Hymn of Ashes (Sirens of Hyvenmere #1)

Prologue

AUDREY’S LETTER

Dear Vanessa,

I’m sorry. I wish I could be honest with you. I wish I could tell you where I run off to or what I’ve been doing every spare minute I have. I see the way you look at me when I blow you off. I’ve seen how you have become more guarded over the years.

This letter is selfish of me to write, because you’ll probably never read it. Either I’ll chicken out and never give it to you, or by the time I do try to give it to you, I’ll have pushed you away so much that you won't consider reading a letter from me.

But please understand, I’m so sorry for everything.

I have lit a match to our fifteen years of friendship, because my entire world has been turned completely upside down.

A couple of years ago, I was sleeping at my desk at the library on a late shift.

I woke up to the feeling of something tightening around my neck, arms, and legs.

I was being strangled, but when I tried to get my bearings, I couldn’t see anyone.

The only thing nearby was the pothos plant, growing at an impossible rate, attacking me, choking me.

I screamed, but no one was around to hear.

I was terrified. I thought I was going to die.

Suddenly, Liam was there.

It was the first time he and I met, and after he cut the vines and dragged me outside the library for fresh air, he waited for me to calm down from my panic attack before he introduced himself to me.

That was when I got my first good look at him.

Liam is beautiful. He’s very large, but with kind eyes.

He immediately offered me help and guidance.

Nothing was the same after that night, because then Liam took me to Hyvenmere.

That’s the name of his realm. Hyvenmere is filled with magical creatures and a rare beauty in the landscape that does not exist in ours. I’ve seen things I can’t explain without someone telling me I’m hallucinating. I’ve learned about cultures that I thought only existed in fairy tales.

I’ve learned that I’m not entirely human.

Liam suspects that I am half-fae. It’s why I suddenly developed my magical green thumb.

It was the first gift of mine to manifest, the second being my healing touch.

I guess he and our friend Fergus had been using some type of spell to track down human halflings like me, searching for someone to fulfill a prophecy of theirs.

Obviously, that person isn’t me, even though some Hyvenmerians are convinced otherwise.

As I type this out, I can vividly picture you thinking about me fulfilling a prophecy and scoffing. Or holding back a laugh. Or holding in an inappropriate joke. It’s moments like this that I wish I could safely bring you into this world that I often escape to.

The goddess’s blessings are abundant in Hyvenmere right now.

No, I’m not religious. But nature and the goddess that’s referenced in Hyvenmere is a…

unique belief. Nature is both a science and a deity in Hyvenmere.

It’s pretty legit. What is the goddess of nature and balance blessing Hyvenmere with, you might ask?

Mating bonds. They are snapping into place left and right.

Hyvenmerian’s have desired to have families, but have struggled with infertility for thousands of years, until about three decades ago.

No one knows why fertility has risen, or why the goddess of Hyvenmere is even allowing more mating bonds to develop. But everyone seems to be going with it, paying respects and taking care of their environment more intentionally to ensure the blessings continue.

I think that’s partly why I love it here so much. Humans just haven’t learned to love our land as much.

But unfortunately, I don’t feel comfortable bringing you to Hyvenmere yet.

You’re human. It’s dangerous over here for full-blooded humans.

Some political leaders don’t even like that other halflings and I set foot in Hyvenmere.

Liam has spent hundreds of hours training me in hand-to-hand combat just in case I’m jumped, which has happened a handful of times already, by extremists who are very anti-human anything.

I’ve also learned how to wield nerdy-ass weapons like swords and daggers. You’d think that dealing with political leaders calling for my expulsion and being attacked by extremists who agree would keep me from going back to Hyvenmere so often. But I can’t stay away.

I still haven’t found my fae family. That was why I originally agreed to explore Hyvenmere with Liam and strengthen my gifts. But it’s been years, and I don’t feel any closer to finding them.

The Mellhawn Gates, linking our realms together, have been open for quite some time. Oddly enough, the majority of Hyvenmerians weren’t aware that they were open until halflings like me started to appear—around the same time that more bonds started to snap into place.

The fae and the nereid governments seem fine with the Mellhawn Gates being opened because of the number of mating bonds that have been produced, many including human halflings like me.

The fae and nereids think it’s worth the risk of giving humans access to their realm if it means their people will continue to prosper.

Then there are the sirens. Well, the siren government, specifically.

The King of the Sirens was originally the one thought to be the fulfiller of the prophecy.

But someone started a rumor that it wasn’t him at all, and was probably me instead, and it’s lowkey ruined my life.

I guess the Siren King defeated the only solvyrn seen in thousands of years back in the day, or as the prophecy says, an “ancient beast.”

But me? I haven’t slain anything. You know me, I cry if I accidentally kill a spider instead of capturing it safely to return it outside.

Liam suspects that the “ancient beast” hasn’t been slain yet, but even he doesn’t know what kind of beast that would be, if not a solvyrn.

It would be convenient for me if the Siren King continued to be the prophesied one, because that would mean less responsibility on my part. I could focus more of my attention on finding my family, instead of bringing peace to the realm.

What else could I fill you in on?

Well, Liam is my best friend in Hyvenmere, and because of his royalty status, I’ve become a weird celebrity figure. Hyvenmere’s Halfling Sweetheart, if you will. It’s weird. I don’t know how to deal with the constant attention. I wish I could talk to you about it.

But I can’t. Because, unfortunately, the Siren King, who doesn’t like humans that much, is dangerous.

I think he hates me and all human halflings.

I haven’t spoken with him personally, but I’ve seen enough interviews of him spewing resentment and fear about my presence to get the message loud and clear.

Maybe if he and I hung out once, he’d come around.

I can see you shaking your head at me, saying not to waste my time on getting a man’s attention. Don’t worry, the Siren King is over two hundred years old and dangerously powerful. Trust me, I’m not trying to get his attention.

Unfortunately, the last time Hyvenmere was widely open to humans was during the seventeenth century. During that period, Hyvenmere’s political leaders all unanimously agreed to close the gates to protect the realm from humans and their destructive habits. Barring them from sailing Hyvenmerian seas.

So the Siren King kind of has a point, because as you and I know, humans generally suck. But the thought of the one single door leading me to my family, my history, being closed forever, makes me sick to my stomach.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who feels that. The other human halflings want to be able to walk both realms freely, and a lot of Hyvenmerians want an opportunity to see if their mates are in the human realm, too.

What would you do, Van?

I feel like you’d give the Siren King the finger while holding the gate open yourself—assuming you believe everything I’m telling you in this letter.

That, again, you may or may not ever read.

I could also see you stepping foot in this realm, seeing all the danger and uncertainty, and shaking your head with a dramatic frown, before you moonwalk out of it.

And I wouldn’t blame you one bit, because you and I have been through enough.

I’ve opened up to Liam about a lot, including what you and I experienced in the foster system. He was filled with rage. It was also the first time a man had held me in years, and I cried through the whole thing.

God, I wish I could talk to you more about Liam. About my very inappropriate feelings toward him, which sadly seem to be unreciprocated. I swear every man in this realm only has “mate-eyes.” It’s all or nothing with them.

But I love you. And I prioritize your safety. Maybe I can win the Siren King over so that he’s less aggressive toward humans and halflings like me.

Maybe then, I can let you into this world if you’d like.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that will happen.

For now, all I can do is write this letter. Maybe one day you’ll find it. Maybe you’ll get a chance to read it. But, if our friendship is destroyed because I’ve kept too many secrets from you to trust me again, I wouldn’t blame you.

I’m so sorry, Vanessa.

I’m so, so sorry.

-Audrey