7. Chapter 7

Myles didn't stop the boat at Attourna, no matter how enticed he was by the prospect of diving through the ruins.

"I promise one day I will take you," he swore, staring through the viewing window as longingly as I. "But I do not want the sirens to know yet, that now I have the same means as they."

I didn't point out, that the sirens still had an advantage, the Leandars would run out of air, no matter how large their tanks were, much sooner than them. I didn't need to, Myles knew this as well as I.

So longingly I kept staring out the window, until we had well passed the last columns and crumbling houses of Attourna.

"Will you declare war on the sirens?" I finally asked.

He laughed, "Ney, but they need reminding that they don't hold the power on Oceanus, I do. The renewal of our trade agreements is coming up and I think I will be able to get much better terms this time. Thanks to you."

It didn't matter to me how he got his quanip and graff, because it wouldn't be from us—unfortunately—so I stayed quiet.

"After we finish this ugly business with the Chrymphten, I will speak to Susserayn Myccael. And you and your brother and I will enter another treaty, one that will keep the ruins of your little together and afloat, alright?"

His words didn't assure me much, because first we had to get the ugly business with the Chrymphten taken care off , as he so eloquently put it. I was under no illusion, that it would be ugly and dangerous. I was most disturbed that Nathan would be on his own through all this, then again, he had been on his own with it from the start. Not filling me in until he absolutely saw no other way out any longer.

I sighed. I had to trust that things would work out, because anything else was unthinkable.

We reached Aecor, the city that housed Myles's palace, it was a breathtaking view. As far back as I could remember, Horn had never come close to Aecor, making me wonder why.

Long piers stretched out like wagon wheel spikes, docked to them were several vessels of different origin, I even noticed a couple belonging to other human groups. That wasn't though what caught my attention, that was reserved for a multitude of glass like towers, rising from the ocean, reaching far off into the sky, glinting like diamonds in the sun. But even though they appeared to have been made from glass, they weren't see thru. Silhouettes moved through some, but most held an opaque hue, that the naked eye couldn’t penetrate .

Walkways encircled the towers, leading up as if hugging them like the tail of a snake. Those were filled with Leandars moving up and down on whatever errands they were on.

There were so many, I gave up trying to count them.

The wagon wheel spike like piers all ran toward the city, where large walkways and platforms were filled with more Leandars—and a few humans. Some were tending tent like stores, others were busy perusing or buying the wares.

The Nautica , laid anchor at one of the piers, and Myles helped me on to the platform. He assured me my meager belongings would be brought up to my chambers, leaving me to stare my fill at the new sights.

We walked up to one of the towers, looming over us even larger and bigger now than they had appeared from a distance.

The lower floors were filled with bars, taverns and inns. Some more raucously entertaining than others. Sirens slithered in and out of them, their snake like eyes searching for prey or victims.

Myles noticed my slowing pace and put his hand on my hip. "They won't hurt you."

I had never seen a siren up close, but the stories I had heard about them had filled my nightmares for many rotations. They resembled exactly what I had been told. A beautiful torso sitting atop a very long serpentine tail, topped with heads that were either breathtakingly beautiful or horror striking ugly, there was nothing in between.

They also had the most amazing hair in common, long and shiny, with the kind of beach curls a girl would kill for. They came in all shades of the rainbow, light green, dark green, orange in all variations, yellow, pink, purple, whatever color you could think of, was represented.

Myles presence made sure we received everyone's attention, as Leandars and humans stopped to bow their heads, sirens tilted theirs speculatively at him and narrowing their eyes at me, hissing with their split tongues.

"I wonder why they don't like you humans," Myles mused as one particularly enraged siren nearly snapped at me and he had to physically push her back.

"Because we don't fall for their siren song," I explained absentmindedly, watching a Leandar and a siren enter an establishment from which loud music and laughter erupted.

"You don't fall for their siren song?" Myles stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Their songs, the way they lure sailors to the death?" I tried, but he just stared at me uncomprehendingly.

"They sing?" I looked at him questioning.

Myles shook his head. "I have never heard them sing ."

"The way their voices sound?" I tried again.

"They are very pleasing," he nodded.

And then I understood. "You don't even know how they ensnare you? You are just enraptured by them."

His brows drew together as he contemplated my words for a few seconds, before he gently pushed me forward again, until we entered the tower through an arched doorway .

Myles came to a halt in front of a smaller set of doors that retracted at our approach and led me inside a round, also glass enshrouded smallish area. It was big enough for the two of us, but that was about it.

The doors closed and our descend began, dropping my heart into my stomach.

"What?" I grabbed on to Myles's arm and stared at the changing scenery across from the entrance. Elevator , my mind supplied, even though I had never been in one. Deeper and deeper the elevator took us down, fish rushed by and far in the distance I made out a large dark shadow, most likely belonging to a giant mantador. And still we were descending.

My eyes latched on to a panel filled with numbers and red glowing figures counting down, negative fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, twenty. Thirty, thirty five, finally we stopped on the fortieth floor at the bottom of Oceanus.

The doors hissed open and I followed Myles numbly out into a large area, filled with Leandars walking this way and that, chatting animatedly with one another or sirens.

I noticed there were no humans here and received curious glances, but most just bowed to Myles as he led me through another one of the glass like tunnels. We were about midway through, when I stopped dead in my tracks to stare openmouthed.

A myriad of glass tunnels connected the towers, giving out so much light, that one would have thought we were anywhere but at the bottom of the ocean .

In between the ground was filled with life. Fish of all colors swam about, some of which I had never seen before. Corals grew in abundance, and seaweed danced in rhythm with an invisible current.

Many of the tunnels led toward dome shaped, glass buildings in a variety of sizes. All of them camouflaged with the same milky white color I had observed above, making it impossible to see inside.

"You like it?" Myles asked, sidling up next to me.

"It's stunning," I exclaimed, watching a siren swim to one of the domelike houses and enter through what I had originally thought to be a chimney, until I realized how useless a chimney was at the bottom of sea. They were entrances for the sirens.

"We're almost there."

"There?" I asked, wondering if he had some underwater prison for me in mind. Because even if I managed to escape through one of the chimneys , I would drown long before I even made it halfway up to the surface.

"My undersea quarters. I thought you might enjoy these better." He winked making me wonder if he read my thoughts about an underwater prison.

"I'll be staying with you?" I checked.

"I would much rather keep a personal eye on you, but if that isn't proper enough for you, I can arrange to have you send to the royal dungeons." He winked again, but his expression stayed emotionless, leaving me without a guess if he was serious or not .

I decided not to chance it and muttered, "As long as you don't expect me to sleep in the same bed with you.""Now you wound me," he complained, placing his hand on his heart, "I thought my charms had already—"

"Charms?" I interrupted him with a snide little laugh, "what charms?"

"Alright," he had the grace to look sheepish. "I concur. I might not have given you the proper attention yet."

"Consider myself warned," I shot back.

I looked as if he was about to reply, but then only shook his head and continued to lead me through a maze of tubes.

The last connected us to the largest dome I had seen so far. The entrance doors were flanked by four guards, who bowed their heads deeply at our arrival and opened the doors for us.

The first room we entered was a large living room, with many seating arrangements strewn about, that would allow several groups to sit comfortably.

Here, my earlier question was answered, the inside of the dome was transparent when looking out, giving me a view of all the glass tubes, towers and more domes on one side, while the other was free of anything, but underwater scenery. At least as far as the light reached, further out the ocean's darkness took gradually over, shrouding everything that lay beyond in blackness.

"You are free to move about the dome as you wish, but I must insist you take a guard with you at any times you wish to leave the dome." Myles informed me .

I wasn't about to thank him for this. I appreciated it, but his words only reminded me that I was his prisoner—hostage.

"Where am I going to sleep?" I asked instead, readying myself for a fight because I would not share a chamber with him.

"Right this way," he bowed slightly, moving his arm out and allowing me to walk ahead of him toward a door that he opened for me.

"I trust I can lock them at night?" I turned to look at his face.

"Why would you want to lock them?" He countered.

"For the same reason you just asked," I wasn't about to give him an inch and a lazy smile tilted the left side of his mouth up.

He didn't answer me, so with a sigh, I entered a spaciously decorated bedroom with a seating arrangement on one side and a small table on the other.

"Closet," he pointed as another door opening it for me, "bathroom," he opened a second and I curiously stepped inside.

Horn didn't have many amenities, most bathrooms were utilitarian, very different from this one which could have housed my entire suite. The bathtub was the size of my bed, and behind a wall made of coral hid a shower with several nuzzles ready to clean the occupant. My lips moved in a question, but I bit it down. I would find out soon enough if the water here came straight from the ocean like on Horn or not.

Filtered water was a valuable resource on Horn, too valuable to waste on washing.

On a shelf I noticed several bottles of different sizes and carved shapes, like illies flowers, sinninies and dragons. I had never seen an illis flower before, only in pictures and even though this one wasn't real either, I picked it up. To my surprise, I discovered that it was a soap, a very flowery, sweet smelling soap.

"You like it?" Myles asked from right behind me.

"It's beautiful. Is it supposed to be an illis flower?"

"Zyn, Saskia, Vissigroth Treyton's wife used to make them, now two of her sisters have taken over her business." Myles was so close, the soft breath escaping him as she spoke, tickled my neck, rising wicked sensation in my stomach.

He took my hand holding the soap and brought it to his nose. The touch of his flesh on mine intensified the strange sensations dancing inside me. I resisted the urge to clench my legs, as a pulsing sensation took root in my clit.

"It smells like an Illis flower too," Myles observed.

"I'll take your word for it, I've never smelled or seen one," I replied, noticing how my voice had lowered to barely a whisper.

"You've never seen an illis flower?" His black eyes probed me with an intensity that made a deep part inside me flutter.

Numbly I shook my head.

"We'll have to remedy that. For now, I’ll leave you to unpacking," as if they had been waiting for his words, two servants arrived carrying my meager belongings. "I would be honored if you would have dinner with me." Myles finished.