She pulled it out and saw her father’s likeness carefully drawn in coal. He’d been very young at the time—before he grew out his mustache—possibly in his early twenties. Studying her mother’s love for her father, forbidden but blooming all the same, felt like an invasion of privacy. Mina carefully tucked the picture back into the book and placed it in the bottom of the trunk.
“Tell me about her, before, when she was a siren,” she said.
“Oh, she was a handful—stubborn and one of the strongest in her gifts. I can see that her bloodline passed on to each of you. So it’s not just your father’s curse you were born with, but your mother’s gifts as well.”
“But why would she hide it—from my father, from me?”
“Your father, James, hated the Fae, because they killed his brother. When your mother saved his life, he didn’t know she was a siren. But they fell in love so deeply, he willingly shared his secret, his curse. When Sara learned how much he hated the Fae, she chose to keep her identity a secret. But Ternan told you all of that already—about her deal with the sprite and all.”
“Wait. A sprite, you say?”
“Yes. One of the most powerful nixies of all. She was once employed at the castle as one of the Queen’s own handmaidens, before she was banished.”
“I bet you I know what she was banished for,” Mina breathed out excitedly. Her heart was racing. She’d once asked the Godmothers, and no one knew where this sprite had disappeared to. “You don’t happen to know where I can find her, do you?”
Ternan’s expression soured. “Now why would you want to stir up trouble with her?”
“Because I think she can help me.”
“Nay, she can’t help anyone but herself. She’s a conniving, deceitful—”
“Ternan,” Winona gently warned. “You cannot let what happened with our daughter cloud your judgment.”
“Wait…what bargain did they make? I thought Ternan said my mom got help from a sea witch.”
Winona closed her eyes and whispered softly to herself. When she opened her eyes, there were tears in the corners. “Ternan spoke the truth when he called her a sea witch earlier. Sprites are entities of water like us, and they go by many names—depending on their choices. Water sprites, nixies—or the deplorable one—sea witch.”
“It’s true, they can’t be trusted,” Winona said.
“And now both of our daughters are dead,” Ternan growled angrily.
“I’ll soon be dead, if I don’t find another way to stop what’s about to happen,” Mina said.
“We could protect you. We could help you,” her grandmother said.
She shook her head. “I need to find this sprite, this sea witch. Please, if you know anything… Help me.”
Both of her grandparents looked pained at the prospect. Winona spoke up first. “She’s here on the human plane. This is where she was banished after the Fates were unhappy with the deal they had made.”
“Where?”
“We do not know. We know only the name which she goes by here.”
“Which is?”
“Taz Clara.”
“That’s it? That’s all you can tell me?”
“That’s all anyone knows. Truly, if you don’t find her, that may be for the better.”
Mina felt frustrated. No plan she came up with worked. She couldn’t find Charlie, and now—when the possibility of finding the one who’d split Teague rallied her spirits—she had only a name. Taz Clara.
She left Ternan and Winona’s room and made her way below deck to the sleeping quarters. It was pretty empty except for a few sirens who looked to be taking an afternoon nap. Ever and Nix were chatting while they swung in their hammocks.
Nix nodded at Mina. “Those two are unoccupied.” Next to him, there were two hammocks folded up, waiting to be stretched out and hung on far hooks for an occupant.
Mina grabbed the heavy cloth and hooked the ring on a post, then unwound it till she found the other ring. It took a few tries to get the hammock opened enough to where she could sit in it and lay back without falling out. From her position in the hammock, she could see Ever and Nix as they whispered softly to each other.
“Hey, Nix,” Mina called. “Did you ever know a sea witch by the name of Taz Clara?”
Nix shivered and looked away. “No. And thank goodness. I’ve never even run into her, since I never left the Fae plane growing up. I’ve heard stories about her, though. She’s one of the most powerful and dangerous sea witches out there. You’ve heard the phrase, be careful what you wish for? Well, that phrase came into existence because of her.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of looking for her.” Ever grimaced.
Mina stayed quiet and decided not to answer. It seemed like Nix wasn’t the person to ask to help with her personal quest.
“I was just wondering,” Mina added when he wouldn’t stop staring at her. After his pointed stare finally dropped away, Mina relaxed in her bed. She had quite a few hours before she’d head to the pier to see if Nan had gotten her message.
If she hadn’t made it, Mina would have to wait until morning. She’d rather do that on the ship than to traipse about San Francisco, though. She didn’t want any nasty surprises from Teague or his fun friends, as in Claire or Temple.
Unlike last night, the soft swaying of the ship on the water and the heat were actually making Mina sleepy right then. Maybe the stress was wearing her down, but she had the time, so she decided to close her eyes for just a few minutes.
Chapter 28
They were in a car. Mina couldn’t see much in her dream, but she could see that Brody was driving, and it was daylight. Nan set down her cell phone and looked over at Brody.
“You wouldn’t believe who that was.”
“Mina?” he asked hopefully.
Nan started to tear up and nodded. “Yes! After weeks of nothing, we finally hear from her.”
“Does she want us to come back? Is it safe to bring Charlie home?” Brody glanced at Nan and then refocused on the road.
Nan peeked into the back seat where Charlie was fast asleep in what looked like a bed of comics. Mina could just make out a white bag with golden arches.
“No Brody, it’s not safe. It’s was a warning. He’s coming for us.”
“Well, what do we do? She must have given us some instructions other than that.”
Nan bit her lip and pulled out a map out of the glove compartment. “She studied it for a second. We need to get off of this exit here and take this interstate south. If we hurry, we can get there by tomorrow night.”
“Are you sure about this, Nan?” he reached out to cup her cheek. “You trust this message? It could be a trap.” The look he gave her was one of affection, and Mina only felt the slightest bit hurt.
Nan covered Brody’s hand against her face and threaded her fingers through his, bringing it down to her lap. “Positive. That was Mina. She even spoke in code. Not very good code, but there were enough clues that only she would have known. We’re going to San Francisco.”
“That’s hours away!”