My eyes widened at the casual threat.
Calypstra was at the head of the table next to Hylos’s place. She was clad in a sheer black dress that showed every inch of her, the nipples of her small, taut breasts on display. Her dress was paired with a dangerous look that spoiled her gorgeous face.
“Do you think he loves her?” one asked the other.
“At times, I sense great love,” the sister replied, “but more often, only lust.”
Sense love and lust? What did she mean by that?
“A siren of barely twenty years, and they say he’s one of the strongest in all of Naiadon. Maybe even all three seas. Power radiates from him and yet he wastes it on a made siren who cannot bear him any children,” the nearest twin said to her sister.
Made. Like Lumina. So Calypstra was once human too. I couldn’t imagine it; nothing in her held humanity. Was her story as horrendous as Lumina’s?
Hylos turned to us, a wide smile warming his face.
The twins sat up straight in their seats at his attention.
“Myra, Lyra, a delight to have you here this evening,” Hylos said, taking their hands and kissing their knuckles. “You both look enchanting.”
They nearly melted beneath his touch.
“Thank you,” the two said as one.
“As always, we are loyal servants to you,” one said with a tip of her sharp chin.
“And hopeful to continueforgingalliances with you and your Circle,” the other finished, batting her long lashes.
Forgingwas one way to put it.
“Circle Mariscal always has a seat at my table,” Hylos said, tipping his head graciously to them. Then he turned to me. “Elowyn, you look wonderful. Lumina did a marvelous job dressing you for this evening.”
Lumina could hardly lift her eyes to meet his. A strange tension sat between them that both seemed to ignore. But Hylos was far more capable of doing so than Lumina.
“You look every bit a siren,” Hylos said.
“Not quite, but I would certainly stand out at home.”
“That is a fact. Thank you for joining us,” he said. “Please, enjoy the meal and wonderful company. And be sure to stick around for the symposion as well; there will be great conversation.”
Yes, about war.
Hylos made his way to his place at the table’s head. He raised a blue-imbued hand, flicked his wrist, and a thunderous sound roiled through the banquet hall, cuing a procession of servants dressed in gossamer white fabric to flow into the room. Each carried trays overflowing with red lobsters, colossal and steaming, and meticulously arranged fish, both cooked and raw.
The servants looked like phantoms as they glided around the tables and piled food onto plates, unfamiliar purple and orange vegetables landing in steaming heaps. A small bowl of round beads that looked like black pearls was placed at the corner of every setting with its own small spoon.
When they finished, Hylos clasped his chalice, the polished gold gleaming in the siren light, and spoke. “Esteemed guests, thank you for sharing this meal with me. Each of you here is a gift to myself and mycastle from the Holy Mother herself.” He bowed his head in thanks, then raised his sharp chin.
I looked around the table and noted that most smiled at this sentiment, but some held clenched jaws and furrowed brows. Interesting. An ember of hope sparked in my chest. Maybe this was a tougher crowd for Hylos to win over than I’d thought. And without the other Circles, would he be able to start a war?
“You each hail from the greatest Circles in the three seas. From the strongest siren families in existence, with your own rich histories, stories, and honors. As do I.”
He let the words settle in the silent room, every eye captivated by him, even if in wonder or choler. “And to have us here together, now, sharing a meal, is truly history in the making. Some may even say it is ordained by the blessed mother herself.” He looked at me on that note. “So thank you, sincerely, for joining me, and I hope it is the first of many deipnons where we may share in the sea’s bounty. Praise be to Nymphaea,” he shouted.
“Praise be to Nymphaea,” the room echoed in unison.
Then Calypstra stood beside Hylos, smiling.
Hylos’s gaze shifted to her, his eyes narrowing, a flicker of confusion rippling through his features, which he quickly steeled.
