take the sea, sounds pretty self-explanatory to me.”
“Let Isolde try again,” she imparts. “He’s not in his right mind now, she might be able to dig deeper.”
“I don’t want to hear any more about his village or his clan. I don’t care if he—”
“Are my girls fighting?” The sing-song voice immediately gets me to cringe and ignites more irritation. All I want to do is eat in peace. Which is becoming a rare commodity as of late because my sisters won’t leave the damn island.
The taps of Taysa’s shoes saunters through the large dining room as I send one last glare in Nesrine’s direction before she gets closer to us. The last thing I want to do is upset Taysa because that’s all that happens when we argue. Another thing to add to the growing list of issues I’m facing.
“Just disagreeing,” I answer, finally looking over to find her with a perked brow as she pulls the chair next to me from the table and sits.
“You’re fighting over the Viking,” she alludes.
“We were just talking about what else to do,” Nesrine conveys. “Just family business.” It’s a cheap shot. My sister is upset that all this has happened when it shouldn’t have because of the veil. How Dagan should’ve never been able to grab the cuff, how Tobias shouldn’t be allowed to come and go as he pleases. It’s been something she’s bottled up and now is finally releasing after all this time.
“I come with news,” Taysa informs cheerfully, ignoring Nesrine’s comment. “About the veil.”
“What is it?”
“It’s broken,” she states. “The desired spell must’ve not considered just Sirens but other magical creatures or we’re in the midst of Sirens ourselves that can walk on land permanently like you.”
“So you didn’t do it right,” Nesrine sneers with slitted black eyes.
Taysa glances in her direction. “I did it right, someone may have toyed with it.”
“What?” That coming from both me and my sister.
“That’s impossible,” I continue. “How? They’d have to know of the spell, first and foremost. Then they’d have to—”
“I’m not the only witch in this world, my dear,” Taysa replies while giving me a light tap to my hand. “Spells can be manipulated. We were made by gods, we aren’t supposed to exist. Spells can be altered if the right witch knows how to do so through dark magic.”
“But how would they even know of this place?” I ask. “To the world, we only live in the sea.”
“People talk about things they shouldn’t.”
“No—” I shake my head. “—Tobias wouldn’t breathe a word about us and this island.”
“It’s not just him,” Taysa continues. “There are traitors in every faction of people. Not all Sirens are as secretive and loyal as you’d like them to be. It’s possible that the Vikings have some sort of person within their clan that could’ve put a small defect through the veil. You were able to bring his men on the island but most of them are dead because of the magic. They don’t belong here.”
“Which means there’s something up with Tobias and Dagen, Davina,” Nesrine relays. “We already know Dagen isn’t who he says he is, but Tobias might be—”
“It doesn’t matter if Tobias is something else,” I snap. “He’d never hurt us.” I don’t miss Nesrine sending Taysa a pleading look nor the faint sigh from Taysa. I may have been naive with Dagen but not Tobias. I know him better than anyone at this table. I’ve heard his fears and dreams, his hope of finding Lorne and the things he wanted to do in his life. His loyalty ran so deep within his veins that it’d be impossible for him to betray us.
To betray me.
“We’ve already tried to drown Tobias,” Nesrine reports. “To see if he was a siren, but he didn’t show any sign of—”
“But you stopped it from fully happening, didn’t you?” Taysa inquires. “That boy didn’t die, and he would need to so his true being would revive.”
“And he won’t,” I gripe. “No one is laying a hand on him or they will answer to me. And trust me when I say—”
“Can you...bring him back to life?” Nesrine interjects. “If he does die.”
I slam my palm on the table. “Didn’t you just hear me? We are not taking that chance.”
“I can’t,” Taysa replies. “Not even dark magic that I know of would bring him back to life. Only a god.”
“Our father is the son of Poseidon, could he do it?”
“Nesrine,” I warn.
Taysa sighs. “I honestly don’t know, my child. If