Daughters of Fire & Sea

by Holly Karlsson

  “The lock,” Lyric said. Her words were barely audible, and she cleared her throat, repeating herself. She needed water. “It opened because the sailor was Sireni,” she said.

  Runa looked at her, raising her eyebrow. “Did Gandara tell you that?”

  “No,” Lyric said. “Just puzzling it out myself.”

  Runa nodded and looked at the door. “Makes sense.”

  “Which means, we can probably open it,” Lyric said. “Being half Sireni should be enough, right? If we can unlock the door, we can get water, find Kaia, and make her talk to us. Maybe we can’t escape just yet, but getting out of here would be an improvement. I can’t sit here and wait, Ru. Mama needs us.”

  Runa nodded. “Worth trying.” She scratched at her scalp. “I’ve been trying to call Elenora, ask her how to replicate Mother’s spell that took us to the Veil. If we could move like that, we could use the spell to escape.” Runa sighed. “She’s silent though, muttering in the back of my head like she’s on the other side of a wall.”

  Lyric nodded. “Gandara’s been distant since Ivernn,” she said. She shifted, pushing against Kell’s knee to help herself stand, and walked to the door.

  Leaning against the cage, Lyric stuck her arm through the bars and reached up for the lock. She bent, contorting awkwardly, trying to reach higher and get her palm on the flat plate. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she twisted again, inching her fingers across the metal until she felt it beneath her entire hand. Lyric pressed her palm flat against it and willed the door to open.

  Nothing happened.

  Lyric shifted her hand again, pressing her skin against the cold metal. Was it growing warmer? She pushed harder. Something clicked.

  "I think I did it!" Lyric said, sliding her arm back through the bars. Bracing her feet, she pulled on the door. It opened easily, and she rushed through it, diving for her pack. Ripping it open, she dug out her waterskin and gulped down water.

  Lyric wiped water off her chin and looked up to find Kell and Runa behind her. They’d hunted for their water as well, and the three of them stared at each other, momentarily elated by their success.

  “What now?” Lyric asked. “Walk up on deck?”

  “We should disguise ourselves,” Runa said. “There might be clothes in there. Maybe we’ll have an opportunity to steal the small boat and escape that way. We should be ready.”

  Lyric nodded. “Yes, I think you’re —”

  The ship lurched to the side, throwing them off their feet. Lyric’s cheek slammed against the wall, and she groaned as a knee jabbed into her back. Something boomed, loud and close, and she heard wood splinter somewhere above.

  Untangling themselves, the three of them staggered towards the storage room’s door.

  “Is it Grandfather?” Lyric asked.

  Runa frowned. “He doesn’t have a ship.”

  “Maybe he’s allied with someone who has a fleet,” Kell said.

  “Whoever it is, this may be an opportunity to escape in the confusion,” Lyric said. “I don’t want to stay down here if the ship is being torn apart.”

  To free their movement, they stuffed their cloaks into their bags and slung them over their shoulders.

  Runa pressed her ear to the door, listening, then opened it. The ship shuddered again, and they braced themselves in the doorway, staring into the dim room beyond. They could hear the clang of metal striking metal somewhere above.

  “Someone’s fighting,” Runa whispered. “I don’t see anyone here. I doubt anyone is sleeping through this.”

  They moved cautiously into the room, eyeing the empty hammocks. Some personal belongings had been knocked free and were rolling across the floor as the ship bucked.

  Lyric winced as something smacked into her ankle. She staggered to a trunk, strapped to the floor, and opened it. Riffling through the clothes inside, Lyric pulled out a bundle of white breeches. “This isn’t going to work,” she hissed at Runa, “unless you want to bare our chests up there.”

  “Here, throw this on,” Runa said, tossing a sheepskin at her. “Tie up the bottom of your dress, so it looks like trousers, like when we went fishing. Better than nothing, right?”

  “Here,” Lyric said, tossing the trousers to Kell. Turning her back to him, she draped the sheepskin around her shoulders and tucked the bottom of her dress up into her belt. She swayed as the ship shook again, staring down at her exposed stockings and boots. “This isn’t going to fool anyone,” Lyric said.

  Runa shrugged. “Maybe it’ll confuse them enough that they won’t try to stop us right away.” She pulled off her stockings and boots and stuffed them into her pack.

  Copying her, Lyric straightened and saw Runa staring past her appraisingly.

  “He might avoid their notice,” Runa said.

  Lyric looked behind her and felt her mouth go dry.

  Kell had traded his clothes for the loose, white trousers she’d given him. His chest was bare, the lean muscles of his body pale in the dim room. He’d found a vest from somewhere and pulled it on, likely thinking to cover the tattoos and nubs on his back. He grinned as her eyes slid down his chest.

  “Enough gawking, Ly,” Runa said.

  Lyric blushed and spun back around. She staggered to the ladder leading back to the deck above and put her foot on the bottom rung. “What if we walk out into a battle?” Lyric asked. She flexed the fingers of one hand, remembering how it’d felt to summon the wind.

  “We’re not defenseless,” Runa said, “though I shouldn’t create fire unless we know we can get off the boat.”

  “Let me go first,” Kell said.

  Lyric looked back at him and arched an eyebrow. “Not to diminish your offer, but you’re the only one who doesn’t know magic.”

  Kell smiled crookedly. “Fair enough,” he said. “After you, then.”

  Feeling a thrill of excitement, Lyric climbed the ladder and put her hand against the hatch. She shoved it open and stepped out into chaos.

  Fighting sailors filled the deck, wrestling and attacking each other with swords. They were all Sireni, though some wore green sashes while others wore blue.

  Lyric scrambled out of the way as Runa and Kell joined her and scanned for the sailors she recognized. Didn’t Kaia’s crew wear blue? Who were the new Sireni?

  Magic crawled across Lyric’s skin, and she whipped her head sideways, seeing another ship drawn close. She knew with certainty that there was a mage aboard the new vessel churning the waves beneath them.

  Someone shrieked and the air massed around her, bringing pain to her temples like it had when they’d fought the Screamers in the Veil. The ship bucked and Lyric fell into Kell.

  Shaking her head as the pressure released, Lyric grabbed Kell and Runa, and together they scrambled away from the hatch. They tried to avoid notice by keeping away from the thickest of the fighting, but everywhere they turned someone blocked their way.

  Watching the battle shift around them, Lyric thought the Sireni were avoiding killing blows, resorting to fists and cudgels instead of the knives and swords on their waists. The wounds the sailors received were crippling, but not severe.

  “Hey!” one of Kaia’s sailors yelled, pointing at them.

  Lyric, Runa, and Kell hurried away, taking cover beside a stack of crates. The man who’d spotted them began to chase but was quickly distracted by an attack from a woman wearing green.

  Lyric caught sight of Kaia in the melee. The woman was smashing her fist into a bald man’s face. Shoving aside the bleeding man, Kaia turned, and her eyes focused on Lyric. She straightened in alarm, eyes wide and disbelieving. “Secure the prisoners!” Kaia yelled.

  An older man, with thick brown hair, streaked with silver, spun at Kaia’s shout. His green eyes met Lyric’s as he shoved aside a sailor and drove him downward with a hard jab from his elbow.

  Lyric watched him, caught by his stare. He was muscled and bronzed. His face was square with an angular nose and a series of rings in his left eyebrow. An ol
d scar crossed through his left cheek and down the side of his neck.

  Shoving a blue-belted Sireni out of the way, the man advanced on Lyric, Runa, and Kell with a purposeful stride.

  Lyric put her arms out, shoving Runa and Kell back. Her eyes darted past the scarred man to Kaia.

  The man held up his hands as he approached. He wasn’t holding a weapon. “I’m here to help you,” he said. His voice had a rough quality to it with an odd, lilting accent similar to Kaia’s.

  “Who are you?” Runa demanded, raising her hand.

  The man’s mouth lifted at one corner as he met Runa’s fierce gaze. “Someone who doesn’t want you to become a pawn for the Fire or the Sea. Please, we must go now.” He gestured towards the other ship.

  A trio of green-belted Sireni crowded behind him, fending off Kaia’s sailors with seasoned efficiency. Blocked from reaching them, Kaia screamed furiously for her crew.

  “Please, Lyric and Runa,” the man said. “I’m a friend of your mother.”

  “How do you know our mother?” Runa asked. “How do you know who we are?”

  “I’ll explain everything, but we must go now.” He looked at Runa. “You look like her,” he said, “like Dandashara. Same untamed look in her eyes.”

  Lyric looked at Runa, thinking quickly. Could he be their uncle? The one they’d tried to reach? “We should go with him,” she said.

  Runa, eyes narrowed, stared at her then gave a sharp nod.

  “Kell?” Lyric asked, looking at him.

  Kell nodded. “Can’t be any worse,” he said.

  The man laughed and clapped his hands. “Good,” he said. “Follow me.” He ushered them to the side of the ship, the other green-belted sailors clearing a path.

  Kaia screamed furiously, unable to reach them, as the new Sireni helped Lyric, Runa, and Kell down into a smaller boat. She attempted to pull them back as they shoved away, but the other mage, unseen on the second ship, was stronger and blew apart her spell. The waves made an odd sucking sound, and their little boat broke free and shot across the water, making Lyric’s eyes water.

  Reaching the second ship, they were helped aboard by green-belted sailors, and then the little boat was hauled onto the deck and secured. The sails were adjusted, the lines pulled free, and the ship skimmed away across the water, heading north. If Kaia attempted anything else with her magic, Lyric didn’t feel it.

  The man who’d seemingly rescued them attempted to direct them to the ship’s cabin, but Runa planted her feet and fixed him with a commanding stare. “Tell us who you are,” she demanded.

  “So like your mother,” he said grinning, “all fire. We can talk in my cabin. It’s quieter there. We won’t have to shout.” Indeed, the wind was picking up and tearing their words away, making it hard to hear.

  Lyric put a hand to her face, trying to keep her hair out of her mouth and eyes. “Is this all your Screamer?” she asked, gesturing at the darkening sky. She glanced towards the prow and saw a woman with her hands on the railing, staring at the clouds.

  “No, a storm’s coming,” the man said. “We’ll have to ride through it. It’s going to get rough. I’ll tell you our plan once we’re inside.” Smiling encouragingly, he turned and walked to the cabin.

  A large, bald man with a winged fish tattooed around his neck, watched them but made no move to force them to follow. The other sailors had already returned to whatever duties they had on the large ship, leaving Lyric, Runa, and Kell unguarded.

  Not knowing what else to do, and curious who the man was, Lyric shared a glance with her companions and followed the man into the cabin.

  21

  Kell

  Kell rested his hand on Lyric’s shoulder and inspected the cabin. It looked much like the quarters of any sea captain with a large writing desk and chair, both secured to the floor, and a curving window of rippled, pale-green glass letting filtered light into the room. In front of the table, sat two wooden stools, easy to stow when the need arose.

  To Kell’s left were a heavy wood trunk and a bunk set into the wall. A narrow mirror hung beside the bed, framed in hammered copper. The room was clean and orderly, much like the man who’d seated himself behind the desk.

  Kell studied the man’s weathered face and watched as he moved a stack of maps and lit a small lantern with something from his pocket.

  “I’m Captain Eleden,” the man said, looking at Lyric and Runa, “and this is my ship, the Talan. Please sit. I know you’re wondering why Sireni are fighting each other and what my interest is in the two of you.” He gestured at the stools.

  Kell glanced at Lyric, wondering if she recognized the Captain’s name, but she merely touched his hand and sat down on the left stool. Keeping quiet, she removed her pack, setting it on the ground by her feet, and adjusted the sheepskin around her shoulders.

  Runa sat on the other stool and braced her hands on her knees, fixing Captain Eleden with a hard-eyed stare.

  They must not want him to know yet that they’ve heard of him, Kell thought.

  “I apologize I’ve no seat to offer you,” Eleden said, looking at Kell with sharp eyes. “Who do I have the honor of addressing?”

  “I’m Kell,” Kell said, not bothering with his full title. He moved closer behind Lyric and gave the Captain a direct look.

  “He’s our friend,” Lyric said.

  Eleden glanced between her and Kell and a knowing smile curved his lips.

  Feeling the tips of his ears flush beneath the man’s keen eyes, Kell was saved from further embarrassment by the sound of the door opening.

  The bald man stepped inside, carrying tin cups and a dark green bottle with rope wrapped around the neck. He placed them on the desk and nodded at Captain Eleden.

  “Thanks, Laerdi,” Eleden said, nodding back. Uncorking the bottle, he poured pale wine into all four cups, then, selecting one for himself, leaned back in his chair. “Not all Sireni want to continue the war with Raendashar or approve of kidnapping or killing the heirs of the Scorched Court. When I learned the Gale intended to abduct you, we tried to prevent it.”

  “We?” Runa asked.

  Eleden drained his cup and set it on the table. “Your mother and I. We were together when Dandashara received word you’d been kidnapped. Regrettably, I was unable to accompany her when she left to help you.”

  Kell frowned, recalling Lyric’s theory at the inn in Heldon’s Rock that Elaina was responsible for burning the Raendasharan fleet. Their discussion must have crossed Lyric’s mind as well for her back straightened, and her hand twitched atop her knee.

  “You destroyed Raendashar’s fleet,” Lyric said.

  Eleden raised an eyebrow and smiled. Pride and satisfaction filled his green eyes.

  Lyric looked at Runa. “I told you she did it,” Lyric said. Her eyes shifted back to Eleden. “You’re our uncle.”

  “Yes,” Eleden said. “I was alerted that Kaia found the princesses in Rathgar’s Hold and was taking you to the Gale. I sailed immediately to intercept. I promised your mother I’d protect you if you ended up in Sireni hands.”

  “She figured it out,” Lyric said, surprised. “I thought she didn’t recognize me.” She cocked her head. “They didn’t seem to know we’re half Sireni. Is it a secret that our father had children?”

  “Yes,” Eleden said. His face grew grim, and he flexed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Dandashara didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t know until your mother and I met four years ago.”

  Kell thought about his birth mother, and how she’d given him up. “Does their father know they’re alive?” he heard himself ask.

  Lyric looked back at him, eyes filled with a longing he understood.

  Eleden hesitated then gave a short nod. “Yes,” he said. “When your mother found me she was looking for him. I sent him a message.”

  “A message?” Lyric asked. “He isn’t with you or the other Sireni?”

  “No.”

  “Where is he now?” Lyric asked.r />
  “I don’t know,” Eleden said. “I haven’t spoken with him for several years. He said he was unwell.”

  “And you didn’t hunt him down?” Runa asked. “Make sure he wasn’t dying?” She made a disgusted sound. “You’re his family.”

  “He disappears sometimes,” Eleden said. He didn’t seem upset by Runa’s reproach, but there was something in his eyes that Kell couldn’t decipher. “He’s not … he doesn’t live like regular men.”

  Lyric straightened again, her head turning as though to look at Kell, but she shifted back without meeting his eyes. “Is he human?” Lyric asked.

  Runa raised her eyebrows. “Is he human? What kind of question is that, Ly?”

  Kell felt his mouth go dry and worked hard to keep his face blank.

  “He’s not just a man,” Eleden said, looking at Lyric appraisingly. “Your father is my half-brother. We share our mother, Faeden. She was a powerful Windcaller and a formidable captain.” He grinned ferociously, memories shifting through his eyes like wind-nudged clouds. “She once took down a fleet of six ships with a single Windracer.”

  “Not just a man? What is he?” Runa demanded. “What else is there?”

  “There are creatures deep in the Sea of Screams, god-children of the great serpent Sae’shara, or Serith as you likely know Her. Your grandfather, your father’s father, was one of those creatures. He could appear human, and Mother didn’t know what he was when they met. He caught her eye and well …” Eleden spread his hands. “Egan was born.”

  “Egan,” Lyric said. “Our father.”

  Kell put his hand on Lyric’s shoulder, feeling his heart flip as she reached up and covered his hand with hers. He was becoming accustomed to having her nearby, and it frightened him.

  “Are we … are we not fully human?” Lyric asked. Her fingers tightened on Kell’s hand.

  “I don’t know,” Eleden said. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Your mother would know better than I. When we were children Egan didn’t seem much different than me most of the time. Except for…” Eleden paused, a memory lifting the corners of his mouth.