CHAPTER 108: FIVE MAN BAND

The morning after...

The four had gone to a sweathouse to relax their muscles from their ’workout’ the night before and to talk business. Aphrodite was rich enough to afford them a small one all to themselves.

Sweathouses were like these beehive-shaped structures made from dry-stone, and worked like a sauna. They were believed to relieve ailments like rheumatism, fevers and colds. It’s perfect during this season as even when winter has passed, the nights during spring were pretty chilly and they had been sleeping naked on the floor all night.

"Achoo! We were actually going to come and tell you guys that CEO Quasar came by yesterday." Somner said, his nose red and runny.

"He did?" Aphrodite shifted on the rock he was sitting on due to soreness. "What did he say?"

Hermes leaned back against the steaming stone wall, droplets sliding down his chest. "He spoke about the years to come. About the futures we’ve been trying to dodge."

Apple tilted his head. "Futures... plural?"

"Yeah." Hermes nodded. "There were three that mattered most. We’ve already avoided two."

Somner sniffled and straightened up a bit. "Which ones?"

"The first," Hermes began, "was Glasán marrying the High King’s daughter. That match would have given him too much influence. He and his bloodline would have commanded the other Somners to fight, to tear down any who stood in their path. That whole dynasty of warriors born from that union... it would have been ruinous. But since Glasán rejected her, that path is gone."

Aphrodite exhaled in relief, his voice soft. "So he chose you instead."

Hermes reddened but pushed on. "The second was about Muirenn. She was supposed to fly into rage one day, driven by jealousy of her brother. Dante said she would massacre a thousand men in bloodlust. But after what Somner did... calming her, protecting her, giving her someone to lean on instead of hate... that rage is unlikely to spark now."

Somner smirked faintly, proud of himself. "So that’s two disasters snuffed out."

Apple rubbed his chin. "But one remains."

Hermes nodded. "Yes. The mystery of how Muirenn becomes a merrow. And not just her. Their mother too. In Glasán’s memory she looked like an ordinary woman. Not a Voidling, not marked. Yet somehow she transformed. That means our work isn’t finished."

"Maybe it’s the Sirentone." Aphrodite suggested, pushing his damp hair back. "If she had even a drop of Void blood in her, maybe that power awakened it when she used it. That could explain a gradual transformation."

Apple frowned. "But Glasán never showed any changes. He used Sirentone in battle and his body stayed human."

Somner squinted, tapping his knee impatiently. "There’s still the cave. Hermes, you’ve been saying it from the start. The cave’s the key."

"Yes." Hermes leaned forward. "That’s our lead. Apple, Aphro, you said you checked all possible places already?"

Aphrodite nodded. "Almost. We narrowed it down. Only three spots remain unsearched. Three caves still hidden out there."

"Then we should split up." Hermes said. "Divide and conquer, save time."

"No, wait." Somner raised a finger. "There might be a shortcut. Remember that seashell Muirenn wore around her neck? The keepsake from her mother?"

Hermes blinked. "The one she always held on to."

"Yeah." Somner scratched his head. "I never paid it much mind before, but I remember what it looked like. It wasn’t any common shell. It was smooth, elongated, with a pearl-like gleam. Almost like—"

Aphrodite’s eyes widened. "Describe it again."

Somner gestured with his fingers. "Kind of oval. Ridges on the back. A little darkened at the tip, pale as cream near the opening. Why?"

"That’s a durrow pearl mussel." Aphrodite whispered, astonished. "It can only be found in River Nore. That’s deep in the Kingdom of Osraige."

Apple’s lips curved faintly. "So not three places. Just one."

Hermes smiled, heat rising in his chest from more than the steam. "Then we have our destination."

They sat there, the steam curling around their bodies, the silence between them filled with a sudden weight.

"Osraige is far." Aphrodite murmured. "On horseback, it could take days."

"Then the sooner we leave, the better." Hermes said firmly.

Before they could rise, the stone door scraped open.

Glasán stepped in, damp hair clinging to his brow, a nervous smile on his lips. His presence shifted the whole room, as if the air grew tighter around Hermes.

"I was looking for you." Glasán’s voice was soft, but carried.

"O-Oh." Hermes gave an uneasy smile. "Why?"

"I spoke with the High King," He said, his tone even. "Told him I’d no wish to wed his daughters. He was not pleased, but I’ve earned time to think. So he said."

Hermes’ throat tightened. He forced himself to nod. "That’s... good to know. There’s something I’ll need to tell you, Glasán. But... not yet. After we return."

Glasán tilted his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Return from where?"

"The River Nore," Hermes answered. "We’ve reason to believe there’s a cave there tied to... an old miracle. Some say a saint once prayed within it. I want to see it for myself."

That caught him off guard, because he knew this was the place where his mother’s cave was.

["What an unfortunate coincidence... My mother’s cave... a saint’s miracle?"]

His smile faltered for the briefest moment, then returned, softer, almost knowing. "Is that so? I know the Nore well. My men and I used to hunt Norse raiders along its banks. You’ll be needing a guide."

Hermes opened his mouth to argue, but he didn’t need to. The bond of Mindbloom hummed among them, and all four felt it—Glasán’s thought, quiet and steady:

["They mean to keep something from me. Yet still, I’ll follow. Better to see with my own eyes."]

"I’ll come with ye," Glasán said aloud, his voice firm now. "I’ve been granted leave to rest, aye? And there’s no love lost between me and the King these days. If I’ve spurned his daughters, I may as well keep away from Ailech for a while."

Hermes hesitated, guilt prickling his chest. He hadn’t meant to be endeared to Glasán to this degree. Yet here he was, smiling at him as if no secret hung between them.

"Alright then," Hermes murmured. "You’ll ride with us."

And so the five of them set out together, like a merry band, bound for Osraige... and the cave that held all the answers they were looking for.