Her uneasy feeling lasted for the rest of the meal and carried on throughout the time she spent sitting with the mercenaries. They knocked back mug after mug of rum while loudly ribbing each other. None of the conversation was worth listening to in her opinion, as they mostly talked about visiting their favorite girls when they docked in Eol, their next few days at sea, and their general opinion of Nuri the ass. Still, she stuck around. After all, the only other option she had was to go back to her cabin and return to her pacing.
At some point, she would have thought Lykos would stop them. Letting his entire crew get drunk was a bit irresponsible. However, he abandoned them to their own devices, wandering off to a ladder that seemed to lead up to the stern. At first, she was going to ignore him. After all, when was she going to have a better chance to try and swing opinions her way? However, just as she was turning her attention back to a discussion about the port's best brothel--Sophos quietly begging the others to change the discussion, as he was convinced a lady shouldn't be listening to them talk about working girls--she caught sight of a familiar, nearly transparent man.
Instantly, her veins filled with fire and she jerked back around to glower at the gatemaster. Like Lykos, he seemed to be heading for the stern. Determined to give him a piece of her mind, Iliana jumped to her feet. A quick glance at the crew revealed them to be too busy teasing Sophos to pay her any mind. She jogged over to the ladder, then quietly scaled the wooden rungs. As she neared the top, Lykos' quiet voice floated across the air.
"Finally showed your face, Aran?"
Silence punctuated his words. Iliana stilled, her hand tightening around the last rung. Chewing Aran out sounded nice, but eavesdropping was even better.
"Yeah, yeah, I know you don't approve. You don't have to keep reminding me," Lykos grumbled.
Internally debating the action, Iliana decided to peek her head just barely over the edge of the deck. The late hour would help her stay hidden. At least, she hoped it would. Sending a quick prayer for luck up to Koun, she focused her gaze on where Lykos stood. His back was to her, but from the way he was hunched over slightly with his arms tucked in front of him, she figured he was leaning against the railing. His head was turned to the side, attention seemingly focused on where Aran stood.
The gatemaster had his lips pursed, his expression as unreadable as ever. Something about it must have registered with Lykos, however, because he gave a loud, annoyed sigh and turned his head back to the open ocean.
"This is why Eumelia calls you an annoying older brother," he complained.
Aran turned his eyes skyward. His elbow rested against the ship railing, body angled towards Lykos.
"Yeah, well, if you disagreed with the plan, you didn't have to go along with it," Lykos continued. "Look, best turnout, everything's fixed. He fucks himself over with his own greed. And if that doesn't happen..." He trailed off. After a moment of tense silence, he cocked his head back, staring up into the starlit sky. He rose a hand from the railing and angled it as if he were measuring the stars. "Then we sail on as always, and pray to the gods we didn't send the lass to her death."
Aran shook his head and shoved away from the railing. Iliana instantly ducked her head down to avoid being seen.
"It's still our best shot, Aran. I won't give up before we've even tried. Either way, I have to do it. So, I might as well try and save my world while I do. Besides, it isn't as if we haven't done worse shit, right?"
Iliana's mind was churning. Was Lykos talking about her and whomever had hired him? If so, it sounded as if Aran didn't approve. Was he another potential ally? She shook her head. That was doubtful. He'd been the one to lure her to Lykos. Even if he didn't approve, he was following the plan.... A plan that even Lykos didn't seem to like.
He's a mercenary, though. She carefully climbed back down to the lower deck. The conversation had stopped, and she didn't want to be caught if Aran decided to rejoin the rest of the crew. Mercenaries are hired. Why would he have to take the job?
It was a thought for another time, she decided. At the moment, she didn't have enough information--and she wasn't sure she wanted to. What if finding out their reasons meant she grew sympathetic to them? It didn't matter why they were doing this, Iliana had to get away, and get back to Kain. Not only for herself, but for the crewmate she'd left alone on an island full of deadly sirens. Sirens like you.
Iliana bit her lip, forcing the thought away. That was another thing she had no time to be worrying about. Ifs were almost always a waste of time. She knew that. The question of whether or not she was going to unintentionally entrance men with her voice wouldn't be answered until she was around men to whom she wasn't magically bound.
"'Ey, Iliana," Abarron called. "Come 'ave another drink! We're emptying the barrel tonight, jus' you watch."
She plastered on a smile and turned back to the group. "You're drunk."
"Best kinda thing ta be!"
She shook her head as howls of laughter erupted from the group. Still, she didn't bother to correct him, instead moving to join the group. At the moment, she was better off forgetting her over-analyzation of everything happening around her. Instead, she'd focus her attention on learning more about the mercenaries, and coloring their views of her into something bright and friendly.
They were her way out, and that was all that mattered.
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Iliana'd barely dropped down on her bunk when a shriek shattered the quiet night.
She jolted back to her feet, suddenly far more alert than she'd been for hours. The cry was followed by another which was when it suddenly clicked in her head as the fearful voice of a child. Eumelia's kid?
Unable to help herself, Iliana darted to the door. She pulled it open in time to find Lykos stumbling down the hall. At first he didn't seem to notice her, his entire attention focused on Eumelia's door. He stared at it for a moment, dragging his tired hand down his face, before reaching for the knob with his free hand.
"Is... is he okay?" she asked.
His head snapped up, eyes focusing in on where Iliana stood half-out her door. He stared at her for a moment, as if his thoughts were having trouble focusing on her. Another shout from the kid seemed to do the trick, as he blinked at her once again before giving a small shake of his head.
"As fine as can be."
That's comforting. "What--"
She took a step further into the hall, but cut off as Lykos waved her away. The cries from beyond the door seemed to have turned to shouts of, "Mama, no," "stop," and "bad." Lykos's eyes flicked back to the door, something unreadable passing through his expression.
"Go back to bed," he ordered. Then, he seemed to rethink his tone, as he shot her that wolfish grin of his. "If you aren't asleep by the time I come back out, I might be tempted to join you. So..."
She scoffed. Lykos's grin fell away as he looked back to Eumelia's room. Before she could say anything, he tugged the door open and disappeared inside. Iliana loitered in the hall, unable to force herself to abandon the post just yet. After a few seconds, the words turned into plain crying. The murmur of two other voices could be heard, but the words were too quiet for Iliana to make out. Whatever they said must have worked, however, because the crying soon ceased entirely.
Not wanting to be in the hall when Lykos returned, Iliana stepped back into her cabin and shut the door. She tried to recall if anything like that had happened the night before--and decided it hadn't. Even as worked up as Iliana had been, she wouldn't have missed such terrified-sounding cries.
She stared at her door for a moment longer before returning to her bed. She wasn't the sort of person who was good at comforting crying children, so staying up was pointless. Still, as she rolled over and closed her eyes, she couldn't get the sound of his voice out of her ears.
Iliana fell asleep wondering what sort of nightmares caused such terror--and why Lykos hadn't been the least bit surprised.
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"Psst."
Iliana's head throbbed.
"Psst!"
Scratch that. It felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton, and some asshole was attempting to shove more in by the second. She groaned, rolling over onto her side. The action sent an uncomfortable itch to her throat--her mouth was horribly dry. A childish giggle interrupted her thoughts and reminded her she wasn't alone. Her eyes snapped open and she jerked back, an entirely inappropriate swear escaping her lips.
Only inches from the edge of her bed was a certain, red-headed little boy. He was studying her with open curiosity. His tiny fingers curled around the edge of her bed, his head even with her own. She could only stare at him. Iliana wasn't an expert in parenting, but she was pretty certain there was a rule somewhere that said not to leave your kid alone with your captive.
"You're awake," he announced. The words were some weird mixture of a whisper and a shout. Iliana had a feeling he was meaning to be quiet, but was far too excited to actually manage it.
"Um... hello?" she ventured. "Why are you here?"
The boy put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Mama's sleeping!"
Well, that answered the question bubbling to her lips. He'd snuck in. No one had bothered to relock her room last night and the boy must have taken advantage of that. If she hadn't been so exhausted, Iliana might have been tempted to exploit it herself. She could have snuck into Lykos's bed while he was sleeping and then threaten him with his own weapon.
"Why're you here?" she tried again.
A conspiratorial grin graced his face. "Papa said stay out!"
"So you snuck in?"
He bobbed his head in agreement, looking entirely too proud of himself. The expression was similar to that smug grin Lykos wore half the time, but on the toddler it came across as adorable rather than irritating.
"I'm Abiel," he announced. "I'm four!"
Her lips twitched. "Nice to meet you, Abiel. I'm Iliana."
"You're a siren," he said. She nodded, causing him to bounce excitedly on his heels. "That's cool! I never met one before. Mama's a witch. Uncle Aran's a... a..." He furrowed his brow. "He's a ghost. But no one's a siren!"
She laughed. "Well, I've never met a child mercenary before. So, we're even."
This time, it was Abiel's turn to laugh. Iliana shifted into a sitting position, her eyes picking out small differences between him and his mother that she hadn't noticed the last time they'd met. His shaggy hair was a bit more auburn than copper, and his skin lightly tanned. A dusting of freckles decorated his face, and his bare arms. His eyes, a strange amber tone, peeked out beneath his hanging bangs. The rest of his hair stuck out in every which direction, backing up her guess that he'd snuck directly over from his bed. His clothing seemed to consist of nothing but an oversized shirt that draped his tiny body. Iliana would've bet a full gold coin the shirt belonged to Lykos.
"Do you sing pretty?" Abiel asked. "Mama says sirens sing the bestest."
Iliana hesitated, then offered him a playful smile. "That's a secret."
After all, she wasn't quite sure about that matter herself. Before, her voice had been nothing special. She wasn't tone deaf, but she wasn't talented, either. Rather than try and test that out--as she wasn't certain what would happen--she figured it was better not to get Abiel's hopes up. Of course, he didn't seem all that happy with her answer. He puffed his cheeks up, disappointment shining in his eyes.
"No fair."
"Sorry," Iliana said. Realizing that this was an opportunity, she hesitated for only a second before continuing. "Hey, Abiel?"
He continued to pout, kicking at the floor with his bare foot. Iliana bit back a laugh, not quite certain how he would take it. She doubted he was trying to be funny.
"Mind telling me about your family? I'm really curious about your Mama, Papa, and your Uncle Aran."
He peeked up at her. She offered him a friendly smile. After a second of hesitation, he bobbed his head in agreement. "Okay! But you have to sing after."
It was her turn to hesitate. "Alright."
And suddenly, he was all excited again. Abiel bounced on his heels, a beaming smile on his face.
"Lykos is my papa," he said matter-of-factly. "But he's not really my papa. My real Papa is..." He frowned, as if the memory was hard to recall. "A no good bastard! That's what Papa said."
Iliana had a feeling that Eumelia hadn't been around for that particular declaration. "I see. What about your Uncle Aran?"
Abiel stopped bouncing. He furrowed his brow, as if this answer took even more effort than his previous thoughts.
"Uncle Aran's a... he's a ghost. He died a loooong time ago," he explained. "Mama says it happened before me. Oh! Nobody but me can talk with him, so that makes us special buddies. That's what Uncle Aran says!"
Iliana gaped at him. "You can hear Aran?"
"'Course! We're special buddies."
"Abiel!"
Eumelia's voice echoed in from the hall and he instantly spun to face the door. He'd taken several steps away from Iliana's cot before he spun back around, squirming where he stood.
"It's okay," she reassured him. "Go ahead."
He grinned. "I'll be back! You can sing then."
That declared, Abiel darted from the room. Iliana stared after him, thoughts spinning. As far as she knew, the living couldn't hear the voices of the dead. So... why could Abiel? He was a witch doctor--that much was obvious. But, his mother couldn't. He'd said as much. So, why him?
She stood as she attempted to work out the puzzle in her mind. Her door wasn't locked, so she had no intentions of staying locked away in her cabin all day. Even as she checked the hall, however, and found it empty, the questions refused to leave her mind. There was something about that boy--something that bothered her. It was an itchy feeling in the back of her mind, something she hadn't picked up until that point. There were no words to describe the sensation. It was just... there.
Melitta and Rhode's words about the sort of sixth sense they had--how they'd known she could become a siren--flickered through her mind and she stopped walking. Was that what this was?
No, that wouldn't make sense. She hadn't felt like that about Eumelia, who was a witch doctor. And, since he was one himself, he couldn't become another race. That was a rule. So... what was this feeling?
Was Abiel something else entirely? And if so... what was he?
A/N: Fun, right? Although, not exactly the fun I had planned. I got to this point and realized it'd be a good place to stop, since the rest of what I had planned for the chapter was about something else entirely. So, look forward to another Iliana chapter coming up next! :D I'm betting now that you'll be excited about who it focuses on~~!
So, your thoughts on Abiel? If I've spoiled you, shush. If not, I'd love to hear your theories about what's going on with him.
Also, what do you think about Aran and Lykos? Any thoughts on their little conversation? Think Iliana is right thinking that she shouldn't worry about it too much?
Hope to see you again in the next chapter! :D