Siren Song (The Fated #1)

16 | Reunion

The distinct sound of metal-against-metal clashed through the air. She sucked in a breath, knowing far better than to investigate the noise. Still, as Callias led the way, she couldn't help but glance down the next few walkways, searching for the source.

Then, she saw it. The sight froze in her in place, her mind urging her to lend a hand.

Standing in the middle of the street, and making no attempt to hide themselves, were a number of men facing off against a single, barehanded stranger.

The stranger's body was draped in a massive cloak with a dark hood that hid their face. As they spun, meeting each thrown fist and sharp blade with amused ease, Iliana realized that the stranger was possibly even larger than Lykos. While she couldn't make out exactly how bulky they were--the cloak barely shifting despite the stranger leaping from one opponent to another--they were most definitely bigger than their attackers.

It wasn't until they caught their final opponents wrist with their heel, sending the man's sword skitting through the dirt, that she realized that she should probably just turn away and leave things be. It didn't matter that the stranger was outnumbered and possibly in trouble. Odds were, if they happened to be that skilled, and were being targeted in Nokos, they weren't one of the good guys. In fact, they were probably a horrible person. At least, that was what Iliana was telling herself as she mentally urged her feet to move. Callias had paused as well, and his frown told her exactly what he thought of her distraction.

The stranger caught their opponent's hand, spun to the side, then slammed their elbow down on the person's arm. As the man screamed out in pain, the cloaked stranger simply let the person fall to their knees, before dispatching them with a harsh strike to the back of their neck. The second their opponent had crumpled to the ground, the stranger was leaning over, hands grasping their stomach. Indecision flashed through her. Were they hurt?

"Are you alright?"

She cursed herself as the stranger spun to face her voice. The action enabled her to see that even without the hood, she wouldn't have been able to read their features. A dark scarf covered anything that might've been visible, with the exclusion of two, rather unsettling red eyes. As she studied them, they straightened and met her gaze with an unnerving level of attention.

She most definitely should've walked away.

"More assassins?" the stranger mused.

Shaking her head, Iliana took a small step back. "No. Just passersby, who should probably be minding their own business."

Those strange eyes seemed to bore into her as she took another step away. The air felt almost electric with the weight of their stare, as if one wrong move would have them lunging towards her. Then, suddenly, the stranger relaxed. They reached their hand up, shoving their hood away from their face. The man, as she realized that was what they were, had dark brown skin and midnight black hair. More important, however, was the realization that both the hand he used to push back the hood, and his face, were smaller than expected. They were tall, certainly, but their build had to have been slender.

So, what was with the bulky cloak?

"A fair assumption," the stranger agreed.

Nervousness fluttered through her the longer she stared at him. That same feeling, the one that told her that Abiel was perhaps something more than human, said that this person standing in front of her was most definitely something else. As if he'd suddenly caught onto the same thing, Callias took a step back, his eyes darting up and down the street they stood on. Was he looking for an escape route?

"What are you?"

The question slipped out without any real, conscious decision on her part to ask. The stranger cocked his head to the side, much like a curious bird, before dropping his gaze to her wrists.

"I could ask the same," he said.

"That's..."

Her instincts told her to flee. Something about the way his eyes bored into her's sent her mouth dry and her heart racing. When she tried to speak, to say something beyond her previously failed sentence, nothing left her lips. Her feet seemed frozen in place by the unreasonable amount of fear coursing through her body.

"Ah, sorry."

The man closed his eyes and suddenly, it all disappeared. The fear, the dryness, all of it. Well, for the most part. She was now frightened for a different reason--but not to the point of being frozen in place. Which she proved by taking several, cautious steps back.

"What was that?"

"Unintentional," he said, shrugging his shoulders. When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to avoid meeting her gaze directly. "A bad habit, really."

"That's not an answer, " she challenged.

"True," he replied. "But, it's all I can give. Besides, I think the much more important topic here would be those."

He pointed to her cuffs and apprehension flooded her system.

"I'm fine. And should be going. Right, Callias?"

He tore his gaze away from the stranger--as since the strange bout of fear, he hadn't stopped staring at him--and nodded in her direction.

"We should."

"I doubt you're fine," the stranger retorted, ignoring the rest of their words. "I could fix that, though."

She paused in her retreat. "How?"

"I know a person whose job is removing those," he said, shrugging. "We aren't exactly appreciative of slavers here. But, still, we get the type who think that just because we accept cutthroats and purse snatchers, Wolfhaven allows for everything."

Something about his words rubbed her wrong. Hesitation fluttered through her, her instincts still screaming at her to just run. At the same time...

"Removing them is impossible," she retorted. "Unless this person you know is packing some serious magic."

"They are," he replied, shrugging. "Pretty sure they're the most powerful magic user in Eol. But, if you aren't willing..." He turned away. "I do have other things to be doing."

She hesitated. A glance towards Callias revealed a shake of his head. He didn't trust the stranger. It was enough for her, as she came to the decision to leave the offer be. Besides, perhaps Inna was still back at the island. No doubt a goddess could deal with something as simple as magicked handcuffs.

She turned, and took a single step back in the direction they'd been walking.

"Oh, I almost forgot. One of those things is searching for a friend's runaway."

The man's loud voice sent a shiver down her spine. She glanced at him over her shoulder, but didn't pause in her retreat. He'd looked over his shoulder as well. As she watched, he raised a hand to gesture towards the top of the buildings. She looked up, and immediately stopped walking.

Standing atop each building lining the street was an archer. And every single one of them were aiming at either her, or Callias.

"I don't suppose you'd know anything about that."