Siren of the Lake

Chapter 4: The Siren of the Lake

Damon observed intently as his father and Ambrose reviewed a layout of the surrounding areas with an 'X' marking Moonlight pack's location. Sunlight entered his father's office from the nearby windows, making the red ink on the paper turn an off shade of orange.

“Alright, so this is what we know so far," Jereth began, circling a spot on the map within the forest. “This lake here is where Easton and Dilan said they saw the siren."

Damon's eyes widened vaguely. “That's way past the hunting grounds…what were they doing out there?"

Jereth shook his head. “I don't know. They said they were trying to find more food—but either way, this is where they ended up. Now, as we know, the siren won't go down without a fight. She may be slower than us, but her song and wit make up for any lack of physical ability." His stare moved to Damon. “So, you need to be cautious and absolutely quiet. Any sound could set her off and put you in incredible danger, do you understand?"

Damon nodded. He absolutely understood, and that's why he knew he wouldn't waste this opportunity to get vengeance for his family and Moonlight.

“Great," Jereth said. He turned and looked out the window behind him to see the sun starting to set, casting new shadows on the ground outside and turning as red as the marker in his hand. “You better gather your things. If you go now, you'll have less of a chance of being spotted."

Ambrose and Jereth followed Damon out of the house and down the stairs to the edge of the forest. Damon stopped and turned to his father and Ambrose, flashing them both a close-lipped smile.

“Do you have everything?" Ambrose asked.

“Everything as in the map and my knife?" Damon answered with a snicker, taking his weapon out of his pant pocket.

Jereth reached out his hand and took the knife from Damon, prompting him to give his father a puzzled look. “You won't need that," he said, setting it in his belt loop. “Take this instead. It'll serve you better."

Jereth lifted the back of his shirt and from inside his jeans, pulled out an all-black dagger that shimmered from the sharpness of its blade. “I got it made for your ascension, but…well, I think it's time you have it now," his father stated openly.

Damon's eyes wandered over the edge of the dagger as the fading sun caught the glint of blue that was embedded in the blade, mixing with the silver.

“After my father's death, my grandfather enlisted the services of a sort of potions master," Jereth continued. “For decades he worked on a mixture that when encountering a siren, will kill it instantly. That blue hue in the blade, is the final product."

A dagger designed to kill a siren—to him, there was nothing more beautiful. Jereth flipped the weapon in his hand so the hilt was facing Damon, who proudly reached to take a hold of it. Only, when his hand met the brass knuckled handle, Jereth didn't let go of his end. Damon looked up at his father, who's gaze was fixed on his son.

“You promise me you'll use this, regardless of the enemy you face. Hear me?"

Damon swallowed and gave a curt nod before holster the weapon under the back of his shirt. The three men exchanged a few more pleasantries and then Damon headed into the forest with the cold blade of his dagger touching his warm skin.

The evening sky had begun to set in, making it somewhat difficult for Damon's eyes to adjust as it balanced between dusk and nightfall. Animals that had spent the day sleeping carefully started to make their way out of their homes to begin their day.

For the first few minutes, Damon followed the small path that had formed over the years into Moonlight's common hunting grounds. It was a path he knew from memory; his father had taken him down it many times when he was younger as part of training, and as he grew into his later teenage years, he had walked it with others his age, searching for food for their pack.

Although hunting had shifted to different members as Damon got older, and he hadn't been there in at least five years, as he continued further into the forest, he noticed that Easton and Dilan were telling the truth. The grounds had changed. Wild trees had overgrown, and their vines tangled within one another above his head. Everything was still—almost like no other animals existed in a nearby radius.

Damon pulled out the map his father had marked with the location of the siren's hideout clearly outlined. He followed the 'X' a few meters into the forest and compared it to his current surroundings, judging approximately where he was located. If he just followed the pathway, it should lead him close enough that he can use the landmarks as a solid indication of where he was.

Except when he looked down, the path wasn't there anymore. Damon looked behind him and saw the path trail up behind him and then stop right where he stood. Then it clicked: he was at the edge of the hunting grounds, meaning he was closer than he thought. He had never been this far—not many from Moonlight pack had, but if Easton, Dilan, and Galen had moved past here, then he had to, too.

Damon took a deep breath and stepped into the tall grass, creating his own trail as he moved. Night finally took over the sky, and Damon's eyes automatically switched, making up for the lack of light. Outlines of trees and grass, as well as the occasional raccoon eyes, but otherwise, it was still. A little too still.

His ears listened intently for any sort of noise—most notably water—to indicate that he was going in the right direction. Yet, there was nothing except the sound of his shoes crunching down on the meadow as he walked forward.

As he progressed, the trees grew closer together, creating veils of leaves that he had to push open to pass. He had no idea where he was, or where to go until suddenly, he heard rushing water off in the distance. Damon's attention snapped towards the direction of the noise, pulling out his map once more to get a rough idea of where he was.

Basing his location off landmarks seen on the map and in person, Damon turned left and followed the sound which grew louder the closer he got. Consistently moving low hanging leaves out of his vision, Damon trudged ahead, making sure to keep as quiet as possible incase he was closer than planned.

When the water became more apparent, Damon set himself into a crouch, reaching behind him to feel for the dagger still held in the back of his jeans. He took a step forward and moved the last set of branches out of his way, opening him up to a large clearing with a lake streaming directly down the center.

His eyes scanned the area, looking for any sign of life—a figure. Except, there was nothing. Carefully, Damon stepped forward, letting the leaves close behind him. He surveyed the area once more, preparing himself to reach for his weapon at a moment's notice.

And almost as if on cue, directly behind him, Damon heard a soft voice speak to him, tickling the insides of his ears.

“Hello there."