by K.L. Bauman
After they'd caught up with the others, Ayden forced himself to forget Volos' strange mood and found his way beside the siren. Nya smiled at him as he approached.
Ayden smiled back as he felt that familiar comfort that always seemed to accompany Nya. His smile faded when he remembered what he had read in Freya's books about how sirens were vicious man-eaters. "Um, Nya? Forgive me for asking this--I don't want to offend you--but I've read stories of how sirens lured ships to rocky shores and then, once their ships were wrecked, they ate the men. Is there any truth to those stories, because you just don't seem to fit the profile?"
Nya blinked back the fiery white from her eyes. She didn't answer right away, but looked ahead as she walked with her staff softly padding in the dirt with every other step. Her delicate fingers found their way to her throat where she rubbed the shining figure that hung there. Finally, she spoke. "Centuries ago, some of our people found a gateway near the sea into the Other World. They were very excited and found it to be a great adventure. The sea called to them and they spent many evenings along the rocky shores, singing and dancing. No one stopped them, as no harm was done. That particular shore seemed uninhabited by any humans--no ships were ever seen.
"Then, one night, the sirens were feeling adventurous. They sang along the shore as they had done every night for many, many nights. They were exhilarated as they realized that their mood and music were affecting the weather. They sang louder and louder, causing a storm to rise up in the sky and sea. Amazed and intoxicated by the power of nature, they sang louder and stronger and more passionately than ever before." Nya stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. Endia cooed and her master absentmindedly stroked her chest.
"One of the sirens spotted a human ship in trouble on the stormy sea. They argued about what to do; some said they should help--the storm was their doing, after all. Others said they should go back into Shae Vale before they were discovered. They argued and a decision could not be made. So, those who wanted to help stayed, and the others ran to our elders to tell them what was happening.
"Those that had stayed by the sea sang as loudly as they could, only with a different song, a gentler song. Siren music is the most beautiful in the world," Nya said as she smiled broadly. "A siren's song is everything to the siren. And they were giving their song freely to help the sailors.
"Of course, my ancestors weren't taking into account the jagged rocks along their shore. The ship crashed, but the sirens didn't give up hope. They swam out to the broken ship against smashing waves and splintered wood and dragged the men ashore."
Ayden listened intently, certain that Nya was about to tell how the sirens transformed into hideous scaly beasts and ate the men they had just rescued.
"Some of the ship's cargo washed ashore. The men that had been saved shared what they had with the sirens; I don't think they meant any harm. They wanted to show their gratitude. You see," Nya said as she looked into Ayden's eyes, "when the stories say that the sirens 'partook of the flesh of men', it did not mean that they ate the men themselves. It meant that they partook in the evils that the men brought to them--the temptations of the flesh of men. A drink filled with poison was passed around. It caused the sirens to act shamefully."
Nya's face reddened as she lowered her eyes and stared at the ground for several paces. Ayden couldn't find anything to say, and so, also remained silent. Nya's story was not what he'd expected.
"By the time our elders had found them, my ancestors had been, in the elder's eyes, defiled. The elders brutally killed the men and cursed the tainted sirens. They were never to sing again, or they would die." Tears formed in Nya's eyes. She took a deep breath and raised her head. "It is a blood curse, passed from one generation to the next. It is a terrible curse for a siren to bear. Singing is everything to our culture."
Nya lifted her necklace and let it sparkle in the sunlight. "But my grandmother," she smiled warmly, "told me that we always have hope. If we put off the darkness of our past, our wrongs, our negative thinking, we can reveal our life-song, and that others would hear its sweet music. It is a way we can sing without using our voices. My necklace is to remind me of this. Now, I travel Shae Vale helping wherever there is a need."
Ayden had a deeper respect for Nya. It seemed she had many more obstacles to face than he did; and yet, unlike him, she saw the good in it all. "That's an amazing story, Nya. I'm sorry to have had the wrong idea about your people. If I ever have the chance, I'll make sure the truth is told to as many as I can tell it," he said softly.
Nya smiled warmly and nodded her appreciation.
"One more thing, where does Endia fit in? Is she just a pet? I've felt like the two of you have a deep connection."
"Endia is my music, captured in the form of a bird. Even when I cannot sing, I can make beautiful music through her. We do have a deep connection because we are a part of each other," Nya explained as she smiled and, once again, stroked Endia's shimmering feathers.
Everyone was in a good humor over the next day. No signs of Devel or Jared had been seen, and no fog had plagued their journey. Ayden walked and talked with everyone in turn.
He and Sabina reflected on old times, laughing heartily with one another as they set up camp that night. They were laughing so hard at remembering the poisonous pops and how frantic Ayden had been, that they forgot what they were doing and bumped into each other. Instead of stepping away, they held on to one other, looking seriously into each another's eyes. In a breath, their lips connected and they kissed deeply. They parted and stared at each other strangely.
"Well, that wasn't quite like I remember," Sabina said.
"I know what you mean," Ayden answered. He had felt nothing in their kiss. "I guess that answers that question then, doesn't it?"
Sabina smiled and they laughed again. Pax walked through the trees as Sabina and Ayden parted. I hope he didn't see us! "He really likes you, you know," Ayden said as he watched Pax pull his glasses from his pocket and set them on his nose. He scowled as he produced a light and began to read.
"I know," Sabina said. "But I have so many issues, most of them with a sorcerer. I just don't know if I can trust another one." She half smiled at Ayden and turned toward arranging her blanket on the ground.
I hope you can trust Pax. The creepy, glossy stare that Pax had carried when he'd attacked Devel haunted Ayden's memory.
"The stronger he gets, the more the power will go to his head." Sabina's words accompanied Ayden's visions.
I guess only time will tell.
As he bent down to arrange his wrap, a succession of earsplitting screeches ripped through the air. Ayden was reminded of some fireworks he and Volos had set off once. They'd made extremely high-pitched screams that had nearly deafened anyone within a one mile radius. Only this wasn't a holiday, and no sparks lit up the sky.
The shrieks sounded again and everyone held their hands to their ears as they looked to the darkening sky. A flock of frighteningly large, oily black birds swooped toward them. As the leader came close, it paused in mid-flap, shooting its wing feathers forward. Ayden stood in shock as some of the feathers flung from the bird's wings like porcupine quills toward them. Black daggers sliced into the trees and ground around them.
"RAZR BIRDS! INTO THE TREES!" Volos' booming voice was like a shock of electricity, and everyone scattered in all directions.
Ayden focused on the thick trunk of the tree ahead of him. The Razr birds' loud shrieks filled the air, causing panic to rise in Ayden's chest. If I can just get to that tree?
Just as he approached the large trunk, a razor-sharp dagger sliced the side of Ayden's arm and imbedded itself completely into the trunk of the tree. He yelled in pain as he dodged behind the tree just in time to avoid becoming a human pin cushion.
The pain in Ayden's arm made him suddenly furious at the Razr birds. He grabbed Phantom and Whisper and readied himself for the next attack. Their ear-split
ting cries echoed through the trees as Ayden spotted one of the birds and aimed his weapons carefully. Phantom and Whisper flung madly through the air at their master's command. They made swift contact, slicing the bird into three parts before returning, covered in blood, to Ayden's hands.
Da'ewyn's arrows shot toward another of the birds from behind another tree; but the bird's iron-clad feathers repelled the arrows as if they were pieces of straw.
There are too many for me to kill by myself! "Pax! We could use a little of that special magic of yours now!" Ayden yelled. The birds cried out again. Ayden saw Endia take flight and his heart sank. The bird disappeared as she reached her vanishing height. Suddenly, one of the Razrs screamed as its eyes seemed to explode. Its blood splattered the invisible bird's face, making her form appear. She dove straight down and landed safely with Nya behind a large boulder.
After breathing a sigh of relief, Ayden yelled again, "Pax! Help!" Pax appeared from behind the tree that he'd been hugging and shakily pointed his fingers to the sky. His glasses dangled from his left ear and he looked as if he was about to be sick.
"You can do it, Pax," one of the girls yelled.
Pax stuttered out a curse and sickly green light shot out from the end of his fingertips. The Razr birds circled around the light like giant moths until it disappeared into the black sky. Pax continued to look up expectantly. Then, his face turned as green as the light that he'd produced. Suddenly, he yelled without a single stutter, "OH, CRAP! RUN! EVERYONE, TAKE COVER!"
They all stood motionless for a moment. But as soon as the first basketball sized boulder fell from the sky, six pairs of legs scurried as quickly as their muscles would allow.
The stones seemed to be pelting down only in the area where they had been originally standing. Once out of range, Ayden and the others stopped and breathlessly turned to watch. Two or three of the evil birds were knocked out of the sky by the falling rocks, including the bird that had been blinded by Endia. The others screamed to each other and retreated into the darkness. One final boulder fell from the sky; the forest shuddered from the impact and then became deathly quiet.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Razr Birds