The Quest

Chapter Thirty Seven - Sirens

Tom finished securing a sail when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Can I help you?" He turned to see who wasn't doing their job. His breath caught in his throat.

A siren was standing in front of him, their needle teeth barred in a smile. "How delightful," she continued to smile. "You found the rope." She reached forward, ready to grab at his shirt.

Tom stumbled back in surprise and pulled his sword out. "Sirens!" he let out a shout. He wasn't sure if more had come aboard or not. "Where's Tess?" he growled as he focused his attention back on the siren in front of him.

The siren in front of him chuckled. "Oh, a feisty one. Wants to know about the priestess." The siren moved her hands, and a sword appeared out of thin air. "I was told you'd be a puppy."

Tom gritted his teeth. The siren talked about the priestess, which meant she knew where Tess was. The siren made the first move, making Tom take a step back to defend himself. "I want to see Tess," Tom roared at her. He heard the clashing of metal all around him. He was going to be on his own for this fight.

The siren smirked, moving back to take another swing at him. "She's nestled up at home studying. She's forgotten about you, puppy."

Tom felt his heart break at the siren's words. He almost forgot to defend himself. The siren and Tom went a few more rounds of hitting swords together before breaking apart once more. He was getting fatigued. He hadn't practiced as much as he would have liked.

"Does puppy need a nap?" the siren pouted, her unnerving smirk never leaving her face.

"Never!" Tom bounded forward only to be stopped in midair. He looked around to see a siren in the middle of the ship with her hand up. The rest of the crew had been frozen in the air, too.

"Enough of this play," the siren with her hand up commanded. "Tie them up. We'll be bringing them all home."

Tom looked to his right to see Rune struggling in midair. Small terrified whines escaping his throat. He wanted to comfort him, but was pulled away when his feet touched the ground and he was surrounded. The sirens knocked his sword out of his hands, then bound his hands behind his back. Pulling on his hair to keep him still as they teased him with their teeth, threatening to take a bite out of him. Once he was bound to their satisfaction, they tied him to the mainmast, the rest of the crew joining him.

Everyone's attention went to the kitchen entrance when a siren was thrown onto the deck. She was covered in scrapes and bruises. Tom held his breath as he realized Nyx couldn't come into the sunlight. "He's just a humble troll," Destru called, a slight tremble in his voice. "Let him be, and he won't bother you."

"I want the sailors that are with him," the lead siren demanded. She licked her lips as she stared into the doorframe. Nyx's figure could just be seen in the shadows. "I can smell them." She raised her hand towards Nyx. He seemed to stiffen in response. "Troll, if you don't want to come into the light, you'll give me those sailors."

The only sound that was heard in response to her request was a low rumbling of displeasure.

"Very well," the siren turned her hand into a fist and brought her hand closer to herself. Nyx's form came closer to the door. His face unchanging as the sunlight threatened his very existence.

"Wait! Stop!" one sailor called from behind Nyx. "Don't hurt the troll. We'll come up willingly."

The sailors made their way up to the top deck. The head siren smiled, dropping her hand, releasing Nyx. "See, was that so hard?" The head siren seemed to glide up to the newest sailors who stood where they were, shivering. "It's rare my lunch gets away from me," she continued, circling the men. Suddenly she punched Jethro in the back with a squelching thud, the man gasping in surprise. He looked down to see the siren's hand through his chest, holding his heart, blood spurting out as his heart beat its last few beats.

The other sailor began backing away. Trembling so hard, he nearly tripped himself as he tried to get to the side of the ship. "Time for dinner," the head siren called. She pulled her hand back through the sailor's chest, letting him collapse to the ground. The remaining sirens jumped on the younger sailor. Devouring his screaming form. Destru and his crew did their best to look away. There was no way to escape the screams from being etched into their brains. Tom looked on from his position between Destru's men as the head siren took a bite out of the heart. Blood fell to the ground as it drained from the arteries. She watched the sailors writhing form as the remaining sirens fought over what was left of it.

"Come sisters," the head siren clapped their blood stained hand, as the other sirens finished up. "Let us head home to our priestess. We must prepare for the new moon ceremony." The head siren waved their hands, and the ship fell into the water, no longer stuck on the coral. "Gather their weapons and put them where they can't reach them," the siren sang as she moved to the wheel of the ship.

Destru shared a look with Tom as the sirens sailed the ship forward. There was magic at play here... and it was dangerous.