Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

H arald hardly slept at all. The exercise with Karalyn discussing the potential demands the sirens could ask for had been terrible. His mind had thought up many worse possibilities than what he voiced aloud, and he could not prevent the fear that coiled around his heart.

This venture could very well turn south, and if so, they would be on enemy water, the last place Karalyn should be.

Yet they needed to present as a unified front. If their alliance through marriage was to be accepted by the others in Evermore, then he and Karalyn had to be out, visible, and seen by the other species.

None of this was going to be easy. Not in the slightest. He was worried about so very much, but more than anything, he hoped that war could be prevented at least on some fronts.

An alliance with the sirens… How had his father been able to handle them? There had been peace while his father ruled, but that had been more a matter of circumstances than anything else. Harald did not want war, but war had come for him.

If he had married a siren instead… or a mermaid… but neither of them had approached the sea raiders. They had not wanted a union between them.

In truth, Harald had assumed those who lived within the water did not care for or even hated the sea raiders. Why would they not? After all, it was only the sea raiders who had mastered crafting the staves that allowed them to control the waves. If the sirens or mermaids were to gain that power…

They never would. He would make certain of that.

But they might want the exchange of hostages because the sirens who to learn the process of creating their own staves. As it was, they did have to fashion more staves, two at the very least. Rosella's needed to be remade since hers had been broken in the battle, and he had promised one to Karalyn, although if he knew his wife and he did, she would continue to refuse to accept one until she had completed the Trials by Water.

The trials themselves took over a fortnight to complete, and the forging of the staves was not a simple process either. They should get started at once to fashion more staves, but if he went against tradition and allowed anyone and everyone, even those who had not completed the trials, to have one, it could cause a tidal wave of problems.

Respect, above all, was needed when dealing with the tides, and he would not allow anything or anyone to cause more discord within the sea or those who lived beneath the waves. He had no issues with the sirens or the mermaids so long as they would stop harming his people.

"Did you sleep at all?" Karalyn called from the bed.

He turned his head slightly toward her but did not pivot from the window where he stood, gazing out at the dark sea in the near distance. "I am fine."

"That did not answer my question."

Harald could not bring himself to meet her gaze. "We should break our fast and then go."

"Very well," she murmured.

How he hated that they had found happiness together despite the odds against them only for war to plague them at every turn.

Karalyn touched his shoulder. "If war will come no matter what we do, then we will prepare for it, but I know we will both feel better if we at least aim for peace."

Aim for peace. They would aim for it and miss, he was certain, and his stomach churned as if the sea was roiling within him.

Perhaps they should have chosen another species to entreaty first, one whose people did not possess rows of razor-sharp teeth…

"Here." Harald placed a necklace around Karalyn's throat.

She brushed her fingers along the shell. "Will this…"

"Protect your mind from heeding a siren's call? Yes. You will hear their voice, but no matter how much magical might they infuse into their words, you will not be controlled by them."

"Thank you. How did you…"

"We can fashion wood into a conduit so that we can control the seas, but that is not all we can do. There is an art that aligns itself with magic."

"But how did your people learn how to first do this?"

"It was centuries ago, and some do not believe this tale to be truthful, but it was said that a sea raider and a siren fell in love, although he feared the love was not true, that she had bewitched him. She would cry day and night, begging for him to believe her, but the other sea raiders were certain he was being played a fool. Together, she and the sea raider she loved figured out how to create a talisman that would prevent her magic from affecting him, and she still said she loved him."

"What happened to them?" Karalyn asked.

"They are said to have swum off to some far corner of the sea where no one could bother them. The sea raiders still did not believe her, and the sirens did not understand why she refused to eat him."

"But if only those two…"

"Rumor states it was the second son of the King of the Sea Raiders whose heart had been claimed. His brother was there, and so he learned how to create it. Only through the royal line has the knowledge been passed down."

"So you crafted this for me?"

"I did not have time to. This…" Harald brushed his fingers along the small, pink enchanted sea shell. "This had been my mother's."

"I will cherish it always," she whispered, and he knew she would.

Hand in hand, united in every means, Harald and Karalyn stepped onto the beach. He used his staff to form a bubble in the water so that they could venture into the waters.

Almost immediately, sirens rose up and hissed at them.

"We wish to speak with your maestro and maestra," Karalyn said."

"And with your maestro and maestra only," he added. He would not suffer to speak with an underling, not when this dialogue was so very important.

The number of sirens swimming near their bubble increased the deeper they sank into the water. A few flashed their sharp teeth at them, and one even went so far as to try to touch or maybe attempt to pierce the bubble, but Harald used his staff to force the water around the siren to push him away. The siren flashed his pointed teeth at them, his eyes narrowing.

"This already does not bode well," Karalyn murmured, her lips hardly moving.

Harald had to agree.

"I should have asked… have you been here before?" Karalyn asked.

He nodded but did not have time to elaborate as the underwater Kingdom of the Sirens came into view.

Even he could not deny that it was a breathtaking and enchanting realm. Filled with vibrant colors, it was deep beneath the waves, hidden from the sea raiders who had laid claim to the surface of the water. Illuminated by bioluminescent flora and fauna, it radiated an ethereal glow. Glowing kelp forests swayed gently with the currents, casting mesmerizing shadows on the seafloor.

Karalyn gasped, and the closest female siren smirked at her. "Never has a fairy seen such a sight, hmm?"

"I can see why this is so dear to you," Harald wife's murmured, her appreciation evident in her words, facial expression, and body language. He had not heard her so delighted in some time. "The coral of your buildings… is it living?"

"Yes." The siren's smirk faded into… was that a smile?

For the first time, hope crested like a wave within Harald.

"We do not have coral in Fae Falls," Karalyn started.

"Naturally," another female said, her tone dripping with venom. "You aren't worthy."

"You must be worthy indeed," Karalyn said smoothly, not rising to the biting words. "I did not know coral could be in so many colors!"

Karalyn was right. The siren's kingdom was a kaleidoscope with deep purples, blues, bright oranges, pinks, and every color in between. Interwoven with delicate sea plants and glowing anemones, the coral added to the kingdom's vibrant appearance.

As they neared the Pearl Citadel—the maestro and maestra's castle—Harald watched Karalyn's face with amusement. Her delight at seeing their gardens of crystal formations reminded him of his own when he first ventured here, but now, the sharpness of the crystal reminded him of the sharpness of the sirens' teeth, and he suppressed a shudder.

Each crystal caught and refracted the light of the kingdom as they formed intricate patterns. He had been told previously that they guided sirens throughout the kingdom, but then or now, he did not understand how.

As with any part of the depths of the Sea of Enchancia, marine life thrived here. Schools of colorful fish swam by. Playful dolphins were not too far off, and the graceful rays were not bothered by their frolicking. Seahorses and jellyfish floated serenely through the water.

By far, the Pearl Citadel was the most magnificent and awe-inspiring structure in the entire kingdom. It stood at the center of the realm, on a raised plateau of shimmering sand and surrounded by a protective barrier of magical energy.

The citadel was constructed primarily of giant, luminous pearls. These pearls had been seamlessly fused together, forming elegant domes and archways that glistened with a soft, iridescent light.

"Stay here," the vicious male siren said, and he entered the citadel.

More and more sirens approached the bubble, and Karalyn squeezed his hand. He could tell she was starting to believe they could accomplish their goal.

The king remained unconvinced.

The longer they had to wait, the more his hope felt as if it had been slammed against the rocks time and again, eroding away until he had nothing left.

And still, they waited.

Finally, a siren emerged and not just any siren but the Maestra of the Sirens herself.

"Maestra Maraya Pike," Harald said, dipping his head in greeting.

"Maestra Mar—" Karalyn started, falling into a curtsey.

The maestra waved her hand, scowling at their necklaces. Her hair fluttered about, rippling in the soft waves, a flowing cascade of colors that shifted and shimmered like the surface of the sea at sunset, ranging from deep blues and purples to shimmering silvers and teals. It moved as if alive, swaying with the currents and adorned with delicate, bioluminescent pearls and strands of seaweed.

"We do not take kindly to those coming here uninvited," she said. Her voice was melodious and enchanting, carrying the power to soothe, inspire, and command, and he could feel her might straining against the protection of his enchanted necklace. When one was unprotected, her singing voice could weave spells, influence the emotions of those who hear it, and so much more.

"We meant no offense," Harald said. "We seek peace."

The maestra's eyes flashed. A striking shade of deep sea green, flecked with gold and silver, her eyes seemed to hold the depths of the ocean within them. Her gaze was intense and knowing, and many of the older generations of sea raiders claimed she and her husband were capable of seeing into the hearts and minds of those they encountered.

"Peace. You come here and demand peace?"

"Peace cannot be demanded for if peace is not freely given, it is not peace to begin with," Karalyn said softly.

The maestro rubbed her left arm as if disinterested. Her skin appeared to be smooth, and like the other sirens, it had a slight luminescent quality, a pale, pearlescent hue that glowed softly in the underwater light. Intricate patterns of iridescent scales decorated her arms, shoulders, and the sides of her face. Mermaids did not have scales anywhere but their tails, but the sirens had tails as well. The sirens' tails were much longer, their fins barbed. In general, sirens were much more fierce, vicious, and deadly compared to the other sea dwellers.

The Siren Maestra's tail curled and uncurled in the waves. Covered in shimmering scales that reflected a spectrum of colors, her tail was long and powerful, and those barbs were sure to cut through flesh as easily as her sharp teeth.

She adjusted her intricate coral crown adorned with precious pearls, shells, and glistening gemstones. As she swam a little closer, her necklaces of rare sea glass and bracelets of interwoven kelp and pearls all jingled. Her robe, made of the finest sea silk, flowed around her like liquid, changing colors with her movements and shimmering with an ethereal light.

The maestra halted in front of the bubble and eyed her pearl-and-gemstone-encrusted coral scepter. It glowed a moment, and a dolphin broke away from the frolicking to come to her.

She petted the dolphin, seemingly ignoring Harald and Karalyn, but he knew this was merely a means for her to show off her power and authority in her domain.

Still, the silence grated him but not half so much as when the sirens who had accompanied their journey began to laugh, making a mockery of them.

"What do you wish for there to be peace in all of Tridor?" Karalyn asked. "Does it help to know that we approached you before seeking out the mermaids?"

"The mermaids and us sirens have come to an agreement," the maestra said coolly. "Why do we care about those who cannot even breathe beneath the waves?"

"Tridor belongs to all of us," Harald started.

"That is a brazen lie that we have tolerated for far too long. You have no right to the sea," the maestra hissed.

Harald forced himself not to smirk. How could she claim that when the sea raiders alone how the power to control the sea?

"There must be some terms we can come to for peace," Karalyn said.

The Sea Raider King sucked in a breath. She might well refuse all measures of peace, but what if she sought to take both him and Karalyn captive? He could use his staff to try to prevent that, but there were so many sirens, and only the two of them…

By the tide, why was peace so hard to come by?