Blood of Sirens: Book 13 of The Witch Fairy Series (3 page)

I expect to find a frazzled Tana.  I am impressed to find a calm, collected Tana who does not seem to be obsessing about the next few nights.  She has soothed the palace staff, convincing them we will stop the Sirens.  She has personally consoled two different Fairies who found out their boyfriends don’t love them.  And she has made contact with the Merpeople.

“You’ve had a busy night,” I remark when she finally turns her attention from her assistant to Isla and me.

Now that I can see her face better, I can see some signs of the toll the night has taken on her.  Her eyes are puffy and I’m certain she has cried recently.  Whether in sympathy or fear, I can’t say.  Her hair is not its usual gleaming perfection and her dress has wrinkles.  Something she would normally fix immediately but she hasn’t noticed them yet. 

“As have you, I am told.”  Tana rises from her desk and comes around to greet us.  “Thank you for coming and thank you for what you did to save those poor souls on the beach.”

Okay, grateful Tana is making me uncomfortable.  I prefer snarky, haughty Tana.  She and I know how to deal with each other.  I shrug.  “It’s what I’m supposed to do,” I say lamely.

She lets my false modesty slide and becomes all business.  “We have an appointment with the MerQueen.  We must depart immediately.”  She looks me up and down and suddenly, I’m wearing a dress.  It’s emerald green with delicate embroidery worked through the A-line skirt.  I look like a mini her.

“Hey!” I exclaim.  “Those were real clothes.”

Tana rolls her eyes.  “They have been returned to your room at Isla’s.  You cannot meet the Queen of the Merpeople in jeans and a sweater.”

The nice thing about being annoyed?  It focuses my magic.  I call my jeans and sweater back from Isla’s and ditch the dress.  “The Queen of the Merpeople doesn’t care what I wear.  When is she coming?”

“Coming?” Tana repeats, scowling at my clothes again.  “She is not coming.  We are going to her.”

My mouth drops open.  “You want me to leave this realm?  I’m the only one who can put a large group of male Fairies to sleep when night comes.  With the time difference between realms, I don’t feel comfortable taking chances with that.”

She hadn’t thought of this.  Yet, she continues to argue the point.  “I cannot ask the MerQueen to leave her realm.  Her realm is as panicked as ours.”  A vein on Tana’s forehead begins to throb.  I wonder if I can cure aneurysms.  Scratch that.  We’ll see how this conversation plays out before I make any hasty decisions regarding my desire to cure a sudden aneurysm of Tana’s.

“Are there still Sirens in her realm?”  It seems to me all the Sirens would leave the realm where they have been held captive.  Some could have stayed seeking revenge, I suppose.

“I do not know,” Tana admits.

Isla clears her throat.  “I believe Xandra is right.  This is not the time for her to leave the realm.  I will send a messenger to the Merpeople realm and request the Queen journey here, instead.”

Tana’s eyes flash.  She is not pleased to have her authority usurped.  Not to mention, she’s probably worried the MerQueen will think she’s an idiot for not thinking of this in the first place.  Still, she doesn’t contradict Isla.  But, I bet Dagda will get an earful later.

Apparently, I am not as immune to her snit as Isla is.  “Will you please at least change your clothing?  You are a representative of this realm and should present yourself as such.”

I sigh.  “Look, I’ve met Arie several times.  She’s already seen me at my worst and she’s accused me of murder.”  I don’t hold it against her, though.  It was my doppelganger who did it.  “With everything going on, she is not going to care what I’m wearing.”  As for Arie, I’ll be happy if she’s wearing something that covers her breasts.  Merwomen do not always.  A little voice in the back of my head is telling me to pick my battles because in the big scheme of things, this doesn’t really matter.  When is the little voice in the back of my head going to learn that I never listen to it?

“Why must you be so contrary?” Tana demands to know.

I retaliate with, “Why do you insist on trying to change me?”

“I understand the two of you are full of fear and worry at the moment,” Isla drawls, “but taking it out on each other and arguing like children is not helping the situation.”

Oh.  Maybe that is what we’re doing.  The sheepish expression on Tana’s face matches mine perfectly.  “Sorry,” I grumble.  Pulling magic, I change into a plain emerald green dress that matches my eyes and is a better fit for my body type.  It does not have delicate embroidery anywhere on it.  The one Tana made for me was one she would wear, not me. Okay, I’m still being a little contrary, but it’s progress.

Tana lifts her head high.  “As am I.  That is a lovely dress.”  She doesn’t mean it but I’ll take the compliment anyway.

“I have matters to attend to in my office,” Isla informs us.  “I trust I can leave the two of you alone.”

I give her a sour look.  “We’re fine.”

“Indeed,” Tana agrees. 

With a disbelieving nod, Isla leaves the room.  Finally.  I am dying to ask Tana a question and I did not want to do it in front of Isla.  She would be pissed I’m even suggesting it.  “Tana,” I begin hesitantly.

She raises her brows, anticipating she is not going to like what I’m about to say.  “Yes?”

“Is there a black magic spell that can get rid of Sirens?”

I expect her to be mad so I’m surprised by her defeated sigh.  “I wondered how long it would take someone to ask me such a thing.”  Great, step-mom guilt.  Continuing, she says, “I have wracked my brain all night and morning.  I cannot think of one.”

I frown.  “I thought there was a black magic spell for everything.”

Tana puts her hands on her hips.  “You are welcome to examine the spell books in the black magic section of the archives if you do not believe me.”

I hold my hands up, palms forward.  “Sorry, sorry.  I was just thinking out loud.”  I purse my lips.  On second thought, maybe a trip to the archives isn’t a bad idea.  I’ll steer clear of the black magic section, though.  “Has the scribe been replaced yet?”

There is a warning in Tana’s eyes.  “Xandra, your father would kill me if I actually let you anywhere near those spells again.”

I roll my eyes.  “I want to research Sirens.  In the regular part of the archives,” I clarify.

Tana’s body relaxes.  “Yes.  A very capable young Fairy has taken on the position.  Her name is Phoebe.”  I turn to go, but Tana calls me back.  “Xandra, there is no need for you to go to the archives.  Now that there is a scribe…” she takes a deep breath and we both try not to think about what happened to the last one.  “Now that we have a scribe who can move faster than a snail, I can have her bring everything she has on Sirens to us.  I should have thought of sooner.”

I still suspect Tana is trying to keep me away from the archives, but I’m okay with it.  Nothing good has ever come from me being down there.  “Okay.  How long do you think it will take?”

“Not long,” Sindri, Dagda’s assistant, says from the doorway.  “The King requested the information before he left.”  My father, the show off.  “Phoebe has a stack of books ready for your perusal and will continue to search for more.  I came to ask where you would like them.”

“I suppose that is why he is King,” Tana says fondly.  She’s not at all annoyed about being shown up by an absent Dagda.  “Bring them to the conference room.  Will you please send for Kegan, Alita and Tabitha?  The more eyes we have, the more information we can get through.”

“They, and Garren, are waiting downstairs.”

Well, aren’t we slow on the uptake?  I guess everyone else’s brains are working faster than mine and Tana’s.  “What about Adriel and Raziel?” I ask.

“They remain at the High Chancellor’s,” he means Isla’s house, “to protect those who may still be suffering from the Siren’s call.”

I wonder if the confused Fairy from this morning is still trying to get to the Sirens.  I’m kind of surprised Raziel would let something like that slip.  But I’m glad he’s there watching out for the male Fairy population.  Being as tactful as I am, I blurt out, “Did you hear the Sirens’ call?”

Sindri blushes from head to toe.  “I did not.”  Sindri’s in love? 

Before I can embarrass the Fairy any further, Tana says, “Thank you, Sindri.  Excellent work, as usual.”  Sindri blushes deeper, bows his head in acknowledgment of the compliment and makes a hasty retreat.  To me, Tana says, “Xandra, dear, Sindri is the only Fairy in the realm with the patience to work day in and day out with your father.  Do try not to scare him away.”

Good to know she has a sense of humor during a crisis.  Wait.  She’s not joking.  I laugh anyway.  “If he can handle Dagda’s mood swings, a few tactless questions are not going to send him fleeing from the palace.”

Tana nods her head slightly.  “Perhaps.  Shall we join the others?”

Hmm, stay here alone with Tana or study up on Sirens.  Neither option appeals to me at the moment.  Though I brought up research, I’m really more of an action kind of person.  If only I knew what action to take at the moment.  Research it is, then.  “Okay,” I say reluctantly.

“It is about time you joined us,” Kegan gripes when I walk into the conference room.  He is chin deep in magic books.  And he’s actually reading them.  He is scared.

I narrow my eyes at him.  “I’m here for Kallen and Alita, not you at the moment.”

He shrugs.  “As long as you are here.”

“Agreed,” Garren pipes in. 

“Have you heard from the Merpeople?” Alita asks. 

I shake my head.  “Not yet.”  Sitting down, I pull a book toward me from the middle of the table.  Is it too much to hope for an index?  Yes, yes it is.  I groan and begin turning pages, scanning for the word Siren.  The room is silent except for the occasional swish of a page turning.  Or a crackling, depending on how old the book is.  One scroll disintegrates in Garren’s hand when he tries to unroll it.  Hope there wasn’t anything useful on it.  I try not to give him a dirty look.  It doesn’t work.  I really should direct my energy toward things I know I am not going to fail at.  Garren ignores me.

Isla startles me when she enters and breaks the silence.  “The MerQueen has agreed to come here.”  She adds, “On two conditions.”

I think of the conditions the old MerQueen would request.  At least one of them would be getting her hands on Kallen.  Then I remember Kai, Arie’s gorgeous husband.  If you like guys with fishtails, that is.  “What are they?” I ask.

“The first is simple.  She would like you to open a portal rather than use a current one.”

My brow creases.  “Why?”  I don’t mind doing it.  It’s not like it’s hard.  It just seems like a weird request.

“She is concerned the known portals are being monitored by the Sirens,” Isla explains.

“Oh, okay.  What’s the second condition?”

“She will gather the single men of her realm and bring them here.”

“Why?” Kegan asks.  Then it hits him.  Isla must have shared our plan for the male Fairies.  “So Xandra can work her magic on them, too.”

I bite my lower lip.  “Um, how many are we talking?  I don’t have an unlimited amount of magic.”

Kegan snorts.  “Pretty damn close.”  Alita elbows him in the ribs.

Isla’s voice is crisp.  “Kegan, please restrict your comments to helpful ones.  Xandra, I do not have an exact number but suffice it to say, there will be a considerable number.  Now is not the time for self-doubt.”

Yes, because ordering me not to have doubts will erase them all instantly.  I literally bite my tongue to keep from saying this aloud.  Too bad I can’t bite my lips at the same time.  The words come out mumbled because of my inability to move my tongue, but they come out nonetheless.  Kegan snickers.  He gets another elbow in the ribs. 

Isla’s eyes focus on Garren.  “We will obviously postpone our left hand-fasting ceremony until this crisis is managed.” 

There is dead silence in the room again.  I try not to watch the color rise to Garren’s face.  But it’s such a pretty shade of magenta, it’s hard to resist.  I’m pretty sure his head just gained five pounds in blood weight as it rushes up to be a physical sign of his anger.

Garren rises from his chair and leans his fists on the table.  In the deepest growl his voice can manage, he spits out, “You mean you want to see if I go running off to the sea tonight or tomorrow night.  Do you have any faith at all in my love for you?”

As if we choreographed it, Kegan, Alita, Tana and I rise from our chairs.  Without a glance in anyone’s direction, we basically run for the door.  Not that we’ll necessarily be safe anywhere in the palace.  The amount of magic building up in the room is enough to trigger an earthquake of great magnitude.  By leaving the room, we do minimize our risk somewhat by not being at the epicenter of the disaster.  Tana pulls the door closed behind us and we keep walking until we can no longer hear the not-so-quiet conversation leaking through the wood.

Pressing her hand against her heart, Alita declares, “That was terrifying.”

Tana nods.  “Agreed.  I have never seen Isla so angry.”

“You have not spent enough time around her and Garren, then,” I mutter.  “Garren does not always bring out the best in her.”

Shaking her head, Tana says, “Yet they are planning a hand-fasting.”  Realizing what she said, her cheeks turn pink.  An unimpressive showing after Garren’s brilliant hues.  “I should not gossip so.”

I pat her shoulder.  “You are only saying what we’re all thinking.”  It is a mystery why Isla would want to marry someone who drives her so crazy.  Then again, few dare to challenge Isla.  She is the most powerful Fairy alive, after all.  Maybe she wants him to challenge her.  Or she’s insane, one of the two.  Maybe both.

“What are you standing in the hallway whispering about?” Kallen asks.  He and Dagda are striding toward us.

“Garren said something stupid,” Kegan informs him.

Kallen frowns.  “Since when does that merit excitement?”  It is a frequent occurrence.  Living all those years alone with Dragons and Goblins has not done much for Garren’s social skills.

“Since Grandmother decided to postpone their hand-fasting,” Kegan informs him with a grin.  Neither grandson wants Isla to be unhappy, but they also don’t want her to marry someone who is such a buffoon at times.  I try hard to like Garren, but the Fairy can make it difficult to be in his corner.

Dagda’s brows rise.  “Was this before or after he said something stupid?”

“Before,” I tell him.  An icy chill travels from my neck to the bottom of my spine.  Between this and the horrified expressions on the faces around me, I’m pretty sure Isla has come up behind me.  I turn around slowly.  “So, should we stand in line for you to kill us or were you planning a group thing?”  Isla’s eyelids are drawn together so only teeny, tiny slits expose her eyeballs.  Her lips are pressed tightly together.  I think she’s trying to keep her head from exploding. 

“Personally,” a gruff voice says from behind her.  “I think you should all go to hell.”  Garren pushes past us and I grab Kallen’s arm to keep him from punching the older Fairy when he does the manly shoulder shove to him as he goes by.  Garren continues on and there is a distinct finality about his departure.  Did he finally give up on his quest to make Isla his wife?

Between teeth which seem to have permanently molded together, Isla asks, “What happened in the village.”  Okay, back to the business at hand.  Sirens are a safer subject right now than Isla’s love life, so we all turn to Kallen and Dagda expectantly.  They do not disappoint.

“In an effort to keep our male population alive and well both before and after sunset, I have ordered all male Fairies currently not hand-fasted, as well as those who heard the call of the Sirens, to immediately report to the palace grounds.  Alone,” Dagda adds in case we didn’t get the implications of his proclamation.

“Was it really that bad?” I ask, dumbfounded.

“There are…” Kallen begins.  He pauses to search for the correct words.  “An overabundance, shall we say, of female Fairies scorned in the village currently.  I believe Dagda’s edict will save several lives which may otherwise not make it to sunset.”

Leave it to Kegan to chuckle.  I glare at him.  “This is not funny.  Fairies are hurting.  How would you like it if you suddenly found out Alita doesn’t really love you?”  He stops chuckling.  He wraps an arm around his wife and pulls her close.

Isla goes straight for the logistics.  “Where are you planning to shelter these Fairies?”

“Sindri is coordinating it.  Between the great hall and the throne room, there should be enough space to accommodate them.”

I’m all for it.  “Having them all under the same roof will make it easier to cast my spell tonight.”

Dagda turns his attention to his wife.  “What of the Merpeople?”

“The Queen will be joining us shortly,” Tana tells him.

She’s leaving a big part of the story out.  “Along with all the single Mermen from her realm,” I add.  The song
It’s Raining Men
suddenly pops into my head.  I keep that to myself.  No one here would get the reference.  Turning to Isla, I ask, “When am I supposed to make the passageway?”

Isla glances at her watch and looks up in surprise.  Fighting with Garren must have made her forget the time.  “In ten minutes,” she says.  Well, at least we’re not late.

Dagda is still trying to digest all the information.  “Where are we supposed to put them?”

He has a point.  It’s not like we can throw a blanket down for them on the floor.  They need water.  Merpeople can breathe both in and out of water, but their bodies need to stay moist.  I wonder if I could give them all temporary legs.

“No, you cannot,” Dagda says, reading my mind.  Kallen and Kegan both chuckle.  Am I that easy to read?

“Your face is quite expressive,” Kallen informs me.

“Can you read this expression?” I ask sweetly.  My expression is not sweet.

Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, Kallen shakes his head and grins.  “No, I cannot.”  He plants a quick kiss on my lips.  I smile.  He is way too sexy to stay mad at over little things.

Ignoring our side conversation, Isla says, “Arrangements are being made in the river.”

“Won’t their tails get tired from trying to keep them from flowing downstream?” I blurt out to another round of chuckles.  “I’m serious.  That’s like us trying to stand in a heavy wind all day.”  The river current is strong.

Kallen smiles.  “You are correct.  In the past, when the Merpeople have visited for extended periods of time, the river stream is modified magically.  The flow is slowed by several partial dams.  The Merpeople will be quite comfortable.” 

Good thing they laughed at my question then.  But, that is one bright spot in the day.  “Okay, then let’s go make a passage.”

“We should make sure everything is ready first,” Kallen suggests.  He looks at Dagda who gives him a nod.  Kallen takes my hand and we walk back to the Great Hall.

“Who’s doing the magic?” I ask. 

Kallen shrugs.  “I assume several of the more powerful palace guards.  That is who Dagda used before.  Sindri will know.”

I chuckle and seeing Dagda’s assistant walking toward us, I say, “Sindri knows everything.”

“Not everything,” Sindri says. 

“Are the dams in place?” Kallen asks, assessing the river that flows through the middle of the Great Hall.  They must be.  The flow has decreased significantly.

Sindri nods.  “We are ready for the arrival of the Merpeople.”

I cannot help but marvel at the Fairy’s efficiency.  “You work fast.  Thank you for doing this.”  Dagda’s assistant blushes.  Actually blushes.  I figured out a while ago he doesn’t get a lot of thank yous from his boss. 

A heated discussion behind us has us all turning our heads.  Dagda and Isla are approaching.  Though their voices are low, the harshness carries.  “I am simply suggesting breaking off your engagement in public has not helped our current situation.  I am trying to calm the females in the village.  Seeing the High Chancellor react in such a way…”

The expression on Isla’s face while being chastised by Dagda about her behavior is nothing short of murderous.  My biological father is closer than he realizes to facing his own mortality.  I have to do something before I have one father who’s a ghost and one who’s just plain dead.  “Um, in about two seconds I am going to open a passageway.  Unless you want the MerQueen to witness your untimely death, I suggest you stop talking.”  I will never, ever develop tact.  But, I did stun my father into silence.  Before he has a chance to recover, I spin around and tear a passageway over the river.  I ignore my husband shaking his head in disbelief at my gall.  I don’t miss the corners of his mouth trying to lift into a smile, though.

Waiting on the other side of the passageway, in front of the half destroyed MerQueen’s house, is Arie.  I wonder why she hasn’t fixed the house yet.  Every time I see it, I feel guilty.  True, the last MerQueen was not the nicest Queen in the world, but I shouldn’t have blown up her house.  On the other hand, she was planning to make Kallen her sex toy.  Okay, my guilt is gone.

“King Dagda, Princess Xandra, Prince Kallen, High Chancellor,” Arie nods to each of us in turn.  “Thank you for meeting our conditions.”

“Queen Arie, we are honored by your presence,” Dagda says stiffly.  He’s still fuming about what I said and did.

I raise my brows in his direction and then turn back to Arie.  “Forgive his gruffness.  I made him mad right before I opened the passageway.”

Arie tries hard to keep her lips from turning upward.  Though her eyes are dancing with amusement, her expression exudes sympathy for Dagda.  “Your father is excused for any rudeness he feels the need to exert, then.”

Kallen puts a hand on my shoulder, afraid I’m going to snark back at her.  Nah.  I like Arie.  “Is everyone ready?” I ask her.

She nods.  “Yes.  Kai is ready to lead the Mermen through the passageway as soon as I pass.” 

“Then welcome,” Dagda says with a sweep of his hand.  His tone is more Kingly and gracious this time.  Good to know that someone laughing at my expense improves his mood. 

With the grace only a Mermaid could exhibit, Arie leaps through the passageway I created.  She lands in the river with a minimal splash.  Immediately, Kai takes her place in front of the open passageway.  He nods to Dagda respectfully.  He ignores the rest of us.  Kai isn’t my biggest fan.  I don’t know why he snubbed Isla or Kallen.  “May we proceed?” he asks.