“May I kindly request some?” I ask no one in particular.
Ilryth and Fenny both look over in surprise. The other ladies stop eating, exchanging glances. I would’ve assumed my taking an interest to be a good thing. But now I’m not so sure.
“You would like some?” Ilryth seems uncertain.
“I would be honored to try the cuisine of my hosts,” I say, trying to emphasize that I am sincere and well-meaning in my request.
Ilryth stills. I suspect he’s mentally requesting another order. My suspicions are confirmed when a siren rushes in and a small kelp bubble is presented to me. I slowly unwrap it. It’s about half the portion everyone else was given, but that’s fine. A little sampler is more than I need to satiate my curiosity…and my desire to feel human.
Humans need to breathe air. Live on land. Need to see unfiltered sunlight… I’ve already lost so many of those things that connected me to my humanity—my mortality. I need something left to remind me that I’m not just magic. That I’m still Victoria.
“I apologize; I believe humans would eat with a…furnk? So you must find this quite barbaric.” Ilryth reaches inside his bubble, and plucks raw vegetables with ease, eating with his fingers.
I snort amusement and can’t fight a smile. “I’ve lived my years on a ship, where I’m lucky if we saw anything fresh for days on end. There’s usually not much room for ‘etiquette’ in my world.”
I make a point of reaching into the bubble while he’s looking to show him that I truly am not bothered by the practice. All eyes are on me as I take my first bite. It’s a bit like a too soft pickle. Briny. Sharp in flavor. The texture is slightly off-putting and that makes it something I might not otherwise gravitate toward. But for the purposes of feeling a bit human, it satisfies. I have the act of chewing and swallowing, as awkward as that is under the waves.
“You hold yourself well,” Ilryth appraises.
“I’ve had to be adaptable in my life. I worked for Lord Kevhan Applegate as his fleet captain. My reputation demanded I attend formal gatherings not unlike this.” I pause. “Well, much less water.”
Ilryth chuckles. “I’m glad for it. Seeing you be so adaptable is a relief,” he admits. The words are gentle across my mind. A soft caress of the barest of thoughts. My skin prickles to gooseflesh at the compliment. Knowing I’ve managed a job well done will never stop being a rush.
“Lord Ilryth, we would most enjoy getting to know Her Holiness as well. If you don’t mind…” Serene is clearly getting annoyed and Ilryth doesn’t seem to care in the slightest about her—or any of the other women’s—presence.
“Yes, Your Grace,” Fenny chimes in, “I was about to say much the same. You have suchlovelyguests here all eager to chat with you.”
“Apologies,” Ilryth says to the group. “I find I have been most occupied with my obligation to prepare the offering for Lord Krokan. I might have been neglectful of attending to my court.”
“Worry not,” Brown Braid says, peering at Ilryth through fluttering lashes. “We would wait an age for you, Your Grace.”
“It is my honor for my brother to be surrounded by so many who love him,” Fenny says warmly.
“I will love His Grace faithfully for all his rule.”
“As will I,” another chimes in.
Serene is not to be outdone. “Me as well.”
The women eagerly speak up, one by one. They all profess how much they love—or will love—Ilryth. Yet, he doesn’t look delighted by this. If anything, with every declaration he looks more and more uncomfortable.
I’m getting a sense of what this gathering is really about. It probably had nothing to do with me being “presented” at all. Fenny wanted to get Ilryth here and he was going to come looking when I didn’t show up in the amphitheater. I wonder if he was waiting for me. Should I tell him what happened this morning? Maybe later… I don’t want to risk someone else hearing, even with the shell.
“Tell me, what enjoyments do you fill your hours with?” Fenny asks them, fueling the conversations in the wake of Ilryth’s continued silence.
The ladies list off the things they enjoy. The world of the siren is fascinating, filled with dolphin riding and kelp weaving. I try to listen to the first three attentively in an effort to be respectful. But then I notice Ilryth has hardly touched his food. While he listens to the ladies, it is with listless eyes. Obviously obligatory. In a way, he looks beyond each of the speakers—staring through them at the coral and dancing fish beyond the pavilion—as though they don’t even exist at all. As if he’s a world away. I’m sure I wore that look many times at Kevhan’s parties.
“Lord Ilryth,” I blurt. All eyes are on me, including one particularly annoyed lady who must have been speaking. “Apologies for the interruption when you looked so attentive. But I feel I need to return to my chamber…this is a great amount of contact with the world of the living and I am becoming disoriented, given the words of the old ones upon my flesh. I need some time to detach myself and focus on my anointing.” I hope my manipulation of all the lore and history I’ve been told up until now sounds convincing.
“Yes, of course.” He eagerly straightens off his shell. “If everyone will please excuse us.”
“First, Your Grace,” Fenny bites out, stopping us both with the remark, “I had brought Her Holiness here today in the hopes that she could show us her skill with singing our songs.”
Wrenching, panicked tension grips my chest. I’m not ready for a demonstration of any sort. Moreover, we’ve been focusing on—at my request—the words of the old ones. Not other siren songs.
That’s it.
“While I wouldlove to, my focus has been on learning the hymns of the old ones. I would not want to risk your mental wellbeing by singing those words,” I say boldly. From the corner of my eye, I can see Ilryth staring at me with what seems to be an impressed, pleased expression.
