by Matthew Ileseman
in Issue 138, July 2023
The Siren sat on a rock amidst the cold spray of the sea. Her skin was whitish green, her hair and eyes dark green. Her clothes were ragged. She opened her mouth and sang.
Her song was low and melodic. It wafted through the sea air amid the crashing of the waves. It hovered over the sea and the sandy beach outside of Sea Home. Those who heard it gathered on the beach to watch the Siren.
No one who heard the song knew what language she sang in yet no one who heard was not unmoved. Each felt a melancholy desire for things that they had never known.
When her song was done, she turned and looked at those gathered along the beach. Then with the quickness of a candle being snuffed out, she dove into the sea.
Aleron stood on the beach, his crimson cloak fluttering in the cold wind. Underneath was a mail shirt over his tunic. On his left hung a broadsword in its scabbard. Next to it was seax knife stuffed into his belt. A pouch for money hung on his right.
The pouch was empty. The song had momentarily distracted him from his poverty. Formerly a warrior-priest of the Order of Kersaises, he had been cast out of his Order. Now he was a sell-sword and bounty hunter and quite often struggled to have enough money for food and shelter.
“Well, that was something,” said a voice behind him.
He turned to see Krya, his companion-in-arms, sitting on the beach. She was the only one there who was not human. She was one of the Shrinya from the plains to the south of Sea Home. Her skin was gold as the sun. Her hair was crimson and her eyes emerald.
She put a long pipe into her mouth and blew smoke from it. The scent of tobacco mixed with the salty sea air. Strapped to her back were a bow and quiver of arrows. An axe lay beside her in the sand.
“Very beautiful song,” she said. “What was she?”
“They are called Sirens by sailors,” said Aleron. “What they call themselves no one knows. They supposedly live in a great kingdom under the sea. It is rare to see one.”
“I’d never heard of them,” she said. She stood up, taking up her axe. “Do they come here often?”
“I don’t know,” replied Aleron.
“Oh well, let’s get out of this wind,” she said.
“Any word on our bounty?” asked Aleron as they headed into town.
“No.”
They had come to Sea Home to be paid the bounty for a former pirate whom they had captured. The price on his head was substantial. The problem was that the local merchant’s guild, which had put up the bounty, refused to pay until the bandit was executed. Now, they waited while the local Magistrate deliberated on the punishment.
“You know if we had just killed him we would have been paid immediately,” said Krya.
“He surrendered,” replied Aleron. “I will not kill in cold blood.”
“He killed in cold blood. Besides, he will probably be put to death. It would have been easier to simply taken his head.”
“Perhaps,” said Aleron.
They came to a tavern.
“I could use a drink,” said Krya. “I still have some money.”
They entered the tavern. It was crowded with sailors who turned to look at them. Aleron and Krya ignored them and went to the bar at the back of the room. They ordered wine from the tavern keeper.
The tavern keeper brought them two goblets. He was a husky, bearded man. He sat them on the bar and said, “We don’t get many of your kind here.”
Krya raised an eyebrow. “My kind?”
Aleron sighed. Krya was at times quick to take offense. She was always quick to brawl.
“I meant no offense,” the tavern keeper said. “But we don’t get many bounty hunters here. You’re the two that caught Krogar. Well, done.”
Krya said, “I thought you meant because I was a Shrinya.”
“I don’t hold with treating Shrinya differently. I will serve anyone who pays even Malreans. In fact, we had one in here the other night. He was with that Siren. He is apparently her master.”
“That seems like a Malrean,” said Krya. There was bad blood between the Shrinya and the Malreans.
“What do you mean master?” said Aleron. “I did not think you have slaves here in Sea Home.”
“We get them occasionally. It is only owning a human slave that is outlawed here. Don’t hold with it myself, but I don’t interfere. It is bad for business. Also, I think the Malrean is a sorcerer and I don’t want to mess with any sorcerer.”
“Aren’t all Malreans sorcerers?” said Krya.
“I don’t know that,” the tavern keeper said.
“They have a culture that encourages practicing the dark arts,” said Aleron. “But it is unfair to believe they all do. When I was still with the Church, there were even some that came to our services who had forsworn sorcery.”
“That always seemed strange to me,” said Krya. “Didn’t the Malrean Empire persecute your religion in its beginnings?”
“Yes, but that was a long time ago. We don’t believe in opening the wounds of the past. Still, I can’t abide enslaving any thinking being.”
“Speak of the devil,” said the tavern keeper. They turned and saw the Malrean enter followed by the Siren. The Malrean had skin as white as bone. His eyes were pure black. Staring into them would be like staring into an abyss. He seemed to be hairless. He wore long robes of purple.
The Siren looked as ragged as before.
They went to a table. The Malrean ordered wine for himself and water for the Siren from a portly serving woman. The Siren kept her eyes down at the table.
“Poor thing,” said the tavern keeper.
Aleron stared at the girl without saying anything. The Malrean drank his wine slowly. When he was done he stood up and went to the back of the tavern where there was a staircase.
“He’s going to see Marbelle,” said the tavern keeper.
“Marbelle?” said Aleron.
“She lives on the second floor. She…uh…entertains men for money.”
“How long will he be up there?”
“Hour or so.”
Aleron got up and went over to the table where the Siren sat.
“Child,” he said.
“Yes,” she said looking at the table.
“Look at me,” Aleron said gently.
She looked at him. “Your robe is red. Are you one of the priests of Kersaises?”
“Once. A long time ago.”
She looked back down at the table. “I need help. I have heard that your order was the enemy of the Malreans and of slavery.”
Aleron was quiet a moment. Then he said, “I may not be with the Order anymore, but I can not abide slavery.
She looked up. “Then will you kill the Malrean for me?”
“I do not kill unless it is necessary, but I can help you escape.”
“It is not that easy.”
“I am currently broke, but if you need money I will find a way to get some.”
“I care not for money. I want to go back to my home in the sea where there is no need for money. However, I am bound by sorcery to serve the Malrean. Only his death can set me free.”
“I am not an assassin to be hired, but maybe I can find another way to break the spell.”
“I do not know if that can be done, but if it can please help me.”
Aleron sat at the table. “All right, child. What is your name?”
“I had a name once, but the Malrean took it from me. He used his sorcery to make me forget it. Ever since then I am compelled to obey him.”
“I am not well versed in sorcery,” said Aleron. “But I know some things about breaking a spell. Did he use some sort of object when he cast the spell? A wand or a jewel or something?”
“He has a book.”
“A grimoire.”
“Yes, that is where he keeps my name.”
“Then the solution is simple,” said Aleron. “All I need to do is steal the book. If you read your name it will break the spell.”
“It is not that simple. He is a powerful sorcerer. Also, he works with a group of pirates. The book is kept on their ship.”
“Trust me. I will figure out a way. What is the name of the ship?”
“The Shark.”
“You will have to be patient. I must come up with a plan to steal the book, but I will and then I will set you free.”
Aleron got up and went back to the bar. Krya leaned against it watching him. He started to explain to Krya who interrupted him.
“I heard your conversation,” she pointed at her ears. “I have sharp ears, remember. Aleron are you sure you want to do this? There is no profit in it.”
“Yes,”
“Aleron, you know me, I don’t like to do things without being paid.”
“You don’t have to. I can do this alone.”
“Aleron, you are a fool sometimes. You are putting yourself against a sorcerer and a crew of pirates. I’ve heard of The Shark. They are a brutal bunch. Are you sure it is worth it? Just to appease your sense of chivalry?”
“Yes,”
Krya sighed “I guess I will have to keep you from getting yourself killed then.”
The Shark floated in the water by the dock. It had a single mast with a lowered sail. It was as sleek as its namesake. Smaller than most merchant ships, it was still large enough to carry a good crew and cargo. It was obviously a pirate ship, but the harbor master was notoriously corrupt so no one did anything about it.
Two large men guarded the gangplank allowing only those they knew on board. The large cutlasses hanging from their belts kept anyone else from trying. Not many people visited The Shark. Most of the crew had gone ashore to patronize the taverns, inns, and brothels of Sea Home.
Aleron made no attempt to board the ship. He had taken on greater odds in his time but he saw no reason to act rashly. Instead, he sat at the end of a pier with fishing rod in hand and watched the vessel out of the corner of his eye. Occasionally, the guards would glance his way. When they did they did not see him dressed in his red cloak and chain mail. Instead, he dressed as a poor vagabond, which he reflected was not so far from the truth.
So for most of the morning he sat on the pier watching the vessel. He tried to form plans to sneak aboard the ship, but none presented themselves. His attention wandered to whether or not the Magistrate had made his decision. He also wondered if he would catch any fish.
When the sun was almost in the middle of the sky, a merchant came to the ship. The captain came down the gangway. The two started arguing. The longer they did so the more heated it got. Eventually, the merchant began to shout at the captain. From what Aleron heard the topic was money that the captain owed.
The captain pulled his cutlass from his sheath and the merchant wisely ceased shouting. He said one or two more words to the captain and then left. As Aleron watched the merchant leave there was a tug on his fish line.
Aleron pulled the fish from the water and smiled.
As the fish roasted over the fire in his inn room, Aleron told Krya, “The merchant’s name is Contisisso. The captain apparently owes him a lot of money. The merchant has been financing his pirating ventures. I think I can use him to get on the ship.”
“And probably get yourself killed,” said Krya.
“I’ll be careful,” he replied.
“If you were being careful you wouldn’t be doing this at all. It’s not like there is profit in it. Speaking of profit, I do have some good news.”
“The Merchant’s Guild has agreed to pay us?”
“Not yet,” she said. “They won’t pay until the Magistrate makes his decision. I did, however, find out why he is taking his time. It seems that the family of the pirate we captured is trying to bribe the Magistrate to let him go. I found this out and alerted the Guild. They are willing to pay even more to have him executed. When that happens we can finally get our reward.”
Aleron sighed. “He should have a fair trial.”
“Why?” replied Krya. “There’s no doubt of his guilt.”
“Yes, but still…”
“The man deserves worse. He butchered children among other things. Anyway, we won’t have to fish for our food. Assuming, of course, your latest crusade doesn’t get us killed.”
“As I said, I will be careful.”
“How will you get the merchant to help you?”
“Simple, I will get him to hire us as bodyguards.”
“Will he do it?”
“I have a plan.”
Aleron simply asked Contisisso to hire him as bodyguard in the same tavern he had talked to the Siren. The merchant was taken aback when the warrior-priest approached him, but Aleron explained that he had heard of the merchant’s quarrel and was in need of money. He would get the merchant’s money back in exchange for a small share.
Contisisso looked into his goblet as if he was trying to scry the future. He was a short man an, like many successful merchants, fat. He looked up at Aleron and asked, “How do I know you are any good? I mean if you were, wouldn’t you have money?”
“I have merely fallen on hard times. I can prove my skill if you want,” replied Aleron. He turned to the tavern keeper and asked, “Who is the best brawler among your drinkers?”
The tavern keeper pointed at a large man sitting at a table in the corner. Aleron walked up to him and made a comment about the man’s choice of sexual partners. The brawler pushed himself up from the table. He was an inch taller and much heavier than Aleron.
Aleron merely repeated his insult.
The brawler came around the table and swung his fist. Aleron caught the arm, twisted around, and threw him into another table. This enraged two burly seamen who had been sitting there drinking rum. They rushed Aleron. The warrior-priest dodged a blow from the lead seaman and struck him in the belly. That stopped him. Aleron grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him into the other seaman. They crashed into the first brawler who had just stood up.
Aleron walked over to where the three were sprawled on the floor. He looked down and said, “I’m sorry. How about we stop this and I will buy you all a drink.”
The three on the floor looked up at Aleron. They noticed his hand on the hilt of his sword. All three agreed.
Aleron walked over to Contisisso who stood stunned.
“Would you lend me a couple of coins to pay for these men’s drinks?”
Contisisso looked at the three then Aleron.
“I’ll just pay for it,” he said.
The next day Krya joined them as they boarded The Shark. She feared for Aleron’s safety. Also, she wanted a share of the money.
Contisisso got by the guards by simply telling them that he had to speak to the captain. Then they climbed the gangway to the ship. It rocked beneath them. Aleron and the merchant had traveled a lot by sea in their time so they had good sea legs. Krya, who been born far away from the sea, did her best walk steadily.
The ship had only a skeleton crew. Seeing them, one of the pirates went down below. Cursing, the captain emerged. He was a short man who looked more like a scholar than a pirate. Last time Aleron had saw him he had a cutlass, but now he carried no arms. He looked at the trio and sighed.
“What now?” he said.
“We are here to retrieve the gold you owe Contisisso,” replied Aleron.
“How do you plan to do that?”
“Any means necessary.”
The captain was silent for a moment. He turned his back and said, “Throw them off the ship.”
One of the pirates made the mistake of grabbing Krya’s arm. Like lightning, she clawed him in the face. Blood running down his face, he stumbled backward over the railing into the sea. The captain made a movement to tackle Aleron, who dodged aside and grabbed the hair of the back of the captain’s head. Aleron unsheathed his seax knife and held the blade against the captain’s throat.
“Will you pay now?”
“Yes”
The rest of the crew backed off. Aleron kept the blade to the captain’s neck. They went into the captain’s cabin. There was a desk with nautical charts and a sextant.
“It’s in the drawer. It’s locked.”
“Unlock it,” said Aleron. He let go of the captain’s hair, but kept his blade ready. The captain fumbled for the key. Eventually, he unlocked the drawer and pulled out a bag of gold. He gave it to Contisisso.
“There is one more thing,” said Aleron. “You have a Malrean on your crew. A sorcerer.”
“What of it?”
“I want you to take me to his quarters.”
“You’re crazy. Even I don’t mess with him.”
“You do not want to mess with us either,” said Krya as she lifted the axe that hung at her side. The merchant looked at the axe and cursed. He took them to the Malrean’s cabin.
As they walked to the cabin, Contisisso asked, “What do you want with the sorcerer?”
“Reading material,” replied Aleron.
The Malrean had what would have been a passenger cabin on a normal vessel. It was small and crowded with various occult objects. The Malrean, who had been meditating on the floor when they came in, stared up at Aleron with pure black eyes.
“A servant of Kersaises?” he said as he stood up.
“Yes, and you are a servant of the Abyss.”
“What do you want?”
“Merely this,” said Aleron. He walked over to a table on which a large book sat. Its title was in the Black Speech, the language that sorcerers used for incantations. There were no other books in the room.
“That is mine!” said the Malrean as Aleron confiscated it.
“Not any more,” said Aleron.
The sorcerer raised his hands to begin an incantation. Before he could speak, Aleron swung the grimoire. Its spine struck below the Malrean’s ear. There was a crack as his jaw shattered. He fell unconscious on the floor.
Aleron looked down at the unconscious Malrean. He shrugged and said, “All right, we have what we came for. Let’s leave.”
After they walked off the ship, Aleron and Krya collected their fee from Contisisso. Aleron left the gold in Krya’s safekeeping and went to find the Siren. He found her on the sea shore.
She sat on the beach watching the dark waves roll out into the ocean. She seemed forlorn. Aleron came up behind her casting his shadow over her head. She turned her head and looked up at Aleron. Then she saw the book and jumped up.
“You have it,” she said. “I can free myself.”
“Yes,”
“Give me the book.”
Aleron did so. She searched the pages until she found her name. She sang it out loud. It sounded unlike anything Aleron had ever heard before. It was long and melodic. It could have been a song in itself. When she stopped, she vomited out something black onto the sand. It looked somewhat like a scorpion. It dissolved into the sand.
“That was the spell that bound me to him,” said the Siren. “I am free.”
“Good,” said Aleron. He went to take the book from her.
“What do you want?” she said.
“The book has to be destroyed. It is black magic.”
“No, I need it,” she replied.
“For what?”
“Vengeance.”
That took Aleron back. He had assumed she merely wanted to be free.
“I understand how you feel, but vengeance in my experience corrupts the soul. So does sorcery. Give me the book.”
“No,” she said, stepping away.
“I don’t want to take it by force,” said Aleron.
“You won’t,” she replied. Then she spoke in the Black Speech. There was a cracking sound and a creature like a jet black serpent flew out of her mouth. It wrapped itself around Aleron binding his arms and feet. He fell to the ground. He struggled futilely to get free.
“You helped me,” she said. “So I’m not going to hurt you. But my enslavers need to pay.”
She began searching through the grimoire.
“I watched the Malrean for years. I know enough to make this work,” she said. She found what she was looking for. Then she sang.
It was not the song she sang before on the rock. It was a song in the Black Speech. Her other song had been sad, but this one was full of rage. It was the rage against her captors. It was rage against the world.
Her eyes rolled back into her head. Black flame streamed from her open mouth up into the sky. There it grew into a black blaze. It slowly began to coalesce into a form roughly human in shape but with wings and horns.
Aleron knew it was a demon of the Abyss.
He lay stricken in horror. The demon turned its head as if looking for something. It looked down at Aleron. It broke into a horrible laughter. Then it stopped.
It looked at the wooden buildings of Sea Home. Its maw opened wide. Black flames spewed forth enveloping the nearest building. Aleron could feel the heat from the blaze where he lay. A person ran out of the burning building. As he did so, black flames consumed his flesh. He fell to the ground where he writhed until he died. His burnt corpse lay in the sand.
Then the demon proceeded to fly high into the air. It continued to spew forth black flame setting Sea Home ablaze.
Aleron tried to free himself from the black serpent that entangled him. It was impossible. He gave up. He tried to recall what little he knew of sorcery. He knew nothing that could help free him, but he realized something else.
He turned his head to the Siren. Throughout all of this she continued to sing in the Black Speech. The song which had begun clear had grown indistinct. Now it was just a groaning sound.
“You have to stop this,” shouted Aleron. “Stop singing. You’re not controlling it. It’s controlling you.”
The Siren did not respond.
“You have to give up your rage,” Aleron continued. “The demon is your rage. I know they hurt you but you can not take it out on the entire world.”
Again there was no response. Aleron did not know if she even heard him. She was completely gone.
The demon, however, seemed to notice him.
“Try all you want, little priest,” it said in a horrible voice. “I am in control now and what I want is to see the world aflame.”
“Go back to the Abyss!” Aleron shouted. “You’re not wanted here.”
“I care not. I care only to burn,” it said, opening its maw.
Aleron expected to be engulfed in flames. Instead, something else happened. An arrow flew by striking the Siren in the throat.
Aleron turned to see Krya standing on the beach bow in hand.
The Siren stopped singing. She fell to the ground. The serpent entangling Aleron melted away. The demon screamed and then it too dissolved into nothingness.
Krya ran over to Aleron.
“Are you all right?”
“I am,” he said. “Thanks to you.”
Krya helped him up. He turned and looked at the Siren. She was on her knees clasping her throat. Blood ran through her fingers. Tears ran down her cheeks. She opened her mouth and tried to say something but all that came out was a kind of gasping sound.
She pushed herself up and ran toward the surf. Krya notched another arrow. She took aim. Aleron grabbed the shaft.
“No,” he said. “She will have to live with what she has done. There’s been enough vengeance.”
Krya returned the arrow to her quiver. They turned. Sea Home was still ablaze though the flames which had been pure black were now red and gold. People ran about with buckets of water trying to douse the fire.
“The best thing we can do is help put out these fires.” said Aleron. They ran to help.
The Magistrate eventually decided to put Krogar to death. Aleron and Krya collected their fee. After that they went to the dock to watch The Shark, which ironically had been untouched by the fire, sail off to pillage more ships.
Aleron sighed and the two of them walked down the dock among the burnt husks of buildings. The fire had consumed much of Sea Home and taken many lives. Still, there were enough people and materials left to rebuild.
“They should have been punished,” he said. “They were slavers and pirates.”
“Yes,” Krya said.
Aleron continued. “But there are many in this world that deserve to be punished and are not. It would be a cruel world if we all had to face punishment for our every sin. And yet I cannot feel anything but anger.”
They continued walking. Eventually, Krya said, “What are we going to do now?”
“Oh, return south,” said Aleron. “I have had enough of the sea.”
“I wonder what happened to the Siren?” asked Krya.
Waves crashed on the rock that the Siren sat on. The folk of Sea Home watched her from the beach. It had been a long time since they had seen her. That was before the great fire. The fire was still talked about. No one knew how it started. Some claimed to see a demon made of flames, but they were disbelieved.
They lined the beach expecting her to sing. She did not. Instead, she sat on the rocks weeping. The crowd grew bored and dispersed. They all felt as if something had been taken from the world. Something important. Eventually, the Siren dove into the sea.
No one would ever hear her sing again.
©July 2023, Matthew Ilseman
Matthew Ilseman was born in Texas and lives in Colorado. His work has appeared previously in Swords & Sorcery.