The Siren Song - Book 2 of the Legends of Henge Series

Chapter 32

Lark Tanning

After the others left, I relaxed a bit. I had the day to my own thoughts. "I'm gonna go find some wood," I announced to the others. Ed gave me a small nod but otherwise they didn't respond.

There were plenty of dead sticks littering the ground because the trees were dying. I sat down on a log on the other side and drew pictures in the sand. I threw a stick at a bush when I heard some scrabbling in the undergrowth.

"Gah, what was that for?" hissed a small lizard.

"Franc!" I snapped. "Did you follow me here?"

"No, I was hunting until you tried to kill me with a stick," he complained.

"Sorry," I muttered. "You're not spying on me though, right?"

"What makes you think you're so interesting?" Franc inquired.

"Just paranoia," I admitted. "Could you fetch me that stick?"

"The one you just threw at me?" he cackled. "What's wrong with your legs?" My legs tingled, thinking about last year's Quest, when Bailey had torn through my knees with her twin blades.

"You've got two more than me," I pointed out. I watched him sigh in annoyance before hobbling off to fetch it for me. The gold point strapped to his back gleamed in the morning light.

When he dropped the twig in my meager pile, he snorted. "Getting wood? You just wanted to be by yourself."

"I mean, I wasn't being subtle about it or anything," I replied.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked, stamping his feet in the sand and laying down.

"The prophecy," I lied. I still didn't believe that this creature had really discovered a prophecy from his aunt.

"Why?" asked Franc, a look of bewilderment crossing his angular face.

"I can't help but think it's going to happen really soon," I said quietly. At least that was true. I couldn't suppress the thought that it was looming over us.

Franc shrugged unhelpfully. "I don't know, I can't help-" he froze.

"What?"

"Someone's coming," he told me. "Quick, hide behind that rock!" I scrambled to obey, peering around the side carefully. I heard soft waves lapping at the shore, slightly more forceful than before.

My heartbeat quickened when I saw the large footprints I'd left in the snow. I heard the creek of a boat and a splash as someone came up to shore. "Hirita, this had better be the right spot, or I'll kill you," a man rasped, his horrible voice making me shiver.

"That's him," Franc hissed. "That's the man that had my aunt on his shoulder!"

"Shh," I breathed.

"This is where he'll be, at noon," another voice said calmly. "However, why you would need to speak again, is beyond me. You got the message. You know what has to be done."

"Message," the first man scoffed. "You mean that prophecy that the dumb dragon told me?"

"Yes," the second, Hirita, sighed. "The foreigner shall bring forth the tides of death. When the sisters choose with their labored breath. The water shall run salty wth the blood of war. And the truth will be revealed of the oath they swore... You know what you have to do."

"I already bombed Atlantis once and they didn't go to war over that with the Sirens. How do we know I'm the foreigner?" the first man challenged.

"Just don't fail Crevan," Hirita warned. "You remember Taman, don't you?"