Icelyn

My body ached from head to toe, well...head to tail, as the sirens continued pulling me through the water. My mind could not comprehend everything I had gone through in such a short amount of time. I had gone from a fae royal to a human and was now a siren.

A tremble ran down the length of my spine the deeper we went. Panic clawed its way up my throat just thinking about how far underwater we were.

The sirens slowed as we came upon a thick forest of glowing seaweed. The two sirens glanced back and forth at one another, seemingly at odds.

Do you think she will survive going through the poisonous algae?

Poisonous? I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

I guess we will find out. I don't know if she is entirely a siren, but if she is not, she will not make it to the other side alive.

I struggled against them, but they pulled me into the masses of seaweed without another word. My body froze as the seaweed caressed my skin like a lover, delicately gliding over my body.

I was starting to feel lightheaded, but I wasn't sure if it was from the deadly neon plants or my hysteria, just imagining that I was being poisoned. After an eternity, we reached the other side and broke through to the open ocean.

They released me and looked me up and down. I ran my hands all over my body, checking for any signs of damage caused by the seaweed.

Guess she is a siren. One of them said with an evil sneer.

I opened my mouth, not that it would do any good to give them a tongue lashing, but I completely stopped when I saw what lay before us. About a quarter of a mile ahead of us was a city underwater. The ivory towers were so tall it looked like they would scrape the ocean surface, and the glow from the sun above looked like a spotlight specifically made to draw attention to this kingdom below. It was utterly breathtaking, with vegetation and bright coral surrounding the entrance.

Where are you going? Aren't you going to help me? One of the sirens asked the other as she swam several feet ahead of us.

We are not her keepers. We got her here. She can swim the rest of the way on her own.

With that, they jetted off ahead of me and into the city, leaving me bobbing up and down in the water. I started flapping my arms, trying to propel myself forward with very little success. I looked back at my massive tail fins as they swayed gently in the ocean's current. I kicked my tail out but held it more steady this time and managed to move forward.

I can do this.

It's all about balance. Gage's words rang in my ears as I recalled our first training day in the Night Realm. I flipped my fins again, this time a little harder, and used my arms as balance. This time I went a little further with much more speed.

The process took much longer than it should have, but eventually, I made it to the gates that securely enclosed the city.

The gate was open, so I continued inside. With a few flips of my tail, I maneuvered myself inside the city's fortress, only to be rushed upon by several sirens who hissed and gnashed their gnarly sharp teeth at me.

Intruder. How dare you enter our kingdom? I will use your bones to pick my teeth when I am through with you. A siren was a beautiful creature until it showed its true colors. When angered, their lovely eyes turned lifeless and black, and their razor teeth reminded me of a shark.

I held up my hands to show my innocence and tried to mouth my words, but the more I moved, the closer they came.

Enough.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the queen approaching me with her tiny infant in tow.

Leave us, she demanded, and the snapping swarm of barracudas instantly swam away.

How exactly did you end up in my kingdom and as a siren?

I mouthed my response and pointed to my lips, indicating I could not communicate with her.

Nonsense, you are not a simpleton. Just think of the words you wish to speak and direct them to me. The queen instructed.

Could it be that easy?

Would you believe a witch tried to drown me in the Night Realm lagoon, and when I was under and about to drown, the siren song you gave me turned me into a siren.

When the queen responded with a sly smile, I knew she understood me.

I must get you back to the night realm as soon as possible.

I smiled at the tiny princess who looked at me with saucer-sized eyes. I was sure she was just as shocked that I was a siren. I smiled at her to reassure her, and she smiled back and swam off ahead of her mother.

I flipped my tail and followed the queen as quickly as I could.

Hmm, we will have to work on that if you have any hopes of returning to the mainland. The queen shook her head in awe at how poorly I was swimming through the water.

Is it true that if I remain a siren past the full moon, I will remain one forever?

I caught up with the queen. Finally, I was getting the hang of this accursed tail and was moving faster.

The queen stopped and looked at me with somber eyes. I will not allow that to happen. Your king is on a rampage right now. He has sent his deadly mist all over Gregorian and over my ocean. If I do not get you back to him soon, all of us will perish.

My heart lurched in my throat. I followed after the queen with much more determination. I would do anything in my power to save Gregorian from Kohl's vengeance and to save him from himself.

Please tell me we are almost there.

I was not usually the type to complain, but it had been a rather trying day. After the queen gathered a few supplies, she said she needed to turn me back into a 'land dweller' we were off again and headed right back towards the Night realm.

It's not much further. The queen reassured me.

I felt like my tail would completely fall off if I flipped it again, but I pushed myself past my breaking point for Gregorian and Kohl.

Finally, the water became shallower, and the sirens slowly lifted their heads above water. I followed suit and broke through the surface. What I saw above had my heart breaking in two. Kohl's swirling mist of death was hanging a few feet above the ground. The vegetation was dying, and small birds and fish carcasses littered the shoreline.

Oh, Kohl, what have you done? I felt hot tears sting my eyes and mix with the salt water that dripped from my skin. I pushed my body further until I was so shallow that I had to use my arms to pull my lower half onto the shore. I scooted onto the sandy beach and pulled my tail out of the water.

The queen joined me on the beach and rubbed a harsh-smelling salve on my tail. The concoction instantly burned, and I hissed as it began to bubble. I sucked in air through my mouth and breathed out my nose as the painful sensation of my tail turning back into legs started. My fins turned into feet, and I cried out as my tail split in two, forming legs.

"Never again," I said as I wiped at a tear that streaked a path down my cheek.

Never say never. The queen smiled at me and pulled herself back into the water.

A debt for a debt. We are, even now, Night Realm Queen, but I like you. You have my admiration. The siren song is yours to keep.

"Thank you." I smiled at her but shuttered at the same time.

My body was still sore from the transformation, and I desperately hoped I would not need to use the siren song anytime soon.

The sirens disappeared below the surface, leaving me naked and alone in my puny human body. I glanced around, and luckily, some dead seaweed was in the ocean's surf. I grabbed it and wrapped it around my body in a makeshift tube top and mini skirt. It wasn't much and smelled grotesque of fish, but at least I was covered.

I stood up, my legs wobbly and weak from all the swimming and changes my body had gone through. I looked at the vast forest of the Night realm. There was no way I could make it through there in my condition, and time was not something I had an abundance of. I had to do something extreme, and I had to do it now.

I did the only thing I could think of to get Kohl's attention. I took a deep breath, reached up, and ran my hand through his mist. I screamed his name as loudly as I could. The air was instantly putrefied with the stench of my burnt flesh. I snatched my hand out of the deadly mist, brought the severely damaged limb protectively to my chest, and fell to the ground.