Siren

Dark storm clouds loomed overhead. The ship’s sails were billowing in the strong sea winds. Everything pointed to an approaching storm. The clouds, the wind, the lashing rain that was an on and off occurrence. It wasn’t as though it was unexpected, no, quite the opposite. A storm like this was visible days away, you could feel it in the air, taste the strength of it on your skin. It was going to be rough, but it was going to be manageable. They’d dealt with worse in the past, this was just another test. 

Caspian was used to storms like this. He’d been a ship’s Captain for long enough that they no longer fazed him. The sea that surrounded Aedria was harsh on even the calmest days; he’d grown up with waves that threatened the mountains in height and he’d seen ships thrown against the rocks time and time again. He’d spent his childhood scouring the coastline for whatever washed up after any particularly harsh storm.

It came as no surprise when the storm came. All the signs had been there. The crackling air that tingled against his skin. The waves that had begun to break before they even reached the shore. The chill wind that rapped against the sails. All of it could have only meant that the storm was closer than ever.

A flash of lightning sparked through the dark clouds above. Caspian stool still at the helm and counted. One. Two. Three. Four.

Thunder roared around them, lasting for several seconds before it was quiet once more. Caspian Looked North towards the island of Aedria. It was too far for them to turn back, no matter how harsh the storm got. The closest dock was Clewre-Wharf, and that harbour was nowhere near big enough for a vessel like The Nymphe. Clewre-Wharf could hardly handle a decent sized fishing boat, let alone one that frequently hauled across the open seas. 

No, the only harbour on Aedria they could even consider docking at was Ashenport, but they were too far away from Ashenport to turn back. If they were lucky the winds would carry them to the next island across, but it didn’t seem like luck was on their side. 

The winds rapidly shifted direction with enough force to rock the ship. Caspian watched as his men hurried to fix the sails. He didn’t even need to bark orders at them any more, they all knew what they were doing better than any other sailors out there. 

There was a reason that only his crew had been able to navigate the seas from Aedria. The only other ships that even crossed the rocky channel were small supply boats. Typically they had no more than three men aboard at one time. Anything larger and no one could navigate through the jagged rocks that lay beneath the waves. A graveyard of ships lay throughout the expanse of ocean between Aedria and the rest of mainland Isath. Each new ship that tried to navigate ultimately just made it even worse. 

Another flash of lightning shot across the sky sending veins of light through the clouds. This time Caspian only had to wait for two seconds before the thunder sounded above. 

The harsh winds only continued to bring the storm closer towards them. Waves lashed against the hull of the boat and sent water swerving up in spurts that crashed down onto the deck. This storm was a true test, and Caspian prayed that whichever God sent it was feeling merciful.

With hope on his side, Caspian took his place at the helm. He asked his first mate, Nalian, to help the men with the sails and grabbed a hold of the wheel. The waves were fierce and Caspian had to fight the ship every step of the way. He knew that it was going to be a rough few days at sea. If he was lucky then the winds would carry this storm away as fast as possible. Perhaps by nightfall the seas would quieten down and he’d be able to rest for the day without fear of the ship capsizing. But the dark clouds that coated every visible inch of sky told a different story. 

The Nymphe was a hardy ship made of idenleth bark. It gave the planks a deep blue hue unlike anything else. The wood itself naturally had veins of red surging through it and a crimson sap that made it look as though the wood itself was bleeding whenever it was cut. The golden nails they’d used to pin the planks into place were still as shiny as they were when they’d first been put in twenty years prior. It was the same gold that adorned the rest of the metal on the ship. Most men chose to use iron as their metal of choice. But Caspian wanted better for his vessel. No, iron wasn’t good enough for him. 

That’s why everything was gold. But Caspian knew better than to use real gold. Only fools built with a metal so soft, and he was no fool. 

The gold colour came from a rare ore that they’d found deep in the mines of Emberhelm. It was thought to be just another byproduct when they were mining for copper and tin to make their bronze armour and weapons. The gold was intriguing at first as many thought it to be just that: gold. But oh how wrong they were. They’d tried to extract it from the stone the same way they did gold, but nothing came of it. The metal remained in chunks as they continued to heat up the stone until it cracked and split under the pressure. It wasn’t until the magic men got their hands on the metal that anything came of it. They used the rays of the sun herself to melt the stone in small ray and extracted the metal. But even the heat of the sun wasn’t hot enough to melt the strange substance. 

They threw spells and whatever incantations they could think of at the metal until they finally gave up. It was deemed impossible until a Priestess of Ayona, Goddess of Dawn brought the metal to the peak of Mount Bayne at the first light of day. She used a glass lens to harness the power of the rising sun and channelled it into the metal. It was only then that the metal seeped out of the stone and lay upon the snow coated altar. As the lens was removed it hardened to a lightweight disc that was so strong even the most powerful machine couldn’t dent it. In the first light of day, the metal gleamed a deep purple that stuck around for a few hours until it faded to its usual golden colour. Many men disregarded the metal. Despite the Priestess’ pleas that she hadn’t tampered with the metal, no one believed her. What could have been a fierce metal for weapons and armour was tossed aside as scrap. 

But Caspian didn’t listen to the others.

Instead, he worked together with the Priestess in order to assemble all the parts he needed for his ship. They built a lens upon the mountain that rivalled even the machines in Nagovia. Together, they spent a year melting down the metal that they had called ayolite, and creating the pieces. It was far cheaper than having to buy or trade for the iron he would have needed for his ship. It may have taken longer but he knew that it would be worth it one day. Most mines would just throw away whatever ayolite they mined and others told Caspian that if found a way to outsource it there’d be a pretty penny in it for him. So in the end it was worth it as he managed to turn a profit on building the ship. After all, idenleth wood and the fabric for the sails wasn’t cheap. 

He used whatever ayolite that he had leftover to make jewellery and gifts for those around him. Rings and necklaces were easy enough to make and he helped the Priestess in forming new amulets for her Goddess. He still wore the one they’d made together to that very day. She had blessed the metal as she’d done so to ensure Caspian would never come to harm when out on the sea. Once she’d done that, they made something with the same blessing for each of his crew. They all wore a badge unique to them that Caspian made sure kept them safe from harm.  

Sure, he could have gone to one of the mages and had them imbued with magic, but he preferred his blessings to come from the Gods and not some book slinging man with no sense of what repercussions magic could cause. 

Caspian could have just left the blessings out of the jewellery, but he knew what lurked in the oceans. Creatures that would charm and lure sailors to an early demise. If Caspian could stop that from happening to his men, he’d take whatever chance he could get. Even if that meant relying on a Goddess that he had never prayed to before. 

Ever since then, he’d never had a single issue at the dawn of a new day. Even when it seemed like a storm was about to split The Nymphe in two, Caspian just waited until he could see that small sliver of golden light creep its way up the horizon. And just like that the storm would disappear. He just hoped that this one was the same.

Lightning sparked above them, striking the jagged stones that jutted out of the ocean just a mere ship’s length away. Thunder boomed immediately, not even giving Caspian a chance to think about counting. The storm was moving quickly, but there were still storm clouds ahead. They weren’t in the clear just yet.

The day dragged on and by the time the night came the storm clouds were still as violent as before. The ship’s deck was covered in a layer of water that made the wooden planks slippery and Caspian had seen more than one of his men fall. Some had decided to remove their boots in hopes of finding more friction with their bare feet. It had worked for some, including Prynn who was hurriedly rushing between port and starboard to check the sides of the ship for any visible signs of damage on the outside. Caspian had managed to avoid any of the rocks, but the waves were rough against the vessel. He didn’t know what was beneath them, so they had to take extra care until the storm subsided.

In weather like this, Caspian knew that more than one ship would be sunk to the depths of the ocean. The lighter ones would be chucked around by the waves and churned up into debris that could pierce other ships. He’d seen it happen before when he was just a rookie. Planks would pierce the hull and create gaping wounds that needed to be patched up. Caspian had never had it happen on The Nymphe, but there was a first time for everything.

‘Captain!’ Prynn yelled over the lashing rain as she came running up the stairs towards where Caspian stood behind the wheel.

‘What is it, Prynn?’ Caspian asked when she was closer enough to hear without him having to yell.

‘There’s something down on the rocks due to the North.’

That was never a good sign. 

‘What kind of thing?’

‘I don’ know Captain, but it looks bright as day,’ Prynn said and pointed towards the rocks she was talking about.

Even without his spyglass Caspian could see the dazzling blue blob that shimmered in the moonlight. He’d spent enough time at sea to know exactly what it was. There was only one thing that could remain so calm in a storm like this. And Caspian knew in the back of his mind that this storm wasn’t going to let up any time soon.

‘Siren,’ he growled. 

He couldn’t hear her song over the sound of the rain but he knew it wouldn’t make a difference to him. The ayolite pendant he wore around his neck had made him immune to the charming ways of the monstrous sea beasts. Even if he could hear her, it would have been useless.

‘Did you say siren, Cap?’ Prynn asked, her eyes wide in horror. ‘What should we do?’

‘Nothing, she can’t harm us. Just tell everyone to keep their ayolite close to their chests and whatever they do, do not look her in the eyes. I’d rather not test the limits of Ayola’s blessing.’ Caspian ordered and Prynn nodded with a fierce smile.

‘Aye Captain.’

She turned on her heel and disappeared down the stairs towards the rest of the crew. Caspian then pulled out his spyglass to look at the siren in more detail. 

She lay across the rocks and looked directly at The Nymphe, a wicked smile across her face. Her fanned ears stuck out from her head and were both adorned with mismatched earrings. They hung from her skin like trophies on a huntsman’s wall and Caspian couldn’t help but think that’s exactly what they were. In a similar fashion she wore a shell necklace that had glistening pearls and gemstones beaded between each shell pendant. A tiara was placed atop her head that weaved underneath her blue hair. Shells arched across the top that were separated by spines that looked as though they were carved from bone. 

Her chest was completely bare apart from a chain that hung down from her neck and looped around her waist. Badges hung from the chain, only separated by strings of teeth. Her tail wrapped down the rock and into the choppy water below. She didn’t seem to care for the waves that rapped against the rocks she sat on, more interested in The Nymphe and her potential trophies than anything else. But that wasn’t all she was focused on.

Caspian’s stomach dropped as he made out what she was holding in her webbed hand. Beside her tail was a skull, still patched with flesh that she was picking off with claw tipped nails. The man’s eyes had been replaced by gemstones that flashed as lightning struck the rocks. She was unfazed by the lightning and Caspian realised why when her other hand crackled with the storm’s energy. 

Her mouth moved with her alluring words but Caspian paid them no attention. Her eyes raked over the ship as she sized the vessel up.

Even though Caspian knew he was safe, he felt a gnawing unease in the pit of his stomach. He lowered his spyglass and tucked it back into the inner pocket of his jacket. 

‘Nalian!’ Caspian yelled across the ship.

Nalian’s head whipped around to look at Caspian. He came running over when Caspian waved for him to and he was at the top of the stairs in seconds.

‘Aye, what is it, Captain?’ Nalian asked, a dark look had embedded itself in his eyes. One that wasn’t there before and one that Caspian hoped was down to the news of the siren rather than the siren herself.

‘Steer the ship, I’m going to take care of this beast myself.’ Caspian said and went to storm off down the ship.

‘That’s not safe Captain, and you know that,’ Nalian argued back, blocking Caspian’s route down.

‘I have to.’ Caspian said firmly, but Nalian didn’t budge.

‘I won’t let you do that Captain.’ Nalian placed a hand to Caspian’s chest and pushed him back towards the wheel. ‘Nay Cap, I can’t let you do that.’

‘Do you disobey me?’ Caspian snapped at his blatant disregard for Caspian’s authority. 

I am not letting you put them in jeopardy for the sake of your pride.’ Nalian gestured at the rest of the crew who were hurriedly running around the ship. ‘We are safe up here Captain, she can’t harm us.’

‘And what about all the other vessels?’ Caspian yelled and gestured wildly at the thrashing ocean. ‘Are we supposed to just let them die?’

‘What other vessels Captain? Who else is reckless enough to come here?’ Nalian shot back with a scowl.

‘What about all the fishermen whose livelihoods are in these waters? All those simply trying to make passage between Aedria and the glacier islands? What about those people, Nalian?’ he asked with a frown etched across his face. He wasn’t going to give up, not yet at least.

‘Then we put up a sign, Captain.’ Nalian said, clearly exasperated by Caspian’s persistence. ‘We make a big ol’ sign that says ‘Sirens, Beware’. Then they know and you don’t have to risk your life.’ 

He had an answer to everything Caspian said and he wasn’t going to back down any time soon. But neither was Caspian.

‘It’s safer if she’s dead.’ Caspian said and tried to move around Nalian again but was stopped by an arm across his chest.

‘And you’ll be dead with her, Captain. Don’t you see that?’ he looked Caspian dead in the eyes with a warning look that Caspian didn’t even flinch at.

‘She can’t harm me and you know that.’

‘No, I don’t Captain. We might be safe from harm but I doubt that stretches to fighting a bloody siren.’

‘I have to try.’ Caspian shoved Nalian to the side and stormed down the stairs.

‘Stop trying to be a hero, Caspian.’ Nalian yelled after him.

Caspian froze at the bottom of the stairs and his words were lost in his throat when Nalian said his name. 

‘Think about us.’ Nalian continued to plead with him. ‘What sort of danger will you plunge us into if you try to take her on? These waters will pull you under and toss you against the rocks until your insides are your outsides. And that’s before the siren even touches you. We both know even you won’t survive.’

‘Ayola will protect me,’ Caspian said over his shoulder and clutched the pendant around his neck.

‘Ayola won’t do shit.’ Nalian spat at him and pointed to the sky in an exasperated gesture. ‘Look at the sky, Caspian. It’s fucking night-time and unless you’ve got a blessing from Vahla, then you’ve got no one to look out for you but me.’

‘But-’ he began to retort.

‘No, Caspian.’ Nalian cut him off with a stern voice. ‘Just think for a fucking second. You can be a hero by just showing back up on Ashenport’s shore unscathed by the storm. You don’t need to kill a siren to get that title. It’s not worth it. You don’t only have yourself to live for any more.’

Caspian’s heart sank. Nalian was right. Had it been just a few years ago then maybe he would’ve pushed Nalian aside and continued on. But he wasn’t alone any more. He had Yvette back in the Clocktower of Ashenport. Yvette who’d let him stay for as long as he needed and never pried as to why he’d washed up on the shores of Ashenport with nothing more than the clothes on his back and a busted compass. She’d shown him that life was more than hopping from town to town the moment someone knew his name or called him friend. But what was more were the two boys that looked up to him and called him Dad without hesitation. He was all they had since their father had been exiled. He was all they had and he’d left them alone in that Clocktower without a second thought. 

‘They need you, Caspian.’ Nalian was barely loud enough to hear over the rain but the words still stung like a dagger in Caspian’s heart. ‘They can’t lose someone else.’

Caspian unclenched his jaw and took a deep breath. Nalian was right, about everything. It was why he was Caspian’s first mate to begin with. 

‘You’re right, Nalian.’ Caspian said, defeated. He turned on his heel and walked back up the stairs to where Nalian stood at the top.. ‘You’re right.’

Nalian still wore a stern expression that didn’t falter when Caspian approached him. 

‘Tell the others to ready the sails for the North-East,’ Caspian said and readjusted his hat. ‘We’ll steer around these rocks and sail as far away from her as possible. If I’m right, then we should see this storm clear up by dawn.’

‘Aye, Captain,’ Nalian said with a fierce smile painted on his face.

He gave Caspian a two fingered salute before turning on his heel and disappearing down the stairs.

All they had to do now was wait for the first light of dawn.