But Lyre just smiles softly, dropping her gaze to where her babe rests safely. “I know you won’t. You’ve never seen yourselfthe way I have, Aria. It isn’t a burden to protect you. It’s an honor. One I don’t intend to stop.”
The throne room is filled with legionaries when I enter, Dyanna and Sade on the dais with our mother.
“Aria.” The sharp tone of her voice ushers silence in its wake, every gaze turning to land on me as I make my way up the center aisle. I bend at the waist when I reach her dais, and she pounds her golden trident on the stone floor three times in response. “Rise, Daughter,” she commands. I let my eyes slowly travel up to her waiting gaze. “Have you found anything new in our hunt for those traitors?”
“Nothing new since the necklace, Your Majesty. But I will.”
She arches a dark brow, leaning forward on her throne as her onyx talons catch a ray of sunlight coming in from the surface. “So sure, are you?” The females around me chuckle, and blood rushes to my cheeks as I hold my mother’s glare. “You have made me question your loyalty to this queendom—to me and the crown that graces my head—far too many times in the past.”
Jaw and shoulders relaxed, lips flat, spine straight, and attitude vicious.
“Don’t abuse the leniency and grace I grant you now to the point that I begin to question that loyaltyagain.” With a nod, I swim to join my sisters as our mother addresses the room. “I have gathered you all here for something very important. As you know, I have been working diligently foryou, my lovely subjects, to reclaim what should have always been ours from the Mortal Kingdom.” The legionaries cheer, beating their spears against the helmets of their shell armor. “And now the time has come for me to enact the next part of my plan. Today, you will travel with me and my two daughters to visit the king of the Mortal Realm.”
The excitement in the air shifts as the eyes of the sirens ahead of me look from the queen to each other and back again. I harbor the same confusion they do. To go to the surface was one thing, but in such a large group? And in front of King Dolian and his guards? What could my motherpossiblyneed her legion for up there?
“I know there are questions, but the answers you seek are betterseen. Gather whatever you will need for a multi-day trip and meet me here in half an hour.” She rises from her throne, looking down at her people as she projects her voice even louder. “Soon, we make history!” The Queen’s Legion rushes out of the throne room, and my mother turns to face my sister. “Sade, I will be borrowing a section of my legion today.”
Sade’s sunset eyes narrow just slightly before she dips her chin. “I can see that. May I askwhy?”
“You may, but like I told them, the explanation is better seen than told. Once I can confirm that my theory is accurate, then I will bring along another group. You may come with me once most of my legion is…tested.”
My sister tilts her head, orange scales shimmering. “Tested withwhat?”
To that, our mother just smiles as she descends the dais before turning to look at me. “Our scouts have relayed that a mortal ship carrying supplies to the Shifter Kingdom will be crossing over our waters during our journey. You will join them on their hunt.” She tips her trident forward, the jagged diamond spires scratching my skin as she presses it into my chest. “Donotdisappoint me.” She gives Dyanna a look that beckons her to follow as she elegantly moves through the water to the exit, leaving Sade and I alone.
I don’t look at my sister, afraid that my feelings will be obvious on my face. Gods, I haven’t been on a hunt since I had come back from the Northern Island, and I havenevergone onone without Lyre. Panic churns my stomach as it whirls through me.My magic won’t work. I’ll be found out and, if I’m lucky, killed right away. If I’m not…Queen Amari knows where to hurt me the most.
“You look like you are going to puke,” Sade drawls from my side, the striped helmet cradled in her arm indenting her dark skin.
Jaw and shoulders relaxed, lips flat—
“You don’t want to hunt,” she guesses.
I bite the inside of my cheek, folding my arms over my chest. Sade is not one I can trust enough to voice my fears to. She’s never been outwardly cruel like Allegra, but she’s alsonevertreated me as if I’m anyone of importance in her life. Like the rest of the queendom outside of Lyre, I’m nothing but a nuisance to her. A failure of the Malika line.Who are you willing to become?I jerk at Myla’s voice in my head. At how easily it eviscerates the self-loathing and doubt. Sade looks at me expectantly, a single brow lifted. “It is no secret that hunts are not my favorite,” I finally answer.
She snorts, lifting her helmet and positioning it over her head. “Yes, well, being a siren often means enduring a lot of things we’d rather not.”
I blink, sure I heard her wrong.
Sade grips her trident, undulating her hips as she moves down the center aisle, pausing to look over her shoulder when she’s almost at the door. “Hunts with the legionaries are messy because the females are moreravenousthan others. It’s easy for things to get obscured in the madness. Wouldn’t want you to end up skewered on one of their spears.” Sade leaves, and I stare at the door for a long while after she is gone.
Did she just…helpme?No. No, that is impossible.Improbable. When chatter from the gathering legionariesknocks me from my stupor, I move to join them outside the palace.
My mother waits at the front of the crowd, the cunning smile on her face making my skin crawl. “Sirens, let us go forth and make our ancestors proud. Let us right the wrongs brought on by men. Let us claim victory with ourteeth.”
The legionaries take off, and I find my place next to Dyanna as we follow behind them on our way to the Mortal Kingdom, where only the gods and my mother know what is waiting for us.
Chapter Forty-Two: Rhea
Stephanhadleftthemorning after my introduction to him. Though King Dolian and Simon were careful with what information they shared in my presence, I surmised from what theydidsay that it would be a few weeks before Stephan would return.
As the days passed and the next visit with the sirens loomed nearer, I found myself both terrified with anticipation and utterlyboredwith the monotonous execution of my schedule. Every day, I had dance lessons with Xander—a male who mighthave been willing to help me but who certainly wasn’t keen on lively conversation—and tea lessons with Eve, who luckilywaskeen on such things. The bruises I had noticed on her were yellow now, and sometimes during our one-on-one time, I thought about asking her whatreallyhappened. If someone here was hurting her. If that someone might travel with us back to Vitour after this meeting with the sirens. But every time the words bubbled up my throat, I swallowed them back down. Eve was good about respecting my privacy, taking note when I dodged a question and never bringing the topic back up again. I at least owed her the same courtesy. While I still couldn’t let my guard down fully around her, I found myself looking forward to her bright smile and cheery attitude.
After tea lessons, we would part and the rest of my day would be spent scouring books in the library, hoping that I could figure out how to release siren magic from the ring—based on what the siren queen had said during her last visit. On one occasion, Xander found me reading between stacks of books, and he quietly relayed word from his men back in Vitour. There was rumor that the Shifter Kingdom underwent some sort of mutiny and the king, Kai, had been nearly overthrown. My concern had immediately shifted to Bahira before I remembered that she was back home. But then Simon’s words danced in my mind, worry for her being accused of treason making my stomach churn.
Neither Xander nor the king and his advisor had any updates on Nox. I was torn over what to believe because either Noxhadattacked healers and was sick and possibly magicless,orhe was fine and simply hadn’t figured out where I was yet. Both options provoked spiraling thoughts that left me feeling impossibly more anxious.
But I tell myself that I can’t let my unease over so many unknowns occupy all of my thoughts. All I can do is focus onmy next steps here. On staying out of the king’s hands and away from his advisor’s leering glares.
