18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
C ailia’s lip curls into a smile that promises death.
“Follow and find me in the Sea of the First Song. This is where everything ends. Or everything begins.” She continues, then snaps her head toward me.
“For both of you,” she adds, her dark gaze dropping to my legs.
Then her body stills. Cailia drags in a sharp breath, her chest rising, the sound scraping through her throat as though she has been held underwater and this is her first gasping breath of air.
Shoulders sinking, the magic that possessed the room moments ago unwinds.
When her eyes lift again, the darkness inside them is gone, and so is the sea.
Sable and I stare at her, mouths slightly agape. Dumbfounded. She stands very still, her breathing steady, then blinks and glances between us.
“So, what did she say?”
The question sounds almost casual, as though nothing unusual or out of the ordinary has just occurred. As though the sea did not just speak through her. I furrow my brows and exchange a look with Sable, shock still visible in his features.
“She said we must follow and find her in the Sea of The First Song,” he replies and straightens, though the tension in his shoulders does not ease.
Cailia's brows lift faintly.
“And that this is where everything ends,” he continues, “or everything begins.”
His eyes flick briefly toward me. “And that it concerns both of us.”
“Hm.” She tilts her head, considering her brother's words. “Following her means following the Glim. That’s clear.”
She begins pacing again, slow steps circling the table while her fingers trace along the corals growing out of her collarbone.
“The Sea of the First Song...” she murmurs, more to herself than to us.
“I have never seen it marked on any map,” she says. “Nor mentioned in any charts.”
Another step follows, then she stops.
“But I have heard of it.”
Sable’s gaze sharpens. “Where?”
“In mother’s grimoires.” She glances toward the shelves crowded with jars and books. “It isn’t just another stretch of water. It is said to be where the sea itself was born.”
My stomach tightens. I have never heard of the Sea of the First Song. If it’s a well-kept siren secret, maybe my mother was not willing to tell me. Or she didn't know. That’s an explanation easier for me to accept.
“What do you mean by born?”
Her eyes move to me.
“Where the first tide rose. Where the sea first breathed life into its children,” she explains. “Sirens. Witches.” A brief glance lands on her brother. “And pirates.”
Sable falls into silence, then takes a deep breath.
“Just so I am not getting any of this wrong,” he begins. “You‘re saying we should sail to a place that we have no real record of? And then hope to begin instead of end? Whatever that is supposed to mean.”
“Yes.”
Sable gets up with a grunt, the movement abrupt. His hands curl into fists at his sides, fingers flexing once before tightening. “You’re a witch,” he says, voice taut. “Can you not perform some bloody magic trick that tells us what exactly we should do? ”
“Sable.”
Cailia raises her voice slightly, a clear warning in her voice.
He turns away from her and strides toward the round window overlooking the sea that now lies dark and still.
He draws in a breath through his nose and holds it, shoulders lifting before slowly settling again.
His sister follows and stops behind him, places a hand on his shoulder, and squeezes it softly.
“You know what you have to do,” she tells him, and the lights around us flicker in response, shadows shivering along the walls. “You’ve already come this far.”
Sable’s jaw is set tight, his throat bobbing as he swallows.
Her head snaps toward me. I avert my gaze at once, pulse stuttering, suddenly aware of how closely I have been watching him. I have never seen him appear so open, so vulnerable. His emotions aren’t usually so evident on his face.
“Will you give us a moment?” she asks, her tone hushed but demanding.
I give her a quick nod of understanding and step outside to give them some privacy.
The sun has completely set by now, covering the pirate island in darkness.
I wander towards the cliff beside the house, the cool night air kissing my face.
Below, the sea spreads out endlessly, the waves crashing against the rocks in a steady rhythm.
The fog has settled slightly, and for the first time since we entered the Sea of Bones, I can see the moon.
Somehow, it has always given me comfort to know that wherever I was, sea or land, the moon was always there. A consistent force pulling the tide.
Sighing, I sit down on the cool stone beneath me and pull my legs to my chest. This explains a lot.
Sable seems to think that the Glim will help them break their curse, and it sounds like he was right.
That's why he insisted on me bringing it back when it disappeared. Why he jumped in after me. He’s trying to save his crew from the cruelty of the sea, and honestly, I cannot blame him for that.
I swallow down the knot that has formed in my throat. The beginning or the end, that’s what the sea said. I know what this means for me, either I die or…I finally get my tail.
“Eryse.” A deep voice snaps me out of my thoughts. Behind me, Sable makes his way towards me, and for reasons I don't want to examine too closely, my pulse stutters.
“Please don't tell me you’re thinking of jumping again.” He comes to a halt beside me and reaches out a hand with a smile creeping onto his face.
I look at it with widened eyes, hesitating. It’s a simple gesture, but the meaning of it hangs between us like an unspoken truth.
I will help you if you help us.
His fingers curl around mine as I put my hand in his, and he pulls me to my feet.
“I wasn’t thinking about jumping,” I snort, and keep my hand in his for a little while longer, before he pulls away in the same moment as I do. “But I still need to try.”
He nods slowly and puts his hands into the pockets of his breeches. When his gaze lifts and finds mine, there‘s understanding in it.
“You can. When the Glim appears again and we have to leave. But if you get your tail back, be prepared to be towed back on board regardless,” he says with a shrug.
“Of course,” I mutter and roll my eyes.
Sable already turns, ready to leave.
“Sable,” I blurt out, and he freezes. “Do you think the Glim will help us? With both of our…problems?”
For a moment, he doesn’t react. I bite down on my lip, unsure if I have overstepped. But eventually he turns toward me and sighs.
“I hope so, little fish. For both our sakes.”
I nod, thankful that he gave me any answer at all.
“Now come,” he says with regained confidence. “Or the good stuff will be gone before we arrive at the tavern.”
With that, he turns on his heel and begins to stride back towards the narrow path we came from. Seems like he is done discussing our respective curses for the moment. From the corner of my eye, Cailia is standing in the door frame. Her shoulders are no longer tense as she watches her brother leave.
I would like to stay a little while longer. To talk to her more.
Long enough to ask how the sea speaks to her. Long enough to understand how she learned to wield her magic instead. Long enough to ask whether she could help me with mine.
Instead, I will leave with more questions than answers.
“We’ll see each other again,” she says quietly.
Her gaze drops to the necklace around my neck. She nods toward it. “And keep the charm.” A small smile tugs at her lips. “I made it for Sable when he was little. But he doesn’t need it anymore. He’s gathered enough of his own.”
“Oh, I found it—”
“On the Noctis. I know.” Corals shift with a brittle sound as she tilts her head. “It will bring you luck. Now go, before he grows impatient.”
I nod, even though my chest tightens at the word go. I hold her gaze for a heartbeat longer, then turn away.
Sable is already halfway down the path, his silhouette almost swallowed whole by the dark.
I hurry after him and catch up at the bridge spanning the jagged cliffs upon which the island is built.
Moments later, we make it back to the center of the village that is now buzzing with life.
Next to me, Sable relaxes as his shoulders brush mine.
Shops line the path, their doors now thrown wide open.
Glass charms and mismatched panes catch the lanternlight, throwing fractured colors across the ground.
Coins are exchanged as different goods are handed over.
Bright fabric, carved figurines, and of course, liquor.
It’s kind of chaotic and disorienting, but it’s also so…alive.
He walks beside me, his attention drifting to the crowd. When he glances at me, there’s something lighter in his expression, a hard contrast to his previous mood. Whatever Cailia said must have worked.
“Come,” he says, almost casually, “I’ll show you my favorite tavern.”
Sable walks ahead of me and slips through the crowd. I almost lose sight of him twice, but eventually, we make it to a tavern set slightly apart from the others, wedged between two leaning buildings. A crooked sign swings above the door, painted with a faded symbol that I don't recognize.
“Stick with me, little fish.” Sable places a hand against my back again and slightly pushes me forward as we walk through the open doors.