Celesta wrapped an arm around her waist. “Of course we do!”
Drosselmeyer straightened. “Hollander’s Emporium, you said?”
She nodded.
“I’ll make some inquiries.”
“Do you think there’s a connection?” Celesta asked. “Between the Flying Dutchman and these crates? It seems like a strange coincidence that they disappeared the night after he was seen so close to shore.”
Sienna shook her head. “With the storm last night, there’s no way a ship could have ventured close enough to the cliffs. And there’s the matter that the cave entrance would have been submerged. If the Dutchman is human, he wouldn’t have been able to get in and out.”
“A Siren could. Or even a team of Naiads. Or an elf with the right song,” Celesta suggested. “What do you think, Dross?”
Drosselmeyer’s brows drew together in thought. “My guess would be that the crew is just as human as their captain is. But your theory of connection is interesting. Come, let’s return to Nivem and see what Doryss and his crew have to say.”
They parted ways on the beach, and Sienna watched their retreating forms for a moment before turning towards the rocky incline and beginning the climb back to the lighthouse. She looked over her shoulder at the waves that rolled into shore with a regular, soothing rhythm.
I hope Papa is back.
Her foot slipped on a rock, drawing her attention back to the ground in front of her. Her thoughts swirled as she climbed, contemplating everything she had learned from Drosselmeyer that morning.
The more she reflected on it, the fact that he was cursed was far less surprising than that he was human. The stories of his ghostly appearance had been too consistent and detailed over the years to be explained away as mere rumor. But his humanity? That was a twist she had not expected, coupled with the mystery of how a human ship and crew managed to find themselves in the Faerie Realm unbeknownst to Drosselmeyer. Though Waypoints—door-like portals that could carry travelers from one location to another in just a few seconds—were common enough in Faerie, gates that stretched between realms were practically unheard of. In fact, she was fairly certain that the gates Drosselmeyer had built to bring Celesta’s husband Alex into Faerie were the only two that had existed.
Where did they come from? And what did the Dutchman do that warranted such a severe curse?
Her thoughts came to a screeching halt as she rounded the corner of the lighthouse and saw the figure waiting outside the front door. The tall frame and dark hair were immediately familiar, as was the languid, careless way he leaned against thedoor frame. The handsome, chiseled face that had once caused her heart to flutter was focused on the ground in front of him. His head lifted at the sound of her footsteps and his blue eyes, striking even from a distance, sought her out.
It was Erik.
Sienna took a deep, fortifying breath and steeled herself as she walked up the path. “What are you doing here, Erik?”
He stepped forward, moving with all his natural elvish grace and reached for her hands. “That’s no way to greet an old friend, Sienna. You look lovely.”
She ducked to the side when he tried to drop a kiss on her cheek. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she could feel the heat rising in her face. Her pale skin could never hide a blush, and she knew that her cheeks would already be a blazing pink color. “I don’t think you can call us friends,” she said curtly, working hard to regain control of her composure.
Erik smirked and dropped one of her hands to curl a wayward strand of her hair around his finger. “You’re right. We used to be much more.”
But we’re not because of YOU.
Her heart screamed the words, but Sienna refrained from saying them out loud. She swatted his hand away and pulled free, putting another foot of space between them. “What do you want?”
“Don’t be like that, Enna. Can’t a man stop by to check on the health of an oldacquaintance?” He smirked as he said the last word, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
It was my health that caused you to leave in the first place.
Sienna’s hands were trembling, and she grabbed a fistful of skirts in each hand to hide it. “If I tell you, will you go away?”
Erik shook his head and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Why such animosity? I know that things were…difficult between us, but you must remember that I left for yourown good. I certainly didn’t take any delight in ending our relationship.” His eyes held her in place as he stepped closer, and for a moment Sienna thought she saw the same warmth and affection in his gaze that used to make butterflies dance in her stomach. “But you know how people would have talked, to see me with you.”
The spell was broken. Erik’s words were like rough sand rubbing into the still-tender wounds of her heart. She gave him a false, tight smile and stepped past him, heading for her front door. “I’m surprised you’re willing to be seen with me now, then.”
He grabbed her arm, spinning her around again to face him. “Enna.”
“Let go of me, Erik.”
He sighed and did as she asked, adopting the air of a mistreated and misunderstood puppy. “This is not going at all the way that I had anticipated.”
“What did you expect? For me to greet you with open arms?” Sienna’s voice was rising with her temper, and the slices of pain, like little shards of glass in the back of her throat, warned her to stop taxing her voice. She closed her eyes, lowering her volume. “What do you want?”
