Chapter Nine
Hannah
“Sophie!” I yelled as she slipped from my arms to the portal floor.
I bent down and cradled her head as I pushed her hair back. Her face had lost all color.
“Here, let me see,” Sean’s murky green eyes looked into mine. I thought of pushing him away, but a feeling of calmness flashed over me. He was here to help. “She lost a lot of her energy when you traveled through the portal. Where are you from?” He asked as he ran his hands inches over Sophie. The air rippled like water around his hands.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He didn’t look at me. “I’m recharging your friend’s field so she doesn’t die.” His voice was controlled and even toned.
“Die?” I whispered in disbelief.
“You didn’t answer my question, siren. Where did you come from?”
Color started to return to Sophie’s face and she opened her eyes as she reached for my hand.
“Earth.” I answered.
“That wasn’t so hard, now was it? And your lover will be fine.” He smiled and helped Sophie to her feet.
“Are you alright?” I asked with my arm around Sophie.
“Yes, I’m fine now.” She answered in a low voice.
We stepped off the platform and stood beside Beannca and Mae. Sean paced in front of us rubbing his chin as the white haired girl stood facing us like a drill sergeant.
“Where’s your calling shell?” Sean asked suddenly. “I know you have one because the portal will not operate without one, and the only ones who can use our portals are elite members of the Alliance.” For the first time in my life, I felt intimidated. We emitted our siren character description, if you want to call it that, to him, but he also emitted one. I wasn’t sure if anyone else picked up on it, but I did. He was filled with arrogance. Sean held an important title that he didn’t mind throwing into the faces of those with a lesser status. Basically, his siren personality boiled down to one word—jerk. And I could read it like it was tattooed on his forehead.
“Calling shell—we don’t have one, and don’t know what that is.” I imagined a veil, sheer and as strong as spider’s silk covering me and my lie. I knew Sean would be able to sense my falsehood, so suddenly I found myself protecting myself in ways I didn’t know I could. His eyes became fiery green slits. He could see what I was doing. “Yes, we were trying to get to Atlantis and used a decommissioned portal from a collector. We are seeking amnesty and to escape the brutalities of the librarian and guardianship.” I had to spread a little truth to gain what trust I could.
Sean took in a deep breath, and then smiled at me. “You are a creative siren, aren’t you?” He stepped closer to me. We were nearly the same height and almost same caliber of siren. I could see it clearly in his mossy green eyes. “But you have a lot to learn my lovely.”
What Sean called “our cell”, was actually what I’d call a plush hotel room. There were two king sized beds laden with about a hundred pillows each, a plateful of fruit, cheese and crackers, and filled with elaborately carved furniture. The walls were creamy white with streaks of grey in them and looked like they were solid stone slabs. They were cool to the touch and seemed to radiate their coolness throughout the room. There was a small balcony overlooking the vast ocean of swirling blues and greens.
“Do you think they will let us stay?” Beannca asked to no one in particular as she sat on the edge of the puffy pale blue couch.
She was worried, I sensed it. I looked over my shoulder toward the balcony where Sophie stood gazing out at the scenery. I was going to join her when suddenly Beannca went off like a warning whistle to me. I had to, or somebody had to calm her and her strong wave of emotions. Mae was busy examining the fruit in the basket, and paid no attention to us. I was the only one who heard Beannca.
I drew in a deep breath and joined her on the couch.
“Sean will help us, I could feel it.” I felt everything about him. That confused me, and I wondered if Sophie or Mae felt the same thing. It was like he was transparent to me, like I had a connection to him somehow. “Didn’t you feel it too?” I hoped she would say yes, but Beannca shook her head.
“I thought he was cute.” Beannca lifted her eyes to me. “To be honest, that’s the first thing I thought. I don’t know why, I just did. It was like something flashed over me, and I…” She looked at the floor again.
Now she had me wanting to know what she was going to say. I hate it when people do that. “And you what?”
She drew in a deep breath and released it. “I don’t know why, but I feel like this is home already. This is our homeland, our birthplace…that doesn’t make it,” she looked at me with her large eyes, “home. That takes a while to feel something like that.”
I understood what she was saying, even though I had never felt a place was a home. All the places I’ve lived at where just places, and nothing more. I never had grown roots anywhere, as the saying goes. Maybe this place will allow me to.
“You guys are standing in there missing this incredible view.” Sophie stuck her head in and then went back onto the balcony. “There are ships! I’ve been watching them for five minutes now.”
Mae lifted her head from being engrossed in the fruit. She had a few pieces laid out, and I grabbed the one that looked like an apple.
“Come on let’s go and look at Sophie’s amazing view.” I took a bite of the sweet fruit.
It was like a picture in a travel magazine. The endless ocean had every shade of blue that hit the pink tinge sands of the beach in the distance. Below, I could see the tops of lush palm trees, colorful vines that bloomed in every color imaginable, and the shell covered roofs of the buildings that popped out between all the greenness. The ships Sophie pointed out, were in the distance and looked to be headed this way.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered standing next to Sophie.
“It really is,” she replied with satisfaction.
“I don’t want to leave,” Beannca said standing next to me.
We all stood next to each other shoulder to shoulder peering out at the beauty of Atlantis.
“This is our homeland, our birthplace, and we have a right to be here,” Mae said. “We need to be here. Just like us meeting, and everything that happened in Deadwood,” she looked at all of us with her innocent eyes that hung somewhere between a girl and a woman, “fate has made this possible. Look at the odds that were against us even getting here. We are meant to be here.”
We all agreed outspokenly to Mae’s words. I felt it run through us. Doubts, fears, uncertainty…all negative emotions that I had carried for so many years floated away in the gentle wind and were carried out to sea never to be felt again.
Mae
“The first thing we need to do is evaluate each of you,” Sean said as we stood in front of him.
The room we were in was what I would call a library with tall, vaulted ceilings, countless books siting on shelves that lined the walls, and enormous windows that framed the ocean view in the distance.
“You are automatically considered residents of Atlantis under Atlantian law set by the Alliance. The librarianship and guardianship have no jurisdiction here, but,” Sean gazed at each of us with his mossy green eyes, “your evaluation will determine your permanent citizenship here.”
“What?” Hannah blurted what we all thought. “I thought we are safe here…I thought it was a sure thing when we got here.” Her words were filled with desperation.
Sean let a smirk escape his lips. “You are residents of Atlantis, and I’m sorry that did seem a bit misleading.” He rubbed his chin. “Whatever your position was with the librarianship, no longer is valid. When you stepped off the portal platform, you are considered residents of Atlantis under the race of sirens. To gain rights, you must become a citizen. It’s different for sirens though. We need to know what level of siren you are
, and since none of you have been evaluated, we must do that.”
“And how do you do that?” I asked stepping forward.
Sean gave me a slightly disapproving look as he looked me up and down. I know I didn’t fit the siren mold, but I knew I had strong powers.
“You are a hidden gem.” He smiled, my skin slightly crawled. “Your light is bright, but your appearance is slightly misleading. You are a lovely creature, but plain by siren standards.” He leaned back with a crooked smile. I glared at him with my left eyebrow arched, he took notice. “Take it as a compliment, Mae. I’ve evaluated many sirens, and you,” he shook his finger at me, “interest me.” I straightened and tilted my head to the side trying to sum him up. He was blocking me, I couldn’t get through. “You have strong visions…very strong visions along with a past rich in our culture.” His eyes drew me in as if they had suddenly turned into strong magnets. I couldn’t resist staring into them and even forced myself to not blink. I didn’t want to miss a movement of the swirling greens that filled the iris of his eyes. “Hmmm,” he said with satisfaction slowly releasing his trance on me. I pulled back not taking my eyes from him.
“What do you mean by hmmm?” I asked after a few moments past without explanation.
“You come from a line calling shell navigators.” I gave him a confused look. “That kind of siren is rare these days. Shell navigators give the calling shell a direct link from portal to portal. Once created, the portal link made by the calling shell can’t be tampered with. Only shell navigators can do this. Unfortunately, many were killed so long ago.”
I thought of my visions. The woman with the same color of eyes—my mother had let me hold a calling shell. She loved me, and I her. She wanted to teach me things—things of heritage. My heart ached for the knowledge of my past, for my mother, and for Nolan. I knew my leaving would hurt him, but only for a little while would his heart ache. If I would have stayed, his life would turn into a miserable mess. Our family ended with just us.
I was torn in my emotions. Sean had reached into me in what he called an evaluation. Did he really need to get personal? I lifted my eyes to him. He gave me a quizzical look of concern.
“Mae, dear, are you alright?” He asked.
How dare he venture into my feelings I had for Nolan. I felt a rage cast over me like storm clouds clustering together to block out the bright summer sun.
“Mae?” Beannca gently grabbed by the arm. I jerked it away, ready to pounce when a stabbing sensation pieced through my stomach.
I clutched my belly thinking I had been stabbed. Something warm ran down my leg—blood.
Sean jumped up as Beannca and Sophie guided me to the floor. Sean’s eyes turned tender with concern as he placed his hand on my stomach.
“She’s with child.” He shook his head and mumbled something to himself.
“But sirens can’t get pregnant,” Hannah said in disbelief over my head.
Sean looked up at her. “Well, Mae is, and I want her child to live.” He jumped up, went over to his desk and lifted a clear stone to his ear that lit up with pastel colors.
I felt the flow of blood slow and the pain dulled. I was pregnant—again with Nolan’s baby and it was still inside of me—alive.
“Mae,” a voice, female, said in a gentle tone.
I opened my eyes to see a woman with blonde hair sitting beside me. She smiled making her curious shade of eyes twinkle. I gazed at them with curiosity.
“You have one green and one blue eye.” I stated my thought aloud. She deepened her smile.
“They are Atlantian eyes.” Her voice was filled with amusement rather than insult at my rude comment. I usually wouldn’t say something like that, but I couldn’t help it. “My name is Karrina, and this is Zach.” She motioned to the blonde haired boy hovering behind her. He smiled with a nod. “We are with the Alliance and are here to help you.”
I gingerly ran my hand over my stomach that was covered in soft blankets. “Is it...am I…”
Karrina smiled. “Yes, you are still with child.” A wave of relief fell over me. “But we need to know whose child it is. I hate to be so blunt and personal, but we need to have as much information as we can. We want to help you Mae, I hope you understand that.” Her eyes said it for her.
“Nolan Gorick is the father. He was once a guardian and lives in Deadwood, Kansas.” I suddenly felt a wave of weakness caress me like the waves of the Sanudra Ocean that surrounded us. How did I know what to call those waters? My mind was drifting. “Please,” I said pushing the words from my mouth before sleep took me. “Find him, he needs to know.”
I was still pregnant. Fate couldn’t have this child. It was mine, it was Nolan’s, and I prepared myself to fight for its life.
Sophie
Mae was the strongest of all of us. I already guessed that by just watching her. Beannca was the weakest at emitting her power, but strong at receiving it. Hannah and I were somewhere in the middle in Sean’s explanation of siren abilities.
Sean reassured us that Mae was alright as none of us could concentrate through our worry. I found it nothing next to a miracle that Mae was pregnant. Was it fate, or just a fluke that something so amazing had happened?
“What do you think they will do with us?” Hannah asked as we walked barefoot in the pink sand. The rush of the waves filled the silence before I answered.
“Whatever it is, it won’t be of our choice.”
“Why do you say that?”
I stopped and watched the water brush the grains of sand depositing a few broken shells in their leave.
“Think about it. We came here unexpectedly, not to mention escaping from the librarianship, and do you think they are just going to say welcome to paradise, you can do whatever you want.”
Hannah didn’t answer, but instead picked up a colorful broken shell. She examined it before throwing it out into the ocean.
“Why did you toss it back? It probably took forever for it to make it to the shore.” I don’t know why, but I always thought of things that way.
“It’s a shell, it doesn’t have feelings.” Hannah found amusement in my philosophical way of reasoning with inanimate objects. “Besides, I know how the shell would feel at this very moment if it had feelings.” She smiled at me.
I crossed my arms. “Whether the shell has feelings, doesn’t matter. It’s the idea that it was a long struggle to reach shore.”
“But if it did have feelings, it would feel cheated, betrayed, and exhausted to the point of giving up, but it doesn’t give up—no matter how many times it gets tossed into the ocean.”
I felt we were not really talking about the shell, and the possibility of it having emotions anymore. Hannah let her gaze wander into the many shades of blue and greens that surrounded us.
“Why doesn’t the shell give up?” I asked feeling that the silence was my turn to speak.
“Because it knows there is something greater out there that is just waiting for them to find.” She turned her vivid green eyes to me. They looked even greener than I remembered, almost as if they had pulled extra color into them from the seascape.
I smiled at her before running towards the waves.
“Look!” I yelled. “I’m being cast into the ocean!” I stood knee deep in the foaming waves that swirled around my legs.
Hannah ran after me, slamming her body into mine, knocking both of us into the cool water. My head went under and then popped up to find my lips on Hannah’s. I was both startled and elated at my response to kiss her back. I felt it taboo at the same time it was something I wanted to have that I didn’t even know I wanted. Hannah, I felt, had simply fallen out of the bright blue sky and into my lap. I never knew I’d find this kind of connection.
Suddenly she pulled herself away from me. Waves splashed against out faces as she looked at me with a mix of emotions.
“We�
�we shouldn’t do this. What if it’s breaking one of their laws?” Hannah reached for my hand. I immediately felt that familiar spark I had experienced the first time I met her. I smiled.
“I’m tired of fitting into a mold that everyone wants you to fit in.” I shook my head with a smile. “For the first time in my life, I feel I can make my own decisions on what I want. I don’t know what it is, but this,” I squeezed her hand, “is right.”
Hannah gazed around her as if someone was going to pop out and arrest us.
“Hannah, we don’t even know what their laws are here. And so far, they seem pretty lenient.” I tucked her hair behind her ear. “And the guardianship or librarianship has no control over our futures anymore. We are nothing to them, and never was.”
I felt Hannah’s tension lessen. She was listening to me and letting her guard down she had held for so long.
“If you wanted to go swimming, you should have just asked for a suit to do so.” Sean stood at the water’s edge and peered at us with his mossy green eyes. “Come girls,” he said with a smile. “Dinner is about to be served.”
Sean didn’t say anything about the obvious that was going on between Hannah and me. Not only was it visually noticeable, but we were around other sirens that could pick up on our every emotion. Secretly, I tried to do the same thing to Sean. I wanted to know what was going on concerning all four of us. So far, we’ve been treated like guests at a fancy hotel. Surely this wasn’t how things were going to be forever.
I sat between Hannah and Beannca with Sean seated in front of me at a small round table. Dinner was served on a balcony overlooking the ocean. Large potted plants mimicked the lush green landscape below us. Orillions with their unmistakable glow, lit the area in warm light. Sweetness mixed with saltiness, lingered in the cool air.
Hannah, Beannca and I all wore the same simply designed dress that reminded me of a sundress. Mine was in lavender, Hannah’s was blue, and Beannca’s was pink. We looked like we should had been someone’s bridesmaids. Sean wore a soft grey colored suit that looked like it was made out of linen.
The house, or mansion we were in, was sculpted like a sandcastle. The exterior was smooth with no sharp edges, but curves and arches instead. I also noticed there were no doors, but an elaborate system of hallways and niches that separated the rooms.
“How’s Mae doing?” Beannca asked Sean as he sat down. We haven’t been allowed to see her, but have asked about every hour.
“She is well and under the care of an elite member of the Phoenix clan of the Alliance.” Sean took a sip from his silver glass etched with shells.
“When do we get to see her?” I asked with a raise of his eyebrows.
“When she is strong enough.” He sat his glass down and gave me a curious gaze like he was evaluating me. “You four have a genuine concern for each other’s well-being, don’t you?”
I burrowed my eyebrows. “Why shouldn’t we be concerned about our companion?” I asked.
“You must understand, we haven’t had many sirens from earth make it here. We don’t know what your mentality is, your ideas, and what your beliefs are in general. The librarianship and guardianship have what we would call preserve our race, but not its culture. We are simply curious, not trying to insult you Sophie.” Sean gently tapped his hand on mine. I tried to contain my surprise at his gesture with a smile.
“So, what are you going to do with us?” Hannah asked slugging down her drink and plunking down her glass.
“Hannah, you are a curious gem, and one I have a personal interest in.” His eyes gleamed at her as he took another sip from his glass.
Before Hannah could question him, young girls with braided hair and long, flowing, pastel colored dresses, brought in covered trays and placed the dishes before us. I thanked them, but they hardly looked at us as if they were on a mission and nothing more. They came and went so fast as if they weren’t even here.
I looked down at the array of colorful vegetables mixed with what looked like nasturtium blossoms, and shrimp. The aroma made my stomach groan with anticipation of the taste to follow. I stabbed what looked like a potato with my fork and popped it in my mouth. Initially, it was bland, but then I could taste something close to oregano.
“What do you mean by personal interest?” Hannah asked after all the serving girls left.
Sean smiled with a twinkle in his eyes of playful mischievous that flickered behind them. He then cleared his throat, and turned towards Hannah.
“I didn’t have intentions of discussing this at the table, but I believe that you and I are connected through blood.” His eyes were solely on Hannah as Beannca and I exchanged glances.
Hannah shook her head, and I instinctively reached for her hand under the table. “You mean like family?”
He nodded. “If you want to use that term, but it all ends in the same place no matter what you call it. You and I share blood, Hannah. I noticed something in your aura when I first set eyes on you. You have a lot of untapped power in you that could be very beneficial to us.”
I squeezed Hannah’s hand, she didn’t look at me, but I felt her insides churn with the possibility that family could exist for her. She always wanted it more than anything, and now it sat in front of her and beside her. Hannah, for the first time felt the surge of what she always dreamed of, and she wanted to run away.
“It’s alright, Hannah,” I whispered in her ear.
She drew in a deep breath before taking a sip of wine. Sean gazed at her. Surely he could pick up on all of our emotions, but as he gazed at her with questioning eyes, I thought maybe he hadn’t.
“Hannah, is everything alright? You look a bit pale,” Sean said as his eyes casted over with sincere concern.
“No, I’m alright.” Hannah composed herself and smiled at Sean. “It’s just that family…well I’ve never had any before.”
“We are all family here, dear sirens. We are protected here in Atlantis and have certain rights as well as duties we are responsible for.”
“Duties, what duties?” Beannca asked before I could.
Sean gazed at all of us with his steady eyes. “Well, my ladies, not only does the Alliance impose upon us from time to time, but we have personal endeavors as well.” His smile had a cunning edge to it.
I tried to reach into Sean for more information, but it was like hitting a brick wall.
“Beannca, you are wanted by the guardianship for the murder of your former employer. Hannah and Sophie,” his mouth curled upward. “You prefer one another’s company over that of a male siren. These are not good qualities to have here at Murk Island.” Bile rose in my throat, Beannca looked like she was going to faint, and Hannah began to curl her hand into a fist. “But,” Sean raised his voice at our silent chaos, “we also overlook things like that. There is no need to punish something for living its true nature.” He switched his eyes between Hannah and me. “And to be framed for a murder is just as wrong as committing the crime.” He took Beannca’s hand. “You my flower are no more of a murderer than I.” Sean stood up guiding Beannca with him as if she was his queen. He liked her, I could see that as clear as day.
“You are here now, and that’s all that matters. As far as who you serve it is the Alliance first, and then Murk Island. What your duties and obligations are to be, I do not know yet. But, when summoned, you will oblige to what is needed.” Sean gazed at all of us with his green eyes. “To decline will be your ticket back to the guardianship. I would hate to see any of you return to them.”
I felt we were stuck between a hard place and a rock. The librarianship and guardianship, I knew, but Atlantis, I knew nothing. I squeezed Hannah’s hand. We’ve come this far, we couldn’t turn back even if we were traveling into the unknown. With three nods, we were sirens of Murk Island.
Beannca
“Thank you for agreeing to come with me on a walk. I like to go after a meal to clear my tho
ughts.” Sean walked beside me as the waves curled around our feet.
“It’s beautiful here,” I replied.
Sean gazed out at the sea that he’d probably looked at thousands of times.
“But I suppose you’ve seen hundreds of sunsets, and walked countless miles on the beach. I bet it’s like me walking among the tall buildings in Chicago.” I smiled with a shrug. “The awe and amazement have become the mundane.”
“That isn’t so.” Sean corrected me. “The beauty is still there, we simply don’t lose sight of it.” We stopped, and stood shoulder to shoulder facing the endless ocean. “But I understand how the beauty can lose its luster when experiencing it every day. That is more of a human response rather than a siren response. Sirens are naturally in tune to the elements surrounding them. We notice changes all the time.” He looked down at me. “I can even see changes in you since you came here.”
My eyes shot back up to him. “What changes?” I asked with concern.
Sean’s lips curled into a smile, and wrinkles formed around his eyes. “Don’t worry, it isn’t grim.” He chuckled as he slipped his hand in mine. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
Being with Sean was like having a warm blanket wrapped around me. I had never felt so comfortable around a complete stranger in such a short amount of time before. Our walk turned into a slight jog as Sean pulled me along like a child that wanted to show me something amazing. When I first saw him at the portal, he looked almost like a warrior, but that appearance had fallen, and I felt I was looking at another Sean.
He slowed our pace as we neared the jagged black rock cliff that jetted out towards the ocean. Large boulders were scattered along the beach, and some had crumbled into the water.
“This is called the blackened caves.” Sean stopped in front of a large arched opening that reminded me of the opened mouth of a lion. It was as beautiful as it was dangerous looking. “Murk Island once had active volcanoes and this is an old lava flow that we are standing under.” We barely stood inside the cave that looked to be at least twenty feet high. “This tunnel leads to the council building, the first building in the circle. It was used to transport dignitaries from other lands when we held a council. It was a protective passageway for those who traveled by sea. Now, it’s abandoned and the gate has been sealed shut.”
“This is really an amazing place,” I said over the echoing ocean that amplified within the cave walls. I looked out towards the ocean that was now framed in the ancient lava flow.
“No, you are amazing,” Sean said stepping closer to me.
I gasped slightly as we stood facing on another. His smile was warm and his gestures timid. It was almost like he was trying to control his emotions—not move too fast because it was too soon. A flash of sorrow casted over me like a sudden gust of a winter’s wind. I kept my eyes on him. Had I picked up on one of his emotions that I’ve been trying to read since I got here? Or did Sean send it to me? I didn’t reach into it or follow it. I simply let my eyes gaze into his, and his eyes into mine before I pulled my eyes from his.
“I’m not really that amazing.” I might look like the stereotype for a siren, but so far all I’ve been able to do is crack the window in Jack’s apartment. “I’m not a very powerful siren.”
“I beg to differ. There are different degrees of amazing.” Sean stepped farther into the cave pulling me with him. “There are actually three levels: grand, element, and sight siren. Grand sirens cover a vast area with their influences, and can execute a wide spectrum of siren abilities, but are masters of none. They are the most common, and were used in negotiations during wars to keep opposing parties’ minds open to each other. Sight sirens are very rare and can translate things at long distances, kind of like long-range weapons. They are nearly all but gone, very few of them remain.” Sean stopped and stood facing the cave wall. “That is why I want Mae’s child to live.”
A light, soft in illumination, sat in Sean’s hand. It was an orillion—the light of the Faes’, and it illuminated the sculpture carved into the cave wall. It was of a man and woman facing one another with a willow-like tree hovering over them. It was done in great detail with great care taken to every fold of their clothing to the individual leaves on the tree. The figures were so real looking, I thought they might move.
“This is one of the relief carvings done to greet any visitor. The woman represents thought, and the man represents movement. They meet each other in the middle because thought would become stagnant without movement, and movement would be futile without thought.”
I gazed up at it, entranced by the deepening shadows. I felt I could had stepped into it myself and touch their almost joining hands when the long branches of the weeping tree swayed delicately in some unfelt breeze. “Think before you act,” I said more to myself as the man and woman joined their hands before the sculpture froze into place.
“Simple idea, but not always executed by all.” He tugged on my arm as he held the orillion in front of him. It made long shadows on the bumpy cave walls that had a few smoothed out areas that looked like they had been sanded.
“Were there going to be more carvings?” I asked referring to one of the many flattened out areas we had passed.
Sean stopped and drew in a deep breath. “I wish the surfaces were being prepared, but no, there aren’t going to be any more sculptures.” His eyes fell on me with a hollow look to them. “Come my lovely element siren,” Sean said as his smile feathered away. A foreboding look filled his face for a mere second before it vanished. Even though I couldn’t get through to test Sean as to what kind of siren he was, I could tell that things were not perfect in this perfectly landscaped world.
“Wait,” I said resisting his pull on my hand. “I’m an element siren?” He nodded his head, and I waited for him to elaborate on it, but he didn’t. “Well, what is it?” I felt overjoyed that I at least fit into one of the three types of sirens.
“I’m sorry. I guess most of us here have known what level we are for a long time.” His eyes sparkled at me. “An element siren can influence the elements like grand sirens can calm a room filled with angry people. Wind, rain, clouds, snow, and if strong enough, elements like fire can be guided by an element siren.”
I thought of Jack’s window I had accidently cracked when my anger for Aaron overtook me. “You mean I can conjure up storms, make it snow and set fires if I want too?” The idea of that much power was very enticing.
Sean let out a deep belly laugh. “Well, not exactly.” He took my hand and placed the orillion in it. “Look at the orb, and ask it to glow brighter.” I gave him a confused look. “Gaze at it thinking to yourself about how beautiful it is.” I looked at the orillion in my palm. “You don’t control the elements, you encourage them.”
I gazed at the orillion. Its white light filled my hand and shone the area around us. It was basically like a small flashlight. I’ve seen many orillions and never really looked at them as I am now.
Like vines curling around a trellis, I felt the orillion reaching out. It was a strange sensation that filled me. It was like something cold and metallic filled my senses. I felt the reaching out part like I did with Sean earlier, but it was totally different. With him it had a human feel, with the orillion it was like I was connecting with a computer.
I felt it reaching deeper into me, and before it got too far, I gave a command. Suddenly, the orillion began to shift in a rainbow of colors. Green to blue to yellow, and then orange as I watched it amazed.
“I do believe I would continue encouraging the elements like this rather than conjuring storms and such.” Sean and I both laughed—something I hadn’t done in a long time.
I felt giddy and wasn’t sure if was the aftereffects of using my siren abilities or being with Sean. He was easy to talk to and I enjoyed his company.
“So what kind of siren are you?” I asked as we walked in the
rainbow colored light of the orillion.
“Grand, like Sophie and Hannah.”
“Mae’s a sight siren.” Sean glanced at me and then grimly nodded his head. “But that’s good, right?”
“Yes, and no.” He reached for my hand and gently held it in his like it was a delicate baby bird. “Good, because her daughter will be a sight siren like Mae, and Mae’s mother before her. Bad, because the Alliance doesn’t like sight sirens. Though they tolerate them, they will more than likely take the child if they suspect anything, and train them in the ways of the Alliance making them one of their own. They will tell them nothing of their siren heritage. She will always feel something’s missing, and will find herself always searching until it kills her.” His voice trailed off.
“But why doesn’t the Alliance like sight sirens?”
Sean cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “Because they are a strong siren. If they gain control over their power wielding it to its full potential, they could be unstoppable. The Alliance will not take the risk, but I will. It’s time sirens returned to Atlantis.”
Sirens Page 9
