29. Ocean Blue #3
Suddenly, Davy was ripped from Noec, torn away by his shoulders as Siren threw him to the ground.
There was a ferocity in his piercing eyes, blackened by a strange new ebony mask.
The mask was crafted of the same dark metal that lined his skin, spiking and swirling in places, its sharp and staggered pieces trailing his body like scales.
His half-up braid was coming loose, his hair the same midnight sheen as his armor.
Davy snarled and spat at the ground like an animal, but when Siren grasped the back of his neck, his fiery eyes grew dim.
“Calm down,” Siren instructed. He crouched to further restrain Davy, but was stopped by the bite of cold metal.
“You won’t lay another hand on him,” Noec said, his dagger peeling between the black scales of armor at Siren’s neck.
Flora ran to Davy, whose eyes flickered with less and less fire with each blink.
“Davy, are you here?” Flora said, reaching for him cautiously. “Davy, you tried to hurt Noec.”
“Noec…” he muttered. “No, that was... that was the man that came after my son, the man that..."
“Davy,” Flora said, gripping his hand, which felt cold and rigid as though it were made of stone, blackening at the fingertips just as the red lily had rotted at the edges. He blinked once more and, finally, his eyes were blue as the warmth returned to his skin.
“Go on, then,” Siren goaded through his teeth, Noec’s blade still sharp against his throat. “Make your father proud and kill me.”
Flora saw the bitter seethe in Siren’s grin, but what really scared her was the intensity in Noec’s eyes.
But with a sigh, he pulled away. “I’m not my father,” Noec said. Siren breathed a shallow sigh of relief as Noec straightened himself and offered a hand, asking, “Now, why did you save me?”
“I’m not my father, either,” he said, ignoring the hand that was offered as he came to his feet.
“Heron. Don’t,” Flora said quickly. Heron’s eyes darted from Siren to her, and slowly, he loosened his pull on the string.
“You know something about my brother?” Heron asked Siren, his grip still stiff though his bow was lowered.
Davy rolled to the side, and Flora helped him to his feet. There were others, hiding in the shadows with weapons drawn.
“Your brother is Geno Eldon?” Siren asked.
“Indeed, he was,” Heron said, stepping forward. “You knew him?”
“Knew him?” Siren scoffed. “He hunted my family like prey, and he killed my father.”
“You’re… Azura’s child,” Heron deduced. He paused. “I only knew of a daughter, the chimera.”
“I was born after the war, when the only violence left was out of spite.” Siren took a step away, meeting Noec’s gaze.
The ice in Noec’s eyes had thawed. Studying the demon before him, he chose to offer his empathy. “I… I can understand how it feels,” he said, “losing all of what little you have.”
Siren paused, clearly undecided on how to interpret the man before him. He must’ve looked just like the man who killed his father, with fierce green eyes and dark golden hair, but while the fire in his eyes was warm—it didn’t seem to burn.
“Save your sympathies for someone who deserves it,” Siren said, the claws of his fingers decaying as his armor cracked and dissolved.
Heron’s grip tensed, and he asked, “Did you hurt our Flora?”
Yes, yes he had—and Flora could still feel the phantom of the aching hollow in her chest. Siren looked back to Flora for a moment, then sighed. He started to speak, but Flora interrupted.
“No,” she said. “He just needed my help to bring Davy back.”
Davy rubbed his head. “I’ve got some kinks to work out, but I’m alive.”
Heron and Noec exchanged a look, a silent conversation between the two.
“On your order, Commander,” said a woman’s husky voice. Her dark figure lurked in the periphery, spear catching the light from the shadows. Heron gestured to the others, and Noec’s eyes widened.
Siren sighed as the last of his armor fell away, leaving himself exposed as he tucked his hands in his pockets.
“Please,” Flora said. “He’s a friend.”
Siren’s stoic expression cracked, and his eyes could no longer meet hers.
Heron sighed. “Stand down,” he said, the green light of a lily catching the gray streaks of his salt-and-peppered hair. “We’ve found Florabelle, and that’s all we’re here to do.”
Noec’s eyes met Flora’s, and her breath caught in her throat. His heart was still beating, and hers was too.
She hadn’t lied.
“Go,” Siren told her. “In three days’ time, the alignment will come—a half moon in both worlds.
Do not fail to be at Lunara’s water between sundown and midnight, or you will not be able to return to your world until the next alignment, in the next of the four seasons.
” He added gently, “You held up your end of our deal, Florabelle. Your village will be safe—I will ensure that.”
He met her eyes, and his brow furrowed slightly. “Go,” he repeated, turning away, slipping his hands into his pockets as he went. “All of you, get out of my forest.”
Heron held out an arm to block a red-haired Hunter, starting to follow after him. “No,” Heron said sternly. He glanced at Flora and nodded. “For now, we bring Flora home.”