“I highly doubt that is the case. Aria is not known for anything other than being a hindrance to the queen,” Izel replies. Her words bring a stinging heat to my cheeks as their voices drop to a murmur.
I know that I am nothing but a pawn for my mother—worthless unless I do the things she asks of me. But to hear that my reputation as such has reached the ears of those outside of the capital ravages my heart in an entirely new way.
Tears come, despite knowing better than to be upset by this. I choke on them, the rush of our journey the past few weeks and the biting unhappiness I feel finally catching up with me. Night grows outside, the crystals in the room flaring a pretty pink, but I close my eyes and wish for a peace that I don’t think exists.
After Talla, the owner of the inn, brought me dinner, which Mashakaconvenientlyshowed up just in time for, I tried to sleep. But Izel’s and Ryn’s words nag at me until I find myself completely restless, the itch to get out of this room forcing me to quietly swim off the bed and to the door. My talons scratch at the knob, and I cringe, hoping not to have woken Mashaka. When he doesn’t stir, I slowly pull the door open and peek my head out.
The inn is dark and quiet, and an uncanny fear rolls over me with the water’s current as I follow the lit ramp back down to the main floor. Pausing at the bottom, I make sure no one is there before darting towards the exit. I move cautiously, hiding between the shadows cast by the floating buildings. Like when we first arrived, I find it odd that the town looks all but empty, and feels it too. Except for the voices I can just faintly make out in the distance. Voices andmusic.
I near what looks like a tavern, its front framed by three white pillars. Sirens dance inside to a mixture of string and conch horn instruments as others gather around tables and talk. Ducking behind a cluster of coral, I reach for my braids and gather them into a knot at the base of my neck to get them out of the way as I watch. I spot Izel’s teal hair next to Ryn’s bright pink, both females engaged in conversation with each other. Despite seeing hardly any sirens earlier, the tavern isfilledwith them now.
“Snooping, are we, Your Highness?”
I jolt back at the voice, catching only a glimpse of bright blue hair before I’m forced to face forward. “No, I—”
She squeezes my arm tightly in her grasp, forcing a whimper from me. “And they said you wouldn’t be a problem. Let’s go.”
Pushing me forward, she forces me across the waterway and into the tavern, the sirens occupying it turning towards me as the music rapidly fades. The small smile Ryn had as she talked with Izel falls completely when her light pink eyes meet mine.
“I caught her hiding around the corner, Iz, like she was trying to listen in on your conversation,” the female holding me announces.
I tense under her hold, the others around me hardening their gazes as they study me. There is no point denying what I’ve been caught doing, so I nod my head. “I couldn’t sleep and needed toburn off some energy. I followed the sound of voices and music here, but I didn’t think you would welcome me in.”
I must sound pathetic because Izel’s gaze turns softer for a moment, her shoulders relaxing as she leans her elbows on the tall table in front of her, her tail swishing beneath it to keep her afloat.
“And did you hear anything?” Ryn asks with a sneer as Izel shoots her a warning glance.
“No.”
I fear what Izel is thinking when she tilts her head to the side, her full lips pulling up to the right. “How about an exchange of information, Princess Aria?”
“What?”
Murmuring grows loud from everyone around us, but Izel lifts her hand to silence them. “I want information about what your mother is doing.”
My eyes widen as fear takes root in my stomach. “I don’t know anything about her plans.”
“You can tell us what kind of mission you’re on, and in return, I will tell you what Iknowyou asked Talla about.” A few disgruntled females hiss, but Izel shakes her head. “It is clear that she is not close with her mother. I won’t tell her anything that we can’t easily disprove should the queen be made aware,” she says with a pointed stare in my direction.
I scan the tavern warily, finding no allies or friendly expressions. I don’t even know what my mother is planning with the rings, only that they exist and she wants them. Surely there is no harm in telling them that? “The queen asked me to retrieve some spelled rings that are being stored on the Northern Island.”
“Siren magic can’tspellitems,” someone from my left shouts out. “You’re lying.”
“You remember the tales passed down from our elders, don’t you?” Izel questions, looking around at the sirens. “The stories of the first queen transferring parts of her magic into items in exchange for favors from her subjects.”
“Where are all these spelled items, then? Surely, they can’tallbe held on the Northern Island?” Ryn asks at her side.
“It’s been many millennia, Ryn. Who knows. They could be anywhere.” Her eyes go to mine again. “I assume you know nothing of what these rings can do or why your mother might want them?” I shake my head. “I figured.”
Shame once more curdles my blood. Should I have questioned my mother more? Would it have evenmattered?
“Long before Queen Amari began her rule, we had a sense of sovereignty ourselves. Yes, we still answered to whoever called herself queen, but we were never expected to give more than our pledge of allegiance. That changed about a year ago when a legionary sent by your mother showed up and demanded to know how many of our sirens were with child.”
The crowd growls in unison, some of them looking at me like I issued the order myself.
“We gave them a number, and the legionary left. The next month came and so did another from the Queen’s Legion. This time, they were not satisfied with the number given and, despite our protests, they forced a siren of only eighteen to leave with them. Each month, a legionary returns, and if we have not met whatever the expressed quota is from your mother, they steal one of our sirens to place into the Queen’s Legion.” I blink. And blink again, sure I must have misheard. “You look surprised,” Izel muses.
“Iam.That is soyoung. I knew she was forcing sirens out to hunt at younger ages but to join the legion too? Can you not tell her no?” I know the words are a mistake as soon as I say them, but the angry hissing that reverberates in the tavern confirmsit. There is no such thing as telling my motherno. I know that better than anyone.
