Then We Fly

by Rebecca Salas

  “Accepted. Ask away.” She gestured toward Fynn with open hands as if he could place his questions on the table in front of her.

  “If someone wanted to be immune to the abilities of someone who was half siren and half naiad, what would they do?”

  “Unconventional pairing.” She said with a hint of distain. “That someone would see me, or someone like me.” She said smugly.

  Fynn turned to me now. “It is so hot in here don’t you think? Do you know what would be great,” he turned back to Amirah pointing to the ceiling, “a fan. They’re sure useful if you’re stuck on land.” Amirah rolled her eyes.

  “It’s true. That person would go and see one of my sisters, and get a specific charm made. It would need something from both parents, and a little something else that only we can provide.”

  “How would it work?”

  “The person wanting to be immune would carry it on themselves at all times, maybe wear it like jewelry.”

  “So, if it were taken off?”

  “The immunity would likely transfer to whomever possessed the charm.” She answered business like.

  “Likely?” Fynn’s brow furrowed and he didn’t seem pleased.

  “There is more than one way to catch a fish. You would have to talk to the one who made the charm.”

  Fynn sighed in frustration. “Have you ever made one of these?”

  “Not for that particular combination, dear. That sounds like something that Tanwen did some time back. You should talk to her.”

  “And what exactly would be needed from the parents? Does it matter?”

  Amirah shrugged her shoulders, “A feather from mom a hair from dad? It really wouldn’t matter. Just a piece of them.”

  Fynn nodded. “Alright.” He looked at me. “Do you have any questions for her, Trouble?” He said it like it was my name.

  “Would this charm give the holder the ability to control the person? Or manipulate them in any way?” I asked cautiously.

  “She speaks. And she’s not mer.” Amirah leaned forward in her chair sniffing deeply. She looked me over again a question in her eyes. “Trouble indeed.” And then, “No, it wouldn’t allow them control, only protection.” Her gaze was unnerving as she stared into my eyes without blinking. I had nothing else to say. I looked at Fynn, a nod to tell him I was done.

  “Provided what you’ve said proves true…”

  Amirah’s hands shot out and grabbed one of mine, holding on with an unnatural strength as she turned it over in the candlelight, inspecting it. With a yank I pulled my hand back. Amirah spoke to Fynn as if the interaction had never happened, but I felt Fynn stiffen beside me.

  “Don’t take your time in proving it. Being stuck on land is miserable enough, I look forward to you keeping up your end. Pleasure doing business with you.” She stood up. “Give Dorian my love.” She plucked the candle from the table and walked into some adjoining room leaving us in the dark. I reached out now, my fingers finding the edge of Fynn’s sleeve. I wrapped my fingers around it tightly, holding on for dear life as he rose and led the way out of the black room.

  Back in the security of the car I began to breath normally again. She may have been harmless, but she still scared me. Dorian piped up, chipper, from the back seat.

  “Did you kill her?”

  “Not today.” Fynn answered.

  “Well, that’s unfortunate.” Dorian said maintaining his chipper voice. “Was it super fun and informative?” I turned around in my seat to look him in the face. My own face was an open book of my feelings. “That great?” He asked with a laugh.

  “We got some useful information.” I offered. “Have either of you heard of Tanwen before?”

  Fynn turned the key in the ignition and the car came to life, a low hum under our conversation. He pulled the car out and began back down the dirt road.

  “That might be a problem.” Fynn said, “she was the one who attacked Dylan. Oran had her killed.”

  “What?” Dorian asked, shocked. My own shock was no less pronounced. Blake had actually stabbed me and Oran had done almost nothing about it.

  “He was not in his right mind. He has balanced out a little since then. A little.” Fynn spoke with trepidation.

  “So, this is just a dead end.” It wasn’t a question. I wondered where we would go from here. Fynn shook his head, his rumpled hair reflecting the glow of the streetlights as we passed back out on to main roads.

  “Not entirely, there are others that we can seek out. And I think it would be wise if we could recreate the charm that Blake must have. I’m not sure if we’ll get close enough to him to take his, but we should have our own in case we come up against Naida ourselves.”

  My memory flew back to the last time I had seen Naida in person, how she seemed to be able to control Fynn so easily, and me. A defense would be good. I wasn’t sure if she would still want rescuing by the time we found her. And if she thought we were her enemy; we would be in serious trouble.

  “Alright,” I finally responded, “she said that we needed something from each of her parents, as well as something from a sea witch. You seemed to know what her parents are. Do you know who they are?”

  “Yes, but harder than who, will be where. Her mom is the naiad, she lives inland.”

  “Wait, are you saying her dad is the siren?” Dorian asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yes, which is why this will be problematic.” Fynn turned to look at me. “Male sirens are practically human. No wings, minimal magic. Mostly they’re good for being immune to the females and reproducing. Though there is some gray area when it comes abilities presenting in mixed offspring.”

  I furrowed my brow. “But Amirah said we would need a feather from the siren.”

  “Or a hair.” Fynn corrected. “The hair won’t be a challenge once we find him but finding him will be tricky. I have no idea where he is or what he’s been up to since Naida was born. However, you might have some luck in that department. Violet might know something about where he is.” Fynn could see my confusion even in the dark. “He’s Violet’s brother.”

  I tried to picture Violet, her strange mannerisms, her otherworldly way of speaking, with an almost human brother. I couldn’t. How well could a male version of Violet blend in, even if he didn’t have wings?

  “Alright,” I said, “I’ll reach out to Violet.” I still wasn’t sure how much Dorian was supposed to know about me. I wondered for a moment why I couldn’t reach out to Naida’s father directly, but perhaps his siren immunity spread to other things as well. “What about her mom, do we have any idea where to start with her?”

  “I have a few naiad friends.” Dorian piped in with a smile. “I could do some looking.”

  “Good,” Fynn said, “in the meantime, Cora, you will have to get ready with Ell for your meeting.”

  “Will you be gone again tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Unfortunately. But I shouldn’t be gone too long, just another errand for the king.”

  Dorian reached up from the back and patted Fynn’s shoulder. “And you’re the best errand boy the king has ever had.” Fynn cast a mirthless smile over his shoulder at Dorian, who chuckled to himself.

  At the castle Dorian left us and Fynn and I walked together for a moment. I twisted my hands thinking about the many tasks to be accomplished.

  We wandered out into the courtyard, lit only by the lights pouring out of the castle windows. As we walked toward the center of the massive garden the lights grew dim and looking up, I could see the stars. Not as many as were visible on the Seal Islands, but it was still beautiful. The gentle sound of the bubbling fountain became more distinct and I walked closer to the fountain before crouching down and sitting next to it. Fynn sat beside me and turning in toward him I reached out to the water. I remembered the feeling I had experienced when I sat here with Io. I tried to imagine the water coming up out of the pool to reach for me as it had for her. With only the slightest hesitation, it began to rise. I tried my best to commun
icate to the water with my feelings and desires. In a moment a thin stream of water began to wind its way over one finger and under the next until it reached the last finger and climbed over onto the back of my hand and then continued climbing like a vine up my arm. Beside me Fynn let out a small huff of air. I spared a glace for him and he was staring at my hand, smiling and nodding his head.

  “You are… unprecedented.” He said thoughtfully. I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment, but he said it with a tone of awe in his voice, so I assumed it was.

  “Turns out I’m good for more than just sleeping and breathing underwater.”

  “How long have you been able to do that?” He asked.

  “Since yesterday. I’ve never even thought to try before. And when I saw my… Io, do it, once I saw that it was possible, it wasn’t too far of a leap.” I concentrated and extended my water encircled arm toward Fynn’s hand resting on the edge of the fountain. I thought of the water, coaxing it to move how I wanted. Slowly a thin finger of water reached out and stroked the back of his tan hand. I looked up at him and watched his smile broaden.

  “You’re going to be just fine.” He pulled his gaze from the water and looked up into my eyes, his eyes black in the low light. He lifted his dry hand and extended it toward me brushing back a strand of my dark hair that had fallen into my eyes. His fingertips brushed the skin of my cheek, and my whole face felt warmer. His eyes narrowed and he pulled away too soon. “You should get some rest. Probably see if you can get word to Violet.”

  “Right.” I answered briskly, annoyed that he had brought the moment to such an abrupt end.

  “Thank you.” It sounded more like an apology. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  I smiled weakly and nodded. With a sigh I stood up and began to walk back toward the lighted doorway of the castle. Behind me, Fynn shuffled. He took my hand and pulled me to a stop. I turned to see what was wrong and found him closer than I had expected. Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating through his thin shirt. He placed two fingers delicately at my chin and tilted my head upward so that I was looking up into his face. The courtyard was silent except for that babbling fountain, and my heartbeat in my ears. Despite our closeness I was still unsure of his intention, his face seemed so conflicted. Slowly he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my forehead, and all too quickly released me. Still, he didn’t move. I held my breath, waiting.

  “Soon enough,” he spoke, his voice deep, “you’re going to realize that you can do this on your own.” Another breath of silence. “But need me or not,” he brushed his fingers through my hair, “I’ll always be there for you.” He looked back toward the castle doorway and shifted his weight away from me, and the spell was broken. Hesitantly, I turned and walked back to the castle, and separating from Fynn, to my own room in silence. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t know if he had wanted me to say anything.

  {MISSING SYMBOL}

  I bounced my knee and tapped my fingers on the arm rest while Ell and I waited in the lobby to be introduced into Dr. Amari’s office. Ell silently reached out her hand, her thin fingers stilling mine. She gave me a patient but pointed look.

  “Just act like you belong here, Cora.” She released me and I tried to keep from tapping, but my knee still bounced, full of pent-up energy. Ell had done her best to prepare me for the impending meeting but it was obvious that I wasn’t feeling ready. Warm sunlight filtered in through the window’s geometric openings, pouring across the tile floor and lighting the room. We had spent the morning traveling from Cainhorn Palace by boat to return to Abu Dhabi where Dr. Amari kept offices. With the Egyptian style figurines and books lining the shelves, the comfortable chairs and warm light, the room felt like a respectable place of business. I knew from Ell that not all of the doctor’s business ventures were entirely legal and that he could in fact be quite dangerous. I honestly wished that she had left that part out. I had never planned on actually speaking at this meeting, and it would have been a lot easier to act like I belonged here if I thought the man we were about to meet wasn’t dangerous.

  Soft murmuring made it past the dark wood door to his office and the only other sound was the clicking of a keyboard as Dr. Amari’s secretary worked at his desk across the room from us. Ell had been formal with the man, all business, but I still caught him cast the occasional glance at her as we waited. We both wore the required head covering, but it seemed pointless as Ell wore a low-cut top and skintight leather pants. I had no doubt that this was what the secretary was looking at when he took the chance to peek up from his work.

  Ell had tried to get me to wear something similar, but I had protested. I may have been trying to convince this man to do what we wanted, but I really hoped that I wouldn’t have to show quite so much cleavage to get the point across. In many ways Ell reminded me of Zoya, her short stature and her fearless nature when it came to clothes in particular. They were different too, Ell’s hair was short and straight and while she was kind to me, she was too formal to really enjoy the familiarity I had with Zoya. I wondered what Zoya was doing and hoped she happy and safe. I hadn’t had more than a passing text message from her since I got here, and I missed my one and only girlfriend.

  The murmuring voices grew louder and the door into the office opened as a tall slender man walked out, sparing a moment to make eye contact with Ell. Why did they need me for this? The secretary waited only a moment before standing and gesturing to the door, he held it open as we entered. In the room were more shelves lined with carvings of various sizes all clearly Egyptian and a number of thick leather-bound books. Behind the dark wood desk stood Dr. Amari, a short stocky man with flecks of white in his black goatee and spiked hair.

  “Please, sit.” He said with a British sounding accent as he gestured to the chairs opposite his desk.

  “Thank you.” Ell said in a liquid smooth voice as we took our seats. Amari sat as well, adjusting his glasses.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person Miss Dorsey,” he nodded to Ell and turned his eyes on me, appraising. “And an honor, Lady Reed, to meet the niece of his majesty the king.” I offered a demure smile and nodded my thanks. The king had decided that for his purposes it would be best for me to have a title; though I wasn’t sure if it was for his missions or in sincerity. For today at least I was a countess. Additionally, it wasn’t useful for the world to know that I was actually his great-step-granddaughter, they had opted to call me a niece instead. It was me who insisted that I keep my same surname, I refused to distance myself from anything my father had given me, even if it was a common human name.

  “What can I do for the Kingdom of Glieyen, today?” He asked his clasped on his desk. He looked to Ell and then to me, patiently. I was pleased, at least, that his eyes didn’t linger on Ell’s revealing attire. I sat still, controlling my nervous urge to fidget, trying to summon every elegant lady I had ever seen on tv or read about in book. I’m a graceful lady. I told myself, trying to believe it as I made a point to look Dr. Amari in the eyes. Ell may be the one to do all the talking, but I needed to make enough of an impression that dreaming about me would seem reasonable. I felt like a child playing pretend and wanted to laugh at myself, I prayed that I was the only person in the room who thought that.

  “King Byron has acquired a number of Egyptian artifacts that he would like to be able to sell on the open market and requests the appropriate signatures to make it all legal.”

  Dr. Amari spared only a glance for me before narrowing his eyes on Ell. “How did the king come to be in possession of such artifacts without the necessary permits?” My pulse quickened, but I tried to maintain my calm and impassive expression. I knew he was accustomed to dealing in illegal antiquities, but he didn’t sound like it right now.

  “His highness has his own team of archaeologists who specialize in underwater acquisitions.” Ell purred. She may not have been using her mer abilities to sway him, but she was using everything else she had. Dr. Amari nodded thoughtful
ly.

  “And what have they found?”

  “Various Egyptian artifacts from the Middle Kingdom.” Ell smiled.

  “Could you elaborate?” Amari asked, motioning with his hand that she continue. “Quantity? Materials? Where they were found?”

  Ell’s lips twitched up at his last question. “I am not at liberty to disclose the location of the find, as for quantity a minimum of one hundred artifacts some stone, others gold, copper, jewelry, figurines, ceramics.”

  “One hundred artifacts.” Amari’s eyes went wide.

  “At least.” Ell nodded calmly.

  “Will the king be making this find public?” The doctor asked enthusiastically.

  “It has been decided that it will be in the best interests of the Kingdom of Glieyen for the artifacts to be auctioned off anonymously, but the auction is to be public, to ensure the best price.”

  “That puts me in a difficult position, Miss Dorsey. To get legal approval to sell such a large quantity of artifacts on the open market will undoubtedly draw attention, attention I would rather avoid. Better to sell them through other channels to avoid unwanted scrutiny.”

  “While avoiding attention is undoubtedly valuable to the Glieyen, getting the most for the pieces is our priority.” At this Ell leaned forward sliding a slip of paper across the desk towards the doctor, lingering at the revealing angle until he looked up and took it from her. Dr Amari flushed red and looked down at the paper, nodding quietly.

  “I will have to give it thought. Does his majesty have a deadline to meet?”

  “The sooner the better, naturally.” Ell cooed.

  “Take your time.” I offered brightly. “We understand you will need a few days to think it over.” I knew I needed to make some impression on him before we left and I didn’t want him giving an answer before he had gone to sleep long enough for me to make an appearance.

  “You can contact us at your earliest convenience, Doctor.” Ell said as she stood in a fluid motion. I only hoped that I didn’t look clumsy in comparison. Dr. Amari stood as we left, his face thoughtful.