Chapter 23
Elva
Despite Sindri’s insistence that I sleep first, since I was the one who’d be heading into the castle, I couldn’t shake my restless thoughts.
When I woke, I was greeted with a hearty fish meal, but I had no appetite, so I picked at the food while my brothers settled in for their rest. Soon, the sky was so dark I couldn’t see where it ended and the Nordlic Sea began.
The castle was lit up in a brilliant orange glow from all the fires and torches that burned through the night.
I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of it, as I waited for the guards and people inside to go to bed.
Leifur appeared beside me, wearing a pair of water pants. All sirens owned them. They fit snuggly to prevent drag, and only went to our calves, so those of us who shifted more in the water had the space to allow free movement. Out of the three of us, I shifted the most.
My brother and I could both breathe underwater better than other sirens.
As children, we'd been told it was because selkies and sirens could both breathe underwater.
Along with that, I could swim at a speed previously unknown to sirens.
My skills probably came from my father. I found I could summon my selkie side the way our sisters could summon their siren side.
Whenever I did, scales ran from my forehead down the side of my body reaching my feet, overtaking the siren ones that appeared when I waited too long to find a man in my cycle.
But what gave me the largest boost of speed was the webbing that grew out between my fingers and between my toes.
They expanded to give me a pair of fins closer to a mermaid's tail than a siren's feet.
Leifur also possessed some of the webbing when underwater. Sindri's feet didn't change, but he could still swim much faster than average.
“Do you hear music?” Leifur asked, gazing at the castle.
“I suspect they’re celebrating something,” I said, tucking my tightest tunic into my water pants. “It might be smart to sneak in while everyone’s distracted.”
“Hair down or braided?” he asked.
“Braided, please.”
Leifur took a few minutes to tuck my wild locks into a braid so tight, I was sure I would get a headache if I had to wear it on land all day.
We heard rustling, and Sindri emerged, dressed in his own water pants and swimming tunic.
“Are you two thinking of coming too?” I asked, looking him over slowly.
“Only if you need us,” he said. “I’m well aware you are more than capable of handling most things, but it never hurts to be prepared.” He nodded to the small beeswax covered leather satchel that I’d fastened around my waist. Inside it was the tiny vile he’d purchased from Coral.
Leifur finished with my hair, so I stepped to Sindri and gave him a big hug. “We’ve gone as far down the beach as we can. You two need to keep the fire going, so I can find my way back here once I have Njall.”
“Are you sure you can handle all his dead weight?” Leifur asked.
“I’m more worried he’ll be too full of hot air to sink,” Sindri said, and I laughed with them as we walked down the beach a little further.
I would not tell them that I was scared he was dead.
Our horses were asleep, so we didn’t want to wander too far and stopped when we could hear jubilant shouts joining the music coming from the castle.
“Remember,” Leifur whispered. “In and out. No funny business.”
“I know. Don’t worry, I have no intention of taking any additional prisoners.”
“Good. If anyone gets in your way—”
“I take care of them.” I patted the lone sheath on my chest that held my favorite dagger.
“Then off you go.” Sindri kissed my cheek for luck, and I dashed across the shore and slipped into the water.
On nights like this one, I was thankful to be a siren, because the water was freezing as I waded into it, but within a few heartbeats, my body had adjusted.
I moved swiftly into the waves, feeling the water move steadily up my legs until my entire waist and chest were submerged.
The waves pulled at me as if desperate to bring me back to the depths where I was born—where I belonged.
Taking a few deep breaths, I drove into the next wave and released my siren.
My eyes shifted to black, and I could immediately see underwater, even at night.
It was a talent I wished I could use on land, too.
I dove, kicking my feet clumsily while I waited to reach the depth that would allow my feet and arms to morph into the fins I needed to get to the castle.
The water cooled as the surrounding pressure grew, and a calm settled over me.
I felt my feet and hands web, and then I kicked powerfully to surge forward and down through the dark depths.
I maneuvered around glistening schools of fish, underwater rock mounds, and thickets of various sea grass.
Soon, the natural landscape gave way. Large stone slabs, likely having fallen from ships in bad weather, replaced the rough rocks that littered the sea floor.
Instead of the scales of colorful sea life, the sparkles were from gems and gold lost by humans.
Soon, even the taste of the water changed.
Swimming up to the surface, I raised only my eyes out of the water and saw I was much closer than I’d expected.
My memory had failed me. I had thought that most of the castle was built on the land, but either I’d been wrong or they’d done some architectural marvels in the last decade.
The entire back of the castle stood over the water, with a colossal arch that opened to the sea, large enough for a ship to pass through.
Somehow, the Huestur kingdom had made it possible to not only keep their knights and horses within their walls but also their most prized warships.
The sheer size of it overwhelmed me for a moment before I got a hold of myself.
If the ships can hide inside, there must be another entrance for smaller boats to escape in case of attack.
I dove back down and took large gulps of seawater.
I could taste the oils and animal hair that had come off ships coming from one direction, and ale and blood from another.
I turned toward the ale, knowing that where there was ale mixed with blood, there would likely be waste.
Humans had such a disdain for bodily functions that this way would likely be less protected.
The way a woman’s monthly bleeding horrified the men was something all the sirens laughed at.
It was as if the men somehow believed they didn’t all begin as this lining of blood inside a woman.
My hands sliced through the water as I pulled myself forward, the taste of humanity strengthening with each kick.
When I came upon a patch of light shining into the water, I cautiously surfaced my head.
I had arrived in a small littoral cave of sorts.
From inside the rock formation, I couldn’t tell if it was built as part of the castle or if they had built the castle above it.
Several small boats were tied up along a dirt landing, bobbing gently on the small waves.
I swam silently toward them and slipped between them to get a better look.
Four torches flickered on the landing, casting shadows that danced across the walls.
Beyond them, a dark hallway stretched into the rock.
From the water, I couldn’t tell what direction it went, but I hoped it would go down, since most castles hid their dungeons deep in the bowels of the place.
I shook my hands and feet and pushed back my siren.
By the time I emerged from the water, she was contained once again.
A soft breeze hit me, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
Instinctively, I moved to wring out my braid but stopped myself and instead let the water run down my drenched back.
I checked that my dagger and the siren tonic Sindri had procured were still with me.
My confidence rose when I spotted a barrel of small torches against the wall.
I lit one from the mounted torch near the boats and crept toward the hallway I had spotted.
Now closer, I could see that it was a stairwell heading up.
With a last glance behind me, I tiptoed up the steps to the first landing and peeked around the edge of the wall.
It was well-lit, but empty, so I continued until I reached a dark hallway.
I was still trying to decide whether to try the hall or continue up the stairs when I heard giggles from above.
Cursing the puddles I’d left behind me, I hurried around the corner.
The giggles grew louder, and when I braved a quick peek, I spotted two young maids carrying empty jugs.
They were so focused on their conversation, they didn’t notice me or my puddles as they headed down the stairs I’d just ascended.
For a moment, I considered following them, thinking that if they were heading down with empty jugs, I must have missed some path that would lead to the ale room.
But then a cool breeze hit me, and the air smelled foul, like piss and stale sweat.
I remembered it from the crowded sleeping quarters of the warriors when we traveled around learning our skills.
That putrid, unwashed stench was hard to forget.
I resisted the urge to plug my nose and hurried down the dark hall.
The narrow stone path was a maze of twists, turns, and offshoots, but I had no problem following the odor.
My eyes were burning when I heard chatter from men, and I slowed my movements.
The scattered torches provided shadows between them, and I dashed from one dark spot to another until the path opened into a large room.
Squatting low to the ground, I crept along the wall and glanced inside.
It was a prison. Cells of various sizes housed all manner of men.
Some were wearing the uniforms of Tyndorf, likely those captured during the attack, but others wore normal clothes, and one even appeared to be dressed as a court jester.
Careful not to reveal myself, I tried to look further down in the cells down the path, but it was no use.
Hearing footsteps, I slunk back to make myself as small as possible in the dark hall and extinguished my torch.
A group of three men came from the right and walked toward me, a heavy door slamming behind them.
I held my breath, and just as they were close enough to be able to spot me, a scream bounced off the stone walls.
The three guards immediately raced past me, and when I braved a look, they were shouting at someone in a cell a good distance down the cell block.
The other prisoners cheered as the guards fumbled with their keys, trying to get into the cell that was causing the commotion.
This was my only chance. I clambered to my feet, and with a glance to make sure everyone was distracted, I dashed toward the door from where they'd entered. With a rough pull, it opened, and I slipped inside.