Siren Song (The Fated #1)

38 | Rumors

Fractured Pass was more than Kain could've ever imagined.

Never in his life had he stood this close to mountains. Artemios had done his best to limit their work with Reotak and Cieon--with good reason--so they'd rarely sailed the coast. It was the same with Letia, given its status as a vassal state, so even the Skotadi range bordering Aeolis and Letia had been out of his reach. He'd seen outlines in the edges of the horizon, glimpses of what could be.

Nothing like this.

Kain shifted his arm in its makeshift sling, uneasiness mixed with awe traversing his spine. The stories he'd heard felt ghost-like in their relation to the truth. Pale imitations of reality. The still-there ache of his healing ribs that'd been bothering him since they broke camp left his thoughts as he stared at the towering walls of stone, broke only for the pass that was no doubt their destination.

Gods above, if only he were here for any other reason than Iliana's kidnapping. What he would've done to have the time to stand and admire the mountains without that ever-existing guilt plaguing the back of his mind. The desire was distracting enough he almost didn't notice how the others had paused alongside him, each wearing expressions that vastly differed his own.

The two sirens studied what they could see of the Shinde mountain range with what might've been familiarity. They didn't seem awed, or even impressed. Sure, they stared, but their emotions seemed dull in comparison to the wonder flooding Kain.

Rhode appeared worried, her brow knitted, that ever present frown gracing her lips once again. Her fingers curled around the strap of her quiver, knuckles pale with stress. His best guess was that her mind might be on how hard it would be to chase the kidnappers across the mountains with at least half of their party unfamiliar with the terrain. He hoped that was all it was, but the tension in her shoulders lent weight to the idea he was missing something. It wouldn't be the first time he was unable to solve what the quiet siren was thinking.

Dalphie's expression was just as cryptic. Gone was the smile she always wore; in its place was...nothing. Despite Kain's usual skill with reading others, he couldn't make sense of the sharp edge to her gaze, or how she seemed so relaxed, yet tense all at once. His only comfort came in the fact that this was just one of the many times since they'd met that Dalphie was a mystery.

Finally, there was Melitta.

At first, she'd stared just as Kain had. Her eyes lit with the wondrous scene before them, and he could almost feel the faintest burst of excitement in her smile. But then, sometime between when Kain had lost track of the others because of his own thoughts, and when he refocused on his companions, she'd lost all of it. Instead, she'd slipped her traveling bag from her shoulders, and bent down to shift through it, her hair curtaining the air between them. Even if he couldn't see her expression, however, he could sense the change in her thoughts from the tightness of her shoulders, and the slow, careful way she finally located her coin purse and drew it out.

"We'll need a witch for you if we want to keep traveling," was all she said on the matter before starting for the gates.

It dulled his own awe, being surrounded by the shadowed emotions of his companions. So, Kain drew in a deep breath, and forced his feet to move. Soon, they joined the line into Erast.

The trade town was worn down, but wealthy. Unlike the Eolian farming towns they'd been traveling through, there was a clear district for nobility, complete with gated estates. The closer they drew to the market district, the clearer it became that this sort of place was what people spoke of when they mentioned the rich, varied culture of Eol. Despite the early hour, mixes of spices scented the dawn air, people of varying races and trades of life walking the streets. Kain was half certain they'd even passed a humanoid basilisk. Melitta'd caught his arm and tugged him along before he could decide if he was right, telling him it wasn't polite to stare.