It was hard to say how long Octavia sat under the sheet of metal. Every so often, there was a ping of something hitting the cage's bars. It took everything she had not to cry out whenever she heard a scream or noise come too close. If she could sleep through it all, she would. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, the katars she didn't know how to use as her only defense if things went wrong.

According to her father, battles could last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Octavia knew she might not last that long, but if she could just wait for them to weaken a bit more... only a little more...

When the noise finally stopped, Octavia waited another hour, listening for voices or horses that still might be around. When she heard nothing, she pushed the metal off her. Taking slow breaths, she inched herself out of the cage, ducking under the ripped cloth of the tent.

Wind blew. Octavia looked out over the field to see what desecration was left behind.

Despite it being exactly what she thought it would be, the vision of it was hard to stomach. Where a circus once stood was only now debris and remnants of  tragedy. Something putrid filled the air, the smell gagging her as she tried to find a place to step that wouldn't end with her slipping on a torn wing of some mangled animal.

There was a time not too long ago when Octavia hadn't seen even a single dead body. Now, there was nowhere for her to step without squishing someone's corpse.

If she had her fire magic, she'd burn them all and spread their ashes to the earth. The thought that all these souls were trapped in their bodies was... was...

Octavia's heart dropped. She was a fool, after all.

Giving a whispered apology to the carcasses, she ran, desperately trying to avoid slipping on wayward limbs and bloodied heads. Whoever won this battle wouldn't leave all these bodies unburned. Chances were they were taking those who had died with magic out to the pier to be thrown into the Forgotten Sea.

They'd certainly be returning, and Octavia was damn lucky they hadn't started burning while she was hiding. How could she have been so stupid? Octavia's mother once told her that fear dulled your brain, but she had always imagined herself as someone who kept her wits in the heat of danger.

Clearly, she had been wrong.

Just as she reached the end of the makeshift graveyard, a chuckle reached her ears. Octavia froze. It was so low that the sound might have been in her head if it weren't for the fact that a sliver of gold appeared at her side.

"Hello, there."

Fuck.

Octavia whirled around, swinging her katar. Something blocked her path, easily stopping the hit. She went to strike again but faltered when a familiar face looked back at her.

"Father?" she gasped. The question had only just left her tongue when she caught sight of the golden eyes.

"Not quite," the siren sang. Octavia stepped back. "Don't be afraid." Wind blew, and the image of her father swept into a whirl of golden dust. A girl stood in its place, skin glittering under the sun. She smiled, a dangerous smugness reaching her eyes. "Princess Octavia," she said, and Octavia blinked several times, trying to register if this creature was a friend or foe.

The siren didn't seem to mind the silence as she tossed long, golden hair over her shoulder, the smell of Octavia's childhood from strolls in the garden to musty rooms with scrolls coming off the stranger in waves. "You were surprisingly kind." The siren's eyes flicked pointedly to the broken cage Octavia had been in. "Offering me refuge with you back there... not that I needed it."

Octavia opened her mouth a few times, but she couldn't find the right thing to say. The siren in the cage with her had been a screeching animal. The one before her now was... eerily human. Composed. Ethereal even.

How was this the same creature?

"Are- are you okay?" Octavia managed to stutter out. The siren's smile widened. "I mean, you left the cage. You aren't hurt, are you?"

The siren laughed. It sounded like bells. "Oh, you are a delight," she said. "What a sweet thing you are..." She took a step forward, and Octavia moved back, raising her katar in warning. "I said you needn't be afraid," the siren mused. She reached out, and Octavia found herself frozen. The siren reached out, fingers hovering near her face. "You don't know how to use those very well, do you?" she asked, nodding to Octavia's katars.

Octavia didn't say anything, fear caught in her throat.

The siren's lips curled. She turned, walking away from the carnage. "I have a gift for you," she called over her shoulder. Octavia wasn't sure she trusted that. Still, there was a pull that led her to trail after her. "Do you know what I am?" Again, Octavia didn't answer. "Of course you do. I saw you at the show."

Octavia went to respond but paused when she noticed a blurred figure in the distance standing in their path. She stopped walking, squinting to determine who or what it was.

"Come," the siren called. "He will not harm you."

"Who is that?" Octavia asked. The siren gave a slow sigh, irritation touching her face. She looked over her shoulder. "I can't see who it is from here."

"You're asking who that is?" the siren asked, facing Octavia fully. "Before you ask my name?"

Octavia narrowed her eyes. "What is your name?" she asked shortly.

"Kore," the siren answered.

"Lovely to meet you, Kore," Octavia told her. "Now, who is that?" She nodded to the figure in the distance.

Kore studied her, eyes burning gold. "Family of yours, I believe." Her voice was clipped, the previous sweetness melting away into something far more threatening. It made Octavia's heart stutter. "Now, let's walk."

Family of hers?

Perhaps it was foolish, but Octavia felt hope in her chest. Antonia? Trajan? Her mother? Even if it was a trap, Octavia couldn't deny herself the sliver of hope so beautifully served on this plate of gold. When Kore walked, she moved with her.

"Sirens," Kore began, flicking another piece of hair over her shoulder. "Are misunderstood creatures, don't you think?" The words felt like more of a lecture than a conversation, so Octavia let her talk. "Many people in this world die with magic still in their veins. Foolish warriors fight with magic and can't rid themselves of it before Death comes for them. Most of these silly souls are thrown out into the Forgotten Sea or some other jail." Kore's lips twitched. "My mother was one of those souls. The water magic in her veins turned to necromagic." Octavia heard her stomach gurgle but paid it no mind, trying to better see the person they were heading towards. "Now, when someone like that is with child... well..." Kore turned, offering a wry smile before gesturing to herself. "You get sirens instead of babies."

If Antonia was here, she might tell Octavia of some sort where one of their ancestors fought a siren or bore a siren. Stories of Second Sons always seemed to have tales for everything. Antonia wasn't here, though, and Octavia didn't care much for a history of how sirens were made.

"You should know creatures of necromagic are thought sacred to Dualians who worship Death," Kore continued. Octavia ran a hand over her face. "Which brings me to your gift."

"Why do you want to give me a-?"

She stopped walking. It wasn't Antonia or Trajan or her mother waiting for them. It was Dainn. Again. Always Dainn.

Kore laughed.

"Worry not, princess. I have answers for you. For now, let's say hello to your husband."