Inheritance - The Dark Sorcerers: Book 1

Chapter 22: Siren Song

Rowan had put on a sweater and strapped his spear onto his back. Since the wax blocked out almost all sound, I had to read his lips to know what he was saying, "Let's go."

We left the tent and walked to the spot where I had last seen Larry. Crouching down, Rowan inspected the ground to pick up his trail and identified footsteps leading away from the camp, toward Mount Kiriád. The horses seemed rather restless due to the mesmerizing sound of the singing, sensing danger, so we decided to leave them behind. Larry couldn't have gotten very far on foot anyway.

As we ran, my feet turned numb on the cold grass of the plains and I realized that I had forgotten to put my shoes on back in the tent. Ah well, there was a magical solution to every problem. I focused on the soles of my feet to heat them up and after a while, I no longer felt the cold.

The trail took a sharp turn to the right, leading us into the woodland close to Mount Issinás. A mysterious fog floated in between the trees, curling around branches and decreasing visibility. We had to stop and turn back several times because we had lost the trail. Disoriented by the mist, I had a feeling that we had been going in circles for a while now. A growing fear froze over my heart and I shivered.

Then the fog cleared all of a sudden, as if someone had drawn a curtain. We found ourselves at the edge of the woodlands, near the roots of the mountain. Dizziness washed over me as I looked up at the white, glistening peak, tens of thousands of feet into the sky. Lowering my gaze, my eyes landed upon a humble cottage to our right, almost completely hidden from sight by dense branches of ivy wrapping themselves around the walls. And on the narrow porch, drinking a cup of hot tea, we saw ...

"Larry Rosewater!" Ellie's bellowing voice resonated in my ears despite the wax.

Larry's mouth curled up into a broad smile and he gestured for us to remove the wax. Rowan and I hesitated, but Ellie threw all caution overboard and yanked the viscous substance out of her ears. Gripping the red-haired Dwarf's collar, she kept yelling at him. In her frenzy, she didn't notice the figure moving closer to both of them on the other side of the porch, their face hidden in the shadows.

The Siren.

An admiring sigh escaped my lips when her face came into view. To say that she was beautiful would be an understatement. Shiny, ebony curls cascaded down her back and softened the lines of her sharp cheekbones. Her flawless, caramel skin seemed to glow in the white light of the moon, almost as if she was the embodiment of the Light itself. The woman lifted one elegant eyebrow at Rowan and me whilst she descended the stairs to her porch, swaying her hips in a hypnotizing way. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes sparkled with amusement as she pointed first to our ears and then to her own mouth.

I won't Sing, she said.

My magical sixth sense didn't detect any trace of Dark magic; after all, we were in the Sacred Valley. The Darkness had no power here. That meant that the Siren was a Light Sorceress, hence most likely trustworthy.

I plucked the wax from my ears and gestured for Rowan to do the same. He frowned, but obeyed, although his eyes were still filled with suspicion as he glared at the woman.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "There is no need for distrust, soldier. I have no intention of harming you."

Rowan's frown deepened. "How do you know that I'm a soldier?" He wasn't wearing his armor.

She laughed. The sound was so melodious and enchanting that I could have listened to it all day. "The alertness in your eyes, the tension in your body, as if you're preparing for a fight. You move silently, like a cat hunting prey. And if that hadn't convinced me yet, your physique surely would have. I rarely see men or women with such impressive muscle that weren't trained in the Brunwill Academy."