Storms May Come – Chapter 4
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I ran my hand along the rough walls, fingers catching on the innumerable tiny shells. Everyone in the village who could lift the coquina stones had been helping to build a wall around our homes. Even the children combed the beaches for oyster shells, which were burned into lime and mixed with sand and water to hold the stones together. This town was meant to stand for generations. The walls were meant to stand against the King’s men.
The Sirens had been the ones to point out the sturdy rocks buried under the shore. They even swam up with stones they had dug out from the ocean floor. They offered them as trade for whatever human items could interest them, usually as equally common to us as the coquina was to them. The agreement suited both species perfectly.
In the immediate aftermath of the battle with Dreven, the humans were so grateful for the Sirens’ aid that a treaty was able to be formed with little objection. It guaranteed peace between the two species, free trade amongst us, and established neutral zones along the borders of our lands – the Sirens were free to roam the beaches and cliffs along the shore, while humans could fish and swim along the coast. But as time wore on and the village built up defenses, gratitude waned and old grudges surfaced.
Most of the men still steered clear of Sirens when they could; it’s near impossible to stop being wary of a creature that could control you with a note. Nonetheless, they seemed to enjoy taking their fishing boats onto the water, and some would even trade directly with the Sirens – women were the go-betweens for the rest. And then there were the men constantly stirring up trouble, not just uneasy with the treaty but resisting it.
I couldn’t say I blamed them; the Sirens’ rows of pointy teeth and sharp claws still terrified me if I looked too long, and revenge for lost loved ones was not easily set aside. But we needed peace with the Sirens. It was that or return to Zorin to live under the tyranny of King Zayin. And the recent battle had shown us the deception and cruelty of that ruler. The Sirens, at least, had only harmed our people because they thought us a threat to their safety. King Zayin killed simply to show that he could.
My parents had told me tales of him, and many villagers had grown up with stories of similar rulers in the lands of their ancestors. It is why our town on the Siren Sea had no ruler, why our parents established a council with every family having a voice upon settling here. And a majority of that council had agreed that Sirens were the lesser threat, between monsters and monarchs.
I dragged my hand away from the pale walls and stepped onto the newly paved roads leading to the town center. In honor of our new alliance, a bubbling fountain depicting the Siren Queen now stood in the town square. Water flowed forth from her hands, mouth open in a silent song. It was there that I waited to welcome our newest villagers, defectors from Zorin who were led here by Fina.
She had formed a small group of infiltrators, known amongst us as “The Shadows”, to spread the word of our town to any who sought refuge. Anyone who wished to leave their kingdom would be assisted in evading Zayin’s soldiers and making the journey here. My role was to greet them upon their arrival and make sure they followed through with the terms of the treaty.
A bedraggled group of over a dozen strangers trudged down the lane towards me. I smiled warmly at them and waved. They paused upon reaching the square, gaping at our odd shell-stone buildings and roads. Most of the children hid behind their parents, there looked to be three families, but one girl of about 6 or 7 years squealed before running up to the fountain. She thrust a hand under the flow of water and gazed wide-eyed at the statue of Queen Aetherina.
“Is it true that Sirens are real…and they live here?” she asked without taking her eyes off the fountain.
I kneeled next to her. “They live in the sea as our neighbors, and they protect this town from any who wish to harm us,” I told her before her mother came and scooped her up with an apologetic smile.
I stood, dusting off my pants, before turning to the group. “Welcome to Calder.”
One of the women gave me an amused smile. “Wild Waters. A fitting name, if what I hear of your battle with Prince Zyler is true.”
I nodded once. Prince Zyler Dreven Heliot, the man we knew simply as Dreven.
“Good,” one of the men spoke up. “He deserved what he got and worse. It was the Prince,” he practically spat the title, “who came for our only son when we could no longer pay the King’s taxes.”
The woman next to him put a hand on his arm. “He’s only a boy of fourteen, our son. Too young for the King’s dungeon.” Her eyes glistened.
“We knew it best to flee for now, but I mean to see my son freed at the first opportunity.” His fists clenched at his sides, and I saw determination on his face.
“We’ll help however we can,” I replied. It was the best I could do; it would not be easy to free someone from the King’s dungeon. “I’m Aelesia.”
The couple introduced themselves as Firth and Ryia. The little girl who had asked about the Sirens was Ailsa.
“I will take you all to get settled shortly, but we have one task that must be done first,” I announced. “You must each offer a gift to the Sirens on behalf of your family. This shows that you mean them no harm and agree to the treaty.”
Most of them shifted their feet and murmured nervously. But they all searched their bags and pockets for some small token. Ailsa tugged on her mother’s skirt. “May I give the gift to the Sirens, Mama?”
Her mother looked to me.
“They will not harm any of you, as long as you bring the gifts,” I said in answer to the unspoken question. “But Ailsa, their appearance may scare you. You might change your mind once you see them.”
But Ailsa jumped for joy when her mother agreed, and she clutched their gift of a small thimble to her chest. The size or value of the gift did not matter, it was the act of giving that showed a willingness to live peacefully beside the Sirens. So I led our newest residents to the Siren Sea.
…
What do you think of the latest chapter of the story? Do you think they will be able to live happily by the Siren Sea?
Thanks so much for reading!
-Clever & WTF
