Chapter 28 #2
He’s pointing to a temple built into the cliffs, its three tiers facing the open ocean.
Waterfalls weave through white marble terraces, cascading from the plateau into pools that overflow and spill from one level to the next.
At the base, water pours through the apertures in the stone, tumbling into the ocean below.
“Temple of Sin,” the captain replies, not missing a beat.
Fae children learn about it when we’re young, though we are forbidden to go.
As adults, there are no restrictions, but the crown prohibits entry by members of the king’s guard.
It’s against their moral code. If you enter, you’re kicked out of the guard.
Being the general’s daughter, I never even considered it.
I’ve only been to the doors of the temple once, when I had to deliver a missive.
I tried to enter the temple, the place that had been burned into my curiosity as a child, but I was physically thrown back by an invisible force.
A magical barrier, something similar to what my parents wove around our cottage.
I was unable to enter because I was sent on business, and had not come of my own free will.
There are very few places I haven’t been in Eirdfall, and that temple is one of them. I’d all but forgotten about it since the battle and spending my time in Varithen.
The captain continues. “From land, the entrance looks like any other temple. The blasted thing is a trap for seasick sailors by the bloody sirens and succubae that live there.”
“Sirens and succubae, you say?” Mikael asks the captain, but his raised brows turn in my direction.
“Did I stutter?” The captain’s tone cuts through the wind, sharper than a blade.
Probably a response I would have given. Mikael doesn’t react, other than a curt shake of his head, and turns his attention to me.
Mikael grabs my arm, pulling me to the side. “You didn’t care to mention this place?”
“I haven’t thought about it for centuries. As the captain said, it looks like a normal temple from its entrance. I can’t recall if I’ve ever seen it from a ship. Although, a lot of the last two hundred years is hazy.”
Mikael pushes his hair away from his face and grips the railing, knuckles turning white.
“It looks very much like what the riddle describes. White marbled veins, water flows, and the line about the melody in the sea. Sirens live at the temple, and it faces the ocean. The water even falls into the ocean, for fuck’s sake. ”
His tone, and whatever he’s implying spikes the irritation from this morning’s encounter with Erik. I won’t allow anyone to speak to me like that, even Mikael.
The words roll off my tongue with ire. “No reason to get so snappy.”
“We are headed to the wrong place without time to spare. So yes, there is a reason. We don’t have time for mistakes,” Mikael responds with a frown.
“If we hadn’t set sail, then we wouldn’t have even seen the temple!” My voice rises, ready to argue.
“Bryn.” Mikael steps closer to me and grips my chin, eyes softening.
“I want you to live. I couldn’t bear it if you died because of me.
” He brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead, holding his lips against my skin as his shoulders rise and fall.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken that way to you. ”
I let the tension in my own shoulders fall away. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on to him for a moment. Breathing in his clean scent that’s mixed with the salt air and leather. He is nothing like Erik. We’re both feeling the pressure of time running out. “I’m sorry too.”
Mikael releases me and addresses the captain. “Head to the temple. We’re no longer going to the siren’s island.”
The captain’s bushy brows pull together in a scowl. “You’re not in charge here. We will not change course.”
Mikael approaches him, jaw clenching. “This is a matter of life and death.”
“Once we get to the island, you can wait for our business to conclude, or see if another ship is willing to take you to the temple.” The captain crosses his muscular arms over his chest and lifts his chin, his commanding stance warning that this is his ship and we are at his mercy.
“If you have a problem with that, take a dinghy and row back to Varithen.”
That could take more than a week if another ship doesn’t stop at the port on the island. I open my mouth to speak, but Mikael responds before I do.
“We don’t have time to wait. We are not far off route, and paid you to take us where we bid.”
“No, the fare paid was to ferry you to the island. Not to command a captain and his ship.” The captain spits at Mikael’s feet.
His attention is diverted by the crew’s shouts.
He starts pointing and shouting something at the men before turning back to us.
“Best get below deck and stay out of our way.”