The Sea Siren

Chapter Twelve

Antony

I don't know what game they're playing at.

These trees are profuse, lustrous and wild, filling all space. There are flora, plants, berries I've never encountered. Even the rocks, the soil is different. The plants like speared brushes slice through my arms as I wave past them, pushing further into this unknown territory.

The questions that have arisen are domineering.

Why has she granted me this much freedom? From the moment we arrived, she has encouraged me to wander, converse, inspect without quarrel. Why was the leader here so adamant Vivian alone guide me through the island? It's like they've placed the opportunity to end this feud into my hands, waiting to see if I will seize the fortuitous risk.

It's what my father would expect of me.

To take advantage of the lack of witnesses, no matter the consequences.

The woman weaves through the dense rainforest like a webbed labyrinth she knows by heart, mindlessly touching the trunks of trees without a sound. It's been over an hour and neither of us has spoken a single syllable.

I decide to end the silence.

"Where are we headed?"

I don't receive an answer and with one look at her, I know why. Her mind is also elsewhere.

From a distance, this isle looks no different than any other one. You'd swear you could manage the length of it in under an hour and yet, the mountainous range eats away at the time.

"I'm surprised your right-hands let you venture out here alone with me."

She climbs over a toppled tree, charred by the looks of lightning. "They were definitely against it."

"I would imagine so."

"Said you'd lure the wildebeests after me, let the mud pools drown me."

"Mud pools?"

"Soil that drags you under the ground," she clarifies. "You'll probably hear stories around the fire pit tonight about creatures that emerge from the pools after dusk, wandering the forests."

"Sounds like a proper ghost story."

She glances back at me, over her shoulder. "You're not a believer in the supernatural, I'd take it."

"I've never seen anything convincing enough, no."

She surveys our surroundings, a small smile on her face. "This place will make a believer out of you, Commander."

We must be deep in the island now.

The sun has changed it's position gradually, now existing between the line of trees rather than high over our heads. There are strange noises that echo through the wild terrain. Those sounds, and the array of weapons on the Siren's back keep me on guard, always analyzing the brushes, the unreasonably large prints fossilized into the mud beneath our feet.

"How long have you been coming here?" I ask, sick of hearing my own thoughts and nothing else.

"Ever since I joined Eldar on the ship. This was a regular port of his. He had a...connection with Leona."

"They were together?"

"Only when he set foot on this island. It was unspoken, but very real."

She smiles, as if she's remembering a fond memory.

And it's strange.

I've faced enemies before. In the war, when Vale was seizing the unclaimed territories of the borderlands, I saw so many that in my dreams their faces seamlessly blend together. But there's something different about this one.