Empress of the Gods

Atarah

The screech of a seagull was what made her wake up as she heard footsteps on the wood. The heat of the sun kissed her face, the smell of salt filled her lungs, and for a brief moment a cool slight breeze mixed with drops of water refreshened her skin. When she opened her eyes, she saw a cloudless sky with a few seagulls flying about, loudly cawing. She placed her hands in front of her eyes to cover herself from the sunlight.

“Finally, you are awake,” she heard Elysia’s voice, realizing her legs were a pillow for her head. “Last night, you drained your power. Thankfully, William caught you when you almost fell into the water again. He looked scared after you fainted,” she told her. It was weird hearing his name on her friends’ lips after she referred to him as hunter all the time, but she only did it to avoid dragging unwanted attention. Elysia helped her sit straight, feeling like she didn’t rest enough.

Atarah covered from the sun’s rays with her hand when she lifted her gaze to the sails of the ship they were on. It was a smaller one compared to Duncan’s. The captain was at the helm while his crew moved the nets around them. “It’s a fishing ship,” Elysia explained when she followed her gaze.

“How...?” She could barely ask. Her lips and her throat were dry, giving her a hard time to utter words.

“They found us almost at dawn when you and Robbie were asleep.” Elysia had bags under her eyes. She had not slept and assumed that neither had William. If someone distrusted hunters more than she did, it was Elysia.

“Why didn’t you sleep last night?”

“I couldn’t sleep after seeing what might be lurking under the water. I felt as if they were going to jump when I closed my eyes,” Elysia said, looking at the ocean.

A strange fog appeared ahead of them, but the fishermen were not scared, as if they knew exactly where they were going, and it was normal for them. There was a driadae on each side of the ship and at the same time they began to move their hands, pushing the mist to the sides, commanding the wind. Atarah saw how the color of their eyes changed to silver, marking a few veins under their eyes in the same way hers did when she used her gifts. Another driadae in the back seemed to use his water gift to slowly move the ship.

Behind that thick fog, the sun shone on an island where a castle came into view on the hill and below it was the city of Ekkirah. The driadae kingdom seemed to be in harmony with the colors of the sea. The sunlight reflected in the stone of the castle, making it shine as if it had gold embedded in its stone walls. There were boats in the harbor, and some others were near to the ship they were in. The houses that she could see in the distance were covered in green thanks to the plants that hung from their balconies like curtains, connecting them. And when they approached to the shore, the water began to clear, letting her see the white sand on the bottom. She heard the song of birds in the wind and could feel the warm, humid air on her skin. She could not stop staring at the breathtaking view in front of her with her hands at the wooden edge of the ship, feeling like a kid.

“Driadae cities are stunning. It is like being close to heaven without being there,” she heard Elysia say next to her, while her eyes were in the city, discovering new things in it. Atarah felt William’s gaze on her. He was close to where the captain was. And when she dared to look at him, he did not look away. Neither did she. “Let’s hope Myrah is really here,” Elysia said, making her face the city again. The closer they got to the shore, the more she realized how big the city was.

“I really hope so,” she whispered. Because I am afraid of what is going to happen to me if I don’t find her here. She finished that idea in her head.

There was a cobbled road that led to the castle and into the city itself. It had big trees on either side that protected some of the houses from the sun. The colors of the flowers perfectly matched with the city itself that stood up thanks to the different shades of blue, making it look like paradise.

As soon as they arrived at the port, she could hear the vendors shouting what they were selling, as well as the chatter out there. Kids ran in front of them, throwing water balloons as if they were snowballs, splashing the people that were near them. Some fishermen froze the water like snow so they could cool the fish.

A couple of mermaids approached the shore and their tails transformed into legs when they got out of the water. Sometimes, they were confused with nereids, but they were actually driadae and shapeshifters.

Atarah turned around, seeing William giving a pair of golden doubloons to the fishermen who rescued them. William and Atarah earned some of those doubloons at the carnival when they were with Hannele’s people.

Elysia didn’t seem as amazed as them at what her eyes saw. Robbie looked around as if he wanted to absorb all the details of the place.

A white-feathered eagle flew over her head and looked at her for a moment before it flown towards the castle. Then, a leopard passed next to her, hitting her on the leg with its tail. It was not as if there were a lot of animals on the streets, but there were a few of them.

“How are we going to find your sister?” Robbie asked, holding with one hand his mandolin as he watched the crowd in the port. Her head was somewhere else. She could not help looking at William, thinking about what happened in Duncan’s ship and on the boat with the forgotten nereids. “Even if we know what her gift is, it’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Robbie’s voice began to dissipate as she paid attention to the hooded man in an alley that had his back to her. Shadows floated around him, and she felt inexplicably drawn to them. “Maybe if she had a tiger, a bear, or a huge animal as her protector, it would be easier.” She heard Robbie say, but her eyes were attentive to what the hooded man was doing. He turned around as if he felt her watching him. It looked as if he was walking towards her, letting her see part of the same black attire Elysia was wearing, making her assume he was an assassin. And strangely, she didn’t feel scared.

“She doesn’t have a protector,” replied Elysia.

“How do you know that?” William asked.

“A locator spell will help us,” Elysia said next to her, ignoring William. “Right, Atarah?” she added, dragging her attention from the alley.

“Yes,” she quickly replied.

When she turned around to the alley again, it was empty.

Atarah was discovering the beautiful city in front of her. It was the world where she belonged. Those were her people, but still, it didn’t feel like it was the place she should be. Although she could feel with each day that passed, she was getting closer and closer.

She didn’t notice Galad’s presence until she saw him sniffing the barrels and some stalls.

Despite being in driadae lands, some curious eyes fell on Galad before returning to their tasks. The moment he looked at her, it was as if he felt the same as her. They were comfortable being among those people. She didn’t need to hide her gifts from the others or keep Galad tucked away.

Some driadaes were practicing with their water gifts near the shore, making large snakes made of water that floated in the wind, lifting water droplets as she once did in the lake, and forming other creatures of the sea.

Their clothes seemed to be made of light fabric so they would not suffer with them on a hot day, which made Atarah envy them since she was roasting inside the clothes she was wearing. Making her feel the need to take another bath and wishing she had one of her dresses with her to endure her time there.

William and Elysia looked uncomfortable walking around the city, especially Will, who seemed to look down and even bought a cape with a hood to cover himself as if someone could recognize him in that place. It made her wonder if he had been there before or if it was dangerous for him, being a human. No one could know he was a hunter unless they saw his tattoos, which were covered with his shirtsleeve.

“I’ll get what we need for the spell,” Elysia announced as soon as she dropped them off in the middle of the street.

“How are you going to know where we are?”

Elysia pointed to the board that hung from the ceiling, indicating the name of the inn—the mermaid’s tale—before she left them there. The board had a siren that was carved into the wood, and the paint was almost falling from it.

Robbie looked first at William and then at her. “I’m—” he started saying as he took two steps back. “I will be with you in a moment.”

Atarah looked at him, hoping that he would understand that she wanted him to stay because she could not look at William in the eyes without blushing. She was not ashamed of what had happened, but she did not know how to react to it or how she should behave. She wanted to stay with the idea there was no possibility that something could happen between them because it was the easiest way to not complicate things.

Elysia told her the only way the nereids used her as a hook to trap them had been the connection between William and her. She thought she was referring to the bond, but Elysia told her the bond only linked William’s life to her life and the nereids felt more. Their emotions. She forgot that forgotten nymphs and nereids were still nymphs, and it was hard to deceive them.

She was scared to face what was in front of her, just as William told her.

Atarah didn’t know what to say to him, so she opened her mouth and close it again. She put her hair behind her ear and then moved it all to one of her shoulders. He looked at her, waiting for her to say something, but she only smiled. Please say something, Atarah. She begged herself, but nothing came out of her mouth. She flirted with him and in that moment, she couldn’t say a word. “We should look for a room,” she said, pointing to the inn behind them. Then she thought about what she said. “To spend the night,” she continued, trying to fix what she had said. “Not for us,” she added with a short laugh, pointing to both, thinking she could not say anything worse. By Uphine Atarah. “I mean …” She closed her eyes in despair for a moment, feeling how her cheeks began to warm. “We should look for a room while we find Myrah. I’m not suggesting that we should.” She pointed again at both with her hands. “You get what I mean,” she struggled to say. Small, perfect dimples formed on his cheeks when he smiled. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said as he pointed his hand at the door to let her enter first, which she thanked so she could hide her face from that embarrassment moment. “You look adorable when you blush,” he whispered when she passed next to him, making her feel her cheeks even warmer if it could.

The woman in the tavern wave at her with her hand. She heard William’s voice behind and when she looked at him he was saying something to Galad so he wouldn’t come inside, which he ignored and entered before him anyway.

“That guardian better behave if he’s going to be in here,” the driadae warned her. “If he breaks something, I will charge you extra for the damages.”

“He will behave,” she assured her, giving a warning look to Galad, who sat on the floor, but appeared to be about the same height as her standing.

“I doubt it very much,” William muttered and in response, and she softly hit him on the arm to shut him up. Galad replied with a slight growl. “Do you have any room available?”

“I have rooms available,” replied the driadae behind the bar as she served the orders with agility.

“Two please,” she asked. The driadae just nodded as she served a customer a drink.

“Do you want to eat something while you wait for the keys?” the barmaid said the moment she put a cloth on her shoulder.

Atarah hesitated for a moment.

“Yes, please,” Will replied as he rested his arm on the bar table and looked at her. She could feel how her face betrayed her. She smiled at him. “What?” he asked before the two of them started laughing as if they were sharing a private joke. She remembered their first night in Egorah and she assumed he did too.

“This time you won’t be sleeping on the floor.”

“Quileth surely will be sleeping on the floor, or he can look for a comfortable seat in the back,” he quickly replied. Then he smiled at her.

“Once we find Myrah, we will go to Euthoria,” she said, noticing the sadness in her voice. It was more a reminder to her than anything else. She did not know what would happen after they arrived at Euthoria. She did not know if he would leave as soon as the bond dissipated or if he would stay. He nodded before sticking the spoon into the hot soup. She moved hers around in the soup, trying not to think about it anymore. “Maybe Elysia can remove the bond early,” she offered. She did not want to force him to be with her any more than he already had. The reason she was with him was not the bond. Atarah wasn’t sure if what he felt for her had something to do with the bond or if he really wanted to be with her. Even when Elysia told her it didn’t work that way, she couldn’t be sure about it. The only way to know that was if his life wasn’t linked to hers.

He left his spoon on the plate without looking at it. “I didn’t think you wanted to get rid of me.”

“I doubt that could really happen. We both know you really love seeing what crazy thing I might do next,” she joked. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she quickly said, answering his previous comment. “I do not want to force you into anything you do not want to do. It is not fair what Rhiannon did,” she said without touching her food yet. She could hear the bustle around them because the place was full, but only the two of them seemed to be there. After that kiss in the cabin of the ship and what had happened with the forgotten nereids, it was evident that there was something between them. “If Rhiannon hadn’t appeared, would you have killed me?” she asked, waiting for him to look at her. She lowered her shields, hoping that she would not be overwhelmed by the emotions of the other driadaes in there, so she could only feel his emotions, knowing that it would only be hints of them, but it was better than nothing. It stressed her not knowing what he was feeling.

William left his spoon on the plate before he looked at her. “They never sent me to kill you, Atarah. I know you do not believe me, but I was never sent to kill you,” he replied. Somehow, she knew he was telling the truth, only that she had a strange feeling that formed in her stomach without knowing if it was her emotions or his. It was when she preferred to rise her shields. “At first I was forced to accompany you, but as I told you in Egorah, I really want to help you find your sister,” he said, remembering that time in the forest. The way he looked at her made her want to tell him everything. She was going to tell him everything. “I will take the dagger with me as soon as we get to Euthoria.”

She stopped every word she was going to utter on her tongue. That was a reminder of her obligations. And it looked like it was a reminder of his as well. Their duties weighed more than anything for both.

The driadae—member of the Silverclaw coven—begged the Goddess Dryderia for Myrah to have the dagger because this time she would not fail, but Atarah begged that the dagger got lost again. She did not know who William’s employer was or why they needed it. The dagger of destiny was an important piece that could tip the scales for what was to come, but it also was what brought with it. She did not want to fight with William for it. “Why do you want the dagger? I know they sent you for it and you have said it many times, but why?”

“Why do you want it?”

The air weighed in the room because they knew what that meant. She hated that the silence spoke more than words.

“I’m not going to give it to you so easily,” she said, pulling the plate away from her.

He sighed and replied with tiredness in his voice, “I know.” He took a sip from what he was drinking in that jar. Then she looked directly into his eyes, seeing a hint of regret in them.

Neither of them saw Robbie arrive, only when he enthusiastically tapped William’s shoulder. Then he rested his arm on his shoulder, hugging him from the side. Someone who didn’t know them would think they were friends, and to her surprise, William did not make any expression to that gesture; he just kept drinking.

“I went for a walk around the place, and it is amazing. I’ve never felt so inspired. You have to see it for yourselves,” Robbie happily said, while she stared at Will. Robbie stopped talking as if he could feel the tension in the room. “Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No,” she replied, taking her eyes from Will.

“Oh,” he said, taking a slice of bread untouched she had left on her plate. “I found your sister,” he calmly said as he ate. “Well, I did not. Elysia did.”

She got up from her seat, looking at Robbie, waiting for him to say something else.

“Did you find Myrah?” William asked when he glanced Robbie and then looked at her.

“Yes, that’s what I said, Willi,” he replied with food in his mouth and then took from Will’s cup, making a gesture of displeasure at what he drank. “This is too strong,” he said, sticking out his tongue as he closed his eyes. “Elysia found her when she was buying the things for the spell.”

“Aha,” she impatiently said, waiting for Robbie to keep talking or waiting for him to take her to her sister.

“Aha,” he repeated, but she waved her hand to indicate him to continue. When he understood, he ended up saying: “Elysia is with her as we speak.”

Robbie was about to drink from Atarah’s cup when William took him from the back of his shirt collar to stop him and make him guide them to Myrah.

Atarah scolded William with her gaze before the three of them left that tavern to meet her sister, feeling the barmaid’s eyes on her when she passed through the threshold of the tavern.