The Sacrifice of Love

~11~

Another three years had passed since Enid discovered the truth about her abilities and her new identity. During that time, she focused on harnessing her ability to soar high through the sky as she carried souls, to swim in the deepest parts of the ocean with an unfortunate sailor, and to sing the sweetest songs to place any man under her command.

After a year of training her enchanting voice, she managed to compel her first sailor into delivering a gift to her father. She scoured the seafloor for three days until she found the perfect object she could send to her beloved father - a nautilus shell.

"If I could give this to you myself, Father, I would...I hope it reaches you," she had told herself the moment she found the item. She returned home to the coral reef and searched for Asherah to tell the older siren of her success with her training and of the sailor. 

Instead, she was stopped by her only close friend among the sirens, Kailani. "Your mentor is not doing well, Enid. It is best that you let her rest in her own nest," she had told Enid. "What? Is she okay? Is she sick?" she had questioned, and she remembered trying to force her way past the older siren. 

"Please, Enid. Return home." So, while she had continued to prosper in her training, Asherah had suffered more and more. The older siren would go night after night without rest, would jump at every single sudden noise, and go on about the man she no longer loved.

"My time is almost up, I can feel it," she once told Enid, the rare time they interacted, but offered no other explanation. No matter how often she questioned or how persistent she had been, Enid remained evermore confused about the siren's dwindling condition - until today.

Enid had grown to be one of the most talented swimmers in the entire family of sirens, so she was able to follow Asherah silently and across what seemed to be the entire ocean. Not once did the older siren pause to rest, though, and as much as her body screamed for rest, Enid did not slow, either.

She had followed her mentor for the entirety of the day, and at times she heard Asherah mutter and mumble to herself. "Almost there," she'd say, "It is almost time." Time for what? Enid thought to herself. What is going to happen, and why has she never spoken of this danger before?

She glanced up at the surface when the moonlight slowly vanished, and she could see large, dark masses looming high above the water. Where even are we? Asherah then began to ascend towards the surface at a quick pace, so Enid did the same.

Whoa... There were tall, pointed mountains all around them, and at the center of the wide lake was a towering stack of pirate ships dotted with lanterns. There were other ships docked all around the stack, and she could hear the faint chatter of multiple voices.

What could Asherah need or want from pirates? she thought. The older siren swam closer to the ship stack, but Enid remained rooted - something did not feel right about this place. A single scream suddenly sounded through the air, sending chills and goosebumps down her spine. 

Pirates suddenly began to flood the shorelines, but there was no time for Asherah to escape. A net had been thrown into the sea and right on top of the older siren, entangling her. She let out a screech as she thrashed in the water, and Enid quickly paddled away from the scene to not be caught, as well. 

"We've got her, lads! Reel her in!" one pirate yelled in triumph, and the rest of the pirates cheered loudly and proudly. Asherah screeched once again as she was pulled ashore, but she did not resist, all while Enid remained frozen in place. I must help her, but the pirates...

She then slowly swam closer to the far end of the shoreline, away from the mass crowd so she could continue to watch the spectacle. Asherah was then deposited on land, hissing and snarling viciously at any pirate that tried to approach her.