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“We ride to lake Cyntos, to the south,” Araki stated, already turning and starting to walk away.
“So, no flying today?” I asked as I stared at his broad back and wings. I recalled how soft like silk his feathers felt when I had touched them last night.
He grunted a reply, “No. It is not very far off the capital.”
Araki marched off with purpose ahead of me, eyes ahead, never once speaking or checking to see if I was following him. He was a different man, not the one who held me to him and kissed me like he wanted to devour me whole. A king on a mission. I wondered if he’d ever address what happened between us and if his decision to ride there was to put some physical distance between us after last night events. I should feel happy about it but the mere thought of it left me feeling forlorn. I bit the inside of my cheek and buried the emotion. Last night was a heat-of-the-moment mistake I intended not to allow to happen again, I vowed quietly.
I kept up with his long strides. We headed to the stables and found two horses ready for us. A black and a brown stallion. The stable keeper bowed before he was dismissed. Araki turned to me and gave me the reins of the brown stallion. “Ride him. He is gentler.”
I took the reins from him and mounted the horse. Araki mounted the black stallion and manoeuvred in the direction we were to go. We rode out of the stables. The wind whipped my face, and I glanced up and saw the clouds darkening with signs of rain. We used the rough back roads around the capital city instead of going through the centre to the lake region. After an hour of riding, the breathtaking view of the region appeared, a beautiful expanse of water filling the bottom of a canyonoverlooked by hills and forestry, which led into the fae’s and forest elves' territory. Trees connected by overhead bridges and wooden footpaths arched over the water, allowing non-finned races to explore and cross between areas.
“We are here,” Araki finally broke the silence as he came to a halt two meters from the lake and dismounted.
I patted my horse and then got down. I followed Araki as he walked to the lake and crouched just at the edge of it. He hovered his hand above the water, and under his breath, he muttered what sounded like a spell. Beneath his palm, the water rippled, and a face emerged from the depths, showing scaly- fin-like ears and jagged teeth crammed into a mouth. The horses behind us neighed.
I stood on alert, keeping a keen eye on the mermaid. The mermaid rose from the water. She was sharp-boned with bluish skin stretched taut over her face. Her green hair swirled around her half-naked upper body. Nothing covered her breasts, but her waist slimmed into a stunning golden tail that she flicked to break the surface. The mermaid rested her head on her folded arms and looked at Araki.
“You called, Your Majesty?” Her voice was like rumbling water. I knew she was not a siren, but she looked at Araki as if she wished to put him under a spell. She swished her tail, prying his gaze from her face towards it. I quietly watched their interaction.
“Thank you for coming to me,” Araki responded.
“What is it you desire that you’ve summoned me, Your Majesty?” The mermaid asked.
“What do you know of the vampire victims? We’ve received reports of dead bodies being dumped in the lake.” Araki said.
The mermaid giggled and spun a little water tornado, splashing it at the king playfully. Araki didn’t flinch. He remained calm, silently demanding an answer. The mermaid sulked and slapped her tail against the water. “Yes, the bodies get put here. But while we are loyal to you, we have done nothing wrong. We’re not required to report everybody that gets—”
“You’re not under interrogation,” Araki cut her off, “I just need confirmation and assistance.”
“We don’t check for wounds,” the mermaid replied. “Sometimes the sirens don’t check if the corpses breathe, but they preserve them in the caves for us to share. We share food and land and ensure we don’t overstep each other. That is our truce.”
My stomach churned at the thought of dead bodies being preserved for food for the aquatic creatures. I tried not to imagine the sharp teeth of the mermaid ripping into a person’s skin.
?“And the caves,” Araki questioned, “You think there are bodies in there that have been vampire victims?”
“Oh, definitely. They taste different.” The mermaid smiled with her whole mouth, teeth bared.
“You must take me to the caves,” Araki commanded.
The mermaid shook her head, but Araki bristled. She then suddenly rammed her fingers into his mouth, surging upwards without warning. I reacted.
I withdrew the knife, pouring magic into the blade, and lifted it to throw it at her when Araki motioned to me with his hand to stop. My hand froze midair. Warily, I watched him struggle with her, digging his fingers into her wrist until she let go.
“What did you do to me?” Araki coughed as he rubbed his throat.
The mermaid let out a wicked giggle.
“The sirens will take you there,” she said in a low voice, narrowing her gaze at the enchanted knife until I tucked it back under my blouse once she backed away from Araki. “I just fed you the water’s power. It will allow you to breathe below the surface while you find the caves.”
“A heads up would have been appreciated,” Araki gritted out.
“Will you be accompanying His Majesty?” The mermaid looked at me expectantly as she swam closer to where I stood.
“She will,” Araki answered, gesturing for her to hurry up. Stiffly, I crouched near her and braced myself for the same treatment that he got, but the mermaid clamped her fingers on my jaw, pinching my cheeks to open my mouth. She dug her sharp fingernails into my lower lip, drawing blood as water dripped from her fingers onto my tongue, passing on the magic. I hissed at her, feeding a small force of my magic to knock her back into the water. She shot me a sinister smile.
“My kin and I will not offer you protection against the sirens,” The mermaid looked between us. “That depends on your self-control and strong will.”
Araki nodded and began to strip off his coat, preparing for the dive into the lake. My traitorous eyes ogled his taut muscles, his forearms flexing as he shrugged off the shirt next and dropped it to the ground. My eyes flickered to the mermaid when she drew closer to Araki.
