It doesn’t take us long to reach it, and as we all stand out the front, I wonder if we’re at the right place. The temple is much smaller than I expected. I stare at it, unsure what to make of the place. No heavy gates. Just a crumbling structure with too much silence clinging to it.
Six statues stand on either side of the rotting path. Weather-worn figures, their features half erased by time, but not enough to fool me. Sirens. Twisting forms, cut from stone. The three on the left are male and the other three are female, all with tails and curling fins. Oddly enough they remind me of my sister Selene . . . and mother.
My heart pounds, sounding through my ears like a drum. Is it another clue? Have we stumbled on something sacred that has long been forgotten?
Footsteps crunch beside me. Odelia. She’s piled her unruly locks on top of her head, exposing the delicate curve of her neck. She steps up, gaze locked on the temple. “No greater beast than a man’s mind, and the fear that seeks to claim it.” She speaks softly, just loud enough for me to hear.
The riddle.
I’ve been turning it over in my mind for the past few days, every angle, every word. It’s not about claws and teeth this time. No beast in the dark. Just tricks. Illusions. Whatever this place is, it’s meant to be a different sort of challenge.
“Better keep our wits about us,” I murmur.
She turns to the crumbling figures beside us. “Friends of yours?”
With a light shrug I take a few steps towards the raised podiums, running my fingers over the cracking stone. “I don’t know. There are a lot of older temples scattered beneath the water, most dedicated to the old ocean gods—those that drudge up islands or master the weather, like the Sotor. There are ones even older and as ruined as this, meant for worshiping the water elementals, though the practice isn’t nearly as common as it used to be.They’re a proud race, and tend to believe whatever the water touches belongs wholly to the sea, tribute or no. They must have made sure their treasures were well protected before they left.”
Or so I figured. My mother’s disappearance caused me to pour over the archives in the royal library even outside of my studies. There wasn’t much but I found every scrap of parchment the archives had to offer.“What I wonder is why there would be a siren temple on land. The seabed shifts slowly, constantly. It could be that this was underwater, tens of thousands of years ago, but it would have been abandoned the moment it touched open air . . .”
Odi steps beside me to examine it, so close I can feel her warmth. Her fingers are painstakingly gentle as she runs a finger over the crack that splits the femalesiren’s chest. “It’s all so beautiful.” Her eyes meet mine across the short distance, and my heart falls from my chest, flopping about on the ground like a fish out of water.
Tavi flicks her gaze between us, and then scoffs lightly. “Alright everyone, follow me.” She and the others move off towards the temple. Leaving Odi and I alone.
I gesture fowards, letting her lead the way.
She does, but speaks over her shoulder in a sing-song lilt. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me more about the riveting history of tens of thousands of years ago?”
I lift a brow at her retreating back before following, my steps much louder than hers. “Historyisimportant," I call, “especially to a prince. It’s okay to admit you’re lucky to have me along.”
She tosses back a grin before we make it to the crew. “Perhaps I am.”
The doorway ahead yawns like a broken, toothless mouth, carved stone giving way to shadows. I move through the crowd and pause at the entrance. “Before we head in, I need a small team of you to stand guard here at the door. Those willing, say aye.”
A few hands shoot up, before the willing participants shuffle off to make a small barrier around the outskirts of the temple. “If we’re not back by dawn, head to the ship. Don’t wait for us.”
With that settled, I turn my attention to the darkness behind me. Elio hands me a lit torch, then he gives one to Tavi. We step through one by one, boots echoing on slick stone, until the ground just—ends.
I catch myself before I go tumbling straight down. “Shit.”
Elio produces another torch, smaller this time. He lights it on Tavi’s before tossing it down into the darkness. I peer over the edge, thinking I’ll watch the orange flames sink through the shadows for miles, but it only lasts a split second before it hits solid ground.
A pit, maybe ten feet deep, the stone worn smooth like too many leather soles have made the descent before us. Time and dampness have chewed at the edges, making the drop uneven. Cracks spiderweb out beneath the lip. Not a trap. Just ancient and forgotten.
“It’s not too deep, just mind your step,” I call over my shoulder.
Tavi drops down first, grunting as her boots hit the floor below. Elio starts to follow but I grasp his arm. “Perhaps you should stay here.”
His lips press tight. He’s never been one to stay behind. “Rune—Cap, I can handle it.”
I drop my hand, biting back the words that dance on my lips. The images of him bleeding out somehow are vivid in my mind, but Elio has never been one to back down from a challenge.
I press my lips together to hold in any protest and nod, letting him move to the edge. He braces himself with one hand, landing with a soft curse.
The rest of the crew make their way down one by one until only Odi and I are left on the edge. I can see the unease in the way she fists her hands into the sides of her billowing trousers, but her faceremains impassive.
“Me next,” I yell down.
They make way for me, some even moving further into the shadows with their torches as they scan the surroundings.
