A Song of Death and Desire (The Sirens of Witches Cove)

49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

I work hard to suppress the groan that threatens to escape when I regain consciousness. My head is pounding, and the wet feeling of my scalp tells me that I’m likely bleeding as well. It occurs to me that I might be in an advantageous position right now. Well not physically, as I’m pretty sure my head has sustained some damage. But Vala thinks that I have been disposed of. I can hear their voices. She’s taunting him and not focusing on me at all. Not wanting to alert Vala to the fact that I’m awake, I tentatively open my eyes, trying not to move any other part of my body. If Vala believes that she has killed me or at least assumes I’m still unconscious, then I might be able to end this.

I can’t believe that Eagan’s impromptu plan played out as well as it did. At first, his flirtations confused me, and I questioned if he had fallen under her spell. As he continued though, I realized what he was doing. As much as it disgusted me to see his hands and lips on the witch, I recognized that he was playing on her own hubris. And it worked. Vala, so vain and desperate for attention, latched on to his attention and forgot about me completely. I only hope that severing the mark did what I had expected it to. There’s no way to tell from my position.

I can see flashes of fighting between Vala and Eagan—well, it looks a bit more like Eagan is trying to fight, and Vala is just toying with him. Anguish pours from Eagan as he yells with rage, trying desperately to gain the upper hand. The urge to get up and help and to let him know that I’m okay is strong but I will my body to remain still, to save the advantage of surprise for when it’s most important.

I mentally scan my body, pleased to find that apart from my head, there doesn’t appear to be any other damage. A yelp from Eagan has tears welling in my eyes. I don’t know how much longer he can keep this up.

Vala doesn’t seem to be using her magic, which strengthens my belief that she’s just playing a game and, at any moment, she could choose to end it.

“Dance, handsome boy, dance. There’s no escaping me. You’re simply a human, the most pathetic of creatures. Even without pretty siren’s song, you are no match for my power.”

Eagan cries out again. She’s hurting him. I can’t just lay here and do nothing.

The sound of heavy footsteps reaches my ears, and I know, but can’t see from my position, that Raidne and Sienna have arrived. I let out a small exhale in relief as the sounds of Eagan and Vala fighting come to a halt.

“Now what do we have here? Another human and a siren. Isn’t this a nice surprise.”

“Kairi!” Raidne cries and I snap my eyes closed and hold my breath, hoping that to Vala I look dead even though it means the others probably think the same.

“What have you done to my ravens?” Vala’s voice loses all humor, the coldness of her tone sending a deathly chill through the room.

“Your birdies are dead, bitch,” Raidne says lightly, “and you won’t be far behind.” Vala screeches and my eyes peer open once more in time to see her send Raidne flying with her magic.

“Raidne!” Sienna screams.

“Shut up,” Vala snarls, and I hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh and a cry from Sienna.

Fortunately, it sounds like Raidne didn’t hit her head like me and isn’t badly injured from the attack. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on her again,” Raidne says, her voice deep and threatening. I know that despite her fear, if Raidne is going down, she is going down swinging.

“I had a thought,” Raidne begins, walking back into my field of vision. “I don’t know what you are. Are you a human with magic? Or are you something completely different? I don’t really care but I know for sure you are not a siren. And if I’m correct, you no longer have siren abilities yourself. You look like an ugly old hag and that mark on your arm looks destroyed. Seems like my friends did what they set out to do. Do you want to know what that means?” I wonder where she is going with this or if she is aiming for distraction.

“Earplugs!” she yells before opening her mouth and beginning to sing. Sienna rushes to put hers in and I watch as Eagan dives to find his on the floor but he’s too late. The song pours from her soul, wrapping around Vala and halting her movements. I find that my own body has slowed down, and Raidne’s song also entrances me. I blink a number of times, and pull my gaze from Raidne, and the hold the song has on me lessens. With Vala firmly in her sights, Raidne seems to be pouring everything into holding her and only a trickle of the song is reaching me. I look to Eagan, who has a similar empty expression on his face, but like me, he seems to be able to shake off the effects. I’ve never seen one of us imbue this much power into a song. It’s not directed at us, so it should have no effect at all. The fact that we can feel it means that she is using everything she has on Vala. Singing for sirens is like using a muscle, one that requires little effort. But this is like using that muscle to lift a weight far too heavy. It’s taking all her concentration and energy to capture Vala in the song and hold it back from the rest of us. Who knows what might happen if she loses control.

Vala struggles against the hold it has on her, being stronger than a typical human, but it is clear that the melody affects her more than it does us. Raidne sings and sings, not to consume Vala’s soul—does she even have one? —but instead to immobilize her. And it’s working. Oh, my goddess, it’s working!

I jump up, acting before Raidne becomes too weak to hold Vala. A gasp escapes Eagan from his position on the floor with Sienna. I quickly take in my surroundings, my gaze catching on the gleam of metal on the ground between myself and Vala. I glance at Raidne and see her eyes completely focused on the witch, sweat drenching her forehead and her body shaking from the effort.

I throw myself to the ground, picking up the knife, and with no hesitation, I take three more steps and plunge it into Vala’s heart. I feel the knife slide between her ribs and know that my aim is true. Black blood drenches her body, and my hand still grips the knife. Vala’s eyes widen. “No,” she whispers in horror. “You’re just a human now.” Confusion flashes across her face like she can’t believe that someone would be able to defeat her— especially not a ‘pathetic human’ and then I feel her aged frail body collapse.

Raidne stops singing, sinking to her knees in exhaustion. The cave is silent once more. She’s going to need a soul very soon. Her tired eyes take in our surroundings and the body that lays in front of me. I fall to the ground next to Vala as I’m hit with a bout of dizziness. I’m probably concussed.

“Is she dead?” Sienna whispers.

“Looks like it,” Raidne replies.

Without saying a word, Eagan stands up from his position beside Sienna with his knife in hand. Fury marks his face as he makes his way to Vala. He looks down at her still body and then leans down, viciously using his knife to separate her head from her body. Sienna gasps in horror, but Raidne and I don’t flinch.

“Well, now she’s dead dead, and no magic is going to be able to reattach her head to her body,” Eagan states and I can’t help the hysterical laughter that bursts out of me. It’s uncontrollable and the others simply stare at me as I howl.

Eagan comes straight to me, dropping down and pulling me to him.

“I thought you’d died. I swear to god, woman, the amount of stress you’ve caused me these last forty-eight hours is enough to give me a heart attack.” I stop laughing, turning a watery smile to the man I love.

“It’s over?” I question, still finding it hard to comprehend.

“It’s over,” he affirms before grasping me tighter and burying his face into my hair.

“Where do you think my song went when you severed her connection with it?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Did you think it would go back to you?”

I shake my head. The thought had crossed my mind that perhaps the song would return to its rightful owner. I’m relieved that it didn’t. I don’t want it back.

“Perhaps it just faded away?” Eagan suggests, and I have to agree that it seems likely.

I watch as Raidne walks over to Sienna and places a hand on her cheek. “Are you okay, Sienna?” she asks, and Sienna nods in response. “Then please, let’s get the hell out of here.”

We stumble back to the entrance of the cave. Eagan has an arm around my waist, supporting me as we walk but when it becomes clear that my dizziness isn’t immediately passing, he picks me up and carries me instead. I try to protest half-heartedly but give up, choosing instead to rest my head on his chest and focus on the steady beat of his heart.

We made it.

On closer inspection, Sienna and Raidne appear to have similar injuries to my own from the ravens and like mine, most are shallow and will heal quickly. Vala had landed a few blows to Eagan’s face and a shallow cut to his side but apart from a bleeding lip and a bruise starting to darken on his cheek, he managed to fare quite well. My head is the only semi-serious injury amongst us. and I’m pretty sure once I get through the concussion symptoms, I’ll be perfectly fine as well.

I barely remember the journey back to the apartment but regain my awareness when Eagan places me on the sofa.

“Drinks!” Sienna calls out from the kitchen.

“None for Kairi with her head,” Eagan replies. I pout and he chuckles. “Don’t worry, vicious one, there will be plenty of time for us to celebrate later.” Despite my pounding head, warmth pools in my core.

We spend the rest of the day laughing and drinking and enjoying each other’s company. Eagan cleans the wound on my head and says it’s not as bad as it originally looked and after a couple of hours my headache dissipates. Eagan still won’t let me drink, but even without alcohol, I feel so incredibly happy. Sienna and Raidne are getting along far better than they did originally and I can’t help but notice the way they glance at each other when they think the other isn’t looking.

Eagan hasn’t stopped touching me since we returned to the apartment. Whether it’s playing with my hair, stroking my back, or just resting his hand on my belly, he makes sure I stay close as if to reassure himself that I’m safe.

Eventually, we all begin to fall asleep exactly where we are. Eagan and I lay on the sofa and Raidne rests on a pillow while Sienna sleeps with her head on Raidne’s stomach. Everything feels completely and utterly perfect.