The Siren

The crisp air swirled around my hair, picking up my dark locks and whirling them around my ribs. It was a strange contrast, the warm water that my body was used to, and the cold, foreign air that plagued the land. No matter, I insisted to myself, I wouldn't be up here for long. I brought my gaze upon the ship softly sailing away from the land, and wicked smiled slipped across my features. Mother had sent me to the surface, insisting that I would never be declared siren queen if I didn't take the life of a land prince. It wasn't as if I had never thought of using my voice to lure men to me, but it all seemed so boring. They wouldn't be able to resist my voice, or my face, and then it would end the same way it always had for my kind. I sighed, rubbing my hand across my eyes. I allowed myself a moment underwater, a moment to gather my thoughts, before I slinked under the dark water, bubbles lying in my wake. My waist length hair trailed behind me, blending in with the black sea beneath my body. This was my favorite part of the Luring, pacing with the ship. I grimaced thinking about the last male I had lured. He was a nobody, probably just some sailor, but he had been slightly attractive; in a human way. I pitied him for a brief second as he splashed into the water, eager to get closer to my husky voice and bare chest. The pity quickly faded as he stared directly at my body, my hair, anything other than my onyx eyes.

My eyes had always been my biggest insecurity. Every other siren and I knew had pale blue eyes, or a warm shade of amber. Even Mother had amber eyes! But mine were...dark, black as the sea. I had asked Mother before why my eyes were so dark, but she just smiled and stroked my cheek before swimming away. I shook the memories from my head and focused on my new victim. I loved to speak with the birds as they flew over the sea, they always let me know what happened on land. This prince, my new victim, was supposed to be very handsome, but he was despised on land; a cruel, unloving prince. In a way, it made it easier to kill him, knowing no one loved him back on land. I braced my hand on the ship once more and darted across the black sea, to a cluster of rocks. I perched myself upon them, taking care to lay my hair over my breasts, positioning my golden tail to be visible under the water. My golden tail was nothing unusual, unlike my eyes. Every siren in the royal family had one; Mother and I were the only royal siren left, but regardless, we still carried our golden tails, vibrant against our dark skin. I hummed a tune, waiting to see the ship break through the fog. It is quite a shame that no one besides my victims had heard me sing, it was considered improper to sing in the kingdom, a symbol of death. I treasured the moment I was able to let out my voice, even if it was tied to a darker, gruesome fate. I finally spotted the ship. It seemed small against the crashing waves, though I suspect anything would seem small when you compared it to the vast ocean. I gathered my breath and began to sing. It is strange to me. The humans find themselves so entranced with the sound of my voice they don't realize the sorrow that laid beneath my words. Or maybe, they didn't know the language of the sirens.

A voice wafted through the ship, pulling every man away from their positions as they fought to find the source of the music. They tried to fling themselves free from the ship, but they couldn't. They weren't the ones the siren wanted. Her voice caressed their ears, whispering the secrets of the ocean. Her melody haunted their souls. Within their bodies, the men were lashing for control, trying to break the collar she had planted on their minds. Alas, no man could withstand the song of the siren.

Prince Vaxon was briefly aware of a woman voice floating down into his chambers. His brows snaked together. No woman was allowed on the ship, the laws decreed that men were no more than animals, unable to contain themselves on the long voyages. He hopped off his velvet chair and followed the sound of the voice, its haunting tone stroked his ears, seeming as if he was blanketed in the sound. As he strode out of the chambers and to the deck, he found the crew, all of it, smashed against the side, peering out on something perched on the rocks. He leaned into the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of the voice, but the men wouldn't budge, wouldn't let him near the voice. His face flushed. He was their prince, how dare they treat him this way. As he turned his head, he glimpsed his friend, Max, was standing in the crowd. Prince Vaxon pushed his way through the crowd, desperate to see his only friend, desperate to see why they were so entranced. As the prince drew closer, he realized that Max was far gone as well. His breath caught in his throat. What was going on, he thought to himself. Vaxon shoved out of the crowd and began to climb up the mast, eager to see what was wrong. As he reached the top of the mast, his breath caught in his throat; the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen was laying upon the rocks, her raven hair spread out on her chest, her black eyes focused upon his face. He thought he noticed a frown, but she was too far away to tell. The woman slipped under the water, but her voice still echoed out into the air. A glimpse of gold caught his eye, but just as soon as he saw it, it was gone. Prince Vaxon began to wobble, realizing he hadn't taken in a breath since he saw the woman. The prince rubbed his eyes, and looked back to where the woman had sat; the rocks were barren. His eyes searched the ocean, desperate to see the gold again, but just found the black ocean gazing at him. He shook his head, his eyes popped open in surprise when he looked below himself to see the men had begun to leave their place of entrapment, as if nothing had happened.

I stared up at the man perched at the top of the ship, and I felt my eyes narrow. He had to be the prince, everyone else had been frozen to the spot where they searched for my voice. Yet, he wasn't jumping into the water to see me, try to touch me. I projected my voice out into the ocean one last time, frowning as he remained still, before I plunged into the dark depths, shocked at how cold the water felt now. I felt his eyes on my tail, and I sunk deeper into the dark pits. This was the first man who had not succumb to my voice...his reward would be his survival; for now.