Perusing a Siren

Lochlyn

My headshot to my right as a loud crash filled the air, followed by a never ending stream of swear words. A young man dressed in rich fabrics lay face down in the woods, a little too close for comfort after tripping over what appeared to be a stump. I rolled my eyes with as much 00oin disgust as I could muster in my fatigued state. I ignored him, starting my way to the docks as another crash roared. The mortal had stood quickly, grabbing a hold of a small branch for support, only to find out it wouldn’t hold the weight of his well built stature. Again he fell, rolling chaotically onto the beach, halting right before hitting the water. 

“If you are aiming for my attention”,  I murmured, steadily walking farther from the moronic creature, “then you’re wasting your time.” My voice was silk as satin, as it purred its way along the sand over to the man. 

 He stood quickly, seeming to finally understand the weight of gravity. Clearing his throat before speaking, “I wasn’t aiming for anything actually, much less a half drowned woman. Although it seems as if you’re dry now.” His eyebrow thrust up, “are you alright?” in an unexpected voice so deep and rich that I turned back to face him in surprise. 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve been dry all night.” I tried to throw as much confidence into my voice as possible. Could he have seen? No. There was no way. I threw a hand to my forehead. How stupid could I have been? I hadn’t even scanned the beach before I pulled myself out of the water. I had never been so close to a mortal in all my life, nor did I enjoy it. 

“So what were you doing out on the surf this late at night?” His words cut through my thoughts. 

“I was searching for clams if you must know, although really it’s none of your business now is it?” I snapped back. A little too snappy. I looked up into his beautifully cut features. For a mortal, he definitely was good looking. Intelligent eyes, that had a tiny glint to them. I felt if I stared any longer, I would be lost in their deep ocean color... I’d never felt that before. 

His voice cut threw my thoughts. 

“No, I suppose it isn’t much of my business, but you have to understand that it’s a little strange to see a woman..like you...in that dress...waltzing onto the beach and then drying so suddenly. By the way, what were you thinking? That dress, if you could call it that, would suck you into a riptide. You could have drowned quite easily.” Unease laced his voice as his mind wandered to what he thought could have happened. 

The thought touched me, but he was a mortal. A two legged demon. They had nothing good inside of them, and the fact his looks were to my liking wouldn’t change that. 

“I would say that falls under the none of your business aspect again, wouldn’t it?” I cut my eyes to his and saw a storm swimming in them. Yeah. I was being a b***h. I stopped walking and turned to him. Steadying my slightly shaking hand, I mustered the courage to touch my first human. I gently placed my hand on his arm. The muscles below his shirt were strong, and I could feel his heart pumping fast. My own heart jumped a little. Why? This was supposed to be a fun 4 days of freedom, and then this happened. 

I softened my voice. “I appreciate your concern. I really am alright, and I would be much more concerned about your own fall from the woods than about me. If you could please show me the way into the nearest town I would be very thankful sir.” 

A rouge smile flashed across his lips. “You’re not from Lochlyn.” It was a statement, not a question. 

“Uh yeah no, I’m not. Just passing through for the next few days.” A little wave of panic flooded through me. Why was he smiling like that? What was he thinking? I had to get away from this guy, the clock was ticking and I only had a few days until I had to return to the sea. 

He was still looking at me, and something in his beautiful blue eyes was telling me he wanted to ask something. 

“Do you have a place to stay while you’re here?” He c****d his head at me. Letting his shaggy dark hair fall over his face. 

We were starting to crest the small hill that led down to water. I breathed a little harder, thinking about how far we’d walked on my brand new legs. I wasn’t used to this. 

“Of course. I’m staying with an Aunt of mine. She owns a small tavern.” My eyes darted around anything that could take my attention away from him, praying he didn’t hear the lie in my voice. My eyes settled on the city that lay out beautifully. The candles burned in the windows of little cottages that nestled along the cliffs, protecting the villagers from the smack of the ocean waves. High above my homeland, this city of mortals sprawled out. Jealousy coursed through my blood as I looked up at the gorgeous heavens. How could such a greedy kind reap the pleasures of watching the stars and the moon every evening, and awaken to the sun emerging from its watery bed every morning? It wasn’t fair. They destroyed everything they touched, and yet they still had such beauty surrounding them. 

“Welcome to Lochlynn Ms….?” The mortal's words brought me back from my thoughts. 

“My name is Amora.” I said flatly. Not that he even deserved to know my name, although he did bring me to this place. This place that was probably filled with silly humans that all tumbled from trees onto beaches. I snorted thinking about the way the man had tumbled down the beaches. 

“What is so amusing?” That smirk had appeared on his face, and I couldn’t help laughing a little harder. 

“Nothing really” I responded as I caught my breath. “Only that, you took quite a ridiculous tumble earlier”.  At my words his facial expressions changed, first into confusion, I watched as storm clouds gathered in his eyes and creases lined his forehead. Then all at once the storm cleared and clarity rang out as his laughter echoed over the cobble stone streets. The laugh was full and warm, not anything that I had expected a mere mortal to be capable of producing. 

“Stick around Amora, there’s plenty where that came from.” He was able to rumble out, after the laughter had abated. 

My gut turned. No. I would not stick around. 

“This is where we part ways Sir. Thank you so much for showing me the way to this beautiful city.” I locked my eyes on his. 

“I can take you all the way to your Aunt’s if you’d prefer. Although Lochlyn is captivating, it’s no place for a young woman dressed like you at night.” His eyes traveled down my body. Taking in the dress I had so specifically picked for the occasion. Those seas of blue crested over my curves, stopping at my small waist line, and then continuing down to the long legs I had only earned just a few hours ago. 

“Thank you for your concern. But I will be taking my leave now.”

 I shut out all the emotion in my voice. Turning on my heel I walked away from the mortal. The tall, handsomely built, stormy mortal. I sighed. Even though I didn’t want to ever remember, I knew those deep blue eyes would hunt my dreams for all eternity. Mers never forgot those that were good to them, just as they never forgot the ones that did them harm. I thought of my mother, completely abandoned by my father. 

No I would not forget. Instead I would learn to hate the men of the land that forced me to choose between my people and the world above the water. It was because of them, their overfishing, their reckless abandon for the balance of the seas, that kept me from being able to explore the world lay above sea level. 

My ears pricked. Movement. It was coming from behind me. I was so consumed in my thoughts I hadn’t noticed the change in the streets. Not that it mattered, it wasn’t as if I knew these roads anyway. But there was movement behind me. Something hit the ground loudly. I turned. I barely made out a human shape ducking behind an alleyway in the dark. I felt a hand smother my mouth and oily arm snake across my own just as the figure I had just seen emerged from the dark. I through my body from side to side, trying desperately to be rid of the oily hand and the smother as the most ugly figure I had ever seen stepped closer. I arched my back and through my shoulders down, commanding my muscles to break free, but it was in vein. 

No. No. This could not be happening. Not like this. 

Venom seemed to drip from the ugly man’s mouth as he neared. His smiled uncovered yellow teeth that had rotting corners. His eyes filled with wrath and lust as his gaze seemed to take in my body. 

I tried to scream but the sound was smothered inside of the hand. My eyes darted around, looking for anything that could help me. Four days. Four days to explore the Isle of Man. To prove to myself that the stories were not true, and yet, I felt that I was about to discover that every story was true. The demons above the water’s surface were real.