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The Siren Queen’s eyes narrowed. “You are soft and do not have wings.”
I ignored the soft comment. “I don’t have wings,” I agreed.
The queen nodded, resolute. “You will join the other recruits in the morning,” she declared before turning on her heel and folding into thin air.
My eyes widened, and I turned to Arden and Moira. “What did she mean by recruits?” I asked in horror.
Arden shrugged. “The Siren Queen believes that everyone in her flock should be able to protect themselves. The Sirens have long been threatened by Everfall, and the queen refuses to lose any more of her kin.” When I first met Arden, I believed him to be without emotion, but I felt the pain underneath as he spoke.
Moira reached forward and placed her hand on his arm.
Arden looked down at her hand. “Your kindness will not make your training easier tomorrow, Miss Fen.”
“You’re training us?” I asked, my eyes round in horror.
Arden flashed his teeth, showing me the first smile I had seen on his face since I met the Siren male.
“Of course,” he smirked.
“So, you and Arden?” I nudged Moira as we climbed the steps to her room, spiraling up and up into the depths of the cradle, a network of caves that seemed to never end.
Moira rolled her eyes. “You must think I'm so fickle. After all, Liam turned to foam not too long ago, and he had my heart.”
“And what did he do with it?” I asked. “Try to crush it under his heel?”
Moira snorted a laugh. “Oh, the gods would punish us for that. It’s improper to speak ill of the dead.”
“We’ve never been proper.” I reminded her.
Moira stopped one step below me, looking up as she searched for her words. “I can’t believe you’re alive. I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I know.” I reached out for her hand. “I have much to tell you. So much happened after the frosted sands.”
“As do I,” Moira told me. “But we really do need to get some sleep. Arden wasn’t kidding when he said he would not go easy on us tomorrow.”
“I can take whatever the Queen has planned for me,” I said, keeping my eyes forward as we ascended the steps. “It can’t be worse than the past month in the lake. Nothing can.”
Moira gestured to a door once the floor leveled out. “My room,” she explained, pausing as if tasting her words before speaking them. “What happened after you were captured?” She asked, avoiding my gaze. “They didn’t…takeyou, did they?”
“One of the Mer tried.” I snorted and stepped through the doors. “On land. Not when he had a tail.”
Moira grabbed my arm. “Maeve!” she admonished. “That’s horrible. What happened? You got away?”
“In a manner of speaking.” I shrugged. “I was taken back to Tarsainn and imprisoned. Once I got away, I came here.” I explained, leaving out any mention of the princelings and how it was my fault they had come to the sands in the first place—I hadledthem there. “The rest, as they say, is history.”
“You met the Mer-king?” Moira said. “I’ve heard he is as calculating as he is handsome.”
“Arrogant is the only word I can think to describe Cormac Illfin,” I sniffed derisively. “And if I never see the male again, it will be too soon.”
Moira frowned, looking like she wanted to say something else before deciding against it.
Her room was sparse but clean and well-maintained. A bed made up of furs, just like the one in the cave, sat in the corner. The soft blankets were piled on a mattress stuffed with leaves and straw.
A large hole dominated most of the far wall, overlooking the canyon. I stepped closer, feeling a wall of magic like a sheet of glass. I held up my hand, trying hard not to touch the enchantment in case I broke it.
“It’s one way,” Moira explained, stepping up to my shoulder. “You can see out, but no one can see in.”
I nodded in understanding.
