Siren Song

Her Mercy

Some of the sirens continued to tear and gnaw on the flesh and bones of the few men for whom I hesitated too long to intervene. They were my responsibility. I was the only one available to save them and I hesitated.

This is the best decision; Aille is right. You may not save the lost but you can try for the found.

The sirens closest to me, bent on having the first taste, stalked or floated around me, posed to strike and armed to the teeth. All were aware of the challenge to capture me for their own feast. It was nauseating to be so aware of my imminent demise; my flesh would be ripped like fabric and mashed between their inhumane incisors. I curled into myself for warmth and rocked gently to distract myself from the present. I brought thoughts of Caroline and Andrew Schmidt to mind and hoped their coping preparations would be of any use. After tonight, there would not be much of me left to ship home.

"He's mine! I tasted first!"

"That's why it's my turn!"

"No, he's ours! He's for the flock!"

Their arguments continued that way and my natural death seemed more likely, albeit delayed. The men were out of sight and running. In an hour I could imagine them crashing through the base doors, tending the wounded and frostbitten, and sending out immediate requests for evacuation. The Forgotten Mountain should remain as much, they would say.

"Dear God," I began again. "Please, save them. Spare them. Heal Ani. Let them all forget me. And...just give Aille a better life. Forgive her for a stranger's crimes."

In that moment, a hard grip closed on my shoulders, sharp points dug into my biceps, and I was wrenched away from the earth. It tore my breath away – as much as there was to lose – and I felt a sudden terror that this would be the moment where each of my limbs would be systematically torn away. My eyelids squeezed shut, cold air rushed over me, my muscles tensed in resistance to dismantlement, and then nothing. Nothing happened; no pain, no more screaming in my ears. The downward rush of air was tapering and all that remained was the pressure on my shoulders and the rhythmic beat of wings and wind.

I opened my eyes to see the mountain peak hundreds of meters below my dangling feet. In spite of having no particular fear of heights, humans were still not meant to fly. Craning my neck upward, I realized it was Aille who had extracted me from imminent death. Her arms seemed to have no challenge in handling me, her gaze was fierce in fight-mode in the direction of the siren horde. When she glanced at me she was softer, less threatening at least. Her hair whipped around her face but at no inconvenience to her.

"I promised this was all for the best. Your coward brethren left willingly enough. You still possess your fragile limbs. All is well."

"You're rather...condescending...for someone...who claims they...are on my side," I gasped. She chortled a very bird-like sound. With minimal effort she repositioned me in her arms so I was held tight to her torso like a secret object.

"What are you doing?" I asked. My skepticism was showing and I felt the vibration of a laugh echo through her rather hollow body. This high in the atmosphere, there was almost no sound and the wind was low, now. She leaned her mouth against my skull and whispered low, yet it rang like God inside my skull.

"Look around," she said. I did. The world was glowing with early light. The rhythm of her wings was in itself a hypnotic song. I felt calm in this other world.

"Is it not beautiful? This is true majesty," she whispered. It was loud like God, again. I nodded. She felt me shaking in spite of her warmth and seemed to reawaken.

"My sisters are looking for us. They will consume you. And they will consume me." At once Aille flew upward another ten meters, gripped me tight, halted her flight, and let us descend into what might as well have been free-fall. I wanted to scream, but instead I appreciated the rush. Aille used her body like a shield from the frozen upwind. I had not noticed until now, but as air whistled over her form and through her plumage, her feathers rang. Like the ring of a wet finger on the rim of a crystal glass. This descent felt like ascending beyond this atmosphere into a different plane of existence. I think she felt it, also. Her eyelids remained closed as she reveled in the effortless journey.