Page 82 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

“I’m Pearl,” the woman said.

“Nola,” she replied.

The redheaded siren greeted. “Yes, I know who you are.” She stopped and crinkled her nose. “And you want to ask me something, don’t you?”

Nola nodded. “It’s not a question, per se,” she uttered. “Only that I know what you are, and—.” She stopped, pressing her lips together before asking, “You are here, on a pirate ship.”

The woman’s smile grew. “You’re right. That isn’t a question. Unless you are wondering why it is that I’m not trying to kill them?” Pearl asked, gazing towards where the crew was dining.

“...but the stories I’ve heard—”

“You’ve heard but not actually experienced?” Pearl’s grin faded.

“I wasn’t raised in the sea,” Nola said.

“Interesting,” the siren woman said. “Then, it’s quite unfortunate you were raised to hide and fear the very thing you are.”

Nola lowered her head in shame. “I don’t want to feel this way.”

The woman reached out and brushed Nola’s fingers. Nola looked up as Pearl said, “We are all not like them.” She released her hand and gestured to the sea.

The girl looked over and stared out into the water. “But sirens do kill men. Do they not?”

As they stood silent, the woman turned to Nola and stepped closer to her until they were almost touching.

“Don’t fear, or hate what you are, Nola. Embrace the darkness, just as you embrace the light.”

She thought about those words. Yes, she felt like a decent person her entire life, despite her anatomy, but nature had a way of taking its course. So, she would have to accept it, or she would lose herself.

“Lincoln has avoided me since you came upon the ship,” Nola said, “He knows what I am, doesn’t he?”

The woman nodded. “He knows.”

Nola’s stomach twisted into a sickening knot.

“But he’s got more pressing matters he’s dealing with at the present moment. Which is why I had come to the ship in the first place—to deliver a message,” Pearl explained.

Nola’s eyes shone in confusion; the white-eyed siren stepped closer to her and placed a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“I did what I could to assuage the situation, Nola. Lincoln expected me to be gone by now, but I couldn’t leave until you and I spoke,” she said. “Lincoln doesn’t hate sirens, he never has, but he’s not happy you lied about it. However, you did what you had to do to survive. I get that, but he is—” she stopped, sucking in an exhausted breath, “...let’s just say, he has been hurt before, and you remind him of that loss and pain he once had.”

Nola squeezed her eyes shut for a quick moment.

“We have an enemy in common! The war between pirates and sirens is irrelevant when that enemy threatens to destroy our kind—one siren at a time—one pirate, at a time.”

Yes. We are in this fight together,Nola thought.

“You’re safer on this ship than you are out there,” Pearl continued, gesturing to the sea with her head. The woman then pushed away, placing her hands again on the rail. A grim expression on her face made Nola feel uneasy.

Something is wrong,Nola thought. “What is it?”

Pearl looked up. “A few days ago, the night you fled, Prince Elijah put out an order to hunt you down.”

Nola’s eyes shot wide. Her suspicions were true. The bells were for her.

“Believe me, Nola, the prince is more terrifying and dangerous to our kind than Matthias is and will ever be.”

“Why wouldn’t Lincoln tell me this himself?” Nola asked.

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