The Beast Within

CHAPTER FOUR

It was detrimental to her to use her powers up like this but the swirling of the tides not only pushed the boats away from the sea and the reach of the Sirens, it also kept the second Siren away.

Saving Ceraun from one Siren would be hard enough but add another one to the fray and it would become an impossible situation.

Ceraun just tuned the world out as he concentrated on the Siren that had a firm grip on his left leg, he had sliced off the tentacle she had tried to use to knock his weapon away.

It also helped that Dew was doing a good job distracting the Siren, she struggled to find her footing in the turbulent waves while Ceraun waited for the perfect moment to strike.

He wondered why Dew was helping him, he had always thought that perhaps beside Adrik, she would be the next to let him die, she had always particularly hated him anyway but then again who didn't?

The right moment eventually presented itself, shouts were escalating as if to show that the children that had run back to the village had gone to get help but he ignored that as well, eyes fixed on his prey.

He pushed himself off the tail of the siren, doing a sloppy job of escaping her slashing claws and getting himself scratched on the side of his face and shoulder.

He ignored the dripping blood which stung to the depths of Hades whenever salt water got into it just as easily as he ignored the increasing crowd behind him.

He held tight onto the harpoon and aimed right, driving in with all his might, he was a sturdy little boy, always quick to help his elderly parents who had him well past their prime.

The harpoon broke through the skin just as his instinct said he would but he hadn't taken the toughness of the Siren's flesh into consideration, he could barely get a good cut in.

It also didn't help his case that the Siren crashed into the water at this, flopping violently while Ceraun held onto the harpoon for dear life.

The Siren's claws and powerful tail and tentacles were creating quite a dangerous drop for him, if he were to lose his balance and fall off, he would get beaten and slashed to pieces or worse or perhaps better still, he would drown to his death.

He braced his entire weight on the sturdy and gnarly stick of the harpoon, hanging on.

Dew, who was still standing at the shore with her arms outstretched could barely remain standing but still put her all into keeping the tides a turbulent wave or the second Siren would get to Ceraun who looked like he had just about gotten the Siren where he wanted.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Elder Feyrer yelled, having arrived not so long ago. "Jump in and help the child, aim for the neck, it's their weak point." He rallied the rest of the fishermen and the people that had come as well with him.

"I will handle the second Siren, you may rest now child." He said softly to Dew who let her hands weakly drop to the side, leaning against a boat.

Adrik had been pushed back as well with the rest from Dew's powers, she was the most powerful water magic user they had but even so with only a few minutes of her powers fully used, she was already too weak to even stand.

"Dew!!" Adrik yelled from where he was shouldered aside by the clamouring fishermen who charged after the felled Siren that Ceraun was single handedly battling.

Elder Feyrer hurried over to the other Siren who was pushed a little distance away, letting lightning streak from his fingertips and dance across the surface of the water, stunning the Siren who let out a wild shriek and flopped into the water, aftermaths of the power surging through her form.

The fishermen had gotten to Ceraun now, some still not being careful enough and losing a limb or two to the Siren's slashing claws.

This didn't deter them however, the ones who had a foothold immediately driving their harpoons and spears into the Siren's throat.

Ceraun didn't release his hold on his own harpoon, driving it deeper with sheer will, although Dew was still weakly calling for him so they would leave back to the village all together.

Adrik finally got to the mouth of the sea and panic set in, wilder than the churning waves which were turning a gruesome black from the Siren's blood.

He couldn't find Dew.

"Dew!!!" He screamed with way more terror than a twelve year old child should have to experience.

The yelling of the fishermen who had finally decapitated the head of the first Siren drowning out his screams.

This didn't deter him, drenched from head to toe in salty water mixed with a Siren's blood, he started to search all the discarded boats, the Elder was long gone to go reassure the people of the village and Adrik was certain that he hadn't seen Dew leave.

Even if she wasn't way too weak to even move, he had no doubt that she wouldn't leave until she had that infernal bastard with her.

"Dew!!!" He roared into the boiling waves, uncaring of the shouts of victory even as a cold weight that felt very much like his dying heart sank slowly to his stomach.

Could she have possibly fainted away from the overuse of her powers and its strain on her body, then he would have to find her before she got caught in the middle of the stabbing frenzy or worse still drowned to her death.

"Curse that bastard Feyrer." He raged underneath his breath, hazel eyes impossibly dark.

It was all the infernal bastard's fault, if he hadn't dashed forward like the hero that he wasn't, Dew wouldn't have had to follow him to protect him and he wouldn't be in this situation.

"By the Pillars! Where has the second Siren gone?!" One of the fishermen who noticed the missing creature yelled out attracting the attention of the others.

A brief moment of chaos ensued as they tried to find the Siren to no use, it was as though she had disappeared into thin air.

An odd glowing under the water in the distance however caught their attention.

"Look!!" Some else yelled, pointing vigorously in the direction the flow had come from even as the second Siren broke through the surface of the water, something or rather someone held in the grip of her claws.

Adrik was the first to break free of his frozen state, a cry coming straight from his young soul.

"Dew!!!"