Sorcery & Sirens

by Iris Woodbury

  "And why would you do that?" Nic’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  "Because I'm a nice person," the figure replied.

  Nic scoffed. "Right."

  The figure drained the last of her drink and gazed into the empty tankard. "Pity. I was enjoying that."

  "Then order another," Crystal suggested.

  "I would but I fear that was the last of a good vintage. They're all out until they get a new um, barrel. I'll suppose I'll just have to wait until then."

  "When do you think that will be?" Crystal asked.

  "Quite soon I would imagine. I never know for sure."

  Crystal had a pretty good idea who this was. She suspected this was the vampire Empusa, whom Ella mentioned. She wondered if the others had deduced the same.

  "So," Nic said. "How do you plan to help us escape?"

  "I understand you have a boat at your disposal," said the woman.

  "And how would you know that?" Crystal asked.

  "I have ears. Not much gets by me at these docks."

  "As for that," Crystal said. "I don't think any of us want back in that boat any time soon. The last time we were there it was... not pleasant. Personally, I'd be happy never to sail on the sea again, as a matter of fact."

  "But Crystal," Nic reasoned. "What if it saves us all?"

  "Well we're not all here, are we? Stu. Go and wake the others. We should all hear this."

  "Okay."

  As Stu slipped away Crystal noticed the stranger watch him very closely. She suspected she had some idea of the object hidden under his pirate shirt.

  The three stood in silence, waiting for the others to return. They soon joined them, though John looked very groggy with extreme bed-hair and was savagely rubbing his eyes.

  "I was asleep."

  "John, you could sleep through an earthquake," Nic said.

  "Guess I'm lucky that way. I've slept in worse," John said. "Why did you wake me? I thought we were sleeping in until dawn?"

  "Something's come up. This woman says she can help us get home without going through the city."

  Jake stepped forward. "And how do you propose that? I've lived here forever, so I know for a fact there's no way to get around it."

  The figure looked Jake slowly up and down. An edge of contempt crept into her voice. "I do not answer to the wood boys," she said contemptuously. "But I will answer to the otherworlders for they need to know." She turned back to Crystal and the others.

  "Well?" Crystal asked, impatiently. She didn’t like the way Empusa spoke to Jake. “What do you propose we do?"

  "I propose we head out to sea, to the sirens," said the woman.

  Jake laughed. "And have us fall prey to their song and crash upon the rocks? We've all heard that one before. I don't think that's a particularly smart idea."

  "It is true, the sirens would not hesitate to see you perish. But I have favor with one of them. She––brings me––things. Things I cannot get for myself."

  "And why would she do that?" Jake sneered.

  "Because she is my friend, fool. With me on board, she would remain silent, and you would be able to pass through safely without fear of being drawn helplessly into her rocks."

  "And just suppose, for argument's sake, we trusted you, and you got us through that peril. What then? What do we do after that?"

  "Then you would go through the portal on the other side, back to your own people."

  "In a ship?" Crystal asked.

  "No, not that way,” Empusa explained. "We're just going around the city, then you can get out the same way you got in."

  "And how do you know this?" Nic asked.

  Empusa sighed. ”I assure you, it's true."

  "And what about you?" Stu asked. "Once we're all safely on the other side, what would you do? What are you getting out of all this?“

  "Me? Why, I would turn the boat around and sail back here."

  "And you would do all this for no particular reason?" Crystal said.

  "I did not say that. I, like everyone else, have my price."

  "Which is what?"

  She thrust back her hood so all could look upon her face. She looked like she had once been beautiful. Her features were delicate and pale, and her skin was tight, so like everyone else, she looked like she was seventeen. Yet she had strange red lips, and eyes that belonged to someone much older. A curious gleam illuminated them, and she looked directly at Stu.

  "My price, is the thing you currently have hanging around your neck"

  "We can't give it to you, we have to deliver it to the Queen."

  "Why does that matter? You have it now, and you'll have no need of it if I bring you safely home."

  "And why do you need it?" Nic asked.

  "That is my business alone."

  "Not if you want what we have," Stu said.

  The woman looked down at her body. A profound sorrow marred her features. "I believe you all know who I am."

  "We can guess," Crystal said.

  "My name is Empusa. And yes, I am a vampire."

  John, who was now wide awake, stared open-mouthed. "So, let me get this straight, you want us, to trust you, a vampire, in a narrow viking boat? Your plan is to take us over to the sirens, whose sole mission in mythology has been to shipwreck sailors, but who you say you can get by without any problem? And you'll do all this for a shiny blue dagger that doesn't seem to do much of anything but glow a stupid shade of blue in the dark? Forgive me if I sound stupid, but do you think we were born yesterday? Trust me, guys," he said turning to the others, "she'll be at our throats, drinking our blood before the first siren starts to sing."

  "Why would I want what I have already taken?"

  "Wha...."

  "I thought you were up on your mythology. It seems not. Because if you were, you would know that I, Empusa, am not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill vampire. I prefer my meals male, handsome, and most importantly, asleep."

  John put his hand to his throat. Crystal notice him feel his neck and saw a smear of blood there. "Why you...." He made a lunge for Empusa, but Stu and Jake held him back.

  "Don't bother," Jake said. "You can' hurt her––she's dead already."

  "Why didn't you bite anyone else?" Nic asked.

  "Only these two slept, and well, only one was of interest."

  "Damn it, am I infected?" John asked.

  "No. I've no desire to make companions or more importantly, competition for what little food there is in this accursed place. So, I just took a nip to keep me going on this quest." She put her fingers to her lips, as if recalling a pleasant memory. "As I already told your friends, the inn was all out of my favorite tipple."

  John was clearly pissed, and his hand kept rising to the spot where she'd bit him. "Why didn't I feel anything?"

  Empusa smiled. "My saliva has an anesthetic quality. No one ever feels a thing."

  "So," Stu said. "What are our choices?"

  "Well.” Crystal put her hand to her head while she thought. "It seems we go back to Ella, make Stu King, give her the dagger, and see if she keeps her word, or kills us all. If she does keep her word, we return to our world, and Stu is trapped here forever. Or dies. We can't know for sure. Or, we trust the blood-sucking vampire to get us safely past sirens, around the city, back into he woods, then past the Guardsmen, and home. That's it. In a nutshell. So, what do you all want to do?"

  "I vote for the vampire," Nic said.

  "You would," John said.

  "Look,” Crystal reasoned. “Ella controls everything in the city. If she says sleep, we sleep. If she wants us imprisoned in the sky, up we go. Hell, she even controls when we use the toilet. At least out here we have a fighting chance. Not much of one, I confess, but it's a chance all the same."

  "I agree," Stu said. "I've been under her spell and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I say we go by sea."

  Crystal looked at John, who was still clutching his neck and looking very sorry for himself.

  "I don't trust this blo
od-sucker one iota," John said. "I vote for Queen Ella."

  "Jake?"

  "I can't help you decide," Jake said. "There are perils whichever way you choose. What do you want to do, Crystal?"

  Crystal looked over to the docks. If only there was a third way. But there was not. She had to admit she agreed with Stu and Nic. In Somnia, all the odds were in Ella's favor. But to go back out there on that shitty bay. What rotten luck. She looked at John as he tried to implore her with his eyes. There was no mistaking which way he wanted to go.

  "I vote for the sea," she said. "I fear what will happen if we go into the city again. I think we should avoid that at all costs."

  "Very well," Jake said. The others nodded, but John looked miserable.

  "I think we're making a big mistake," John complained. "We don't know anything about this... this vampire."

  "I'm sorry, John. You're free to follow your own instincts, but I think we should all stick together." Crystal turned to face Empusa. "Well, it looks like we're going with you. Let's get started before we all change our mind again."

  Empusa smiled mysteriously, then turned, heading back toward the docks. The others gave each other meaningful looks, then followed slowly on behind her. John turned last of all, and she thought she heard him mumbling profanities under his breath. But he came with them just the same, and she was grateful for that at least. If he was right, and Empusa couldn't be trusted any more than Ella, then they were probably making the biggest mistake of their lives.

  Soul Wells and Sirens

  Considering she was a vampire; she wasn't very agile. They all walked in half steps to prevent themselves overtaking her. Crystal could hear John muttering all the way from the inn to the dock, but no one asked him what he was saying, they just let him grumble.

  They were soon back at the Viking ship. Crystal eyed it with disdain; she'd as soon go another round with the sewer worm, Kaze, than get back in it again. Her fingers were still stinging from the last trip, and who would want to go head to head with yet another monster? She sighed; like it or no––climb aboard again she must.

  Empusa was the first to board, but when her feet made contact with the deck, they all heard a curious thunk-clop noise.

  "What was that?" Stu asked. "It sure sounded funny."

  "My leg is made of brass," Empusa said. "And my other foot is a hoof." She clopped it on the deck. “It makes walking a little difficult.”

  Stu's eyebrows arched. "Really?"

  "Yes, really."

  "Cool, can I see?" Stu asked.

  "Are you generally this rude? In your world, do you often gawp at the afflicted?"

  Stu blushed, embarrassed. "No, it would be considered rude."

  "Well, same thing here, human."

  As the sun came up on the horizon, Crystal looked down at her costume, but it didn't change back to white.

  "Why isn't it changing?" she asked.

  "We're not within the palace walls or city perimeter," Jake answered. "Remember, Ella's magic does not reach us out this far."

  John looked at Empusa suspiciously. "Shouldn't you be fizzling into dust under the rays of the sun?"

  "Someone's been reading too many trashy novels," Empusa said. "Now, can we get going? Your human blood was very tasty, but it will only sustain me for so long."

  John frowned. "And then what? You'll bite me again?"

  Empusa chose not to answer. John pulled himself on board with a big sigh. Last to board was Jake, who untied the moorings once again, then hopped over the side. He took his usual place at the rear of the ship.

  "Right then, which way do I point her?" Jake asked.

  Empusa winced, as if talking to him annoyed her. "Out of the bay past the sea walls, then swing to the west. The sirens are just beyond sight, on the rocks. Now please, don't speak to me again. I do not converse with your kind."

  Jake looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

  "Look," Crystal said. "Let's get this straight here and now. What have you got against Jake?"

  The vampire looked as if the answer to that question should be obvious. "In your world, do you talk to the cows on a farm? It is unwise to bond with the food supply, is it not?"

  "Well, lady, we ain't going anywhere unless you agree to be polite to Jake. We couldn't have come this far without him. If you want the dagger, you're polite to everyone and you watch your mouth."

  Empusa pursed her lips and looked like she was about to say something mean, but then she deflated a little and shrugged. "Very well. It is of little consequence to me."

  Nic looked puzzled. "You might be friends with one of these siren things, but won't the others bring us down? You can’t control all of them, surely?“

  "They are not things. But no, I don't think so. Not if you take some elementary precautions."

  "Such as?"

  "Covering your ears. Lily is the first siren. If you cover your ears, we should be far enough away from the others to avoid falling under their spell."

  "What about Lily's song?" Stu asked.

  "Don't worry about Lily. You won't have a problem there."

  "Why not?" John asked.

  “Just trust me."

  "Just cover our ears?" Crystal said. “That’s the big plan? That seems a bit lame. These are the sirens of legend, right?"

  "Well, it would probably be best to plug something in them, like a bit of fabric, the hem of your dress or a sleeve or something."

  "That's it?” John sneered.

  "What did you expect, a thunderbolt? Ear plugs worked for the Argonauts. Or are you a special snowflake?"

  Stu snickered. John threw him an angry look.

  "Sorry. But it is kinda funny you being called that by a vampire."

  "Whatever," John said.

  But Crystal was thinking it was strange that Empusa would know about Jason and the Argonauts. Was this because she knew that story? And what was with the brass leg and the hoof? Did vampires need artificial limbs because they were dead and rotting? Eww, she'd never thought about that before. She felt a pang of sympathy for Empusa. Being a vampire in this world didn't sound like an easy job.

  The rowing was harder this time. Their muscles were sore, and the blisters on Crystal's thumbs screamed with every pull on the oars. Still, she gritted her teeth and, every now and then, would turn around to check the horizon. Once more her heart was full of anxiety; once more her friends faced death because of a world she had somehow imagined. If only Empusa could be trusted, then we have a chance, albeit a slim one. We could be home soon. Home to Jade. Home to my mother. That thought kept her going; that thought helped her pull the oars over and over and over again, blisters or no.

  Empusa did not row. Crystal watched her carefully as she clung to the side of the ship, staring at the waters below.

  "What can you see down there?" she asked. "Anything interesting?"

  "Oh, nothing of consequence."

  There was something about her answer that made Crystal uneasy. Was she waiting for something? The wind was getting stronger and the waves choppier. Crystal looked around the boat, hoping it would be strong enough if a storm kicked in. It was already getting harder to row. Odd though. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

  And then a darkness consumed her, like the deepest melancholy she had ever known. Crystal tried to shake it off, but it wasn't so easily done. She glanced around the boat and realized everyone looked as depressed as she probably did.

  Empusa straightened and raised her hand. "Stop rowing!" she shouted, over the roaring wind.

  "What's up?" Crystal asked.

  "Look over there." She pointed to a spot some few hundred yards away from them all. Crystal squinted and scanned the horizon, unsure of what it was she was supposed to be looking at.

  "What? I see nothing."

  "I see it," Nic said. She was pointing out to sea and Crystal scanned the surface of the water in an attempt to see it, too, whatever it was.

  This time, something did catch her eye. "Oh." It was
a dark circle on the surface of the water, and they were heading straight for it. She didn't know what it was, but she had a bad, bad feeling about it. "What is it?"

  "Something not good," Empusa shouted over the increasing roar of the sea.

  "Like what?" John shouted back.

  Everyone was looking back over their shoulders to see.

  "Stop looking back!" Empusa shouted. "Keep rowing! For your life!”

  They were close enough now to see and hear it more clearly. It was a rotating hole in the surface of the sea, like a flushing toilet, only this close the roar overwhelmed the normal sound of the waves. Like a hungry whale, it was sucking in everything that came close to it, from seaweed to jellyfish, and whatever went in there, never came out. Crystal realized that what she'd been feeling was its pull on their boat.

  "That's a Soul Well," shouted Empusa. "If we get caught up in it, the boat will be dragged under the water, and we'll all perish on the bottom of the sea! Row, row as hard as you can! Try not to look at it, for it will sap the very joy from your soul! Especially you, Crystal!"

  Crystal wanted to ask Empusa what she meant by that, but they all began rowing to double time; their aches and pains forgotten as the adrenalin kicked in, driving them on.

  But the Soul Well was not going to give them up without a fight. Their progress was slow against the strong force that longed to devour them, and every time they thought they were clear of danger, the current dragged them back toward the raging chasm.

  Harder and harder they fought, and for the longest time it felt like their efforts were futile––their labors got them nowhere as the Soul Well’s drag matched them thrust for thrust. Its howl was more frightening than any lion, its hollow, hungry growl a malevolent demon. The battle raged on the surface and then suddenly, it seemed, a friendly current pulled them forward, and they broke free from the Soul Well's deadly snare. Still, they kept rowing hard, and it was some time before they dared to relax their oars or even speak to each other.

  "Are we ever gonna cut a break?" John complained.

  "You just did. You are alive, are you not?" Empusa replied.

  "Yeah, but it's never the easy way, is it? You can't fart in this place without fighting for your right to do it."