The Broken Blades Trilogy, #3
Three Shattered Souls
by Mai Corland
Contents
Chapter Thirty-One
Overview
Royo recalls the group’s planned escape from Rune, aided by Misha, and their flight by skiff powered by Mikail’s Etherum scepter. En route to Gaya, hypnotic cirena nearly lure them to death. Aeri and Sora break the compulsion, and Mikail explains the threat, reaffirming their urgent push toward Gaya.
Summary
On a skiff racing across the West Sea, Royo watches the horizon while Mikail drives the boat with the Etherum scepter. Royo reflects on the escape plan hatched in Rune’s coju cellar: stage a public argument so Sora can spirit them to a skiff with courtesan Misha’s help. Rune is left alive at Mikail’s insistence, and Royo departs with his axe.
As dusk deepens, Royo spots distant figures on rocks and hears entrancing music. Compelled to help, he moves to steer toward them. Aeri tackles Royo, covers his ears, and kisses him to drown out the song, while Sora covers her own good ear, clamps Mikail’s head, and urges him to keep aiming for Gaya.
The compulsion breaks. Mikail identifies the threat as cirena—octopus-like sea beasts that mimic stranded women with tentacled illusions and use hypnotic songs to lure victims. Royo confronts how close they came to steering into danger.
Sora explains her partial hearing loss let her block the song by covering only one ear while guiding Mikail. With the danger passed, Mikail resumes channeling Etherum, and the group presses toward Gaya as night falls, wary of further threats among the rocks.
Who Appears
- RoyoNarrator; scouts at sea, nearly succumbs to cirena song before Aeri breaks the compulsion.
- AeriCalms and saves Royo by covering his ears with a kiss; confirms seeing women on rocks.
- MikailDrives the skiff with the Etherum scepter; identifies cirena and insists on reaching Gaya.
- SoraOrchestrates escape via Misha; uses partial hearing loss to block song and refocus Mikail.
- CirenaSea beasts mimicking women on rocks; their hypnotic song nearly lures the skiff to doom.
- MishaRune’s courtesan who helps secure the skiff; suspected poison maiden.
- Count RuneAntagonistic host; left alive as possibly useful while the group escapes his control.