Page 53 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

They stopped at the center of the bridge and Kala leaned against the rail, falling silent.

Nola perched her hands on the rail as she saw Kala’s shoulders slouch. The woman let a long sigh escape her withered lips.

“I don’t understand,” Nola said.

Kala turned to overlook the river they stood over. It was another beautiful sight. The clapboard–sided bridge covered in blueish–green moss created a perfect arch leading across the water. At the other end was a forested glen, where weeping willows and shrubs formed a gorgeous path.

The water looked crystalline, even in the darkness of the night. Straight ahead, Nola saw a full moon shining bright and looking as if she could reach out and touch it.

“Mazie’s sister,” Kala started, drawing Nola’s attention from the view she did not want to avert her eyes from.

“—her twin, actually,” the woman swallowed, her eyes glistening with tears, “Her name was Bay. She and Mazie were always getting into trouble. Then one day, her sister stood on this bridge, standing right over the railing, and jumped.”

Nola’s mouth gaped open. “She—”

“No, she never wanted to hurt herself,” she corrected before Nola could finish her question. “She thought she could fly. See, I had told my children that they could be anything they wanted to be. Bay wanted to be a raven, of all creatures.” Kala wiped her cheek as a few tears trickled down. “She thought them to be the most beautiful creature in the world.” She ran her hands gingerly over the bridge railing. “Once I told Mazie I was wrong to tell them that, something snapped in her and she lost her mind.”

That explains why Mazie is the way she is, Nola thought before Kala continued.

“Mazie struggled to accept what had happened that day. She also believed she could fly—like her sister—and that something had gone wrong. A few days later, Mazie said that she saw Bay soaring through the clouds...” Kala’s voice trailed off.

“I’m sorry,” Nola said remorsefully. “I’m so sorry. I should not have asked you.”

Kala shook her head, closing her eyes. “Needless to say, after I convinced her Bay was dead, I stopped being my daughter’s favorite person, of course. Mazie became aggressive, hostile—especially towards me. One day, out of nowhere, she began to destroy everything in her path. Tore down a few tents, knocked everything off the shelves from a couple of businesses. She became so uncontrollable that we had to tie her down.”

She removed her hands from the railing and turned to Nola. “That day, she became an outcast. That was, until Lincoln showed up here, looking for food and supplies to repair the damage on his ship. And he was looking for a crew at the time. I was happy to send her away. But after she left, that burning, aching feeling in my chest felt like I was dying. I lost a child to the river, and the other one to the sea.”

Nola leaned back and looked up. “Why did you tell me this?” she asked. “You could have told me no. I am but a stranger to you.”

Kala smiled lightly. “Because you are a lot like Mazie.”

Nola chuckled. “I doubt that. She’s brave, and I’m—”

“Bravery isn’t what makes you strong, Nola. Bravery is to keep going despite one’s fears. You are wrong to believe Mazie does not fear. She fears greatly.”

Those words resonated with Nola. Her father taught her bravery was the one trait to help her save her kingdom. She always thought if she was afraid, she was not brave.

Kala lifted her hand and stroked Nola’s cheek.

She froze.

“You are a siren,” she said, “but you’re something else, and you know it, just like my daughter did.” She dropped her hand. “She may not have wings to fly, but she was born for more than traveling from one place to another, using magic she never understood or wanted. And I had not realized that until she was gone. Seeing her today, though her face reveals a lie of bitterness and resentment—true happiness hides behind her eyes.” Kala played with her long dreadlocks as she looked out at the moon’s reflection over the river.

“Find that magic inside you, Nola,” she said. “I am a strong, nomadic woman, with the power to harness the elements of this world, my dear. We see things others cannot.” She stood straight, reaching out for Nola’s hand, touching her again. That same eerie feeling reached inside the siren and she tensed.

“Two nights ago, I had a vision of Mazie on Lincoln’s ship,” Kala said. “In that vision, I saw her fly.” A strange expression crossed the woman’s features.

Nola felt in danger. The numbness at her fingertips made her pull back from Kala’s touch.

“A vision, or a dream?” Nola asked.

She smiled. “They are the same to us, little siren.”

Nola thought for a quick second about what Kala had said. She was not sure how all of it worked: traveling green witches, visions, humans flying without wings. The siren girl allowed the world of magic taken from Zemira to become a reality in her life.

Perhaps letting it all sink in would help her better understand who she was. And the powers she held. Nola was not sure what meeting Kala meant, but she could be the key to learn how to use her magic at will.

Loud laughter echoed from the festival, drawing both the ladies’ eyes towards the field.

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