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“He’ll be back soon,” said the pale creature, pressing her white palms against the tank. “You have to get out of here. I’ll help you any way I can, but he is powerful.”
“Who are you? Why are you in these caves?”
“I’m Seraphine, an elf from the Emerald Mountains. Polinth kidnapped me, and now he drains my life force to keep his terminal Rotting disease at bay. But the others he captures are not so lucky. You must escape. He’ll continue experimenting on you until your body gives out.”
“Experimenting,” repeated Riella in horror. “What did he do to me?”
“I don’t know, but he was muttering about needing a siren’s Voice.”
“So, how can we escape?”
Seraphine hesitated. “We?”
“I won’t leave you here, of course.”
The elf shook her ankle, the heavy manacle clanging against the floor. “I would dearly like to see my family again before I die. He kidnapped me from the forest, and none of my people will know what happened to me. But I believe I won’t last until then. He’s drained so much of my life force already.”
“You aren’t going to die. Not here in this vile cave, and not any time soon. I promise.”
“There are stairs down the side of the mountain.” She glanced at Riella’s tail. “But I suppose you’ll want to return straight to the water.” Seraphine pointed to the mouth of the cave. “The cliffs are right outside. Can you jump?”
The siren nodded. “Then let’s?—”
“Ah, I’m so glad my two special beauties have met. My sun and moon.”
Riella whirled to the right. A man wearing blood-red robes appeared from the gloom, his thin hands folded in front of him. His wizened features and bald head glowed with vigor, despite his advanced age.
She opened her mouth to Sing. He watched with a serene expression as she buckled in pain from the stabbing sensation in her throat. She couldn’t Sing, at all. The Sirensong was simply gone. A pained rasp was all that came out.
“What have you done to me?” she hissed at him.
The man gave a genial smile. “You’ll find you are in perfect health, my dear. At least, for the time being. I require your Voice for some very important work I’m doing.”
Riella processed his revolting words. Seraphine was right. The mage had taken her Sirensong, by force. By magic. She hadn’t even known such a thing was possible.
With renewed anger, she tugged at the manacles and bashed the tank walls with her tail, to no effect. Perhaps it was the aftereffects of his spell, but she felt weaker than usual. Her strength seemed to be ebbing away more and more, like the tide at dawn.
For the first time since she regained consciousness, she noticed a small red wound in the crook of her left arm.
Riella fixed him with an accusing glare. “You are a ghoul. You experiment on living beings. You keep a prisoner and feed on her life force.”
He clicked his tongue and shook his head, as if they’d had a friendly misunderstanding. “I’m at the forefront of the mystical arts. I am breaking barriers. For that, I need my health. Seraphine is a small price to pay. As are you.” Polinth clapped. “But you can relieve Seraphine of her duties. Tell me, siren, what do you know of the Amulet of Delphine?”
Riella blinked in surprise. The amulet was a myth, a curio sirens told stories about, but it did not actually exist. “Nothing,” she spat. “I know nothing about it. Want to hear what I do know?”
He raised his eyebrows, smiling, as if greatly anticipating the answer. “What do you know, my dear?”
“You are going to die. You will be flayed alive, screaming, and I’ll watch.”
Polinth bounced on his feet in delight. “Ahh, that’s the siren spirit.” Riella bared her teeth at him, but he kept going, unperturbed. “Truly, you’re a magnificent creature. You’ve given me the means to retrieve the amulet, with your Voice, and allowed me to push the laws of Nature, with your body. The charlatans at Starlight Gardens will be forced to accept me as their superior.”
Riella had no idea what he was talking about, but she’d never had to listen to a male human speak this long in her life, and the experience was causing her immense irritation and rage.
With renewed determination, she crashed her tail against the tank and wrenched at the chains, ignoring the pain in her wrists. She screamed and wailed, but the sound was only a strained echo of her Sirensong. What did he plan on doing with this alleged amulet? What did he plan to do with her?
Polinth held his hands up to placate her, which only made her fight harder. The water lapped over the edge of the tank, splashing the front of his robe. He stepped back, dragging Seraphine with him.
“I shall let you calm down,” he said to Riella. “I have some cataloging to do in my storeroom, anyway. We can talk again when you feel better, and I’ll explain your situation fully. I’m afraid I did have to make certain compromises to achieve your transformation. But you will surely live longer than the last one.”
