A Symphony of Sirens (Spellsinger Book 2)

by Amy Sumida

  Yes, it was cliché, but it was also just what he needed to hear.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  A few minutes was all it took for Banning to regain his composure.

  “Go.” He pushed me away. “My issues are minor compared to what your family is facing. I can deal with this on my own. After that display, we have justification for your breaking the bargain. Even does he discover your absence, I'll be able to argue on your behalf.”

  “Are you sure you're alright?”

  “I'm sure.” Banning smiled softly. “Sorin's betrayal was painful, but it was more the memory of Fortune that brought on my sorrow. And I have no reason to be sad over her anymore.”

  “Banning, that kiss . . . it–”

  “I know.” He held up a hand. “It's fine, Elaria, you don't have to warn me off. I understand about you and Torin. Just go.”

  “Banning . . .”

  “I'm a grown man; I can handle anything you throw in my face.” He smirked.

  “Thank you.” I kissed his cheek and hurried over to the pile of clothes I'd left on a chair beside the bed.

  I picked it up, searching through the folded material, but . . .

  “Are you looking for this?” Sorin asked as he sauntered into the room.

  In his hands was the smooth traveling stone, my ticket out of blooder hell. Behind Sorin stood several blooder males, each looking at me and Banning with hesitant aggression. It seemed that my little performance hadn't scared them enough to disobey their king. I looked at Banning and he nodded. Sorin saw the exchange and acted immediately.

  “Seize the prince!”

  The blooder men rushed forward and grabbed Banning just as I began to sing Shakira's “Whenever, Wherever.” It was perhaps an odd choice; an upbeat song about crossing any distance, surmounting any obstacle to be with the one you love. But it was the lyrics that mattered, and this song had the very words I needed to bring a blooder king to his knees.

  Sorin's eyes widened as his legs worked without his permission, bringing him straight to me. I sang on, my voice echoing off the walls, as the other men gaped at their king. The rapid dips of voice, almost taunting in its surging sound, pulled Sorin to me and lifted his hand in supplication as he fell to his knees. I took the offered stone from him and looked to Banning.

  “Go!” Banning shouted. “Leave me, Elaria!”

  “The fuck I will,” I growled and kicked Sorin out of my way. “You're not alone, remember?”

  I started singing again, except with a new intention. The lyrics became a powerful draw between Banning and I. A vow of what he meant to me; how I would never leave him behind. That was how things were –period. Nothing could keep us apart; not kings, or soldiers, or distance. Not even death itself. The thought shivered through me as I held my arms out wide and sang the words that seized Banning. My magic jerked him free of his captors and sent him straight into my embrace. I clasped him tight to my chest and pulled a Dorothy; directing the traveling stone with thoughts of home. Unfortunately, I could only take us through the Veil into another realm, so the home I had to direct us to, was my home with Torin, in Tír na nÓg.

  Banning and I came through the Veil right in front of the Onyx king himself, still embracing like the lovers we'd once been.

  Chapter Forty

  “Well this is awkward,” Banning said.

  “Elaria,” Torin growled. “What's the blooder doing in my bedroom? I thought you'd be returning without him?”

  “It was necessary.” I backed away from Banning. “We had to escape his father.”

  Torin blinked.

  “My blooded father,” Banning explained. “We discovered why it was so important to him that Elaria and I remain in Romania.”

  “He was testing us.” I grimaced.

  “My father wants me to replace him as king.” Banning sighed.

  “Your father is a king?” Torin's brows lifted.

  “Yeah, I was a little surprised as well.”

  “Should I be insulted by this pattern of disbelief concerning my royal status?” Banning asked.

  “Well . . .” Torin looked Banning over pointedly.

  “Can we not do this?” I asked as I slipped into Torin's arms to give him a quick hug. “Hey, you.”

  “Hey.” Torin's scowl turned into a smile. “I was worried. Are you alright?”

  “I'm fine,” I said. “But we need to hurry.”

  “Of course,” Torin agreed, “we can't let Thomas Frost know that we've discovered his treachery. So, we must act quickly.” Torin hurried to his bedroom door, opened it, and shouted down the hall, “Hugh!”

  “Is Declan here?” I asked.

  “Yes, he just arrived.” Torin headed toward one of several chests set along a wall. He threw it open and pulled out a sword. With sure movements, he began strapping it on his waist.

  “You know you don't have to come, right?” I asked gently. “Just because Declan was able to leave his kingdom, it doesn't mean you have to leave yours as well.”

  “I'm going with you, Elaria,” Torin growled as he turned to face me. “This is your family. I love you, and so they are my family as well. We will find them together . . . and I'll tolerate Declan and Banning since they can be of service to you.”

  Banning remained silent, but I could feel the tension radiating off him.

  “Thank you,” I said to Torin. “I love you too.”

  “Your Majesty?” Hugh asked from the doorway.

  “I'm leaving to assist Elaria in the rescue of her parents,” Torin said. “You will be the steward in my absence. And summon King Declan; notify him that we're about to leave.”

  “Do you require any additional reinforcements, Your Majesty?”

  “No, it's just a single witch”–Torin smirked–“I think we can handle him.”

  “Yes, sire.” Hugh turned to leave and nearly smacked into Declan.

  “We're going to tear him apart,” Banning said simply.

  “Are you talking about the witch who took Elaria's parents?” Declan asked.

  “Who else?” Torin huffed. “Are you ready to depart?”

  “Absolutely,” Declan said immediately. “And I'm ready to assist in the slaughter as well.”

  “I will handle Thomas,” I said in a deadly tone, looking from man to man. “He took my family –nearly all of them. I get to kill this son of a bitch. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.” Banning held up his hands.

  Torin inclined his head respectfully, and Declan grinned like that famous cat.

  “Good”–I held up my traveling stone–“then let's get back to the Coven. There's a certain hellhound I need to confer with.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  A marble bust smashed against the wall beside me, just as I walked into an elegant sitting room in one of the Coven's guest suites. Plaster went flying as the marble broke into chunks and clattered to the floor. I eyed the debris, then looked over to Cerberus.

  “Elaria!” Cer shouted when he saw me. “Dear gods, you have good timing.”

  “Evidently.” I looked pointedly at the remains of Caesar. “What's with the hissy fit?”

  “As if Caesar didn't have it hard enough,” Banning noted. “I mean, give the guy a break –oh wait, you did.”

  “Ban!” Cer pounded on Banning's back. “I've missed you, man. Thanks for coming to help.”

  “I'm happy to,” Banning said sincerely.

  “Have you located the witch?” Torin got right to the point.

  “No,” Cerberus growled as he waved to the broken statuary. “My search has been a bust.”

  “Okay, let me just state for the record that I have no patience for puns today, and the next person to use one shall suffer the consequences.” I narrowed my eyes on Cerberus.

  “The Coven has exhausted all of its resources, and yet they still haven't found Frost,” Cerberus reported. “They hit the same wall you did –his ward.”

  “How the hell is his ward strong enough to def
eat the entire Coven?” I snapped. “What happened to 'You cannot hide from the Coven'?”

  “They think he's using the sirens to power the ward,” Cerberus said. “And you know those ladies got some serious juju.”

  “He's draining my family to hide himself?” I shouted.

  “Now you know why I was throwing things.” Cerberus fell into a seat and covered his face with his hands.

  “I'm going to kill that bastard slowly.” My hands clenched into fists, and my magic rose inside me, unbidden. I had to focus intently and take some calming breaths in order to push it back down.

  “Elaria?” Banning asked in concern. “Is it your magic again?”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Torin narrowed his eyes on Banning.

  “I'm fine,” I said to Banning before I answered Torin. “I've been having some issues controlling my magic.”

  “What?” Cerberus lifted his face.

  “How bad is it?” Declan asked.

  “I nearly killed a blooder.” My gaze settled heavily on Banning for a moment, begging him not to reveal why I'd nearly killed Mirela. I really didn't need to deal with a jealous Torin on top of everything else. “Banning had to snap me out of it.”

  “Damn,” Cerberus whispered. “What did this blooder do that pissed you off so bad?”

  “The old ones can be abrasive,” Banning said evasively. “Mirela was being deliberately insulting. I was about to put her in her place, when Elaria beat me to the punch, as it were.”

  “You just need some time to adjust to the new amount of power the relic left you with,” Torin said it in such a confident manner, it immediately reassured me.

  Sometimes all that was needed for you to be able to believe in yourself, was someone else believing in you.

  “Thanks,” I whispered. “I needed to hear that. I've been wondering if the relic left too much of itself inside me. That maybe it was changing me in more ways than the obvious.”

  “Magic does have a living energy”–Torin laid his hand gently on my shoulder–“but it is not alive as we are. It does not have a soul. The relic, no matter how much of itself it left behind in you, cannot take control of you. Your soul inhabits this body, Elaria, and the soul transcends all. You will conquer this, I have every faith in you. You're one of the strongest people I know.”

  “I love you so much.” I snatched at Torin, pulling him around me like a shield. He settled against me and pressed his cheek to mine. I could feel our heartbeats between us, we were pressed so tightly together.

  “Damn, he's good,” Banning muttered to Cerberus.

  “And he means it, so it's even more impressive,” Cerberus added with a huff.

  “Oh please. I've heard more romantic lines from kitchen maids,” Declan scoffed teasingly.

  “Alright, you three,” I huffed as I slipped away from Torin. “No need to turn into mean girls just because I took a moment with Torin.”

  “Hey, we can't help it if you took that moment in front of us.” Cerberus smirked. “You can't honestly expect us to just sit here and pretend the love fest isn't happening.”

  Banning gave me a look. There was understanding in it, but also a promise. When this was all over, we'd be having a serious conversation. I nodded in acceptance, and he looked satisfied with that. However, when I glanced at Declan, I found an unsettling amount of determination in his stare. It looked like there was more than one awkward conversation in my future.

  “Sirens are fueling the ward,” Banning said suddenly.

  “Yeah, I said that already.” Cerberus huffed.

  “Sirens!” Banning looked at me as if this should make a difference. “Like recognizes like, Elaria. It attracts, it pulls, and it binds. You have siren blood; blood which directly connects you to this ward. So, use it!”

  “Well, fuck me”–Cer smiled–“leave it to the gods-damned blooder to figure out that connection.”

  “Sing, sweetheart.” Torin pushed my hair back from my face gently and gave me a quick kiss. “Sing from your heart to theirs. Just tell them how much you miss them, how you wish they were here with you right now. Then follow that feeling out, into their magic, and you will find your way through the cracks of Frost's ward.”

  “Wish they were here,” I whispered as the perfect song came to me.

  I started to sing as I stared up into Torin's eyes; a song that pulled my heartache to the surface and bared it completely for everyone to see. No one sang pain like Floyd, whether it be madness or melancholy, but I was going to give it my all. Together, we'd bring this wall down.

  The aching emptiness of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” started soft on my lips, and then tumbled forth like an expulsion of agony. The searing sound of suffering gained power, rose higher, calling to my magic like a warrior rallying his army to bring them vengeance. But still, it hung mournfully in the air, lamenting its way up and down the seeking chords. I turned to the open window and called to my family through the music; my mother, my father, my aunts. I let my need to have them home, safe beside me again, reach out to them across the distance –however big that chasm may be.

  Torin wrapped himself around me, and I felt his magic buoying my own; that trace of witch blood inside him touching mine. We faced the wall of Thomas's ward together, challenging it with misery, and love, and plain old perseverance. The words came stronger, louder; echoing out across the sea to the cage Thomas had built to contain my family. I found them within the ward, and snatched at them, using our connection to worm my way inside its enchantment. My magic hit at his from the inside; furiously at first, until the ache of my pain melded with his ward, oozing throughout it like a disease. I poisoned his protection with the very blood he'd used to empower it.

  And it fell.

  I gasped as the magic burst within me, tumbling back from that broken ward. Torin held me, supporting my weight as I convulsed, and then he gently kissed my cheek. He knew; of course, he knew. Torin had felt the ward fall at the same time that I had. But had he seen it? Did he know where my family was? Did he catch the image of those cold tunnels, that frozen fortress? Did he know what we'd be facing? I turned and looked up into Torin's turbulent stare.

  “They won't be cold for long, little bird,” Torin whispered.

  I smiled, relief over finding my family blending with the satisfaction of sharing the moment with Torin. He had been with me the entire way. Was it the power of onyx; the prophecy within the stone? Or was it his witch blood that allowed him to bond with my magic and experience the vision along with me? I wasn't sure. Maybe it was the power the relic had left within me that had reached out to Torin through my desire to share it all with him. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he had seen it too, and now we both had a clear picture of where we needed to go. We just needed to narrow down the location, and that shouldn't be so hard with the terrain we'd seen. I could get online and look up–

  My phone rang. “Queen of the Night” by Whitney Houston broke the silence; Persephone's ringtone. I scrambled to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “They're in Greenland, Elaria,” Persephone didn't bother with the niceties. “One of the harpies spotted your mom with a man in Kangerlussuaq. I don't have the exact location, but she saw them heading up to the Southeast. I'm assuming Tom was taking Kalli to the Watkins Range.”

  “Persephone”–I smiled at the phone–“your timing couldn't have been better. Thank you, I know exactly where they are.”

  “Do you need help, sweetie?”

  “No, I'm good,” I said, a little surprised that she had offered. “I've got all the help I need.”

  “Wonderful,” Persephone's voice went serious. “Now go get our family back.”

  “Yes, ma'am,” I said and hung up the phone.

  “Sometimes the gods do answer prayers.” Cerberus smirked.

  “Who knew?” I chuckled.

  “Where are we headed, Elaria?” Banning asked.

  “Dress for cold weather,” I announced. �
�We're going to Greenland.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Maybe I should have notified the Coven that I had found Thomas Frost. It was technically their business when a witch went bad. But frankly, my dear, I didn't give a damn. I wanted to handle Thomas myself, and the thought of him being snatched away from me by the Coven, for one of their extensive witch trials (yes, I realize the irony), just made me want to throw up. Plus, I wasn't about to wait around while they got their shit together.

  With the general area known and a firm visual in mind, it was an easy thing to narrow down our destination for the travel stones. So we all jumped through the Veil to Tír na nÓg, then Torin and I took hold of the others, and we used the stones to travel straight to the site we'd seen in Greenland.

  It would have been difficult to reach without the magic of the Shining One travel stones. We came through the Veil, out onto a plateau which jutted out from the side of a snow-covered mountain. It must have taken Thomas hours to get each siren up there from the road below. I had no idea how he managed to do it, especially if they had put up a fight.

  “What the fuck is this? Have we stepped into a gods-damned Disney movie?” Cerberus snarled as we stared up at the icy stone walls surrounding Thomas's hideout.

  “I swear to the stones, if you start singing 'Let it Go', I'm going to punch you in the face,” Torin said to Cer.

  “Hey, I'm not the spellsinger,” Cerberus held up his hands. “And I don't do Disney.”

  “How the hell have you even heard of that song?” I asked Torin.

  “Sometimes I get insomnia when I visit you. I go into the living room, so I won't wake you, and I watch your television,” Torin said, then cleared his throat. “The viewing choices are limited at those hours.”

  “I have this sudden image of you watching Frozen as you sniff into a tissue.” Cerberus chuckled.

  Torin's eyes narrowed. Cerberus's eyebrow lifted. I smacked a hand onto both of their chests and pushed them apart.