Everyone nodded in agreement and the three of us set off down the beach toward the docks. It wasn’t a very long walk, but it certainly felt like it was taking a long time. Perhaps because one of the many voices in my head was pleading for me to turn around.
When we turned onto the wooden path leading to the front of town, the foul stench of death hit me like the end of a whip straight to my sinuses.
“Fuck me,” James said under his breath, pressing a hand to his nose.
I focused on the road ahead, taking in every detail as quickly as I could, tensing at the icy chill burrowing beneath my skin like a worm.
No, it was too much to ignore. I halted, raising both arms on either side of me to stop Vidar and James in their tracks. They glanced at me first and then followed my stare toward town where the road was empty. Dead. No civilians. No carriages. I narrowed my eyes, waiting and listening, when the rhythmic sound of soft hooves ventured into range. I didn’t expect to see a great monster, but when one starved goat trudged across the muddy path, a cut rope still hanging around its thin neck, all of my fears and worries coiled together like a serpent baring its teeth to chase me away.
It wasn’t right. None of it was right.
“It’s not,” I muttered.
“Not what?” Vidar whispered back.
“Under human control.”
I grabbed both men and pulled them back the way we came, finding a thick cluster of brush to step behind. My heart was racing with reservations knowing that the entire town had been figuratively gutted.
“Dahlia,” Vidar pressed.
“There’s no one here. No one that can help us, that is. Nazario and Aeris said this place was unsafe and they were right. Bringing sirens ashore in chains seems to have finally consumed this port town.”
“My sister—” James began.
“If she was smart, she would have run.”
“What if she couldn’t?”
I thought about it for a moment, trying to weigh the options. All I knew was that I wouldn’t let Vidar into Dornwich when it was likely filled with vengeful, bloodthirsty sirens. I also didn’t want to give James a reason to hate me by not even attempting to find his sister. Besides, whether she was his sister or not, we did need her skills. We needed weapons. More than we already had.
“I will find her,” I volunteered. “Without the two of you.”
Vidar shook his head. “No—”
“Please. Don’t argue. Not about this.”
“You don’t even know for certain that this place is overrun.”
“I do.”
“Then you’ll need our help.”
“I need your trust. I need you to trust that I can do this on my own and better if you’re not there.” I stepped in, cupping my hands on his cheeks. “I’m begging you. I will find Addison, but no siren, Kroan or otherwise, will show either of you mercy and I don’t know how many stalk the streets of this place.”
“They could have killed everyone and left,” James suggested.
“Then this will be easy. But if they didn’t? Please. Let me do this.”
Vidar held my gaze, his jaw pulsing under my palms, but when he realized I would not yield, he reluctantly gave in. I knew it destroyed him to agree to my terms, to let me walk into danger alone, but I couldn’t accept it any other way. All I could see was a mob of sirens tearing him to bits and it made me sick.
“You’re not going alone,” he said.
“You can’t—”
“We’ll send for Meridan. The two of you go together or we all leave right now.”
He would not have it any other way. Of that, I was certain, so I nodded.
