Affirmation of the Sirens

Affirmation of the Sirens

Published by Sonya C. Dodd at Smashwords

Copyright Sonya C. Dodd 2013

For sirens, everywhere!

Other books available by Sonya C. Dodd:

Whisper in the Wind

Harbour of Dreams

Siren Call

Echo of a Siren

The Root of all Evil

Brass Buttons

Dear Mother

With Hindsight

Prologue

Since ancient times man has been the enemy of the siren. There can be no exception to this most basic premise. Created to destroy men by luring them to their deaths, using their beauty as a temptation, all sirens are expected to obey without question.

Originally just three in number, their ranks have swollen quickly as mortal women whose lives have been ruined at the hands of men, have been selected to join them; gaining immortality and supreme strength in exchange for their loyalty and devotion to the crusade.

Their sheer numbers show categorically that man is at the root of all evil and deserves to be shown no mercy.

Why Rachel had presumed to be any different from the other sirens had initially shaken the very core of their order. However calm had been restored and the traitor shown little mercy. Perhaps this had been a necessary test of their fortitude and resilience. They could not afford to shield any weaknesses and an example could be a good thing, to show others such behaviour would never be tolerated.

The human would be dealt with; he was nothing. An inconvenience to be quashed without a second thought.

Chapter 1

Somehow the storm seemed appropriate to his mood. Greg stood looking out of the window, aware of the oppressive atmosphere. The heat had been building for days now, they needed a good storm to clear the air; it was becoming unbearable.

On a clear night he could have made out the sea at the bottom of the hill, but with the dark threatening sky, it was only the growing wind strength and occasional, distant rumbling of thunder which gave the outside conditions away.

Despite his efforts not to let his mind wander back to a previous stormy night, Greg realised he had already pictured her in his mind’s eye: Rachel.

He had first become aware of her, he thought, in his dreams. Such a beautiful apparition, it had been impossible to imagine she could exist in reality, yet alone want to be with him.

Saving him from certain death when she had miraculously plucked him from the embrace of the deadly waves which had taken so many of his friends to their deaths, their lives had become forever intertwined on that fateful night.

Would it have been better if they hadn’t met? Should Rachel have left him to die or destroyed him just as she did all the rest? Anything would have been better than this tortured agony of having her taken so mercilessly from his embrace, after he had tasted the pleasure of their brief love.

How cruel fate could be; it was difficult to believe in a god who would have created such mayhem and pain. And that was all he had left now. Rachel was gone, his life was in tatters and Greg wondered what point there was left to his miserable existence. Rachel had given him light and happiness, now he was surrounded by darkness and misery.

Shaking his head Greg drew the curtains and turned in for the night. In the morning he would go for a run along the beach; it would be littered with the debris of the storm and he enjoyed seeing the evidence of the sea’s might.

The air was fresher the following morning. As Greg ran down through the town, along the promenade and onto the soft sand, he cleared his mind and breathed deeply. Running was therapeutic as well as being good exercise; after everything he’d been through, putting one foot in front of the other and forcing himself to keep going helped him to retain some sense of perspective in his life.

Not being able to talk to anyone about what had happened, who would believe him after all? Greg had clung onto the routine of his job as well as jogging to help him get out of bed each morning.

The vast open space of the beach as he left the town behind him, made Greg aware of his insignificance in the grand scheme of the universe. The sand spread out all around him and beyond that the grassy marshes were dotted with wild flowers and small herds of cattle. Apart from the towers of churches rising in the distance it was easy to imagine he was the only human alive.

Having only been in Norfolk a couple of years, Greg had held fond childhood memories of holidays spent exploring this wonderful county. Now settled here, although his mind was awash with memories of the time he had spent with Rachel, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. The surroundings were a comfort to him and he knew, despite the hopelessness of his vigil, that part of him hoped Rachel might come back one day. After all, he hadn’t actually seen her dead body and it had never been reported as having been discovered in any of the local papers.

She had often surprised him in the past with her sudden reappearance and it helped him to get through each day by imagining her out there somewhere, living back in the ocean, preparing herself to return to him one day in the future.

Seaweed and flotsam littered the beach as he trod a weaving path, disturbing seagulls as he ran. Early morning was the best time to be out with only the sounds of nature filling his head: the waves breaking on the shore, seagulls calling their anger at him, birdsong and the occasional lowing of the cows.

There had been a time when Greg had thought he’d never want to see the sea again because it brought back the heartache of the last time he’d seen Rachel disappearing beneath the waves, walking towards her death. However it hadn’t taken him long to realise it was also where he gained most comfort; the sea represented Rachel and everything she had meant to him, good as well as bad. And so he had returned, glad there was somewhere he could open his mind and imagine she could hear his thoughts, even if he couldn’t see her.

After all, it had happened often when she had been with him. He never knew when she would suddenly appear before him or how she knew when he had needed her most. Rachel had been his guardian angel, as well as the love of his life.

Greg stopped running. He’d reached the point at which he usually turned back. Regaining his breath, he looked out to sea. Giant wind turbines stood like sentinels out on the horizon, lazily turning with the passage of time. He didn’t know why people had a problem with these things; clearly they needed to generate power somehow with a bit of help from the natural world and he thought they looked like iron men striding across the planet, certainly not eye sores.

The sea was relatively calm after the storm of the previous evening. Small white horses broke the surface of the deep blue water and seagulls patrolled the coastline looking for a tasty morsel.

He’d been about to turn away when he thought he spotted something. Greg had become proficient at watching the water’s surface carefully and was always aware of the slightest disturbance.

Waiting patiently he watched and hoped. And then he saw her. At first he couldn’t believe his eyes as she emerged slowly from the water; for so long he’d tried to convince himself Rachel was still alive but he’d never quite dared to believe it was a real possibility.

She appeared to be wearing the same dress he’s seen her in so often before. The red material clung to her slim, beautiful body revealing she was naked beneath it. As she drew closer Greg suddenly realised it wasn’t Rachel he was looking at. In many ways this woman looked very similar, her hair, despite being wet, was red like Rachel’s but her features looked as if they had been carved out of stone and she was much taller than Rachel.

Suddenly he began to feel nervous. He knew the other sirens had betrayed Rachel; having promised to give her mortality back, they had clearly planned to punish her for daring to fall in love with a mortal man by killing her slowly and painfully after they had been given the opportunity to make love only once.

Was it his turn now? Had this siren been sent to destroy him? His instinct was to turn and run but he knew his efforts would be wasted. He had witnessed Rachel’s strength and realised if this siren had come to kill him, he should hope it would be over quickly.

Thelxie stopped in front of him. So this was the man who had caused them such immense problems, she thought. He wasn’t bad looking; his blond wavy hair had a tousled look about it, he was clearly fit from his regular running, maybe a little on the thin side for her taste, but she couldn’t really understand why, or how, he had managed to hold such sway over Rachel. The sirens had grown in strength and numbers for centuries without interruption until Rachel had met Greg.

Now, standing here in front of the man she’d been sent to destroy, Thelxie could feel herself hesitating. It wasn’t that he was having any influence over her; it was more out of a sense of loyalty she felt towards Rachel.

If Aglaope was here Thelxie knew her sister would have killed him in an instant and would be on her way back to the Mediterranean Sea by now. Aglaope had never trusted Rachel but had allowed her thoughts to be over-ridden by Peisinoe. Although the three of them were sisters, there had always been a quiet understanding between them that Peisinoe was in charge.

Thelxie had liked Rachel. She admired her spirit and inner strength. Perhaps the fact she had been prepared to bring her dilemma to their council, rather than just simply destroy Greg, showed she was different to any other siren they had recruited in the past.

But now Thelxie found herself at a crossroads. If she failed to kill Greg she would be betraying her sisters, just as Rachel had by allowing herself to fall in love with this man in the first place.

Her hesitation in itself was a sign this situation was unlike anything else which had ever occurred in their history. She smiled to herself as a picture of her sisters’ faces came into her mind if they could see her now.

Then she thought about Rachel and how wretched she had looked when she’d returned to them. It had been like looking at a shadow of the woman who had left them such a short time earlier convinced she was about to embark on the happiest journey of her life. Surprised Rachel had been prepared to surrender her immortality in exchange for a chance to share a human life with Greg, Thelxie knew it had to be something pretty special which had driven Rachel to make such drastic changes to her existence.

And now she held this man’s destiny in her hands. To kill or not to kill. What was the alternative? Thelxie knew she had thought no further and tried to force herself to make up her mind quickly. The way he was just standing there looking at her showed he shared some of Rachel’s spirit. There being no response to her presence was surprising. Men were usually predictable in their reaction to a siren: leering at her body and a telling bulge in the front of his trousers. But Greg watched her carefully in silence. There was no fear, just curiosity.

Thelxie smiled. Hello Greg, she said in a soft voice barely louder than a whisper.

He raised his eyebrows as she spoke his name but remained steadfast.

I assume you know who I am for you to remain so calm before a siren, she continued.

I don’t know which one you are, but Rachel did tell me about her visit to you; I presume you’re one of the council.

Thelxie smiled at his confidence. Perhaps Rachel had been correct in her judgement of him after all. My name is Thelxie and I am indeed, one of the original three sirens.

So I suppose you’ve come to kill me now you’ve dealt with Rachel. That was the second time he’d mentioned her name and it was like a new burst of pain every time he heard it spoken aloud.

That was my intention, she replied slowly. However, now I’m not so sure, Thelxie confessed.

Greg watched her suspiciously. After what had happened to Rachel it was clear these sirens couldn’t be trusted. What was her game? he wondered. Was she going to toy with him by lulling him into a false sense of security before she pounced?

Does she know you’re here? he asked.

For a moment Thelxie was confused. Do you mean Rachel?

Greg looked down and nodded.

She was surprised by his question. Thelxie had presumed he would think Rachel was dead after the deterioration he must have witnessed in her. Clearly his hope for her was stronger than any common sense he might have possessed. There was no benefit to be gained by letting him think anything could ever come of his empty optimism. Rachel is dead to you; I thought you realised that, she replied bluntly. She can never be anything other than a siren. They will break her down until she is ready to follow us unquestioningly once more.

Greg felt like a great chasm was opening in front of his feet. It couldn’t be true; despite what he’d seen when Rachel had walked away from him returning to the sea, he’d made himself believe she was strong enough to withstand the punishment they were enforcing upon her. Maybe this was a trick to weaken him before they destroyed him anyway. What if she won’t do it? What if she comes to me again?

Thelxie watched the changing expressions on his face and realised she felt sorry for him. What was it about this man that could lower the resolve of a siren? she wondered. I’m sorry if you hadn’t realised she was gone; I thought you would have understood it was impossible for her to relinquish the siren in her and have a human relationship with you. Rachel cannot be with you, Greg. She reached out her hand towards him, uncertain what she would feel, aware of the sensations Rachel had experienced with Greg.

Gasping at her icy touch, Greg was reminded of Rachel and the shock she had shown at being able to feel the warmth of his body. Now Thelxie was looking at him with the same degree of uncertainty. Is it the same for you? he asked nervously.

Dumbly she nodded. How was it possible for her to sense the blood pumping through his veins? She knew her own skin was cold and unfeeling but, for the first time in her existence, she could feel the heat of a human body through her fingers. This must have been what Rachel had felt, she realised. Greg must somehow be different to other men. Could there be others like him? she wondered.

But Thelxie knew she was letting herself become distracted from her purpose. She had come to kill Greg, although she already saw that would not be possible. As much as she loved her sisters and accepted her role as a siren, Thelxie felt an affinity with Rachel and wanted to protect Greg from Aglaope’s wrath. There was no benefit to be gained from killing him and she could see no harm in allowing him to live but it couldn’t be here; it was too dangerous.

Look Greg, she began. I can’t explain the power you held over Rachel which made her want to turn her back on us. My sisters believe you are dangerous and your life should be terminated. However, I like Rachel. I don’t think she deserved to be treated in the way she has or the extent to which she has been made to suffer. It is unsafe for you to remain here; the others know where you are and I know, if they have any doubt that I have not killed you, someone else will come. For an instant Thelxie found herself imagining Aglaope’s reaction if she knew what was happening here now, and how her sister wouldn’t hesitate to devour Greg.

Won’t they know anyway? Rachel always seemed to know where I was regardless of my location. He