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Moira glanced at the Sirens in the cavern and their interest in our reunion. “I walked so far. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just knew I needed to get away.”
I nodded. “It’s a hard journey.”
Moira snorted a laugh. “Hard? My feet took weeks to recover. Feet, I might add, that I’ve never had to use above the water until now. Who knew that the ground was sosharp?”
I bit back a grin. “How did you find the Sirens?”
Moira gestured to Arden, who appeared in deep conversation with his mother. Their heads close together, and their words muffled. “Prince Arden patrols the cove for any signs of water Fae along the dried river path. We aren’t the first to try and escape the lake and likely won’t be the last.”
“He saved me as well,” I told her. “There were pirates.”
“Pirates? Truly?”
I nodded.
Moira sighed, her hands fluttering together. “How romantic.”
I quirked a brow.
“Oh hush, you!” Moira chided, “Allow me to have my fantasies. Besides, Arden is too busy training the recruits to look at a woman. Though I’d reckon you’d catch his eyes.”
“I’ve had enough romance to last a lifetime, and might I say, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” I sniffed, studying the room. “Are those oysters?”
“How did I know you’d be more interested in the food?” Moira grabbed my arm and steered me away from the queen’s platform toward the tables at the far end of the cavern.
I allowed myself to study the walls I had been too nervous to notice before. Carvings adorned the sandstone, extending to the curved ceiling that gathered in a dome with a single skylight at the top, lighting the ballroom. Orbs of glowing faelight bobbed overhead, swimming through the air like a ring of sea birds.
The Sirens were dressed relatively modestly, considering the nature of their adornments. The fabrics were plain and earthen. The males wore no shirts, and their trousers were loose with many pockets and buttons. The women wore dresses that tied around the back of their necks, leaving open panels at the back—in case they needed to pull their wings free at any moment, I guessed.
Moira found a plate and began loading it with food before pushing it into my hands. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said again.
“I know,” I agreed. “How are they treating you?” I lowered my voice to barely a whisper and tilted my head toward hers. “King Irvine always said that he had allies outside of the Twilight Lake, but I didn’t know if he counted the Sirens among them.”
An odd look crossed Moira’s face. “Belisama’s ballsack, I haven’t thought of the war in an age.” She shook her head, her gaze turning fuzzy. “I forgot there even was a war since coming to the cradle.”
“The cradle?” I echoed.
“The Siren stronghold. They call the canyon Belisama’s cradle. As the old stories go, his body fell to the Tuatha Dé Danann and split the dirt in two,” Moira said. “The Sirens were kind enough to let me stay, but they have their own troubles. The cove used to be their home. It isn’t now.”
“The cove,” I agreed. “Arden told me about it.” I reached up to touch the crescent scar on my cheek. “She knew I was a Cruinn.”
Moira’s brow furrowed. “I told her my full name when I arrived,” she said. “Being Undine is nothing to be ashamed of.”
It took me a moment to remember that Moira had no idea what had happened after I was pulled from the cave and taken captive. How could she? She didn’t know that my uncle had tried to kill me or that the princelings had taken me. She didn’t know I murdered Cormac’s mother and traveled weeks on foot to escape his wrath.
Moira had been taken in by the Sirens, no doubt waiting until it was safe to return to Cruinn.
“Have you tried to go back to the lake?” I wondered. “After the Mer left the frosted sands, and the waters were clear?”
Moira pulled her bottom lip between her teeth before she reached forward and cradled my hands. “I thought you were dead, Maeve. I couldn’t even think about returning to waters where you and Liam no longer swam.” Her words trailed off as a thought occurred to her. “Liam? Is he—”
I shook my head, feeling my stomach twist and the lump in my throat grow large enough to hinder my breathing. I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to.
The Siren Queen took that moment to drift towards us, her son behind her. Arden didn’t look pleased.
“My son has a kind heart,” the Siren Queen said, regarding me with her birdlike eyes. “We welcome you to the cradle, Maeve Cruinn.”
I dipped my head. “Your hospitality is welcome and generous.” I did not thank her outright, as that was not the Fae way of things. Though neither of us said it, I was in her debt.
