Page 36 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

I crack a lid to find her facing me, her eyes narrowed. “Nearly a century past.” Long before Romeria’s birth.

“In a ship?” I have Captain Aron’s interest now as well.

“A small skiff with an elemental caster adept at manipulating the wind and sea. We stuck to the coastline. Nearly lost ourselves to the rocks a few times,” I admit. “But we made it there and back without ever crossing paths with one of these dreaded sirens everyone is so frightened of.” My father insisted it couldn’t be done, but if by some miracle I succeeded and found myself infected by the bloodlust, I dare not return or he’d drive a blade through my heart himself. He wasn’t exaggerating.

I was happy to prove the fool wrong.

Annika bites her bottom lip, torn by curiosity. “Where did you go?”

“I stayed in Northmost and the countryside. Traveling through Islor proved far too dangerous, given how much your kind loves the scent of my blood.” Does it taunt her now? For an Islorian who hasn’t fed in days, she reveals nothing.

“How boring,” she drawls, but I catch a flicker of something else there that I can’t read.

“It was a little, though I found suitable entertainment for a time.”

Understanding flickers across her face. “What was her name?”

“I can’t recall,” I lie without missing a beat, even as jade eyes pierce through suppressed memories.

Annika folds her arms across her chest. “How long did you stay in Islor?”

“Long enough to see that Malachi’s demons are as corrupt and revolting as we feared.” I grit my teeth against the grim memory. “And nothing has changed since. You’ll still do anything for blood.”

She matches my sour face. “Do not pretend you value mortal life any more than I do. It is at your hands that so many Islorians have died. You are the one who peddled that poison around my realm. Do you have any idea how many mortals were executed because of it?”

Silence hangs thick as we stare each other down.

“Well, I hate to break it to both of you, but we don’t have such powerful casters on this ship, and we are certainly not hugging the shoreline. You will hear the sirens’ song soon enough, and then you cannot deny they exist.”

I shrug. “I am dead, anyway. I’d rather it be to the sea than to this Islorian.”

Captain Aron’s gaze flutters to my thigh, then to my boot. The bugger knows I have jewels hidden in there, but he’s not foolish enough to try to confiscate them from me. Yet. “Have you ever heard the story of Captain Finnigus, the first to face the dreaded sirens and live to tell the tale?”

“Something tells me I’m about to,” I say dryly.

“It goes something like this.” He returns his focus to the horizon. “Three ships left Cirilea together, heading for Skatrana to rejoin their loved ones, divided by the rift. Two of the ships had elven on them, while the third carried only mortals and supplies. One hot, sunny day, just as they passed the Tooth, they heard the most beautiful singing. It grew louder and more intoxicating until the captains of the three ships couldn’t help themselves. They changed course and sailed deep into the sea.

“The sirens’ song was so compelling, people believed they were listenin’ to the fates themselves, and one by one, they dove overboard, desperate to get closer. That was until the people on the ships watched those below get pulled under the water and devoured by the creatures.”

Annika winces.

“But even seein’ that, the songs kept going and people kept getting dazed and divin’ in, like they couldn’t help themselves, even though they knew what was down there. So, they tied blankets and shirts around their heads, anything they could get hold of to drown out the sirens’ song so they wouldn’t be tempted to go for a deadly swim. It worked for the most part.”

“That is all you need to do, then? Muffle your ears?” Annika asks, absently toying with the blanket around her shoulders.

“Surely that would be all, if it were only the sirens we had to contend with. It wasn’t them who attacked the ship, according to Captain Finnigus, but a great scaly beast that came up in the waters. It tore apart two ships before vanishing into the sea. His ship—the one with only mortals—was left untouched.

“The distraught captain made it to Westport with half his men gone but his ship intact. The only explanation he had was that the sirens and the beast were after the immortals. He refused to sail ever again and spent his remaining days in Westport, warning everyone of the perils. Some listened. The ones who dared sail with your kind anyway were never heard from again.”

“Great scaly beasts that will rip apart your ship and yet you agreed to take us to Westport for a handful of jewels.” I scratch my chin with mock doubt. “This all sounds completely plausible.”

Captain Aron winks. “I do like my jewels. And I’ve learned a few tricks along the way.” He slides the loosely wrapped scarf from his neck and binds the material around his head, covering his ears. “Everyone, guard yourselves. The Tooth is comin’ up!”

All around us, sailors follow suit, fishing out readied articles of clothing as if they’ve done this countless times.

Annika studies their steps and then tears her blanket in half and copies their binding. Somehow, she makes it look fashionable.

Captain Aron notes me sitting there and warns, “You may wish to do the same.”

---