Black Waters (Book 1 in the Songstress Trilogy)

by Maija Barnett

  * * * * *

  Abby watched Brian scratch up another mixture of dirt and pine needles and stuff them into his ears. His eyes shone green as emeralds now. She could hardly make out any brown at all.

  “He’s fine,” said Eleanor in her head.

  “Eleanor?” said Abby, but the voice was gone. Do this, she thought. Do this now. And yet she couldn’t take her eyes off Brian, because she knew once she did, she might never see him again. For all she knew, he could fade while she sang, and she couldn’t bear to turn back and find him gone.

  You’ll see him again, she promised herself. Everything’s going to be okay. And with that Abby turned and faced the mist, shuddering as she peered at the shadows coursing through its milky sheen. A salty tendril shot out to embrace her, its stickiness cool against her skin.

  The mist was only a few feet away, and the beings inside it were growing easier to see. She cringed as several heads poked though the surface, tongues outstretched, tasting the air. The snakes’ bodies stretched over thirty feet long, and their dark scales gleamed like polished glass.

  But it was their faces that scared Abby the most: the brilliant eyes, emerald green, and the fangs tucked inside their leathery mouths. They were waiting for her to make her stand. Waiting to take her if she did nothing at all.

  Sensing my fear, they can sense my fear! They’re trying to decide the best time to strike. Abby closed her eyes and let the hissing rush through her. It was like being surrounded by a million lawn mowers all roaring at the very same time. She wanted to cover her ears and run, but she gritted her teeth and stood her ground.

  “Little sister.” The hissing, she could understand. But it wasn’t her ears she was listening with. No, like Eleanor, they spoke with their minds.

  “Little sister, come now. Come to those you love. Come to us, and we will take you home.”

  Your not my beloved. Abby spoke with her mind, her eyes still clamped shut so she wouldn’t have to see.

  “The queen has lied. She is not to be trusted. And soon your beloved will be one of us. You should never have followed the queen of the sirens, for she has secrets she dare not share. Besides, she didn’t help you. She is not here.”

  “Come little sister, come with us now. We will end this struggle. We will save you from her. We will suck out your poison, and then you will be free. Do it before you are ruined by guilt. Before you are a murderess, just like her.”

  “I will never be a murderess!” Abby trembled as she spoke. It was hard to listen; they sounded so right. Again, Abby wondered why Eleanor wasn’t here. Her whole reason for leaving didn’t make any sense. She’d heard Abby sing before. What made this time any different? And she was a murderess, that much was true. She’d pretty much admitted to killing Brian, and all to ensure Abby got the job done.

  Doubt crept into Abby’s mind, twisting its way into her heart. Don’t trust her, thought Abby. That’s what Brian had said. And he wasn’t a snake, at least not yet.

  “Join us,” cried the serpents, “if you want to be free. If you want to shed your poison and become a girl again.”

  Yes, thought Abby, her lids still clamped tight. A peaceful feeling spread through her body, numbing her fear. All she could see were her own dreams and wishes— everything she’d always wanted to be. She thought of what it would be like to have a regular life. To walk the halls at school without the whispers and catcalls. To not have to worry about her deadly song. “Help me,” she whispered, holding out her hands as a tendril of mist slid over her wrists. “Help me brothers, help me change.”

  “Abby,” Brian’s voice was sharp in her ear. Then his hands were around her, yanking her back. “Abby, stop it! They’re tricking you. Come on! You have to wake up!”

  Abby opened her eyes as a snake shot forward, its mouth wide open, fangs gleaming as it struck.

  “Sing!” shrieked Brian, dragging her backward. The fangs barely missed her. She gave out a cry.

  “Sing!” cried a chorus of voices inside her. The ghosts of her sisters. Abby opened her mouth. “Ma ka vaní mali lá!”

  When the first note struck, the snakes let out a howl, and their thick, black throats bent toward the sky.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!” shrieked Abby, her voice climbing through the familiar song.

  “No,” screamed the snakes, their voices human this time. And she could actually hear them; they weren’t in her head. “Wait little sister!” But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t control it anymore.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!”

  The song was exactly what Eleanor had taught her, only much more potent. Her body shook as she sang. She could feel the spell oozing from pores, its notes poisoning her bloodstream, making her insides burn.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!”

  The snakes had started howling now. Their bodies were melting into the mist, writhing and bubbling until human limbs appeared. Faces eroded from beneath black scales, arms molded from torsos, tails split into legs. Soon a sea of men floated through the whiteness, their green eyes wild, mouths snarling wide.

  They’re men, thought Abby. Just like Brian. She wanted to stop, but she didn’t know how. “Ma ka vaní mali lá!” The song sprang from her, and she couldn’t turn it off.

  “You’re killing us!” shrieked the men in the billowing mist. “You’re killing us sister!” But she couldn’t stop.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!” It poured from her body, like blood from a wound. And then the mist began to swirl. Her song was the wind sweeping it up. It spun faster and faster, as her tempo increased. Soon she was staring at a great funnel cloud that stretched from the water to the top of the sky.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!”

  The men’s voices were drowned by the beating wind, but their screams reverberated inside Abby’s mind. Her body shook as the funnel cloud lifted, twisting like a serpent as it hurtled through the sky.

  Stop, she thought. You need to stop now. But she couldn’t end the song; she couldn’t shut it down. All she could hear was the roar of her words, as they tore through her flesh, trying to escape.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!”

  The funnel cloud had disappeared. She didn’t know where, but she knew it was gone. Yet she could still hear the screaming in her head. And she could still see their faces, some of them boys, no older than Brian and herself. Suddenly a terrible pang charged through her. You murdered them, she thought. You killed them all.

  “Stop it, Abby! Stop it now!” Someone was shaking her, but she still couldn’t stop.

  “Ma ka vaní mali lá!” It was only a trickle, yet still the song came.

  “Abby you’re bleeding.” A hand touched her cheek. And then she looked up and Brian was there, his silvery hands on her shoulders, arms and chest covered in blood. Yours, she thought, wishing she hadn’t seen. You’re dying. The magic is too strong.

  “Stop it!” screamed Brian. Then she saw the heavy, gray rock he held in his fist.

  No, Brian no! Her right cheek exploded. Oh my god, help! The world was fading away. And yet the song continued to come. It spun through her mind as the sky disappeared; its black power shredding her into bits.

  19. The Ruse

  Brian hovered over Abby, one hand tangled in her blood-smeared hair, the other gently stroking her face. A dull ache was building inside him, lacerating his insides, pounding in his head. She’s dead, he thought. Don’t let her be dead. The words kept running through his mind. He couldn’t stop them, couldn’t make them shut up. But he’d seen her scream as she’d dropped to the ground, and all he’d done was stand there and watch. It’s your fault, he thought. You hit her with a rock. What did you think was gonna happen to her?

  “Please,” moaned Brian, rubbing at his eyes, wishing he could rip them out of his scull. Not like that would change anything. He knew they were green, knew he didn’t have long. But how could he leave her alone on this cliff? He grabbed Abby’s wrist and searched for a pulse. No, he thought. Nothing’s the
re. Deftly, he slid his hand over her neck, pressing his fingers into her skin. Nothing again. He couldn’t find a beat.

  Don’t be an idiot. Check her chest. He gouged his fingers into his ears, scratching the dirt and pine needles away. Then he lay his head where her heart should be. Yes! He thought he heard it now. But still, she wasn’t waking up.

  “Come on Abby, don’t do this to me. I can’t lose you now, not after all this!” Brian wanted to scream, but his breath was caught in his throat. Then the world began to spin. An acrid taste slid into his mouth, and everything looked a little too sharp.

  A bird’s cry shot through the air. Brian jerked his head skyward, and there she was, her crimson feathers gleaming in the sky. Help me, he thought. Help me now.

  “Eleanor,” moaned Brian, but his voice was too weak. He couldn’t seem to amp up the volume. He just had to hope she had excellent hearing. Or maybe she’d seen what had happened and was on her way down. Please he prayed, please help us now. Please don’t make me leave her like this.

  A terrible dread began brewing inside him because something was wrong. Eleanor wasn’t coming down. Brian took in the slab of rock at his feet, and the milky sea now still as snow. He turned and stared into the woods, remembering his sprint to the mountain’s summit. Then the bird’s cry sliced through everything.

  She’s waiting for something. She’s not going to help.

  “Eleanor!” Brian screeched into the sky, waving his fists at the droplet of red. His voice was back and he made it work. “Goddamn you Eleanor. Get down here now!” The bird dove toward the open rock, her body spinning through the air. But instead of landing, she froze in mid-flight, hovering like a kite on an invisible string.

  “Eleanor,” screamed Brian. Then he sensed something behind him, and the beginnings of a shiver crept down his spine. It was so familiar. He’d felt it before. But he still gave out a shriek when he spun around, and that single cry knocked the breath from his lungs.

  “No,” murmured Brian, when he could breathe again. “No. Oh no.” But there was nowhere to run.

  The snake was over forty feet long, and its black head was raised six feet off the ground. Its leathery scales absorbed the light, and a cobra’s hood framed its pointed face. But its eyes were what scared Brian the most because they glowed as green as Eleanor’s. As green as mine, thought Brian. There was no escaping that. This is what I’ll become if I survive.

  “No,” whispered Brian, his hands in his hair, gripping so hard that he tore some of it out. But the snake’s eyes were on him, evaluating his every move.

  “Little brother.” It spoke with its thoughts, and its words coursed through Brian’s skull: slippery and invasive. Brian held in a scream.

  Just like Luther, thought Brian. Like that day at the trial. Come on Abby, wake up now!

  “Yessssss,” hissed the snake. “So I’ve met you at last. Eleanor was right; you are the one.”

  Brian found himself backing toward the edge of the cliff, as the snake slid toward him, its head on the ground as it moved across the rock.

  “The siren,” said the snake, raising its head again— cobra hood wide, tongue flicking at the air.

  The bird screeched once and then she was there, her body hissing and bubbling as it transformed. Soon Eleanor stood beside the snake, her hands caressing its scaly head.

  Brian grimaced, as the snake flicked its black tongue across her jaw. “No,” whimpered Brian, backing away. But there wasn’t anywhere left to go.

  “Luther?” he whispered. The snake wagged its head then turned to the siren at its side.

  “Guess again,” cackled Eleanor.

  I don’t know, thought Brian. Only he did. “Oh god, you’re the one who’s been hunting her. It’s you. You killed all those girls.”

  “Yes,” said the snake, still speaking with its mind. Then Eleanor’s laughter shot through the air, so biting and fierce that Brian winced.

  The snake leaned against Eleanor and ran its tongue over her arm, caressing her neck, tasting her skin. Ugh, thought Brian.

  “We did it,” moaned Eleanor, smiling now. “She fell for everything. She didn’t understand.”

  “You tricked her!” yelled Brian. “You said she had to stop the snakes. That it was her duty. She listened to you.”

  “And it was,” growled Eleanor, baring her teeth. “But why couldn’t she save my beloved as well? I found a way, and she went along.”

  “She didn’t know what you wanted, and you almost got her killed!”

  “I’m not the one who hit her with a rock!”

  Brian’s insides buckled, but he stood his ground, hating the feel of the snake’s eyes on his skin.

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” crooned Eleanor. “She’ll be dead soon enough, and so will you. For what we are about to do, well, it’s simply amazing. Even my spirit sisters agree. To get rid of the serpents, and save my beloved. After so many years, I’ll finally have what is mine.”

  “But how—” asked Brian. But then he stopped. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

  “It wasn’t easy,” said Eleanor. “I’ve been working on this for a long, long time. Years, it’s been years since I lost my body. I just needed to wait for the last of my kind. My sisters agreed, at least most of them did. And those who didn’t, well they had to go along. After all, I am their queen.”

  “And Abby’s grandmother?” said Brian, remembering now. She was the one who had left Abby the box.

  “She knew, and she made her choice. She sacrificed her granddaughter for the greater good. You see, we sirens had to fix our mistake. Anabelle knew Abby must die for our cause. For as long as there are sirens, snakes will be made. And although you may think otherwise, we are a race that means to do good. Didn’t your father teach you anything? I know what he found on the ocean floor. Thousands of years ago, we worked beside humans. We never wished them any harm.”

  “And now,” said Eleanor, her eyes growing hard. “Now that Abby is the last, the time has come. We will, of course, need to get rid of her brother. That will destroy the siren bloodline for good, mutated as it has become. Then, once we banish your souls and place ourselves in your bodies, we will awaken and be reborn. Hendrick, my beloved, will take your form, and I will take Abby’s. All will be saved!”

  “You’re body snatchers?” said Brian, his insides going numb.

  Eleanor laughter sounded like breaking glass. “Oh little brother, don’t look so shocked. I promised there was a way to keep you from becoming a monster, and here it is. This is what we must do. For once your soul is gone, your attachment to Abby will disappear too. Then your body’s transformation into a serpent will cease.”

  Suddenly Brian understood, and in that instant he realized his father had been right. From the second he’d spotted Abby on the beach, to their trip up to Bridgewater— it had been orchestrated somehow. All so that they would meet in this very moment. So that Eleanor and her beloved could take their places, could hijack their bodies and banish them to death.

  “Did Luther know about this?” Brian’s breath caught in his throat. Part of him wished he hadn’t asked.

  “Luther?” said Eleanor. “No, he’s a selfish old worm. A crafty one, though, as I’m sure you’re aware. Besides Hendrick, he’s the only one who managed to escape from the Shadowlands, to break into the world and try to make it his own. Once I found out, I allowed it, of course. I thought he might be useful, and it turned out that he was. For I spied on Luther in his dreams. It was through him that I learned of your father’s friend’s little discovery off the Cape. And in that moment, everything changed. You know what happened out in the water. The boat was destroyed. All the scientists died.”

  “Not my father,” said Brian, his voice coming out slow. “You saved my father.”

  “Yes I did. For your father was different than the others. He could stave off the snakes’ power somehow, block them from his thoughts. I don’t know why. I wanted to study him, learn from hi
s ways. So I saved your father, I allowed him to live. And he is the reason I chose you.”

  “You chose me?” said Brian.

  “I certainly did. And I know from listening to Luther, that you’re just like your dad. Only a man with true mental strength can survive what Hendrick is about to do to you. You need to be able to block some of the horror of his venom, or else you soul’s sheath will wither, and you’ll be useless to us.”

  “But I’m not that strong,” said Brian. “He’s already inside my mind.”

  “That is only because you are becoming one of us,” said the serpent, still inside Brian’s mind. “My venom is something else altogether. Only a certain type of man can survive its toxins.”

  “So my strength will help you kill me?”

  “That it will,” said Eleanor.

  Wake up Abby! thought Brian. You have to do something now.

  But then something occurred to Brian, and he couldn’t keep it in. He had to be sure. “So the first time I saw Abby on the beach?” he whispered. “Did you do that somehow? Did you make it happen that way?”

  Eleanor grinned, and then he knew. When she spoke, his heart began to ache. “I knew she’d be out there,” said Eleanor. “Just as I knew Hendrick was hunting her. And yes, I knew all about your late night ramblings around town, how you stayed out to avoid your mother’s dead eyes. You were going to the beach; I read it in your dreams. And once you saw her, it began.”

  Keep her talking, thought Brian, his mind reeling now. She’s getting off on telling you, so string her along. It’ll buy you some time to figure out what to do. “But you made her kill the other serpents!” said Brian, feigning surprise. “She killed all those men. Why save yours and let the others die?”

  “It had to be done, and my sisters agreed.” Eleanor’s voice was flat and thin. They were a danger to the world, just as you would be too— if we were stupid enough to let you live. Besides, the other sisters don’t possess the same magic as me. They are too weak to travel in the world of dreams. They lost their autonomy, couldn’t survive on their own. They could never attempt what I’m going to do. Their beloveds are lost to them for good.

  “But you can’t take Abby’s body and go back with your beloved. If you do, then he’ll just become a serpent again. You’ll still be a siren, and your love will change him right back. It’ll be the same thing all over again.”

  Come on Abby, prayed Brian. Help me now.

  “He’s stalling,” hissed the snake, out loud this time. The words slid through Brian, reverberating in his brain.

  “But your power,” said Brian. “Won’t it stay with you when you change?” Keep her talking, he thought, and keep your mind clear. You can’t let them know what you’re trying to do.

  Brian remembered Luther’s inability to read his thoughts, how he’d never really found a way inside. But that’s not true, thought Brian. He did at the trial. It was only after that that he couldn’t get in. Whatever Luther had done, it had changed Brian somehow. Or maybe he had inherited this gift from his dad. Forget it, thought Brian. It doesn’t matter how it happened. Just use what you know to try and block this snake too.

  “My real power,” said Eleanor, continuing on, her eyes taking on a far away look. “My real power comes from my body, not my mind. I couldn’t change a man now; I am a shade just like you. Yes, my magic has given me more abilities than my sisters, but most of my gift lies in my genes. That’s why I need to use Abby’s voice to wake my beloved. And after that, well, we will kill one more time. One more soul whose body I’ll take. And then my beloved and I will both be regular humans. Then we will have what we’ve always craved.

  “But you’d give up your power,” said Brian, not sure he understood.

  “My power?” scoffed Eleanor. “What has it ever done for me? Look, look what it has made. She gestured toward the serpent at her side, and a deep sadness slid across her face, twisting her features into a haggard mask.

  There’s no way out. There’s nothing I can say. Panic flooded Brian’s chest, along with the realization that he still didn’t have a plan. He was banking on Abby, and she hadn’t gotten up. He had no idea why he even expected her too. Last time he’d checked, he’d barely felt a heartbeat. It didn’t matter what Eleanor said. She wasn’t coming. There was only one thing left to do.

  “No,” said a voice from somewhere near the trees. Brian bent sideways so he could see around the snake. There was Abby, his rock in her hand, her face the color of fresh snow.

  “Brian, no” she whimpered. She could barely stand. And in that one moment, he knew she couldn’t help him. She had nothing left. He was on his own.

  “I’m sorry,” said Brian. “It’s what I have to do.”

  He looked once more at Abby’s beautiful face, the violet eyes he loved so much. Then he took a deep breath and balled his hands into fists.

  Abby’s scream filled his mind as he fell toward the shore, the wind tearing through his clothes and hair. “Forgive me,” he whispered, picturing her face. But he knew without a doubt that he couldn’t let them win. He had to stop Eleanor the only way he knew how. He braced himself for the moment of impact, knowing that the fall wouldn’t kill him, he was a spirit after all. But by the time they made it down to claim him again, hopefully, he would have already disappeared.

  20. Preservation

  “Eleanor,” said Abby, “you set us up.” Tears stung Abby’s cheeks, but she ignored them. Every part of her body ached from singing, from the base of her scalp to the skin between her toes. She couldn’t save Brian. Not like this. She’d seen his eyes before he jumped. They were green like her father’s, like Eleanor’s and the snake’s. Abby scrunched her hands into fists while praying that there was a little brown left.

  “Oh sister,” said Eleanor, a sad smile on her face. The sympathy in her voice made Abby cringe. “I know how hard it is to lose your beloved.”

  “I am not your sister,” said Abby, crunching down on her lip. “You’re the killer. Both of you are.”

  Eleanor leaned against the monster beside her and wrapped her arms around its neck.

  “You can’t escape us,” warned the snake inside Abby’s mind. She could feel its words dripping through her cells, and she winced at the venom laced in its voice. “Besides, little sister, don’t be a fool. You’re no different than us. You know that it’s true. You can feel it in your heart.”

  A dull fear pulsed through Abby’s chest. She had no doubt that the serpent was right. Then Brian’s face shot through her mind, and Lauren Liney— her mouth bubbling blood.

  Stop it, thought Abby, swallowing hard, burying her feelings before she lost control. What’s done is done. You can’t change it now, but at least you can stop them from getting what they want.

  “No,” said Eleanor, eavesdropping on Abby’s thoughts. “No, little sister. No you can’t. I have everything; I have won. Even the sisters who helped you are on my side. It is too late to flee, and you cannot hide. You served me well, now bow to your queen. Bow and do as I command.”

  “But Brian...” gasped Abby, her breath caught in her throat. “He’s almost gone. He’s fading away.”

  “Not anymore,” said Eleanor, her eyes starting to gleam.

  “What do you mean? What happened to him?”

  “Go,” said the snake, still in Abby’s head. “Go, little sister and see for yourself.”

  Abby stepped gingerly toward the cliff, ignoring the ache leaching through her bones. She gave Eleanor and the snake as wide a birth as she could, but they didn’t move toward her. At least not yet.

  “Brian,” she whispered, staring down at the shore. He lay on the ground, splayed out on on his back, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. A pocket of steam hovered beneath him, its lacy, white tentacles enveloping him in a magical cloud. Abby gasped as one tentacle cradled his head then gently moved it back into place.

  Mist? thought Abby. Then Brian’s father was right. We are exactly like the snakes. Abb
y heard a guttural humming sound, identical to the singing back in the cave. The sisters, thought Abby, shuddering now. Oh god, what are they doing to him?

  “They’re persevering him,” said Eleanor, grinning wide. “They’re using their power to sustain him until Hendrick arrives. You see, the soul’s sheath is much like a layer of skin, and it is this sheath that connects us to our physical bodies. Brian’s sheath must not fade until the transfer is done, for then Hendrick can’t link back to Brian’s actual body. Once my Hendrick has pushed Brian’s essence away, and placed himself inside Brian’s soul’s empty sheath, then the change will be complete.”

  “And when Brian wakes up?” Abby asked.

  “It will be Hendrick’s memories, Hendrick’s mind. The real Brian will be gone by then. Of course, to the outside world, he’ll still seem the same. He’ll look the same, from his eyes to the color of his hair. But his body will house Hendrick’s soul. Then my beloved and I can rejoin as one.”

  “Serpent!” shot Abby, dragging her eyes away from Brian and glaring furiously at the snake. “You should have killed me like you planned! Then none of this would have happened, and Brian would be safe.”

  “Yesssss sisssster,” hissed the snake, still in her mind, its emerald eyes eating into her soul. “That was the mission on which I was sent. The one I pledged to complete, and then did not. For our queen persuaded me to let you live so that she and I could be together again.”

  “You see, for a time, I had lost my way. I’d rejected my beloved, turned away from our bond. I was hunting you, little sister. You were my prey. But when she called me in the water as I tracked you down, everything— it all came back. For the bond between a siren and her beloved can never be broken. Not even in death can they part. So I struck a deal with my beautiful queen. I agreed to let you enter the Shadowlands, to destroy my brothers, murder my kind. In return I would get to be human again. And I would have my beloved, as a human as well.”

  “You’re a traitor,” said Abby.

  “That I am. I betrayed my people for my love.”

  Abby sensed a raw sadness in the great snake’s voice, and for a second she wondered if she could use it somehow. “Okay,” she whispered, clearing her mind. If it was true that the sisters would preserve Brian until the snake arrived, then she’d just have to try and get there first.

  “You can’t,” said Eleanor, who’d been listening in on her thoughts. “It’s is a brilliant plan; one you cannot defeat. You should be honored that I told you any of it. I did so only as a testimony of my appreciation for your service. For you, little sister, have served me well, better than any of our kind before.”

  “Now Hendrick, my love,” said Eleanor, turning to the snake. “Go. My sisters’ strength wears thin!”

  Hendrick pressed himself against his queen and flicked his tongue across her throat. Then he dropped his head to the ground, and, with a final glance at his beloved, turned and bulleted down the mountain. Soon he was lost beneath the trees.

  “It’s over,” crooned Eleanor. “You did your job well. But it has weakened you, sister. Of that I am sure. So now it is time for me to finish my job, and then this will all be done.”

  A thick dart of mist shot up from the water and began feeling its way along the edge of the cliff.

  “Ah,” sighed Eleanor. “It has begun. My Hendrick really is quite fast. And now little sister, let us say goodbye. For it’s time for you to leave your body so that there is room inside it for me.”