Chapter 51

  A crowd had gathered around the tournament ring, but Egaz kept pulling her through people. She muttered apology after apology as she had to weave through the people who had already gathered. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but no one seemed to mind. She stumbled on the loose sand and was caught by one of the men gathered. He smiled at her, supporting her easily with powerful arms.

  “Kids,” he said goodnaturedly. She thanked him, and hurried after Egaz, who now stood beside Alejo, in the open near the ring. Alejo’s tunic was dirty from pying in the sand with the other children. There were three other fighters gathered, Ael’s opponents likely. Each was receiving healing from gathered sirens who sang the water over welts and bruises. Ael was there too, a heavy blue robe over her clothing. The siren working on her was fussing over a bck eye that had swollen. It looked painful. Ael grinned at her when she broke through the crowd.

  “Sorry,” said a thin, scrawny woman who could not have been more than twenty. “You’ll have to stay behind this line,” she drew a line in the sand with her foot, “until the champions have all been healed.” Nereida nodded, crossing her arms in annoyance. But no one else tried to approach the champions. Her children stood on either side of Ael, giggling and chatting with her. It was good to see; her elder son next to Ael with a smile. It lifted a weight from her shoulders.

  Both boys suddenly darted behind Ael, their giggles carrying. Another siren, the healer who had been tending to Ael, ducked behind her as well, her words to the children lost in the din. She knelt behind Ael, and was gone for almost two minutes before the healer stood up with a cheerful smile. Nereida rexed, clearly her boys were not up to anything particurly troublesome.

  The Council was suddenly on hand, coming out from the trees. They announced third and second pce, the Speaker’s voice echoing over the hushed crowd.

  “The winner has chosen to forgo the usual prize,” the Speaker announced, stepping forward, a smug smirk on their face. Nereida frowned, looking for clues to the winner, but both Ael and the unnamed siren looked pleased as punch. “Grand Admiral Ael Kyverna has taken the first pce spot in this tournament.” Nereida watched gold and small gems changing hands throughout the crowd. Good grief, did everyone connected to the sea pce bets? She noticed Evander in the crowd, next to his husband, and he looked particurly pleased, holding a rge bag that a siren had passed to him with a good natured sigh.

  Ael stepped forward to take whatever prize she had wrangled instead of what looked to be small sacks of gold or jewels. She dropped the rge cloak, letting it go with a dramatic fir also left the two boys behind her visible. Nereida felt her mouth drop open, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She was dressed in the purple and red outfit from their dinner with Matthias, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment or anticipation, Nereida could not be sure which. Each boy was dressed in a simple tabard divided into three; purple on one side, bck on the other, divided by a thick bar of red. Their colours together. When had Ael had time to get those? And how had she smuggled all three outfits to the isnd without Nereida seeing?

  A terrible worry bubbled inside her. Had Ael asked for her hand as her prize? The boys wearing her colours was a grand statement, did Ael know that? She must, they had talked about it enough. But she didn’t want a spectacle for an engagement. She knew their wedding would have to be one, and she wanted something that was theirs. Ael met Nereida’s eyes from across the open pins, and she smiled a mischievous smile. Nereida felt her hands begin to shake, but she wasn’t certain if it was worry or excitement.

  “For her prize, the Grand Admiral has asked to fly our fg on her ship until she can make port among the fire people, when it will be kept or returned depending on her heart. A mark that we accept her ship, that we protect it. We have accepted her prize, and mark her as our emissary to the outside world. The Dragon's Tooth will be welcome in the Siren’s ocean so long as the Grand Admiral Ael, her first mate Evander, or a siren heir,” they looked to the two boys as they spoke, “commands the vessel.”

  This was met by excited shouts and murmurs of confusion from both crew and sirens. No one quite knew what to make of it. Nereida stared at her beloved’s proud smile. Ael shifted her stance, became the Admiral mask, her face hardening as she looked at out the crowd. The Speaker produced a fg, light blue with a bck dolphin and a white shark, the two sea creatures circling each other. Ael unfurled it, held it high, and the excitement rose, until it hit a nearly fevered pitch. The cacophony was loud enough to drown out the ocean’s song. Ael called to the boys, who each shyly took a corner. She kept her fierce expression, as if daring the crowd to nay-say her. Instead, the cheers rose. Her crew were throwing out salutes.

  Nereida stared in wonder at her beloved. Not politically astute, Ael’s Queen, Ael’s cousin had said. But this theatre was all politics. She had secured a powerful ally. The Speaker had to work to regain control of the assembled folk.

  “Moon rise has begun,” they decred. “Find your families, and when the light leaves the nd, we will begin at the Great Fire.” They smiled, a feral, wild expression with their sharp teeth white in the dying light. “Our guest, Prince Basiano, will have the honour of lighting the Great Fire.” Nereida swallowed, feeling slightly worried. There was a cultural bit here that she did not know. Part of this dance was very unfamiliar. But the crowd had begun to disperse, and she was finally able to reach Ael and her children. The boys were bouncing on their toes. Each had a fancy new belt of leather tying their tabards down.

  “We match!” Egaz excimed as she drew closer. “You will too, mommy, Ael brought your dress too.”

  “Did she now,” Nereida looked up at her beloved, who blushed at the sudden attention. “And why would she do that, do you think, Egaz?” Her younger child looked up at Ael, and then mimicked locking a lock over his mouth. Nereida ughed and ruffled his hair.

  “Come on, mommy, please?” Alejo said, scuffing his toes in the loose white sand. “It's almost time for the big ceremony thingy and we should match!”

  “Uncle Bassi is going to feel so underdressed,” Nereida replied dramatically. She saw the siren healer waving her over, and she sighed. “How did you get her to do what you want, Ael?”

  “I just have a way with sirens.” Ael grinned, her cheeky expression making her eyes dance in the low light.

  Nereida got dressed as quickly as she could manage. The siren healer helped her ce her corset from behind, making small talk about the fabric and the colours, about how sweet her children were. The healer was hoping to have children soon, and was hoping she could find a “reja” to spend the night with. It was not a term Nereida was familiar with, and, after trying to parse it out, she gave up and out-right asked.

  “Ah,” the woman said with a coy little smile. “Some of us, who do not wish to marry, find a reja during the ceremony or right after. A person to have… time… with tonight.” She ughed a little. “I don’t know if it transtes well to the market-tongue.”

  “Market… is that how you know how to speak our nguage?”

  “The sylph trade with us, and those of us who can change our looks go to market to get things we cannot easily get beneath the waves. We teach our young this tongue too, except for Sharks.” She ughed a little. “Sometimes, for our winter celebration, we invite sylph ships here, and more of us take a reja for the night.” Nereida smiled.

  “Practical. I hope your reja brings you… satisfaction tonight.” The other woman ughed.

  “I told your Admiral about the reja. She turned a lovely shade of red, and was unable to recommend anyone. I have never seen someone look as if they may flee from mere words before.”

  “Her customs are different,” Nereida offered with an easy shrug. “And I must go, but,” she took a moment to point out a few of the crewmen that she knew were not attached, who liked women, and who might, given the type of song and story they performed, be willing to be a reja. “I wish you luck.” The healer thanked her, and they parted ways.

  Ael was waiting for her. The fire was not yet lit, as more sirens were drawing closer. Ael took her hand, and led her away to where Epelda and the boys were standing. Each of the three children had a candle; Epelda’s was red, Alejo’s was purple and Egaz’s was bck. The little fmes flickered in the gentle breeze off the ocean. Epelda wore a fetching dress in a pale blue that hugged her curves and made her look far more mature. It was not a piece of clothing Nereida had ever seen on the girl. The fabric was light and billowy, a far cry from her usual tunic and trousers.

  “Love,” Ael began. The two boys stopped their giggling, and suddenly moved to Ael’s side. As if it was rehearsed, Epelda moved to behind Ael. Alejo had his hand in a pouch, handing his candle to his brother. “Before we go to the fire….” she motioned to the children to step forward, and then dropped to her knee. The rest of the world faded away. The ever present song from the ocean seemed to mute, the light of the pale moon reflecting in Ael’s eyes. “I know, love, that it hasn’t been long, but I cannot imagine myself without you by my side now.” Alejo carefully pulled a silver bracelet from the bag. It had blue sapphires set in it, the silver swirling around the gems like waves. He pced the bracelet in Ael’s hand. “Nereida, love, will you be my wife?”

  “Yes,” she breathed. She leaned in and kissed Ael, not caring for a moment that her children were by her side. Ael wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, csping it closed. The metal was cool on her skin. It fit just right, jingling as she shook her wrist, a smile blooming on her face. Egaz cpped, dancing from foot to foot, carefully keeping both candles away from the others. Alejo looked more quietly pleased, as he rummaged more in the bag. Epelda was smiling softly, as if she understood the adults’ feelings. Alejo brought out a second bracelet, this one gold with brilliant rubies, still in the same wavy-like pattern.

  “You have to put this on her, mommy,” Alejo said gravely. “Or it doesn’t count.” Nereida fumbled with the csp, the dying light making her task nearly impossible. Epelda came to the rescue, bringing her candle close. Nereida managed, after a long moment, to get the bracelet on Ael’s thin wrist. The two women entangled their fingers, the matching bracelets reflecting in the candle light.

  “Now I have two mommies!” Egaz excimed. He passed his second candle back to his brother.

  “That just means more rules,” Alejo huffed, but he smiled, batting his eyes up at Ael. “And maybe more dessert?” Ael ughed.

  “Tonight sprout, you can eat as much dessert as you want.” He grinned back at the Admiral.

  “I was half afraid you were going to ask in front of everyone,” Nereida admitted, slipping her hand into Ael’s. “Back when they said you asked for something else as a prize.”

  “While you are a treasure beyond anything I have ever known, you are not a prize to be won, Ner.…Love, our marriage is going to be political. Our lives are, certainly. I wanted this for you, just us… and our children.” Ael’s voice was soft, tentative, and she gnced back at Alejo worriedly. But the young boy just shrugged. “So that something of our lives is only ours.” She brought Nereida’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “I had meant to do a whole long speech but then I looked at you in that dress, with the moon behind you, and I just… forgot.”

  “Did you like your surprise, mama?”

  “I did, Egaz.” She leaned over to pick him up. He was still small for his age, but wiry. All the climbing and fighting with Epelda had made him leaner, so that he resembled the Sylph more. The small boy grabbed her neck in a tight squeeze. “Come on, we don’t want to miss Uncle Basiano lighting the fire.” She carried her youngest as the group of them moved toward the assembled crowd. She couldn't imagine a more perfect night.

  FionaRobinsong