The Siren

by Petra Landon

  The gray eyes were blanked of all emotion, but now, Temi had been given a hint. It didn’t take her long to pick up on the cue.

  She sighed. “I suppose I have no choice.”

  “Not about this” he responded. “But I promise to make it painless.”

  The man was playing with her — ran the refrain through her. With that realization, came another.

  “I won’t fight you” she submitted, as the wild suspicion threaded through her that the subtle cue had been no coincidence. This was ElMorad. He’d played poker with some of the most fearsome Chosen of his generation. If he ever allowed a glance to betray him, it would only be because he wished it so. The conclusion reassured Temi. She’d made the right call. He was not opposed to giving her a helping hand or proffering an explanation when the doubts crept in. As he had, many times, on their short journey from the resort to this cave.

  “Close your eyes” he directed brusquely. “It will be over quick.”

  Temi obeyed him. Though she knew what was coming, she could not stop herself from flinching when she felt his hand on her hair. He stilled, until she nudged him.

  “I thought you said it would be quick” she murmured.

  Gathering up the mass of hair at her nape, he chopped it off cleanly. As the heavy strands drifted down, Temi opened her eyes to ogle them. Shorn of the weight, her head felt curiously light.

  Sheathing the knife, he got to his feet.

  “Use that.” He gestured at a small sachet on the ground beside her. “Your hair’s too distinctive.”

  Temi glanced at the sachet — it was hair color to turn her tresses dark brown.

  “You hesitated, Red” he pronounced.

  Her eyes flashed up to him.

  “If you decide to stick with me, that will not be tolerated.” With the parting shot, he strolled away from her.

  Temi’s jaw dropped as she stared after him. She’d been remarkably trusting with him, she mused mutinously. Belatedly, she wondered if this had been a test. If so, she’d passed it with flying colors, she wanted to proclaim. But she desisted. Actions would talk louder than words. And that is what she had to show him.

  Using water from the stream, she set to color her hair. When she was done, a thin streak of the dye discolored the pristine water in the cavern. Temi felt a pang at the sight.

  The sun was barely up when they set out from the cave. With her new sneakers, navigating over the rough forest floor was much easier. He set a punishing pace and Temi guessed that they had a lot of ground to traverse before nightfall.

  Midmorning, they stopped for a quick snack in a small clearing, where the sun was warm. They’d walked in silence all morning, but now, to Temi’s surprise, he plopped down beside her.

  “Why gamble with ElMorad?” he asked conversationally. “Is there no one else?”

  Temi chewed on the bite of the energy bar, before answering the question. “The Blutsaugers would never let me go.” It had taken some tricky maneuvering to convince Monseigneur to allow her to join his party at The Games.

  He mused on her answer briefly. “You’re valuable to them, Red?”

  “They believe so” she said briefly. Monseigneur did not know the half of her powers and Temi was absolutely determined that he remain ignorant of it.

  But this was ElMorad. Such veiled utterances would not satisfy him. “Why?” he asked bluntly.

  Temi gave him the version the Vampires believed. “The artifact I offered you was created by ElDarZin for Monseigneur. You know its significance?”

  “Yes” he professed.

  “Now that ElDarZin’s gone, he needs someone to replenish it.”

  His brow furrowed, as he processed the implications of her words. “You can do that?”

  “Yes.”

  For a moment, he was silent. Temi finished the last of her bar, wondering whether she was to be interrogated some more.

  “You have First Ones heritage. Why not send word to them? They’d help you disentangle from the Clan.”

  Temi’s eyes shot to him in surprise. “What makes you think I have First Ones heritage?”

  “Your blood” he said easily.

  Temi was reminded of the first night she’d approached him at the lodge. He’d sniffed her blood, to confidently state that she wasn’t Blutsauger. She wondered if he possessed the power to decipher magic from a Chosen’s blood. That was strong, unique and rare magic. It might explain some of his legendary successes against other Magicks with power.

  “Why not go to your own people?” he pressed her.

  Temi shrugged. “How would I get in touch with them? I doubt they’re even aware of my existence. All ties with my father were cut when he went to work for Monseigneur.”

  He frowned. “You’ve never known anyone but the Lombardis?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  When they set out again, he set a brisk pace like before. But this time, he explained that their destination was the town he’d bought her sneakers from. After the day long inactivity in the cave, followed by a good night’s rest, Temi felt refreshed and ready to tackle a long hike. She followed him with renewed vigor, making sure to not fall too far behind. The sun was high in the sky when the attack came. It caught Temi by surprise. She had not been expecting any trouble during the day. Perhaps, because their previous treks through the rainforest had been uneventful. Or perhaps, his successful blunting of the Undeads’ advantages had lulled her into a false sense of well-being.

  The first sign that something might be wrong was when ElMorad turned around abruptly, to barrel down towards her. She had little time to react, before he shoved her out of the way. Caught by surprise, Temi stumbled, before righting herself. A pinging sound in the air was her only clue as four Blutsaugers swooped down on them. Ignoring Temi, they converged on him. Under their combined onslaught, ElMorad went down. Temi stood petrified, as the brutal assault unfolded before her eyes. At first, an eery silence ruled, even as blows rained down and the sharp talons did their work. In the end, it was a muted grunt from ElMorad that unfroze Temi. Her magic, incredibly powerful in its own right, could not win such bouts. But there were tricks that could be effective against Chosen. In the arena at the resort, she’d slowed down her opponent with one such strategy. She deployed it now, on the Vampires. Blutsaugers were distracted by blood. Even their own. While they’d never dare to taste another Undead’s blood, the smell of it could overpower them — drive them into a frenzy of blood lust. Temi went to work on spilling blood. Choosing the one closest to her, she directed her magic at him. Tiny nicks and wounds opened up on his exposed skin, to bleed sluggishly. She persisted and soon, the Vampire’s clothes grew damp with blotches. Yet, his companions continued their onslaught on ElMorad, now completely buried under the Blutsaugers’ vicious pummeling.

  Temi targeted a second Vampire. This time, when she sliced him open, the Undead turned his attention to her. Fangs dripping with blood, he came after her. Temi stood her ground, confident that Monseigneur would eat his Vampire’s still beating heart for breakfast, if any of his Blutsaugers harmed the golden goose. It was ElMorad who was in danger for he confronted four Vampires. Even with his Ancient magic, that was too many Chosen to contend with in such close quarters.

  Suddenly, a distant rumble filled the air; muted at first, but soon echoing in a deafening roar. The Undead, making for her, halted to glance around him in puzzlement. A thick haze surged in rapidly, rendering visibility poor. Temi peered through it, to note a cloud of dust and debris swirling into the air. Bits of foliage and dirt rained down on her in a thick sheet, even as the woods echoed with thuds and thumps. An enormous tree teetered in place, groaning as its entrenched roots came free of the earth. Temi watched in horror as the giant seemed to keel over in slow motion, the sound like a wail cutting through the booming noise that filled the forest. Under her, the ground shook in frenzy. She looked down in alarm. The forest floor seemed to split apart at the seams — a tiny, snaking crack that widened to a small
chasm. Terrified, Temi stood rooted in place. All around her reigned bedlam and destruction, the fallout of an earthquake, a typhoon and a dust storm all rolled into one. The falling debris and clouds of sediment made it hard to see anything, but the violent movement of the ground under her feet, accompanied by the roar of the earth as it ruptured, made it clear that something monumental and catastrophic was under way. She watched in disbelief as the Vampire targeting her was sucked into the yawning chasm that had opened up in the forest floor. He disappeared with a shrill scream, clinging to the mighty tree toppled into the fissure with him. The sight jolted Temi. She turned to flee. But before she could run, something big leapt through the dusty fog, to tackle her into the ground. Presuming it to be one of the Vampires, she shrieked, struggling wildly to wrest free.

  “Hold still” gasped a familiar voice, the usually smooth tones hoarse.

  Temi ceased her struggles, to burrow into him as the earth shook in fury around them, bellowing its anger in no uncertain terms. The rage and power of it was such that, had he not held her down, she’d have been shaken like a ragdoll. The high-pitched shrieks of the Blutsaugers punctured the roar of the earth and the boom of falling trees. Later, she was to realize that despite the carnage, surprisingly none of the debris fell on them nor were they ever threatened by the spider-like crevasses opening up in the ground. Temi held on to him as the forest thundered, trembled and regurgitated its contents up into the air. It took a while for the storm to lessen its fury. However, only when silence permeated the clearing did Temi lift her head, to peer around her cautiously. Detritus and bits of flora still hung lazily in the air, making everything appear fuzzy. But the widening crevasse on the forest floor was gone. A small pile of disturbed mud and foliage marked the line where the ground had opened up to swallow the tree and a Blutsauger. As well as his companions, Temi recognized belatedly. There was no sign of any Undead around her.

  She pushed at the arms that held her and they went slack. Sliding onto the ground, he lay still, his arms akimbo. Like her, he was covered in a thick layer of dust. Under it, she could see the gashes and the flesh ripped apart. His chest, shoulders and arms were covered in blood muddied with grime; a dull rust-colored stain that oozed bright red. Temi tried to catch her breath in the eerie silence after the cataclysm. But as the minutes passed and her companion lay unmoving, she took more careful stock of him. His breathing was shallow and his eyes, those cloudless slate-gray orbs, closed in exhaustion. Blood pooled under his right shoulder, a steady drip from a wound she could not see. The Blutsaugers’ talons had done a number on him. But the realization did not alarm Temi. This was a First One, and no ordinary one at that. He was ElMorad, an Archmage with a record of spectacular feats against powerful Chosen. Plus, like most First Ones, he possessed the ability to heal himself. But as the silence grew and his oozing blood became a puddle, the first doubts crept in.

  “ElMorad” she called to him softly. It was not an address he favored. That much had become evident during her short time with him. But Temi knew of no other name for him.

  When he remained unresponsive, Temi shook him; tentatively at first and then, with increasing urgency. “Wake up! Wake up.”

  After a few minutes, he opened his eyes to peer up at her. For once, the pale eyes were cloudy and unfocused.

  “Red” he rasped out, so softly that she had to bend over him to decipher his words. “Follow the sun. The town is west of us.”

  It took Temi a few moments to grasp what he was telling her. “No” she rebutted firmly.

  “I’m not leaving without you” she asserted, shaking him when it looked like he might close his eyes again.

  “Need to heal” he croaked, the rich tones a pain-filled rasp.

  “Then, heal! I’ll wait” Temi adjured him.

  With an effort, he shook his head. “Go now.”

  Temi gaped at him. What did he mean, she wondered? How could he be so badly injured that he was asking her to abandon him? The answer struck her in a blinding blow. An immortal would only be beyond his ability to heal himself if he expended so much magic that his reserves were exhausted. But how was such a thing possible?

  As Temi stared at him bemusedly, the likely explanation for his mystifying vulnerability and inability to seal his gaping wounds seeped into her. Taking her eyes off the slumped First One, she gawked at the gaping hole where the gigantic tree had been ripped off its moorings, to be swallowed whole into the earth.

  “You did this” she whispered, unable to believe it despite the evidence before her.

  The man she accused remained silent, lying inert on the ground.

  “You did this” she repeated, with more conviction this time, waving her arms around her wildly.

  The action served to stir up the suspended particles in the air. As the dust enveloped her, Temi choked on it, coughing.

  It roused him and he slid his eyes open to murmur. “Red.”

  Temi turned to him. “You did this?” she proclaimed, jolted by the revelation. You moved the earth, she thought incredulously, unable to say the words aloud.

  “Told you I’m Eru’Aar” he whispered hoarsely through parched lips. “Go. I will meet you in the town.”

  “No” she countered fiercely. “We leave together.”

  His eyes clouded with pain. “More Blutsaugers are on their way. Leave me, Red.”

  As he threatened to slip back into oblivion, her eyes tangled with his. ElMorad had confirmed her wild suspicions. Rattled, awed and shaken up in equal measure, Temi had but a few seconds to come to a decision.

  “I told you why Monseigneur wants me” she whispered to him. “To replenish his artifact.”

  The gray orbs showed little emotion or reaction to her words. Temi reached for him, to grasp his palm in her hands. But it remained slack within her clasp.

  “Heal yourself” she urged him. “You can!”

  When he remained motionless, she grasped the edges of his tee to shake him. “Do it. Heal yourself” she hissed, tamping down her rising panic. “You have the power.”

  She knew not how long she remonstrated, trying to get through to him. But eventually, he seemed to get the message. Or feel the surge of magic in his blood. It did not take long for him to revive. First, the small gashes stopped bleeding. Then slowly, the deeper injuries seemed to seal. Gratified by the signs, Temi poured more power into him. She knew not how much magic he’d depleted, but it had to be substantial for him to verge on oblivion like this.

  It took him thirty minutes to recover. All the while, Temi watched over him anxiously. Under her eyes, his breathing grew stronger, not as labored as before, and his breaths more even.

  Finally, he stirred, weak and groggy, but more aware of his surroundings. The pale eyes gleamed through the fine layer of grime that covered his face. He pulled himself up into a sitting position. “We have to move, before the others come after us.”

  Temi noted that the slate-gray eyes, not as cloudy as before, were still wracked with pain. He brushed off some of the earth that clung to him. Temi’s eyes flashed to the reddish puddle soaking into the ground. He’d lost a lot of blood, in addition to the magic expended.

  “Can you walk?” she inquired anxiously.

  He swiped at his dusty face with dirty hands, to leave behind streaks. “Find a tree with a thick bare trunk, Red. And watch where you step.”

  His voice came out stronger, reassuring Temi. She got to her feet. Around her, the world reeked of devastation.

  “The tree is to shroud us?” she asked hopefully. If he had enough magic to shroud them from the Vampires, matters were looking up.

  He gave her a curt nod. “We head back to the cave. It’s closer than town.”

  CHAPTER 10

  The Siren

  Wildfire at midnight. In this heedless fury

  He may show violence to cross himself

  - The Revenger’s Tragedy

  “Thorne flies in tomorrow” Jason announced, propping himself against the ta
ble that dominated the supplemental Pack Room.

  Sienna’s eyes flashed to him, taken aback by the proclamation. “The Guardian?” she clarified. She remembered Sebastian Thorne from San Diego, where he’d led the GCW fightback against the Shifters demanding justice for San Francisco.

  Jason confirmed it. “Merceau has agreed to meet with Thorne and his Guardians. I am to accompany him.”

  Her eyes widened. “The Guardians asked to meet the Alpha?”

  What she saw on his face had her frowning. “Why? After San Diego, why him?”

  “You remember Trev requesting the Alpha for an audience with Faoladh?” Jason prompted her.

  Sienna recalled it. Trevor’s request to the Alpha had been for another Guardian. “An audience for Guardian Thorne” she murmured.

  He nodded. “Faoladh has not seen fit to grant it to the Guardians yet.”

  “I’m not surprised, Jason” she retorted. “Faoladh was a frontline spectator at the Guardian attempts to shield Ted Anderson. Does the GCW expect him to reward bad behavior?”

  Jason smiled. Sienna was starting to take sides, no longer hesitant to involve herself. When she’d first arrived in San Francisco, Sienna had eschewed Wizard affairs and rumors. Instead, she had thrown herself into the investigation, in search of answers about the past. Her only concern, besides the investigation, had been Tasia and her renewed attempts to understand the flashes of future bestowed upon her. They were the only aspects Sienna had been willing to engage with, when it came to the Chosen. But now, this was changing. It boded well for the future and he hoped very much that this was a portent of things to come. If Sienna retreated back into her shell, where she kept everything Chosen at a distance, he would be the loser. And Jason was determined to avoid that at all costs. More than ever.