A Haunting Melody: The Golden Lyre

17 | Sigma

The symbol Sigma (σ) is given to Hunters when they successfully kill a Siren during a full moon, a time when Siren's abilities are at their most powerful. This Mark gives Hunters the ability to see in the dark.

***

The park Daniel had taken Astrid to, was a particularly large one. As they strolled along the cobblestone pathway, Astrid looked around in awe of the beautiful scenery which surrounded her. She couldn't imagine why she had never come here before, it was so beautiful and peaceful.

The sounds of water splashing instantly drew her attention to a large fountain nearby. As she approached it, she began to admire the leaf patterns which were chiselled into the concrete sides of the fountain and wondered how many years it had stood there. There simply weren't any fountains like these anymore.

The centre of the fountain appeared to be a statue of a group of cherubs, which held onto jugs which poured continuous streams of water into the bottom portion of the fountain. She rested her hands on the cool surface of the fountain edge and leaned over slightly to look at all of the bronze and copper-coloured coins which sat at the bottom. They looked almost golden in the moonlight.

She felt Daniel's presence as he came to stand beside her and watched him as he leaned over the lip of the fountain and dipped his arm into the water, plucking a single coin from the bottom.

"Hey! Don't touch those!" she said in an alarmed tone.

"What? Why not?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, they're people's wishes. You should respect them," she said softly, suddenly unsure of herself.

Did she believe in superstitions like these? She had never bothered wishing on a coin and tossing it into a fountain. None of her wishes could possibly come true.

Daniel began to smirk at her, making her feel instantly more uncomfortable.

"Just give it here," she said seriously, holding a hand out.

He smiled and shook his head as he gently placed the coin into her open hand.

She felt surprised at how thick and heavy the coin felt in her hand. It felt a lot bigger than any coins she had ever seen. She held the coin up in the moonlight and examined it more closely.

She felt her eyes widened, "ss this a Dragma?" she asked in shock, briefly glancing up at Daniel.

"It is," he grinned, taking it back from her and flicking it back into the fountain.

"I wonder how long it's been there," she said, mostly to herself, staring at the ripples in the water where the coin had disturbed it.

"Me too," he said wistfully, following her gaze.

After a while, they decided to keep on walking, since Daniel mentioned that there was a particular place he had wanted to show her.

Astrid noticed that it was getting darker as they made their way down the path, probably because the trees were thicker there and surrounded the path.

Daniel suddenly stopped her in her tracks as his eyes darted around at the trees.

"Wait," he said quietly, narrowing his eyes.

Astrid immediately felt herself tense up as she looked quickly at all of the surrounding bushes and trees for any signs of movement.

After a second of dead silence, Daniel began to smirk.

"Never mind. It was just a bird," he said mischievously.

Astrid instantly slapped him on the arm and kept walking, her pace much faster than it had been before. She hated it when people made her worry like that.