The trip through the forest seemed to take years. Between her dizziness and whirling thoughts, Iliana found time impossible to track. What few clear thoughts she had resulted in her finding a new avenue for denial. 

What if a siren had fished one of her crew-mates out of the water? 

She had heard rumors that like the merfolk, sirens could breathe in the ocean. Iliana wasn’t certain how true that detail was, but she was willing to cling to even miniscule stories at this point. Kain, Artemios, Saul, Ancus… someone could be there. After all, why should she be the only person rescued? Just because the merfolk hadn’t seen them didn’t mean they were all dead, right? 

Gods she hoped so. The hope burned in her chest, making each step Calli took painfully dig into her stomach like claws. 

As they drew closer, the anticipation had Iliana’s heart in her throat. She could have asked Melitta or Calli about it, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Some part of her held this childish need to live with the delusion that the others could be okay, even if it was only for a few seconds longer. This hope was the only thing keeping her from fully breaking down into the tears she was keeping at bay. 

“This is it,” Melitta said, coming to a stop. 

Their path ended only a few dozen feet ahead. Beyond it laid tree after massive tree, each with branches that hung down to the earth much like vines. Iliana had seen willows before, but none as thick and full as these. They seemed to form a curtain that blocked out all view of whatever laid beyond them. 

Another creation of Inna’s, Iliana guessed. Like the fog and the cliffs, the trees were most likely meant to protect the sirens from outsiders. Inna was a huntress, which gave Iliana the impression her children were most likely the same. Which meant they would probably hear intruders coming before they could fully make their way through the curtains. 

“You will have to try and walk from here on,” Calli said. 

“Oh,” Iliana replied, tearing her gaze away from the willows. She kept her tone even, attempting to hide her eagerness to escape his arms. “I don’t mind… but why?” 

She had gotten the distinct impression from Calli that he was the gentleman sort. The type of guy that had been raised to make sure “proper” ladies didn’t have to lift a finger for themselves. Iliana had always found the mentality confusing--as she’d been taught to do everything herself--yet understood that arguing against it was useless. Thus far, he’d insisted on carrying her and every time he’d looked at her, he’d made certain his eyes were focused on her face. She imagined that her current state of dress had him a bit unsettled. 

All of this added to the reason him telling her to walk herself into the village was a welcome, yet confusing concept. 

“Calli isn’t allowed inside,” Melitta explained when he hesitated. “The sirens don’t allow men, even those of our kind.” 

“Why not?” Iliana asked. 

Melitta’s smile turned wry. “You’ve never heard Inna’s Laws?” 

She frowned, unwilling to admit her ignorance on the subject. The Children Laws were the restrictions each god had agreed to follow when creating their “children.” Iliana, like most who traveled the sea, knew Umae’s laws by heart. Inna’s, however, were a mystery to her. 

Before sailing, Iliana had mostly avoided Inna’s temples. It’d been a childish rebellion if she was being honest. The part of her that had yearned for Inna’s help, had also been angered by how the goddess’ temples spoke of justice and independence, even as the priests turned their eyes away from what Iliana was enduring. As a result, she knew only as much about Inna as her tutors had forced into her. When it came to her life off-shore, and the tales her crew told, the only thing that Ancus and Saul had ever said about sirens was how beautiful they were. The two had joked about how they bet it wasn’t the singing, but the sight of a siren that had men jumping overboard. 

So, what was required to become a siren? 

Iliana furrowed her brow as Melitta stepped towards the hanging branches. Surely she’d heard something in one of the many taverns and she’d visited while traveling.

“I will go let them know we’ve arrived,” Melitta said, then disappeared

Sirens were all women. Whether that was a law or a preference, she was uncertain. She could also remember it helping the process if they had been born, or died at sea, just like the merfolk--something about Umae’s blessing easing the process of making a siren. None of these details explained the rule against men. Perhaps it was the singing? 

“The children of song must have been faced with injustice at the hands of a man,” Calli said, as if hearing her thoughts. 

Iliana stared up at him. That was it--the final law. 

“Their singing is a weapon to protect themselves and their haven,” he continued. “Men aren’t allowed because many of these women have led such harsh lives that my presence would only upset them, and their voices would enchant me if I didn’t have a charm.” 

“Then, why allow you near the island at all?” she asked. 

Calli paused, pursing his lips. After a moment, he shrugged. 

“You would have to ask Melitta. Of the two of us, only she can hear their voices and reasons.” 

Iliana thought about asking more, sensing that he wasn’t giving her the full reason, but decided against it. Better to just do as he’d suggested and ask Melitta if she ever got the chance. Her heart sunk as the meaning behind the information registered in her thoughts. If men weren’t allowed in the village…  

None of her crew would be in the village. They really were gone. 

A cold pain froze the pit of her stomach. Later, Iliana would let the chill grow. She would cry, and demand answers from silent gods about why this had to happen. For now, though, she focused on the pain that came from digging her nails into her palms. The sensation made it easier for her to fight back tears. 

Later, she told herself. When no one is looking, that’s when I can break down. 

“She’s coming back,” Calli said suddenly. “I’m going to put you on your feet. See if you can stand.” 

Iliana nodded and bit her lip. Calli moved to settle her on her feet. Like before, her head spun. The wave of dizziness that came with it had Iliana reluctantly clinging to Calli’s shoulder in an attempt to stay standing. Her legs shook, threatening to give out beneath her, yet somehow managing to hold her weight. Calli sighed, keeping one hand tucked around her waist. Despite her discomfort, and how he’d already carried her thus far, the action sent heat to Iliana’s cheeks. 

There was something about having a man’s arm around her, a man who knew she was a girl, that embarrassed her. This was another thing to consider at another point. For now, she drew in a deep breath and gave a small shake of her head in response to questioning raise of Calli’s brow.

“Looks like you’ll manage… with help, that is,” he observed, apparently deciding to drop his curiosity.

“Thank you, Calli.” 

He stiffened, shooting a glower at the willow trees Melitta had disappeared behind. “It’s Callias, not Calli.” 

The almost childish sounding irritation in his voice had Iliana stifling an amused response. From the look on his face, the form of address she’d heard thus far must have been something his sister chose, not him. 

“Okay. Thank you, Callias.” 

His gaze turned back to her, an unreadable edge to his searching expression. After a moment, he relaxed. 

“There’s no need for thanks,” he replied. “But… you are welcome.” 

Melitta appeared through the branches at that moment with what had to have been the most beautiful woman Iliana had ever seen. The siren appeared to be a handful of years older than Iliana, with black curls that hung just past her well-endowed chest. She was lightly tanned, and the tan dress she wore clung to her frame just enough to show off her athletic build. Her jade-green eyes met Iliana’s, amusement playing out across her face. Had Iliana’s starring been that obvious?

She might have dropped her gaze in an attempt to be more polite, but at that same second the woman’s eyes widened and she spun to Melitta. Her lips moved--no sound escaping--as she made wide gestures with her hands. 

“Why else would I bring her here?” Melitta said, apparently able to make sense of whatever the woman was trying to communicate. “If it were not for that, I would have brought her down to Umae.” 

A chill crept down Iliana’s spine. The tone Melitta used wasn’t joking, but more matter-of-fact. A worrying detail when the requirement for that trip would’ve been Iliana’s death. She couldn’t breathe under the sea as the merfolk could. There was next to no doubt in Iliana’s mind that Melitta meant every bit of the announcement, however. Her eyes shot to Callias, who met her gaze with a shrug. Apparently, he saw no issue with the matter. 

The siren turned back to Iliana, her eyes narrowed in thought. She stepped forward, shooting Callias a glare.

“No need for that,” he sighed. “I’m only holding her so she doesn’t fall. I wouldn’t be doing so if she was scared.”

Iliana must have been doing a better job at concealing her uneasiness than she thought.

The stranger pursed her lips, but said nothing as she moved to Iliana’s side. Easily guessing what was going on, and seeing little choice otherwise, Iliana allowed herself to be shifted from clinging to Callias to gripping onto the woman. The moment his hands were no longer touching her, Iliana could hear the voices again. Strangely, they seemed no louder than they had on the island’s shore. 

“I will be back soon, Calli,” Melitta said, moving to Iliana’s free side. 

He shrugged. “I’ll be waiting.” 

“Come, it is only a short walk to the guest cabin,” the woman instructed. 

The sound of her voice startled Iliana. It held the faintest hint of a melody to it, yet the words weren’t sung. There was no real way for her to describe the strangeness of how strongly the spoken words resembled singing, yet were just that, spoken. 

“Iliana,” Melitta prompted. 

The two gave her expectant looks. It took a moment, but she realized the problem--Iliana had been so distracted by the voice she’d forgotten to walk. She wondered if the cause was her head, or the almost-singing. When standing next to a siren did the song affect human-women as well? 

“Right, sorry,” she muttered.

They moved through the hanging branches and into a large clearing. The majority of it was taken up by multiple wooden cabins and what appeared to be a large garden beyond them. The dirt path she and the merfolk had been following to the village continued on past all of this and circled around where Iliana could see an enormous stone fountain.

The lowest level of the fountain was a large, open pool. The second level was almost identical, but only a tenth of the size. Settled at the center of it was a statue of a woman that struck her as familiar. She seemed to be the size of a younger teen, yet the curves in her figure made it obvious that she was anything but. Delicately carved hair tumbled down her back, ending just beyond the sweeping, open back of her elegant dress. One of her hands gripped the stone fabric, the other settled atop one end of a longbow. 

Inna, Iliana realized. It must have been made of her. The statue was a perfect depiction of the pictures she’d seen in books.

“How does that work?” she wondered aloud. She had seen working fountains before, but there was always complicated pipe-work to accompany it. That seemed doubtful here, given the undisturbed earth that surrounded the fountain.

“Inna made the fountain base after one of our own carved the statue for her. We imagine the water comes from the goddess’s power,” the siren explained. “She said that such a beautiful piece of art deserves a proper podium.” 

Of course the goddess of art would say that. 

“Our cabin for newcomers,” the siren continued, gesturing to the second building on the left of the main path. “We have tried to make it easy to access given the circumstances most visit us in. After initial details have been settled, the majority of our people room with someone else at a later point, or build their own space. Although that has become less common as the clearing filled. I imagine Inna will help us expand in the near future, so no need to concern yourself with the issue at this time.” 

Iliana, uneasy about the assumptions being made in the explanation, nodded. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the happy expression the siren offered as a response. Her crew was right--one look at that smile and most men she knew would have dived overboard, song or not. Fates, she might have jumped as well.

Thankfully, she was saved from looking like a star-struck idiot by the siren pausing and calling out for someone to open the door. At first, Iliana thought it strange given she’d seen no one else on the path, but within seconds the door had been opened from the inside, revealing yet another stunningly beautiful woman.