Daughter of the Siren Queen - Tricia Levenseller Page 0,48

think I can guess,” he says. I hear a shuffling noise, and I realize he’s trying to push himself off the floor to leave, just like he did before.

“You’re not leaving this room, Riden. Try it, and I’ll have Mandsy tie you down.”

He growls at me. It’s the last thing I hear before falling asleep.

Chapter 11

Clever, Alosa. Sending the land king after the keep. Oh, yes, I’ve heard word. My men are fine. The land king fled with his tail tucked between his legs. We’ll have to relocate now, thanks to you.

Your list of crimes is growing. I don’t know if there’s enough skin on your bones for the lashing that’s coming your way.

The last yano bird returned rather quickly. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were catching up.

MY FATHER’S LATEST NOTE sends a shiver down my back.

Land could not have come any sooner.

I reach for my telescope and peer toward the line of green on the horizon. Tall trees stand sentinel over the island. They slope with the rolling hills. Gray clouds hang over the island, and an instant later, the ship passes into a light drizzle.

It is not unlike Lemisa, the closest island to the keep, save the weather is a bit warmer. At last, a bit of luck. Cone-bearing trees are the best to make masts out of, and this island is covered with them. Those closest to the shore are relatively small, but if we traverse inland, where there’s sure to be a freshwater source, we’ll find taller trees.

“Ladies and gents, we’re almost there!” I call out to the crew. Hearty shouts go up in response.

“Begging your pardon, Captain,” Enwen says, inching closer to me, “but are we sure going ashore is the best idea? The island could be haunted.”

“Sirens roam these waters, Enwen, and you’re worried about ghosts?” I ask.

“Ghosts, ghouls, banshees, wraiths—”

“Don’t exist,” Kearan cuts in from where he steers at the helm.

“Do so.”

“Have you ever seen one?”

“No, but there are stories.”

“Stories parents tell their children to make them behave,” Kearan says. “Nothing more. They’re not real.”

“You said sirens weren’t real once. And now look at our captain!” Enwen looks to me. “Meaning no offense, Captain. You’re all right.”

“Thanks, Enwen.”

“You happened to be right one time,” Kearan says. “That does not make the rest of your superstitions real.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because—” Kearan cuts himself off. “How am I having this conversation? Enwen, go blather to someone who wants to listen.”

“You like listening to me.”

“I really don’t.”

“Stop it,” I say to the two of them. “We’re going ashore. End of discussion. Niridia! Get everyone on the deck.”

Though I don’t have eyes on her, she answers from below. “Aye, Captain.”

In a matter of seconds, everyone is amassed together, the crew eager for change after two days of our slow pace.

Wallov has Roslyn on his shoulders so she can see me from the deck. Lotiya and Deshel have Riden cornered at the edge of the ship, where he’s sitting atop a barrel.

He slept for a full day after his accident. Once he could stand on his own, he left my room, left my sight. He won’t even look at me now as I give out orders.

“We’ve no clue what we’re going to find on this island,” I say, “so everyone needs to be on their guard. What we do know, though, is in the past, my father’s men met a group of sirens in the water off this island. Very soon I will order the men to have their ears covered until we’re far enough inland that it shouldn’t be a problem. Is that understood?”

I pointedly look at each man on the ship. They in turn nod their heads. Except for Enwen, who seems to have covered his ears before I reached the end of my sentence.

“Though sirens are the only creatures we know exist for sure, we need to understand that there could be many other sorts of magical beings out there. Don’t be afraid, only cautious. We’re in uncharted waters, but remember, my ancestors reached the siren island just fine, and they couldn’t have had half of our talents.”

The girls laugh lightly.

“We’re here to find us a new mast. I want to be on and off the island as quickly as possible. We stick together. I’ll pair the men up with women while their ears need covering. Someone will always be on watch. Radita will take the lead.” She’ll know the perfect tree for our new mast. “As soon as we have this ship