"I could fight you with both hands tied behind my back, you baseborn," Nalu growled, holding out her hand to her combatant.
"Ye think a twig like yourself can best me best fighter?" A portly man swirled the ale in his tankard, chuckling. "I bet ten gold he beats ye in three seconds. Nay, I'll bet fifteen. Pay up, girlie, if you want a chance to win the money."
What a lousy tophat. These men were all alike. Money to spare but no gumption or bravery, and certainly no muscle. "Fine. Fifteen it is. But if I beat him in three seconds, you owe me double."
Thirty gold was a lot, but these tophats always thought they were more clever than everyone else. He was no doubt sizing her up--seeing her strength but knowing his man was better. She wanted him to underestimate her. By Deteine's wisdom, she did need the money.
"Ye got yourself a wager, girlie." He nodded to her opponent. The message was clear.
Hold back nothing.
Nalu studied the goblin front of her. It was rare to see them in Uise, as fire wasn't as welcome by the water. Male goblins were larger than females, and given the size of this one--definitely male. Goblins often looked stupid with their hairy, sloping shoulders and misshapen features, but they were extremely intelligent and strong.
Snatching up a vial from her pant pocket, she knocked back the contents. The saltwater was delicious, wild and free in its taste. Her body hummed in response to it, energized.
"What was that?" demanded the tophat, leaning over. The excessive flesh of his stomach pressed close, and Nalu fought the urge to gag.
"Just some saltwater. It helps me focus" She tossed the vial to him.
He gave a grudging nod after sniffing the contents. "No more stalling. Fight!"
She grinned and grasped the hardened hand of the goblin. His eyes were narrowed in concentration. His pulse thudded dully against her own, the sweat on his brow gleamed in the poor light of the pub. How desperate his gaze was. How strong a soul coursed through his heart, mind, and veins. A predator-like sensation enveloped her, and from the shifting stance of the people watching--they felt it too.
"Ready?" shouted the bartender. "Go!"
Nalu barely felt, barely thought. The ocean thundered in her ears and veins. It pulled at her heart. Down, down, down she let her mind go.
Instinct took over.
Her arm smashed down the hand of the goblin, splintering the tables to pieces. Euphoria stole her senses and she laughed.
The room was dead silent.
Turning around, all she could see were colors. Red, yellow, blue and purple. Varying shades of heat.
Her eyes must be black then. How unfortunate.
Slowly her normal vision returned and everyone still stood silent.
"Siren," the tophat whispered, hands clutching his money bag tightly.
Oh, shikes, she'd lost it again. This was going to end very badly. "My money, tophat. Or I slit your throat." Her eyes darted about, picking out three shapes that began to move towards her. How stupid did they think she was?
"We don't deal with your kind, seawitch," he snarled.
"Your loss." Nalu rolled her eyes and in one fluid moment, had leapt over the destroyed table and brought her dagger point to the throat of his wobbling chin. "I could cut your throat wide-open. I could watch the blood drip till it stained the ground. I could end your life with but one, sure stroke." Her eyes latched hungrily onto the bead of red that formed at the tip of her dagger. "Do you really want to mess with a Siren?"
The money was handed to her all too willingly. She gave a quick nod of appreciation before shoving him in front of her, a warning to the guards who had arrived just a second too late.
"Try a little harder next time, okay?" She pushed the tophat towards them. "You're welcome. Also, thank you all for witnessing this spectacular occasion. Your hatred of my kind has been duly noted, and I find it rather disgusting. We kill, but at least we don't torture. But anyway, I must say farewell and beg you all to remember this moment." She waited an extra second, letting the tension build. This was rather fun.
"I beg you all to remember this moment. The moment you were all bested by a Siren!" With an elaborate bow, she fled into the night.
***
Shikes, there was a lot of money in that tophat's purse. A nice stroke of luck for Nalu. She settled down in her tiny ship, her hideout and home. She had drank too much saltwater. Otherwise, it would have worked perfectly.
How convenient that dying had awakened dormant Siren abilities that were triggered by the sea. It wasn't like it ruined any chance of taking a nice evening swim. She'd probably end up drowning a few people.
Running a hand through her hair, she stared in disgust at the black streaks that coated her hands. Having blue hair was also so convenient. If people knew the blue-haired bandit lived, it would create a whole new host of problems, namely being that she'd have assassins chasing her left and right. She did not need that kind of stress at the moment.
This powder that old shopkeeper had given her wouldn't last forever, so she needed a more permanent plan. But the thought of losing her blue hair...
Nope, not going to happen. She'd find another way.
Leaving her cramped cabin, she wandered the deck of her ship. It really didn't deserve the title, having been docked for at least a decade and it fit no more than three people. But it creaked and swayed with the tide, and it felt like home.
Leaning against the railing, Nalu breathed deeply of the salty air. She and her father had always stood out on the deck for their little talks. Suddenly, Nalu couldn't breathe. Her head swam and forming a coherent thought seemed impossible. Everything felt unfocused and she slowly sank to the wooden floor.
No, she was stronger than this. She would not be crippled by her own thoughts. Pulling off her jacket and shoes, she dove off the side of the ship.
The change was immediate. Her vision adjusted to the dark, murky water and breathing wasn't a problem. Fighting the bloodthirsty thoughts in her head was.
In the water, the powder was washed away and her blue hair glowed faintly. Shikes, how she loved this. Kicking her legs out, she sped down deeper, almost lost to the pleasure the ocean brought.
It was so ancient and powerful, thrumming through her veins filling her head with ideas of carnage and wild ecstasy.
Bubbles formed around her face as she laughed, all thought of her father gone. How could one be sad when surrounded by the water's embrace?
A fish swam by and her body reacted, snapping around and darting after it. Her mind was a predator's--catching every stray current and pushing her body on and on. Nothing else filled her mind but this. She was strong, sleek, and oh, so powerful.
With a firm kick of her legs, she snatched the fish with her teeth. The smell and taste of flesh overwhelmed her and she couldn't help herself.
It was devoured within moments, her teeth having somehow grown to provide the perfect assistance. Shikes, this was all so exhilarating. Why did she ever leave the sea?
A sound so breathtakingly terrible rippled through the water.
It was calling her to join it.
She started to swim, but then stopped. What was she thinking? Was she crazy? The ship was the opposite direction and the ship was safe. Who knew what the music meant?
Deep down, Nalu knew it was a Siren's song. Part of her wanted so very badly to sing along, to sing the song of ancient agony, of a time she was never a part of, but understood. But the sensible, human part of her realized that she'd never leave again if she followed the song.
So she fled back to her ship, the moment of happiness gone. As she neared the shore and her ship, she moved slowly, not wanting her form or glowing hair to alert anyone. She didn't need any more fights or surprises today.
Pulling herself onboard, she wrung out her clothes, the heaviness she had escaped for a moment before having come crashing back down. Maybe she should have followed the Siren.
No, she couldn't think like that. Yes, she was a Siren, yes she was thankful for the abilities it gave her, but she would not become like them. Not ever.
She just needed some sleep. Her body was tired. Yes, that's exactly what she needed. The taste of fish was still in her mouth, but as she ran her tongue along her teeth--realizing they were back to normal--she found she didn't mind the taste.
Opening her cabin door, she grabbed a worn shirt that would suffice for drying off.
"Surprise!"
Already tense, she whirled and slammed an elbow into the would-be assailant's gut, shoving them down and into the ground.
"I surrender," a voice gasped. A voice Nalu knew well. But how?
"Makani?" she whispered, eyes wide. "What in all of Talamh are you doing here?!" She rose hastily, taking in the sight of her well-dressed, still fit younger brother. "And how did you find me?"
He stood unsteadily, still wheezing. "First, you really have to learn to wait before you hit people. Someday you're going to kill someone you didn't mean to."
That comment was so... him. Nalu couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through her body or the grin that made its way onto her face. "Whatever, Makky. How did you find me?"
"The fight at the pub. You caused quite the scene, Lulu. I heard all about it but the only thing that made me doubt it was that you never used your voice persuasion. Still, I decided to follow up on it. And it turned out to be worth it."
"It wasn't my hair that threw you off? It was my voice thing? Seriously?" Nalu was rather offended that her hair idea hadn't worked. Who did he think he was? So smart and intellectual.
"Well, if you were hiding, the first thing you'd do would be to change your hair. So I knew looking for a blue-haired woman wouldn't help. Plus, I didn't even know if you were alive. When I found the ship, it was already burning and a lot of bodies were unidentifiable. But there was one area where it looked like there had been a body but it had moved. I'd hoped it was you." His voice caught at that point, and Nalu began to understand how this had broken him.
She enveloped him as best she could in her arms and rested her head on his chest. He clung tightly, his sobs quiet but shaking his whole frame. "I'm guessing you saw Papa then, right?" Nalu said softly, ignoring the burning sensation in her throat. She would not cry.
He nodded. "How did you escape anyway?"
She pulled away. Things were about to get complicated. "Well, actually..."
Makani raised an eyebrow. "Shikes, what did you do, Nalu."
Well, here went nothing. "So I didn't actually survive."