Page 65 of From the Mouths of Sirens

“Correct. Even if we tried to make contact, Queen Raven’s Aerial spies would no doubt intercept our messages. Terradrin and Aurandel do not know of Selussa’s intentions, and they would never believe us if we tried to tell them,” Hasana said darkly.

“We can’t let Selussa get that Relic.” Saoirse paced around the vault. “There must be another way.”

“Neia Landum has proposed a heist,” Hasana offered, crossing her arms across her chest. She raised a dark eyebrow and surveyed Saoirse’s doubtful expression before continuing. “Though it is dangerous, it may be possible to steal the Terradrin Relic from the Under Kingdom. It could be hidden better if it is alwayson the move in the hands of the resistance.”

“How will the rebels get to Terradrin? We cannot pass through Aurandel skies unnoticed, and traveling by foot is out of the question. We don’t have time to make a months’ long journey.”

“There are still details to work out, of course. We can travel by sea and arrive on Terradrin shores quickly.”

“I don’t see how that could work,” Saoirse countered, putting her hands on her hips. “Aurandel and Terradrin will have their eyes on Tellusun and the Maeral Sea. But even if we were to arrive without detection, it still won’t be fast enough. Selussa could be heading there as we speak.”

“Selussa has not been sighted since she entered Elorshin a week ago,” Hasana explained. “It is my understanding that she has not yet departed from Kellam Keep.”

Saoirse’s heart wrenched at the thought. She couldn’t imagine the horrors that Selussa was putting her people through. Fresh fury churned through her blood. She would do anything to save Elorshin and the rest of Revelore from the Witch’s malice.

“If Selussa has not been sighted, then we must take the risk,” Saoirse said decidedly. “We’ll need to create a diversion. If we can draw Aurandel and Terradrin’s forces elsewhere, we can sneak into the Under Kingdom before Selussa arrives. But we need to depart quickly.” She continued to pace, her hands closing into fists. It was dangerous. One wrong move could end in disaster.

“It is a risk the rebellion is willing to take,” Hasana conceded. “Our priority has shifted from overthrowing Aurandel to protecting our world from Selussa and the Titans. We now share the same purpose that our ancestors once held at the dawn of time. And just as the Four Kinsmen were triumphant in banishing the Titans from Revelore, so too shall we be victorious against Selussa.”

She was so confident, her glowing eyes bright with hope. Saoirse could see now why Hasana was the leader that the resistance had rallied around. Merely being in Hasana’s presence gave her a measure of courage that hadn’t been there before.

“Can you instruct your rebels to gather any materials about the Myths of Old?” Saoirse asked. “We should learn what we are up against if we want any chance of winning. Now that the Elders of Revelore have made their intentions known and serve Selussa, they will be of no help to us. We have to find the answers on our own.”

Hasana nodded. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but she pursed her lips in hesitation. After a beat of silence, she said, “There is one who may be able to help us. He is a scholar of ancient history and a former Elder of Terradrin. His name is Tezrus, and he resides in the Soundless Oasis. If there is anyone we could consult about mythology, it is him.”

“Then we shall travel to this Soundless Oasis at once,” Saoirse said. “We can leave as early as tomorrow.”

“It is dangerous,” Hasana warned her. “The Desert may be unforgiving, but the Oasis is merciless.”

“I will do whatever it takes,” Saoirse retorted. “If there is even a chance that Tezrus can help us, it is worth every risk. I will go myself.”

“Then it is decided,” Hasana said approvingly. “You shall seek out the Oasis at first light. Unfortunately, I must remain here to plan out the heist with Neia and guard Behzad. I will send a guide with you in my stead.”

She turned from the Huntress’s Relic, guiding Saoirse back to the entrance of the vault. As they walked through the cavern, her heart began to race. Once she started down this path, there was no turning back. Hasana stopped before the door, looking over her shoulder at Saoirse.

“Are you ready?” she asked, her golden eyes radiant in the shadows.

“Yes,” Saoirse replied, more sure of this than anything in her life.

A slow smile crept across Hasana’s face. She nodded and pushed open the door. Light flooded the darkness, and Saoirse stepped forward without fear.

Epilogue

SELUSSA

Selussa stood before the open gates of the Fretum, gazing up at the prison walls with a smile on her lips. For a hundred years, she had planned her escape, waiting for the day when she would be free.

“Whatever you are planning, it won’t work,” a voice rasped. Selussa looked down at the huddled form of King Angwin and smirked. The thick iron chains that coiled around his body dug into his flesh. She yanked on the chain, and he hissed with pain as the metal tore at his bruised skin.

He had fought hard, considering the odds. When she arrived at the gates of Kellam Keep with her army of imprisoned monsters long starved in the Fretum, he stood his ground and refused to flee. But armed with the dagger of Aris and the blood thirsty creatures she had feed, he and his army hadn’t stood a chance. She had savored the feeling of crushing Kellam, the city she had grown to hate almost as much as those who had banished her to the Fretum all those years ago. Screams had resounded through the city streets as her ancient army destroyed the capital with their tentacles, teeth, and spiked tails.

“Stop your pitiful protestations, little king,” she ordered. “It is unkingly of you. Besides, who will stop me, Angwin? Your daughter abandoned you here,” she cackled. “No no one will save you now.”

Selussa summoned a blast of seawater, and the ocean obediently obeyed her command. She never grew tired of the power that now lurked in her veins, stolen from the Mer Princess. She ordered the swell of waves to carry Angwin into the endless black water of Fretum. The Mer king was helpless as the ocean rallied against him, sending him tumbling into the darkness in a torrent of churning water.

“Just as your grandfather Isandros banished me into this Helish prison, so too shall you be banished within these walls until the end of your days,” Selussa vowed. She raised her hands, calling the sea to herself once more. The might of the Maeral Sea churned and foamed like a maelstrom on the horizon, shifting the gates of the Fretum closed. The stone rumbled through the ocean, shaking the sea floor as the great walls were sealed closed. When the gates were sealed, the sea finally stilled and all was quiet. Selussa smiled to herself, her fingers curling instinctively around the dark pearl that hung from a chain around her neck.

How her siblings would praise her when they finally woke from their eternal slumber.

---