I freeze at the sight before me. My heart in my mouth as I spot Alfrea being dragged by her hair towards a cart, her small arms flailing helplessly. A few yards away, Dorene lies motionless in the dirt, blood pooling beneath her. A wave of cold washes over me.
Three men are ransacking the family’s supply shed, shoving sacks of food and grain into a cart that Alfrea is being pushed into.
Bandits!
“Unhand her!” I shout, my voice shaking more with fury than fear. Alfrea kicks and screams, refusing to make it easy for them.
“Look what we have here, boys. Seems we have an unexpected visitor here, and she’s a pretty one,” one of them sneers, his filthy gaze skimming over me. “Bring her along, she looks like she’ll be a lot of fun.”
“Don’t touch Sira! She has a scary husband!” Alfrea shouts,smacking the side of the man’s head, only for him to backhand her violently across the face.
Rage blazes through me as the little girl whimpers.
“I’m coming!” I shout.
“Sira, help!” Alfrea sobs, her brave front breaking. “They took Sarena!”
No one else is around. Not Alfren, Kai, or anyone. Their house is right at the edge of the village. It’s up to me to protect them.
All three of the men are carrying weapons, but why would they attack in broad daylight?
I don’t have time to think! I move quickly, darting towards Alfrea, but one of the men turns and sprints towards me, his sneer widening. Just before he can grab me, I duck, sliding to the left, and sweep his legs from under him. He comes down hard, grunting on impact.
But he’s fast, I’m barely past him when he’s already up again, raising his dagger at me and slashing with fury. I twist away, ducking just in time, the blade barely scraping my shoulder.
Alfrea! I’m almost to her when pain sears through me. One of the other men has grabbed me by the hair, yanking me backwards. I cry out, grabbing my head, trying to stop him, my scalp burning. I claw at his wrist, kicking wildly. My knee connects with his ribs, but he doesn’t let go, snarling as he yanks me against his chest.
“You need a beating, little whore!” he snarls, spit flying from his face.
I punch and kick wildly, struggling, doing anything to get free. He shoves me down, my hands scraping on something sharp on the ground.
I get to my feet, but before I can move, another man grabs my arms, wrenching them behind me as the first man grabs my dress, yanking me towards him, causing the dress to rip along the seam.
They laugh, but it only fuels my rage. I’m not a human woman where a bit of skin would make me feel exposed. The rage beneath the surface is rising. I slam my elbow into his neck, twisting free as he wheezes. I turn and kick him square in the chest, sending him stumbling back.
“Control the woman, we need to get this stuff out of here!” the man holding Alfrea growls.
The second man lunges again, slamming me into the ground. My head cracks against the dirt, causing my vision to blur. I’m about to roll over when I feel the cold touch of a blade pressed against my throat, the smell of sweat reeking off him.
This is enough.
It doesn’t matter if I have to blow my cover. If I don’t act now, they’ll all die.
I open my mouth, and the sound that spills out isn’t human. It’s soft at first, a haunting sound, rippling through the air, stilling everything. Then it deepens into something enchanting and hypnotic, carrying promises of tranquillity, desire, and blissful surrender.
The men hesitate. One drops his weapon, and the one above me sways, his eyes clouding over. I push him off, rising to my feet. The song builds in my chest until it vibrates through the ground beneath us. My eyes scan the men who have forgotten why they are even here.
I step toward the nearest man and take the dagger from his limp hand. Still singing, I drive it through his heart, and hedrops to the ground – dead. The melody shifts into despair as I yank the knife out and plunge it into the chest of the second man.
The last one stumbles back, trying to fight my sea siren song. His will may be strong, but my rage is stronger. I advance on him and reach for his face, my fingers brushing his cheek as his breath catches.
“The likes of you don’t deserve to live,” I whisper coldly.
My lips part, and my now sharper teeth graze his skin. A paralysing warmth spreads through him as the venom takes hold. His eyes widen in horror just before I press my lips to his. The world hums, and I suck his essence from him, letting it flow into me, pouring out in waves of cold energy, strength flooding my veins.
When it’s done, I stab him through the chest so everyone will think he died in the same manner as his friends. Stepping back, I drop the dagger, scanning my surroundings, trying to calm my emotions.
I hurry to Alfrea’s side. Her body is limp, I reach for her, but the sudden move startles the horse. I grab her, dragging her from the cart just as the horse whinnies and bolts into the trees. My hands shake as I lay her down gently and hurry to check on Dorene.
