Dreams of Darkness

by D L Pitchford et al.

  “It’s very real.” Sirena said, afraid to turn her attention away from Meridia.

  “What’s ‘the Thirst?’” Thalia asked curiously.

  “The Thirst starts first as a compulsion. A need to taste the sweet blood of the Fae. If they don’t satiate their need they quickly, it can spiral out of control. A fever will take over, and before long the siren begins to get aggressive and lose their mind. They do things that are regarded as reckless and and dangerous to the siren herself as well as the rest of their kind.”

  Meridia felt Sirena’s gaze on her. The idea of Sirena believing she had been infected made her shiver. She didn’t want to be turned away from her sisters because of one tiny kill. He’d been so small, she was sure she’d gotten the runt of the litter when it came to the sailors, but he was well-built and lithe. From the few lessons Sirena had given her, she couldn’t tell for certain looking back whether or not he’d actually been human, and that scared her.

  She wanted to wash away the apprehension that gripped her body. How would she survive this if Sirena was right? Merida raised her head to the cool breeze of the approaching rain. She didn’t like the idea, but Sirena was almost always right. She hoped that for once, Sirena was wrong. Meridia turned her head, and felt of the raw energy of the storm which began to roll off the horizon. She could feel the intensity of the winds pushing the tide toward the shore.

  Tonight was the traditional summoning to welcome in the first storms of the season. The westward winds carried a storm created by the goddess Calypso herself. Its fury was an omen of good hunting to the children of the sea.

  The sirens gathered in the inlet. There were only a handful of clans represented. The numbers of sirens were dwindling, ancient beings long forgotten to time. Meridia and her sisters were a new breed of siren created by the river god, Achelous, after the death of his beloved Melpomene, the muse of chorus and tragedy and the mother of the sirens of lore.

  In his grief over the loss of not only his beloved but of the future generations of sirens, he vowed revenge by resurrecting those who died, to use the rage locked inside them to make efficient killers. Their voracious appetites would make them superior predators once they matured, and he would then release them on those who littered the seas with toxic chemicals, the same ones that had killed Melpomene.

  The long marsh grasses rustled at the edge of swamp marsh inlet. The churning white waves crested as the tide swelled on a crash course pummeling the sand in its wake. The sea stacks littered sparsely around the interior of the inlet. To the right of the inlet was a rocky embankment where the Achelous was expecting his daughters’ arrival.

  Achelous called forth his daughters. He wanted them with him as they honored the goddesses. The four sisters swam to him, taking their places in front of their father upon the surrounding sea stacks, ensuring they had the best seats in the inlet. There was lots of activity as sirens from all over were busy laughing, talking, splashing, diving, and playing games with each other. Meridia and her sisters were eager to join in the festivities. But as they approached the other sirens they were met with gasps of horror and sharp looks as the other sirens stopped celebrating and stared at the newcomers.

  But not even that rejection could spoil this night. It was a night Meridia would not soon forget—her first summoning.

  When the sirens began to raise their voice in song, the storm churned even faster, as if their song spurred on the storm’s severity. Even Achelous’ deep baritone joined in the melody, like thunder striking, crackling over his daughters’ high, sweet voices, honoring the goddesses in song as they welcomed the first storm of the season.

  Meridia reached for her father’s hand. Once, long ago Meridia and her sisters had been human. What was left of their humanity had been stripped from them in death after meeting their ends in the murky swamp. Achelous had risen a handful of human souls who had met their end by the hand of another to create a superior breed of siren. Only three had heeded his call. Achelous had risen Sirena first, making her the oldest and by far Achelous’ favorite. He counted on her to help him guide and teach the others he had risen in order to help populate the dying numbers of sirens by creating a new, superior breed. A breed known for being lethal, aggressive, and cunning.

  They were sisters born from the salt marsh’s murky depths. Their serenade was more potent and alluring than that of the sirens who swam in the open waters, and they had the ability to shift their appearance while serenading, making them far more deadly. They stayed within the inlet, trapping those unlucky few whose vessels had run aground on the shallow embankments and sandbars, luring them closer and closer to their watery deaths.

  As they sang, the rich colors of the sunset turned into ever-deepening grays. Lightning lit the skies and the smell of heavy rains filled the air. Off on the horizon, various depths of midnight-blue illuminated the edges of the sky. Violent waves crashed against the razor-sharp rocks and sheer cliffs which encased the pristine, white beach. The westerly winds picked up offshore, howling ominous notes in the distance.

  Nights like these inspired Meridia’s most haunting serenades. The heavy taste of salt clung to every pore and scale on her body. The freedom and fury which inhabited the storm felt exhilarating, beckoning her to sing along.

  Their combined voices were what most haunting songs from the sea were made to carry inland but as they sang the notes and rifts got higher leaving some to do nothing more than to harmonize along. With every verse sung, the level of intensity of the song had gradually risen in difficulty till there were only but a handful left to sing the final verses.

  Meridia was one of the last few singers who sang without her sisters’ accompaniment. She had won the right the untill she took the lead by belting out the octaves needed to sing the storm ashore on her own accord. She had climbed to the peak of the sea stack and continued into the final two verses. Now the other sirens had gathered around the base of the stack lending their harmony. It was rare gift for a siren who could captive the storm and sing it to shore as Meridia was proving tonight.

  It was just as it had been the night before when she lured a ship into the thick fog. Her lonesome song cried of home and its haunting melody had drawn the sailors off course as they struggled to find the safety of the harbor. Their deaths were preceded by a sickening crash of heavy wood timbers snapping as if they were fragile twigs against the hardened rock.

  As the moon began its trek through the night sky, the rains poured forth, drenching the land and all the sirens in attendance. Meridia enjoyed the feel of the falling rain. It was one of only a handful of connections she had to her past life. Only in the depths of sleep could she remember the huge gaps in her memory from when she was a human. Her humanity had been lost when her lungs could no longer breathe on their own. Torment and rage filled her dreams, rising beneath the surface of slumber into her semi-consciousness carrying over into her song. She belted out her serenade of loss as she reached chords which carried her song on the winds into the storm.

  When Meridia sang the final note, she opened her eyes to find everyone staring at her in awe. She was thankful when Asrai broke the awkward silence by diving underwater, performing somersaults and an aerial maneuver worthy of the graceful dolphins which swam in the deeper waters.

  Asrai swam up to the sea stack where Meridia sat. "Oh, you sang so beautifully. I'm so jealous!"

  Meridia smiled at her sister who always knew just what to say and when to say it.

  The rest of her sisters and Achelous now had gathered around her. Everyone was flabbergasted by her voice, congratulating her over and over on how well she sang.

  When the crowds had cleared, Sirena turned to her. "Do you want to go hunting with us?"

  "Oh yes! I'm famished!" Meridia said, and the four sisters took their leave of their father.

  But after hours of no luck in hunting, they were still starving. Unable to hear any foghorns from distant boats coming into port, the sisters began to watch for the carrion birds. A few
ravens flew over the inlet on the other side of the razor-sharp jetty rocks. Had something proven to be too much of a challenge for the other sirens and been left to die?

  As they rounded the jetty, they could hear the eerie sound of a whale taking its final breaths. Soon, it came into view. The waves crested and bashed the dying whale against the rocks. It wasn’t their preferred meal, but it would keep them from starving.

  The sisters used their claws and dragged the defenseless animal back into the water, which churned an eerie pale pink. It was just what they needed to maintain their strength. Discarded scraps of juicy blubber floated on the surface. The sirens scratched, bit and tore apart the whale. The succulent meat was filling but not particularly satisfying.

  Meridia sank her razor sharp teeth into the rich meat tearing it easily leaving shreds of whale blubber and blood on her face. "I want something more appetizing.”

  “What’s more appetizing than whale?” Asrai blinked wide-eyed and curiously at her from where she’d been feasting on the large fleshy part just behind the dorsal fin.

  “Something that kicks and fights till its last breath.” Meridia smiled at the thought.

  “Oooh, that does sound like fun? Are we going to go catch some crabs? I think it’s so cute how they try to pinch you and scuttle along the seafloor at you.”

  Meridia shook her head at her sister. She knew Asrai had always liked to play with the crabs more than she liked to eat them. “I was hoping for something… tastier.” Meridia groaned, suddenly losing what was left of her appetite.

  “Like what?” Thalia wanted to know.

  “What did I tell you about playing with your food, Meridia?” Sirena sighed playfully, but the look she gave Meridia made her real worries clear. She truly thought that Meridia was inflicted with the Thirst. Human blood was addictive to some sirens, but it was Fae blood that created an uncontrollable urge to feast and made a siren, reckless, irrational and crazy.

  Meridia did not have the Thirst.

  “How else am I supposed to perfect my kills? Besides, all the good stuff is gone already.” Meridia sucked the marrow from one of the whale's ribs as she looked at the picked-over carcass. The inlet was littered with everything from whale bones to seal bones, and even those of an otter who had been caught downstream after the storm.

  “I'm going to go for a swim, maybe find some more coins," Meridia said, unsatisfied with the dinner the succulent whale had provided. Maybe Sirena had been right about how a siren craved the sweet taste of Fae blood. If she had it, then she would capitalize on it. After all, she didn’t think it would make much difference in her already superior hunting skills. She hoped her sisters bought her lie about looking for more gold coins.

  But Meridia had a much bigger reason to be alone. If she had “the Thirst” as Sirena claimed she had, she wanted to see if, and how, it made her a more lethal killer. Would see lose what was left of her sanity during the hunt? If so, she didn’t want her sisters around to witness it. She wanted to go hunting for a tender human. There was almost always an unsuspecting human down at the water’s edge after a good storm. She swore she could hear the blood rushing through the humans’ hearts as they got closer to the water, drawing her to them.

  “Don’t be gone too long. I don’t want to have to go looking for you,” Sirena remarked.

  “I won’t, I promise.” Meridia gave her sister an innocent smile before she swam toward the shore. She had been told time and time again to never go hunting for large prey by herself, but she wanted to prove to everyone she was big enough and strong enough for the challenge.

  Meridia found herself on the open water side of the wreckage of the boat she had caused to run aground when a noise on shore caught her attention. When she looked to the surface, she saw that a ball of blue light was slowly making its way through the darkness and the rain. From this distance, she could only imagine what it was. She surfaced just enough to allow her to see over the reeds and long grasses, hoping to take a better look. She was careful not to disturb the surface of the water as she drew nearer.

  The light seemed to be making its way carefully along the shoreline near the sandbar, illuminating the shrubs, mangroves, and cypress trees. People were coming and going from the wrecked ship. They wore long capes, leather pants, and knee-high boots. Despite their similarities, Meridia noticed a division among the people. A few wore regal looking robes with handcrafted metal jewelry adorning their heads, arms, and legs. Some wore colorful plumes of feathers in their hair, much in the same way Meridia decorated hers with the pearls and conch shells she found on the ocean floor.

  Meridia watched these creatures. Were they human or were they Fae? She knew humans didn’t know anything about magic. She also knew humans were more technically advanced than the Fae. The boats and the weapons they used were more advanced and Fae were one with the creatures on land. The animals were always around the Fae out of loyalty and were revered as gods.

  She remembered seeing the Fae once before, a few days after another ship was abandoned after running aground on the rocky embankment following a hurricane. Sirena and Meridia were out hunting along the far point of the salt marshes while Achelous worked with Asrai and Thalia just on the other side of the inlet. Sirena and Achelous always insisted they do everything as a team despite their superior strength and tenacity in the water.

  The battered boat had rocked and swayed against the inlet’s rocky shoreline while Sirena and Meridia searched the waters around the wreckage for treasures lost to the sea. That was when they’d encountered the creatures, also pillaging the wreckage for any perceived treasures, and Sirena, normally fearless, had whisked her away.

  It was then that Sirena had taught her about the differences in humans and the Fae. Sirena was born off the volcanic coastal waters of Trinidad and had encountered many different beings—sea hags, sirens and mercreatures, humans, and Fae, as well as the predatory animals who swam in the deepest ends of the ocean. Meridia and her other sisters had learned of all these things through Sirena’s stories and through their own near encounters.

  Meridia had learned from Sirena that there were two main divisions of Fae. One was called the Seelie and usually more peaceful of the species. It was the Unseelie which were more often encountered by both humans and mercreatures. They were called the Dark Fae for a reason. They brought destruction and death by using magic, and were constantly at war against those who opposed them, primarily the humans. The Fae were the size of small men, but their knowledge was superior to their human adversaries. Not only that, but they were immortal, and created magic by conjuring up words while moving their hands. The magic they made, Sirena assumed, was what made their blood sweeter than other mortals.

  “The smaller the immortal, the sweeter their blood.” Sirena’s words came to mind now as Meridia slunk through the long grasses to get an even closer look. She smirked as a few unsuspecting victims trampled into the oncoming tides. Just a few more feet and she would personally guarantee they never set foot on land again. The idea of a possible quick bite should one step into the deepening tidal currents made her smile. Once a victim was in the deeper water, they were fair game.

  When she was a few feet away, Meridia rose out of the water and laughed. Hidden by the long marsh grasses, she was confident they couldn't see her. One of the men turned at the sound of her laugh and scanned the horizon, standing too near the edge of the grasses as she silently crept up, careful not to make a sound.

  Once she was close enough, she dove, purposely disturbing the surface of the water and leaving a couple of air bubbles in her wake. This, along with her dorsal fin surfacing seconds later, caught the attention of the nearby Fae.

  "What was that?" He stepped closer to peer into the murky waters below.

  Meridia swam past him, waiting for the right moment. She disturbed the silt and mud beneath her as she maneuvered into position, revealing a golden vase. The Fae shifted uneasily in the water as he reached for the vase just beneath the surface.
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  Meridia lunged at him, knocking him into the water. Her weight nearly doubled his and she took him down easily. She pulled him into deeper water and rolled him like an alligator would to succumb their prey. Her claws ripped at his flesh and the sweet taste of his blood sent her into a frenzy. She enjoyed the fight he gave. The excited, frenzied rush overtook her at the taste of his blood and the fight of the victim. She ripped his arm at the shoulder and bit him in the leg to keep him from kicking her.

  His bloody screams and frantic splashing alerted the others. Soon, balls of light hovered over the water’s edge as the Fae carrying the lanterns looked for their companion.

  The wounded Fae’s desperate cries sounded the alarm, drawing the other Fae to the water to help. Meridia released him before swimming out of harm’s way, watching as one of them conjured up more lighting orbs into the sky. They illuminated everything around the Fae, and then quickly spread out toward where Meridia was hiding, relishing the screams of the panicked Fae.

  Boots splashed in the nearby water, slowed down by the thick mud. Several spears landed around her. Meridia turned to hiss at them and was hit by a carefully aimed spear.The tearing flesh made by the cold metal felt. Meridia was startled and scared by the ancient weapon. She reluctantly turned away from what would have been a filling meal had she been allowed to finish.