by Missy LaRae
Tyler had dropped the two soldiers already and ripped their sunglasses off. He looked both of them in the eyes, and I don’t know what he was tryin’ to get across to them, but they didn’t get up once he let them go.
I felt. Alive.
Chapter 9
Talon felt the air stir, and he dropped
to his feet off of the bleachers. His senses were tuned to the night, but they were much better during the day. Unlike other races of Syren, Fire used the sun for their power, and he drew in the rays of the late afternoon sun like an endless energy source. He’d felt a commotion in the air, and it made his heart beat faster. He looked over his shoulder at his father, and knew that he felt it too. His father’s eyes drilled into his, and he knew what he was saying.
Don’t make a mistake.
Talon walked behind the bleachers and left his Father there alone to watch his little brother kick serious butt on the soccer field. He hadn’t felt his heart beating this wildly since they’d left Amatia Prime four years earlier. He missed his home world with every part of his heart, but since he’d never been mated in a Fut’uah ceremony, his father felt it was time for them to move to another world so Talon could have a better chance of finding a mate. If it was left up to him, he’d never search for a mate. After watching his father grieve after his mother was killed in an accident on Amatia Prime, he swore that he never wanted to feel the kind of love that his parents felt. He never wanted to grieve for someone the way that his father was. He knew that not having a Syren mate would seriously impede his powers, but after coming to Earth he’d gotten used to just being a normal person. Well, somewhat normal anyway.
Today felt different. The air around him shimmered with power, and he felt a quickening in his tendons. The air felt thick. He smelled smoke, and knew that it came from him. He tried harder to still his heartbeat, but it was difficult. He knew that something was
happening.
Talon walked into the tree line and listened. He closed his eyes and called to Mother Sun. His chestnut hair gleamed in the light. It came alive as he let his senses explore the forest around him. His hair waved, and swayed with the heat that rose up from his body. He smelled it then. The scent of pain. He didn’t know who it was, but he knew it was another Syren. He couldn’t sit there and wait for the feeling to pass. It overtook him, engulfed him, and made him ache inside. The mere fact that he could feel the pain of this Syren without even being near them made him spring into action.
Talon made sure he knew exactly which direction he was going before he started to run. His hands tore at the branches in his way, and he left them smoldering on the forest floor in his wake. He knew he had to get there, but he wasn’t sure where there was. He ran for fifteen minutes through the forest before stopping and stilling himself. He knew he was close, he could feel it. Just ahead, in the distance, he made out what he thought was a group of people. He concentrated hard on them, and inhaled as much air as he could, trying to breathe their scent into him.
It hit his system like a jolt of lightning. The force of the scent brought him to his knees. His mouth began to water and his muscles tightened. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, and he focused again on the people in the distance. He began to sprint. One tree after another began to fall under his fire, and he tried to pull back from making such an obvious path through the forest. When he was within a hundred yards of the people he realized that it wasn’t a group of people, but a group of guards, and two prisoners. He watched, transfixed, as the female in the group suddenly went to her knees. It was only a moment before one of the soldiers tried to touch her, and his mouth dropped open at her primal scream. The beauty of her stunned him, and it was only moments before he realized that he should be running, not standing around like a love sick puppy.
Talon ran the final one hundred yards to the clearing where the female was at, but by the time he got there all of the guards had been disabled, and the only two people left standing were the two Syren. As he approached he felt an overwhelming rush of emotion invade him. He felt his body swell, and his chest expanded. The fire within him burst unbidden from his fingertips and he clenched his hands into fists to get it to stop.
“Good Sun, my friends,” he greeted them. “I felt the stirring in the air, and thought I might be able to offer my assistance, but I see that you’ve taken care of the problem that you were having.” He couldn’t help but stare at her.
Her eyes were black, still consumed by her Syren rage. Her hair was blonde, and silver. It was unusual for a prophet to have hair that was not pure silver, but maybe there was some issue with her transformation. Her skin was pale, and looked as smooth as silk. He was drawn to her, barely giving the male with her a glance. He walked towards her as she backed away, hands flung out as if she was trying to ward him off. She was small, barely five feet tall, and had on a green long sleeve shirt, and a button down black and white short sleeve shirt in a checkered pattern and jeans. She looked amazing.
“Who are you?” The male asked him.
Talon didn’t answer. He couldn’t explain what he was feeling, but being in the presence of this female was the one thing in his life that he knew he must do. He stopped in front of her. Her eyes were wide on him, fascinated by his every movement. Her hands were limp at her sides, and he longed to feel them run through his mane of hair. He knelt at her feet.
“Mistress, the pleasure of your
acquaintance is mine. I am Talon, Son of the House of Fire, born of the Kingdom of Fire in the Southern Hemisphere. It would be my greatest honor to learn your name.” Talon hadn’t knelt in front of a Syren female since his last Fut’uah ceremony when he was eleven years old. He had been to so many ceremonies he’d lost count, but he knew how to speak to a Syren female. The utmost respect was accorded to them, especially females from the Kingdom of Dreams. Their beauty, and relationship with Amatia Prime, made them especially respected.
Talon waited a breathless minute for her to speak, and when she didn’t he raised his head. Her hand was covering her mouth, and she didn’t say anything. He looked her in the eyes, “Mistress, if I have offended you I humbly ask your pardon. It was not my intention to cause you distress.” His apology was heartfelt, and he hoped that he hadn’t done or said anything to upset her. He thought for one brief moment about the other male, that he could possibly be her Mate, but then dismissed the thought as it was so distasteful to him.
“I’m gonna tell you what Mr. Talon born a Fire what’s your name, I don’t care where you’re from, but right now we could sure use your help.” Lily told him.
Talon blanched. He’d never heard a Syren from the Kingdom of Dreams talk with a southern accent, and he looked up at her, frozen in shock. There was no way that the female in front of him could have possibly been raised in the Kingdom of Dreams. Talon stood up, and looked at the male, really looked at him, and realized right then he’d stumbled upon something that he was probably never supposed to have seen. He looked right and left, and noticed the mansion in the distance. Who ever was expecting these two Syren there were probably heading their way.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ve gotta get out of here. If they’re expecting you at that mansion, and you don’t show up, they’re going to be coming this way very soon.” He knew that heading back the way he’d come was probably the best idea, but he didn’t want to lead anyone back to his father and younger brother. He knew where he was, and knew that he could get all of them back to his father’s house they would be safe.
“Listen, I can tell you two are in a lot of trouble, and I can help you. I promise. You guys have just got to trust me,” he looked into the female’s eyes as he said it.
Lily looked at him, her indecision weighing on her. She glanced at Tyler and he nodded his acceptance. “Then let’s go,” she said.
Talon didn’t waste any time. He started running, and told them both to keep up with him. He looked back to see if they were keeping up, and realized that there was no way that the female was g
oing to be able to keep up with him.
“Can you carry her? What’s wrong with her?” He shouted back.
“No, he can’t carry me. He’s got just as much of their poison in his system as I do. They gave us some kind of drug to knock us out, but I don’t think mine’s wore off all the way yet,” Lily was done talking. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but having him turn around and scoop her up in his arms wasn’t the answer.
“Listen, I know that it’s not appropriate to be holding you, and I will petition for your forgiveness at another time, but we need to get away from here, and the fastest way to do that is if I carry you. I hope you’re not angry.” Talon looked at her as he finished, and she didn’t say anything. She just nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck so he could increase speed. He felt her hair wrapping around him, holding her to him, and he smiled at the gorgeous strands of silver as they wrapped around his biceps, and forearms.
Talon looked ahead sprinting through the trees. They had about thirty more minutes of running before they were anywhere near his home, and he wanted to be able to walk at a slower pace once they got closer. He lived in a small community outside of Greenville, South Carolina, and Talon didn’t want to arouse any suspicion by carrying a female in his arms with her hair wrapped around him through town.
Talon glanced around outside of his
house and closed the door. He didn’t know what the two Syren had been through, but he needed some answers. First things first though, he needed some water. Walking to the kitchen he grabbed three bottles out and returned to the living room. They were both on the couch very close to one another. He wasn’t sure if he should be jealous yet, and needed desperately to confirm their identity before he decided to kick Tyler’s teeth in for sitting so close to
Talon’s...person.
He sat across from them, and sighed as they raised their eyes to his.
“I am not sure how much the two of you know about who you are, but we are the same species,” he began. He watched as Tyler and Lily looked at each other and then they took each other’s hand and held it tight.
“We are Syren, far distant relatives of the human race. While we are like the humans in many ways, we have some underlying differences that makes it easy to see who is a human, and who is Syren.” He really hoped that the two of them understood what he was saying. “You are brother and sister, correct?” He asked.
“Yes, we’re twins,” Tyler told him. He held Lily’s hand in his own and looked at Talon with guarded eyes. He wasn’t sure he believed everything that he was being told, but it might just be better than believing that he and his sister were turning into vampires.
“Syren are from a world called Amatia Prime. Amatia stands for ‘mother’ and Prime stands for ‘first’. Amatia is, and always will be, our Mother First.” Talon stopped to take a breath. He bristled at the way that Tyler was holding Lily’s hand, but considering they were related, and twins, his jealousy seemed extremely stupid. He tried to check it, and counted to ten before he kept going.
“Amatia Prime is divided into four hemispheres. The Eastern Hemisphere is rugged, and covered in mountains. It’s ruled by Patrick Ti’Druelle the King of the Kingdom of Peacemakers. The Sons and Daughters of Peace all have the same coloring. For the most part they have light brown hair, or dark brown hair hair, and either blue or brown eyes. What makes them distinctive is their size. They are very big. The Western Hemisphere is exactly the
opposite. It’s one of the most barren places that I have ever seen. It looks much like the desert, but does have hills and cliffs in some areas as well. That part of Amatia Prime is ruled by Jackson Ti’Druelle The King of the Kingdom of the Sword.” He stopped as Tyler started to speak.
“So, how is it that the kings of both of those places have the same name?” Tyler asked. He was fascinated by what Talon was saying. Even though what he was saying sounded ludicrous, he could feel the truth rolling off the other male in ferocious waves. He looked at Lily, and gave her a nudge as he realized she was staring at Talon like she wanted to eat him, literally.
“They’re related. The King of Swords is the son of the King of Peace. The reason that he’s the King of Swords is because he married the eldest daughter of the House of Swords, and succeeded the previous King when he was killed in battle. The Sons and Daughters of the House of Swords all have dark hair, usually very black, and green or dark blue eyes. ” Talon stopped there to see if they fully understood the relationship. They didn’t say anything, so he kept going.
“The Northern Hemisphere is a very beautiful place. If there was a place to live in all the stars I would choose to live in the Northern Hemisphere of Amatia Prime. It’s Ruled by Celeste, the Queen of Dreams. It’s covered in water, with very little land. It isn’t like the ocean, like they have here on Earth, the water is crystal clear, and fresh.” Talon stopped when Lily frowned.
“If the place is covered in water how do they live on it?” Lily asked.
“They have floating cities. Their entire hemisphere lives in cities moored on the lakes. The Sons and Daughters of the House of Dreams all have the same coloring. They are born with blonde hair, and blue eyes, but when they transform for the first time they change, as do all Syren. Our features change, and we begin to transform into what Amatia Prime has destined for us.” He looked at Lily, “You are a Daughter of the House of Dreams. They have silver hair, light blue eyes, and very pale skin.” He’d always thought that the Daughters of the House of Dreams looked a little weird with their silver hair, but after seeing Lily he was
rethinking his entire impression of them.
“What do you mean I’m a Daughter of the House of Dreams?” Lily asked. She was starting to believe what Talon was telling her, but she also wasn’t going to let someone fool her into believing something that she couldn’t see, touch, or feel.
“Daughters of the House of Dreams are powerful Prophets. They are closer to Amatia Prime than any other race of Syren. Their closeness with Amatia makes them highly respected on our world.” He hoped that she understood that he was paying her a
compliment.
“The Southern Hemisphere, where I’m from, is the ruled by Derrik A’fal, King of the Kingdom of Fire. Like the Northern Hemisphere we live on water, but we do not have as much of it as the Northern Hemisphere does. The rest of the Southern Hemisphere is covered in a very thick forest, and believe it or not, the Syren there have made their homes in the trees. There are entire cities in trees.” He looked down.
“It is a very beautiful place, but also dangerous.” He thought back to his mother’s twisted body after she’d fallen from such a place, and he shivered. He loved his kingdom, but he wasn’t sure he would ever want to go back.
“The Sons and Daughters of Fire all have hair that is some shade of red. Our eyes vary, so you won’t find that we all have blue eyes, or that we all have green eyes, but a mix of all of them.” Talon’s hair waved, even though there was no breeze, and he reached up to smooth it down. He knew it was an involuntary motion because of his thoughts about his mother.
“So, I just want to know how long the two of you have been on Earth. Do you know who you are?” He had a suspicion that they didn’t know anything about who they were, or their place in their world.
Lily cleared her throat. “Well, we used to live with our Mama in Orlando, but a couple a days ago, maybe even a week, Tyler and I decided to run away. Mama wasn’t very good to us, and we were pretty sick a livin’ with her.” Lily didn’t want to go into the details of how bad Mama actually was with Talon. She felt somethin’ for him, already, and was ashamed to admit to him that her Mama abused her so much.
“We didn’t know we were any different at all until the night we left. I went outside for the first time, and when I did somethin’ happened to me. Not sure what yet, but my hair went all silver, and some other pretty weird stuff.” Lily wasn’t sure how much she should tell him, and she didn’t want to offend him by callin’ her teeth vampir
e teeth.
“You went outside, into the moonlight, for the very first time?” Talon gaped at her. He could not imagine never seeing the moon. Syren took most of their power from the moon, and to have never stood outside and washed in its light would have been denying them their
transformation. “You just transformed this week?” Talon looked hard at Lily for the first time, and noted that her hair wasn’t completely silver, it was partially blonde still.
“Yes, last week was the first time. Tyler’s never even been out in moonlight yet, so we don’t even know what’s gonna happen to him when he does. He’s done ripped through his shirt. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he was really skinny before, and it’s like he grew muscles overnight.” Lily was worried about her brother. She could feel his fear like it was her own. She knew that he was scared about his transforming body, but there wasn’t anything that she could tell him that would make it better for him.
Talon looked at Tyler, and studied him. He saw the way the male’s clothes were way too tight on him, and immediately felt ashamed for not offering him some of his own clothing to wear.
“Syren transform a little at a time over the course of their lives, until they are fully mature. I think Tyler’s body sensed your transformation and now his body is trying to keep up with yours. Normally this would happen over the course of your life from about ten cycles of life until now. All the transforming that you missed in the last five cycles of your life is happening right now. The light of the moon triggers our transformation. Were you out in the moon at all in the last couple of days?” Talon asked him.
