HeatMarie

The Siren’s song enveloped Kali and Caius in a transcendent and tantalizing dream that left their minds hazy and their bodies pulsing with fervor. At least Kali hoped Caius felt it, too. There was such an intense longing and desire inside of her as she walked beside him. The need to be close to him felt so wrong; and yet, it felt so right. It was a foolish feeling, and she knew that. She looked out to the ocean, seeking a distraction, and found herself drawn to the stars. She was amazed that they still clung to the sky, even as colors of amber and gold crept into the eastern horizon. 

As more light filled the sky, Kali caught sight of the Siren sitting atop a smooth stone outcropping. She touched Caius’s shoulder, stopping him, and pointed a finger out to the woman. 

The scales of the Siren’s fin shimmered and its edges softened and merged into smooth, pale skin. Her appearance did nothing to contradict her voice. In fact, she was the alluring embodiment of the song. With her fin gone, she let her long legs linger over the side of the rock, crossed her ankles, and swayed them back and forth.  

Caius’s fingers brushed against Kali’s, hesitant at first. Then he took her hand and cradled it in his. It fit perfectly there. His other arm slid around her waist, drawing her closer. Every muscle in her body did the opposite of what she expected. They relaxed and her tension melted into comfort and pure bliss. She leaned into him, into the feeling burning inside of her, and rested her head on the curve of his shoulder.

They watched the arch of the sun rise over the horizon as the Aurora Mornlight opened its petals with a slow, graceful elegance. Each petal rippled with brilliance, like woven silk touched by the moonlight. Its colors moved as if they were the flower’s own little breaths of air, breathing in the mesmerizing song. 

The Prince tilted Kali’s chin, his touch as gentle as the morning breeze. His eyes, deeper than the ocean before them, searched for something inside of hers. “You are beautiful,” he murmured. There was no mistaking the sincerity and the longing behind it. And then, with the sun’s warmth spilling over them, and the Mornlight’s glow embracing their presence, he gently tightened his grip around her waist. He pulled her in close, letting their breaths linger against one another, building a craving that she had never felt before. Then he kissed her, soft and slow.

He pulled his lips away, and Kali found herself lost in his eyes. She wanted to wander them forever. And yet, something in the back of her mind pulled her away from the desires that twirled inside of her. “Why?” she asked.

“To make the moment perfect,” he said, pulling her in closer to him.

Just another thread, a voice inside her mind noted. 

She pushed herself away from Caius as she realized the silence. It came as if a wall had been thrown between them and the Siren. Kali turned to the ocean. 

The Siren was standing on the shoreline, her feet still in the water, holding the Aurora Mornlight in the palms of her hands. “Come now, my precious ones, our time slips away far too quickly.”  

The Siren’s words hung in the air as dark clouds gathered above. Kali exchanged a worried glance with Caius. The Siren, sensing their unease, stepped forward.

“Shadows stir, my little ones,” she said, looking up to the sky. The Siren closed her eyes, and gave a small nod as if agreeing with a voice only she could hear, before she opened them again.

“Why are you helping us?” Kali asked.

At first, the Siren’s sorrowful smile was her only response. 

It sent a rushing chill through Kali’s body as the ocean’s cold water washed over her feet. She wanted so badly to step back into the dry sand. But instead, she forced herself to take another step toward the Siren. 

“The sea carries many secrets, child,” the Siren finally replied. “And when the veil between the worlds trembled, I felt the ripples of your destiny as the waters whispered of you. I beckoned you with my song of dreams. You and I are much alike, my dear, Daughter of the Forest.” 

Kali’s mind raced with thoughts and questions that blurred in her mind. She tried to keep them from spilling out, but there were so many she needed to know. “Why me? How did you know?”

The Siren’s smile widened. “I have known you long before you stepped upon these sands, for the waters whispered of you. When the spell was cast and Darkness spread, its essence reached the deepest waters. The rivers whispered your secrets, the waves carried your story, and the sea sang of your journey. It is through those currents that I have watched you, waited for you.”

“Secrets?” Kali’s heart thumped against her chest. The Siren raised an eyebrow, looking from Kali to Caius and back to Kali again. It was with that look that Kali knew the secret the Siren spoke of. There was only one that clashed with the moment that Darkness was created.  She had never told a soul. It stayed between herself and her mother. Kali clenched her fists and sucked in a deep breath as the memories flooded back into her mind. “But how!” Kali screamed. 

“The waters of our land are not bound by the same rules as the waking world. It holds great power… a force that seeps into worlds beyond. When your spirit drifted into the world of dreams, I wove a song into your currents. There the waters that connect us all knew your name. And so I sang to those waters, connecting your essence to mine.” 

Does everyone know my name now? Kali thought. 

It was not the time to be asking such questions. She forced the thought away and took another step toward the Siren. The waves surged higher, crashing against Kali’s knees. 

Caius instinctively reached for her, but the Siren’s hand shot up, halting him with a look. “You are not the protector she needs, nor the guide you wish to be. You must let her find her own way. Learn this, Prince, or you will doom the world to ruin.” Her voice was firm and commanding, as if speaking to a child. Caius pursed his lips and although he no longer reached for Kali, when she took another step toward the Siren, he followed.

The Siren turned back to Kali, “Your path ahead demands more than courage.” She brushed the Mornlight’s petals as she laid it in Kali’s hand. Slowly she stepped back into the ocean as she continued to speak. “It demands the strength of your hearts and the will to endure. The bloom is delicate, my precious ones. Only if the heart that holds it mirrors what I have spoken will it survive. Master these and the Mornlight will bloom when light chases out Darkness.”

Ferocity stirred the ocean, creating waves with such a powerful force that Kali struggled to keep her balance. She felt Caius’s hand on her arm, trying to pull her back. She stood frozen, watching a black ink-like presence spread across the water’s surface like tendrils snaking outward in every direction. 

The Siren’s voice grew raspy. “Darkness… My precious ones.”  She struggled to speak. Tears flowed down her cheek. Her eyes filled with horror and fixed on Kali. “My Daughter of the Forest,” Kali watched in disbelief as a dark mist rose from the ink-like creature spanning in the water. It crept along the waves, moving closer to the Siren. “Hold the memory of its bloom in your soul, hold it close and remember that the light always comes after the dark. Even when the night grows deepest, look to the heavens, and there–”

Caius’s eyes widened. “We have to move, now!” he said. 

A lump formed in Kali’s throat as she reached out to the Siren. “No,” she screamed. Caius held her back, pulling her away from the tide. Kali struggled to release his grip from around her waist. Darkness surged and coiled around the Siren like a serpent. 

“No!” Kali cried again, squirming in Caius’ arms, trying to get back to the ocean, back to the Siren. If she could reach her. She could save her. But Caius’s arms circled her, pulling her back with his firm grip.

A scream of pain sounded over the ocean waves. The Siren’s form changed, her once-luminous skin turned dull, brittle, like coral bleached by time. She clenched her throat, her eyes wide with terror. Her high-pitched scream blended with that of Kali’s before it turned to broken gasps. Silence fell as cracks splintered across the Siren’s body. She crumbled to pieces like dry clay and the ocean carried her away.

Darkness slithered out of the ocean, seeping onto the sand, turning it into charcoal dust.  

“We’re leaving. Now.” Caius demanded. 

Kali’s eyes remained locked on the ocean where the Siren had stood, desperation clawing at her heart, and her mind was trapped in a whirlwind of guilt. “We have to save her,” she cried.

“Kali!” The sharp sound of her name cut through the haze. She blinked, turning toward Caius. His face was inches from hers, eyes burning with urgency. “She’s gone! We have to go!” 

With one final glance back, Kali let herself be led away. The Mornlight glowed in her grasp. Its light defied the shadows as the Siren’s last words echoed in her mind and Darkness swallowed the sea.