“I DON’T REMEMBER THE last time I saw you like that.”
“Like what?”
“Put together.”
“Put together,” I repeat, adjusting my collar.
“Handsome,” says Madrid.
I arch an eyebrow. “Am I not normally handsome?”
“You’re not normally clean,” she says. “And your hair isn’t normally so—”
“Put together?”
Madrid rolls up her shirtsleeves. “Princely.”
I smirk and look in the mirror. My hair is neatly slicked back from my face, every speck of dirt scrubbed away so that there isn’t an ounce of the ocean left on me. I’m wearing a white dress shirt with a high-button collar and a dark gold jacket that feels like silk against my skin. Probably because it is silk. My family crest sits uncomfortably on my thumb, and of every piece of gold on me, that seems to shine the brightest.
“You look the same,” I tell Madrid. “Only without the mud smears.”
She punches me in the shoulder and ties her midnight hair away from her face with a bandana, revealing the Kléftesis tattoo on her cheek. It’s a brand for children taken by the slave ships and forced to be murderers for hire. When I found her, Madrid had just bought her freedom with the barrel of a gun.
By the doorway, Kye and Torik wait. Just as Madrid, they look no different. Torik with his shorts unraveling at the shin, and Kye with sharp cheeks and a smile made for trickery. Their faces are cleaner, but nothing else has changed. They’re incapable of being anything other than what they are. I envy that.
“Come with us,” says Kye, threading his fingers through Madrid’s. She glares at the uncharacteristic display of affection – the two of them are far better fighters than they are lovers – and breaks away to run a hand through her hair.
“You like the tavern so much more than this place,” Madrid says.
It’s true. A horde of my crew has already made their way to the Golden Goose, with enough gold to drink until the sun comes up. All that remains are my three most trusted.
“It’s a ball thrown in my honor,” I tell them. “It wouldn’t be very honorable for me not to show up.”
“Maybe they won’t notice.” Madrid’s hair swings wildly behind her as she speaks.
“That’s not comforting.”
Kye nudges her and she pushes him back twice as hard. “Quit it,” she says.
“Quit making him nervous, then,” he tells her. “Let’s leave the prince to be a prince for once. Besides, I need a drink, and I feel like I’m messing up this pristine room just by standing here.”
I nod. “I do feel poorer just looking at you.”
Kye reaches over to the nearby sofa and throws one of the gold-threaded cushions at me with such poor aim that it lands by my feet. I kick it away and try to look chastising.
“I hope you throw your knife better than that.”
“Never had a siren complain yet,” he says. “Are you sure you’re okay for us to go?”
I stare back into the mirror at the prince before me. Immaculate and cold, barely a glint in my eyes. As though I’m untouchable and I know it. Madrid was right; I do look princely. Which is to say, that I look like a complete bastard.
I adjust my collar again. “I’m sure.”
THE BALLROOM SHINES LIKE its own sun. Everywhere glitters and sparkles, so much so that if I concentrate too much on any specific thing, my head begins to pound.
“How much longer do you plan to have your feet on land?”
Nadir Pasha, one of our highest dignitaries, swirls a gold glass of brandy. Unlike the other Pashas I’ve spent the evening in idle conversation with – either political or military ranking – he’s not nearly as trite. It’s why I always save him for last when I consult with court. Matters of state are the furthest thing from his mind, especially on occasions when the brandy glasses are so large.
“Only a few more days,” I say.
“Such an adventurer!” Nadir takes a swig of his drink. “What a joy to be young, isn’t it?”
His wife, Halina, smooths down the front of her emerald dress. “Quite.”
“Not that you or I would remember,” remarks the Pasha.
“Not that you would notice.” I lift Halina’s hand to my lips. “You shine brighter than any tapestry we have.”
The transparency of my compliment is easy to recognize, but Halina curtsies all the same. “Thank you, My Lord.”
“It’s an astonishment how far you go to do your duties,” Nadir says. “I’ve even heard rumors of all the languages you’re said to speak. No doubt that’ll be of help with future negotiations among neighboring kingdoms. How many is it now?”
“Fifteen,” I recite. “When I was younger, I had it in my mind that I could learn each language of the hundred kingdoms. I think I’ve failed quite splendidly.”
“What’s the point of such things anyway?” asks Halina. “There’s barely a person alive who doesn’t speak Midasan. We’re at the center of the world, Your Highness. Anyone who can’t be bothered to learn the language simply isn’t worth knowing.”
“Quite right.” Nadir nods gruffly. “But what I actually meant, Your Highness, was the language of them. The forbidden language.” He lowers his voice a little and leans in close, so that his mustache tickles my ear. “Psáriin.”
The language of the sea.
“Nadir!” Halina smacks her husband’s shoulder, horrified. “You shouldn’t speak of such things!” She turns to me. “We’re sorry to offend you, My Liege,” she says. “My husband didn’t mean to imply that you’d sully your tongue with such a language. He’s had far too much brandy. The glasses are deeper than they look.”
I nod, unoffended. It’s just a language after all, and though no human can speak it, no human has ever devoted their lives to hunting sirens, either. It isn’t a leap to imagine I’ve decided to add the dialect of my prey to my collection. Even if it’s forbidden in Midas. But in order to do so, I’d need to keep a siren alive long enough to teach me, and that isn’t something I ever plan on doing. Of course, I’ve picked up a few words here and there. Arith, I quickly learned to mean no, but there are so many others. Dolofónos. Choíron. I can only ever guess at what they mean. Insults, curses, pleas. In some ways, it’s best I don’t know.
“Don’t worry,” I tell Halina. “It’s not the worst thing someone has accused me of.”
She looks a little flustered. “Well,” she whispers delicately, “people do talk.”
“Not just about you,” Nadir clarifies with a loud exhale. “More about your work. It’s most definitely appreciated, considering recent events. I would think our king would be proud to have you defending our land and those of our allies.”
My brow creases at the idea of my father being anywhere close to proud at having a siren hunter for a son. “Recent events?” I ask.
Halina gasps, though she doesn’t seem at all shocked. “Have you not heard the stories about Adékaros?”
There’s something dreadful in the air. Just yesterday my father spoke of Adékaros and how, if I wasn’t careful, Midas would end up the same.
I swallow and try to feign indifference. “It’s hard to keep track of all the stories I hear.”
“It’s Prince Cristian,” Halina says conspiratorially. “He’s dead. The queen, too.”
“Murdered,” clarifies Nadir. “Sirens set upon their ship and there was nothing the crew could do. It was the song, you understand. The kingdom is in turmoil.”
The room dulls. From the gold, to the music, to the faces of Nadir Pasha and Halina. It all becomes out of focus and stifled. For a moment I hesitate to breathe, let alone speak. I never had much dealing with the queen, but whenever the Saad was close to Adékaros, we docked without hesitation and Prince Cristian welcomed us with open arms. He made sure the crew was fed, and joined us in the tavern so that he could listen to our stories. When we left, he would gift us something. A lot of countries did it – small tokens that we never had much use for – but it was different for Cristian. He relied solely on scarce crops and loans from other kingdoms just to survive. Every gift he gave was a sacrifice.
“I heard it was the Princes’ Bane.” Halina shakes her head in pity.
I clench my fists. “Says who?”
“The crew said her hair was as red as hellfire,” Nadir explains. “Could it have been any other?”
I want to argue the possibility, but I’d be fooling myself. The Princes’ Bane is the greatest monster I’ve ever known, and the only one who’s escaped death once I’ve set my sights on her. I’ve hunted the seas tirelessly, searching for the flaming hair I’ve heard of in so many stories.
I’ve never even seen her.
I had begun to think that she was just a myth. Nothing more than a legend to scare royals from leaving their lands. But every time I entertain the thought, another prince turns up dead. It’s yet another reason why I can’t return to Midas and be the king my father wants me to be. I can never stop. Not until I’ve killed her.
“Of course, how could they know?” asks Halina. “It isn’t the right month for it.”
I realize that she’s speaking the truth. The Princes’ Bane only attacks in the same month each year. And if she murdered Cristian, then she was over a fortnight early. Does that mean she’s changed her habits? That no prince is safe on any day?
My lips twitch. “Evil doesn’t follow a calendar,” I say, even though this particular evil has always seemed to do just that.
Beside me, someone clears their throat. I turn and see my sister. I’m not sure how long she’s been standing there, but the amicable smile on her face leads me to assume that she’s heard most of the conversation.
“Brother.” She takes my arm. “Dance with me, won’t you?”
I nod, welcoming the break from the sort of polite conversation the Pasha and his wife seem to enjoy. Which makes me want to be anything other than polite.
“No suitors vying for your attention?” I ask Amara.
“None worth my time,” she says. “And none our charming father would approve of.”
“Those are the best kind.”
“You try explaining that when the boy’s head is on a chopping block.”
I snort. “Then it would be my pleasure,” I tell her. “If only to save some poor boy’s life.”
I turn to Nadir and Halina and give a swift bow, then let my sister lead me onto the floor.