Page 74 of A Sea of Fate and Starfire

“There are vineyards on the hills,” Hadrian said, tracing his finger along the distant mounds of gray-green where vines grew in fragile rows. I’d seen the orchards above The City of Towers, but I’d never seen a grape vineyard. This one was sprawling and efficient and somehow calming in its organized shape, well-groomed and polite. “We’re near Ascento—Locklier Castle. Dimas’s mother’s estate, if I’m right.”

“And is he home?” Aren asked, twisting water from the hem of his shirt, the hard muscles of his stomach visible. It occurred to me that the humans had been waiting for us to call water away from them, but the tense tones of our conversation had left them hesitant to ask. We hadn’t even banished the river from ourselves yet.

Kye ran a hand roughly through his hair, shaking out the water. “I believe he is.”

I flexed my jaw, calling water from Diara. Moisture left her in delineated streams. Hadrian crossed his arms, patient, almost satisfied as he watched Diara’s hair dry and soften.

The crown prince cleared his throat again. “His family would host us, should we find ourselves at their door.” He neglected to press further, ending his sentence with a lilt that extended the question for him.

The tightness in the air stretched even more, ropes around my arms pulling me in separate directions. My hand slithered into my pocket, rolling the stones in my palm.

“I’d prefer to not turn to unfamiliar humans for hospitality,” Aegir finally said.

Aren snorted. Diara laced her arms, aiming a scowl his way. “You’d rather be attacked again? In a river?”

“I’d rather not have to worry about low-conscious humans while we travel,” Olinne said, wincing again.

Aren nodded ironically. “So you agree. Taking the road is a wiser choice.”

“You were attacked,” Diara sighed. “Why are you avoiding it? They attacked, and your skills rely on water—except you can’t use that against a drone. We”—she waved haphazardly between herself and the other humans—“can fight on land. I don’t understand what the problem is. Maybe it’s us that should be defending you.”

Nori gave a careless chuckle, meeting eyes with Olinne in a way that promised a later discussion full of indulgent mocking.

“How did you call to water?”

The voice cut through the thick tension like a fisherman’s knife, deft and smooth and so precise you don’t even see the skin separating from the flesh. Across from me, Cebrinne waited with stone-like curiosity, unbothered by the disagreement unfolding around her.

I shifted the crystals within my palm, letting them tumble over each other again. “I just put one of them into my pocket and touched the other. As soon as they both connected with my skin, I could feel the water again—”

Selena gasped, the sound deep and full of terror. She scrambled a step back, then came clawing forward, angrily ramming into Pheolix. Closest to her, Kye grabbed her arm, steering her away, pale-faced and heaving. We stared, but not at her.

Pheolix smiled at us with a worn-dry sort of patience, his eyes crinkling cruelly in the corners. He brought his hands together, letting his fingertips kiss.

“So,” he said softly. “You’ve found both my stones.”

34

Kye

No one moved. No one spoke. Not a fucking word.

We watched Pheolix’s face reanimate like a ghostly caricature, the fine details of the drone’s eyes and smile and cheeks stretching like leather over a chair too tall and wide, small cracks threatening to form between the seams.

Selena raised her finger toward him. “Get out.”

Pheolix chuckled, and every hair raised at the back of my neck. He ignored Selena as if she were an offensive smell he was too polite to acknowledge, locking eyes with Maren instead. She stared back, long ringlets of hair still sharp with water, volcano eyes brimming with cold fire.

“Thank you for retrieving both stones for me, my dear,” Pheolix mused. “You’ll keep them safe for me, won’t you?”

“If you want them, stop playing with dolls.” She tossed her hand, indicating Pheolix’s body. “Stop sending drones and birds. Come and claim them yourself.”

Pheolix nodded. “In time.” He paused for a leisurely stroll with his gaze, taking account of each of our faces. “These must be Juilean sirens.”

“Sidra’s sirens,” Nori corrected, eyes darkening like a viper ready to strike.

“And Aegir.” Pheolix’s leathery smile expanded more, faint white lines appearing as his lips reached their limit. “I’ve missed our beachside rendezvous. Have you spoken to your sister recently? I haven’t seen her in the administrative office for so long, I’m beginning to worry.”

Aegir didn’t respond. He watched stoically like a gardener finding their crops overrun by rodents, lowering his brow as though considering which type of poison to rid his field of them.