I was also terrified.
What was I supposed to do now?
21
Emma
I only had one more trick up my sleeve.
I was a mom.
Pulling out my best mom-voice I said, “Now enough is enough. Put those daggers down right this instant!” The sirens actually hesitated, looking from me to their leader with uncertainty. I stacked my hands on my hips before I added, “You are jumping to a lot of conclusions here. Is this the best choice to make? Is it? How do you know that the sacrifices will please the gods? What if they just anger them even more?”
The lead siren rolled her eyes. “Stop that.” She took a menacing step toward Henry.
“No, hang on.” I held up my hands and shifted from foot to foot, moving slightly in front of Henry once more as I tried to think fast. “I’m Karma.”
The siren queen’s eyes widened a fraction before they narrowed on me in suspicion. “I thought that was a myth.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot. But maybe there’s something I can do about this curse.” I winced internally for a moment, sure that calling the missing waterfall cursed would just piss them off even more, but they didn't react.
After a long pause where she just blinked at me with that creepy third eyelid, the siren queen said, “Karma is among the gods we worship. If you are indeed Karma embodied, we would allow you the opportunity to earn your brother’s life.”
I snorted before I could stop myself. “Well, I am. Give me a few minutes. Let me see what I can see about this water, okay? Can you do that for me?”
The siren queen exchanged a glance with one of the other females. “We can.”
I wished they’d put their scary-looking blades away, but at least they dropped them to their sides. Glancing at Henry, I saw that he was watching me closely. He probably thought I was lying and had some kind of trick up my sleeve. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t lying, but I also wasn’t sure that I could help the sirens with their problem. Luckily, my powers had served me well so far, so I could only hope they’d continue to do so.
I inched toward the dry waterfall. The circle of female sirens opened, and they let me have a path closer to the rocks lined up so neatly leading up to the empty falls. The way they formed a path forced me to walk a certain way, and I wasn't sure if it was because they only allowed people to approach the falls from a specific direction or if they were trying to intimidate me with how many of them there were. It was definitely more than had been there when I started talking to the siren queen.
The sand under my feet became hard packed and it was clear where the water used to be, but I wasn’t entirely sure what to do. This wasn’t like glaring at a jerk and watching them get punished. This was something deeper.
Karma, help me, I told myself, although I wasn’t sure if it was the old lady or me who had a chance at fixing whatever was wrong here.
My gaze moved from the dry waterfall to the dry lake below, and then up higher to the cliffs that surrounded this area. Was it that there was less water in the mountains? Is that what stopped the waterfall? If I only saw the world without magic, the way I had most of my life, I’d assume that was the reason. But could this place really be cursed? Could it be something supernatural stopping the water?
I wasn’t sure. And I wasn’t sure how that would help the sirens get pregnant, but that wasn’t really my concern. All I had to do is try to get the water flowing. Somehow.
Not knowing what else to do, I closed my eyes and touched the rocks that sat at the base of the waterfall. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing, but I tried to focus on how it’d felt every time I used my magic. It seemed to be different each time. Something almost natural, like a reflex. So I concentrated on this place, to see if I could feel anything that was off.
To my surprise, I felt my magic spread out, tingling as it left my hand. I focused on the rocks and their history. Their heritage. What had they seen over all these years? What made the land stop providing for the sirens?
In my mind, I could see a thick black sludge laid across the rocks. I stiffened. It was a curse. Not just some natural thing that had made the water stop flowing. Now, I just needed to see if I could fix it.
I pushed past it, refusing to let the darkness of the curse overtake me. It was a strange feeling, like moving with my mind through quicksand. Or trying to work out a problem that sent goosebumps blossoming across my skin every time I drew closer to the solution. At times I felt entirely stuck, but I gritted my teeth and kept pushing forward, Henry’s face in the back of my thoughts.
It didn’t matter that I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I had to figure out a solution, and quick.
When I broke through to the other side of the thing that had to be the curse, images assaulted me, one after another in rapid succession. I could see the connection the sirens had to the land and the waters here, and I could see how it had become twisted and deformed under their abuse. I could see how much they had taken and used without ever wondering if they should pay it back. They fished too much; they used the natural resources that had been provided to them like they were infinite, when in fact they were waning faster than any of us could imagine. It made my stomach clench and bile rise up the back of my throat.
Staggering backward, I faced the crowd of sirens, my brother, and my friends. “It was your greed and cruelty that stopped the waters.”
They gasped, some looking offended.
Part of me wondered if it was smart to tell them the truth, but I couldn’t seem to stop the words. “You must stop prioritizing money and other riches over your ancestral waters.” To my shock, power filled my voice, weighing on the crowded sirens. They knelt as I spoke, almost like the power in my voice was too much for them to resist. The offense on some of their faces faded to wonder. “If you give a blood oath to restore the waters, to stop overfishing and polluting the waters, and to give back to the waters, I will let the sacred water flow loose again.”
The siren queen stepped toward me, though her head was ever so slightly bowed. Her opinion of me had certainly changed in the last couple of minutes. “We will do whatever is needed.”
The light of the moon glinted off the metal they had been brandishing at us not more than a few minutes ago, and I knew what needed to be done, even though I didn’t know why. “Use those daggers,” I commanded. “Give your blood to the stones. The sacrifice that needs to be made is from you, all of you, no one else.” Every siren stood and without speaking formed a series of lines. Each one sliced their palm and pressed their hands to the sacred stones around the empty pool area as they approached, giving their blood as an oath.
I closed my eyes. I could actually feel the way the land responded to their blood. It rippled out into the forest and up the mountains to the source of their water. There was a moment, just a few short seconds, that I wasn’t sure if it would work, where the mountain seemed reluctant to release the sacred waters that it had been guarding for so long. After a very long minute with nothing happening, I could sense the sirens behind me wondering if they’d been tricked. They were starting to think this had all been a ploy to buy myself time and were getting upset.
“You can do it,” Deva called, her voice ringing out as clear as a bell in the stillness.
“We believe in you,” Beth added, her voice filled with hope.
“I’m trying to help!” That was Carol. Almost at the same time as her words reached my ears, I felt her magic flow over me, giving me strength as I tried to pull the waters down from the mountain that was so far away. A second later, I felt the chill of the cool mountain air rush over my skin making me break out in goosebumps.
And then I felt the first water droplet against my skin. I lifted my face upward to search the top of the waterfall for any signs of the water the sirens so desperately needed.
Then another droplet fell, and another, and another. I squinted in the darkness but could see well enough by the light of the moon to watch the first few drops of water fa
ll off the edge of the cliff face. Some of the sirens must have seen it too, because whispers started up behind me. When I saw that the drops were increasing in size and frequency, I knew I had to move. “Move,” I called. “Hurry!”
I ran to the side, grabbing Henry’s arm and yanking him with me as I moved.
Enough of the sirens must have realized that we had been successful because no one tried to prevent us from leaving the stones or the circle of sirens.
The siren queen led the way and all of the crowd rushed forward, standing at the base of the waterfall. I knew I shouldn't have been surprised by the sudden flow of water, but when it came roaring over the edge I couldn't help but gasp. It fell on the sirens below like they were standing under the oncoming tide. They began to dance and sing, frolicking in their ancestral waters as the rocky area filled with water for a moment before it overflowed into the ocean.
Fortunately, when I'd scurried out of the way, dragging Henry with me, my friends had taken the hint and moved to the side as well, which was why we all stood there together, watching this incredible moment.
A hand found my empty one, the one that wasn't holding on to Henry for dear life, and I looked over to see Beth watching with tears shimmering in her eyes. “I always wondered why they were so angry,” Beth said. “But not being able to have children, that would anger anyone. I can't imagine the heartbreak they must have been going through.”
I gave Beth's hand a squeeze and let go. It felt like there was more there than I was comfortable asking about in front of strangers. Because I didn't know how to respond, I lifted Henry's hands and untied them before I threw my arms around him. “Henry, you are so done with gambling.”
Before I could stop myself, I glanced over my shoulder and saw the siren queen watching us. I had honored my end of the bargain. Would she?
22
Daniel
I stared at the flowing water in shock for several seconds before walking closer to the path that led to the beach. This waterfall had been dry for as long as I could remember. Now it flowed with life, the frothy churn of water covering it until it made it out to the ocean.
Moving closer to the edge, I looked down the path to see the base of the waterfall where the sirens, some in human form, some in their fins, danced and cheered as the water continued to splash over them and fill the little pooling area that had existed there since before I was born. Or at least it had until the waters dried up.
Before I could get too distracted by the mystery of the newly flowing waterfall, I glanced around. I had come here to save Henry after all, and with water flowing, did that mean I was too late?
The thought made the bear within me angry, and a low growl exploded from my lips. I’d spent nearly every minute since learning Henry was with the sirens talking to the siren liaisons and trying to arrange a meeting before the ceremony. I’d also gone back to talk to the vampires and the wolf shifters to try to find any connection between the sirens and Henry that I could. All I found was that Henry had really pissed them all off, but no one knew when he could’ve come in contact with a siren. Tonight, when I realized I was running out of time, I’d finally hung up on the jerk siren liaison and drove here as fast as I could.
I’d known this wasn’t the first time the sirens had one of these ceremonies, even though I didn’t have any proof. But this was the first time the waters were flowing in longer than I could remember. So had killing Henry been the thing to finally fix what was wrong here when other blood sacrifices hadn’t worked? I didn’t know, but magic and curses had always confused me.
My gut churned as the thought crossed my mind. I inched closer to the edge of the cliff, not seeing Henry’s dark head of hair. I frowned, then looked straight under me. Then, thanks to the full moon, I saw Emma standing with her friends and Henry. Their hair was all much darker than the sirens. Even Beth’s blonde hair looked dark in comparison.
“What in the hell,” I whispered and rushed over to the path down to the beach.
Emma and company met me about halfway up. “Well, that’s that,” Emma said, a cheeky grin tugging at her lips. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glittered in the moonlight. She looked enchanting, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with getting Henry back. Was this what happiness looked like on her? If so, she wore it well. I might even go so far as to say better than most people.
“What are you?” I blurted, amazement taking my verbal filter away. I cleared my throat and tried again, keeping myself more composed the second time. “What did you do?” This erased any doubt in my mind that Emma had become something supernatural, because there was no way her friends had enough magic to do something like this. But what she was, I wasn’t exactly sure. But I'd figure it out. That was kind of my thing, after all.
“Emma fixed it all,” Deva said as she walked past me with that all-knowing smile she occasionally got on her face. She patted me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. It's all going to work itself out.” Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't a little seer mixed in with Deva's witchy heritage. She always seemed to see more and know more than most people. It could be quite unnerving, or at least it would have been if I wasn't used to it already.
“Your gambling problem?” I asked, looking over at Henry as he went to walk past me without saying anything.
He shrugged as though he hadn't almost just died at the hands of sirens. Or that he hadn't almost cost his sister and her friends their lives as well. I wasn't sure how close it had come, but judging by the relief and sudden exhaustion on the women's faces, it was closer than I would have liked.
“But you’re all okay?”
Emma gave a tired smile. “Yeah, we are. Thanks for coming, though.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head. “Usually I’m not just a few minutes behind the real problem-solvers.”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t call us that.”
“No, but you do make a pretty great team if you can get the wolf cubs in order, face vampires, and save someone from a blood debt to the sirens.”
Emma looked so damn proud as she glanced at her friends. “I guess you’re right.”
It was strange how amazed she seemed. Didn’t she know, powers or not, she had always been the kind of person who could work miracles? Like bringing an old bear out of his cave to help with a mystery, not that I’d done much.
“So how did you get the sirens to let Henry go? How did you get the waters to flow?”
She just smiled. “It’s late. And it’s been a long week.”
Emma walked past me without answering my question about who or what she was and what she’d done. I wanted to be offended that she hadn't paid more attention to me and had ignored my questions, but I also knew how it went after a successful operation. It wasn't like Mystic Hollow was riddled with crime, but when I was a police officer I’d faced problems like this too. When the operations were over, most of the men were too busy riding an adrenaline high to write up accurate reports, so we had to institute an unofficial cool down period.
I'd let Emma cool off and enjoy the fact that Henry was safe, but soon enough I knew I would have to get to the bottom of this. Anyone who could make these waters flow was incredibly powerful. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad for the town.
As they headed toward their car, I had the feeling Henry was going to get the scolding of his lifetime in between hugs and slaps. He deserved it all. The guy was crazy smart, but that didn't mean he couldn't also be incredibly stupid. I hoped that he'd learned his lesson and wasn't going to gamble with the vamps and shifters any more. But if he actually had a problem, an addiction, then we were all in for a tougher fight. I wouldn't envy Emma or Henry's girlfriend, Alice, the job of keeping him on the straight and narrow.
The women were jovial as they climbed into the car, three of them stuffing themselves in the back seat with Henry in the front passenger next to Beth, who looked happier than I'd seen her in a long time. I was happy myself, relieved that Henry
was alive and not being turned into fish food.
With the weight of Henry's life off my shoulders, I walked down the rocky, sandy path toward the sirens. As I expected, one of the males branched off and stopped me before I got close. “You cannot interfere.”
I held up my hands. “Not trying to interfere. I'm just wondering what happened here?” I asked.
I'd seen this siren before. He sold trinkets on the town pier, most of which were made from what he had scavenged from the ocean floor, or at least that was my guess. In any case, the two of us had interacted before, which I thought might have been the only reason he deigned to answer my question.
“A goddess restored our ancient waters,” he replied. “It was meant to be.” His gaze shifted to something over my shoulder and I was fairly sure that if I looked it would be the direction the women had disappeared in. And I had the sneaking suspicion that the goddess he was referring to was Emma. I mean, she was beautiful, but a goddess?
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I couldn't resist any longer, so I turned and followed the direction of the siren's gaze, looking up the path to see the car backing out before pulling away. She was obviously immensely powerful. Did she know how dangerous that could be?
Power like that wasn't just something that was used occasionally. It could call to people who wanted it, seduce them into trying to take it. There would be others that would feel her strength eventually and come looking for her, hoping to take her power, whatever it was, for themselves. Would she be able to stop them? Or would she gladly turn it over to them, more than ready to return to the human she had been in high school?
I had no idea. But I’d do whatever I could to help protect her. I just hoped it would be enough.
23
Emma
“Can you drop me at Alice's house?” Henry asked.
I sighed and glared at him but nodded. “Sure, yeah.” Apparently his older sister saving his butt still didn't make me cool enough for him to want to hang out with me. Not that Henry had ever cared about how cool I was, but still, I guess part of me had thought we would spend some time together once he was safe.
Karma's Spell (Magical Midlife in Mystic Hollow Book 1) Page 15
