I had never had freshwater fish roasted over a fire pit, but it was the most delicious meal I'd ever had. Not only was my barbarian a savior, but he was also a good cook. After consuming three large fish, he flattened the fourth and hung it up to dry over the flames.

“Is it still raining?” I asked.

Kradr had just come in from outside with an armful of wood to keep the flame going. He placed them in a pile against the wall.

“No. The dark clouds have passed. The flood waters will return to the lakes soon.”

"Will we leave now?" I asked, knowing that he still desired to get to his brother. It was evening now, and I wondered if Zaqwar could see in the dark like Mer people.

“Soon, yes.”

He picked up one of the spears he constructed earlier with his bare hands, using resources from the forest. There were four of them lined across the wall ready to be used. After inspecting his work, he slumped down on the ground and rested his back against the cave. He placed his arms on his knees and peered in my direction under hooded eyes.

I could tell he was tired. His eyelids were heavy with fatigue. I never asked him how far he ran to catch the fish for me, but when I woke up to the sound of him squeezing his way back into the cave, it had felt like I had been sleeping for hours.

“Thank you,” I said, quietly.

He spoke a single word in a language I had never learned.

I lifted the blanket, patting the space beside me. “Lay with me.”

He paused for a few seconds, and I wondered if he was still suspicious of me. Did he still believe I had the powers of my fellow Sirens? Did he think I was going to sing spells that would destroy him? If I could do those things, I'd never do them to him.

Slowly, he rose. I watched as he removed the heavy belt with his daggers from around his waist and threw it on the ground near our shoes. Then, he crawled onto the blanket and laid on his back. I closed the distance between us—just enough to feel his warmth—and propped my head up on my elbows.

“Tell me about what it’s like where you live,” I started.

“My village is far, near lago de jade,” he said.

“Lago?”

“Lake. The Green Lake. It’s the biggest body of water in the Quag.”

“You said there are four corners earlier.”

“Yes,” he said. “My village is Volming. Then there is Rockming which was taken by the Zaqwar aliens. Almarc and Omirc are further south. There are some areas in between. Mostly unoccupied. We make up the Quag.”

“Quag. The forest beyond the sea,” I stated.

“Yes.”

“Where is Cape Scyllaea?” I asked. Speaking of the place where my mother was born sounded strange to me.

Kradr turned slightly, propping himself on his side just like me.

“Is that where your mother was from?”

I nodded. “It’s where my parents met.”

He frowned. "It's just outside of Almarc. Last I heard, that area was raided by pirates. If there are still sirens there, they hide very well. Do you want to go back there?"

I swallowed. “There’s no going back.”

He threaded his fingers through my hair, lifting the ends and pressing them close to his nose. "You don't belong in prison, spellsinger."

"I'm not in prison anymore."

“You don’t belong in a breeder’s cottage either.”

“Tell me more about this cottage.”

He settled back on his back with a sigh. “The Zaqwarians use breeders to procreate. But it wasn’t a custom they brought with them from their planet. Men of the Quag have been breeding from a limited population of women for decades. When Zaqwarians took Rockming, they used the women there to birth their offspring. After running through the women of the Quag, they turned their attention to the sea. Your king signed a treaty giving them access to female breeders like you.”

“Do you know why my King agreed to do this?” I asked.

“The Zaqwarians are feared.”

“Yes. There used to be a time where they feared us and thought we were magical beings of the sea. Gods and goddesses. But when they learned that we could be killed, that changed.”

“It is said that spellsingers destroyed the first spaceship full of Zaqwarians.”

I shook my head. “That’s just half of the story. The Sirens didn’t destroy the ships themselves. When the ships came, the Sirens were trying to warn the sea people of the threat coming from the sky. They sang from the rocks on the beach and their warnings reached the Sea King. When my King saw how massive the ships were hovering above our home, he knew the threat was real. There was a prophecy at one point about how modern men would discover our existence and destroy our home. The Sea King still believes it,” I exclaimed.

“This is all in your history books?”

I chuckled. “We tell stories on stones with pictures and word of mouth. Sometimes the Sirens even sing of this tale.”

“What did the sea king do about the ships?”

“Mer people who witnessed the whole thing say he created a storm out of thin air with his trident and sank the ship to the bottom of the ocean. It was the biggest storm anyone had ever seen, even bringing down pirate ships that had nothing to do with the incident. No one is allowed in that area where the ship rests in a watery grave. The next night, more ships came, but these ships landed on the shores of Cape Scyllaea. When they exited, they discovered the Sirens singing. To protect their homes, Mermen came from the sea and killed many of the giant human-like creatures who came from the ships. At the time, we called them sky people. Those who survived ran off into the Quag.”

"And that's when we first discovered them. There were battles on land in the months that followed. They had already taken Rockming. The population in the Quag was decimated down to a little more than half. They conquered this island and then adapted themselves to our barbaric lifestyle," Kradr added.

"Like you said, it's ingrained in Zaqwar DNA to conquer and reproduce. That's still their mission, yes?" I inquired, knowing full well that my interpretation was correct. "Years later, the Mer would hear about the sky people again, but this time, the land dwellers referred to them as Zaqwar, alien warriors turned barbarians who conquered the Men of the Quag. Apparently, the Zaqwar never forgot how the sea people brought down their ships and killed more than half of their men. They started hunting us. They acquired ships and began removing us from the sea. Mermen were tortured. Mermaidens were raped. When they found out we could be used to help them reproduce, they began tracking the females. Many went missing, including princesses and those of Royal blood. For the first time in decades, in the middle of a battle between Mer and Zaqwar, our Sea King took human form, used his magic to drown every Zaqwar warrior, and took their leader captive. But the Zaqwar do not fear death. They wouldn't let us live in peace. That's how the peace treaty came about and their leader was released to enforce it."

“And on every full moon, they send a mermaiden to the shore,” Kradr finished.

“Yes. Are they always so murderous…the Zaqwar?” I asked.

“No, but never for one moment should you believe you will get lucky and be paired with a kind or gentle Zaqwarian. They only follow one leader at a time. They do whatever he commands.”

I sighed. I still had hope. My luck hadn’t run out yet.

“Why did they take your brother?”

"We have Zaqwar blood, but we do not follow Zaqwar rule," he replied. "Not under Haugar, anyway."

“Oh.”

“After my mother was held and raped repeatedly, she escaped with my brother and I and took us back to Volming where she raised us. We weren’t and still aren’t the only hybrids there. My brother and I are warriors, defending our village against threats. We’re also hunters. We were looking for food that day with two others. It should have been me. The men were running after me, but he called attention to himself, redirecting them. Later when I found out they had captured him, I knew I had to do whatever I could to get him back. Even kill.”

“Were you going to kill me?”

“No,” he said, quickly. “I was going to let you run, but you didn’t.”

“And you didn’t leave me either.”

He grinned. “Maybe you’ve put a spell on me.”

I chuckled. If I had these abilities like he was suggesting, I only wished the spell had lasting effects. I wasn’t ready to leave Kradr. But I didn’t tell him that.

I laid beside him, placing my head on his chest near his heart. I was surprised that he let me touch him. Even after the first touch, I couldn’t help myself, tracing the planes of his chests and locking every detail into my memory. His heartbeats were calm, rhythmic, and soothing.

“You should rest now, Kradr. You’ll need all your strength to get your brother back,” I whispered.

“You won’t leave me…,” he said, his speech a bit slurred as he began to drift off to sleep.

“I won’t leave you,” I confirmed. “Good night.”