Into the Depths Below

Chapter 2

Nadira stared at the two men in front of her with wide eyes.

"You know? What happened? To my daughter?" Nadira asked incredibly and the man directly across from her, Dalathu, nodded.

"It's a phenomenon that occurs at the end of each month," Simon interjected before his partner could speak up.

"Let me tell her, Simon," Dalathu said and Simon nodded, zipping his lips shut with his fingers and pretending to lock them and throw away the key.

"Many many centuries ago, there was a storm as horrible as the one we saw yesterday. During the storm, it was said a whirlpool would form over the water and a path would appear straight to the center of the spiral. It seemed like every natural phenomenon would occur at once when the spiral came to be. Many who have witnessed it have heard a haunting melody and seen a figure floating over the swirl. On that sandy path, children would line up to follow it," Nadira gasped.

"That is what happened with my daughter, my Marina," she said, not too sure why she was offering up such information to these two strangers, yet trusting them all the same.

"It has been rumored that the figure who summons the children is a siren who uses the children as sacrifices for immortality," as Dalathu continued, Nadira's face contorted into one of extreme agony. "Many children have disappeared. Not many have survived or been recovered. On the first of each month, bones would wash to shore. Small bones."

"Children's bones," Simon mimed unlocking and unzipping his lips before he piped in and Dalathu nodded beside him.

Nadira felt herself wanting to throw up. Her stomach was entirely empty yet she felt bile rising up all the same. Her expression grew more and more distressed by the second.

"There is a group," Simon continued. "A group that has been hunting this siren. Maybe they can help you get your daughter back."

"Do not give me false hope, it is not possible. You said so yourselves," Nadira spat angrily, shaking in her seat.

"We did not say it was impossible," Dalathu said and Nadira raised her head to make eye contact with the man seated directly across from her. "There have been a few cases of children making it back, surviving. There is one in this very mansion, you have met her, Shyla. She survived yet never fully recovered. Some make a full recovery. Others do not."

"It's a terrifying ordeal," Simon said. "Many have tried to save their children, not many have succeeded. Attempting this would be very risky, not just for your daughter, but for you as well. Are you sure this is something you are willing to do?"

Nadira nodded harshly.

"If it'll save my baby girl, I will do it. She is the only thing I have. I need her with me. I need to save her," Nadira steeled her resolve. This was what she wanted to do, this is what she had to do.

Dalathu smiled at her.

"Then I must introduce you to some people. But first, eat," a delicious spread of food arrived and the servants displayed it across the table. The aromas of many different cuisines from different regions of the island fill the trios nostrils, making them sigh in contentment. Soups, stews, poultry and other squab, some wild boar, bread, and a lovely garden salad were brought to the table and the three thanked the maids and servants before digging in.

"By the way, I must thank whoever owns this mansion and took me in. This outfit and this food, it is more than enough hospitality for me, let alone the bed I've been allowed to sleep on," Nadira said softly as she cracked a piece of bread and dipped it in a bowl of warm soup.

"It is my honor to have you, considering your mental and physical state as well as your circumstances, it would not have been wise to bring you back to your home," Dalathu stated and Simon made a hum of agreement with his mouth full. Nadira gave a small polite smile to the two men across from her and they returned her smile with varying degrees of pride.