Of Siren and Men

Chapter 2

- In 10...9...8...7...6...5....4...3...2...1....  We are in the Sea of Blood! Ed, get the flute ready. When the demons' heads start to poke above the water, you play the flute. They are unpredictable. They'll appear at any moment.

- Understood, James.

- Gideon, Ezekiel. Your job is to be alert and warn us if you see any movement from the Royal Navy. We must be prepared. - They both nodded.

- What about me, little Duke? You brought one of the most prestigious pirates in the Duchy of Beckwith to bask in the sun and enjoy the sights of the Sea of Blood? - Linus wouldn't take his eyes off me.
- Easy, pirate. Your work is essential. - I handed Linus a copper-plated spear. - You know what to do. - He looked at me, smiled, and headed for the bow of the Marquis. 

It had been years since I last crossed the Sea of Blood. The last time I sailed these waters was with my father, at the age of ten, for King Balthazar and Queen Matilda's anniversary celebration. Who would have imagined that only 5 years later, the Sea of Blood would be unnavigable because of Ragnar, the bastard who now occupies the throne.

The 15 Days War began when Ragnar embarked in the port of the Capital, accompanied by the Company, the most fearsome mercenaries of the Kingdom of Thalia. It did not take the Company a week to lay siege to the town of the Capital and a few days later they had managed to enter the Castle and wipe out the Royal Guard. My father received a letter from Balthazar and Matilda, informing him that they had been attacked by the king's firstborn and that they were on their way to Myra to prepare the army and regain control of the Capital. My father, a great ally and confidant of the king, enlisted his best soldiers and headed for Myra to meet Balthazar. But what the Duke of Beckwith did not expect to find on his way to Myra was the Silver Sea dyed red. For many years the Silver Sea was the most important trade route for the Duchy of Beckwith. Thanks to the Silver Sea, Beckwith became one of the most important and richest duchies in the Kingdom of Thalia and the largest exporter of precious metals. So when the Duke found King Balthazar's ships abandoned in the Silver Sea and the lifeless bodies of the members of the Royal Guard floating in the ocean, he knew immediately that they had lost the war.

The Silver Sea became known as the Sea of Blood. The waters once essential to the Duchy of Beckwith had become the most fearsome sea route for the most daring sailors. Surviving this journey was an almost impossible task, not only because Ragnar had stationed his men on ships with the ability to destroy any enemy, but because the Sirens had taken over this part of the ocean, an event never before seen since the time of King Ishmael. . And even knowing how dangerous it was to cross the Sea of Blood, a part of me knew that this was only the beginning of a long and tortuous journey.

- SIRENS! - Otto's shout alarmed everyone.

- Edward, play the flute. Now! - Ed grabbed the copper-plated artifact and headed for the bow, confident that the flute would chase the demons away. But as the seconds ticked by, the Sirens' fins, full of color and life, became more visible.

- James, the flute is not working. What the hell are we going to do?

- It's obviously not working, you idiot! Everyone, listen up! We must be strong, we must ignore their song. Otherwise we'll die before we even get to Myra and we'll look like idiots who died in vain.

- James Beckwith, I warned you that trusting a flute that hasn't been used in years was the worst idea you'd ever come up with. 

- And what did you want me to do Linus? Sit in the throne room and wait for Ragnar to come along and wipe out my family's legacy? No one ever forced you to board the Marquis and come with me to find the Stone of Hades. No one ever promised you that you would survive in the waters of the Sea of Blood. Now, instead of grumbling and cursing my wonderful ideas, use that Machiavellian pirate head of yours to get us out of this mess. - I glared at him, expecting an insult from the pirate. But instead, Linus gave me a half-smile and pulled out five crossbows with the crest of House Beckwith from the black trunk carefully placed in the Marquis centerline. 

- Little Duke, if we plan to survive the demons of the ocean, we'll have to do it my way. Ed, James, Ezekiel, Otto, Gideon, are you ready?

- To kill Sirens? - asked Gideon.

- To hunt them.

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The first shot was fired by Edward. He missed the heart of the Siren that was closest to the Marquis but did manage to scare her away. It was working.

- DID YOU SEE THAT?

- Stop bragging and keep shooting Ed.

Within seconds there was a dance of spears, thundering down into the ocean and driving away the demons, who hadn't even begun to sing.

- Keep firing! We can't give them a second. If they start singing, we're dead. 

Most of the Sirens were moving away from the ship. They didn't expect to be greeted with spears through their hearts and fins. But one Siren in particular kept approaching the ship at full speed, not seeming to mind the spears. The Siren stopped a few feet from the Marquis and my eyes met hers. Indeed her auburn hair fell in perfectly defined waves on the surface of the sea. Her pale complexion and upturned nose perfectly matched her full lips and her amber eyes pierced the depths of my soul. I felt naked and helpless. I felt like I was going to lose myself in her gaze and fall into the depths of the ocean. I slowly lowered the crossbow and walked to the edge of the Marquis. I was ready to jump and let go. I was ready to give myself to her. But before I could launch myself into the ocean, Linus shot her. The spear pierced the Siren's fin and she let out a piercing howl, shattering my eardrums and drawing the attention of the king's ships.

- You were going to blow it James! Quickly, we need a net to catch the creature.

I ran for the fishing net that was stored in the black trunk and together with Ed we threw the device to catch the demon. It still had the spear crusted in its fins, preventing it from escaping from us.

- We have her. - Ed and I pulled the webbing as the Siren tried to escape. We had her in our hands and soon we would open the stone of Hades, freeing the Duchy of Beckwith from the bastard's control. But before we could get the creature aboard the Marquis, we heard a loud bang and within seconds, Gideon was being dragged into the depths of the ocean by one of the demons.

- Gideon! Hold on! - I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping Gideon could hear me.

- We must let him go James. There is no time! The bastard's ships are coming. - Linus grabbed my arm, preventing me from jumping into the sea.

I glared at him fiercely - Either let me go or I'll kill you, pirate. I came with seven men and I intend to go back with seven men. - I abruptly let go of his grip, took off my white smock and without a second thought, jumped into the ocean in the direction Gideon had fallen.