"What...How?" A million questions were circling through Lisanne's mind, and her first impulse was to ask them all at once. She managed to stay quiet, however, and waited for Alex to find the words.
"Outside the main island there is a large cluster of rocks. We steered the ship to the leeward side of these. The girl was on the rock, we didn't even realize it until she started attacking us."
"Mara!--" it was half sigh, half exclamation. "I'm sorry, go on,"
"In trying to subdue her, one of us accidently knocked her down. She cracked her head on a rock. We checked for a pulse, there was none. I'm sorry."
Lisanne took a deep breath. "The girl will be missed, but it is a tragedy not entirely of your doing. I will convey your apologies when I return to Insula. If you ask me, the real culprit is the person who ordered you to capture me. Can I ask why this person wanted me?"
"His name is Malivar. He calls himself the "sultan" but he is not really royalty by birth. He is a merchant who managed to take control of all the trade in the midlands and purchase a title from an impoverished noble in far lands. He is not completely evil, just a complete fool. He is constantly collecting exotic women for his... harem. I'm sorry, I know it's demeaning."
"It's nothing," Lisanne muttered. "I won't be there for long, believe me."
"That reminds me. Take this," and Alex retrieved a sheathed dagger from her boot. "I made a promise to deliver you, and I don't go back on my word, but I made no promise about not helping you escape. My ship will be in port for 5 days. Come find me and you have a ride back to your Island."
"Thanks, and if you want to know the truth about my power, keep an eye on the palace. That fool of a 'sultan' is about to show the whole world just how much of a fool he is. I thank you for the dagger, though I hope I won't need it."
"Good luck to you, Lisanne."
They hugged in parting. They were a strange pair of friends, the captain in her tight fitting laced leather, and the Siren in her long flowing silk robes. They each saw an inkling of themselves in the other, the same steely determination that allowed them to get things done, the same positive outlook that allowed them to enjoy getting them done. And a life saved of course forges a permanent bond between anyone.
The party of eunuchs, cotton stuffed in their ears, had arrived to take Lisanne to the palace. She went without fight or any attempt at speaking. If she'd come this far, she may as well at least see the inside of the palace and ascertain for herself just what kind of a man this "sultan" was.
As she and her escorts walked away, she looked back for a final glimpse of her companions this past month. Daina started to wave, then glanced quickly at the captain and put both hands behind her back. Lisanne almost laughed, but then remembered that would probably make the suggestible eunuchs around her start laughing also (the cotton in their ears might muffle the effect but they would still be able to hear her), and she wasn't in the mood to reveal her powers just yet. So she contented herself with flashing a big smile over her shoulder at the lot of them.
