Daughters of Moonlight

Chapter 8

    I made my way upstairs away from the loud voices and laughter. The stairs creaked and the stained walls stared back at me harshly. I opened the door to my room and walked all the way to the metal platter that I used as a mirror. My ear was bleeding and I could see the faint outlines of a bruise forming on the left side of my face. Over my shoulder in the mirror the faint outline of a person caught my eye. I turned around, shocked to see Mel had followed me up.
'' What are you doing here.'' I said a little too harshly, but she didn't seem fazed.
'' I thought you might need this.'' She held up the first aid box that Tyre stole from my room a while back.
'' Thanks, but you can go now.'' I made my way towards her and grabbed the box. I expected her to let it go but she didn't, instead she smiled and said '' I’m here to help, so sit down and shut up.'' and instead of fighting with her I sat on the small bed. Maybe it was the fact I was too tired to fight again or I simply felt at peace around her. She sat next to me, her black eyes gleaming with the candles in my room. She opened the box and pulled out a bottle with alcohol and got some cloth.
''So Nai, how long have you been working for Tyre?'' she asked as she dabbed the soaked cloth on my wound.
'' Four years, you?''
'' He's been my regular for three I think, it's not exactly something i keep track of.'' she smiled but i could see the sadness in her eyes.
'' How old are you, Mel?'' my voice was now almost a whisper, I was terrified at what her answer would be.
'' seventeen.'' her voice was also soft. I could hear the shame in it. And for some unknown reason I asked her a question that I knew I would regret.
'' Who sold you?'' her eyes widened at my bold question but she did not break away from my gaze.
'' Why do you assume i was sold and i didn't choose this.'' Her face was harsh but I didn't hear any anger in her voice.
'' Well you're seventeen, you have tyre as a regular for a while and you're a shun in graviores.'' she seemed a little surprised that I put it all together which did  quite a big damage to my ego.
'' My aunt, when I was thirteen.'' she was scowling now i probably pushed her a bit too much. Her eyes did not waver and she stared at me with a force I didn't think she would have. What broke us both from this staring contest was a knock at the door.
'' why are you two alone in a room.'' Tobias said as his langley figure leaned on the splintered door frame. I shot him a glare and to my surprise Mel changed completely. She shrunk a little and put on a sweet smile and an almost dazed look.
Ah that's how she survived, I thought.
''Weren't you alone with Mel when you gave her a tour.'' I said lazily I was too tired for Tobias's jealousy.
'' Yes but I'm a nice guy and I would never take advantage of a beautiful lady. I mean look at me, I'm harmless.'' he said as he gestured to his long figure. Mel simply smiled and made her way to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
''You're completely right tobias i will be taking my leave.'' she  looked back at me and her mask fell for a split second and she left. Tobias watched her go like she was the only thing in the world worthy of his attention. He then looked back at me and smiled stupidly and left to probably annoy Mel.
    Why didn’t she fake stupidity with me? Why did she show me her true self? The only potential answer to that was she knew I was a woman. The panic came crashing at me but I tried to ignore it thinking, hoping, she simply liked to see another outsider.
    I walked back to the dresser. I opened the top drawer. It was rough, splinters poked out of the sides and top. Under a shirt, wrapped in cloth was the book. It was dense, heavier than I remembered. I looked back at the door, closing it before I unwrapped the cloth. The pages crackled as images of women-Syrens-staired back at me.
    The text was old, faded, and barely readable but I still grasped some of it. The moon, the ocean. The nymphs, syrens, all of them connected. Held together by the water yet still separated by the moon. It all swirled around me. My visions, the moon calling me, so bizarre and out of place before came into stark focus. The words, disconnected somehow meshed in perfect harmony in my head.
    A full moon hitting the water. A young syren entering the water, powerless and coming out with abilities that were seen as strange and deadly. A note was made that her blood was useless until she had received her powers. I realized that I was safe for the moment but for how much longer?
    And then war. The moon and the waters, in harmony before could not protect themselves. The syrens were taken. They were prized, killed in pursuit of their blood. Images painting the Graviorians as the rightful takers of this prize flashed out at me. Again the room seemed to shrink. A syren as a sacrifice to Vita. It made sense to the graviorians, the blood brought them life, it had to come from that same god. Then I saw an image of the emperor who recently died, leading the siege in Laui now named Vita. The siege was 300 years ago and had lived until now. I knew how Syrens blood could cure diseases and prolong life but I didn't know how long. The thought that all this murder happened was for this man to live a few extra centuries made my breath hitchand a sob escaped me. I knew that I wasn’t safe. That if I were to somehow receive my powers, and as a result become hunted I had no way of escaping. The thought of Keres returned. I needed to leave. Aen and Shun would be too easy for them and they have outposts everywhere else they had put posts. Not everywhere. I needed to go to Quilo, face the harsh winters, and the mountains. The graviorians would never venture there, not with the Yetis, not without a reason. And a prince's old lover was no reason to face the Yetis. Quilo was my only option, Graviores was no place for a syren.