The Siren -Ongoing

I - Mixed With Blood

She drifted in and out of consciousness as cold penetrated her bones, covering her like an icy blanket that left her woozy and weak.

Where am I? A blue fog blurred her vision. Strange voices sobbed, shouted, laughed, and cried; sometimes far, sometimes right beside her. A stone altar stood in front of her, and someone lay on top of it.

"This is wrong," a female siren said in a tuneful wail. "Is this what you planned from the beginning?" Flora recognized that voice, it belonged to the Ethen queen. "She's not a doll!"

The small throne where Flora sat seemed familiar, like a lost memory. With her back arched, she struggled to find the memory she believed she lost. Her fingertips touched the purpleheart wood grain, and a throbbing pain crept from her spine to her stomach. The queen was near, but she couldn't quite discern her silhouette from the backdrop.

"How long are you planning to keep her like this? Forever?" The queen asked, pointing Flora's way.

"Mother, you shouldn't be here," said a male siren with a gentle, melodic tone. "Guards! Remove the Queen."

Favian? Flora knew that voice, she loved that voice.

Blurred shadows held the Queen's silhouette by her arms as Favian turned away from his mother.

"You know this is wrong! If you keep her like this, the Enervation curse will kill her!" The queen's voice faded as Flora's heard the guards dragging her away. "Poor child..."

When Favian leaned over the altar, Flora felt the cerulean veil slowly lift as she regained consciousness, but this time she felt different, she didn't fall back into darkness. Snowflakes rested on her eyelashes, her skin, her frozen lips, and on her blond hair that rippled with the wind. Her skin was turning blue; only her silky white treissil, which was a clear reminder she was her mother's child, remained unchanged. Her treissil started at the hips; she loved how the white turned a soft green at her flukes and dorsal fin. The cold temperature dissipated, melting the icy specks on her body, and leaving tiny droplets in their place. Her gaze wandered over the blue silk chiffon of her dress as she saw clearer, sharper. The royal gown, she once felt so beautiful wearing, had strips of layered pastel silk which she thought looked like a sea anemone. It came from the rim of its sapphire-embedded corset. How long have I been wearing this? Her backache let her know it's been too long.

Her vision got sharper as she surveyed her surroundings. A gray palette pervaded throughout the theater and the auditorium held pensive Ethenian nobles looking at the altar. Who are they? Flora's gaze swept over the small theater; sculptures of children faces sprang from every column, and stenciled damasks saturated the limestone walls. She wondered if it was just a weird dream. Everything felt like deja vu. She was tired and heavy, as if something, someone was holding her down, draining her energy.

A half-opened curtain barely concealed a pile of bodies at the end of the stage.

Her stomach churned.

Dyads. The two-legged beings lay gray and limp, lifeless; their faces cursed to forever hold the dazed expression they carried to their deaths, and purple stains smeared their clothes after becoming the Ethenians' prey.

She was unable to move away from this horrible vision; that's how she knew, she was put under a spell.

I remember!

Her breathing got faster and shallower. I can't breathe! Her heart pounded as she gasped for air. She attempted to move again, to gather her energy and force her arms, but they refused; she tried to scream, but all that came out was a tiny squeak. Nothing works. Something dripped from her brow as she struggled to blink, to breathe. She wasn't sure where the drops on her skin came from. Was she sweating? She couldn't even close her eyes; from her head to the tip of her flukes, not a single muscle moved and her whole body tingled.

Her gaze fell on the stone altar where a dyad lay still while the prince, her prince, leaned over the sickening gash in the dyad's neck, viciously drinking his blood. The sight chilled her more than the cold on her bones. It was vile.

I'm going to die! I'm going to die! Glimpses of her memories flashed through her mind. I heard this happens when you're about to die. I need to do something. She stopped struggling. What would Ava do? Think! She focused her energy on getting out. Teleport. It didn't work. Concentrate! She tried again. Teleport. Nothing. Teleport. She felt helpless.

Favian held his victim's neck with one hand while his free hand drew a sign in the air. Flora recognized the sign, a quickening spell to draw the blood faster. Snowflakes partially covered the dyad's brown skin; his white aura diminished with each breath he took. Under the same curse as her, the poor soul was destined to experience a horrible death, unable to move while being drained of his life force. The dyad was being used as a toy for the Prince's amusement; he wanted to display his power in front of the nobles and he did so in the most appalling way.

I don't want to be next. Another memory flashed through her mind. No... They won't kill me. They need me, at least for now... Her eyes dampened at the thought of what she did, what they made her do. She, too, was a monster.

Her heart broke seeing the beast, her supposed fiancé, feeding with abandon. We were to be wed in just a few days. The prince pushed his lips onto the dyad's skin; he licked, sucked and slurped, gripping tightly onto his neck while he continued to drink as his sage treissil wobbled aimlessly. She thought blood magic was just a fable told to scare little sirens.

My love meant nothing. Of course, he didn't love her. He was my everything... She willingly went to a former enemy kingdom thinking her fiancé was as flawlessly beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. How could I be so foolish? Flora believed the Ethenians had changed, and the marriage was a reassurance of that same thought between the kingdoms.

We all have been deceived. Frightened, fearing for her family's safety, she gathered the little energy she had left to use the only magic he couldn't block - her siblings' link. Tears flowed from her green eyes as she called upon her five siblings.

I'm trapped! I'm being held against my will and they're using blood magic. Prepare for battle once more. She knew she couldn't escape, but at least her kingdom would have a fighting chance. She hoped her message made sense; the hold Favian had on her clouded her thoughts.

The dyad's aura, now completely gone, let her know her fiancé concluded his meal and the dyad was no more. Prince Favian straightened; his black hair fell back to his hip, and his piercing blue eyes stared at her.

What if they don't believe me? No, Ava will always come for me. His gaze frightened her to her core; it was as if he knew she was aware of him, of everything. What if my message doesn't reach them?

Favian's full, rosy lips were smeared with purple liquid and some of it dripped from his pale chin to the floor. Purple, the color of magic mixed with blood. He smiled, a wicked smile, and pulled a handkerchief from his front pocket. He delicately cleaned his chin with it. He was beautiful and hideous at once. Her surroundings began to fade around her, closing in on her fiance's figure, until he too disappeared. The Enervation spell tightened to a vice-like grip, crushed her senses, her will, to nothing.

I wanted to shared the the pieces/melodies songs that helped me write each chapter. Here's the very first. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!