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  He suddenly wished he had known it was there. He might have secretly taken an item for himself. It was too late to look back on that now.

  Nix stepped up to the wall, perused it silently, and finally decided on a weapon. He held up the one he’d chosen – a short sword with a bronze blade.

  “Let’s have this done with,” he said, stepping through the midst of them to head down one of the tunnels, keeping the sword to himself.

  Henry wanted to fight them all, and he did think of trying. He would have had a better chance with a weapon, which they hadn’t given him, and they’d directed him out of the armory before he’d set his eyes on one. Several of these boys were bigger than him, but he didn’t care. If they thought he was going to roll over, they were wrong. He intended to find a way to escape them.

  “Wait, we can’t all go,” the boy with the animal hood said suddenly. He spoke as if the rest of them should have known it. “Rifter’s gone with Wren. We can’t leave the small one here by himself.”

  “Sounds like you just volunteered, Sly,” Nix said.

  The twins laughed at his misfortune, but Sly looked at them with a smirk on his mouth.

  “I wouldn’t laugh so fast if I were you. The two of you owe me a favor. Seems I recall covering for you when you were supposed to be on the early morning watch.”

  “What?” Mech asked, horrified.

  “No way! We’re not missing this!” Mach screeched.

  Sly shrugged in his common way. “Nothing you can do about it really,” he told them.

  The twins were aghast, but it was true that there wasn’t much they could do to protest. Rifter had told them that they could have Henry, but they had to leave the little one alone. In that case, someone had to watch him. The twins looked as though they wanted to complain more, but the others were already leaving, pushing Henry toward the tunnel.

  “Have fun with the baby, nannies,” Finn taunted as they steered Henry out of the den, leaving the twins to look after them, sighing identically in frustration.

  3

  The night sky was breathtaking, painted across the span of the heavens in all shades of purple, spread with so many blinking stars. Wren thought it was beautiful, and though she had started with her eyes closed, couldn’t hold them shut any longer.

  If this was all he had to show her tonight, she would have been satisfied, but eventually they began to descend. He took them down toward a cluster of pale, marbled rocks, and she could see that there was a lovely little lagoon beyond it, where the water was bluer than any she’d ever seen.

  She was pleased to see that the world had beauty beyond the forest.

  Rifter touched down at the ledge and led her along a path through the rocks, closer to the water. Personally, Wren had never cared much for the idea of getting wet. Large bodies of water were fine to look at, such as the sea was, but she’d never had a desire to go for a swim in the salty depths. She hoped that wasn’t what he had on his mind.

  “It’s beautiful here,” she said, looking at the way the ripples of light reflected off the surface and waved hypnotically across the rocks.

  The water was glowing as if there was light beneath it, and she thought she could see several crystals growing along the edge of the lagoon. Those seemed to be the sources of the light. Wren couldn’t believe how fantastic it was! It truly was something she might only see in a dream, but accepting that it was real was not hard for her.

  “This island is a collection of pure dreams,” Rifter said as he led her forward. She was surprised that he was offering her an explanation, but she wouldn’t turn it down. “It should be a place of beauty – like this. That’s why I fight the nightmares away. If too many got in, they could corrupt everything. This wouldn’t be the same world anymore.”

  “But the nightmares aren’t the only things that cause trouble here,” she said, hoping to lead him on. “There are pirates. Where did they come from?”

  She slipped on the rocks and he caught her arm, helping her get her footing. She smiled apologetically and, at that, he allowed them to pause a moment.

  “The sea is endless. Sometimes ships get lost – one in particular. It crossed the veil on accident somehow and the people aboard began to repopulate here. This place is about freedom, but men like that tend to think that acts of evil are what give them that.”

  She’d been hoping to lead him to talk about the Scourge, but it didn’t work. His mind didn’t go there.

  “Too many people in one place always ruin things,” he went on. “I don’t mind some of them being here. They’re only living their lives. This world is a refuge for those who want to seek it. The problem comes when others try to ruin that.”

  She saw how grave his demeanor had become, and as soon as he realized it himself, he smiled, shaking his head.

  “Enough about all those serious things. Come on.”

  Rifter took her farther on, but they had not quite reached the water when he stopped. They were hidden behind some of the rocks, but had a clear view of the lagoon. Wren glanced at him, seeing how he watched the pool intently. She mirrored that, though she didn’t know what they were looking for – and then she saw it.

  It was a flash of a shining fish tail, and then one of them climbed up onto a rock near the edge of the water. Her eyes widened in amazement.

  “Is that..!” Wren couldn’t believe her eyes, but he indicated that she should be quiet by putting a finger to his mouth.

  “We shouldn’t let them know you’re here,” he told her, and she did as she was told.

  There were a dozen of them or more, swimming around, splashing playfully, but they did not speak or laugh or make any communication to each other at all. Wren had always been fascinated by the idea of a mermaid – had often dreamed that she was one – but she had known that dream was a fantasy. Still, seeing them here was an easy acceptance after what she had observed so far.

  “They’re beautiful!” she said in an awed whisper.

  “Wisp never liked me to come here,” he confessed. “I never really gave much thought to why, but since you mentioned it, I guess she must have been jealous, like you said.”

  Wren had only been excited at the idea of seeing a mermaid, but now that she stopped to think of it, she could understand why the fairy had been against it. The mermaids were shapely and beautiful – with supple parts that Wren couldn’t quite compete with. The more feminine features of their bodies were hidden by their long hair, but it was clear to her that they were naked. She felt her face grow hot, but she tried to recover quickly.

  Don’t they know how they’re naked? Certainly he must.

  “Well, it’s not as if you engage them,” she tried.

  A little smirk at the corner of his mouth made her wonder if that was true. When that thought hit her, she felt a hint of what Whisper must have felt.

  Don’t ask. Don’t be that sort of girl. But it wasn’t quite so easy to get it out of her mind.

  “Listen carefully, but don’t let go of my hand,” he instructed. She looked at him, waiting for what he would tell her, but it was a different sound that reached her ears. A chorus of voices began to drift through the air, the song so beautiful that she felt overwhelmed by it. The melody was wordless and made no sense, and yet the pitches wove in and out of each other like silk. It was calling for her. She wanted to be near it, to hear it better—

  “Wren.” The sound of her name snapped her back. She looked into Rifter’s eyes, but suddenly realized that she was pulling against him, trying to get her hand out of his grasp where he was holding her wrist tightly.

  “The song will pull you away if you don’t stay focused,” he warned. She was surprised at herself. She didn’t even remember resisting him, but she understood what he was telling her. This was just like the whispers of the fairies. If she let them in, they would lead her astray.

  “What would they do to me?”

  “I can’t say for sure,” he admitted, considering it. “Usually they just swim away i
f they sense someone getting too close. Like the fairies, they don’t care for humans.”

  “But they don’t mind you,” she guessed.

  “That’s right,” he answered, but wouldn’t speak further. “This way.”

  He led her into a darkened tunnel within the rocks. When she stepped inside, Wren could more than hear the mermaids’ lovely song. She could feel it in her body, in her bones. It resonated inside her skin, her mind, making her feel a brilliant euphoria. She was moving toward the song – the feeling – even though she was not going toward the water. She closed her eyes, letting him guide her as she walked, and she didn’t stop until she was aware of his solid form in front of her.

  “Open your eyes,” he instructed.

  The first thing she saw was his face near hers, and she might have been caught only on his eyes if she hadn’t seen the glimmer behind him. The walls were jeweled, sparking with many colors. There were windows of clear quartz that were letting light in from the water, and she could see the shadows of the mermaids passing, curling gracefully through the blue.

  It was the most wonderful thing she had seen of this world so far. Maybe it was the way the song relaxed her, but she was speechless.

  “Look out through the window,” he urged, guiding her closer to it.

  She did as he instructed, and she noticed that she could see the bottom of the lagoon, lit up by the crystals. There were large bubbles floating through the water, swirling with rainbows of color – each one like a small galaxy.

  “What are they?” she asked.

  “Those are the dreams,” he said. “They wind up here after they drift in from the sea. Sometimes I look at them and let them stay. They become part of the world.”

  She was intrigued by that. So he could make the world what he wanted, and yet sometimes the ideas were not his own.

  “I thought you might like it,” he said, able to see the appreciation on her face. He left the window then and sat down on a pad of some spongy surface that Wren didn’t recognize, but when she sat down beside him, she was surprised that it was soft like a cushion.

  Rifter took out his flute and began to recreate a few notes of the mermaid song. A few of the fishtailed ladies came to the quartz window to peer in at him, but when they saw Wren, they hissed and swam away.

  “They don’t seem to like me much,” she commented. “You were right.”

  “I guess they’re just jealous,” Rifter said, observing the way they retreated.

  Wren’s face lit up to hear him say that. “Really? Of what?”

  “Well, you’re much prettier than they are,” he said coyly. The way he looked at her sent her heart reeling.

  As quickly as her jealousy had begun to roar, it faded. She realized that he hadn’t brought her here to look at the gleaming bodies of the mermaids. He had only wanted to amaze her – to be here with her.

  The way he was looking at her now was just as he had studied her before. She was sure that he wanted to kiss her. He looked into her eyes and then examined her lips, desiring them. She wanted to tell him that it was alright, but she didn’t want to ruin the moment – and then it was over before she was ready.

  Rifter seemed to snap out of his trace, catching himself in how he was gazing at her. He smiled a little to brush it off and then looked back at his flute.

  Wren might have expected to feel defeat, but she couldn’t let that be the end of it this time. He had come close once before, but she wouldn’t lose the moment again.

  “Rifter,” she said, drawing him back before she could think it through.

  When he looked at her, she blushed, unsure of what she had really wanted to say, but then she felt that she had to be bold. He was so clueless about her sometimes that she had to consider that he was oblivious to what she wanted.

  “Why won’t you kiss me?” she asked, and a tremor of fear passed through her body. Perhaps he would tell her that he’d never even thought of kissing her, but she was sure that wasn’t true.

  He looked bemused for just a moment, and then he gave an apologetic shrug.

  “I don’t know what that is,” he told her.

  Wren felt herself blushing furiously. She almost told him to forget it. She didn’t want to say it, but she also supposed that if she didn’t tell him what a kiss was, she would never get one from him.

  She did so want him to kiss her.

  “Well,” she started, trying to think of the best – and least embarrassing – way to put it. “When you feel affectionate toward someone, it’s often acceptable to put your lips against their lips and to, well, kiss them.”

  She shrugged, looking for his reaction even though she wasn’t sure she would see one, but he responded immediately.

  “Ohh, is that what it is?” he asked, but she saw the way his mouth mocked her when he smiled, and her eyes grew wide in embarrassment.

  “You’re messing with me!” she cried, giving him a shove as he laughed. The nerve of him, making her say it! She put her nose in the air and turned away – but she couldn’t quite hide her smile.

  “Come on, I was just having a bit of fun with you,” he said, trying to put his arm around her. He wanted her to look at him, but she twisted away, intent on being cross.

  “Do you want to know the truth?” he asked.

  “No, I’m angry with you,” she replied. He didn’t give up, just as she hoped he wouldn’t. In an instant, he had touched her shoulders and turned her around, shaking her out of her false anger.

  “I’ve thought of kissing you,” he confessed, “but I felt you might think it was strange.”

  “What? Why?” she asked with a nervous laugh.

  “You think everything else I do is strange.”

  Wren supposed she couldn’t fault him for thinking that. She had been shocked to horror by some of the things he had done – had scolded them all for their practices. This, she felt, was different.

  “I thought everyone understood kisses,” she said.

  He was looking at her that way again, deep into her eyes as before. His arm was around her, keeping her close. She looked back, her sweet mouth ready for a taste of him.

  He reached out, brushing her cheek with his fingertips, and she was caught. He leaned in, tilting his head as his nose touched hers, and her heart pulsed with more anticipation than she'd ever felt. His warm breath was against her lips–

  – and then he froze. Wren opened her eyes fully to see that his had widened, and he was still as a statue. He had forgotten about the kiss.

  "What is it?" she asked, keeping her voice low, as if she would startle him.

  "The song stopped," he said, turning his head to look through the quartz window. As he said it, she realized it as well. The mermaid song had halted and all was quiet around them. She wondered why, but assumed Rifter must have known.

  "Something's out there," he said. A shiver rolled through her, but not like the pleasant ones she'd felt previously. "Stay here. I'm going to have a look."

  He rose and began to move past her, but she stood after him, reaching out to grip his arm as if she could hold him back.

  "Rifter…"

  "You'll be safe here," he assured her. "I'll be back."

  She let him leave her, watching until he had rounded the jeweled corner. She let her eyes shift over to the window again, seeing that the water beyond had grown darker.

  What has happened out there? Where did the mermaids go?

  She knew she should do as he'd said and keep herself hidden, but her curiosity had been stirred. She didn't want to be left alone here when she didn't know what was going on out there. Wren had already seen several of the monsters this world had to offer. She felt she could handle seeing this.

  Quietly, she followed after him, needing to know what had made her lose her kiss. She peeked around the corner cautiously, and made it just in time to see him flying across the lagoon to the other side where it opened up toward the sea.

  Wren saw nothing – no sort of disturbance. There w
as not a mermaid in sight, but she couldn't see any reason why they might have fled. Rifter was on the other side, climbing up the rocks to peer over the barrier. Whatever he was looking for must've been out on the open water.

  She wanted to see it too, but the way around was long and treacherous. She didn’t think she would make it.

  Wren stood there, trying to make a decision, but found that there was really no choice. She had to go back into the grotto to wait for him, as he’d said.

  She turned, but a disturbance in the water caught her attention. Peering around, fearing the splash, she saw that there was a lovely face watching her from beyond the edge.

  Wren made the mistake of looking into the mermaid’s eyes. Just as with Rifter, she was caught by a powerful force, but this one was supernatural, wrapping her in a spell. It was not because of her attraction, but something in the creature's eyes that was soothing to her.

  She forgot everything she had been meaning to do.

  The mermaid opened her mouth and a long, clear note flowed out. It was like a sweet perfume or a gentle promise. As soon as that sound hit her ears, Wren lost control of herself. Her feet moved without her permission, closer to the edge where the beautiful fish was waiting. Wren couldn't stop herself – couldn't think to try. She continued along, her eyes affixed, until the mermaid leapt up, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down beneath the cold water.

  Chapter Nineteen

  1

  Rifter hoisted himself up over the rocks that surrounded the lagoon, protecting it from harsh waves. There, he could see the endless water beyond, black in the night. It was not the waves he wished to study, however. Something was there, and it had frightened the mermaids to silence.

  He was not surprised to see a boat meandering over the whitecaps. It was a smaller vessel – not quite the ship that he’d dreaded. It was lit up with lanterns along the edges, and he didn’t have to wonder why. Either the men aboard were fishing, which was unlikely, or they were looking for something.

  Luckily for Rifter, the water carried their voices to him easily. He didn’t have to get close to hear their conversation.