Page 40 of A Sea of Fate and Starfire

“What brought you here, then? What’s here for you?”

Other than the red coat, he shared nothing with the ruddy, often bearded men born here. Though fine lines had gathered around his eyes, his face was smooth and taut as a worry stone, his flaws long since worn away from his surface. I’d always found it difficult to guess at a Naiad’s age—especially an older one.

The Naiad sighed. “It’s more what wasn’t here.”

“Fine.” I pulled my hands to the side, testing my call against the water in the air. Had I not taken a knife to the back, had I not burned through most of my energy already, had the moon been full and had sleep not scoured the edges of my mind, it would have been easy to thaw all the snow and ice in the air. “Why are you here. Why help me?”

Elbow bent, hand spread across his thigh, the Naiad cocked his head to look at me. “He wanted to wait and see what you’d do. What kind of siren you are. If you’d give yourself up for your friends and your colony.”

My mouth tightened. “Who did?”

The Naiad’s brows twitched as though the answer was clear. He opened his mouth—and the sounds of watery strangling broke through the trees ahead.

Sirens.

They dropped out from bare branches, twirling from behind tree trunks, stepping out of the shadow of the mountain and into the deep blue light of eventide. Our six Rivean guards writhed in the snow until the blood in their veins lay still.

I shifted in the saddle, failing to rein in my surprise. The Naiad at my side leaned across the dead air between us, taking my harness. Nothing in his posture or movement struck me as threatening, but I couldn’t ignore the rapid tick of my heart as more of them appeared, encircling our horses, the shimmer of their silver Byssus silk capturing the dying sun.

Kye, I sent through the trees and wind. Did you fall back?

We are heading to you. His voice was clipped. Hard. Was he fighting or was he running? Where are you?

Almost to our meeting place. I hesitated, swirling water molecules around my fingers just to remind myself I still could, though it dripped off my fingertips on its own.

What’s wrong? Kye asked.

Naiads, I answered. Then switched mental lanes. Nori, there are Naiads here.

The sirens surrounded me, more than I could count in the dark. The male holding my reins dismounted, handing them to a tall figure in the front, a face covered by a silver byssus hood, though by the breadth of his shoulders and the height of his body, I knew he was also male.

Naiads? Nori’s voice returned. How many?

“Thank you, Sindri,” the veiled siren said. He pulled the back of his hood, shaking long, chestnut braids out over his shoulders before taking me in with a pair of piercing green eyes.

Something in me relaxed. I knew this Naiad.

Something in me tightened. I knew this Naiad.

“Hello, Queen Maren,” he said.

Perched high in my saddle, I raised my chin. “Hello, Aegir.”

18

Maren

I’m with an army of Venusians posing as Riveans. Aegir is here.

I sent the message to both Kye and Nori. Brief confusion rebounded from Kye; I was certain he’d never heard the Videre’s name, nor had he realized a colony resided under the Venus Sea.

Acknowledged, Nori replied.

I clenched my teeth. Find Selena.

Seeking her out felt like asking for help against my will. She was the only one who knew of Aegir’s note to Thaan. The four words rang clear in my mind: I have your weapon. I’d looked her in the eyes and asked what he meant. Only now did I realize she’d never answered. She’d artfully skirted around the question, explaining Cebrinne was my mother instead.

But I understood now. She’d given the same response when I’d asked her if she was a Prizivac Vode, shrugging her shoulders like the thought had never occurred to her.