Page 50 of A Song of Death and Desire

Eagan lets out a sigh and walks out of the kitchen, muttering and cursing under his breath.

“Oh, don’t worry about him, he’ll stomp around for a bit, get all grouchy, but he will come around to the idea,” Sienna says, smiling at me. I throw my arms around her in a tight hug, wincing a little when my wounds are touched, but I don’t let go.

“Thank you for accepting all this,” I whisper.

“Girl, I still have like a million questions, and you bet your ass I’m going to be asking them. I just recognize that there are more pressing matters right now and I will have time to assuage my curiosity later. Trust me, my scientific research brain is going wild right now.” We laugh together and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. She knows about me, and she doesn’t hate me. She doesn’t think I’m a monster and luckily, unlike her brother, hasn’t tried to kill me yet.

“Do you think with the three of us we may have some luck outsmarting Vala?” Sienna questions.

“Honestly? No, I don’t, but we are all there is.”

“Not exactly…” Sienna says under her breath, turning contemplative.

“What?”

“You mentioned your friend before, the one that is still a siren that you saw with Eagan yesterday. What was her name again?”

“Raidne.”

“Ah that was it, Raidne. Do you think she would be willing to help us as well? An extra person couldn’t hurt, and I wonder if her siren abilities would work on Vala. After all, she isn’t a natural-born siren.”

I think about that. She has a very good point and I’m certain that Raidne would help us.

“Do you want to meet a siren?” I ask and Sienna beams right back.

Chapter 47

My tantrum—as Sienna called it—didn’t last long. I stormed out of the kitchen, pissed off and worried, slammed a door, and threw some things around in my room before eventually realizing that none of what I was doing was going to change her mind. My sister is as stubborn as they come and when she sets her mind to something, there is no talking her out of it. If anything, my fierce resistance to the idea probably served to strengthen her resolve.

When I returned to the kitchen, Sienna and Kairi were talking animatedly. I was surprised at my sister's nonchalant reaction to information that likely changed her whole perception of the world. I know that Sienna believes in many things that others don’t. Her analytic mind has driven her to learn about anything she can, whether it be science or things more mythical in nature.

I don’t think she ever could have imagined beings like sirens existing but if I know her like I think I do, she’s already brainstorming ways to learn more about them. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s designing a research study in her mind right now, with Kairi as the subject.

When the girls notice that I’ve re-entered the room they both turn to stare at me expectantly. I don’t acknowledge my little outburst. Instead, I ask them what they are discussing.

“We need you to take us out on your boat to find Raidne. We are going to ask her to help us with Vala. She might even be able to use her song against her,” Sienna explains. I have to hand it to her, that’s actually a pretty good idea.

“We can’t go until tomorrow though,” I say. “It’s too late now and I sure as fuck don’t want to get stuck out in the ocean in the dark. Not with what I know to be lurking beneath the surface,” I smirk at Kairi, letting her know that I’m only joking—well mostly. I believe her and Raidne when they say that none of Kairi’s sisters are going to harm me, but I don’t want to test the theory. Once this is all over, I’m not sure I ever want to go out on a boat again.

“Have you had any more ideas on how we might be able to actually survive?” I ask, trying to hold back the snark in my tone. I know this is important and that no matter what, I’m helping, but I’m not particularly happy about the whole situation.

“Actually, yeah,” Kairi responds. “Something has been bothering me about how Vala is using my song and I’ve been trying to figure out what it is. When she took my siren abilities, she didn’t yet have the power to consume a soul, so she couldn't have absorbed that part of my soul. So how is she accessing my song? It’s not a tangible thing that can be passed from person to person.”

“Oookay?” I question, not following her train of thought.

“When I was in the cave with her I noticed something strange. There was a marking on her arm. It wrapped around her bicep like a tattoo.”

“And?” I ask, still not getting it.

“And it wasn’t like any tattoo I’ve seen before. It glowed and it moved. But only when she sang. When she was simply talking, it was still and looked completely normal; however, when she began to sing, it writhed and pulsated in a way that seemed to mimic the rhythm of the song. What if… what if, she has somehow bound my song to something physical? Trapping it with her magic and then harnessing it through the object, using it like a conduit.”

“Is that even possible?” Sienna asks.

Kairi shrugs. “I have no idea. I feel just as in the dark about this as you both do. I have no knowledge of witches and what they are capable of, but something drew my focus to the tattoo, and I can’t describe the way it made me feel.”

“You’re thinking that this physical conduit could be the mark?” I probe.

“I mean… maybe? It kind of makes sense. Like I said, the mark looked like it was connected to the song somehow and if she bound my song to something on her skin, there is a far less chance of it being destroyed.”

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