by Jade Frances
Siren Rises
The Rise of Ares
Jade Frances
Copyright © 2021 by Jade Frances
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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This one is for David Simmons, the star shining brightly down on us all. I miss your bear hugs and words of wisdom. I vividly remember you saying to me one day, ‘What is the point in dreaming, if you aren’t going to dream big.’ I will cherish those words and encourage others to chase their dreams, like you did for me.
Rest In Peace, Dave. X
Contents
Also by Jade Frances
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Jade Frances
Siren Calls - Book One
Siren Dreams - Book Two
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Chapter 1
The world’s been dark for four months and fourteen days. The eve that the night sky had surrounded us was the last that we had seen the stars. Now, there was nothing but darkness and silence. A silence so ominous that it was impossible to ignore the presence of the evil that had entered the world. It poisoned the very oxygen in the air, sucking out all the life and magic in its wake.
I kicked at the stones on the ground and ran my hand against the bushes to the left of me. It amazed me that there was still life in the plants. Pearce followed closely behind. Forever my shadow, even in this dark and bleak world, he never left my side.
“Little siren, it’s getting late. Shall we head back?” He murmured, wary of what mood I was in. Pearce had been careful not to upset me lately. He was always treading on eggshells, not wanting to feed the dark cloud that surrounded me. I had learned recently that the man had the patience of a saint. I forced a weak smile and nodded my head. Taking his hand, I walked alongside him. The silence that we had grown so used to was always that bit more awkward when we were alone. But I preferred it that way, it reminded me of our loss. Looking around the grounds, I thought of those who fought here and the one that had died to protect the academy. Along with those thoughts came the resentment of those that had remained hidden within its walls. Cowards.
“Evvy, watch your emotions when you’re thinking. You’re feeding it again,” Pearce spoke softly. I exhaled and gave him an appreciative glance. I had taken my ring off and thrown it deep into the forest exactly three months ago today. I no longer wanted to use it to suppress my emotions or the darkness within me. Building up a mental block had taken care of that, somewhat. I had tried to subdue my feelings toward Pearce. But he made that difficult, and now and then, I let him in. He had been my rock through the past few months and without him, I don’t think I would have pulled through.
“Thank you,” I muttered and tightened my grip on his hand. He squeezed it gently and smiled.
“What time is your meeting with Dakota tomorrow?”
“Early morning, I think, we will see when she arrives.” I cut off the conversation. I wasn’t sure how I felt about training with someone new. Part of me was excited, another part, fearful. “Do you think I should check in on Sandra?”
“Entirely up to you. Egan had mentioned that she’s been doing a bit better lately,” he replied. Sandra had taken Taylor’s death worse than any of us. Which was surprising, I had always thought their bickering came from a mutual dislike of each other. Now, I knew it had been deeper than that. They just never had a chance to explore their feelings for each other. As we neared the main academy building, I stared at the entrance doors. I hadn’t stepped foot in there since the attack. I couldn’t bring myself to walk the halls that Taylor had once called home. That, and I had no intention of being anywhere near Avetta. We hadn’t spoken since she classed me as a traitor to her cause. Which was fine by me, I had long decided that she wasn’t a leader that I would follow. I was just biding my time here until I knew which direction I needed to head in. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was waiting for, a sign, someone to tell me what to do. Who knows, but I could feel a change coming and I would welcome it, if it meant getting away from here. We had heard little news regarding Aresollo. The few Fae that did pass through didn’t stop for long, and I certainly wasn’t welcome to mix with them.
“Let’s check on the others, then get an early night,” Pearce nudged me. I gently nudged him back and nodded, letting him lead me away from the academy and to our quarters.
We reached our common room within minutes. Rose and Barak were seated next to the blazing fire and waved us over. Adam and Darryl were playing chess in the corner. Both looked up and bowed their heads as we passed them before returning their attention back to their game.
“How was your walk?” Rose asked when I had settled on a sofa.
“Fine, pointless really. But I like to get out and just think, breathe a little…” I broke off.
“Understandable. It’s more like a prison here now, than it had ever been before,” Rose sighed and reached out to take my hand. “Sandra’s doing a bit better today, shall we go see if she wants to join us?”
I squeezed her hand and stood. As we passed our guardians, I gave Pearce a slight smile and mouthed, “Be back soon.”
We stayed silent on the way to Sandra’s room. None of us had much to say lately. The days were long and the nights even longer. The permanent darkness the world had been thrown into, was now a normal fixture in our lives. The silence accompanied it and we in turn got comfortable with the stillness, even when we were around each other. Rose knocked twice on Sandra’s door, piercing the tranquil evening. For a moment, I thought she wasn’t going to answer. Then slowly the door creaked open. I gestured for Rose to go first. I wasn’t all that great at handling my own emotions; I found it even harder to deal with Sandra’s. I just didn’t know how.
“Are you going to come in or stand in the doorway?” Sandra barked from inside her dark room. Rose shuffled forward and reached toward the light switch. “Leave it off,” Sandra’s voice again carried to us. Rose looked at me, concern etched across her features. I shrugged and gave her a nudge forward. We fumbled our way through the dark to Sandra’s bed. Her room had an identical layout to mine, thankfully. Once Rose had deposited herself on the bed, I made my way to the window seat. There wasn’t much light coming through, but it was still a better option than the pitch black in the middle of t
he room.
“How are you doing? We came to see if you wanted to join us,” Rose asked gently.
“How do you think?” Sandra snapped back, although I’m sure she didn’t mean it. I heard her sigh straight after. “I’m sorry… I’m doing better. It’s just hard being here, you know. With nothing to focus on. There are constant reminders of him all around me,” Sandra sobbed. Rose shuffled around on the bed, moving closer to her most probably. I knew I should join them, offer some comfort. But something in me wouldn’t put those thoughts into action. I couldn’t force myself to embrace the two people closest to me. I sat still and silent while they comforted one another.
“Evvy…” Sandra sniffled as she called out to me. My shoulders hunched and I curled in on myself. Please don’t ask me to come over there. “It’s ok, you don’t need to come over. Just being in here is enough,” she continued. I exhaled in relief.
“It will get easier, Sandra. We could always leave…” I whispered through the dark. As I stared out of the window, I didn’t quite realise the weight my words would have on her. A sudden shift in the atmosphere drew my attention back to the girls.
“We actually could! Avetta doesn’t need us here anymore, and she doesn’t even like you Evvy,” Sandra proclaimed, a hint of newfound excitement in her voice. “Taylor would have wanted us to go and live life, you know, not be holed up here for no good reason,” her voice cracked at the mention of his name, but she regained her composure.
“You know we can’t just leave Sandra. Where would we go?” Rose had an edge of panic to her voice, and I suddenly felt bad for igniting this fire in Sandra. “Let’s just sleep on it for a few days ok, then we can discuss our futures.”
“A few days! It’s been months, Rose, months. I can’t take it here anymore,” Sandra let loose the sobs I could tell she had been trying to hold back, making my guilt even worse.
“I meet Dakota tomorrow, so I don’t mind waiting a few days. Sandra, why don’t you join us, it might be a welcome distraction,” I said. I heard her sigh in defeat, but she didn’t reply. The room fell into silence. The atmosphere once again turning dreary. It was amazing when you shared a bond, just how much the energy you picked up on affected your own. After five minutes, I’d grown too uncomfortable to stay. With a yawn, I stood and headed for the door. “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow, it’s late and I’ve not been sleeping well. Will you both be ok?” I murmured. Please be ok, I don’t want to stay.
“We will be fine, you go on to bed. I’ll stay here with Sandra tonight,” Rose replied. Sandra opened the door for me and without a moment’s hesitation I skittered through it. Once I was in the hallway, I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Whenever we were with Sandra, the dark cloud in me pulsed and grew. Her low energy fed my own. I hadn’t told her, or Rose, they both deserved to grieve. But I could only be around them for short periods of time without thinking it was going to become detrimental to my own mental health. Pearce turned the corner just as I was ready to head to my room. His eyes softened when he caught sight of me, and I couldn’t help but give him a small smile.
“Hey, you,” I said as he drew closer.
“Little siren,” his voice was husky. “Trying to run off without saying goodnight?” I leaned into his embrace and laid my head on his chest.
“Not at all, just needed a minute,” I told him. I rose onto my tiptoes and kissed him gently. “Goodnight, beast,” I said hastily, backed up and walked toward my room. I could feel the disappointment emanating from him, the kiss was too chaste and my goodnight half-hearted. But I was tired and needed some time alone. Pearce had stayed in my room at least three times a week for the past few months, but he also knew when not to. Tonight was one of those nights.
Once I had showered and changed, I climbed into bed. I stilled my mind and willed myself to sleep. But it wasn’t that easy. It never was. Climbing back out, I shuffled over to the window and stared at the courtyard below. There was no movement, no sound. Glancing up at the academy, I watched the flickering light of the candles in the few rooms that were occupied. The gentle sway of the flames lulled my mind into a peaceful state. I felt my eyes closing and let sleep overtake me.
“Evangeline, are you there?” a guy’s voice shouted through the darkness. I groaned and shuffled my way to where it was coming from. I ignited fire in my palms and lit up the dark void we were in. Standing two feet away from me was Cole, my brother.
“Why Cole, every time I think I’m going to get a peaceful sleep, you enter my dreams…” Disappointment flashed across his features, and for a moment I felt bad. But I was also tired and dying for a full night’s sleep.
“I’m sorry,” he shuffled around, pulling his sleeves down his arms. “I need you to come visit, I don’t know who can listen in on these visits.”
“You know I’m not allowed to see you; I’ve tried…” I replied.
“This is really important, Evangeline. I have overheard things that you need to know. Just try again?”
I edged closer, and it was only then did I notice the dark circles under his eyes. The hollow look on his face and the way he was constantly fiddling with his sleeves reminded me of myself.
“Are your scars irritating you?” I asked, my voice laced with concern. He shook his head and pulled up his sleeves but didn’t meet my eyes. I edged closer still and held his arms. The scars were identical to mine, only there were more of them. But as I looked closer, I noticed small puncture marks running all the way up them. I gasped and released him.
“What are they doing to you?”
“Some tests here and there, they barely let me sleep. Afraid I’ll dream walk. So, I don’t have long, please just try to see me,” he pleaded. He was just a boy, put through terrible torture from our father and now Avetta. My jaw clenched tight, and my fists balled up at my sides. He had been through enough.
“I’ll do one better and I’ll find a way to get you out,” I said through gritted teeth. A slight smile splayed across his face, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“I don’t think that’s possible, but I need you to visit as soon as you can…” he started to fade into the darkness. As I watched his form disappear, I thought of how he, at sixteen years old, had been used in a ritual and almost died. All because, I had failed to serve my purpose, my destiny. Our father had slashed his body all over, hoping that it would be enough to rise Ares. Well, it turned out that it was. Mixed with the blood already spilled from me, Cole's had enough of our shared father’s genes in him to complete the task. It had never been on the agenda to use Cole, but when I became inaccessible to Aresollo, he got desperate.
Once Cole had disappeared entirely, the void began to push me out.
I woke feeling groggy and put my hand to my face where I felt dampness under my eyes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. I had to devise a plan to visit Cole and also try to figure out a way to get him out of there. Whatever tests they were doing were taking a toll on him. Like me, he didn’t ask for any of this. He didn’t deserve it; he was just a kid. Also, I was curious to hear what he had overheard and why it was so important.
Chapter 2
I clattered around in the kitchen, looking for the utensils I needed to make breakfast. In all our time at the academy we had never used the kitchen, I hadn’t even been aware that it was in our quarters. Not until I stopped going into the main academy building. Through all my banging around, I hadn’t heard Sandra enter.
“You do know its five in the morning, right?” She came to a stop beside me.
“Sorry, I’m trying to find a frying pan,” I replied and opened another cupboard, “what are you doing up so early?” She moved to the other side of me, opened a cupboard I had sworn I’d already looked in, and pulled out the pan I needed.
“No one is ever around this early, so I sneak in, feed myself and go back to my room,” she replied, her voice void of emotion. Her usually bleached blonde hair was lifeless and dull, there were bags under her eyes, and
she looked as though she had lost half a stone. I stopped what I was doing to face her properly. Taking a deep breath, I moved slightly closer.
“It’s hard on all of us being here, Sandra. But you need to find a distraction, anything…” I tailed off, not wanting to annoy her. I saw a flash of annoyance, but it was quickly replaced with a vacant look.
“You think I don’t know that. I don’t know what to do, who to talk to…” she replied. An idea popped into my head, one that might keep her occupied, her rebellious nature that we hadn’t seen in so long could come in handy.
“I have to meet Dakota today, but I could really do with your help with a small problem that I have…” I looked at her hopeful.
“Does it involve me having to mix with the wolves, because that I cannot deal with,” she said, her lips twitching at the sides. She can’t deal with much lately, but at least she was trying to make a joke. Maybe she was getting better.
“No, not if you don’t want it to. I need to figure out a way to get to Cole, I need to see him.” That piqued her interest. She looked at me quizzically, and I gestured for her to sit at the table. For once, she didn’t argue. I quickly explained last night’s visit and what Cole had said. When I finished, her mood seemed to have perked up a bit. Her energy was less dark at least.
“Ok, let’s say I help you with this… Will you help me convince Rose that we don’t need to stay here?”
