Siren Song (The Fated #1)

29 | Instincts

The thick cornfields gave way to somewhat recognizable, cultivated greenery as Iliana was directed along the dirt path leading away from Nokos. The air held a rich, earthy scent, a clear sign of the help the farmers received from nymphs.

Anger simmered beneath Iliana's skin, as she resisted the urge to make another break for it. The neatly trimmed crops offered no cover from the unrelenting sun, which unfortunately meant no cover from Semele's heavy gaze. Running would be pointless. Callias had been recovered as easily by Semele as she had been. And, following their little escape attempt, the harpy had declared her decision to accompany them to the border, at the very least.

"Won't Alake be concerned when you don't show up?" Lykos had asked.

Semele'd waved a dismissive hand. "I'll send word with the wind when we settle for camp tonight."

"You'll... what?" Iliana'd demanded.

"Word with the wind," she'd said. "I'll write a letter, and let the wind carry it to him."

Wind manipulation wasn't a skill she'd known harpies possessed. But, then again, she didn't know all that much about harpies beyond their lethality and inclination towards hunting murderers. A trait which should've put Semele and Lykos at odds. But, instead, they appeared as thick as thieves as the group trudged through the farm roads. Maybe getting paid to kill someone kept you from being called a killer, she mused, then dismissed the idea. It was more likely that Semele was just a harpy who didn't care.

Perhaps an hour, or two, into their walk they finally cleared the farmlands surrounding Nokos. Further along the path, two horse-drawn carts rested on the side of the road. The missing members of Lykos' seemed to be the owners. When their groups met, there was a short conversation that Iliana couldn't overhear, before they were divided into three groups. Eumelia, Abiel, Ira, Abarron, and Heron would be in the first cart. Riding in the second were Callias, Sophos, Nuri, and, on occasion, Semele. She declared an intention to switch between the cart and the sky, wanting to keep an eye on their surroundings.

"There's only a bit of a chance that we'd run into Spiders all the way out here," she explained. "But I'd rather not be caught off guard a second time."

That left Lykos and Iliana alone in the third grouping. As the others loaded their things alongside the supplies within the carts, she turned a questioning scowl towards the mercenary.

"Don't tell me this is because I tried to run," she scoffed.

"It's not," he replied, dropping his pack from his shoulder and tossing it to Nuri. "This was my intention even before you pulled that stunt."

"Then why are we the only ones walking?" she asked, irritation flooding her tone.

"Oh, I'm not walking," Lykos said, chuckling. "I just haven't decided which cart will be taking the rear."

"Of course."

She crossed her arms, eyeing first him, then the carts. Of the rest of their group, only Eumelia and Callias were watching the confrontation with any interest. The crew were too busy organizing everything, and Semele had long since taken to the skies. Abiel was already settled in the cart, some knitted doll in his hands.

"Why just me?" she questioned again. "Why not Callias, too?"

Lykos grinned. "And give you two more time to scheme another run? No. He'll stay on the cart. Besides, telling one of the merfolk to exert themselves at the beginning of a journey away from the sea seems like a poor choice, yes?"

"Alright. Whatever. Why can't I ride in the other one?"

"Because you, my lovely siren, need stamina."