The Tethering: The Complete Collection

24. Nothing for Nothing-1

24

Nothing for Nothing

Emilia stared down at the inscription. For words that spoke of pleasure and joy, they were oddly foreboding. Before she could read through the words again, there was a loud splash, and she was doused in the golden liquid. Emilia sputtered and spat out a good amount of the sweet water that had flown into her mouth.

She looked around and saw a woman standing in the fountain, grinning at them. She had chestnut hair that hung around her face in wet curls.

“I have been waiting for you, Bertrand,” the woman said with a coy smile.

“I am sorry to have kept you.” Their escort turned back to them. “And now, my lady, I am afraid I must go. If you ever wish to find me, I assure you it will be quite possible. Only look for Bertrand Wayland, and I shall appear.” Without further conversation, Bertrand kicked off his silver-buckled shoes and dove into the fountain.

Emilia watched Bertrand and the woman playing in the golden water. No wonder he looked so familiar. He was probably Dexter’s great-great-great grandfather.

“So in theory, all we have to do is look for Rosalie, and we should find her,” Jacob said, taking Emilia by the shoulders and steering her away from the fountain. “Might as well start now.”

“Right.” Emilia wrenched her gaze away from the statue of the beautiful woman. “We would like to find Rosalie Wilde.” Emilia waited for the scene around them to change, but the tents surrounding them remained the same, and the sounds of laughter and splashing from the fountain did not cease.

“He said to commence on the path to our desires. I say we start walking.”

Emilia laced her fingers tightly through Jacob’s as he began to lead her down a side path of tents.

The tents here were smaller and less colorful. The light, sweet scent that Emilia had barely noticed before was replaced by something slightly stale, almost like a room whose windows had been shut for too long.

“Do you really think she’s going to be in a place like this?” Emilia asked. The farther they went down the alley, the darker things seemed to become.

“I don’t know.” Jacob peered into the open flap of an empty tent. A table of dishes left behind from a half-eaten meal stood next to an unmade bed. “We asked to find her, and this is where we’re going.”

Emilia’s heart sank. She didn’t want to find Rosalie in a desolate place. But Rosalie had chosen to come to the Siren. Maybe this was what she wanted.

With no indication as to why, the road in front of them widened, the tents grew taller, and the fabrics richer.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Jacob said, turning to smile at Emilia.

“Or we could have gotten nowhere,” Emilia said, pointing over Jacob’s shoulder to the fountain of the Siren.

Jacob turned to look, and his face fell.

Bertrand Wayland was still splashing in the water, now with a redhead on either side laughing at his antics.

“Let’s try another street,” Jacob said, pulling Emilia through the crowd to the other side of the square. They passed a cart laden with food. The scent of roasting meat made Emilia’s stomach growl.

“You hungry?” Jacob asked as though in response to Emilia’s stomach’s protest.

“Yes,” Emilia groaned.

Jacob led her to the cart of roasting meat. There were large legs of some type of game cooking over the fire. The closer they got, the more the smell made Emilia’s mouth water.

“Evenin’,” the man at the meat cart called as they approached. The man, much like Bertrand, appeared out of his time. He looked like someone lost in a shipwreck at least a hundred years ago. And yet, there he stood in front of them, an older man, but very much alive.

“How much?” Emilia asked, moving to reach for her backpack, but it was gone. “My pack.” She turned to Jacob. “I don’t have my pack.” All of their money had been in her pack. The extra food. Everything.

“I don’t think either of us had them when we got here.” Jacob furrowed his brow.

“The Siren don’t allow earthly riches to enter her Realm. She provides for all our wants. It would be insultin’ to think you could bring somethin’ in here better than what she can give ya,” the meat seller said.

“Then how can we get food?” Jacob asked.

“Just have to give me a draw,” the man answered.

“A draw?” Emilia asked.

“A draw of yer magic. Don’t get nothin’ fer nothin’, even here.” The man held out his hand to Emilia “What’s yer name girlie?”

“Emilia,” she answered tentatively.

“Well, Emilia. I’m Gabriel. Now, gimme yer hand. We’ll shake like friends and I’ll show ya.”

Emilia began to reach for the man, but Jacob knocked her hand away.

“I’ll do it,” Jacob said, taking the man’s hand.

“Ya got a nice gentleman,” the meat seller said. Their joined hands glowed for a moment. Jacob gasped, and the man released his hand. “There ya go son, one each. You both look like you need feedin’.”

“Thanks,” Jacob said, handing Emilia one of the two large chunks of meat before walking quickly away.

“What happened?” Emilia asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

“I don’t know.” Jacob shook his head and took a bite of meat. “It was like I did a spell. I could feel my magic flowing out. It usually feels like I won’t ever run out of magic. But this time, I felt him take some, and there was nothing to replace it. It felt like he was sucking the magic out of me. Is that even possible?”

“Not that I’ve ever heard of, but I don’t think things work the same way here. How long have we been here?” She looked up at the sky. The sun was already sinking low.

“I didn’t think we’d been here that long.” Jacob took another bite of his food. “But that would explain why we were so hungry.”

“We should keep looking,” Emilia said, heading toward the far end of the square. “I want to get out of this place as quickly as possible.”

Emilia stopped in front of a street that held the most lavish tents they had seen yet. The sapphire blue tent on the corner was embroidered with gold, and real sapphires covered the face of the tent, making it sparkle in the fading sunlight.

“What do you think?” Emilia asked. If she had run away to a mythical land to escape all her troubles, she would want to live in a place like this.

“Might as well. We want to find Rosalie Wilde,” Jacob said firmly as they started down the street.

The road they walked down was made of the same bright metal they first landed on, but this was studded with jewels. Emeralds, sapphires, peridots, and rubies all shone, creating a rainbow for them to walk upon.

Emilia’s heart skipped a beat as they passed a tent made of the purest white silk studded with diamonds. The road in front of the shining white tent was embedded so thickly with diamonds that the road glittered almost unbearably, even in the pale twilight.

Emilia walked up to the tent. The flaps twisted gently in the breeze as though beckoning her in. This was it. This was what she had come to find―the most glorious place full of beauty and peace.

“Emi.” Jacob grabbed her hand, roughly pulling her back. “She’s not in there.”

“What?” Emilia asked, confused for a moment as to who this she was. Emilia shook her head, trying to get her senses to right themselves.

She looked back at the tent. It still shone brightly, but as the flaps fluttered open, she could see a shadow waiting inside. A strange shadow promising comfort. And danger. But it was not Rosalie Wilde. Emilia grasped Jacob’s hand and pulled him down the darkened street away from the waiting shadow.

Before they had traveled more than a dozen steps, they were in the square again, staring up at the placid face of the Siren statue. Emilia turned and walked a few steps down a side street. She couldn’t stay in the square with the statue taunting her.

She found a green tent with barrels out front. She had seen the tent before, and she didn’t even remember walking down this street.

“She’s not here.” Emilia sighed and sat down on one of the barrels. “If she were here, we would have found her already.”

“Emi,” Jacob said softly, pushing her hair away from her face. “We can’t give up. She’s here someplace.”

“She’s not.” Emilia’s voice caught in her throat. “I dragged you here for nothing. We risked our lives for nothing. We could be trapped here for nothing.”

“Emilia, I know you may not want to hear this, but what if she doesn’t want to be found? She ran away from your father. If she came here to hide, and that’s what she most desires, then it would go against the Siren’s Decree for us to find her.”

“You think she doesn’t want me to find her?” Tears stung Emilia’s eyes.

“Not you in particular. I think she just doesn’t want to be found.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Sleep,” Jacob said, “then work on it some more in the morning.”

The sky was dark now, and the sounds of the revelry around them had shifted. Jacob was right. They should get inside.

Emilia stood and led Jacob back to the square. Before they had walked a dozen paces, a barker stepped in front of them.

“Warm bed for the night?” he asked with a grin.

“Yes, please,” Jacob said. A tent flap opened to their right, and the barker ushered them through.

As soon as they stepped into the tent, the street noise disappeared. There was a washstand in one corner and a table set with food in another. In the center of the room was a large bed with red and gold silken sheets.

“Sleep well, sir.” The barker reached out and shook Jacob’s hand.

Jacob winced as his hand shimmered for a moment in the man’s grasp.

The man dipped his chin and closed the tent flap behind him.

“You should have let me do it,” Emilia said, taking Jacob’s hand in her own and examining it. The golden line on his palm glowed at her touch, but she could see no sign of damage from the man drawing out Jacob’s magic.

“I’d rather they take mine,” Jacob said. “One of us should have their power intact, and you know a lot more magic than I do. Let them take mine.”

“Be careful.” Emilia brushed his palm with her thumb before dropping his hand. She walked over to the table and tore a chunk from a steaming loaf of bread, holding it out to Jacob.

“Are you sure we should eat that?” Jacob asked, eyeing the fresh bread and cheese.

“We already ate once, and I’m starving again. Besides, the decree didn’t say anything about food.”

Jacob took the piece of bread. “Cheers.” He smiled tiredly as they both settled in at the table.

“Jacob.” Emilia traced the grain of the wood in the table with her fingertip. The pattern swirled perfectly, leading her finger back to the beginning. “Do you think we can do it? This place is so much bigger than I thought it would be. And if she doesn’t want to see me…”

Jacob reached across the table, taking Emilia’s hand in his. “I promise you we will figure this out.” Fatigue tugged at the corners of his eyes even as he smiled.

Emilia didn’t know how long they had been in the Siren’s Realm. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours, but the sky said it had been a day. Her body said it had been a week.

“We should get some sleep,” Emilia said. She brushed Jacob’s cheek with her hand. Her fingers paused on the little red burn on his cheek. He had gotten that scar rescuing her. Now he was exhausted and lost, farther away from home than either of them could ever have imagined, trying to help her.

Emilia pulled Jacob up out of his seat and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. His warm scent of sun and grass and life filled her. Jacob held her close, and for the first time in such a long time, Emilia felt peace. She lifted her head and kissed his cheek right next to the burn.

His breath caught as she looked into his eyes. He was so close, so very close. If she only leaned in an inch…

“Goodnight, Jacob,” was all she could manage to whisper. She kicked off her shoes and climbed into the silken sheets, pulling them up over her head and closing her eyes tightly. She was asleep in moments.