Blood of Sirens: Book 13 of The Witch Fairy Series (4 page)

“Of course,” Dagda says coolly.  I’m not sure if his tone is the temperature of a slushie because of me or Kai. 

Kai leads the way and is followed into the river by Merman after Merman.  The stream seems never ending.  But, that’s not what has my attention.  I am watching Arie.  A blue light shimmers around her and the next thing I know, she has legs.  Real legs.  I elbow Kallen in the side.  “I thought you said I couldn’t make them legs.”

My gorgeous husband bites back a grin.  “I said
you
could not give them legs.”

“But Arie can?”

Kallen shakes his head.  “No.  Do you see the shell around her neck?  It is passed from Queen to Queen and it alone carries the power the temporarily change a Merperson’s tail into legs.  She can only do it for a few hours at a time.”

“She can’t turn anyone else’s tail into legs?”

“The consort of the Queen is included in the magic,” Kai informs me as he swings his new, muscular legs out of the river.  He stands and is a little wobbly at first.  Arie is, as well.  It only takes a moment, though, for them to regain their center of balance and walk normally.

“Um, I think they forgot something,” I murmur to Kallen who is now steadfastly staring at the ceiling.  I’m not certain whose nudity bothers him more.  Arie’s because he doesn’t want to make me jealous by staring at her private bits or Kai’s because of his more than impressive manhood.  Part of the spell or all natural, I can’t help but wonder.  A small pinch on my arm reminds me I shouldn’t be wondering about such things. 

Sindri hurries forward with two palace maids.  Each carries a robe.  One is sea blue silk with lace trim and the other a red satin.  They are presented to Arie and Kai and the maid with the red satin one is having a harder time than me keeping her eyes above chest level.  Sindri clears his throat and the maid blushes fiercely and hurries off as Kai grins after her.  Arie is not as amused.  When her eyes meet her husband’s, he sobers instantly.  He even hangs his head a little.  Interesting.

“We have much to discuss,” Dagda says, holding his arm out to Arie.  “Let us retreat to a setting better equipped for such a conversation.”

I turn to find Tana approaching.  Dagda hasn’t seen her yet.  Good thing because the look in her jealous green eyes would probably make him drop Arie’s arm unceremoniously.  It only takes a second for the Fairy Queen to mask her jealousy, though.  By the time she reaches us, her most welcoming smile is in place.  “Welcome,” she says managing to sound sincere.

There is a hint of wariness in Arie’s eyes.  News of Tana’s mental breakdown reached quite a few realms.  Nonetheless, Arie bows her head politely.  “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Oh my god.  Can we get past the niceties and get down to talking about the Sirens already?  Hm.  What are the chances I said this aloud?  Kai’s guffaw would indicate the chances are pretty darn good.  With a hearty slap on the back that makes me take a couple steps forward, he says to me, “I may grow to like you yet, Witch Fairy.”  I couldn’t be more thrilled at the news.  I’m pretty sure I kept this snarky comment in my head because Kai doesn’t get mad. 

Dagda leads our party to the elevator.  I assume out of courtesy for the Mercouple’s new legs.  We ride up in silence.  I, personally, am terrified as usual by the fact that the one operating the elevator with her magic is a Fairy who I’m pretty certain is older than dirt.  If there was a Big Bang, she probably saw it.  Kallen and Dagda both assure me her magic is as strong as ever, but I feel the elevator lurch a little under the strain of lifting all of us.  I should have taken the stairs.

We do make it to the top without incident.  I am surprised Dagda has taken us to the family wing of the palace.  He doesn’t usually meet with anyone here.  It’s his retreat.  His sanctuary.  I give Kallen a quizzical glance but he only shrugs.  He is as surprised as I am.  Dagda leads Arie to a white couch in the family sitting room.  Kai sits down next to her.  The rest of us find seats on the remaining furniture in the room.  The chair I pick is surprisingly comfortable for being so ugly.  Dagda has awful taste when it comes to home decorating.

Glancing around at the furnishings, Arie says to Tana, “Your home is lovely.”  I happen to think the mostly white décor accented lavishly, or gaudily, with gold trim is atrocious.  I did not get my taste from my biological father, thank goodness. 

“Thank you,” Tana replies.  I’ve heard she merely tolerates Dagda’s taste, but I haven’t asked her about it. 

Sindri, who met us here after taking the stairs like the smart Fairy he is, asks, “Would anyone care for a drink?”

Kai begins to speak but Arie shakes her head, stopping him from responding in the positive.  “No, thank you,” the MerQueen says.  Disappointment washes over Kai who was staring hopefully at the decanter of scotch on a table in the far corner of the room. 

I wonder if the Merpeople have any sort of alcoholic beverages in their realm.  I wonder if they have any beverages at all.  Is it possible to drink underwater?  So many questions in my brain, so rude to ask them all.

One thing I like about Arie is she doesn’t waste time.  “The escape of the Sirens was my fault.”

It’s a good thing I wasn’t drinking anything.  It probably would have shot out of my mouth and nose in surprise.  “What?”

The MerQueen sits up straighter.  “I did not recognize the influence the Sirens gained over the captain of their guards.”

“I was under the impression the guards were rotated regularly to avoid such things,” Isla remarks coolly.

Anger flashes in Arie’s eyes but she is angry with herself, not Isla.  “You are correct.  The only guard with a permanent position was the captain of the guards.  The captain maintained her position within the city.  She was not to have contact with the Sirens.”  Arie pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing.  “It seems a combination of curiosity and hostility drove her to disregard the parameters of her position.”

“Hostility toward whom?” Kallen asks even though we can see the answer in Arie’s eyes.

“Toward me,” she admits. 

The puzzle pieces click together in my mind.  “Let me guess, she was in the running for Queen.”  The Merpeople elect their Queen who then serves for life.

Arie inclines her head.  “You are correct.”

“What was her intent?” Dagda asks.

“She made a deal with Irena.  If the Siren agreed to enslave my consort, she would be set free.  She hoped the grief it would cause me would render me ineffectual as a Queen.”  From her expression, I can tell she has not yet told us everything.

“Meaning she could then demand you forfeit the crown with your death,” Dagda fills in.

Arie nods.  “You are correct.”  Wow.  This catastrophe really wasn’t my fault.  Amazing.  “She also vowed revenge on the one who killed her ‘rightful’ Queen, as she sees it.” 

I sigh.  So much for it not being my fault.  Or, at least the other me’s fault.  “Does she know it was my doppelganger from another reality?” I ask. 

“The Merpeople are hesitant to believe such a thing could occur,” Arie admits. 

I will definitely not be travelling to the Merpeople realm anytime soon, then.  “That sucks.”  I get admonishing glances from Isla, Dagda and Tana for my slang.

“Indeed,” Kai agrees.  He adds, “I understand their reluctance.  If I had not seen your doppelganger with my own eyes, I would not have believed it myself.”

“Thanks for the support,” I grumble.  Louder, I ask, “Is it just a few Merpeople or do they all believe I’m the one who killed their Queen?”  I will take the deafening silence to mean it’s pretty much all of them.

“You said your captain agreed to free Irena.  Did she free the others intentionally or was Irena responsible for it?” Kallen asks.

“Irena convinced the captain of guards that she was too weak to perform such magic alone.  Over several months, she convinced the captain to release them all if she wanted to successfully lure me from my wife,” Kai explains.  He shakes his head.  “Fools.”

Arie places a loving hand on her husband’s arm and smiles.  “As you can see, Kai’s love is not so easily misplaced.”  Kai shifts a little in his seat causing suspicion to build in my mind.  Did he mean what he said or is he worried?                                           

Keeping the conversation on track, Kallen asks, “When were the Sirens released?”     

“Two days ago,” Arie says.

“Two days?  That wouldn’t be enough time to lure your husband into slavery,” I comment aloud.  Arie stiffens slightly and I get another round of chiding glances.  What?  I’m just being honest.  “Why didn’t they stick around in your realm to do what they promised?”

Dagda glances at Tana before saying, “Because the Sirens have their own agenda for revenge.”                                              

I groan.  “And it all comes back around to us.”

Kallen reaches over and takes my hand in his, giving it a squeeze.  “This is no one’s fault.”

My brow scrunches.  “I don’t know, the Merpeople captain seems pretty darn guilty.”

Arie acknowledges my comment with a grimace.  “She is being dealt with harshly, I assure you.”  Considering the last Queen had attack octopi, I don’t even want to know what that means.          

“What of your other guards?” Isla asks.  “Did they survive the Sirens’ release?”

Sadness envelops Arie.  “Very few.  The more seasoned warriors were the only survivors.”  My hatred for the Sirens has just grown exponentially.  “Fortunately, the Sirens escaped our realm without causing more death and chaos.”

“Only to come here seeking those results,” Dagda adds.  How come he doesn’t get chiding glances for his snarky comment?

“Yes,” Arie admits.

This conversation is not leading to answers.  “Okay, we know what happened.  What do we do now?” I ask.  “How did you trap the Sirens before?”        

Arie is suddenly uncomfortable.  “We had the help of a small group of Sirens.”

Okay, that doesn’t add up.  “Sirens helped you imprison them and their entire race?”  Is that doubt dripping from between my lips?  Why, I believe it is.

“Not the entire race,” Kallen drawls.  Oh look, he needs a doubt drool rag, too.

Arie shifts in her seat.  “No, not the entire race.”

“There have been Sirens loose in the realms these past centuries?” Dagda growls.  Kai gives him a sharp look and moves to the edge of the couch, ready to defend his wife physically if necessary.  He has a good six inches and a hundred pounds of muscle on Dagda, but his magic isn’t as strong.  I wonder who would win.

“Have you heard tales of Siren encounters?” Arie snaps. 

Isla, as usual, is the voice of reason.  “No, we have not.  I assume the Sirens who helped you agreed to remain apart from others.”

“Yes.”

“Where have they lived?” Tana asks, speaking up for the first time.

“In a remote area of our realm.  They have lived peacefully, never attempting to harm my people or any other.”  Arie squares her shoulders.  “They continue to do so.  Their whereabouts remain a secret.  The guards were not privy to this information to avoid the other Sirens seeking retribution if they were ever set free.”

“At least some are safe,” I mumble.  Louder, I ask, “Would they help capture the other Sirens again?”

Arie shakes her head.  “No.  They would not survive such a battle.  It was only the element of surprise which garnered success last time.”

I nod in understanding.  “A fool me once scenario.”  Several puzzled expressions come my way.  I sigh.  “It’s an old saying in my realm.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Kallen smiles.  “Then yes, a fool me once scenario.”  He’s just humoring my quirkiness but that’s okay. 

“I am afraid…” Arie pauses briefly.  “I am afraid without their help, there is no hope.”

My fondness for Arie is diminishing with her pessimistic attitude.  “There is always hope.”

Arie smiles sadly at me.  “The optimism of youth.  I would like to believe so, but you have never experienced the full power of the Sirens.”

I shrug defensively.  “No, I haven’t.  That’s why we don’t let them get to full power.  If they can’t get guys to drown themselves, we’ll keep them weak.”

Kallen’s voice is low and bordering on condescending.  “It is only within this realm you are keeping them below full power.”

His words take a few seconds to sink in.  Only in this realm.  Meaning the Sirens have probably dispersed to several realms to gain power.  They could be luring Centaurs, Sasquatch, and Goblins to their deaths right now.  I hate Sirens.  “Got it,” I confess.  I still refuse to dim my optimism.  “So, we look harder for the answer.”

“Answers were sought for hundreds of years before the Sirens were captured and contained,” Isla reminds me.

Frustrated, I stand up and place my hands on my hips.  “Whose side are you guys on?  We have Sirens out there wanting to kill or at the very least, enslave, all the guys in the Universe and all you are doing is telling me how impossible it is to stop them.  I say that’s bullshit.  No one is indestructible.  I’m not, you’re not, and the Sirens aren’t.  So, will you all please stop being such naysayers and help me figure this out?”