The Siren and the Rogue Prince

Chapter 2

We slither along the edge of the ship. I hear voices above us.

"It's terribly cold," a voice murmurs. The voice is soft, young, and perhaps even a tad frightened. 

I attempt to imagine the speaker in my mind.

"Indeed," another voice replies. This voice carries an air of maturity, tinged with sadness.

A part of me longs to rise to the water's surface and find who the voices belong to, but Nurilla restrains me. Her talons pierce my arm, a silent warning.

"Stay here," she hisses. "We cannot risk being caught." I comply, anxiously twirling my sapphire bracelet, awaiting our next move.

Nurilla flicks her hand, urging me to follow her. We swam to the side of the ship. The splintered wood poked into my pale skin. We stick our heads out of the water. The cool sea breeze brushes across my face. I could smell seaweed, fish, and human food.

We are just close enough that they can't see us. Standing on the deck were two youths. They seemed to be around the same age as me. I could already tell which was the prince. He wore a golden crown of emeralds. My favorite. His hair was black as the midnight sea and slicked back. The other boy wore a creme-colored sailor's top, black bottoms, and leather boots. His hair was a dusty brown, all in his eyes. Nurilla grinned.

"This will be good." she says. "Mother will be pleased when we return with the Prince of Casyria's heart."

This didn't matter much to me. I could care less about princes. My interest was in the jewels they owned. I imagined the royal treasuries filled with stunning jewels, pearl necklaces, and gold coins. The Kingdom of Casyria is very important to our kingdom. It was the largest, richest, and closest to ours. My family has been trying to remove their heirs before they ascended the throne for centuries. Nurilla pokes my arm, pulling me from my thoughts.

"It's time!" she declares.

A murderous smile appears on her face. We emerge from the water and begin our song. It was a song all sirens knew by heart: "A Sailor's Last Laugh." Our voices were echoed by the waves of the sea. The boys turned toward us.

"Hello, sirens." the dusty-haired boy says, his green eyes shimmering. He leaned over the side of the ship. The prince's eyes widened a little. He covered his ears and began trying to pull the other boy away.

"Calo, cover your ears!" the prince yelled.

"Sing louder!" Nurilla demanded.

I sing as loud as I can. The other members of the crew began to notice, but they were frozen in fear. By now, the boy called Calo had leaned over the rails and dropped into the water. I could see the prince yelling at the crew.

"We need to save him!" he yelled. I watch as he tries to shake the sailors from their trance.

Nobody moved. Nurilla grabbed the boy and dove under the water. I took one last glimpse at the prince and followed. We both grabbed the ankles of the fallen boy. Nurilla locked eyes with me. He thrashed but was no match for our strength. Water began to fill his lungs. I watched as his lips turned blue and he went still. Nurilla smiled.

"Well done." she says to me. I felt slightly sick.

"He's not the prince, but he'll have to do," she says.

With that, she drew her claws and ripped the boy's heart from his chest. The water turns blood red.