Frank was not as helpful as he had been before. No matter how the siren sang he didn’t take to the air screaming at her to shut up like he had to Davina. Instead, he sat stoically on my shoulder, rocking gently from side to side like he was in some sort of trance. I couldn’t blame him, every time I attempted to unplug my ears the melody spewing from her scaled lips tried to worm its way deep inside my brain. A heavenly parasite that was hard to dislodge.

I needed to take away her voice if I wanted to make it across the room. I peeked around the curtain a second time, wondering if the group had sacrificed that one man so they could make it across without a battle. It seemed a little cold-hearted but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Frank shifted on my shoulder, awkwardly lifting his wings before shaking his head and folding them tight against himself. I frowned, could a siren song tempt a bird?

I stared at the siren but she didn’t seem overly bothered by my presence. She stood in the same place she had when I’d bolted into the room. She knelt down, brushing the dead man at her feet with a gentle hand. Not once did her song stop.

I tore shreds of fabric off the curtain and stuffed them in my ears. Her song was still audible but it was dampened by the fabric enough for me to keep my mind where it should be. I dug my hand into my bum bag, not really sure what I was looking for. I didn’t have any more poison to use and didn’t have the right supplies to make another.

When I pulled my hand free I was holding two things. A flask and a bolt. Only this flask wasn’t full of a toxic concoction, no, it was my final Sleeping Draft. I smiled and dumped the liquid over the tip of the bolt before aiming for the siren.

She looked at me as she rose to her full height, spreading her arms as she sang louder. The upper belly of the beautiful monster expanded outward and began to glow. Her voice wasn’t coming from her throat, it came from her diaphragm.

My arm shook as I lifted the crossbow strapped to my wrist. I steadied the limb with my free hand and took aim. Sweat ran down my face in miniature rivers, disappearing into the length of the beard that I’d managed to grow. The strong pungent smell of salt water, seaweed, and something else I couldn’t identify filled my nose. On any other day, it would have been a relaxing scent but here in this place, it was discomforting. Like the Goddess had stolen a happy memory from home and placed it here to torture me.

Frank leaped from my shoulder and flapped high into the air as I released the bolt. It struck right over the glowing orb right below her ribs. The sultry song cut off with a horrible scratch that sounded a lot like a needle being pulled violently across a vinyl record.

The siren’s eyes turned red as the water at my feet began to churn. The room darkened bringing with it the sound of thunder but there were no clouds overhead.

I plucked the fabric from my aching ears and tossed the small balls into the water. The siren’s eyes closed as it tumbled back, blood dripping from around the bolt into the waves of salt water as she slept soundly. She didn’t seem to mind the water filling her mouth. Little flaps opened up along her throat, allowing her to breathe even in her sorry state.

I began to sprint, as much as I could through the water, toward the stairs. I climbed onto the steps and sighed my relief at making it through. My feet squelched in my boots. I turned for Frank, holding up my arm. He was no longer flapping overhead. Bile filled my throat as my head dropped and I found him, sitting on the sleeping body of the siren, jabbing at the wound with his bloodied beak.

“Frank,” I bellowed. “Get your ass back here!”

The large black bird ignored me as he yanked my bolt free and tossed it aside before continuing to dig into the poor siren’s scaled body.

“Leave her alone you sick bastard!”

“Shut the hell up!”

I swore my frustration, stepping back into the cold water ready to yank him free when he dug his beak back in one more time before taking to the air. A glowing ball of flesh that looked uncomfortably like an eyeball was dangling from his beak.

I retched to the side as I stepped back. Nothing came up but a glob of orange-tinged bile. Not surprising given I hadn’t eaten even a scrap of food for months. Frank tried to land on my shoulder but I pushed him away.

“Get away,” I said, slowly climbing the stairs.

Frank didn’t listen. He very rarely did. Unable to land on my shoulder he tangled his talons in my hair, dropping the bloody flesh ball right atop my bald spot. I gagged again, involuntarily yanking the thing from my head.

“What the fuck, Frank?” I howled.

Golden words flashed up in front of my face.

New Item Received: Siren’s Melody

Description: The sack that harbors the Siren’s Song. A powerful and unique crafting material. Can only be harvested while the Siren is alive which makes you a horribly cruel monster. Seriously, you're no better than those mob guys that knock out poor suckers and steal their kidneys. What’s the matter with you?

Stolen novel; please report.

Effects: Unknown

I shuddered as I hesitantly dropped the bloody glowing lump into my bum bag hoping I’d never have to hold it again. It had felt squishy, like one of those stress ball things filled with water. Gross. Just so gross. Worse than helping a cow give birth and I can tell you, that ain’t no pretty sight.

I climbed the stairs on stiff legs hoping whatever lay ahead was the final room. I was so done with this tower of misery. As I walked I dragged my hands on the walls, trying not to flinch every time the dumb ass bird on top of my head dug his talons in tighter. My neck was already beginning to complain about Frank’s weight. Believe it or not, the idiot was heavier than a hat.

I waltzed out into the hall that led to yet another towering, beautifully carved wooden door. Ryder and Xander were sauntering about, marching in little circles. I guess it was the unnamed warrior that had been sacrificed to the siren.

Isabella sat with her back pressed against the door, her shoulders shaking in great heaving sobs. Clara sat beside her, holding her in a surprisingly tender embrace as she whispered to her sobbing sister in arms. All of them turned to look at me as I wandered into the room.

“What the fuck?” Ryder snapped, pointing his thick sword my way.

“Joe?” Isabella cried.

“Howdy everybody,” I said. “Did you miss me?”

“How the hell did you get past the siren?” Xander snarled, imitating Ryder’s pose.

I folded my arms over my chest and glared at the man. “Not by giving up one of my friends.”

“What did you just say to me!”

I laughed and moved forward, not much caring if they wanted a fight. I was pretty much done by now anyway. None of them made a move even as they followed me with their blades. Clara was glaring daggers at me but Isabella had a smile on her very wet and bright red face.

“What’s the hold-up?” I asked, eyeing the door that stood between us and whatever was waiting on the other side.

Isabella slapped her hand against the hard wooden door and then pointed up to the curved arch of it. “It won’t open. No latches are holding it shut. We don’t know what's wrong with it.”

I stepped up to it and followed the curves of the imagery. It was just like all the others. A perfectly carved scene of mythical creatures. This one was a rearing dragon blowing flames from its snout as it was attacked by a horde of angry townsfolk. Some of them were holding pitchforks and the other five had unlit torches. The dragon was guarding a giant pile of what I assumed was gold.

“Well, this one is a little more telling than the last ones,” I muttered to no one in particular. “The gold is the prize, all we have to do is get past the dragon.”

“There’s a dragon on the other side?” Ryder asked.

“Probably not an actual dragon. It’s never what the door says it is,” I answered.

“Come on mister smart guy,” Xander sneered. “Open it up like you did the last one.”

I glared at him. “Doesn’t take much to be smarter than you.”

Xander growled and started toward me. Isabella leaped to her feet and stood between us, aiming her crossbow at the Nox Warrior.

“Don’t make me kill you right here, Xander,” she hissed.

Clara stood and placed herself right beside Isabella, her raging eyes flicking back and forth between the Nox Warriors. Both men paused, not wanting to risk a bolt to the heart.

I traced the townsfolk with a finger, flinching when Frank hopped off my head and started sauntering down my arm. He pecked at one of the unlit torches, his hard beak chipping the wood.

“Stop that, the Goddess will lose her shit if she sees you breaking her stuff,” I snapped, letting my arm drop.

Frank squawked and flapped his wings settling on my shoulder where he proceeded to jab at my earlobe. I waved him away. I didn’t much feel like having my ears pierced right about now. I’d make a dashing pirate of course but now was not the time.

I tried the door. Not surprised when it didn’t budge. I scanned the edges of the door, then climbed a wall to get a different view of it but no latches appeared. The others remained silent as I worked. Ryder wore a smug expression on his face as I dropped back down to the stone floor. He was finding far too much pleasure in the idea of me failing.

I looked for any sort of lockpicking icon but none appeared. There were no silver sparkles either although I doubted those would help right about now, they were really just for hiding. I looked back up at the walls but there were no windows to crawl through.

Isabella smiled sadly. “See, there is no way through.”

Xander rubbed his bristled chin and eyed the door. “Maybe we have to wait for the timer to count down. It’s got a little over a month. We’re way ahead of schedule.”

“I don’t think the Goddess cares if we finish early,” I muttered, my eyes drawn back to the little chip Frank had made in the wood.

Ryder stopped his pacing near the stairway leading back down and said, “maybe only one of us can pass through.”

Isabella frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ryder spun back around, holding his sword up as he dropped into a defensive stance. “the book was clear. Only one of us can win.”

He charged with a roar, startling Frank and sending the bird spiraling into the air. The twang of many crossbows sounded out and three bolts dug deep into the man's flesh.

“No!” Xander screamed.

Ryder’s eyes grew dim as he tumbled back. The loud crashing of his body tumbling down the stairs sounded for a long time until the hall fell silent once more.

The Daughters of Umbra and I had our crossbows trained on Xander but even though his face was blotchy and anger radiated from his eyes, he didn’t make a single move.

Trusting the women to guard my back I turned back to the door, an errant thought crossing my mind. I lifted a finger and focused on the tip. A tiny red flame sprung up on my fingertip as I activated my Flicker skill. Carefully, I placed the flame over the mark Frank had left in the wood.

The torch lit, casting tiny shadows over the other carvings.

“No way,” Isabella breathed as she looked back at me.

I smiled and moved my finger to the next watching as the miniature torch flared to life.