“What did Terena say?” Croak asked when Michael’s question was met with silence.
Daris stared at him a moment. “She saw me then and told me to leave.”
“Why?” Michael asked, swiveling his head from his commander to the others.
Daris dropped his chin. “I think she was resigned. Wanted me to have a chance, at least.”
“But you didn’t, of course,” Jason said, pacing closer to the couch.
“No.”
“Did Bethana say anything else?” Melanos asked. Croak wondered again if the god could still be in love with the nymph after centuries apart.
“She was insistent Terena was like ’them’.” Daris shrugged. “I asked who she meant, but she kept saying ‘them’. So I asked if she meant Poseidon and she went a little…”
“That wasn’t wise,” Melanos chided.
Daris arched an eyebrow. “No, it was not. She spoke of you, though. Of what Poseidon had done to you both.” He swallowed. “Terena told her you live. I think she did so because the serpent looked close to making me her dinner and Terena… she turned its attention back to her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She saved me.”
Silence settled around them for a few minutes and Croak turned his gaze back to his sister. Her face was slack, but the color was once more in her cheeks and her breathing was steady. They had wrapped the wounds and only a faint bit of blood now marred the cloth.
“It worked, too,” Daris said, jarring Croak’s attention back to him. “Bethana was so enraged, thinking Terena was lying to save me, save herself, that the serpent just… struck.” Daris crossed his arms. “It was so fast. I blinked, and she struck. If I live a thousand years, I’ll never forget Terena’s scream.”
“She must have been in tremendous pain,” Melanos said and frowned when he saw Rydon’s eye roll. “Terena is not yet fully into her powers and still mortal,” he said with a scowl at Croak.“How did you extract her from Bethana?”
Daris stared down at the ground in silence. The silence stretched, broken up by the shifting of the men as they waited for the commander to reply.
“That’s the part I don’t understand,” he said at length. “It was like what happened with the wolf.”
Daris looked up and stared hard at Melanos, then at Rydon. “You cannot deny it anymore. Not with the things we’ve seen. The things we’ve seen her do.”
Rydon’s face reddened, his face tight but otherwise he did not speak.
Melanos looked between the men in surprise. At last, he looked at Rydon.
“They do not know?”
The color on Rydon’s face deepened, his eyes locked on Melanos, but still he said nothing.
“Why should they?” Croak spat and curled his lip. He motioned to Daris with his chin and sneered. “They hold Terena’s—our—sister hostage so she can bring them back some fucking teeth that almost killed her! They don’t deserve to know anything!”
Melanos scoffed. “I think you’ll find, boy, she was always fated to bring back these fangs. Whether these men deserve to know more,” he shrugged, “I cannot say. But their lives are in as much danger as yours or your sisters, if they travel with you. Best to be open.”
“Why?” Croak asked, exasperated. “So they can kill her? Do you know?—”
“Croak,” Rydon warned.
“What are you saying?” Daris demanded. “You think I?—”
“We don’t fucking know you,” Croak yelled, shooting up from the couch. His face was hot and his breath was ragged. “You pretend friendship and then you kidnap Sonah?—”
“We didn’t kidnap her!” Daris yelled back. “Shevolunteered to stay with our king, who is a good man and would never harm her! And IsavedTerena when I could’ve easily let her die and take the fangs myself if that was my aim!”
“You wouldn’t let her die,” Melanos scoffed. “I don’t know why there are two of you, but?—”
“You stay away from her,” Croak snarled and launched at Daris.
“Enough!” Rydon roared, lunging between Croak and Daris. He had a hand on Daris’s chest the commander slapped away. Gabriol moved a few steps closer.
