Chapter 262 – Land

Chapter 262 – Land

 

Kai and Flynn sat on the bed, the cabin was double the size of their own. A warm crystal illuminated a table and a chest to store personal effects. There was even an array to control the temperature, keeping the room chillier than outside.

Did he charm the captain or pay for it? Huh… do I even care?

Oraine slumped on a chair with his knee up. Even if he had left home without packing, his pocket change must be counted in gold. From the relaxed smile he wore, Kai would have never guessed they had been arguing less than an hour ago.

I need to get some answers.

Kai tapped his foot and shifted his gaze between the two teens, unsure of how to break the silence. Flynn had an innocent smile that meant he was silently mouthing words at Oraine.

Too late for regrets.

“So, Rain,” Kai tried to make his voice not sound adversarial and jumped straight to the point. “Where are you from?” The sooner he could escape this awkwardness, the better.

“Mat.” Flynn threw him a meaningful glance.

I never said I’d pick your stray without asking questions.

“He doesn’t need to tell us everything.” Kai looked at the mysterious young man. “You’ve clearly got a complicated background and I need to know if it’s coming to bite us.”

Oraine straightened his slanted posture. “I don’t think my family will bother us where we’re going. But if one of my mother’s guardians finds me, I’ll do anything to keep you out of it. May the Restless Devourer consume my soul if I break this vow.” He drew three fingers over his face.

Kai had never heard of a god with such an epithet, though that wasn’t surprising. Belief carried power. Despite their tolerance of the local faith, the Church of the Seven Moons didn’t allow proselytization of foreign religions.

Or he’s playing on our ignorance…

“Thank you. You didn’t have to swear such a heavy oath. But we appreciate it,” Flynn said, tapping his back.

“Yeah.” Kai bobbed his head.

I gotta give a little trust to receive it. Reishi will know if it’s real.

“It was only fair.” Oraine watched them expectantly and fidgeted with the bracelet of shells. When they stared back with a perplexed look, the look deepened into a frown. “It should already be obvious from what I’ve told you… You know I’m a siren, right?”

What?

Kai stiffened, and his mana gathered on instinct before he settled it down. He had his slew of suspicions, from a runaway royal to a shapeshifter crime lord. Still, his brain failed to formulate an appropriate response. To have someone admit they weren’t human, and part of such a notorious race…

Guess that explains the charms….

“But you have no fishtail.” Flynn pointed at the pair of normal human legs.

Oraine beamed with pride. “Yes, it was my first time morphing.”

“Wait! You can just grow a pair of legs like this?” He snapped his fingers.

“It’s not that quick or easy, but I’m glad they came out well.” The siren stretched his legs, even their mana flow was indistinguishable from a human’s. “It was my first time trying such a large morph at least. No one told me how… unpleasant it would be, but they’re quite practical out of the sea.”

Flynn looked ready to poke them to figure out the trick. “Can you grow your tail back? Can you show me?”

“Yes. And not now. As I said, it’s not a pleasant process.”

“Oh, sorry. I— I wasn’t thinking.” He leaned back on the bed, still looking dazed. “I’m really talking with a siren.”

“As far as I know. I can show you this if you want.” Oraine pointed to his right brown eye. Its shade slowly lightened till the iris turned an amethyst color. “How does it look?” He blinked at them.

“That’s incredible.” Flynn clapped his hands. “You can change anything?”

“No, it’s only minor alterations outside my tail. And removing is always faster.”

“You mean that’s your real color? What else did you change?”

“I didn’t want to attract attention…”

Okay, I’m out.

“I’ve got a bit of a headache. I’ll see you in the morning.” Kai cleared his throat and retreated toward the door. The two barely gave him a distracted goodbye before returning to their conversation.

 

* * *

 

The stripe of land and greenery in the distance made Kai breathe easier—the continent was within reach. If he dove into the waters, he could swim to the safety of shore. Varsea waited behind a ridge, just a few miles away.

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That anonymous rocky coast wasn’t where he had intended to go, but he had reached the mainland nonetheless. Fourteen years of waiting were coming to an end. He only had to contact Valela to get things back on track.

Like the greedy fish said, enough gold can solve any problem. They must have a way to communicate over large distances. My troubles are on the ship.

“Welcome back among the living.” Kai turned to see Flynn stumble onto the stern of the Melenia with a patchy backpack. “Had trouble sleeping?”

“Morning,” he yawned. “We talked into the night. Rain has seen so many interesting places and people.” He hung an arm overboard toward the rolling waves and lowered his voice. “I don’t think he’s ordinary, even by their standards.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be Mr. Perfect.

A soft breeze brought a smell of pines and trees Kai had never smelled before. He would have liked to wring Flynn for any useful information about their fishy friend, but from the dark circles under his eyes, that’d have to wait. “When did you go to sleep?”

“Sometime after dawn. I think.” The boy crossed his arms on the taffrail to rest his head. “I lost track of time. I just need a little nap. Sorr—” he covered another yawn. “Can you…”

“I’ll wake you when we reach the dock.”

“Mhmm… You’re the best.” Flynn slumped down on the floorboards with his bag as a pillow and dozed off in seconds.

He’s completely lost.

Kai sat beside him to make sure he didn’t roll over. This wasn’t how he had imagined spending the last hours before landing on the mainland. Then again, he hadn’t expected to get shipwrecked either. Or to have a siren in tow.

That’s too much adventure for a journey across the sea.

His mind still swirled to decide how he felt about their new companion.

Having lived in the archipelago, Kai had heard all kinds of stories about sirens from sailors and merchants. Forbidden loves, men lured beneath the waves by songs, and crews who disappeared with only chewed bones left behind. Sailors liked to mix love and horror. He had no way to distinguish truth from myth.

Sirens growing legs were rare, but not unheard of. Kai had considered it a narrative device for shocking revelations, and fixing anatomical problems in passionate scenes with sailors. He had also heard sirens would turn into foam away from the sea—which clearly wasn’t true. All the knowledge on Elydes was useless if he couldn’t distinguish the lies.

The only source he trusted was Virya. The mage had mentioned other races in passing; her lessons about sirens could be summarized with cunning, fascinating and dangerous creatures—overall, best to avoid if he cared for his life.

Too late for tha—

“Hi.” Rain walked up to them, his face glowing like any other day. He glanced at the snoring fool on the floor. “Is he okay?”

“He’s just tired.” Kai scooted over to make space for him. “You’re an entire grade above him. I don’t know about… your family, but he still needs rest.”