Page 12 of The Song of the Void

Ash blushed like a farm boy that had never seen what a woman wore under her clothes before.

“Maybe I will,” Reiven shot back with a scowl.

“You two and your arguin’ are gonna kill me,” Ash groaned. “Look, I hafta meet the ship captain at the docks soon, so I need to get movin’. Rei, just stay with the horses outside whatever shop she goes to.” He gave us both a sunny grin. A few minutes off his wagon and he was already back to normal.

Reiven grumbled under his breath and slapped a pouch of coins in my still open palm. “Ashkade Taleus Synnex, don’t get lost in this city, you hear me?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“Tell me when you make it. And when you’re heading back. And if anyone tries to push you around.”

“Yes, Ma,” Ash huffed. He tapped on his earring and limped away. Maybe he’d form an alliance with me, an anti-Reiven club. If I could just get and keep him on my side, this ordeal might be more workable.

The people bustling about gave us—well, me—strange looks as Reiven and I made our way down the major thoroughfare. I kept my eyes peeled for a pharmacy or herbalist where I could buy medicines and herbs, but Porscana specialized more in exotic goods from far-off places. There were stalls displaying boxes of deliciously sweet-smelling red fruits and vibrant patterned clothing on racks outside many of the textile shops.

A funny little image appeared in my mind, of Reiven wearing one of those hideous bright orange tunics, looking like someone had just vomited orange juice all over him. He’d probably be miserable in something like that. No matter how hot it was in the desert, he seemed to exclusively favor black clothing. He had rolled up and cuffed the sleeves of his shirt, probably to help with the heat, but sweat shone on his forearms and the bit of his chest his shirt left exposed.

I made him wait outside while I went into a clothing shop that appeared a little less gaudy than the others, and bought a few changes of clothes, a sheer nightgown, and a silky robe. Since they had given me way too much money, I indulged myself and purchased a few strings of pearls that I wove into my ponytail as we continued our hunt for an apothecary.

A sign caught my eye, and I jerked to a halt as we nearly passed by a stall that boasted selling precious jewelry and weapons made of the two most rare, sought-after metals.

The red-faced man at the counter rubbed his hands together as he showed off his wares to a wealthy Human couple. “Sirensteel and Flamevein Obsidian. Rest assured, should the Druinns ever come near you, they’ll be completely unable to wrest control of anything made of these elements. Just mind you, keep the Sirensteel away from the hearth.”

He held up a long, silver chain with a pendant at the end, carved with the rolling likeness of waves on the open sea.

My heart stopped beating. Seeing Sirensteel in the greedy hands of a Human had me furious enough to march right up to him and rip the necklace out of his grip. Then I could stab him with the knife he held in his other hand, made of a glassy black, wickedly sharp Obsidian riddled with veins of glowing red.

I clenched my fists, nails cutting into my skin, but I had only taken a step forward when my Human tether blocked my way, holding me by the shoulders with a smirk.

“Ah-ah,” he warned, casting a glance at the stall. “Don’t even think about it, Blue.”

“He can’t—that Human can’t just sell Sirensteel. It belongs to my people.”

“What’re you going to do about it?”

I gritted my teeth.

Reiven seemed to know I had no answer to his tease, so he just laughed and ordered me to wait with the wagon while he sauntered over to the stall.

Reiven Miyasagi…You bastard.

His name sounded far too noble for a pirate. And when he strolled back to me, with the Sirensteel necklace in one hand and the Flamevein Obsidian knife in the other, the smug grin he gave me felt terribly similar to every other well-bred man I’d had the misfortune of dealing with. “Not sure I understand the appeal of this Sirensteel…The vendor said it melts easily.”

Even worse than seeing it in the seller’s hands, I had to watch the precious metal gifted to my people rest against Reiven’s chest among his other golden chains. His smirk only grew at the way I ogled the Sirensteel, but the moment I moved to yank it off him, he pointed the dagger he had just acquired at my throat.

“Now, now. I paid well over asking price for these, so keep your hands off.”

“Why? Why even buy them?”

Reiven shrugged, eyes glinting in the sunlight. “Ashkade has plenty of money, gifts from the oligarchs he won the war for. So I don’t have a problem spending his coin on fun things for me.”

I chewed on my cheek to keep from lunging to scratch his damned eyes out. Seeing Sirensteel, even as a simple necklace, made me yearn for the days I trained with weapons made of our precious metal. The elder Sirens, like my mother, used complex machines created from the same material as moving training dummies for young Sirens. Practicing fighting with them always felt more like dancing in the water.

Reiven’s obnoxiously smooth voice cut through my memories. “Let’s move along now, Blue, before someone asks me if you’re the next exotic commodity for sale in this place.”

It wasn’t as if I had a choice. I inhaled through my nose, and somewhere amongst the sweat, fruity sweetness, and tang of the ocean in the air, I caught a hint of the chalky, bitter scent of medicine. A few minutes later, we stopped in front of an apothecary just down the main street.

Reiven leaned back against the wagon. “Ten minutes.”