He made to sling an arm across my shoulders, but the second one elbowed him out of the way and wedged himself between Lysi and me. “I’m Creon, sworn avenger of the crown and everything gorgeous within her kingdom, so, of course, this includes—”
“Enough,” said Dione, throwing out an arm before the third one could move.
The young mermen bowed and returned to the table. Lysi and I followed, leaving behind the soft glow of daylight to join them.
“When we crossed paths, I did not know the serpent was acting under Adaro,” said Dione. “Not until later did we learn of his movement along the coast.”
“You know where he is, then,” I said.
Dione cast an appraising glance over me. “We know where he has been but not where he will go next. He has been moving along the coast at random, pushing humans from the shore.”
She motioned to the table’s surface where a world map had been chiselled into the stone. Everyone stopped staring at us and returned their focus to it. Gems of various colours were hammered along the west coast of North America. Rubies, emeralds, and amethysts marked several places along the coast, from the Aleutian Islands, to Eriana Kwai and British Columbia, down to Washington and Oregon. Attack sites.
“Can you follow him?” I said.
“He moves too quickly. He will be gone by the time we arrive at the site of his last attack.”
I leaned closer to study the map, searching for a pattern. His attacks seemed to happen at random, if the colours were meant to indicate anything.
The cavern was silent except for the burble against the stone walls. I glanced up. Dione and the others were looking expectantly at Lysi. Lysi shifted uncomfortably.
“How did the serpent come to pursue you, Lysithea?” said Dione. “What did Eriana Kwai have to do with it?”
Suspicion rose in me at Dione’s abrupt questions. So this was why the Reinas invited us here. Or rather, why they invited Lysi here. We were worth as much as the information we could provide.
The same could be said for all of you, I thought, scanning the room.
The prolonged silence broke Lysi. “Um. The serpent’s been around since the beginning of time and is part of several human legends. I don’t really…”
She looked to me for help—or maybe to confirm that we should share the story.
“I can tell it.” I kept my voice low, though everyone would hear in such close quarters.
Lysi nodded, and then addressed the cavern. “Meela knows more than anyone. She was the one who uncovered the legend on Eriana Kwai.”
It was my turn to flush as every gaze in the room fell onto me.
I wouldn’t share every detail on the Host of Eriana with these strangers, but I would need to spill some information if I wanted their help getting to Adaro. Maybe if I showed I trusted them enough to tell them my people’s legend, they would trust me enough to listen to my ideas.
“The leviathan is the most powerful creature ever to exist and the only of its kind,” I said. “So of course Adaro wanted it. That’s why he’s been obsessed with Eriana Kwai. Sisiutl, the two-headed serpent, was laid to rest on our island.”
I paused, trying to quickly think of a plan. What was I supposed to tell them? I had no information that would help them destroy the serpent—and the information I did have about how control was passed by blood was not going to be shared today. Or ever.
“The serpent spent millennia destroying villages and any ship it came upon. The mortal Eriana was the only one who could control it. The Aanil Uusha—that’s our god of death—he bound Eriana’s soul with the serpent’s so it could always be controlled. That’s why Adaro calls the serpent the Host of Eriana. Eriana’s soul can be freed from its host if the serpent is killed. But that’s the problem.”
“Does it have a weak spot?” said Dione.
“Not that we know of. It’s indestructible.”
“We can go for the eyes,” said the first young merman, thrusting an invisible sword upwards.
“If you get that close to her face, you won’t live long enough to do anything,” I said.
“I’d be willing to do it,” said Creon, puffing out his chest. “A sacrifice to save the crown and the gorgeousness—”
“It would be a pretty pointless sacrifice!” I said.
Dione raised a hand, and we fell silent. “Meela, you saidourisland.Ourgod of death.”
