Chapter 22
The Memory Bressen
Cyra, Axenus, and I climbed into the rowboat along with the first mate and three other sailors from The Maidenhead.
The boat was lowered, and the sailors pulled at the oars to send us cutting through the water toward the island.
The tide seemed to be with us, or perhaps Axenus was quietly using his water magic as he had with the ship itself, because it didn’t take us long to reach it.
We piled out when the boat hit the beach and hauled it ashore before making our way up the sand to look around.
“Bressen, look,” Cyra said, pointing, and everyone turned to where two figures walked toward us. Behind them was a small house set far back from the beach that looked to be well-kept.
“Perimortals,” I said in astonishment. “They have mind shields up.”
“Should we go meet them?” Cyra asked.
“Stay behind me,” I said as I began walking.
Both figures were female and older, about the age mortals in their early fifties might look, but given perimortal standards of aging, that probably meant they were several hundred years old.
The first woman was of average height with soft chestnut skin and long black hair that gleamed in the sunlight.
Only the streaks of gray near her temples hinted at her age.
Her companion was taller and oddly pale-skinned for someone living on an island in the middle of the ocean.
Her hair was white-blonde, cut short just above her shoulders, and her body was leanly muscled like a warrior’s.
Her age showed mainly in the crinkles near her eyes and mouth that suggested she spent a lot of time smiling.
Indeed, the women smiled at us as they approached now, although I sensed a wariness about them. We all stopped about ten feet from each other, and the black-haired woman spoke first.
“Welcome,” she said warmly. “I’m Miranda, and this is my wife Ariel. We don’t get many visitors to our island, but you’re most welcome.”
She’s lying about something, Cyra said into my mind, and I ticked my head toward her the slightest bit to acknowledge I’d heard.
“I’m Lord Bressen of Hiraeth, a Triumvirate Lord of Thasia on the Arystrian continent,” I said, and the woman called Miranda raised a brow at my titles.
“This is my wife, Lady Cyra, and one of my counselors, Axenus of the Aspan Ocean. This is First Mate Bellamy of The Maidenhead.” I gestured to one of the sailors who’d come with us.
“Please accept our apologies for dropping in on you like this, but our ship was sent off course after a storm last night, and we need to make repairs before we’re on our way. ”
“The storms in this area can be brutal,” Miranda said. “You’re fortunate your ship made it through at all. You’re more than welcome to rest here while it’s repaired. We’re happy to help if we can.”
I nodded. “Can I ask how you came to be here on this island? Or perhaps more to the point…do you need help getting off it?”
Miranda and Ariel looked at each other and smiled again.
“Lord Bressen, we came to be on this island quite a while ago, much like you did after a storm,” Miranda said. “It’s since become our home, and we have no plans to leave it.”
Truth, Cyra said into my mind.
“We’d be interested to know what’s changed in our time away, though,” Ariel said, speaking for the first time.
Her voice was lower than her wife’s, but still friendly.
“You should join us for some refreshments while your ship is being repaired. You’ll have to forgive us for our limited offerings, though.
As you can imagine, we don’t entertain often. ”
“We’re grateful for any comforts you can provide,” I said.
“This way,” Miranda said.
The two women turned, and we followed them back up to the house.
It turned out to be a larger home than it looked like from the beach, and I marveled at how well-constructed it appeared to be, given that it had been built by only two people with limited resources.
It made me wonder what powers Miranda and Ariel had, but I couldn’t ask without revealing my own power.
Ariel gestured for us to sit as we entered the house, and Cyra and I took seats on a couch of sorts while the first mate and a couple of the sailors found chairs or stools around the room.
Axenus stood, as did the last sailor, since they’d run out of chairs.
Cyra and I could’ve made room for Axenus on the couch, but I had a feeling he preferred to stand.
The furniture was simple and wooden, but well-made, and the couch was covered with cushions that at least made it comfortable, if not plush.
“How long have you been on this island?” Cyra asked the women as we looked around the living area.
Miranda paused just as she was about to slice some kind of fruit I’d never seen before. “I feel like I’ve lost track by now. Let’s just say it’s been a long time.”
I studied her closely. I had a feeling she’d worded her answer just carefully enough that it told us nothing while also avoiding an outright lie.
“What brings you out all this way?” Ariel asked as she leaned against a door frame. Her posture seemed at ease, but there was something about the way she held herself that made me suspect she wasn’t as relaxed as she appeared.
I’d seen Samhail stand much the same way countless times before, his body feigning repose. Meanwhile every muscle was half-coiled and ready to move. Ariel didn’t trust us, and she’d attack if she sensed a threat.
I conveyed all this to Cyra in her mind, and she barely nodded.
“Treasure hunting,” I answered Ariel. “We were looking for The Stalwart. Have you heard of it?”
We all turned as the knife Miranda was using to cut fruit clattered loudly on the counter, and she swore under her breath. “Sorry about that,” she said with a short laugh. “The fruit is juicy. I lost my grip.”
She picked the knife up and resumed slicing.
It was just the reaction I’d been looking for. I’d considered making up a more mundane reason why we were here, but I’d wondered what the women would do with the truth.
Ariel was only slightly better at hiding her surprise than Miranda. She tried to school her features quickly, but I caught the moment of unguarded shock on her face just as I turned back.
“Is that a name we should recognize?” Ariel asked, trying to recover.
I shrugged. “I suppose that depends how long you’ve been on this island. It’s a fairly well-known shipwreck where we come from.”
I glanced at Axenus and saw the slight roll of his eyes. I hadn’t in fact known the name of the ship when we’d first discussed Cyra’s vision. Only he and Phaedrus had.
Miranda piled the fruit she’d cut into a bowl carved of wood, and Ariel pushed off her spot to take the bowl and set it on a small table before us. A bandage on the inside of her forearm caught my eye as she set it down.
“Are you hurt?” Cyra asked her, noting the same thing. “I have healing powers if you’d like me to look at that.”
My head snapped to Cyra, and she flinched as I yelled her name into her mind.
Miranda and Ariel had likely guessed I was perimortal, given that I was a Triumvirate lord, but I’d wanted to avoid giving them any more information than necessary.
Cyra’s healing power was now the only power she could use in front of the women without drawing suspicion that she might be more than a simple healer.
Ariel looked surprised for only a moment before she smiled again. “It’s nothing of concern. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
“Are you sure?” Cyra asked. She’d already given herself away, so she was now committed to helping if she could.
I went still waiting for Ariel’s answer. If Cyra touched her, even to heal her, she’d syphon whatever power the woman had.
“It’s fine. Really,” Ariel said, stepping back to emphasize her refusal.
The woman resumed her post, and Miranda joined her. Ariel wrapped an arm around her wife’s shoulders.
“What’s so special about this shipwreck that it’s so well-known where you come from?” Miranda asked.
“There were supposedly some powerful magical items on board,” I offered as I took a piece of fruit from the bowl. “A spyglass that can see across continents, a dagger that always hits its mark, a necklace that can trap people inside it, gold rings that can transfer items between them…”
I listed off the items and watched the two women for a reaction as I took a bite of the fruit. Neither so much as blinked at the first two items – I’d made up the dagger entirely – but Miranda flinched noticeably at the mention of the necklace. Yes, she was definitely aware of it.
“And did you have any success?” Ariel asked. She turned toward Axenus. “I assume you were the designated treasure hunter?”
It was no surprise she knew Axenus was a merman. His lightly iridescent skin gave him away.
Axenus shifted, unsure if he was supposed to answer.
“Alas, we came up empty-handed,” I said, and here again I watched the women closely. Miranda’s chin ticked up ever-so-slightly at my lie, and a moment later, Ariel leaned her head closer to her wife.
Gods damn me. Maybe I was reading too much into their body language, but those were the exact tells I’d expect to see from a woman who just saw I was lying and mentally told her partner about it.
Did you see that? Cyra asked into my mind. I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed it.
I did, I answered.
My eyes met Miranda’s, and I had the distinct impression she’d figured out just as much as I had.
“Perhaps we should be on our way,” I said, starting to rise. “We’ve imposed on you enough.”
Miranda stepped forward and held out her hand in a halting gesture.
“Please, Lord Bressen,” she said. “Stay a while longer. It’s been so long since we’ve seen other people. I dare say we could use the company if you have time to spare.”
I eased back down onto the couch. “I suppose we can stay a little longer,” I said.
She doesn’t want us to leave for some reason, I said into both Axenus and Cyra’s heads. Be on your guard.