Page 171 of Golden Queen
Her breasts reached the surface, and bone white nipples appeared over the water, followed by a rib cage just as hollow and sunken as the rest of her frame. She was little more than bones and thin, pallid skin.
But as the water began to flow down from her body, she changed. Pallid, sunken flesh became supple, white skin. Her small, pointed breasts rounded, becoming voluptuous. Even her features perfected in the absence of the water, leaving the same large eyes in a perfectly lovely face. Heart-shaped red lips were set in a soft, gentle smile.
Another just like her reached the shallows to her left. Sunken, fish-like body rose from the water, revealing a beautiful dark-skinned woman.
And yet another, further back, moving with the same jerky fish-like movements under the water while the head remained still above it. She rose in the shallows just as a fourth woman emerged behind her.
Io stepped in front of me with his sword held out defensively.
I stood, feeling a thickness in the air and a whooshing sound in my ears. I only realized I couldn’t hear when I stepped forward and my foot made no sound on the stones.
I gave Io a dark look.
He widened his eyes meaningfully before the whooshing retreated and my hearing returned.
Four beautiful women stood before us with lovely, expressive faces and varying shades of hair from black to red to gold—all that strange texture that seemed alive, wiggling like thin, wispy worms around their heads and shoulders.
"Morrigan," the women said in one strange, ululating voice, using a truly ancient word for queen. They bowed to me, lowering their heads to the rocky, cave floor. I could see clear lines where rows of gills ran down the sides of their necks and thin, sharp-looking translucent fins rose from their backs.
"Hello," I said dumbly, stepping around Io, who gave me another look of warning. I ignored him and moved to the first of the sirens.
I knew we could not be far from the sea since the Twilight Gap was such a narrow strip of land, but I was still very surprised to see them in the mineral pool.
"Please, rise," I said to the first, the one closest to me with midnight black hair.
I reached down to touch her lightly on her pale shoulder just beside the central razor-sharp fin. Her skin was cool and smooth.
The siren looked up at me and blinked unnaturally fast. The large, glossy black orbs seemed to wink in and out of existence as she fluttered her eyelids.
She smiled with a mouth of needle-sharp teeth. "This...is a pleasure of meeting you, Morrigan," she said in mildly broken Alterran. She had a strange accent that made her lyrical voice sound unnaturally light and insubstantial.
"The pleasure is mine," I told her as the sirens all stood as if their bodies were one living being, their movements mirroring each other down the smallest detail. Even their hair seemed to writhe in unison. "What’s your name?" I asked her, entirely unsure how to proceed with greeting sirens. Was there some protocol I should follow?
"We are Fellyanorsa," the first Siren said, bowing her head slightly. It was the first movement of the four that was not mirrored in the other three.
"Cambrica," another said, her voice slightly deeper, but no less musical. Her living hair was a bright, burnished red, her skin like polished jet.
"Withia," added the golden-haired siren. She smiled brightly at me with her mouthful of sharp teeth as she bowed her head over clasped hands. Her long fingers, tipped by sharp talon-like nails, were connected by a delicate transparent webbing.
The final siren, her soft brown hair gently writhing around blue-tinged shoulders, her belly rounded in an obviously advanced stage of pregnancy, said softly. "We are Tekta, Your Majesty."
I turned to Io, now at my side. He stood before the sirens, still completely naked, without a hint of embarrassment, and I realized I had not felt any myself. The sirens were, of course, as naked as we were. "This is Amon Aldur, Lord of Darkwatch," I told them.
As one, they turned and gave him a smaller, but still very respectful bow.
"Well-met," he said, tipping his head in their direction and finally letting his sword point fall.
"What brings you from the sea?" I asked.
"We are waiting for Aelia of Windemere," Fellyanorsa said. "We felt your summons."
I narrowed my eyes, confused.
Io leaned in. "The magic," he said.
"Oh," I replied. "I didn't mean to do that, actually." I gave her an apologetic smile, figuring I must have disturbed them all the way out in the sea.
Fellyanorsa smiled back. "The king bid us to bring you this gift."
