Read Online Tales of Arilland by Alethea Kontis - Free Book Online

supper. She was mesmerized. These were so different from the songs of the water, the flash of fish in the currents, the mating of whales in the deep. Some were slow and soft; some were fast and loud. And when the rest of the room joined in, she clapped her hands in merriment.
    The crew dropped in one by one to report and consult with Lawson throughout the night. There were nods and low whispers. She watched as papers were signed and money changed hands. Thus Bloody Lawson conquered Windy Port, without ever leaving his seat. When the festivities ended he paid for his meal, tipped heavily and left, dragging his cloaked companion behind him. It was the sailors and merchants that returned to their vessels the next morning and found them empty or missing who took their anger out on the citizens of the port. Lawson and his crew were miles away before the massacre even began. Bloody Lawson and the Siren were never heard from again.
    Several months later, Edward Malcolm opened a waterfront inn in the capitol city named The Sea Lass. He purchased the house next door as well. It had a master suite and a nursery and a very large kitchen that could be used to supplement the inn’s in case of overflow. One of the rooms in the house had a door with seven locks. They were installed the day before Molly’s return from school.
    Molly’s homecoming was a grand event. Lawson, now called Edward, had covered every flat surface in the house with sweets and cakes and flowers. He had hired a seamstress to take Molly’s measurements for a whole new wardrobe, the only one that didn’t seem overly preoccupied with the Prince’s upcoming wedding. Paper-wrapped packages of all sized littered the largest of the tables. A doll and a rose waited on the chair for his princess.
    The Siren sat on a stool in the corner, cut off from the sun and the earth, the water and wind. She waned as she watched the miniature cherub-faced human run through the door to embrace her father. Her mop of dark brown curls disappeared in her father’s coat as she hugged him, right before he picked her up and twirled her around the room. There was something about this strange apparition, this child, and she could not decide what it was.
    Molly giggled as she snuggled her doll. She reached out to the rose.
    “Be careful,” her father warned her.
    “Yes, Papa,” she said smartly. “I will watch for the pricklies and the thornies.” She buried her nose in the crimson petals and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, Molly saw the Siren there in the shadows.
    The child set her doll down carefully on the table. “Who is she, Papa?” Molly whispered.
    “She’s…” he started, twisting the ruby ring on his finger. “I saved ‘er,” he said finally.
    “She’s so pretty,” Molly said. The child came around the table and held the flower out to her. “She’s just like the flower.”
    “Yes,” he said. “Just like the rose. She’s got pricklies and thornies too, Molly. You have to be careful around her.”
    Molly took another step forward, still offering the flower. The Siren took it and grinned, being careful not to show any teeth. Before her father could stop her, Molly launched herself into the Siren’s arms.
    The child’s skin was softer than the woman’s at the pier. Her hair smelled of sugar and…something…indescribable. She took another deep breath. There was life within this little bundle, so much life she all but vibrated with it.
    Edward wrenched her away. He took her by the arms and held her tightly. He sank down to his knees, so that he could address Molly eye to eye.
    “Don’t ye ever go near ‘er again,” he said sternly.
    “But Papa, she’s so sad,” Molly cried.
    “She is dangerous,” he admonished. “Just be a good girl and do as yer papa says.”
    Molly bowed her head. “Yes, Papa.”
    “We’ll even call ‘er Rose, okay? So ye don’t forget.” Edward chucked her under the chin. “Now, what are ye gonna name yer