by Logan Jacobs
“What’s the difference?” I asked.
“Mermaids are basically the inferior versions of sirens,” Morgana answered. “They possess the same water magic, but it is not as powerful as a siren’s abilities … and mermaids do not obey one master or god like sirens do. They’re also not considered as beautiful or mesmerizing as a siren, so do not make that mistake in front of them, or they will surely be offended.”
“Ah,” I sighed. “Got it.”
“So, we’re dealing with a deadlier version of mermaids?” Beatrix whined. “Satan, I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“We do,” Vesta responded with unmistakable conviction in her voice.
“So… what are we waiting for?” Circe asked with a trembling smile. “It’s freezing, so I think we’d better carry on with whatever plan you have formulated in that head of yours, Cole.”
“Blondie has a point,” Akira grunted as she rubbed her arms. “What’s the plan? Just… get closer to them?”
“Yeah, when you say closer,” Beatrix added softly. “Do you mean--?”
“We need to get close enough to talk to them, obviously,” I answered, “but follow me closely… don’t you dare wander off, and whatever you do, do not get into the fucking water. That’s an order.”
“Yes, master,” my coven responded.
As we trekked closer to the glittering black body of water, the snow continued to coat our eyelashes and trickle down our clothes. My entire body violently trembled from the unforgivable cold, but the weather was the least of my worries.
I knew these sea women harbored dangerous magic we weren’t familiar with, but still, we had a mission to complete, and I refused to back down now.
“I can hear them coming closer,” one sea woman chuckled. “I knew they couldn’t resist us. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into their raw, frozen flesh.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath, bitch!” Akira’s voice shrieked through the cold. “We may be coming closer, but it’s because of our own damn free will.”
The sirens began to cackle as we neared their watery domain, and when we reached the edge of the black water, there was an iridescent glow radiating from beneath the surface. The rapturous colors were vivid shades of green, aqua, and teal, and for a brief moment, I wanted to reach down and sink my fingers into the glowing pool, but I knew better.
“It’s just another illusion,” Vesta growled as she glared into the water. “I’ll bet on a lamb’s heart that it’s even colder down there.”
“Clever girl,” the voices echoed in a mocking tone.
As we gazed down at the dark, flowing water, I thought I could see long tails swaying beneath the murky surface. Then I could have sworn I saw different shades of flowing hair swimming back and forth, and my patience was wearing incredibly thin.
I knew these women were toying with us and waiting until we couldn’t bear the cold any longer.
“Why don’t you show yourselves?” I yelled into the freezing air, and a cloud of thick white mist left my lips. “Are you so fucking afraid of us? Reveal yourselves now before I resort to my own magic.”
“If that is what you truly want,” they answered in sing-song voices, “so be it.”
Soon, dozens of heads slowly emerged from the water, and countless pairs of eyes were staring right at us. They glowed an array of glistening colors, and it appeared like rainbow orbs were floating above the black water. I still couldn’t see their facial features, though, and if I was going to converse with these hypnotizing women, then I wanted to see their faces.
So, I pulled out my wand and aimed it at their shadowy figures.
“Illuminana,” I whispered.
When fire spewed out from my wand, an echoing hiss filled the air, violent splashes came from the pool as the sirens dunked back underwater, and all their eyes disappeared at once.
“We hate the light!” a feminine voice shrieked from the watery depths. “Please, put it out!”
“Then how will we see you?” I demanded. “I wish to look at your faces and not your eyes alone. We know of your tricks, and the only way I’m putting this out is if I have your word that we can look upon you!”
“Fine!” one voice screeched. “Your wish shall be granted… just put it out.”
“Do I have your word?” I responded.
“Yes!” they snapped with venom in their voices.
“How do I know you’re going to keep it?” I insisted. “I swear, if anyone tries anything, I will scorch all of you.”
“And I fucking love seafood!” Akira shouted. “So, go on… just test our master! You have no idea what he’s capable of!”
“You have our word,” the sirens answered after a long moment. “We swear by the waves of the sea, the heart of the ocean, and the melody we possess in our siren souls.”
“Alright,” I sighed as I put out the flame. “Now, show yourselves.”
This time, when the sea women reappeared, their eyes were no longer pairs of entrancing glowing orbs. Instead, we were gazing upon dozens of stunning serpentine eyes that were quite similar to Circe’s.
As I stared at the sirens, it was difficult not to have my jaw drop to the ice. These sea creatures were breathtakingly beautiful with glowing skin and cascading hair, and despite the chilling air and freezing water, each of them had blood-red lips, dry hair, and naked chests. As my eyes trailed down their bodies, I couldn’t help but notice their breasts were small and perky, and their nipples were bright pink and swollen from the water. They wore stacks of necklaces around their necks, and I saw most of the jewelry was made from fish bones, seaweed, and what appeared to be human teeth.
“Now that I can see you,” I started and lowered my wand, “we can finally have a proper conversation.”
“What even brings you here?” a siren with long lavender hair sneered. “I don’t think we’ve ever had someone willingly come into our deadly domain.”
Her light purple eyes bored into mine as she asked the question, and for a moment, I was lost in her mesmerizing beauty and captivating gaze, so I had to shake my head before I answered her.
“I’m here on behalf of Scholomance,” I explained. “I am here to recruit more witches to join our unholy ranks.”
“What is this Scholomance you speak of?” a siren with golden eyes asked as she licked her rose-red lips.
“It is a dark academy,” I explained. “We worship Satan and use magic… and we have come here to make you one of us.”
Cackling laughter filled the ice-cold air, and the sea women regarded each other with bemused smiles and bright, dagger-sharp teeth.
“You will do well to treat our master with the respect he deserves!” Vesta snarled as she edged closer to the water. “He speaks the truth, and you’re lucky we haven’t just killed you on the spot with our deadly magic! Now, shut up and listen to him!”
“The audacity!” a siren with deep green hair cried out, but then she narrowed her bright eyes at Vesta and smiled. “Mmmmm, you’re a pretty one, aren’t you?”
“Wait, did you say master?” the lavender-haired siren asked as she swam closer to the ice and then placed her pale fingers on the edge.
From this angle, she could have easily snatched someone’s ankle and pulled them under the water.
“Easy there,” I growled as I glared down at her. “Don’t get any cute ideas.”
“When we said we would do you no harm, we meant it,” she responded with twinkling purple eyes that were only a few shades lighter than her hair. “When a siren gives her word, she is bound for all eternity and onward.”
“So you say,” I grunted with my wand aimed between her captivating eyes.
“You’re their master, then?” she insisted. “Are you a kind master?”
I thought it was an unusual question to ask, but then I remembered what Morgana said about sirens. They were sometimes slaves to one master, and even though we hadn’t come across him yet, I knew we needed to be on the lookout for him just in case.
“Blood pact?” a beautiful blonde with vivid green eyes asked with her head tilted to the side. “What is a blood pact?”
“Have you never heard of a pact before?” Faye asked as she neared the women.
“No,” the sirens responded and shook their heads.
“Wow…” Akira grinned as she took a step closer to the pool. “You have no idea what you’re missing out on.”
“Like what?” a sea woman with vibrant red hair asked. “Tell us!”
“Well,” Nyx began as she crouched down lower to be on their level. “He watches over us, protects us all, and our lives our bond to his… meaning we cannot die unless he meets a terrible end.”
“Oh…” the sirens cooed as they looked at one another.
“Our master kills us whenever he pleases,” the curious siren with purple eyes blurted out. “He would never dream of bonding our lives with his--”
“Shhh!” another sea woman with gleaming black hair hissed. “Be quiet, Marina.”
“But it’s true!” the siren named Marina retorted. “I’m sick to death of his constant threats and curses. Just because he can walk on land, he thinks he’s better than the rest of us… as if Neptune favored him above all else.”
“Neptune?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Aye.” Marina nodded. “Neptune.”
“Who’s that?” Vesta questioned.
The sea women burst out into shrill giggles and then splashed each other playfully with their multicolored tails like Vesta just told them the best joke they’d ever heard in their lives.
“You must be kidding!” the siren with purple hair chuckled. “He’s our one true God. We worship him with every watery fiber in our beings.”
“Ah,” I said as I clucked my tongue. “Oh, well, that’s too bad.”
“Why?” the curious blonde siren asked with wide, green eyes.
“Well,” I sighed dramatically. “We worship another lord… one of eternal darkness and malevolence. He constantly surrounds us with his magnetic darkness and pure evil.”
“Sounds fun!” Marina giggled and batted her lavender eyes at me. “I’d like to know more about him.”
“Marina, shut your traitorous mouth!” the raven-haired siren chided. “You are dangerously close to uttering words of blasphemy.”
“And so what if I am?” Marina demanded before she splashed icy water at her ebony-haired sister. “I think their faith sounds exciting. What has Neptune ever done for us? Think about it… we’re the ones who lure men into the storms he creates, and when the riches hit the bottom of the sea, who reaps the rewards?”
When no one said a word, the outspoken Marina continued without reluctance.
“That’s right, Boreal does!” she snapped with furrowed eyebrows. “He takes all the gold, diamonds, and gems we collect from sunken ships and rotting corpses and keeps it all for himself! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m tired of combing through every grain of sand to search for every fallen jewel and lost golden tooth. It isn’t fair, and I’m sick of pretending like it is!”
“Is Boreal your master?” Faye asked after a long, awkward pause.
“Yes,” the raven-haired sea woman answered, “and if you want to live, I’d suggest you make yourself scarce. He could be back any moment now.”
“We’re not afraid of him,” Akira scoffed.
“May I ask you something?” Penelope inquired in a small voice.
“You may,” the raven-haired beauty responded, “but as I said, you must be quick about it… we may not have killed you, but we cannot promise the same if our master returns.”
“How did you become like this?” the orange-haired witch asked. “I mean… were you always bound to the will of your master and sea-lord?”
“No,” the outspoken Marina sighed. “We used to be women… mortal women who foolishly followed their husbands and lovers out to sea.”
“What happened exactly?” Morgana wondered in a whisper.
“A sea storm took me down into the icy depths,” Marina explained with wide, vacant eyes. “I was sailing the rocky seas with a man I loved… a very long time ago. I can’t even remember his name or the color of his eyes, but I do remember that I adored him with everything I had. I was young, foolish, and willing to follow him anywhere, but I suppose Neptune had other plans for me.”
“What do you mean?” Beatrix questioned with pale quivering lips.
“When the water dragged me down, I remember seeing a glowing pair of eyes,” Marina continued in a soft voice. “You must understand and not judge me, for the freezing water was filling my lungs and clouding my judgment… but all I remember was the echo of a voice asking me if I wanted to live or die… and I chose life.”
“We all did,” the black-haired siren added in a voice filled with regret. “Now, we obey every whim and desire of our sea lord Neptune and our master, Boreal.”
“Then isn’t it time for a change?” Akira smirked. “We can give you a new life with a new purpose. Join us, and you shall have free will.”
“Oh, really?” the blonde siren snorted. “It seems like you’re also under the influence of a master. What makes your lives any different from ours?”
“I never force my women to do anything they aren’t comfortable with,” I said in a sharp tone. “They are free to make their own choices, and they have chosen to follow me.”
“That’s right,” Faye added in a proud voice. “We’d follow him anywhere, pact or no pact.”
“Is that so?” the black-haired siren asked with a raised eyebrow. “You say you also possess magic… so how do we know you aren’t under some kind of spell?”
“You can’t know that for certain,” Morgana jumped in. “You’re just going to have to trust us.”
“I’ll join,” Marina hollered as she impatiently whipped her tail back and forth. “I’m tired of ice, water, and isolation. I want a life on land again, and I vow to help you in any way I can if you can change me.”
“Marina!” several sea women gasped at once.
“You don’t have to follow me,” the purple-eyed siren snapped. “I’ve made my choice. If the rest of you want to remain here in the cold as slaves to your wicked master, then so be it. I’ve already made up my mind.”
“You’ve made the right choice.” I nodded before I pulled out the flask of gleaming red blood. “Look… this spell will change you, and I have enough for all of you… I can easily spread the blood through the water, and once you drink it… you will become like us. Or I can simply give it to Marina, and she will be the only one to follow us back to Scholomance while the rest of you waste away in a frozen realm with nothing but a pair of selfish lords to answer to. The decision is yours.”
The sea women looked unknowingly at one another, and then all faces turned to gaze upon the raven-haired siren as if the decision was ultimately hers.
“What?” she snapped as her violet eyes wandered around the pool of half-naked women. “You’ve lived long enough to make your own decisions… do not look at me as if I am your mother and you need my permission.”
“But, Ava,” the blonde siren pouted. “You have watched over us since you were the first one to become a slave of Boreal. We trust your judgment. What are you going to do?”
The raven-haired siren looked around the women and then back at me before she bit down on her lip and swam a little closer. She beckoned for me to come down lower, so none of her sisters could hear her.
“Cole, be careful,” Beatrix warned.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Akira muttered. “Just watch.”
I slowly crouched down to meet Ava’s beautiful eyes, and when she whispered into my ear, a sharp shiver ran down my spine because her breath was
so surprisingly warm.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“Don’t be,” I muttered back. “I vow you’ll be free to make your own choices if you choose to follow us.”
“You swear it?” she asked.
“By Satan,” I responded. “I swear it.”
“Then so be it,” she answered before she swam back to join the others. “Turn us into one of you.”
I grinned in triumph, but before I could uncork the vial and slip it into the black water, a deep growling voice echoed through the freezing air and made the ice beneath us rumble.
“You dare to disobey me?” a terrifying voice called out. “I should see you dead for this… each and every one of you.”
The sea women collectively gasped and wailed like they were being pierced with daggers, and the sound of their horrified voices instantly sent my heart racing.
“No!” I shouted. “I’m the one who tempted them. Your quarrel is with me… show yourself, you fucking coward.”
Manic laughter filled the air, and then suddenly, we could hear ice breaking.
“Behind you!” Marina yelled as she pointed in our direction.
We whipped around, and standing before us was a towering, muscular man with pale blue skin and glowing yellow eyes. He was only wearing a pair of scaled silver trousers, and despite the bone-numbing cold, he wore nothing on his feet or chest.
“So,” he chuckled as he brushed specs of ice off his skin. “You’ve come here to steal my women, have you?”
“They’ve decided to leave of their own free will,” I said before I discreetly handed the vial of blood to Vesta. “They want nothing more to do with you.”
“We’ll see about that,” the blue-skinned bastard growled before his greedy eyes fell upon my women. “By the time I’m through with you, I’ll own your bitches as well and add them to my collection, you pathetic land dweller.”
Before I responded, I tightened the grip on my wand until I could feel the splinters digging into my frozen hand and drawing blood.
“Over my dead body,” I hissed.
And I meant it.
Chapter 12
