“I believe so. Just off the top of my head, I can think of several techniques we might try, and there are at least three ancient Sirens who were reputed to be extraordinarily powerful. We can probably find some mention in their journals about how they kept their gifts from harming those around them.”
They had reached the end of the spiraling tube and stepped into a building that had clearly been carved through the coral and directly into the steep, volcanic rock of the crater. The dark, pitted stone had been left rough in places, and in others had been smoothed and inlaid with gorgeous detailed mosaics depicting what looked like scenes from Calbernan history. Men and women swimming and hunting among the fishes. Erupting volcanoes spilling rivers of orange lava into steaming oceans. Ancient, gold-eyed women standing tall and commanding atop great stone promontories, holding out their slender arms towards the enormous white, foaming sprays of crashing waves.
The entire lagoon-facing wall of the spacious room was a bubble of clear glass, allowing for a spectacular underwater view of the crater, the expansive underwater portion of the palace, and the vibrant coral reef above. Near the glass wall, a wide moon pool carved into the floor provided direct access to the deep waters of the lagoon, so that Calbernans could swim in and out of the room at will.
Gabriella paused to drink in the underwater view of the lagoon. “This is beautiful.”
Calivan paused beside her. “Tey.The sea is one of Mystral’s greatest treasures. A secret world of unparalleled beauty that mostoulaniwill never know.” After a moment, he turned and gestured to a door carved into the volcanic rock. “This way,Sirena.”
She and her two guards followed Calivan through the door. Beyond the door lay a large, windowless room carved deep into the black rock of the extinct volcano. Bookcases lined every wall and formed long rows that spanned the entire length of the room, each one crammed with books, scrolls and piles of paper.
“The archives of the Sirens,” Calivan announced. “This room contains every surviving historical record of the Sirens, including the texts from Calberna’s own libraries as well as all the documents we have... ahem... liberated over the last twenty-five hundred years from libraries and private collections across the whole of Mystral.”
“Impressive.” She wandered over to one of the closest bookcases and plucked a book from the shelf, leafing through the surprisingly modern-looking pages. “This one seems relatively new.”
“We have transcribed the older texts so their information is not lost. The most delicate of the original documents are kept in a special storage room in an effort to slow their inevitable decay.”
“Mmm. Smart.” She set the book back on the shelf and dusted her hands. “So, do we begin here, with you teaching me the history of the Sirens?”
“Ono.I will compile a condensed version of what information I believe you will find most useful. But first, I think we should begin by testing your magic, so I understand what we’re working with.”
Gabriella shifted her weight from one foot to another. It was ridiculous to be so nervous. Thanks to the Shout that had sent Trinipor into the sea, her magical reservoirs, while nowhere close to being empty, were still a long way from overflowing. She should be able to manage a few simple tests without endangering anyone.
Straightening her spine, Gabriella forced a smile to shove her nervous discomfort deep down inside. “Of course,” she said, pleased with the calm, cool, collected tone that gave away none of her jittery fear. She glanced around the full library. “Considering how valuable all this information is, however, I don’t think we should begin those tests here.”
Calivan gave a short bark of laughter. “Ono,I should say not.” A smile of genuine amusement curved his lips. “I have a private laboratory, where I do most of my experiments with magic. It’s just this way.” He began walking towards another door off to one side of the library, flanked by two of the four queen’s guards.
Gabriella glanced over her shoulder to make sure Biross and Tallant were behind her, and followed Dilys’s uncle.
“The Second Fleet will sail today. There’s still cleanup to be done in the Olemas. As for you, Ryll”—Dilys held up a hand to forestall the objection he saw brewing in his cousin—“I promised Khamsin of the Storms I would bring her sisters home. Once Ari is on his feet again, I want the two of you to return to Konumarr with the remains of the Seasons Spring and Autumn. You will be my envoys to Wintercraig, offering Calberna’s contract of alliance to our new family in the Æsir Isles. You will take the rest of our brothers with you. According to the terms of my contract, you are still owed a few weeks of courtship. My greatest wish is that you both will findlianaswho can make your heart sing, as Gabriella does mine.”
“Unlikely.” Ryll smiled ruefully. “TheSirenais one of a kind.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Her Siren’s blood came from somewhere, after all.”
Ryll quirked a brow. “You think there could be more Sirens out there?”
“I think it’s a definite possibility. Which is why, when you and Ari bring the Seasons back home, I want you both to begin investigating. After Gabriella’s great Shout and our subsequent battle with Nemuan, we can’t assume her secret is still safe. Which means if there are others like her, they won’t be safe either. Many will want to claim that power for their own—and not just the magic eaters.”
“Magic eaters.” Ryll spat the words like a curse and paced beside the round window of Dilys’s palace office. Beyond the thick glass, bright tropical fish swam lazily amongst the coral reefs that lined Cali Va’Lua’s great lagoon. “I still can’t believe Nemuan sank so low. I still can’t believe he was the Shark, either! He was a Prince of Calberna—the son of a greatMyerial.How could he betray us—betray his own mother! Betray everything he was raised to honor and protect!—in such a vile, unforgivable way?”
“He was grief-mad,” Dilys said. “The thought of anoulaniwoman—even a Siren—sitting on the throne that had belonged to his mother was more than he could bear.”
“It was more than just that,” a familiar voice said from behind.
Dilys and Ryll spun around. “Ari!”
Their cousin listed in the doorway. His arms, left leg, and torso were thickly bandaged. His broken right leg was splinted from ankle to several inches above his bended knee, and he was leaning heavily on a crutch tucked under his left arm. His dark bronze skin had a sallow cast, and deep lines of pain were etched from his nose to the corners of his mouth. He’d pulled off the bandages that had swathed his face, revealing a jagged patchwork of angry red wounds, the edges of which had been stitched together with black thread. The healers had already informed Dilys they could do nothing to prevent scarring, that Ari’s only hope of even minimizing it was to stay out of the sun for at least a year. As if that was going to happen. Though he and Dilys had once been mirror images of one another, no one would ever again mistake one of them for the other.
“What are you doing here?” Dilys jumped up and skirted around the edge of his desk, intending to rush to his wounded cousin’s side, but Ryll beat him to it, sliding a strong arm around Ari’s back and guiding him to one of the two large chairs in front of Dilys’s desk.
“Sit, Ari. Sit before you fall.”
Ari scowled, then winced as motion tugged the torn edges of his stitched wounds. “I’m fine, Ryll. Don’t fuss.”
“You shouldn’t even be awake, much less up and wandering around. Calivan was keeping you sedated to speed your healing! How it is your mother even let you out of bed?” Ari’s mother had been glued to her youngest son’s side since the moment he’d been carried off Dilys’s ship. No one—not even Calivan—had been able to pry her from her child’s bedside.
Ari collapsed in the chair, grimacing at the clear proof of his own weakness. “Nima’s sleeping. I needed to speak to Dilys, so I slipped the tonic Calivan meant for me into her tea. They won’t be happy with me, but at least mynimawill get a few hours of rest instead of driving herself towards a Fade worrying over me.” He shifted in the chair, stifling a groan as his wounds protested.
