Arms of the Ocean Ch. 09

"Wh—why didn't you—"

"Sorry, by now all this is second nature to me." Nimtith shrugged. "I'd've thought Blost'd go through it with you. Guess he forgot too."

"What's the hold up?" Zeerae asked as she swerved round to join them, her hands wrapped in the reigns of the crimson snake.

"A little trouble with the wind, that's all."

Zeerae smiled and pulled her goggles back over her eyes. Where those had come from, Ronav didn't know. Presumably they existed of her body.

"If it is not too much trouble," Vyla began, her tone tense. "I would like to land soon."

Ronav's heart went out to the other Siren upon Crimson. She currently had her body hugged in close to the snake yet even then she looked frigid and uncomfortable. The sky must be the furthest thing imaginable from the sea. Something to ask about later.

"It's barely been an hour. We've some ways to go yet," said Nimtith as he stared into the distance.

From so high up, the world somehow seemed much smaller. The great forest of the north stretched back the way they had come, rising steadily from the sea before vanishing almost immediately over a long, sheer cliff that ran beneath them. Then came the scattered woods and hillside country that marked the top-most borders of the empire's heartlands. Ronav could spy a large lake over to the west and several streaks of water that ran in and out of it, though he knew none of their names. A dotted patch of civilization sat upon the lake's nearest shore along with the occasional farmhouse littering the countryside surrounding.

"An hour," Vyla groaned.

Zeerae looked over her shoulder at her fellow Siren. "We should note, Nimtith, that our passengers are green to the air. Perhaps a rest is in order."

"Alright." Nimtith shrugged and gripped the reigns as he kicked Indigo into the beginnings of a descent with Zeerae close behind. "Just remember that you're paying by time and we're spending at least one night under the stars."

"That will not be a problem," said Zeerae. After that she shifted her snake into high gear and sped towards the ground.

Ronav could only grip the scaly hide of his mount as they descended. He caught a flash of Vyla's clenched-up face when she zoomed by but nothing more. The only company and relief he had came in the reassurance that they would soon be back on the ground. Whatever novelty there had once been in flying had long since passed. Two days and he had already seen enough cloud tops for a lifetime.

"Looks like we're making for Teeburr Lake," Nimtith shouted over his shoulder. "They have some good freshwater fish there. Course, you probably wouldn't be interested in that."

Ronav silently agreed. Right now his only interest amounted to a firm patch of earth beneath his feet. Several wind-shorn minutes passed before that desire became a reality. Ronav struggled and twisted out of the binding harness, with some help from his whipper, and threw himself upon the ground.

Once Ronav felt that he had sufficiently refamiliarized himself with the dirt, he stood and took in the surroundings of their landing place. They were near a wheat field, gathered outside the fence that encompassed it. A dirt road ran a short distance to the north of them, stretching towards the town of Teeburr.

While Ronav got his bearings, Nimtith took the reigns of both their mounts and flew to the top of a nearby tree where he hitched them to the stronger-looking branches. Crimson, immediately realizing that rest time had come, lay softly upon the foliage while its indigo brother took watch.

So graceful, Ronav noted. Strange, considering how large and heavy the beasts must be.

"What's say we take a look around town?" Zeerae suggested. "See if they've good food to be had."

"Yes. With any luck we can have Ronav fighting for it again," Vyla added.

Unlike Ripples on the Water, Teeburr's source of trade did not seem quite so exclusively dependent on fishing. As the four of them descended the gentle hillside towards the lake town, Ronav spied several vessels on the water but also a herd of livestock being driven through the streets. The dense forests and harsh, salty air around his home made such forms of farming difficult.

One of the rivers feeding into the lake ran right through Teeburr. Patches of green where willows grew among the buildings could be seen from a distance. The weeping trees spanned the shores and banks far beyond the town, fanning out occasionally where the ground became marshy and soft with water.

Nimtith, who had begun to walk ahead, drifted back to them slowly. "If you three don't mind, I've got some family I've meant to visit for a while."

Zeerae smiled at the man. "Go right ahead, dear. But don't be too long or we may want for company."

Nimtith nodded and shot off with a blast of air that kicked up dust along the road.

"Quite rugged for a Chayli," Zeerae remarked once their fourth was nothing more than a dot in the sky.

Not quite sure why, Ronav felt a tinge of jealousy at those words. The thought that Zeerae could seek another so readily and so soon after the way their morning had gone. Yet she had been quite clear as to the casual nature of their session. "You're planning to—"

"Perhaps," Zeerae answered simply. "But why should you care. Don't you and Vyla have something going? Where am I to fit in except as a side dish?"

Ronav glanced at Vyla who met his eyes and he felt his skin flush warm. It didn't seem as though her look had anything in it yet there had to be something there.

Argh, Ronav groaned to himself. His time with Zeerae had complicated things. How could he have ever thought otherwise? But, on the other hand, why did that even matter? Wasn't the whole purpose of this journey to find the Southsea Siren who had saved his life and filled his dreams for so many months? At once Ronav resolved to find a time as soon as possible when he could sit down with Vyla and talk about... who knows what. Part of him suspected that, had the past few days been stretched out over weeks or more, he would have better recognized how remarkably screwed up this partnership had become. If it had ever been healthy in the first place.

"Ronav," Vyla called.

He glanced up, snapping from his thoughts, and realized that the Sirens now walked several dozen paces ahead of him.

"Are you going to join us or do you plan to stay there and block the road?"

"Right," Ronav managed and he commanded his legs to move again.

===

Vyla lifted the bowl that had held a stew minutes ago and licked clean the smears of meaty gravy that remained. She let the flavor and spice roll through her mouth before her body set upon it. Nothing slid down her throat for she didn't have one at the moment. Instead it slowly diffused throughout her body.

"Easier than the pig's leg?" Zeerae asked, leaning her chair back so that it rested against the wall.

Vyla glowered at her fellow Siren. Yes they needed Zeerae with them but that didn't mean she had to feel happy about it. Nor did it mean that the Shasteless had to make herself as irritating as possible. "Somewhat so," Vyla answered. "But I told them to keep out any plants. Why were there still leaves in it?"

The leaves in question now occupied the space near Ronav's bowl. One that had contained a porridge-like substance called chiopi. She didn't know what was in it but it smelled disgusting.

"Those were haal petals, not leaves. They're used for flavoring," Ronav explained.

"They should have taken them out, I almost choked." Vyla pushed her bowl away and slouched against the back of her seat. "And I caren't for flavor at the present."

Neither of her companions sought to continue the conversation so Vyla's eyes took to wandering. This place they had found was some sort of business where people came to eat and nothing more. No such thing existed among the Sirens. It reminded Vyla of The Blood Bowl, yet it lacked anything interesting to watch. Nor did it offer rooms to travelers. Ja's Lakefront it was called. True to the title, it sat overlooking Teeburr lake. The part of the building in which the three of them had dined even stood on stilts over the water and offered a detailed view of tiny waves rolling in the wind.

To Vyla's left the shore ran as gritty sand for a while before rising on stone into a sharp cliff face. A manor sat at the top, some thirty meters up, with twin spires threatening to pierce the sky. An imposing sight from beneath, though the structure looked in need of some touching up.

"Are there lake... Sirens?" Ronav suddenly asked in a whisper, his eyes fixed to the water.

Zeerae laughed as she replied. "Of course not, there's so little space. Though I wouldn't mind going for a swim in there later. Perhaps you'd like to join me?"

"I..."

Ronav looked at Zeerae, then to Vyla who let nothing show. "Go, sye, and perhaps I'll come too."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" asked Zeerae, sounding like a mother talking down to a child.

"Water will do me good after that nightmare in the sky."

"Actually," Ronav chimed in and immediately felt the gaze of both Sirens upon him. "Count me out. It'll be freezing this time of year. Or any time..."

"What instead?" Vyla asked.

"Let us walk." Zeerae stood and flowed away from the table.

Minutes later they had paid and emerged alongside the dirt streets of Teeburr. This town, Vyla felt relieved to have discovered, had wooden boardwalks on the roadsides to keep one's feet from getting muddy. Save for people crossing, this resulted in very little foot traffic getting in the way of carts. Unfortunately this also meant far more pedestrians to contend with on the paths.

"Have you been here before?" Ronav asked their Shasteless escort.

"Once. Briefly."

During an operation, Vyla guessed.

"It was raining at the time." Zeerae continued with a shiver. "Miserable. You probably find that strange, considering. It's because— oh, I'll explain later, let's go in here."

Vyla only had a moment to catch the name of the store they were entering as her two companions swept their way inside. Maethli's Worldly Oddities read the sign in a window that appeared to be coated in a thick layer of grime. From the streaks and fingermarks on the inside of the glass, Vyla guessed that the filth might have been for atmospheric purposes.

The inside of the establishment had poor, candle lighting and musty air, creating a dank, cavernous sense about it. Shelves ran in all directions with no obvious order in place. Upon each were objects that struggled for Vyla's eye. Horns of animals, curious figurines, things in jars and polished stones, to name a mere fraction of the range. What purpose any of it served eluded Vyla.

"These sorts of places always have something interesting to find," Zeerae explained.

"May I help you, sir and madams?" asked a man, who had to be Maethli, as he materialized out of the gloom. A stark contrast to his store, Maethli was dressed and groomed impeccably. His white hair, with an unnatural streak of blue through the center, had been neatly combed back and his trim, tailored clothes looked as if they would be sullied beyond redemption at the slightest touch from any of his products.

"We're browsing for now," Zeerae answered without paying the man much mind.

"Well, allow me to inform you that I've just received a shipment of trophies from the Ursare jungles. Fine quality all round. They're on the far shelf, just that way." Maethli pointed to one end of the store before fading back into the candlelit dark.

With him gone, Vyla returned to drifting her gaze over the products. Much of it had to be used purely as superstitious tokens and such. The jars of preserved animal parts looked to serve a more alchemical purpose. Parg skin, Vouiareli scales, powdered bear claws, pickled venom sacs from a spine devil...

Vyla froze as her eyes fell upon the label and contents of the next jar. She clenched her hands into fists and ground her teeth together. Her body wanted to boil with fury. Instead she reached out and tore off the label. A quick check of the surrounding shelf revealed no other items of the kind.

"Zeerae," she called, her tone flat as she fought back red emotion. "Come look at this."

Seconds later the Shasteless appeared next to her. "What have you— what is that doing here?" Zeerae asked with venom in her words.

"What's what doing here?" Ronav joined them and peered at the jar.

Vyla smiled on the inside. Without the label the Shasling had no idea what they had found. So, despite Zeerae's preaching, she hadn't shown herself skinless to him.

"Ah, I see you ladies have an eye for intrigue." Maethli reemerged from around the shelf. "Oh dear, has the label fallen off already? Well, I'm sure it goes without saying that this would be a one of a kind purchase..."

Vyla's hands lengthened to claws behind her back. Then she felt Zeerae's touch and she relaxed, albeit reluctantly.

"... It would make an excellent tonic, prepared properly. Or you could simply keep it as a trophy," Maethli chattered on.

"Hold up, I'm missing something. What is it?" Ronav pointed to the fleshy organ, swimming in brine.

"Oh, my apologies sir, I thought you were on the same page as madams. It's a Siren's heart, my good man."

Vyla felt the slightest hint of amusement at the expression she caught flitting across Ronav's face.

"A Siren's heart?! Are you— I mean, is it wise keeping such a thing?" he asked.

Maethli brushed off the concern. "We're leagues from the sea. There're no Sirens around these parts. Besides, they'd be biting off more than they can chew in trying to get this back. More to my store than meets the eye."

"But what about—"

"Oh, heavens," Zeerae gasped over the top of Ronav. "Look at the light, I've let the hour get away from us. Come, we've a schedule to keep." Zeerae grabbed the hands of both her companions and made a show of hastily maneuvering towards the door.

"Ah, ladies," Maethli called after them. "Did you not wish to purchase this fine curio?"

Zeerae twisted over her shoulder and smiled. "Yes indeed but we've not the time now."

"Of course. Then I look forward to your return."

"Count on it," the Shasteless muttered as her eyes returned to the exit and her lips thinned to a malicious grin.

The air outside felt bracingly thin after the tension indoors. On the wooden walk the two Sirens clutched Ronav, already desperate for answers in the way he tried to free himself, and moved to one side of the windows.

"Not yet," they both warned him. A lot of talking needed to happen now but they needed privacy too.

What resulted had to be the least comfortable-looking trio of friends who had ever walked arm in arm through the streets of Teeburr. Their feet fell briskly, Ronav at last accepting the need to get far from earshot of any but they.

A grim walk, from Vyla's point of view, and she knew that Zeerae felt the same way. Their eyes never strayed from the path ahead, the only drive being to get out of town.

After what seemed like an eternity, the marks of civilization began to wane. Houses became fewer and more dilapidated and the road looked poorer kept. The boardwalk had long since vanished and their feet made the occasional squish through muddied ground. Then, with a deep breath, they finally reached what could be called countryside and privacy.

Even then, out in the open with nobody to sneak up, Zeerae pushed onwards. She moved off the road and marched through a broken section of fence. They stomped across a bare field and only stopped upon reaching a spot where the land fell down a rock face. The mossy boulders and exposed stone would be their shelter for conspiracy.

Ronav broke free of Zeerae's grasp and held up his hands. "Okay, now—"

"Hush," both Sirens snarled. They then looked at one another.

"Itri shari ch maar cha atri," said Vyla. That fool will die for this.

"Tebast," Zeerae agreed.

"Quer-quir ka sye eska i Siren kovotrae." Vyla folded her arms. Why and how does he have a Siren heart?

"Look, can we stop with the Siren speak?" Ronav asked before Zeerae could get in.

Vyla glared at him. Part of her wanted the Taigin to leave them to the business of the sea yet another part wanted him to stay and watch. Let Ronav be reminded of a Siren's fury.

"Very well," Zeerae conceded. Then she returned to addressing Vyla. "I don't know how he has it but I can guess. No doubt he's not had it for long, a couple of days at the most. Any longer and I would question why the resident Siren's haven't found it yet and dealt with him themselves. Now it falls to us."

"Falls to— falls to us?" Ronav stammered. "You're going to kill him?"

"A kinder fate than he deserves," said Vyla.

When Ronav found no comfort in those words he turned to Zeerae. "I thought you were going to put a stop to the killing."

"This is different," she explained. "Some wretch has slain a sister and now Maethli puts her heart on display as some trophy."

"But your kind kills all the time!"

Zeerae closed her eyes a moment, exhaled then flitted them open again. "Think of it like this, we kill for good reason. First, our people are at war. Yes it is a cold and foolish war but it is there. We kill the Shaslings who invade our oceans and steal our fish. And when we kill them we are quick. We return their bodies to soil and water as fast as we can so that their spirits may move with haste to whatever lies beyond, be it paradise or screaming void. We take no trophies. But Maethli? He has done the opposite. He has humiliated that poor sister and forced her to stay in this world beyond her duty. For that, he and his accomplices must pay."

"You're going to kill him and there's no way to stop you," said Ronav, his face grim with resignation.

"Would you feel the same way were you to find a Taigin's scalp above somebody's mantle piece?" Vyla asked.

"I wouldn't go after the person myself. The law can handle it."

"And here I am the law," said Zeerae.

"Wait." A hand went to Ronav's forehead suddenly as he thought. "What if the whole thing is part of some Shasteless operation? I mean, you can't know about... all of..."

Zeerae's head shaking trailed Ronav off and Vyla knew why. Siren law was crystal clear on this subject. Any creature who kills a sister must die. Any involved must die. Any who take parts of a sister, for any purpose, must die. Being a Siren sometimes gave immunity to these laws but never did any military operations grant immunity to a Shasling. If Maethli had been of any importance, he would have known not to anger his betters in such a way,

Once Zeerae had finished explaining this to Ronav, he opened his mouth to offload some new protest. "At least don't eat him."

Vyla frowned. He accepted this death so readily but not her plans for Lady Telra? "You've nothing else to say against us?"

"Nothing other than that."

Vyla raised her eyebrows in search of explanation.

A sigh escaped Ronav's lips as he continued. "Maybe he does deserve this. Is it so impossible for you to be right? Ka knows you always seem to think you are."

Zeerae folded her arms. "Bold words Shasling. He will die tonight and we will let his body go to waste."

"Fine." Ronav began trudging back towards the road. "Just keep me completely out of it... Tired of all this."

Zeerae looked at her accomplice and half smiled at the Taigin's concern. Vyla forced herself to reciprocate the act. In truth, Ronav's last words had troubled her somewhat. But there could be no time for that now. Maethli had a feat of disappearance to perform.