Page 48 of Song of Lorelei

Every siren bowed their heads, signing ‘thank you’ and resting their fists over their hearts to express deep gratitude and respect. Lorelei joined them.

Nireed nodded, a beaming smile stretching her face from ear to ear as she closed her eyes. Lorelei couldn’t help but smile, too, at seeing Nireed so happy and triumphant to be honored by her people.

While six of the sirens towed Nireed into the ocean, Undine lingered on shore. Her electric blue gaze locked onto Lorelei’s as she rose onto her feet, slowly, but steadily, standing in front of Lorelei face-to-face. With a slight shake of her head, Undine grazed the underside of her chin with her thumb, then cut down in a slicing motion, brushing the fingertips of her other hand, which she held flat, palm facing her chest. Unfinished.

“We will see you again soon, Shorewalker.”

Then she too disappeared into the waves.

That might have seemed threatening to some but not to Lorelei. The reminder hewed her sense of purpose to a sharp point. Undine upheld her end of the bargain. Now it was time for Lorelei to uphold hers and prove to her siren kin that she didn’t make empty promises. And that she was worthy of their trust.

* * *

“I can’t believe I’m about to meet a bunch of mermaids.”

Lorelei looked over to where Katrina leaned over the gunwale, long brown curls whipped back by the wind. Her skin was deeply tanned from regular weekend trips to Cape Cod, its olive complexion taking to the sun far better than Lorelei’s own fairer, ivory tone. While Lorelei didn’t easily burn—possibly a trait that stemmed from her oceanic origins—she was quicker to freckle than tan.

While this expedition was far from a pleasure cruise, she wasn’t worried about bringing Katrina along. Not a shred.

Will brushed past with a crate of potted meat, working the deck for now. He’d trade places with Killian at the helm when they got close to siren territory, since her fiancé was immune to every siren song but hers. Over his shoulder, Will said to Katrina, “I’d say you get used to it, but… I’m not there yet. I mean, Lorelei’s cool.” He paused, tipping his head toward the sea. “I just don’t think the others see us as friends yet.”

“Well, after today, at least we won’t smell like food,” Lila called from the middle of the deck, where she set up a pop-up clinic. At its center sat a gurney, the wheels locked in place, so it wouldn’t roll away, though the seas were steady and calm. They had gotten lucky. Administering intracerebroventricular injections required not just a steady hand, but a steady workstation. Lila also had a table set up with antiseptic wipes and a numbing agent to make the injection as painless and comfortable as possible.

Donning a pair of latex gloves with a snap, Lila added, “Humans are friends, not—”

“Stop,” Katrina interrupted, meeting Lorelei’s eyes as she scrunched her face. “I really don’t like thinking about this boat as a floating charcuterie board, but that’s where my mind just went, and I think it’s going to get stuck there for a while.”

Lorelei shook her head slightly, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she joined Katrina at the railing. Her friend’s growing fear did not touch her. Slinging an arm across Katrina’s shoulders, she gave her a squeeze and hoped to press some of her own confidence into her.

They had Undine, Aersila, and Nireed on their side, as well as the sirens’ mutual desire to wrestle back their self-control from the hunger that consumed them. Siren blood primed her instincts, but nothing resembling dread or ominous foreboding gripped her. She was a little nervous, yes. Dealing with a small group of mermaids was one thing. But a whole community? They had a rough estimation of how large Undine’s pod was from talks with Nireed—just under one hundred, children included.

One hundred people-eating mermaids, clambering onboard for a fresh start and a chance to save their species. All putting their trust in the hands of a bunch of Two-Leggers with a medical procedure that was invasive even to Lorelei and her friends—and completely foreign to them.

No one could say for sure how this expedition would go, but Lorelei was hopeful. Excited even.

Watching her closely, Katrina’s shoulders relaxed beneath the drape of Lorelei’s arm. “You’re practically glowing, Lorelei.”

She couldn’t hold back her sudden need to smile, full and bright. A phrase sprung to mind, one she heard both in the context of Ernest Hemingway and a Jurassic Park sequel. “This isn’t a moveable feast. It’s a new beginning.”

Kat pulled her into a one-armed hug and rested a cheek against hers. “I like your version much better.” They stood together in companionable silence, letting the wind tangle their hair and coat their cheeks with salty ocean spray, as Dawn Chaser smoothly cut through the afternoon’s grey chop. Between the boat’s speed, weight, and the wide spacing of the waves, they barely felt any bounce.

“Hey, Lorelei. I’m just about done setting up over here. You ready for your shot?”

Ready? She was more than ready. But when she turned to face Lila, and saw her holding up a syringe, its long metal tip glinting, she paused. Maybe it would be good if the other sirens witnessed her getting it. So that they knew what to expect. And to quell any fears or doubts. If it was safe enough for the Shorewalker to get it, it would be safe enough for them. When she voiced as much, the marine biologist popped a finger gun and returned it to cold storage.

* * *

Undine was the first to come onboard, trailed by a group of ten. Many, many more waited in the water, silently bobbing up and down along the waves. It was a mixed group. Some of the sirens bore the hardened demeanor of warriors, like Aersila. Others, though softer and more curvaceous, carried or towed children with fierce, protective expressions. All were offered cans of canned pork to appease their hunger.

Still and tense, the sirens watched the human crew with wary eyes, tracking every movement on deck as they slowly ate their meal. “Thank you for coming,” Lorelei said, both signing and speaking the words out loud. With Undine’s translation help, she communicated to the group what was going to happen next—they would be strapped down to the gurney, their head locked in place with thick padding, cleaned, numbed, and then receive an injection to the back of the neck, at the base of the skull.

Wariness turned to interest when Lorelei announced that she would go first and show them all how it was done. Nodding to the syringe that Lila lifted for all to see, Lorelei made the sign for ‘injection,’ and said, “It’s a sharp pinch. We might feel sore after, maybe a bit tired like Nireed did, but that’s normal for this kind of medicine.”

Placing her hand in Killian’s, she climbed up on top of the gurney and laid facedown, while Lila quickly immobilized her head and strapped her in place. The padding blocked out all light, shrouding her in a cocoon of darkness. All around her, she heard murmuring siren voices—some English, some percussive clicks and whistles like dolphins. The ocean breeze kicked up, cooling the nervous perspiration accumulating on her back, followed by the touch of Lila’s fingers as she sterilized her neck with a wipe, then applied the numbing agent. The back of her neck tingled then lost sensation bit by bit as the serum dried—it was the only place she could no longer feel the wind. “Do you feel that?” Lila asked.

“Feel what?” Lorelei mumbled, voice muffled by the padding. Thick and calloused fingers laced through hers—Killian’s.

“Nothing then? I just tapped your neck.”

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