“Listen,” she said, lowering her voice even more, “just tell me where they are. You and your husband leave tonight. We won’t attack until tomorrow. Yes?”
That wasn’t going to happen, no matter how much Viktoria wanted it. Still staring at the mermaid, I let out a long breath. Clive wasn’t going to be happy because it was going to make me even more of a target, but I had to find the vamps who were preying on humans, stealing them away to feed on, rape, and kill. They had to be stopped. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know.
“Tell me about the mermaid,” I said.
“The mer—it’s a statue. I don’t care about that. You have to help us!” she hissed. “They’re terrorizing our people.”
I was lying on my axe, so it wasn’t comfortable, but I stayed where I was. I almost laughed when I realized I was showing her my belly in this position. Deep down, I knew she was right, but I couldn’t give the pack the Guild’s location. No. I wouldn’t do it.
“I hear you,” I said, “but that isn’t happening. I will find them, and I will deal with them. You don’t have to believe that. I won’t blame you for not, but I keep my promises.” I clasped my hands over my stomach and took deep breaths in and out, steeling myself for what I’d need to do soon.
Wanting a diversion, I asked again, “Does she have a story? She appears quite determined to protect this city.”
Viktoria paced and cursed. Luckily it was all in Hungarian, but I got the general idea. Eventually, she burned through the mad and dropped to the grass near me, leaning up against the statue’s base.
“There are many stories of mermaids in the Danube,” she began. “I’ll tell you the one I know well and then you will give me some piece of information that we don’t have.”
I remained silent.
“The story begins in the dead of winter,” she said. “Two fishermen were sitting in fishing huts on the frozen section of the river, repairing nets. The old man told the younger one a story of the Danube Prince, who had many children and lived in a tall castle made of green glass at the bottom of the river.”
An underwater castle made of sea glass. I already liked this story.
“The prince was a cruel man,” she continued, “often walking the shores dressed as a fisherman so he could capture unsuspecting humans and drag them to the depths of the river, where he stored the souls of his dead.”
I was liking this story a lot less.
“Being a cruel prince,” she said, “he was no better to his daughters, keeping them prisoners. Sometimes they escaped, though, and fishermen would hear them dancing and singing along the banks and in town.”
Oh, good. They got away from him.
“They were cursed to return before daybreak,” she said, “when the prince would beat them for their disobedience until the river ran red.”
“Jeez,” I grumbled, “this mermaid story sucks.”
Ignoring me, Viktoria continued, “The younger fisherman shook his head, not believing a word of it, until a beautiful young woman approached the men. She wore a long gown, with flowers wrapped around her waist and woven into her long black hair.”
“Pretty,” I mumbled.
“She told them they needn’t fear,” Viktoria said. “She wasn’t there to harm or steal from them. She wanted only to warn them that the ice was breaking, the snow in the mountains melting. A great rush of water would soon flood them. And then she disappeared.
“The men rushed to tell the others and though the huts were all washed away, the Danube Prince took no souls that night.”
“Yay, flower lady. Wait. Is she the mermaid?” I asked.
“Guess,” Viktoria said. “So, spring came and life got back to normal for all except the young fisherman. He had fallen in love with the dark-haired mermaid?—”
“Ha!”
“—and searched relentlessly, rowing out into the middle of the river every night, trying to find her again.”
“Aww.” This story was a real roller coaster.
“One morning,” she continued, apparently making her peace with my interruptions, “the old fisherman found the young man’s boat washed up onshore and empty. Did the Danube Prince finally collect his soul? Did the young man find the mermaid and run off with her? Or did he, heartbroken at not finding her, offer himself up to the prince?”
Shaking my head, I stood up. “I’d like to introduce you people to the concept of happily ever after.”
“That is not life,” she said, standing as well.
