Page 46 of Lured By the Siren

Dru pinches the bridge of his nose and groans, obviously exasperated. “Katarina, I think we need to talk.”

“I can think of a few better things to do than talk, royal boy.”

Dru casts me a look dripping with annoyance, and I only chuckle. It seems that Katarina’s charms no longer work on him. “I’ll let you guys talk.”

I leave them, not wanting to be involved in whatever conversation Dru was about to have. I’d seen him break up with women before, and none of them ever took it well. Dru was the tall, dark, and handsome type, the guy that girls swooned over back home. His dark hair, hazel eyes, and tanned complexion from days at sea always had the girls looking past me and straight at him. It didn’t help that he was also heir to the province, and nearly half a head taller than I am.

The sirens and sailors have dispersed across the beach, and I notice Mathius and Evelyn still together, away from the others. I need to speak with both of them, because not only does Mathius need to get off of Kafigda and back home to Halvendor, but I want Evelyn to come as well. I only hope she does, too.

Before I even make it that far, Evelyn is waving me over with a large grin on her stunning face.

“Kai! Come quick!” She yells, and I jog over to them.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your reunion,” I say.

Mathius suddenly places a large hand on my shoulder, and I can practically feel the power emanating from him in waves. “I owe you my thanks, Kai. Without you and Evelyn,” he pauses, a dark shadow passing over his face. “I can’t think of how much longer all of us would have been stuck under that siren’s spell. I am indebted to you. We all are.”

“It was mostly Evie,” I say, smiling over at her. “I was just along for the ride.”

Mathius huffs a laugh, “Even so, thank you.”

His face shifts to one far more serious, and his hand tightens slightly on my shoulder, “Tell me, Kai. How fares Halvendor in my absence?”

Looking away from him, unable to meet his intense golden-eyed stare, “It’s a much better place than you remember, I’m sure,” is all I can manage. I wasn’t alive in his time, and so I don’t know how much has changed. I have no idea what it waslike when he sat on the throne, other than in history books. All I know is now. And now the country is in shambles.

“Since you disappeared, no one has been able to stay on the throne. Although many have tried, all fail and most end up dead.”

His hand drops from my shoulder, and he nods, “Only an Elf can sit the throne and rule the land. Someone from my line.” He looks over to Evie with a soft smile, and I realize that Evelyn is probably his only child.

“I–I don’t know what it was like when you ruled, but the entire kingdom has been taken over by the strongest warlords of men. It’s been cut and divided into provinces for centuries. I’m afraid there isn’t much left of your ruling city. It was picked over long ago, and now it’s little more than a war zone for those fighting to claim your throne.” I look back up at him and almost back away.

His face is set in a grim line, and a surge of energy roars around him, making him look so much bigger as he says, “It’s time for us to get off this island and go home.”

21

Evelyn

Freedom.

That's what I feel at this moment, as I look out over the beauty of clear blue skies and the seemingly endless expanse of the sparkling sea. I want to swim and explore the far reaches of the world.

I am free.

The realization comes at me fast and hard, in a rush of exhilarating excitement. I can’t believe the storms are gone, and I can go anywhere and do anything I please for the first time in my life.

I look over to the men, to Kai and Mathius. It has been two glorious days since the darkened, angry skies of Kafigda were vanquished, and Mathius had led the men in constructing a vessel for all those wanting to leave the island.

With Yvette now gone, the sirens and sailors were left to do as they pleased, and many of the men wanted to stay. This not only made my siren sisters who loved their island home happy, but it also made Kafigda happy.

At the end of it all, Yvette was the foolish one. She hadn’t needed to lure Mathius and others to the island. If she had only listened to my mother all those years ago, she would have realized that the sirens and Kafigda were a place that men and other creatures wanted to visit. She hadn’t needed to trick anyone, but I suppose she had only wanted the power for herself all along, and in the end, that was her mistake.

Now the ship was almost done, and we would be sailing our way toward Halvendor at sunset, with Mathius and Dru at the helm.

Dru had decided to leave my sister Kat to go home and take on his duties for his people. Kai seemed significantly relieved by that choice. Mathius had assured both Dru and Kai that he wouldn’t be tearing away their claim on Renyir, the province their father had secured many years ago. It was theirs still, and he would figure out the rest when he got back and took his seat as king of Halvendor once again.

He won’t admit it, but I can see the trepidation and anxiety in the way that Mathius has been working these past few days. He is scared. Scared of what the kingdom might be like, afraid of taking back his rightful place in a land that has lived without him for so long. There is no knowing what will happen upon his return to the mainland.

Mathius explained to me last night that without an elven ruler on the throne of Halvendor, magic ceased to exist there.And many of the beings who had lived in Halvendor were tied to magic. He was worried for them, unsure what had befallen them in his absence. From what Kai and Dru have said, there are no longer magical beings in Halvendor, only men.

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