Siren Song (The Fated #1)

05 | Children of Song

The trip through the forest seemed to take years. Between her dizziness and whirling thoughts, Iliana found time impossible to track. What few clear thoughts she had resulted in her finding a new avenue for denial.

What if a siren had fished one of her crew-mates out of the water?

She had heard rumors that like the merfolk, sirens could breathe in the ocean. Iliana wasn't certain how true that detail was, but she was willing to cling to even miniscule stories at this point. Kain, Artemios, Saul, Ancus... someone could be there. After all, why should she be the only person rescued? Just because the merfolk hadn't seen them didn't mean they were all dead, right?

Gods she hoped so. The hope burned in her chest, making each step Calli took painfully dig into her stomach like claws.

As they drew closer, the anticipation had Iliana's heart in her throat. She could have asked Melitta or Calli about it, but she couldn't bring herself to. Some part of her held this childish need to live with the delusion that the others could be okay, even if it was only for a few seconds longer. This hope was the only thing keeping her from fully breaking down into the tears she was keeping at bay.

"This is it," Melitta said, coming to a stop.

Their path ended only a few dozen feet ahead. Beyond it laid tree after massive tree, each with branches that hung down to the earth much like vines. Iliana had seen willows before, but none as thick and full as these. They seemed to form a curtain that blocked out all view of whatever laid beyond them.

Another creation of Inna's, Iliana guessed. Like the fog and the cliffs, the trees were most likely meant to protect the sirens from outsiders. Inna was a huntress, which gave Iliana the impression her children were most likely the same. Which meant they would probably hear intruders coming before they could fully make their way through the curtains.

"You will have to try and walk from here on," Calli said.

"Oh," Iliana replied, tearing her gaze away from the willows. She kept her tone even, attempting to hide her eagerness to escape his arms. "I don't mind... but why?"

She had gotten the distinct impression from Calli that he was the gentleman sort. The type of guy that had been raised to make sure "proper" ladies didn't have to lift a finger for themselves. Iliana had always found the mentality confusing--as she'd been taught to do everything herself--yet understood that arguing against it was useless. Thus far, he'd insisted on carrying her and every time he'd looked at her, he'd made certain his eyes were focused on her face. She imagined that her current state of dress had him a bit unsettled.

All of this added to the reason him telling her to walk herself into the village was a welcome, yet confusing concept.

"Calli isn't allowed inside," Melitta explained when he hesitated. "The sirens don't allow men, even those of our kind."

"Why not?" Iliana asked.

Melitta's smile turned wry. "You've never heard Inna's Laws?"

She frowned, unwilling to admit her ignorance on the subject. The Children Laws were the restrictions each god had agreed to follow when creating their "children." Iliana, like most who traveled the sea, knew Umae's laws by heart. Inna's, however, were a mystery to her.

Before sailing, Iliana had mostly avoided Inna's temples. It'd been a childish rebellion if she was being honest. The part of her that had yearned for Inna's help, had also been angered by how the goddess' temples spoke of justice and independence, even as the priests turned their eyes away from what Iliana was enduring. As a result, she knew only as much about Inna as her tutors had forced into her. When it came to her life off-shore, and the tales her crew told, the only thing that Ancus and Saul had ever said about sirens was how beautiful they were. The two had joked about how they bet it wasn't the singing, but the sight of a siren that had men jumping overboard.