Chapter 81

  It was not long before they were crammed in the row boat. It was far enough to shore that Nereida did not want to get out and swim, especially with the other sirens swimming about everywhere. The one that Epelda had spared could have gone anywhere, or could be waiting for them to make a mistake, for them to be vulnerable. And she did not want to be the one who put everyone at risk. Dymion did not row, but instead sat calmly in the boat, his face a neutral mask, his eyes distant. Nereida, the only other one not rowing, leaned in toward him.

  “Thank you, Great One, for pulling his thoughts forward,” she whispered, acting on a hunch. A single, very bushy eyebrow lifted.

  “You think I did that? Droplet, mind manipution is not one of my tricks. Only Sun and Shadow could do that.” Nereida felt her stomach clench. Did they have a spy on board? “Not that I am saddened by it; the host seems quite fond of your daughter. I am intrigued by her mercy; it was brave, if not terribly foolish.”

  “Do you know who the shadow caster is?” she asked softly, trying to keep the worry from her tone. He smiled, but it was the smile of a predator, not a friend.

  “Even if I did, Droplet, it is not time for that. Find them on your own, in the time you are meant to. I am not an ace up your sleeve.” He patted her on the head. “Of course, should that water-touched assaint appear, I will be happy to encase him in stone. No mercy, the child said. I wonder how long a water touched can live fully encased in stone with only small holes for air, like an insect trapped in a jar?” He sighed. “You see, I am starting to be fond of what the host is fond of. It is good that you got us to the isnd, Droplet.”

  “Why wasn’t I changed?” she asked. “You said being in Dymion will change him, why wasn’t I changed?”

  “What makes you think you weren’t?”

  He refused to speak more, and she was not foolish enough to pester a god who did wish to speak. She looked out over the ocean, seeing dolphins in the distance swimming their way. They leapt from the water, happy, at peace. And, most thankfully, stayed far away from the ship and from the boat. As much as she enjoyed the company of the animal, she knew they could be brutal if they decided that you were an enemy.

  They arrived on the sand after an hour of hard rowing. The wind called the waves ever higher, and twice Nereida and Jules had to sing to calm the water around them so that the boat wasn’t flipped over. This isnd was a great mountain overlooking a fertile area. Nereida was shocked to see huts here, nearly two hundred homes. She heard the distant cry of babies.

  “What is this pce?” Ael asked, her tone one of wonder. “It is a whole vilge!”

  “The Dolphins that survived, that were given to the animal dolphins, I think they, mostly, made their way here,” Jules said softly. Nereida looked at him, raising her eyebrow. “I could hear you singing with them, ma’am. Heard everything.” He flushed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, I’m gd someone could. Next time, tell my wife, so she doesn’t worry.”

  “Ma’am, if I had told the Admiral, she may have jumped ship to get to you.” He gave her a little smile.

  “Can we get on wit’ it?” Evander snapped. Nereida sighed, shook her head.

  “I need to get closer to the mountain. I cannot take from here, I must touch it.” The Great Dragon, who usually avoided speaking in Evander’s presence, looked at him with a bored expression. “You are welcome to follow or to stay.”

  They avoided the vilge, Nereida not wanting to deal with any further politics if she could avoid it. The air was humid, the sun beating down on them as they trudged toward the mountain. There were farms here, though it was still early enough in the season that Nereida could not tell what they were growing. There were sheep and goats on one of the farms, many chickens as well. She wondered how they had gotten so much. Had these sirens taken from Sylph merchant ships?

  It took another six hours of walking to reach the base of the mountain. Nereida’s feet screamed at her. She had not walked this much since she had fled with Alejo. Then, at least, she had good boots. She had taken to wearing no boots on the ship, an easy task since she had lost one, but the ship was smooth. The uneven ground, the pebbles, it was all almost too much. At least they could walk on the grass most of the time, or the moss that grew around the base of the mountain. She saw a second vilge in the distance, shadowed by the mountain. How many people lived here? How many lives were they about to overturn?

  The Great Dragon smiled at the rge mountain that loomed over them, blocking out the dying light of the day. He turned to the party of them, smiling eerily.

  “Moonlet, Droplet, I am certain we will meet again. You upheld your end of all of this remarkably well. It is te. I highly recommend you not set out again until morning.” He stepped up to the rock, spreading his fingers wide. He pced his fingers on the grey stone that jutted up, out of the ground, weaving his fingers into the stone as if it were a loosely woven carpet.

  The earth shook, and Nereida stumbled into Ael’s arms. The noise was deafening, so loud she could feel it shaking her bones. Large rocks tumbled all around them, and the five drew closer together, trying to avoid being smashed by one of the falling rocks. As if it were cy in the hands of a massive, invisible sculptor, the massive stone mountain began to shift, changing shape, elongating in some pces, widening in others. Over the course of hours, the stone shifted and changed. Wings took shape from the long stone, and it was as if someone was carving scales into its surface, each scale the size of Nereida’s head or rger. And, finally, as the st of the sunlight left the sky, there was a bright light that shone from the carved eyes. Dymion dropped to the ground, everything open and ft now, as the mountain breathed itself to life, becoming a massive Dragon. The Dragon roared out, the sound echoing across the isnd. Nereida threw her hands over her ears, overwhelmed by the terrible, yet amazing, noise. Wind beat down on them as the Great Dragon, with its long, serpentine body and massive wings, took off into the sky. Nereida felt overcome with awe, staring up at the magnificent creature as it lifted higher and higher into the air.

  Ael and Evander rushed toward Dymion, the other three just behind them. Dymion was breathing, and looked almost as if he was asleep.

  “Break out the bed rolls,” Ael ordered. “We can’t go anywhere tonight.” The sound of the wind beneath the dragon’s wings faded as the Great Dragon flew into a cloud, disappearing from view. “Ner, Jules, please make sure he is alright.”

  Dymion’s heartbeat was strong, his breath was strong. He seemed only to need sleep. She reported that not to Ael, but to Evander, who nearly broke down in relief. Instead, the first mate held his husband’s hand tightly, the first time he had done so since the Dragon had woken. For once, it seemed like it had all worked out in their favour.

  They ate field rations for dinner, drank water and had very few conversations. Everyone was beyond their limits, tempers were short, though they eased off when Dymion stirred, asking for his husband with a gravelly voice. Evander did cry then, holding his husband close and hugging him tightly. Dymion even managed to get some food before he slipped back to sleep, his magic and his energy spent. They set watches; Nereida was gifted the first watch, and Evander was told not to bother, to only worry about his husband.

  Nereida sat in the dark, listening. The moon had risen, well on its way to being full. Just a few more days. The others slept on, their breathing even. Evander snored, his breaths as loud as a waterfall. His hand was on his husband’s chest protectively. Gregors was curled up next to Jules. They had not wanted to start a fire and draw unwanted attention, so they shivered in the dark, the only warmth from their own bodies and from their bedrolls. It was a pleasant enough night, but the air was damp.

  The sounds of her companion’s sleep were occasionally interrupted by the chirping of bugs or the soft cooing of an owl. It was almost rexing, though she missed her children’s little snores. A little lightning bug flew out of the tall grass, and then another, as if the stars themselves were waking in the grass and rising to their home in the sky. The sight was beautiful, and stole her breath away as she watched the bugs dance up into the air.

  The calm beauty was shattered when Ael, sound asleep, began to speak. Her voice echoed strangely. Nereida grabbed on to Jules, as he was closest to her. The boy came awake with a start by the end of Ael’s second sentence.

  “Moon and Ocean wake, their wounds healed at st

  Children of their line come together hard and fast

  The time of the wheel’s turn comes sooner than tomorrow.

  Blood will wake the first Sleeper, beneath grief and sorrow.

  Bone will wake the second Sleeper, an offering born of pain

  Love will wake the third Sleeper, consummated in rain.

  Fire will wake the fourth Sleeper, burned by brother’s hand

  Breath will wake the Fifth sleeper, song of the st stand

  Gold will wake the Sixth sleeper, from head, from mouth and hand.

  From six sleepers, one remains, his tomb, his prison, his blood.

  When Scions eight find him by their hand will rise a flood

  Devastation or salvation.

  Peace and Pain.

  War and Protection.”

  Her words spoken, Ael sat up, her eyes seeing visions, not the world around them.

  “Wake the others,” Nereida hissed at Jules. The young man nodded. “Follow us!” And she scrambled to her feet, grabbing Ael’s knife and boots while her wife stood, wobbling on her feet, following the visions. Nereida did not dare call back or ask for a candle. She just followed across the desote, ft pin where once there had been a mountain, unwilling to let her wife face the next trial alone.

  They walked for almost an hour, the others trailing at a distance, until Ael suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She dropped to her knees on the cold, hard stone. Nereid winced at the sound, knowing her wife had probably hurt at least one, if not both, of her kneecaps.

  “Ner?” Ael asked, sounding confused, almost as if she were drunk.

  “Here,” Nereida took her wife’s hand. There was a strange patch ahead.

  “That’s an altar,” Ael managed, sounding lost, frightened. Nereida clutched her wife’s arm tightly.

  “The second sleeper,” Nereida whispered. “We need a bone sacrifice.” Ael swallowed heavily and reached into her pocket. Nereida felt the blood drain from her face. Epelda’s fingers. She remembered her son's words and her breath hitched. Ael had held on to them! She dug her fingers into Ael’s arm until her wife hissed. “Are you sure?” Nereida asked. Ael gave her a pained expression.

  “No,” the Admiral admitted, her voice trembling. “But we can’t leave them. We need them. We have.. I have to follow through.”

  “We do,” Nereida said softly. “We are together in this. I promise.” Ael nodded, and passed the smaller waxed finger to Nereida. She felt a shiver of revulsion at handling her daughter’s dead finger, but she cmped down on it. The finger could not be reattached. At least this way it served a purpose.

  Hand in hand, they walked toward the altar.

  “Accept our offering,” Ael said, her voice strong. She clutched Nereida’s hand tightly, her fear coming through as she shook silently. But she kept the fear from her voice. “Awaken, sleeping one!” She and Nereida tossed the bones to the altar. It was then the moon’s light was finally bright enough to make out the carving on the altar. Three curved lines, moving like the breeze.

  Nereida felt as if her heart would stop as a great wind picked up around them, blowing through them and past them. The wind was warm, cold, wet and dry all at the same time. Every aspect of the wind passed over them, before heading toward the vilge and the ship. Epelda! If this was Wind, she'd be drawn to Epelda as the closest Sylph. Nereida colpsed into her wife’s arms and began to sob. It wasn't enough to take her friend's body, they'd take her daughter's too?