“I’m not sure,” I answered.
“In battle, when a person faces a great loss of life, they often retreat into their mind.”
“For how long?” I needed Arlo now more than ever.
“Some for the rest of their lives. But it helps if they have something to return to,” Raylik said gently.
Arlo had little in Naiadon to return to. Not with his men dead.
“Was Lumina able to convince Hylos to halt his attack?” I asked, changing the subject. How much time did I have left?
“Hylos agreed to wait until after Hydroxia, which is in a few days.” His lips formed a tight line.
“Lumina and Hylos, have they ever?” I asked, wishing for an alternative world in which Hylos listened to Lumina instead of Calypstra, who had even more bloodlust than he did.
“When Lumi first arrived in Naiadon, Hylos was veryprotectiveof her, because of her story. He showed her the libraries. Taught her to read.”
“Lumina couldn’t read?” She was a walking chronicle now.
“They do not teach poor unfortunates to read if they do not have coin in your father’s realm,” Raylik said bitterly.
I knew it to be true.
Raylik continued, “There was a time when I thought Hylos and Lumina would be together. That any moment they would embrace what was clearly between them. But then Calypstra arrived and changed everything,” he said, frowning. “Hylos always had an eye for pretty women, wanting to get lost in the shoal so he could stand and wade back to his search for Aegir. I think Lumina is too deep for him. That he fears he’d get lost within her depths and lose sight of what he thinks is important.”
“Being happy is important,” I said.
“It is. When happiness is there, you need to seize it. Before it vanishes.”
“As you do with Nixie. You love her,” I said.
“Unquestionably,” he answered, without hesitation. “You should know, Nixie’s heart teeters between land and sea. She chose this life to be with me. But you and Nixie have more in common than you know.” He stood and offered me a finned hand.
I took it and rose.
“When you accuse her of choosing a side, know that she does not see sirens versus humans. We are equal in her eyes. And for that she suffers the most. No matter who wins, she will mourn.”
“Do you mourn the lives of Arlo’smen?” I asked, hard-faced.
“I do. As does Hylos, Morvyn, Lumi, and Nixie. We all do.”
“Then why did it happen?” I asked, with more cut in my voice than expected.
“I don’t have an answer for that. But I know it cannot be undone. That it has changed everything.”
“How has it altered anything for the sirens?” I asked.
“Because now we have made an enemy of you.”
Chapter 35
Arlo sat looking out to the sea, despondent. Lost in his mind, as Raylik had said.
The rage had come and thundered through him, followed by soul-swallowing sadness. Now nothing. He needed to feel. Needed something to return for. I couldn’t drag him through this bloody castle and into Hylos’s private chambers to the portal if he was completely unresponsive. I needed his help.
“Sit and eat with me,” I said, walking to the small table set with a loaf of bread, cheese, and some cooked fish laid out for our midday meal.
“I’m not hungry,” he said, dismissing my offer.
