Chapter 165: Nereida’s Voyage
The Tooth sailed through the night, skirting the blockade by a wide margin. Nereida awoke in the predawn light, Aella already leaving their bed and donning her Admiral’s jacket. Nereida’s whole body ached in a pleasant way, and she shivered in the cool morning air.
“Leaving already?” Nereida asked, pouting playfully. “Can’t I tempt you to stay?”
“I wish I could repeat last night with you, love, or even just have a long rest in your arms, but the danger is high, and I have already blown off responsibilities once. Have rest, love, and when the light wakes you, come find me or Epelda for orders.”
“Orders?” Nereida repeated, unable to keep the surprise from her voice. “I thought I was banished below with the children.”
“Sky is dawning red, love.” Aella pulled on her boot, and did not look up. “A storm’s coming.”
“How bad?” Nereida started to shed the covers, but Aella stood up and pulled the covers back.
“No idea. It may come fast and hard, and I’ll want all the adult sirens on deck. Alejo will have to stay below with Egaz. If we can keep the waves down, we can stay safe. That is, if Epelda can’t race us ahead of the storm.” Aella placed a quick kiss on her head. “I need you at your best, love. Rest is not the enemy.”
Nereida dozed for a while, but soon restlessness washed over her. She dressed in trousers and a tight-fitting shirt, and bound her hair as tightly as she could manage. She’d learned from the first storm they’d weathered together, and she was not keen on repeating tangled clothing or blinding hair. She put a boot on her regular foot, but the lizard foot she left uncovered. She had two pairs of boots made special to cover both, but she did not want to wear either out, and everyone on board already knew about it. She had better grip and balance when her talons weren’t contained. Still, it was the first time she had willingly left her boots behind, and she felt a nervous heat creep up her neck as she stepped onto the deck.
The deck was a whirlwind of activity. The rain had already started, but so far they were fat droplets, more like slow tears than a pouring deluge. Nereida jogged up to behind Aella. Her wife was arguing with Matthias.
“They haven’t seen our name,” Aella snapped at the normally jovial man.
“With respect, Grand Admiral, if she starts to sing they’ll chase harder.” Matthias spoke with an even, restrained tone which sounded absolutely wrong coming from him.
“We are closer to Sylph lands than before. A Sylph song isn’t as rare…”
“This isn’t a Sylph ship, Admiral. She's too big, too wide and you know that.” He crossed his arms.
“If they give chase, Matthias, we can fight them. They won’t send the whole blockade, just one or two… which will make taking them down later much easier.” Aella spoke with quiet certainty. Matthias dropped his arms to his sides, and began pacing.
“Did you see that or is it just intuition?” he asked after a long moment.
“Does it matter? I know what I know, Matthias.” Aella turned to look at Nereida, her frustration melting from her face. “Glad you’re on deck, love. Waves are getting fierce. Jules is with Gregors at the helm, plan with him, yeah?”
“I will,” Nereida replied, nodding her head once. She glanced back at the two bickering Admirals. Matthias was animated once again, his head bobbing, and it looked from a distance like Aella had convinced the man.
Nereida made her way to Jules. The young man’s eyes fluttered down to her naked talon, but he did not remark on it. Something changed in his face, but it was hard to read the young siren. The emotion was gone before she could process it.
“Ma’am,” he greeted, bowing his head like they were still at court.
“Jules,” she sighed. “Nereida. You can call me Nereida.” He nodded, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other.
“Our orders are to sing if the waves get high. But… I don’t know the same songs as you, and I will be honest, I’m not good at faking it.”
“Men never are,” she replied. He stared at her with wide, terrified eyes. “Oh, that’s not what I meant, son. Get your head out of the bedroom.” He flushed purple, tried to get a thought out but ended up just gaping at her like a fish. “Why don’t you teach me something,” she suggested. “Don’t put power behind it. Just let me hear the sounds. Something simple but strong, like a marching song or a war song or even a lullaby.”
“Lullaby?” he echoed. “How are we supposed to control the waves with a lullaby?”
“You aren’t. You’re calming her. It’s not control, it's direction. She’ll still throw water at us, but it will not be overwhelming. Less obvious to onlookers.”
“Ma’am… we’re blue. When we are on deck we are beacons.” She sighed, but conceded the point.
They decided on a traveling chant, something with a steady beat and easy to sing, repetitive choruses. They sat on the deck, finding an out-of-the-way crevice, and practiced the song over and over again, until the lyrics about whales seeking better waters ceased to mean much at all. As they practiced, the rain continued to gain strength, until it was all they could hear. The storm was on them in full force.
There was a strange beauty in the way the crew moved, defying the storm as if they were one entity, one heart and one mind. The wind could not truly drown out the orders that were called out. There was no lightning yet, just driving rain that made it nearly impossible to see beyond the edge of the ship. Epelda’s lovely voice began to ring out, filling their one unfurled sail, changing their course to try and escape the storm.
The ship rocked in the waves, and Jules signed at her to start singing. Nereida felt the magic swell around her like the waves, and she fought the waves, trying to force them to calm. When that failed, she redirected them, signing at Jules to get him to make the waves push them rather than crash against them.
Her voice cracked and was faltering by the time they broke from the storm. She was thoroughly soaked, and did not have the energy to dry herself. Jules was sitting on the deck, leaning against a wall. He had very little colour.
“I could sleep for a week,” he muttered. She laughed, but it rang hollow. She also wanted to sleep for a week. The storm had been huge, and they could still see it on the horizon. Otherwise, there was nothing but the sea on all sides.
“Do you think we are safe, ma’am?” Jules asked.
“It’s not likely that the demons could follow us through that,” Nereida replied. “But, Jules, it you call me ma’am once more today, I will sick my boys on you and tell them they can ask as many questions as they want to you.” He grimaced at that.
“Understood, Nereida.” The name sounded awkward coming from him, and he tripped over it, flushing. She grinned at him, trying to reassure him, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore. Instead, his eyes were on Epelda, who was climbing down from the crow’s nest. Her wings were drooping down. He rushed off, heading toward her with worry burning in his face.
Once Epelda was safely back on deck, Jules was singing the water off her, checking her over for injury.
“Tired,” she signed. “Not hurt. Sleep.” He picked her up in his arms. She looked so small in his arms.
“My cabin,” Aella ordered. “She needs a proper bed.”
“Aye, Admiral,” Jules said softly. He walked away, his own gait unsteady.
“You sleep too, daft boy,” Aella called after him.
Nereida sat down, leaning against the rails. After the worry had subsided, she just felt drained. Aella was suddenly at her side, taking her hands.
“You did beautifully, love,” Aella whispered. “You and the boy both. Kept the crew safe, kept our children safe. What do you need?”
“A bit of fruit would help. Maybe a tea?”
“Anything, love. You have to rest here, alright? Epelda needs the bed more than you.” Aella kissed her head, and Nereida relaxed, the tension draining from her. “I’ll send one of the crew to get Alejo to sing you dry, alright?” Nereida nodded, and leaned into Aella, feeling her strength, wanting nothing more than to just stay in her arms.
* * * * * * * * *
They managed to keep ahead of the storm, even without the three dragon-blooded using magic. The day faded into night, and the storm blew itself out in the distance. Everyone was able to relax at last. Aella called for an early story-time, allowing everyone to join. Nereida even let the boys join, despite it being after sundown. They were ecstatic, as it was the first time they’d been allowed to join the “campfire” as they kept calling it. Nereida warned them that they’d only stay for an hour, as they were still growing and needed sleep. She did not tell them it was so that the adults could tell stories not meant for little ears. That was the surest way for them to want to stay.
And so, as they sat on the deck, gathered around the lamp as if it were a campfire, Evander began with a story of how he learned to swim from his childhood dog. He made it funny, and the boys were laughing with tears down their faces. After Evander, Jules sang one of his people’s songs, a tale about a young siren’s first hunt alone.
“Who’s next?” Jules asked.
“Me,” Egaz said. He stood up with slow determination. In the long shadows of the lamplight, his little face was difficult to read. The crew clapped, most of them doing so just to be polite. Egaz’s smile appeared, and Nereida felt a strange unease. She almost called to her son, but Aella put her hand on Nereida’s arm. She turned to look at her wife. Aella looked haunted.
“Let it play out,” Aella signed, her movements tight, controlled and small. Nereida turned back to her son.
“Once, there were two brothers,” Egaz began. His voice was the same but the cadence and tone were all wrong. Nearby, Epelda straightened, her eyes wide in sudden concern. Evander and Caleb stared at him, their discomfort clear even in the long shadows. “They were taken apart from each other by well meaning adults who did not see how such a thing could drive them mad. And mad they became, mad with jealousy and hate that bloomed because they did not know each other. And when brothers battle brothers, tragedy follows.” Everyone was silent now, eyes on the boy. Nereida heard someone hiss in the pause of the story, saw another crewman’s hand move toward his blade. That one was quickly dragged away by Jules.
“One brother has since nearly died, and lives with a new family. He must grow to become who he should have been all along. But his tie to his original brother is severed. He is lonely, afraid and lost. The younger brother languishes in the dark, and begs that you save him. Before it is too late, and he is devoured by the very people who once called him their god.”
Without warning, Egaz toppled forward. Matthias caught him, almost by accident. He clutched the boy close with one arm, his other hand reaching toward his sword, as if he feared the crew would turn on the little boy. Nereida surged forward, getting to her son before anyone else, even Aella, could move. She pulled him out of Matthais’s arm and held him tightly.
“Mama? Did I fall asleep?” Egaz asked softly, blinking with a dazed expression on his tiny face.
“No sweet pea. I think your friend came to visit, that’s all.” Nereida kissed his head, ignoring the frightened buzz from the crew. “Come on, we’ll go to bed now.” She looked over at Aella. Her wife gave a curt nod. She’d handle it. Nereida took her children back to the cabin, sliding the bar across the door. Until she could see Aella, she’d take no risks. It was one thing for the crew to travel with sirens. But how would they react to a shadow-touched child?