Chapter 23 #2
“This is also clearly a test,” Hush murmured.
“This was sent to the generals of Ilia’s guard.
If what Leon said was true, and that Amber is suspicious of me conspiring with the halfling and human, then I need to be the one to prove my loyalty to Ilia.
” Hush pocketed her phone and slapped her hand down on the desktop in frustration.
“It’s almost as if impulsively killing people isn’t always the correct answer,” Audrey spoke, her voice dripping with derision as she crossed her arms.
Hush snapped at Audrey, “Would you rather we sent Leon and his unit back to Ilia? Let them report exactly where the thousands of missing females and children are? After they already killed Van for spite, of course.”
Audrey flinched and crossed her arms. Not willing to argue with her.
“Leon was a repulsive male,” Sergei chimed in.
“Hyvenmere is a better realm without him, regardless of how or why he was disposed of.” I silently agreed with Sergei.
Leon always made my skin crawl, and I liked the idea of never having to face him again.
“His sister is spiteful and petty in her own way. Even if Leon and his unit made it back to her without finding you three, I would assume that she would have continued investigating the mountains anyway. Once she has a theory in her mind, she won’t let it go until she has answers.
” Sergei spoke his theory while opening a laptop on the desk, tapping away on the keys.
He grinned at it. “Thankfully, it seems as if the talks with Prince Fergus have gone well.” He pointed to the computer screens, and all of us watched as Liam and Fergus stalked behind the unit that was spread throughout the trees.
Fergus and Liam were undetected, and Fergus threw a wink at Liam before raising his hands and lifting his gaze toward the sky.
Thunder erupted, and within seconds, heavy rainfall descended on the siren guards.
The unit was annoyed, completely soaked. Within minutes, the unit regrouped and retreated.
“I’ll fetch them,” Hush murmured, throwing her hood up as she strode across the office. We all watched as Hush appeared on the security footage, startling the men. They followed her, Liam looking much more skeptical than Fergus. Later, the two princes strode through Hush’s office door.
“We are running out of time to get all the females and children out,” Liam announced as he entered Hush’s office. Following behind him was the nereid prince, who greeted Audrey and me with a wide smile.
“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite halfling and human,” Fergus grinned. “Though I wish we were meeting again under better circumstances.”
Sergei flattened his palms on either side of the map he was studying.
“I just feel the need to say it out loud…” I lifted a finger to get the attention of everyone in the room. “Regardless of what our plan is, I’d like to stay alive. No matter what.” Audrey continued to frown at that, not appreciating my attempt to lighten the mood at all.
Hush gave me a funny look. “Are you always so desperate to be unserious?”
“It’s my death that’s being discussed,” I argued. “I’m the one who gets to decide how seriously to take it. But I’m deadass when I ask, from the bottom of my heart, please don’t kill me to prove your loyalty to Ilia.”
“Killing you would be idiotic for us to do.” Sergei finally looked up from his map, his dark hair fell over his forehead, his smirk visible because his mask was down.
“It would be a death sentence for us.” Audrey pinched her eyebrows but didn’t voice the question that inspired her confused expression.
“What are we doing instead?” I asked, trying to move the conversation along.
“I need to prove our loyalty to Ilia, to buy us more time to figure out if we can relocate everyone, before Ilia feels the need to send more of his army here to investigate.” Hush nodded toward Fergus, who was leaning against the back wall.
“My parents have been unable to make a firm decision either way,” Fergus announced with annoyance.
“Unfortunately, the dark recipes Drustan and his cousin stole from them the night of my birthday not only made them fear Ilia more, they also lost some trust in me for allowing it to happen.” Fergus lifted a dark eyebrow as he smirked conspiratorially.
“However, I am still the beloved Prince of Vanyara. Several Vanyaran guards are working on preparations to host refugees as we speak, without the official order from my parents,” Fergus added, before turning to Audrey and me to inform us.
“I can have two trusted spies explore the back end of these tunnels. But based on what that map shows…” Fergus pointed a finger adorned in gold rings to the old parchment laid out on Hush’s desk.
“There is a specific route leading to the ocean. That might be the best way for us to transport the refugees out.”
Sergei pointed to the map Fergus referenced as he added, “There is a sizeable gulf between Lyndoruun and Vanyara.” His finger dragged across the map where the ocean was illustrated.
“Prince Fergus is right, that might be our best shot of getting everyone out safely. The handful of Fergus’s guards operating the mission will have strength from the ocean, and siren adults with stronger shapeshifting abilities will be capable of swimming themselves to the shores of Vanhirra, if something happens to the ships. ”
If Ilia targets the ships and they all capsized, he meant.
I nodded. “Okay, how much time do we need?”
“A few days at least,” Fergus replied. “It’s not easy for members of the guard to find time to go directly against my parents’ orders.”
“What happens when your parents realize what’s happened?” I asked. “Will your parents ship all the refugees back to Lyndoruun?”
“No.” Fergus shook his head. “If the refugees happen to find their own way into our lands, my parents will welcome them. My people have always felt a companionship with the sirens, so it would be very foolish for my parents to go against public opinion and send the refugees back Lyndoruun.”
“That’s great,” Hush started to pace the room with her words. “Ilia told us to confirm Van’s death by tonight,” Hush added, rubbing her forehead in thought.
“Damn,” I muttered. “Ilia has no chill.”
“None of this is fucking funny, Van,” Audrey snapped. I jumped, surprised at her heated tone. I glared at her and snapped back.
“If I don’t get to laugh about any of this, I’ll start screaming,” I explained. She ground her jaw and looked away from me, silently fuming.
Hush rolled her eyes before leveling everyone in the room with a stern look, “Any suggestions on how to buy time for Fergus’s spies to set up an escape plan, while proving my loyalty to Ilia by tonight, would be helpful.”
Everyone thought in silence. Brainstorming.
“…What if we just killed Van?” Fergus suggested, the first to break the silence.
“Dude.” I glared at him.
“Not literally,” Fergus smirked at my offense as he explained. “But we need to confirm your death, right? What better way than to make Ilia believe they actually killed you?”
“How?” Audrey questioned.
Fergus stood from the wall, his dark blue eyes sparked with confidence as he continued his train of thought, “We have this herb in Vanyara.” He pointed to me.
“It’s strong enough to knock out a nereid.
Slow their heart rate. It’s medically used to combat extreme levels of stress and anxiety.
To slow the body down.” He glanced over at me. “I’m sure it could do more to a human.”
I frowned. “This just sounds a lot like killing me, but gently.”
“It can slow our heart rate down to less than five beats per minute.” He pointed to his chest.
“For context,” Audrey spoke up for my benefit. “The average resting heart rate for a Hyvenmerian is around two hundred beats per minute.”
“Goddamn,” I replied as I lifted a skeptical eyebrow at Fergus. “So if mine is half that rate, and I take one of your herbs…”
“It will get dangerously close to stopping your heart entirely…” Fergus tilted his head with his words, “Though, not completely.”
“But what if this herb actually does just stop Van’s heart?” Audrey argued.
“It shouldn’t,” Fergus replied. “It’s designed to slow the heart down, not to stop a heart completely. Though, if it does, you could just heal Van.”
“I can only heal what’s alive. I can’t bring someone back from the dead.” Audrey bit her lip in worry. “Have you even tested this on a human?”
Fergus shook his head. “Not officially.” Though the way he said it made my suspicion rise.
“What does—” I frowned, thinking of the human inclusive bond Fergus and I saw at his birthday. “…You’ve seen this work on a halfling, though.”
Fergus smiled in confirmation. “The halfling’s mate was very distressed, as going several minutes without hearing their mate’s heartbeat would make anyone feel, I’m sure.”
“Ilia isn’t patient,” Hush spoke, squinting her eyes in thought at Fergus. “He wouldn’t need more than a minute to confirm that Van was disposed of.”
“We could fool him with a dangerously slow heart rate,” I said, considering.
“But I don’t think the herb itself would be enough…
” My brain was going through several scenarios.
My unconscious body being within the same city as Ilia made me sick to my stomach, but if we were going to risk me being in the same room as him, we needed to sell it.
Make my death as believable as possible, so that he would find comfort in Hush’s loyalty again.
The room was looking at me, waiting. “…We need to make my death look gruesome.”
Audrey’s eyes widened in alarm before she breathed, “Excuse me?”
“I wouldn’t go down without a fight,” I explained. “We need to make it look believable enough to fool Ilia. Slowing my heart rate so Ilia can give me a once-over is great, but not enough. I need to be beaten and…wounded.”
Audrey paled, and she was shaking her head at the same time Liam spoke up, “That isn’t a bad idea.”
I lifted a finger at him. “Watch it, you.”
Liam gave me a forlorn look as he explained, “I am not eager to see you wounded, Van.”
I gave him a skeptical look and replied, “If you say so.”
Liam gave me a small smile. “Whoever is important to my mate…” With his words, he laced his fingers together with Audrey’s, tugging her closer to his body. “Is important to me. However we choose to see a plan through, your safety will be a priority.”
I believed him, returning his smile in thanks before facing the two sirens and nereid in the room.
“I think this could work. But I need to look like I put up a good fight. My clothes should probably be torn. Go as far as to trash my bedroom. Like you jumped me when I wasn’t expecting it—just in case Ilia feels the need to send scouts to confirm your story. ”
Hush and Sergei shared a look, before Hush addressed Fergus, “When can you get us that herb?”
“Give me two hours to lyskift there and back,” Fergus replied with a wink thrown at me, before disappearing out the door.
“Okay.” I ran my fingers through my hair, nodding, hyping myself up for the plan I helped put together. “Okay. So, you knock me unconscious and then beat me up and drain me of some blood to sell it.” I glanced up at Hush as I rested my hands on the back of my neck. “Then what?”
“I’ll heal you.” Audrey waved a hand as if this was obvious.
“If your wounds are as bad as I’m assuming, it’ll take me some time.
” She gave me a soft expression, reminding me of how far back our friendship went.
“But, I’ll do everything I can to make it feel like you never experienced the physical trauma in the first place.
“Good,” Hush said, focusing back on the topic. “That should be enough time to let Fergus’s spies get their affairs in order, before Ilia discovers the missing sirens.”
“Ilia still doesn’t know where the missing sirens are?” Liam questioned.
“No.” Hush shook her head. “He suspects Amber might be onto something, but he doesn’t have confirmation.”
“But how do you know that?” Liam pressed. “How can you be so confident assuming what Ilia actually knows?”
“I just am.” Hush sounded tired as she stood next to Sergei, her golden gaze flitting over the map.
Liam pressed, “I just don’t feel as confident as you are. If Ilia sent his militia here once, he must be confident about his suspicions. I consider us lucky that Fergus’s storm managed to fend them off.”
“Ilia has suspected that Audrey and Van are behind the missing sirens for a while,” Hush lifted her gaze to Liam with her reply. “He currently suspects that I might be assisting you both with the missing females and children. But he doesn’t know. He has doubts.”
“How do you know he has doubts?” Liam asked.
“I know,” Hush snapped.
Sergei gave Hush a nervous look as Liam argued again, “How, though?”
“Because no one knows Ilia’s mind as I do!” Hush yelled, slamming her palms down on her desk.
An uncomfortable, weighted silence pressed on all of us. It clicked for me then, and I inhaled a shocked breath. Everyone turned toward my gasp, studying me with various levels of confusion and suspicion.
So I said it out loud, “You have whismerra.” Audrey and Liam stilled, before staring at Hush with wide eyes. Sergei didn’t look surprised. He just kept his gaze locked on me. Waiting.
“You have whismerra, too?” Audrey whispered.
Hush rolled her eyes before exhaling an annoyed breath.
She stepped around the front of the desk, a deep pinch formed in her brow before she yanked her mask down.
A perfectly symmetrical and familiar feminine face was revealed—soft pink lips, a button nose.
Hush almost looked unreal. Digitally drawn.
Her beauty was otherworldly, even when she was dressed in her siren militia leather uniform.
“If we go through with this ruse, I need everyone to stop questioning me and trust me,” Hush spoke, curling her top lip back at Liam in annoyance—so different from the starry-eyed expression she gave him at Bandthral.
“So stay quiet, and let me share some context with you as a form of mutual trust.” She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, preparing herself, looking as strong and confident as I expected her to be, before she opened them and announced, “My name is Caelena Shaw.”