3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

M aura was, frankly, still adjusting to the fact that she wasn't dead, and the startling fact that she had shifted, as this massive blue fish man cradled her in his arms. She dug her claws into his arm, tensing to flee—but flee where? She could never out-swim this creature.

In addition to the absolutely bizarre situation she now found herself in, she was…an otter? The people of Beitar almost all had an animal form, but their magic had been dying slowly for so long that most never knew what their animal was. Her fall from the cliff must have caused her to shift intuitively. She was a Tuanadair–a wielder of Beitar’s ancient shifter magic.

She glanced down at herself as the siren glided through the water and admired the rich brown of her fur. It wasn't so different from the color of her hair in her human form. Maura had always longed to be near water; now it made even more sense.

As they went deeper and deeper into the sea, the cold light of the sun far above became dimmer and dimmer. This was far deeper than any human would normally swim. How was she not holding her breath? She didn’t know all that much about otters, but she knew they spent a good amount of time underwater. She would have to breathe at some point, though, and she began to panic.

She realized with a start that the siren had been able to hear her thoughts before. She wasn't sure how that was possible, or if she could control it.

"I can still hear you," the siren said. Damn.

Well, if you can hear me, why don't you answer my question? How am I this far beneath the waves safely, and how am I not suffocating? Also, I suppose I may as well introduce myself. My name is Maura.

"Nice to meet you, Maura. You are under my magic's protection. The magic of the sirens is in our song to some extent, but we have other useful abilities. While you are close to me down here, water will be as air to you."

That was…not what Maura was expecting. She wasn't sure what she was expecting.

Why, exactly, are you taking me hostage right now?

"Sirens are…private beings. We do not generally take kindly to humans entering our waters, even by accident. Those other sirens would have slaughtered you without a second thought, and this is the only way I could think of to keep them from harming you."

Maura let his words sink in. She wasn't opposed to avoiding slaughter, but she was basically being kidnapped. Trepidation and anxiety roiled in her chest. Usually she was a decisive person, but she found herself now not knowing quite what to do.

You told them I'm your ‘Chosen’? What is that, some kind of personal pet?

Anatolius laughed, a rich, melodic sound that Maura felt all the way down her spine. His fingers absently stroked her fur, and she shivered at the pleasant feeling.

"No, not a pet. I'm not sure what the word for it would be in human culture, but it means we are to be wed."

WHAT? You told your siren friends we're engaged?! How could that possibly have been the only way to keep them from killing me?

Maura replayed the conversation with the other sirens, and everything made much more sense now.

Wait, they called you a prince…do you think I'm about to be some kind of siren princess just because I slipped and fell off a cliff? No, you need to let me go right now. I can't be stuck in this ocean for the rest of my life!

Maura squirmed in Anatolius' hold, but his fingers ran over her neck gently as he made a soothing noise.

"Don't fret, feisty one, I will get you back to your home as soon as I possibly can. We need to be careful about handling this or I won't be able to protect you from my people."

Maura muscled her panic down and tried to decide if she believed him. She knew nothing about siren culture except the stories of their violence–human heads on pikes and all–so it would be foolish not to take the danger seriously. She felt so horrifically not in control of her situation that she thought for a split second that she would rather Anatolius had not shown her mercy. She just…really didn't want this to be happening.

"I know you don't want this to be happening; I wish there were another way."

Maura grumbled internally and was about to retort when the spires of nearly a hundred buildings slowly materialized from the murky depths. A pearly glow rose from the darkness below, illuminating a city of white stone covered in deep green algae. Coral grew from the buildings in colorful bursts, and patches of bright, bioluminescent plants dotted the landscape.

Above all, though, Maura heard the singing.

She closed her eyes and let the ethereal notes wash over her. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. For a moment she was worried she might be in some danger from hearing the song—but surely nothing so lovely could hurt her.

"You are right; this song is not meant to harm. It's the song of home, of peace."

Maura let herself enjoy the sights and sounds as they made their approach to Vathós. Even she could appreciate that likely no human living had seen this sight. She wanted to go back to her cottage, but she had left Beitar to see the world. What a world it was.

Wait, you never answered my question about the other sirens calling you a prince.

"I am a child of our kings, it's true. I am not their heir, though, thankfully. That job falls to my elder sister."

So when they said we were going to your family's house…

"Yes, we are going to the palace." Anatolius shifted to point at the massive ornate building that sat at the center of the city.

Maura's stomach dropped. She was just a baker, and now she was supposed to pretend to be a siren prince's intended?

"Everything is going to be fine," Anatolius chuckled. "Just follow my lead."

Maura wasn't sure if she could scowl as an otter, but she was certainly giving it a try. Maura didn't follow; she fended for herself.

"I don't mean to question your competence, feisty one, I'm sure you handle yourself. Here, though, I'd just like to keep you alive, and unless you are somehow familiar with all of the customs and rites associated with finding your Chosen, I think you should accept my help."

Fine.

They approached a balcony at the top of one of the palace spires and Anatolius swam straight into a small enclosed room. Maura couldn't stop herself from squirming again at being in such a small space. The door they had just entered through slid shut and Maura's panic increased.

"Shhh, it's alright. We'll be out of here in a moment." Anatolius' voice was, Maura thought begrudgingly, rather soothing.

She looked up to see a pocket of air slowly lowering toward them. Maura watched, confused and silent, as the water continued to drain out of the room, the weight of her oversized otter self settling into the cradle of Anatolious’s massive arms. With a light sneeze, Maura was breathing again.

She startled slightly as the wall behind them slid open to reveal a hallway glowing with soft, warm light. She couldn’t believe she allowed him to continue holding her, but for some reason, being close to him felt safe. She chastised herself for that thought, given the small fact he’d just kidnapped her. Then, they were moving again, and instead of the smooth motion of swimming through the water propelled by his tail, she noticed a rhythmic rocking. He was walking?

"Our palace is filled with air, and we use our two-legged forms here. A bit of a holdover from the days when our people actually had visitors from the surface, but it's tradition. That, and…no one could figure out how to undo the magic binding the air in place," Anatolius whispered conspiratorially. Everything he said sounded like a flirtation somehow; not in his words, but in his tone. He held a hint of lilting laughter in his voice that irked Maura. Was this a game for him?

He tensed as he wound them through empty corridors. "Your safety is not a game to me, Maura," Anatolius said softly. "Here we are; this will be your room during your stay in Vathós."

He pressed a hand to an ornately carved stone panel on the wall, and it slid up to reveal the most lovely, cozy space Maura had ever seen.

It was rendered from the same moon-white stone as the rest of the city, but soft, warm shades of coral and pink made the space feel homey. A large window out into the ocean took up most of the far wall, and a massive inset pool sat directly in front of the window, steam curling lazily off its surface. A large round bed occupied another wall; it was really more of a nest of coral-colored pillows and blankets. A small vanity and a wardrobe, both white, sat opposite the bed.

As she took in the space, Anatolius lowered her to the ground, and she stepped out of his arms. Her claws made soft clicks on the stone floor, which was surprisingly warm given how cold the sea was.

"What do you think?" Anatolius asked. Maura turned to look up at him, forgetting that she still couldn't speak aloud, and jolted in surprise as she took in the sight of him. He had human legs, alright, and he was absolutely naked.

His blue skin and hair had been somehow less startling in the water, but here, it was impossible not to notice he wasn't human. His long, deep blue hair hung wet around his shoulders, and Maura could see dozens of tiny braids scattered throughout. Lace-like fins adorned his forearms. His beard was a beautiful shade of teal, too, and Maura had the urge to touch it. He was…glorious. And very naked. And she was staring. Her eyes drifted below his hips, and she was shocked at the lack of…well, anything. And he could still hear her thoughts.

Anatolius smirked down at her. "Siren culture doesn't really bother much with clothes, feisty one. I am sorry I forgot to warn you, but I hope you can forgive me given the circumstances. Oh, and siren genitals are all internal until we need them," he said, obviously trying to suppress a smile.

They don't….wear clothes? Shit. Did that mean Maura would have to be naked this whole time, too? Maybe she should just stay in her otter form after all.

"No no, just because we don't bother doesn't mean you have to follow suit. I'll go to find something for you to wear to greet the kings. They'll want to see you as soon as possible to start the rites."

You want me to meet the kings? Suddenly, Maura felt truly in over her head. She was at the bottom of the sea, trapped in a palace with a bunch of deadly sirens who would kill her instantly if they could, and everyone was going to be naked, and…

"Take a deep breath, Maura. We are going to get through this together."

Hearing her name from his lips had her eyes snapping up to meet his. There was a hurricane of emotions as she looked at him: anger that he brought her here, gratitude that he apparently saved her life, frustration at her own curiosity about him. More than anything, though, she felt overwhelmed, and she was cornered, and she just…

Without thinking any more about it, she darted forward and sank her teeth into the smooth blue expanse of his leg and then took off into the hallway at a run.