“I have to keep an eye on my daughter.”
“But you only showed up after I somehow broke the shell holding my memories. I used magic, didn’t I? It was magic that broke your spell over me.”
“Odette.” Athena walked around the couch toward me, her movements cautious—like how one would move when trying to corner a frightened stray dog.
I backed away. “I have magic.” I stared at her, face pale, palms clammy. “Yet another thing you never told me. What other lies do you hide?”
She stopped. “We must leave before Grimhilde senses I am here. We must get back to Delphi and put you on the throne.”
I had to choose my next moments carefully. There was something I was missing. A piece of the puzzle I couldn’t see. There was a reason she needed to get back to Delphi so quickly. It must have to do with the summer solstice. It nagged at me.
“If you are the queen of Terricina, why do you need me? And why are you afraid of Grimhilde discovering you?”
“It’s your throne by birthright.” Mother’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Did you ever stop to consider what I actually want?” I stepped closer to her. “Mother, I want James. I want to be a pirate. You know, in a lot of ways, I am your daughter. But this is not one of them.” I shook my head. “I appreciate you wanting a better life for me. I truly do. But I’m quite content being a pirate if that means a boy—who has been raised his entire life to be the king and actually knows what he’s doing—is on the throne. I’m done with you manipulating my life.”
My mother’s lips thinned, and she rounded her shoulders. I knew that was the end of the conversation by her body language alone. She was furious with me. “You were so obedient without your memories,” she muttered and drew a shell from her pocket.
I snatched my sword and ran for the door.
“If you step out of this room, you are no longer my daughter,” Athena said. Her voice was as cold as the ice dangling from the window outside.
Her words seeped through me, like the melting snow, as I put my hand on the chilly metal of the doorknob. I turned my head to look at the woman who had raised me, the mother who had taught me everything I knew. “If you go through with this, I don’t want to be your daughter anyhow.”
And with that, I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
I ran as fast as I could down the stairs, playing on the gamble my mother truly wanted to avoid Queen Grimhilde. If she followed, she’d easily catch me, and I wouldn’t have a chance to escape.
Just as I rounded the top of a second flight, I spotted James at the foot of the steps with Ulrich, Sky, Mathias, and Tavia. They were mid-conversation when I jumped on the railing of the stairs and slid down. I landed lightly on my bare feet and seized James’s arm.
Tavia gasped audibly. “Odette!” she practically shrieked.
I ignored her. “My mother is here,” I said, out of breath.
His eyes widened and snapped up the stairs. “How?”
“The mirrors. She went through the mirror in the room we were in.”
“How is that possible?” Ulrich asked before I could.
“The only way possible is if she has one of the enchanted mirrors,” Mathias quickly said. “You can’t just walk through any mirror, there are only certain ones you can enter. Stay here.” He started sprinting up the stairs, skipping one step with long, easy strides.
James pushed me to Ulrich and took off after him.
“I said to stay!” Mathias scolded.
“I’m not a dog, and you don’t know what Athena is capable of,” James retorted, his voice fading as they continued down the hallway.
I put a hand to my lips and realized only then how terribly I was trembling.
Ulrich watched me with concern. “Did she do something?”
“Is there a way to know which mirrors are enchanted?” I asked Tavia, facing her. “Because she’s on her way to Delphi, but I don’t know what her plan B is.”
“Did she mention anything about my father?” Ulrich interrupted.
“Yes, but wait.” I looked again at Tavia.
Finally, her icy exterior melted a little. “I can’t go to an enchanted mirror and ask it where it’s companion mirror is,” she explained. “They could be scattered anywhere in any country. I’m sorry.”
“Is there a way to know if a mirror is enchanted?” Sky pressed, finally making his presence known.
“Not for you.” Tavia’s voice dripped with disdain. “Only magic users can sense magic. Since you’re a pirate, I doubt you have any abilities.”
Ulrich rolled his eyes. “Tavia, she’s a siren.”
“And my mother is the sea witch.”
Tavia’s breath hitched. Her hand flew to the collar of her long, elegant gown.
Soft voices and footsteps drew our attention back to the top of the stairs. I drew my sword, Tavia took a defensive stance, her hands held out to her sides like claws, and Ulrich took a step back. Sky patted his hip for his sword, but the guards had taken them when we arrived at the castle. My feet stung on the chilly stone floor, but I didn’t dare move.
James appeared, and everyone but me relaxed. Mathias appeared next, and they both shrugged as they walked down to the main floor.
“I destroyed the mirror,” Mathias explained to Tavia.
“She’s gone,” James added, giving me a nod.
I sheathed my sword.
“What, exactly, happened?” Mathias asked as he made it to the bottom.
“I returned to my room,” I explained. “My mother was in there. She said she came through the mirror. And then she explained to me why she’s doing all of this.”
Mathias sighed. “If we are to help, we need to know—”
“Absolutely nothing,” I said sharply. “You’ve done nothing to help Ulrich and his situation, and you have known each other your entire lives. Your hospitality toward him shows me I have no desire to give you any amount of information because I. Don’t. Trust. You.”
Tavia straightened, the same cold expression as her mother’s taking shape.
Mathias exhaled through his nose.
James cleared his throat. “If Athena is going to Delphi, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. Could she have one of those mirrors in Terricina somewhere?”
“Of course it’s possible,” Tavia said haughtily. “But it is impossible for us to know. I already explained to Odette that we can’t trace them.”
“Only our mother knows,” Mathias added. “We aren’t able to enchant.”
“But there is a way for magic users to trace the magic in a mirror,” I said. “Tavia spilled that before you came down.”
“Which does you no good,” Gerard said from the shadows.
Everyone turned to face him. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t trust Gerard, because we went silent. He was as unreliable as Queen Grimhilde in my opinion. I still didn’t understand whose side he was on, with the back and forth of the summer stone.
Gerard must have sensed our distrust because he let out a sigh. “There is another way to help Delphi and its people, without using the mirrors. Princess Tavia already explained that the mirrors are risky and dangerous. Even if you found a mirror to walk through, there is an entire world on the other side. The mirror realm isn’t like anything you’ve seen before. And then you have to find your mirror’s companion, which is even more difficult if you don’t already know its location. This is why Queen Grimhilde is able to use them—she’s the one who placed the mirrors.”
“Then what’s your suggestion?” I demanded.
He gestured to Ulrich. “Prince Ulrich, you have the summer stone. We can get back to the ship, and if you use the power from the stone, you could get us down to Delphi before Odette’s mother finds a way through the mirror realm. And with that same summer stone, you can
defeat her.”
“And how do you propose he does that?” I asked before Ulrich could. “How could using the stone possibly be faster?”
“Because the mirror realm is vast,” he continued. “It isn’t like she can just walk from one mirror to the next. She has to find the right one.”
“How do you know all this?” Mathias asked.
Gerard rolled his eyes and head simultaneously over to the prince. “I know a thing or two about magic and enchanting. I’m a necromancer myself. Trained by Selina, remember?”
“Fascinating,” Mathias grinned. He opened his mouth like he was going to ask a question.
I didn’t let him. “Great. Back to the ship. We need to ride as hard and fast as we can. Mathias and Tavia, thank you for letting us stay in your home.” I bowed my head to both of them, not caring a piece of silver that I didn’t properly address them.
“Wait, you said you were going to send us with fairies,” Ulrich said, snagging Mathias by the hand.
“Ah, yes. Of course.” Mathias walked over to a small table pressed up against the wall under a tapestry. He lifted a vase, pulled out the dried flowers, and spoke directly into it. “Please send the lost boys to me immediately.” He replaced the flowers in their vase.
“Lost boys?” James asked.
“You’ll see.” Mathias directed his attention toward the floor under the small table.
Tavia rolled her eyes and folded her hands in front of her.
A piece of the floorboard suddenly flung open like a small door, and seven small fairies marched out in a line. I stepped up beside James for protection. They hummed an unfamiliar song, their little arms swinging the same direction, save one toward the end, who ended up hitting hands with the fairy in front of him. That fairy turned around, scolding him in a voice I couldn’t hear, then bopped him on the head!
Mathias cleared his throat. “Take on your human forms. You will be traveling with these lovely people and will listen to Captain Hook.”
The fairies stopped, looked at each other, and promptly grew in size. Their little wings disappeared, but their pointed ears remained.
To my complete amazement, they were children.
James raised his eyebrow. “You want to send children to help us?” He looked at Mathias. “Is this a cruel joke? What on the five seas are we supposed to do with seven children?”
Mathias shook his head. “Don’t let their appearances fool you. Fairies age differently than we do, and they are going to be very good.” He finished the sentence by looking at the fairy boys. “And you should each introduce yourselves.” He nodded.
The one who had swung his arms the wrong direction stepped forward. He had curly blond hair, piercing blue eyes, large cheeks, and a narrow, pointed nose. “I’m Nibs. The twins are Happy and Grumpy.” He put his hand to the side of his mouth. “It’s the only way we can tell them apart.”
Happy and Grumpy were identical to the point I couldn’t see any defining differences at first. Both had piercing blue eyes and blond hair.
“I’m Curly!” another boy announced, jumping forward like a rabbit. He had the same sparkle to his eyes, but with a shade that was more lavender than blue, and jet-black hair.
“That’s Slightly,” Nibs continued, gesturing to the smallest of them. “He’s really shy.”
Slightly cowered behind Curly and wiggled his fingers in a weak wave of greeting. His brown hair shielded his brown eyes, almost as dark as James’s, though James’s eyes were broken with copper and chestnut tones.
Curly threw his arm around Slightly’s neck and used his other hand to gesture to a fairy with white hair and eyebrows and red eyes. He was picking at one of his buttons, attempting to get it in the right spot. “This is Tootles. He’s brilliant but deaf.” He poked Tootles, who quickly snapped his gaze up.
Nibs used his hands to make some shapes and then gestured to us.
Tootles’ eyes lit up, and he grinned.
“Hopefully, they’re saying good things?” I muttered.
“That’s Bins,” Nibs threw in, pointing out the last of the fairies—a boy with a round belly, freckles on his nose, and black hair with an almost blue tone.
“Can we go now?” Ulrich pressed.
James grumbled under his breath. “I can’t believe I’m bringing children on my ship. All right, everyone. Out! We need to get back to my ship as soon as possible.”
twenty-four
Tavia took some mercy on us and provided us with warm clothing to wear on our ride back to the sea. “In spite of what you think,” she said, helping me pull on thick gloves, “I think you are brilliant.”
I lifted my gaze.
“I envy you,” she added softly. “Perhaps when you’ve helped Ulrich return his kingdom to normal . . .” Her lip tugged in a small, hopeful but beautiful smile. “Never mind.”
“You should smile more often.”
Her orange-gold eyes lowered to mine. “Why is that?”
“Because it’s rather beautiful.” I offered her a smile of my own and received one of hers back in response. “I do know what it’s like to have a mother who has lost her senses, after all. If you were going to ask for help, I’ll gladly return if you truly wish. And I know Ulrich will as well.”
She gave my hands a squeeze. “We don’t know what else to do to help you. Please understand that. Please. And return as quickly as you can. One more thing. Use caution around Gerard. I don’t know about him yet. I can’t see him like I can you, so I don’t trust him.”
I nodded.
She let go, and Mathias led us through the castle to the stables at the back. As he had promised, the horses were already laden with heavy saddlebags full of supplies. He even went to the man standing off to the side puffing on a pipe and spoke with him in a hushed voice.
“What’s he doing?” I asked.
“Asking if the horses have enchanted shoes,” Tavia explained. “They can run faster if they do.”
The excited “lost boys” ran about the stalls, ruffling the horse’s manes and getting into the tools.
James scowled. “Oy!” he called.
The boys jumped and all spun to him—except Tootles, who needed a nudge from Curly.
“You behave yourselves or you’re staying here,” James demanded. “If you’re coming with us, you’ll listen to my orders, understood?”
They all nodded. Happy turned and explained to Tootles using his hands.
“I’m your captain,” James continued. “My word is law. Even more so than the prince and princess. If you don’t do what I say, you could end up injured or killed, and I won’t be responsible for a death aboard my ship because of children being foolish.”
“We got it, old man,” Grumpy grumbled, folding his arms over his chest with a huff.
“Old man?” James muttered.
I elbowed him. “Relax. They’ve probably been stuffed in the floorboards their entire lives. Let them have a little fun.”
Mathias pulled his collar tighter to his neck and puffed his breath into his gloved hands as he returned to us. “They are ready for you. All horses have been granted swiftness.” He turned to Ulrich and held out his hand. “I wish you all the best of luck.”
Ulrich smiled warily. “I’m afraid I will need more than luck on my side.”
“You’ve got me,” I grinned, looping my arm through his. I hadn’t had a chance yet to tell him we were related.
It came as no surprise that the fairies had never ridden horses.
Fortunately, the royal family was kind enough to provide more horses this time. The fairy boys were placed on two old mares, and three sat comfortably in a row. The seventh fairy, Grumpy, wanted to sit with James.
“I want to ride with Odette,” James tried to explain.
“She can ride too,” Grumpy argued.
“There’
s not enough room,” James frowned.
Grumpy scowled—his expression making him look like a ninety-year-old man.
“Good luck!” Mathias waved from afar. He and Tavia had taken shelter in the doorway, and at that wave, he put his hand on Tavia’s back and guided her back into the warmth of the castle.
I climbed onto the horse behind Ulrich. “Don’t worry, James. I get to ride with my baby brother.” I hugged Ulrich.
He turned in his seat. “What?”
“There’s a lot my mother said while we spoke,” I explained. “Including that your father and my mother were married, and she was pregnant with me when he banished her into the sea.”
Ulrich cocked his head. “That doesn’t make sense. Remember that tapestry you saw in my memory? That was my family. I had a mother and older sister in that tapestry. So if you’re my sister and Athena is my mother . . .” He sat back with a confused expression on his face. “If my mother is your mother, and she’s the sea witch, does that mean I’m actually a siren too?”
I clenched my hands into fists, stunned. My mother had lied to me again. How could I not remember the tapestry? How am I supposed to trust anything she told me? I wondered.
“I always wanted a brother or sister.” Ulrich smiled at me again, clearly trying to alleviate my sudden change of mood.
“Happy family reunion, now let’s get out of here!” Sky said from the front. “You can be happy when we’re on the ship and safe.”
Happy tilted his head so sharply to the side I thought he was going to slide right off the horse. Somehow, he kept his balance. “I don’t understand,” he mumbled.
“They aren’t actually going to be you,” Nibs pointed out. “They mean the expression.”
“Oh.” Happy gripped tightly to the mare’s mane and started tugging. “Let’s go! I want to see the ship!”
“Be nice to the horse,” James scolded. “Do you like it when people pull your hair?”
The Siren Princess Page 20