Chapter 19
Darkened Crossing
Adira
The blackened water churns wildly, foam frothing at the mouth of the whirlpool.
Siren’s Lure is known for its treacherous waters, its streams unpredictable.
The whirlpools it houses appear and disappear at different spots, making it impossible to traverse them safely.
And the sirens that pose on the rocks, their voices alluring.
“Come out, come out,” I whisper to no avail.
I haven’t seen one yet. Part of me had a silent hope it’d make it easier to hear their melodic chant that would numb my mind.
All I would have to do is follow it. I glance around, but the rocks I can see are empty, apart from some seagulls.
I lie down on the damp grass, and I inhale the salty air.
Clouds are lazily drifting by, and I close my eyes, my mind wandering.
Faas’s face appears in my memory, the disgust I felt as he touched me. Those cold, strong fingers caressing my skin. That abomination with those intense, unnatural green eyes. An involuntary shudder crawls across my spine at the thought.
It was Helda’s idea as soon as she noticed the diminishing of the magic.
I had brushed it off initially, the idea of cuddling up with that dhampir revolting.
Yet, each day as I traveled to their coven, those predators came closer, showing me what I already knew.
The Aurum was waning, time was stolen from me with each passing moment, and there was nothing I could do about it.
With my children in mind, I caved. Helda had heard the rumors that he was searching for Aurum and was interested in me solely because of it.
“Seduce him, make him care. He’ll keep you safe, even the whisper of his name will, as long as you are with him in some form,” Helda had said.
The moment I sought him out, he was wary.
It took all my courage to meet his gaze the first time we met; those piercing eyes, as if he’d stripped my soul bare, scrutinizing me.
As time went on, he pretended to lower his walls.
And I went along with it, making him believe I thought he had really done so.
Helda had been right; the news travelled fast, and creatures would avoid me, turn away from me.
The dhampir's scent lingered on my skin and was soaked into my clothes.
My involvement with him was enough to scare off even the most brazen vampires.
It was a different kind of protection, one that promised violence and death, unlike the magic I was used to.
Even though it held the same promise, the Aurum was less prominent.
It would only have consequences if a darkling made a wrong decision.
With Faas, even a glance could turn into inevitable death.
Apart from a rumored creature that stayed in a fortress nearby Valorya, obscured by a magical forest, no darkling would stand a chance against the dhampir.
Somehow, he developed feelings for me; whether he craved companionship or actual love was a mystery to me, but the first time his lips crushed mine, I had to swallow down the bile that crept up my throat.
I had whimpered at the touch, which he had mistaken as me wanting him, too.
It made him deepen the kiss, his foul tongue explored mine as I fought off the urge to shove him away.
The witches had laughed when I told them, mean creatures, blood witches.
The only reason they tolerated me was because of our bargain.
The Waning Gibbous coven was the only one willing to help me in return for my blood.
Cursed blood was still more potent than regular blood, but when they discovered our heritage, they renegotiated our terms. I was furious, but what other choice did I have?
All I could do was agree to their new demands to provide them not only my own, but also my children’s blood.
The witches worked even harder to help me break the curse after.
And here I am. The cruel irony is not lost on me as it slips its cold fingers underneath my skin. I cannot deny its touch. Despite unraveling the curse, severing it, it still won in the end.
My son, my dear Fynnigan, died at the hands of the witch who was supposed to save him from the afterlife. A bitter laugh escapes my throat.
My daughter, my sweet Harlot, her life taken away by the very monstrosity I tried to protect her from. Another foul laugh bubbles up.
Both my children found their deaths by darklings, while the magic we wielded, despite it being cursed, protected them against those nightmares. I led them straight to their paths, for their souls to be stolen away.
“What was I thinking?” I mutter under my breath. “That I could outrun a century-old curse? That it would let me?”
I stare up at the gloomy sky; it won’t be long before it turns dark.
Perhaps it’s my destiny to find my end not by my own hands, but by a darkling as well.
I should have stayed with Faas and asked him to kill me.
I stand up, my gaze now fixed on the dark ocean that stretches before me.
Large waves crash against the shore, swallowing the stones whole.
“I’m a coward,” I whisper. “Both my children are dead because of me. I don’t deserve to live either, to roam this continent.”
I fidget with the piece of Aurum that’s in the pocket of my coat. All that has happened was due to the piece of stone I’m grazing with my fingers. I take it out and study it. It’s not even pretty, like crystals.
“Without you, none of this would have happened. My family wouldn’t be cursed. Keir would still be by my side, my children too,” I hiss at the stone.
My mind is clouded, and I cast it into the dark water.
I watch it sink into the void of nothingness, dragging it down to the bottom of the ocean.
Tears well up, and I sniff as violent sobs escape me.
All that’s left is ruin. Losing my children was a shattering point, yet here I stand, unable to allow that final surrender.
The churning water frightens me, and I wonder how it would feel if my lungs filled with water, leaving me unable to breathe.
Shadows begin to spin around me as nightfall starts, and darkness envelops me.
The crashing water doesn’t relent, nor does it calm down.
A realization claws its way into my brain: I am here without any form of protection.
Faas left after that horrific day when I murdered Fynn’s soulmate.
The entire group was gone, as if the compound was never there.
Cowards. I clench my fists and take a step toward the water.
No one can save me, nor is there a thread that could weave itself through mine.
My heart is shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, unable to be repaired.
The hollow that’s carved into my chest after my loss aches, the pain consuming.
Another step. I can’t live like this—another step.
It happens so fast my brain barely registers it.
Sharp, curved claws bury themselves into my flesh, and my shoulders burn from the stinging sensation.
I cry out at the impact. My lungs burn from my screaming when my feet leave the ground, and I soar through the sky.
From the corner of my eye, I see the claws, which are actually talons.
I glance up, but instead of a giant bird of prey, all I see is shaped granite.
The wingspan of whatever creature holds on to me is gigantic, but they seem to be of stone.
When I brush my fingers over the talon, the surface is rough.
“By the old Gods… Gargoyles! You are supposed to be extinct!” I cry out once more.
The creature ignores my hysterical noise and continues to fly through the sky. More of them come into my vision, and then, it drops me, only for another to grab me. Sharp edges pin themselves into my thigh, and I whimper. Warm blood trickles down my shoulder from the gaping wounds.
“They’re just playing, they’ll get bored soon and put you down,” I whisper to myself, trying my best to soothe my racing mind.
The pain is sharp and intense, as another one flies closer and takes a bite out of my side. The creature tears my flesh apart, and I feel my body go into shock. This is my demise, finding death the same way my children did, by the hands of century-old creatures with no respect for human life.
That’s when I hear them, the sirens' voices, their lullaby lulls me into a trance, the pain forgotten. I no longer sense my skin being shredded into tiny ribbons, nor the warmth of blood as it seeps from my body. Nor do I register the cold, sloshing water as the creature drops me. The salt bites into my open wounds, but it's all numb. I welcome the water entering my lungs. I breathe in and cough as I choke. The siren’s song covers my senses like a warm blanket, as I drift into death’s embrace.