Kelia had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that Drew had returned from the Island of the Damned alone. Perhaps if she could find Emma, maybe even Wendy and Christopher, she would be better suited at figuring out if what the Sirens said really meant what it’d sounded like.

Or perhaps you left, knowing they might pull you underwater again, a voice said inside of her mind, smooth and slippery like an eel.

Kelia swallowed. She continued to row across the surface of the ocean. Because she was by herself, her pacing was no faster than a baby's crawl. However, her gaze locked on the dock, and she did not blink, did not flinch for a moment. She focused her attention on her breathing, on the sound of the lapping water as it hit the small boat and pushed it forward. Her back did not pinch anymore the way it used to. The wounds she had accumulated at her former handler's hand were starting to fade—at least, in pain. The scars would remain, a reminder of all that she endured.

Not that she needed one.

If she focused on water, she might be able to drown out the sounds of the Sirens, if they chose to sing again.

Closer and closer she came to the docks. Her arms were screaming at her. She had not rowed a boat like this by herself in so long...

She let out a breath as the ocean seemed to help her forward, pushing her along with the rowing. By the time she reached the wooden docks, she all but dropped the oars. She needed to take a minute to let her arms relax. They shook beyond her control. She took another breath and forced herself to stand. She needed to tie the boat to the dock so it would not drift off.

Even with the assistance of Emma's concoction, her stomach was still tumbling. She took a moment to balance her weight on the boat before bending down to retrieve the thick rope. It took her longer than usual, but after a few moments, she had the boat secure. Now all she needed to do was step onto the deck and make her way to the island.

Because it was so late, there was no port master, no one to collect a fee to dock their boats. In fact, there was an eerie silence that seemed to hang from the small dock, the boats that bobbed up and down with the ocean and its waves. Kelia forced herself to shake her head, to get out of her thoughts and focus on why she came here: she needed information. If there was a chance her mother was still alive...

Just as she set one booted foot on the dock, a hand shot out and grabbed her ankle. Kelia nearly tumbled back into the water, but she managed to catch her balance just in time. She looked down and saw a familiar pair of slate-blue eyes and blonde hair tainted green.

A Siren.

"You," she said, her grip firm. Her head and shoulders were above the surface of the water, her shoulders square. Kelia recognized her from earlier: Elise. "You are the one we want."

Kelia’s throat went dry. She chanced a look back at the Wraith, but the ship was hidden from her view and the ocean was empty. It did not appear as though Drew noticed she was missing. Her heart jumped. It was light but noticeable. She did not care to attempt to decipher what it meant. She forced it down and cleared her throat, attempting to refocus her attention on the Siren.

"Why?" Kelia asked. She did not know if it was the correct question, but it was the only one she could think of.

Despite the warmth earlier in the day, there was a chill in the air. She wished she had brought an overcoat or, at least, layered her new tunic with a shirt that would keep her warm. It could be that her hair was still slightly damp.

"You are Jessa's daughter." The Siren blinked, seemingly satisfied with this explanation.

"Is..." Kelia swallowed. Her voice came out raw, her throating burning, as though it wanted to keep the words inside. "Is my mother still alive?"

Slowly, the Siren's lips curled up into a smug smirk. "Come with me to find out.”

Kelia planted her other foot on the dock to keep her balance. The Siren did nothing to release her grip, but she allowed Kelia to maneuver into a more comfortable position. She had to stretch up, exposing her breasts, her long, graceful torso, and the beginning of her tail. It was difficult not to stare in awe of her beauty, but there was something dark about her. Something foreboding and dangerous.

"How do I know you are not lying?" Kelia’s heart hammered in her chest, but she had no idea why she would be afraid. The Siren had not threatened her. They had dragged her underwater earlier...but they also hadn’t killed her or taken her to the Queen.

This could go either way.

"I don’t deny I would rather be feasting on you than having a lovely chat about your mother," the Siren said drolly. "Yet I have not killed you already, when easily I could have. Tell me, young thing, would you rather I bit into you and drank your sweet, pure blood? Would that be an easier idea for you to believe in?"

Kelia tried to pull her ankle from Elise's grasp, hoping to take her by surprise. Instead, Kelia stumbled off balance and landed in a heap on her backside. The Siren chortled and tugged on Kelia's ankle so her feet dangled over the edge of the dock.

"You can come willingly," she said, "or I can take you myself. But your mother longs to see you. Ever since Sirens claimed her, she has missed you."

"Claimed?" Kelia asked. "What does that mean?"

"I'll give you one last chance, young thing," Elise said. "Choose to come with me. It will make this easier on both of us, and I always prefer to do things the easy way, if you please."

At that moment, a loud voice booming some kind of incantation cracked the night sky like a whip. Kelia could not make out the language, but she did her best to fellow along.

"...damnant ad mare."

Elise screamed and released her hold on Kelia. She sank into the water so only the top half of her head was above the water. Those eyes fixed on Kelia, narrowed and angry.

"Non revertemur."

Kelia turned to see Emma emerging from the darkness like a shadow, with Daniella just beside her, holding some kind of plant in her grasp. Was it sage? Something else entirely?

"Nos mos adepto eam. Et libenter veniam."

Elise spat in the water, disgust tainting her beautiful features. "Until we meet again, young thing. Perhaps use this time wisely to decide whether you want to see your mother again."

She turned and dove back into the ocean, disappearing from sight.

Kelia felt like she could suddenly breathe again. Tears formed in her eyes, but they did not fall. Her hands shook. Her heart raced. But she felt relieved.

"Kelia," Emma murmured. There was an edge to her voice. Kelia could not make out if it was annoyance or something else. Perhaps Emma was just as frightened as Kelia had been. "What are you doing off the ship? Does Drew know?" Emma stared into her eyes, then scanned her body. "You left on your own accord, didn't you?"

"My mother," Kelia finally got out. "My mother. The Siren said—”

"Sirens say a lot of things," Emma said, flicking her wrist dismissively. "Do not feed into their lies. They pollute your ears with alluring music, with sweet words. Whatever it takes you charm you into going with them."

"If she wanted to kill me, she could have," Kelia pointed out.

Emma turned, stepping in the direction of the island. Daniella followed suit, but Kelia noticed a curious look on her face.

“I suppose the Siren told you that, too?” Emma asked, turning back to arc her eyebrow before continuing toward the island.

"She could have killed me," Kelia repeated, standing and moving her feet to keep up. "But she didn’t. She said if I went with her willingly—”

"Do not go anywhere with Sirens," Emma snapped.

Kelia flinched. She had never seen Emma angry before. She had never seen Emma even a little afraid or nervous or anything, really. Emma had always been stoic, neutral. To see her face consumed with emotion made Kelia pause.

"Don’t ever go with Sirens, Kelia, for any reason." Emma’s eyes locked with Kelia's, the dark brown a raging fire. "There are worse things than death."

"But my mother—”

"Is dead." Immediately after speaking the words, Emma’s expression softened. It appeared as though she was going to say something reassuring, but ultimately, she did not. She let out a shaky breath. "Your mother is dead, Kelia. And I’m sorry for that loss. The Goddess has used her body, recycled it into the ground to nourish the earth. Anything you are told differently is a lie, a deadly lie that could get you killed."

Kelia clenched her jaw and fell in line next to Daniella. There was a flicker of sympathy in her gaze before she looked away. Together, they stepped off the dock and onto the dirt road.

The low murmur of drunkards hollering from the taverns ahead were like beacons along a dark passage, lighting her way to where she wanted to go. They walked in silence for a while before Kelia spoke again.

"How did you know I was here?"

"The smell," Daniella replied, wrinkling her nose. “And then we smelled the Siren, which was even worse.”

"The wretched demons smell like rotting seaweed and salt," Emma agreed.

They had just come into the beginning of the shopping district. Despite the darkness, people were spilling out of taverns. Men walked up and down the streets, leering at them as they passed by. One of them made a blunt comment about a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead to which Daniella responded with a vulgar gesture of her own. This, of course, did nothing to temper the men but sent them into fits of laughter.

Young girls, even younger than Kelia, with made up faces, stifling corsets, and plunging necklines prowled the streets, blowing kisses at any man who walked by. Kelia’s throat went dry at the prospect of young girls being forced to sell their bodies for a pitiful amount of coins.

Chimneys puffed black clouds of smoke skyward, making the evening look darker than it really was. Her nose tickled with the strong scent of sulfur and meat, and her stomach rumbled. She’d forgotten just how hungry she was. Organizing parchments and nearly drowning was enough to work up an appetite.

"Where are we going, anyway?” she asked, not seeing anywhere in the village that she would consider a safe place to stay for a while.

"You ask so many questions," Daniella said with an annoyed scowl. "A thank you for saving your foolish ass would be nice."

Kelia refrained from rolling her eyes. Her heart was not in bantering with Daniella at the moment. In fact, her head was too busy with thought, with the prospect of her mother being alive. Part of her wished Emma had not come, had not rescued her from whatever was going to happen. She needed to know one way or another.

"Your mother is not alive, Kelia Starling." Emma stopped so suddenly, Kelia nearly ran into her back.

Kelia swallowed around the lump in her throat. Emma’s way of reacting to unspoken thoughts was unnerving.

"The Siren said—”

"Water witches are notorious liars," Emma snapped. "They will do anything they can to get what they want. I’m frightened for you if you do not heed my warning, Kelia. I need you to trust me.”

Kelia placed her hands on her hips. "But she knew about my mother. Even her name.” Kelia raised her eyebrows at Emma. “How is that? You tell me, then how she is a liar. Perhaps you are right. But how would the Siren know anything about me? Don't I owe it to myself to at least see if her claim has merit to it? Wouldn’t you do the same thing if you were in my shoes?”

"Only if I thought potentially dying was worth finding out the answer," Emma said. She pressed her lips together in a frown. “Which I suppose you might, given your past decisions. But as part of Drew Knight’s crew, I am bound to stand behind his decisions, and despite his claims, I know he specifically returned to the ship to ensure you were all right. He did not place an order for supplies, so I must do it, or we will be forced to stay another evening to ensure our ship is fully stocked before we leave for Sangre. I know he certainly didn’t go through that trouble just to have you get eaten by a Siren"

Kelia clenched her jaw. “In other words, we’re on our way to place a supply order. That was all you needed to say. I didn’t need the lecture.”

Emma whipped around and headed toward the opening of the door attached to a tall, wooden building. It looked as though it housed multiple people but it appeared business-like rather than residential.

Before she could knock, two women with revealing dresses opened the door, their hips swaying side to side. Kelia looked up and took in what looked like a three-story residence. This was where Drew ordered his supplies?

"Hello, Emma," the first one said.

The second one pouted. "Where’s Drew? Is he not with you?"

Kelia’s teeth clamped together.

"Not tonight, Sylvia," Emma said, the facade of sweetness thick and heavy like the smoke erupting from the chimney. "Where is Grayson Briggs? I'm sure he's expecting me."

"He's busy," the first one said. "Please wait in the drawing room."

The minute they stepped into the building, Kelia was confronted with a slap of heavy perfume that immediately caused a pinching headache to form in the back of her head. She cleared her throat, trying to keep from dropping her head in her hands. She did not want these women to see any weakness from her.

Instead, she took in the smooth wood and the crimson colored rugs that lined the floor. Voices could be heard from a room on the second story. A couple of Drew's crew, who had been in the foyer, were led upstairs by beautiful, scantily clad women. Try as she might, Kelia could not stop the blush from warming her cheeks, and she quickly looked away. This was most definitely not shipping supplies.

Sylvia led them to a drawing room down the hall. More red furniture—tacky, in Kelia's opinion. When they sat, the couch was stiff and uncomfortable.

Kelia rolled her shoulders back and kept her chin up even though she wanted nothing more than to stick her head out the window and gasp for air. There was another chair, a small wooden coffee table, and a pianoforte tucked in the corner that appeared as though it had not been used in a long while. Dust crept up on the eggshell blue edges.

She had the sudden urge to play a few keys, to hear the music, the way her mother used to play. It was one of the only memories of her mother she had, and she cherished it.

From her vantage point on the stiff couch, Kelia saw the night was darker still, the moon nowhere in sight. Emma sat next to her while Daniella sat in the arm chair. Kelia drummed her fingers on the arm of the couch, trying to keep her patience. She was not certain if she wanted to get this over with because she wanted to figure out this whole business with her mother or because she wanted to breathe fresh air.

At that moment, the door creaked open, and a good-looking man in gentleman's attire—pantaloons, polished leather boots, overcoat, and tunic, all pressed and fitting on his frame as though they were tailored for him—strolled in. He had an air of confidence, and when his gaze landed on Emma, a wicked grin danced across his face.

"Hello, Emma, darling," he said in a rich baritone. He leaned his tall frame down to kiss Emma on both cheeks. "So glad to see you. Where is Drew Knight? Oh." He stepped back, nearly bumping his long legs into the coffee table behind him. "And who are these lovely ladies with you? Drew's concubines, no doubt."

Both Daniella and Kelia opened their mouths. Kelia was ready to correct him, straightening up and narrowing her eyes, but Emma cut him off.

"Actually, Grayson, we're here to place an order," Emma said. "I need a three-month supply of blood, to be delivered no later than tomorrow night. I know it's late notice, but we leave early the next morning."

The man named Grayson smiled, reminding Kelia of a serpent.

"Emma," he said, his voice smooth. "So good to see you. Come in. We can talk business after we catch up."

Despite the charm that laced his voice, his words did not sound like a request.