Page 58 of Siren's Treasure

Thessa toppled into the warm, salty water, the force of the currents jerking up her chin. Undine’s Blade sank. She snatched at the hilt before she could lose it in the glittering waves, struggling to the surface and shouting desperately for Raggon as soon as she had breath to do it.

“You will not kill the Sylphorian!” Circe sang over the water in the haunting melody of Thessa’s stolen siren’s call, amplified a hundredfold. The sound froze the very air, locking Scylla’s attack mid-strike, writhing appendages arrested in their deadly dance, a strange painting caught against the moving waves.

Though visibly fighting against her sister’s command, Scylla’s tentacles loosened enough for Raggon to break free from the coils, gasping. His eyes locked with Thessa’s. Circe’s voice was focused on this final battle with her sister to free Raggon. At least for now! Shoving his fist into the jiggling tangle of coiled limbs, he gave them one final kick and swam for her. Thessa fought to reach him through the waves.

As soon as the spell released Scylla, her body rose further from the water, revealing the full grotesque splendor of her form—half woman, half writhing tentacles, adorned with the plunderof a thousand shipwrecks. “How dare you use that voice against me?” She snarled at her sister, her face contorting with fury.

“You willnotdrown him,” Circe commanded, each syllable resonating with unnatural power.

“Of course I must!” Scylla shot back. “He’s touched the blade! The curse affects him too. He must die or he will also inherit all the unadulterated sylph power when the sun vanishes from the sky! He will be as Undine with power over land and sea and beyond!”

Circe received the news with a strange high-pitched giggle. “Perhaps that’s exactly what I want.”

Of course, the Land Witch had planned for this betrayal all along! Thessa’s breath caught in her throat as she watched Circe’s slender form near the water’s edge, her black dress suddenly billowing outward unnaturally, defying both wind and gravity, spreading like wings of a predatory bird about to strike.

Scylla recoiled, her tentacles coiling defensively around her torso. “You—you let him escape your men. You wanted him to touch the blade!”

“Oh, and you expect me to stand aside while you devour the seas with your newfound dominion, sister?” Circe’s red eyes narrowed, the crimson paint around them dripping like fresh wounds in the amber glow of a sun balanced precariously between two worlds. “A prince is far more useful than begging for scraps at your table like a dog. He will be mine to control!”

Scylla let out a shriek of anger that shattered the air like glass, her tentacles thrashing wildly and churning the water to froth.

“Raggon!” Thessa had almost reached him through the water, though she feared what he’d do when he saw she still grasped Undine’s Blade. “I’m here!” she shouted.

A blood-red tentacle slapped around her. The sudden jerk tore Thessa from the water. Undine’s Blade tried to slip through her hands. She barely caught it with her other as the tentacledragged her through the air and slammed her onto the white sands.

The impact drove the breath from her lungs.

“Give her back!” Scylla shrieked at Circe, her voice rising to a wailing pitch. The tentacles from the Sea Witch churned the golden water to froth as Scylla undulated closer to shore, her lower half creating disturbing patterns in the water as she propelled herself forward. Her bulging eyes protruded from their sockets as her rage mounted. “She is my goddaughter!” Each wave carried her bitter words to shore like dutiful servants bearing poisoned gifts. “Unhand her!”

“Oh, dear sister, give it up. You’ve lost already!”

Twisting her neck, Thessa saw Circe had captured her with one of her terrible appendages lodged from her shoulder blades. The Land Witch’s lips parted in a triumphant sneer, her pointed fangs glistening in a ruby-painted mouth. “Now that the prince has touched the blade… we no longer need her!”

“She’s mine! Mine! I won’t share my power with you!”

Circe giggled. “Greedy barracuda! I knew you never meant to work with me!”

Thessa felt herself dragged across the beach, her knees cutting a serpentine trail through the pristine sand. Each grain felt like fire against her skin as she was pulled inexorably toward Circe and that witch’s black heart…

Thessa could use the blade for what it was truly meant for!

Tobias’ muffled roar showed he was still wrestling with that muzzle. His claws scraped uselessly past it. Sterling circled frantically overhead, feathers rustling in fury. “Two captains, one ship!” he squawked.

Circe’s chalky fingers trailed across Thessa’s face, leaving trails of numbing cold behind. “Your blood will feed my ascension, child of Poseidon,” she hissed. Her viscous tentaclestill held her captive firmly in place. “It’s nothing personal, of course!”

“Thessa!” Raggon’s voice broke through the water. “Throw Undine’s Blade as far from you as you can!”

No! I can save Father!Thessa’s fingers tightened around the mermaid hair. With a desperate surge of strength, she twisted in the witch’s grasp and lunged forward, the blade’s gleaming edge aimed at Circe’s heart. But the witch anticipated her move, swaying back like seaweed in a current. The blade sliced only air.

“Hear my voice!” the witch sang out, her voice a poisoned lullaby. The shell necklace pulsated to match the rhythm of the haunting music. “Obey my will! Surrender your soul to the darkness!”

Thessa felt her limbs growing heavy, her will dissolving as the spell wormed its way into her mind, obscuring her thoughts with a thick, clinging fog.

“Stop!” Scylla lunged toward her sister. A tentacle wrapped around Circe’s throat, abruptly cutting off the hypnotic song with a strangled gurgle. More appendages collided in mid-air, twisting around each other in a grotesque frenzy. “You will not steal her powers from me!”

Thessa twisted violently against Circe’s grip, her heels digging into the sand to gain leverage. Circe’s grasp tightened in response, squeezing Thessa until spots danced before her eyes.

“Let her go!” Raggon charged through the ankle-deep foam, each step sending up explosive plumes of spray as he raced toward her.

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