Siren Song (The Fated #1)

04 | Blood Bind

Irritated and confused, Iliana fell back on the cot with a sigh. Now weaponless, she could only wait until they returned. Well, until Eumelia returned. She doubted Lykos was worth trying to reason with, and it didn't look like she'd be allowed out of this room any time soon, so that left the rest of the crew off of potential allies.

She furrowed her brow in thought as she shifted so she could stretch her legs out and hook her hands behind her head. She knew next to nothing about what was going on, but what minor details she had were far from favorable. First, Lykos was a mercenary, and a well trained one at that. Which meant he'd been hired by someone. Secondly, they hadn't known her name, so they kidnapped her for what she was, not who she was. Which meant they were confident enough in their skills to come to the island on purpose. Why? It didn't make sense. Who would want to kidnap a siren and risk angering the gods?

Everyone knew that the gods favored Inna; to upset her, meant to risk the ire of the entire pantheon. No, she realized. Not all of them...

Kikin, goddess of war and disease, creator of the undead, and patroness of Reotak, was the only one of the gods said to be completely ambivalent when it came to Inna. This in mind, Iliana recalled what she could when it came to the geography of the western continent. The entire coastline-- their destination-- belonged to Eol, with the southern-west tip marking the mountainous division between Reotak, Cieon, and Eol. The three countries met at Lake Kai, which was surrounded by the Shinde Mountains; a cold, and vicious barrier between the warring countries, and perhaps the only reason Cieon avoided being completely overtaken by Reotak, as well as how Eol managed to stay neutral. They began at the northern, Reotak-Eol border, and curled down to cut between northern Cieon, southern Reotak.

He said we would be traveling even after we landed, Iliana mused. At least, that's the idea I got. If that was the case, it was entirely possible they would be cutting across Eol to one of the few mountain passages. She couldn't imagine anyone outside of Reotak having the guts to order the capture of a siren, given that Reotak was said to be the only country that completely belonged within Kikin's domain. Only there would Inna be considered powerless when compared to Kikin.

A week's sail to Eol, then a probable month trek across the country if they took a direct route, on foot. The mountains... she had no clue how long it took to cross them, but if they made it that far, it was too late. With her current skills, she'd freeze to death in an escape attempt.

Iliana had around forty days to escape.

That decided, she let her eyes fall closed as she rolled the matters around in her head. Exhaustion weighed heavily upon her body, and for a short time she considered beating it off. Eventually, however, she decided that staying awake would only hamper her escape, and she forced herself to relax. Within minutes she'd fallen into an uneasy, yet dreamless sleep.

She jolted awake some time later to a knock on her door. Before she'd fully sat up, the door swung open and a faintly smiling Eumelia took up the entrance. She had a breakfast tray in her hands; which consisted of some bread, cheese, grapes, and a water-skin.

"Sleep well?" she asked.

Iliana hesitated, then nodded as she turned so she could rest her back against the wall. It gave her a clear view of the room, but hopefully left her looking relaxed.

"Well enough," she said aloud.

Eumelia stepped over, laying the tray on one side of the bed, before taking up a seat on the other. She then studied Iliana thoughtfully, gesturing towards the tray with one of her hands.

"Eat up," she pressed. "We've a long day ahead of us, and I doubt an empty stomach will make it any easier."

She hesitated once again, before eating as suggested. Silence fell between them, giving Iliana time to roll around potential questions in her mind. How did one use words to gain an ally? She'd never been good at charming people. Actually, she was skilled in the opposite.