders gave him a cheer, and they strode back into the woods,
headed in the direction of the castle.

  Chapter 22

  “Are you all right?” Maeve asked when Brody woke up, still in the guise of the Seer.

  He blinked, then sat up. “What time is it?”

  “Midmorning.” She rose from her chair at the table in his sitting room. While he’d been sleeping, she’d been tearing her sheets into strips.

  Earlier, when Ruth had brought Maeve her breakfast, the servant had mentioned that Nevis and his group were planning to use linen strips to tie up the guards. With a guard still stationed outside her door, Maeve had decided to follow Nevis’s lead.

  She had invited Ruth to share her breakfast, and while they ate, she’d explained who the Seer really was. Once Ruth had recovered from her shock, she’d sworn to help Maeve and Brody. She was already helping Nevis, who had told her the battle would happen today. Now Maeve was even more worried about her bad dream coming true.

  “You should have wakened me.” Brody jumped out of bed and pulled on some breeches. “We have to get ready.”

  Maeve swallowed hard. “For the battle?”

  “Aye.” Brody buttoned his shirt. “Leo and all the ships have probably set sail by now. By noon, they plan to rendezvous with the elfin ships near the island.”

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “Burien!” Cahira called. “Are you awake?”

  “Dammit,” Brody muttered and he leaped back into bed.

  “Just a minute!” Maeve yelled back. She covered up her linen strips with a tablecloth, then rushed to the bed to tug the covers up to Brody’s chin. “My mother came earlier this morning,” she whispered. “I chased her off, saying you’d finally fallen asleep after a rough night.”

  Brody touched her cheek. “It was a glorious night. Are you all right?”

  “Of course.” Another knock sounded at the door, and she slipped his hand beneath the covers. “Behave.”

  She unlocked the door, and Cahira sauntered in, followed by Ruth carrying a breakfast tray.

  “Oh, at last you’re awake.” Cahira rushed to the Seer’s bedside. “I was worried about you.”

  “I’m fine,” Brody said in a shaky voice. When he struggled to sit up, Cahira helped him. “I just needed some rest.”

  “Of course.” Cahira grabbed the tray from Ruth and set it on his lap. “And now you need some hot porridge.”