Letting out another squeak of defiance, he turns to face the door as we wait. And wait.
I click my talons together nervously at my sides, gazing in both directions at the hauntingly empty town. Suppressing a chill, I knock on the door again before crossing my arms over my chest. Hairs rise on the back of my neck, the sensation of being watched from the shadows cresting over me. Even Mashaka tenses, his beady gaze narrowing. I strain my ears to try and detect any sound, but I only hear the gentle current of the water moving around us.
“Perhaps—”
“Don’t move,” a female says as something sharp pokes my back. Mashaka lets out a low-pitched noise and attempts to turn around, only to be halted with a glistening silver spear at his side.
“Please don’t hurt him,” I plead, my hands rising up in front of me in surrender. “We are looking for somewhere to rest for the evening. I’m on a mission on behalf of the queen.”
“We know who you are, Princess Aria,” she snarls. “We have already had a visit from the legionaries this month. The numbers haven’t changed since then.”
What?I try to turn around and face her, but she jabs me again with her weapon, actually breaking through the skin. I yelp, my pulse quickening as the presence of a larger entourage bears down on me. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I reply, my voice shaking.
Tense silence descends, the water nearly chilling from the icy stares I can feel at my back. “How do we know that is the truth? You could be here—”
“She is telling the truth, Ryn,” a deeper voice says. I relax my shoulders, grateful to have someone standing up for me until she continues speaking. “Princess Aria’s reputation is one of disappointment to the queen.”
When Mashaka squeaks at my side, I have the distinct impression he is laughing at me.
“Turn around.”
I wait until the weapon is pulled away before I turn, keeping my hands up in front of me. A crowd of sirens surrounds Mashaka and I, all of them with weapons that look handmade. Nothing like what the Queen’s Legion carries.
“Repeat to us what your mission is,” one commands; I think she’s the one who spoke to the siren named Ryn. Her teal braids are sectioned down the middle and tied back on either side, gently brushing her shoulders and matching her scales in color.
“The queen has sent me on a mission to retrieve something from the Northern Island. Mashaka is my companion for the journey. I promise, we are only here to rest. I don’t know of anything else you spoke of.”
She studies me, the cunning glint in her eyes not giving away any clue as to if she believes me or not. Finally, she dips her chin. “You may stay one evening, provided you keep Allegra’s delphinidae with you at all times. He is not welcome to wander alo—”
Already moving in protest, Mashaka pushes between the sirens and swims until he’s hidden in the shadows of two buildings.
I offer a rueful smile. “I’m sorry. He only listens to Allegra.”
“Izel, you can’t be serious.” A flash of bright pink catches my attention as a female pushes forward and bares her canines at me, her lighter pink eyes brimming with unease—andanger.
“Ryn, do you or do you not trust me?”
Ryn turns her head to the side, cursing low. “I do.”
“Good.” Teal eyes move back to me. “My name is Izel.” She reaches behind me and knocks twice, pausing for a few seconds before knocking four more times. The door immediately opens, a female with tangerine braids wrapped around her head backing up to let us in. “This is Princess Aria; she is in need of a bed for the night. And I assume a meal?” I nod my head as I clasp my bag, reaching around the dagger within to grab some coins. “No. Anyone who comes from the royal family is permitted to stay here free of charge.”
“Oh, I’m happy to pay—”
“Unless you want your mother to take our heads in retribution if she ever finds out, it’s better that you don’t,” Izel bites out, stilling my hand. She doesn’t say anything else as she glares at me for a moment longer before leaving, shutting the door behind her.
“Come on, then. I’ll show you to a room.”
I follow the orange-haired siren up a winding lustrous ramp made of crushed seashell. Sky blue and golden yellow crystals no bigger than my thumbnail line the middle, glowing softly to guide the way. White, shimmering walls reflect the light back as we go higher until we reach the fourth level.
“We have no other sirens staying here right now, so you’ll have the place to yourself for the night, unless a new guest shows up.”
“Thank you.” I chew on my lip a moment before I ask, “What were they talking about? About legionaries already visiting?”
The female snorts as she stops before a green sea glass door. “You’re either bold or stupid to assume that you can just ask that,” she reprimands, looking over her shoulder at me before opening the door. Swimming past the threshold, I take in the small room with a moderately sized clamshell bed stuffed with thin-bladed dark blue grass and silky yellow-green kelp. “Wehave a fresh catch of salmon I can bring you as well as a loofah to wash up.”
“That would be great, thank you.” She closes the door behind her, and I immediately collapse onto the bed. My thoughts swirl in circles as I stare up at the glistening crushed-seashell ceiling. Voices rise from outside the inn, the murmuring of the females catching my attention. I move to a small cutout in the wall to my right, the space only large enough for my eyes to peer through.
“What if she is here to spy on us for the queen? We cannot trust her!” Someone, Ryn perhaps, warns, her voice carrying.
