From the Depths

“Are you insane!?” Kirea hissed.

“If it would protect Kirea-”

“Ren! Killing someone is wrong!” Kirea cut the siren off.

“Then was it wrong for Henry to kill the Sirens that came for me?” Ren commented.

Henry smirked.

Since when had these two been on the same side? “I- well that was self-defense...” She tried.

“Well... actually, the last one was retreating.” Henry pointed out. “Couldn’t let that one bring more back here before we have a chance to regroup and heal up.”

“Wouldn’t this be self-defence?” Ren added. “Be it for my life or yours, we are both at risk of dying if the King is not stopped, correct?”

The worst part was that she couldn’t argue with that. Then a thought struck. Getting to her feet she turned to face Henry and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why haven’t you taken this course of action before now? What's so different now for you to consider this?”

“I didn’t have enough allies or a means to get away with it. It would look like murder, no matter what I did. Hire an assassin - murder. Kill him in his sleep - murder. If the death is suspicious then someone on his council would likely take over while an investigation takes place, and the knights would be punished for not protecting the king. It wasn’t possible before.”

“Someone on his council would be just as bad, the greedy bastards would probably still want the same things as Haith.” She asked stated. Everything he was staying made sense to her, there was no point in taking one tyrant out if another would just take his place.

Henry looked at Ren with a smile. “Now, we have an advantage, though it would mean that Ren would be exposed to the rest of the kingdom. You see, at the end of the war, a treaty was put into place that forbade the capture and enslavement of magical creatures.”

“I'm aware, but that was between elves and humans.” Since then the elves were called on like mercenaries or trades man.

“It was written up with the elves, I was there. The term elf wasn't used. They used essence welding individuals. If the King is killed by say a Siren defending himself from an asshole who was trying to cut out his heart...”

“There would be no backlash if the King fell to the hands of the creature that he was holding capture,” Rendrick spoke the words allowed as though understanding what Henry was getting at.

“But, we can’t make Ren do our dirty work!” Kirea protested.

“I don’t mind,” Ren added.

“I do! You’ve been through enough.” Kirea exclaimed.

“We will all have our part to play in this.” Henry stepped forward extending a hand to her. “Your role is the biggest of them all.”

“Me?” She was confused.

“You have to convince the King that we need to be here for the ritual, it has to happen on that night.”

“Self-defence...” Kirea muttered as she turned to look at Ren with wide eyes. “But how will we...”

“We drown him. Here.” Henry’s words were emotionless.

Kirea took a sharp intact of breath, were they really going to commit treason?

“What do we have to lose Kirea?” It was Ren who asked.

“Our lives for one!”

“No, that’s what we will gain. At this point, our lives are forfeit come the night of the blood moon.” Henry pointed out.

She furrowed her brows as worry and uncertainty filled her. “Can... Can we get word to my mother, tell her to go underground, in case...” She couldn’t say it.

“I’ll personally see to it,” Henry told her as he held his hand out to her.

Looking at his outstretched hand she glanced down to Ren who nodded sternly to her. She hesitantly reached forward her fingers curly back before stretching out again to take his hand. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.”

Henry’s response was a wicked grin. It was as though he had been waiting for an opportunity like this.

With their hands still joined Kirea pulled him forward and into the water, his smirk turned to surprise as he splashed into the shallows.

“Then, I need you in top condition, allow Ren to fully heal you.” Kirea insisted, pulling him down to his knees to sit beside the Siren.

Henry shook his head. “He needs to save his energy for you, you need more healing than me.”

She looked at him with knowing eyes and she didn’t miss his cringe. She didn’t need to say it out loud but she did anyway, making it all too real. “We all know that my body is dying, decay has set in. You can delay it but you can’t heal it, what is already dead is long gone.”

The silence that followed her words filled the air with a solemn mood. the light splash of water from the water wheel was the only sound to echo around the cavern as the three sat together.

“How do you keep going...” Henry asked softly.

“Easy. Because,” She smiled at Ren and Henry in turn. “If I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to meet the most amazing people in the world. I wouldn’t be able to leave my mark on this earth, no matter how small.”

She looked at the sun in the sky reflected above. “If we can change this kingdom for the better, for the future generation, then I say we do it.”

Ren’s head shot to the entrance of the cavern as a serious expression crossed his feathers. “He’s here.”

Henry bolted to his feet and out of the water, “Quick, make yourselves look... do something!” He trotted over to the water wheel, sat himself down on the edge and appeared to look as though he were inspecting and cleaning it.

Kirea remained where she was and had Ren lay down in the shallows in front of her as though she were looking over his condition.

Ren closed his eyes for a moment and opened them abruptly ejecting all his spikes and spines. Kirea gasped shocked at how quickly he could summon them, defiantly a defense mechanism. She pulled a towel off the ledge and lay it over his tail to hide the translucent legs that were still visible.

Moments later the King entered the cavern. His head head high and his hand resting on his oversized stomach. “No need to stand, as you were.” He ordered as Kirea and Henry went to move to greet him.

“I have come to observe how you handle the... thing.” He informed. “Continue as though I were not here.”

Kirea forced a bright smile and nodded. Turning back to Ren she gently cupped his arm and lifted it from the water. “All his burns are now completely healed, his skin is in very good condition, and the water wheel has helped a great deal with keeping the area aerated for him.”

“He doesn’t mind you touching him?” The king asked curiously speaking closer.

“I have spent a lot of time with him Your Majesty, I believe he has grown a custom to my presence.”

“Ah, yes of course. Why are you covering his tail like that?”

“It provides me with a layer of protection, his spines and spikes are very sharp, it is only a barrier while I check up on his condition.”

“Oh yes, I see.”

“Would you like to come in the water with him your majesty?”

Both Henry and Ren’s eyes bulged.

“Oh heavens no child. That messy business is all for you.” The King paused for a moment thinking about something. “I may need your assistance in a few days, I will be moving it to the castle for an evening. Can you get the tank ready, he will only be in it for a few hours.”

“As you wish your Majesty.” Kirea was finding it hard not to ask questions but thought it best to not push her luck.

“Planning a viewing my lord?” Henry had stood and walked over to the King.

The King glanced at Kirea. “Leave us.”

Kirea felt her stomach knot, this couldn’t be good. She nodded and gently ushered Ren to the deeper part of the pool. Only removing the towel when he could sink deeper into the water not allowing the King to see his tail.

Swiftly retrieving her things she exited the cavern. Outside she couldn’t hear anything from within, the magic used to keep the place concealed was flawless. But she knew Henry and Ren would fill her in. The king didn’t see Ren as a threat which was his biggest mistake.

Planting her back against the rocky outcrop of the cliffside she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in her stomach. She felt ill, a wave of nausea washing through her, she dropped her belongings and slid down to the sand as the world around her spun.

It hit her hard and fast, the world closing in around her. Their plan wasn’t going to work. The King wanted her to prepare the tank in the tyrant’s dining hall. They would slaughter Ren in there and then serve his heart to him on a silver platter. It was a cruel sick joke. The King wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

She couldn’t breathe. Her panic caused her throat to close up. Her hands clenched into fists at the sand beside her as she desperately tried to will herself to breathe. Her eyes squeezed shut as tears began to form.

Her mother’s words played loudly cutting through her derailing thoughts.

‘Deep breath Kirea and hold it for three seconds.’

She did just that but not without resistance. It took her a few tries to get her breathing fully under control. The lingering memory of her mother’s soft embrace and soothing voice only made her miss the woman more.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she pushed herself to her feet. She couldn’t stay here any longer, at any moment Henry and Lord Haith would likely leave the cavern and she didn’t want to be accused of eavesdropping.

She’d take the long way back through town today, not wanting to tackle the Knights stairs without him. Her pace was slow and her breathing still laboured. The heaviness in her lungs wouldn’t subside after the small panic attack.

She coughed trying to clear her throat which now felt parched, the dry feeling causing an irritation she couldn’t fix by simply swallowing saliva.

She knew what was coming.

This wasn’t the best time or place for this to happen, she needed to find a place away from people or they would think she was sick with the plague.

Ren had said he’d extended her life, healed her a fraction. But sadly that didn’t mean she wasn’t still sick.

‘Don’t panic, get to the herbalist!’ She told herself.

Coughing again, it was only getting worse and her vision was becoming blurry.

Relying on only the memory of where the small store was she weaved her way through the paved streets. She wasn’t sure if she had made it when her throat tightened up again, and not from panic this time. Chocking on her own blood she collapsed outside the store.

A soft sound of a bell chimed before she caught the sound of a frantic person.

“Madam! Madam are you o-”

The voice was gone as the world began to turn black. She wasn’t completely unconscious and knew someone had lifted her from the ground.

She was rolled onto her side, her vision fading fast.

A hand abruptly opened her mouth before something was shoved down her throat, she couldn’t protest, she didn’t have the strength. She felt something in her throat burst and a rich metallic taste filled her mouth. But most of all, air could get through now. She heaved and wheezed coughing and splattering until finally she was once again breathing normally.

Her vision returned to her only to be greeted with a horrifying blood-covered scene.

“Mr Albert!” She exclaimed with shock.

The clerk Henry had introduced her to sat back with a heavy sigh of relief. His tunic was soaked with blood, bile and God knows what else. “Thank heavens, thought we’d lost you there.”

“Please don’t tell Henry.” She blurted out between a few more coughs.

“On one condition.” He lifted the hem of his shirt up and frowned. “Can you get blood out of clothing?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle, but it soon turned to a cough.

“Easy now. Take it easy.” His concern was touching, it pulled at her heartstrings. “Your lungs are getting worse, the blood had congealed and clotted blocking your throat, you could have died.”

“It’s only a matter of time at this point, we all know that.” She added with a half smile. “Thank you for your help, and I’ll gladly clean up my mess, it’s the least I can do.”