Chapter Fourteen #4
“You decide when, where, and how much. It is entirely by your good graces. And if you go to the siren roja with this, you will be seen as generous. Is there something you desire from them in return? This could be used as a bargaining tool. A piece of leverage.”
“No. The only thing I want from the sirens is for them to stay on their side of the island and to leave my people alone.”
“Then make yourself appear to be the better and more generous ruler. Surprise them with this generosity.”
“Yes. Yes, I think I will,” she said with a slow smile.
“I will contact your father at once, Jileana, and have him choose from his guard those who can immediately be sent to lead a siren hunting party. I will send them to the siren court straightaway as a gift to the roja. Then we will see about scheduling more parties more regularly.” She smiled again.
“Now, if only you could solve my problems with Horgon so easily.”
“I have a solution,” Jaykun said, “but it is a coldblooded one and you will deprive yourself of an heir.”
The empress blanched. “You mean have him killed.”
“Yes. Your reign is under threat. You must remove that threat or it will be hanging over you for all of your days … perhaps leading to your own death. Because I promise you, if he is as cruel as you say he is, he will have no qualms about killing you in order to secure his reign if he should overthrow you.”
“Gods, you are cold-blooded,” the empress said in a heated rush. “I do not think I can bring myself to that. To order a man’s death just because of what he might do. I cannot bear the thought of making myself just as cold and cruel as he is.”
“Then your only recourse is to tolerate him and try to remain one step ahead of him.”
“Which is exactly what I have been doing all along.”
“Perhaps with this new agreement with the sirens the people will see your power and benevolence as a ruler.”
“Or they might feel more threatened by the idea of siren incursions on our territory. It might be just the thing Horgon needs to rally the people against me.”
“One thing at a time, Majesty. Quell the siren threat first. Deal with Horgon afterward.”
“Yes. Yes, you are right.” The empress smiled at him. “I believe you are going to be my new favorite. My favorites call me Jalaya. I will enjoy ‘Majesty’ on most occasions, but when we are speaking in private like this you will address me by my given name.”
“I am honored, Majesty,” he said, inclining his head in respect to her, then corrected himself. “Jalaya.”
“You must have evening meal with me tonight,” she said eagerly. “We eat at dusk on land in the communal caves on the lowest level of the cliff wall. My cave is on the far left. Jileana will show you.”
“Your pardon, Majesty, but I must decline,” Jaykun said hesitantly. “I am … spoken for from dusk to juquil’s hour every night. Perhaps your midday meal today?”
“Very well,” Jalaya said slowly, her eyes narrowing on him curiously. “In what way are you spoken for?”
“My goddess makes demands of me,” he said. “There is a price to be paid for the immortality I have shown you. My goddess speaks and I must listen.”
“Yes. I see that you must. Very well, I will see you at midday meal. Jileana, see that he is there.”
“Yes, Majesty,” she said.
Jileana took Jaykun’s arm and pulled him away from the empress. But he stopped and looked back at Jalaya.
“Majesty, demand Horgon’s attendance at the midday meal tomorrow. Tell him to come or he will be thrown into prison. You do have a prison, I take it?”
“We do. Any selkie who breaks the law is chained to the bottom of the ocean. They can swim only to the end of the tether and must live under constant guard. Their freedom is taken from them in a way that can drive a selkie mad.”
“We value our freedom and the ability to swim swift and free more than anything else,” Jileana said.
“I can imagine you would,” Jaykun said. “Very well. Tell him to come or be chained—those are his only two choices. And make sure you send a contingent of guards to escort him to your table. He must obey you, just as any other subject must obey you. It is time you put him in his place.”
“But will that not anger him?” Jalaya asked.
“I am counting on it. Let us see what he does when he is provoked. It will tell me just how far he is willing to go. It should make for some interesting conversation at the table at the very least.”
“Indeed it should,” Jalaya agreed. “Very well. I will send word immediately that he is to obey me. You are right. It is high time he and others like him be put in their place in all respects. You know, I have ruled successfully for quite a long time, but sometimes it takes the vision of an outsider to see things more clearly than those of us who are too close to the problem.”
“Also, we are very different rulers,” Jaykun said. “You are more peaceable. I am riot above stirring things up.”
“Perhaps that is a weakness of mine,” Jalaya said with a frown.
“Not at all. Peace is to be valued above all else. It is what should be strived for. However, by not taking more definitive, forceful steps, your peace is threatened at any given moment.”
“It is something to think about, in any event,” Jalaya said, her frown fixed.
“I can just as easily learn patience from you,” Jaykun said, “as you can learn violence from me. So we will see you at midday meal?”
“I look forward to it,” Jalaya said.
“We are off to see my father,” Jileana said. “Shall I tell him to attend you afterward?”
“I will send a separate messenger, but thank you.”
“As you wish, Majesty.” Then Jileana pulled Jaykun away once more.
They left the palace in relative silence, each busy with their own thoughts. “I know a lot of the selkies will be upset by the idea of siren hunting parties on our side of the island, but there are those who don’t hate the sirens.”
“Tell me more about them, Jileana,” Jaykun said. “I have heard stories of sirens … how they can lure a man to his death with the sound of their voices. Is that true?”
“It is. The sirens sing almost constantly. It is in their blood to do so. The selkies are immune, but humans are drawn to the song of the sirens. Usually it’s sailors, and they are lured into the storms that surround the island where their ships are invariably destroyed and the sailors are doomed.
The sirens go to the edge of the storms and sing for them, then plunder the broken ships once they have sunk.
You would not be immune to the siren song.
A siren could enchant you into believing you were in love with her and use you as she wished.
The sirens use the portal on their side of the island in order to find human mates to sire their children.
You see, the sirens are all female. They birth only female children.
If they wish to become impregnated, they go to the Overworld and lure human males into their beds. ”
“I understand.”
“When the Krizans call us prava, they mean any of the sea creatures and often they mistake selkies for sirens. Sirens are much more … Well, they are more disruptive. They don’t care if a human male is already in love with someone else.
If a siren wants him, she will take him and then leave him to pine for her for all the rest of his days.
She would never do what I have done. She would never bring a human male back to the island with her.
You must promise me you will never leave the cliffside, that you will never venture into the island forest,” she said with passion.
“I … I don’t want a siren to have even the slightest chance of being able to sway you. ”
“Don’t worry. The last thing I want is to spend my immortality longing for the love of a siren.”
“Good,” she said. “Good.”