Page 53 of From the Myths of Kings

“Is that where sirens came from?” she asked.

Tezrus gave her a grave nod. Saoirse felt dizzy as more questions darted through her mind. She tightened her grip on the iron bars and tried to calm herself.

“I know how you feel,” Tezrus said through the haze of her thoughts. “It was overwhelming when I first learned the truth. Even as someone who studied the Myths of Old obsessively, it was a shock for me to learn about Selussa and her long-lost kingdom.”

“What happened to Anthemoessa? To the sirens?”

“The Four Kinsmen offered an alliance to the sirens, which they initially accepted. However, they sided with the Titans in the end and betrayed the Four Kinsmen. Queen Basilia of the Mer was killed as a direct result of their betrayal. It is said that after the sirens allied themselves with the Titans, they lost their kingdom to endless fire as penance for their betrayal of the mortal world. They all but went extinct, vanishing after the war.”

“So is Selussa trying to bring Anthemoessa back from extinction?” That seemed like a very real possibility. Was that the ultimate reason why Selussa wanted to resurrect the Titans? Did she require their help to restore her former kingdom?

Before Tezrus could elaborate further, the barred door at the prison’s entrance screeched open. He hastily tucked the vial of Selussa’s blood into his tunic. Saoirse had been sitting so still she jolted at the harsh shriek of rusted hinges. She scurried back from the iron bars and huddled in the shadowy corner of her cell. Her heart was thundering against her ribs, but not from fear of the unexpected horde of underguards swarming the prison block like flies to a carcass. She still was reeling from everything Tezrus had disclosed. How had the kingdom of Anthemoessa faded so quickly from Revelore’s memory? She supposed it had been forgotten in the same way the Myths of Old had tarnished over time. But it felt like there was more to the story, some elusive piece she was missing. The omission of Anthemoessa from history almost seemed…deliberate.

All thoughts of Selussa and her ancient kingdom scattered when the throng of guards pushed a hooded figure through the doorway. Between the oscillating torchlight and the frenzied crowd of stone-colored uniforms, it was difficult to make out any details of their latest prisoner. They passed under a wavering sconce on the wall and the hooded figure was temporarily illuminated. Saoirse’s blood ran cold.

No. No. No.

She would know those pale gray wings anywhere. Rook.

She scrubbed at her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Sure enough, the flock of underguards shoved a hooded Rook down the prison block. His wrists were bound in thick chains that swayed with every unstable step forward. One of the underguards unlocked an empty cell next to Hasana’s and her stomach dropped.

Saoirse almost cried out his name, but she bit her tongue. She didn’t want any of them to know how much he meant to her. She hadn’t yet experienced the full cruelty of Grivur’s madness, but she didn’t want to give him any more fodder for his upcoming games. She couldn’t afford for Rook to be used against her in any way. Instead, she bit down harder on her tongue as they forced him into the awaiting cell. He fell on hands and knees, chains clattering on the stone floor. The dark hood was ripped from his head.

No. Why did you come?

Emotion thickened in her throat when she took in the sight of his familiar, painfully beautiful face. Her eyes traced over his marble-hewn jawline and full lips, lips she’d dreamed about every night since she’d last seen him in the hanging gardens of Bezhad. Her eyes halted their exploration of his face when she noticed the deep strokes of color under his eyes, so dark they were almost bruise-like. His normally tanned skin appeared sallow in the dim light. His cheekbones were sharper than they had been the last time she’d seen him, making his face appear gaunt.

But his piercing blue eyes were the same.

The world became muddled and hazy as Saoirse continued to stare at Rook, a mixture of relief and horror welling in her chest like a flooded tidepool. The underguards became mere blurs through the shadows as they left the prison block. Time warped and slowed when he finally looked up and met her eyes. That invisible thread between them tightened. She could feel his gaze like a chill on her skin.

“Saoirse.”

Her name was a rasp on his tongue. He crept toward the iron bars of his cell, his heavy wings dragging against the floor like he was stranded in the Shujaa Desert, and she was the water he’d been waiting for. The relief in his eyes was apparent as he gazed at her across the cell block. His earnest concern cut through her heart like a knife. He’d been worried for her. She suddenly couldn’t speak.

The last of the underguards finally exited the prison and the barred door slammed closed behind them, leaving the cell block in silence. Rook broke Saoirse’s gaze and turned to find Hasana kneeling next to the cell wall they shared.

“You look awful,” Hasana whispered. Her tone wasn’t one of callous judgement, but rather that of an evaluating Healer who’d just received a new patient. Her eyes began to glow as she scanned his waxen appearance. But the light shining in her palms slowly faded when she remembered the prison block was warded against magic. Even if she wanted to heal Rook, her ministrations wouldn’t work here.

“I know,” Rook answered. His voice was threaded with exhaustion. He ran a hand through his damp hair. It must’ve been raining hard on the surface if he was that drenched. “It’s gotten worse.”

Saoirse remembered the scabbed-over injury he’d shown her that night in the hanging gardens, how the flesh around the stab wound was darkened with black spiderwebbing veins. If his outward appearance had changed this much, she could only imagine how much pain he was wrestling with. The horrifying realization that he’d have to compete in Grivur’s “trials” in this condition dawned on her. How would he be expected to survive?

“How did you end up here?” Neia asked from her cell. “Where is Aurelia?”

Saoirse was grateful Neia had vocalized the question. For some reason, her tongue still felt stiff in her mouth, and she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Perhaps she was merely rattled by all Tezrus had revealed about Selussa, but she suspected she was more overwhelmed with Rook’s sudden appearance and all the complicated emotions he dredged up.

“We flew to Raj’s Point as originally planned. Something was clearly wrong when your ship failed to appear in the harbor. It took some convincing, but Aurelia permitted me to search for you along the eastern coast of Terradrin.”

“You flew all the way here by yourself?” Hasana sounded appalled. “You could’ve died, Rook. We don’t know what sickness ails you nor how quickly it’s advancing. You may very well have accelerated the illness’s spread by exhausting your energy in coming here.”

Rook almost looked sheepish under her scolding. “I wasn’t planning on saving you all on my own. I was only trying to figure out what happened before I returned to Aurelia for aid. It would’ve been too dangerous for both of us to scout the area. It was better for me to go alone. Or so we thought.” He cast his gaze around the prison block as if noticing it for the first time. “What happened to you? How long have you been imprisoned?”

“You’ve made a grave mistake in coming here,” Neia warned. “Our Terradrin contacts betrayed us the second we arrived. Rymir betrayed us. They turned us over to Grivur immediately.” Her voice was still laced with fresh hurt. “Grivur has fallen to paranoia and madness. The uprising in Meysam and the Tournament’s collapse disturbed him so deeply he executed most of his inner circle of advisors and cast out his court. He thinks everyone is against him. Even Queen Raven. He’s locked himself in the Under Kingdom and refuses to send his soldiers to her.”

“Hel’s teeth.” Rook dragged his gaze along the rugged stone ceiling as if searching for answers. “I met with Raven only days ago. She did not indicate that Grivur was ignoring her call for military mobilization. Initially, he sided with Aurandel and declared war on Tellusun. Something must’ve changed Grivur’s mind.”

“You met with Raven?” Hasana cut in. A veil of distrust slipped over her eyes.

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