Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Cold Heart

A short story by Amber Day


 

Wallace-     The ship sank last night completely disappeared beneath the waves my crew with her. I should have died as well. I wish I had, how am I to face the Hudson Company now? The youngest captain in there merchant fleet has performed as the nay sayers predicted… Never mind that it wasn't my fault, the big blow came out of nowhere. I should let go this barrel and sink below the salty waves, be done with it all…

Sloane-     I watched the man, bobbing like so much flatsome and jetsome in my ocean. The top of my head and eyes the only thing above the water, he had no idea I was silently watching him. My sisters snickered and teased that I couldn't do it, that I didn't have the stomach to kill this interloper too near our island. I dove and glared at them, "He's only a human, an air breather, of course I can take care of it." Rona and Ide shared a look and swam quickly away, catching the ropes still tied to his barrel.

"Come Sloane and let's have a bit of fun with this mortal first," Ide snickered making my stomach turn.

"Yes let's Rona," echoed, "we'll show him the best of hospitality… it's always better when death takes them by surprise."

I clutched my dagger more tightly and followed them to the shore.

Wallace-    My barrel suddenly rocketed forward, the mist on the morning water slowly revealing an island where none should be. Had we really been that far off course?

    "No this island shouldn't be here," I whispered vaguely remembering tales of an enchanted island hidden by mist and guarded by Sirens… No one who ever set foot there was seen again.

"Hello human," a beautiful voice greeted me and then she came into view. "What have you lost your tongue? Rona I think this one is broken." Another remarkably beautiful creature sidled up to the first, "Oh pooh! They're no fun when they're not perfect."

I swallowed and croaked, my throat coated in salty dryness, "I'm okay… only a little parched."

"An ocean of water and not a drop to drink?" The dark haired girl, Rona, teased with a smile, "There is a spring on our island not so far to walk, can you? The last sailor couldn't, his leg was twisted wrong and we had to drag him in."

"I can walk," I assured and stood a little wobbly, "Did you two really swim out on your own when the ship went down?"

The two girls laughed and disappeared, with a splash of their tails beneath the shallows at the edge of the island… Tails? These weren't woman these were Sirens!

Sloane-    So this was how it was to be. They would 'play' with him and my compassion along with him. I should have sunk my dagger into him the minute I'd seen him, a mercy killing.

    "You shouldn't trust us," I warned swimming up behind him and he spun losing his footing and falling into me. I stupidly dropped my dagger and caught him. I should've kept the dagger and been done with this!

    "S… sorry," he said softly and I was lost in his eyes, the most beautiful blue I'd ever seen. I blinked and grimaced pushing him away. "Just stay away from me," I warned and tried to dive but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back up. Of all the rude, thoughtless, stupid…

    "What do you intend to do to me?" he demanded blue eyes sad despite his fierce expression.

    I had to look away so I could talk, "You won't leave the island, air breather. None of your kind can once you've seen it."

    "You'll kill me won't you?"

    My head snapped back to him, eyes huge, how could he know it was I that had to do it? Only he didn't really mean me he meant the three of us…

    "If my days are limited, could I have your name pretty girl?" he almost smiled, but his eyes were still sad. Was it because he'd die soon?

    "I'm Sloane," I said softly, "what are you called by?" I shouldn't ask I didn't want to know him…

Wallace-    There was something different about this girl. Could it be compassion? Was it possible for one of these cold creatures to have such a human emotion?

    "I'm Wallace," I answered and she smiled for the first time. It made her so much more beautiful than the other two. Her smile was honest.

    "Hmm it means stranger, how appropriate," her smile faded and she glared toward the shore, "They're coming to pull you under and see how long you can hold your breath."

    "What?" but it was too late I was yanked down beneath the water. I didn't fill my lungs before they pulled me down and I fought futilely against their restraining hands. I could hear their laughter all too clearly. Did they drown my men this way?

"Stop it!" Sloane's voice carried just as clearly in the water.

"OOO! Defending this air breather? Look how silly is, can't even discern the bottom from the top."

Suddenly lips were on mine shocking me until I realized she was blowing into my mouth filling my lungs with clean fresh oxygen. Her arms were around me moving us swiftly through the water to the shore up onto the sandy beach.

"Are you breathing?" she asked worriedly laying her head on my chest to hear my heart.

"I'm fine," I breathed, "thank you for saving me."

"No one should die like that," she grumbled looking back out at the water, "for another's sport."

The other two appeared then one carrying an extra large clam shell laden with fruits, "We weren't going to kill him-"

"Yet," the other snickered and winked at Sloane. She turned a ghastly pale.

Sloane-    I slept near him for three nights straight protecting him from my sister's sport. They wouldn't kill him, they couldn't, this one was for me, father would be angry if they took him from me. Why did I have to kill him? To prove myself a guardian of our home, to thin the fleet of sea-borne humans, to strengthen myself with his ebbing life… the reasons were numerous and made perfect sense to others of my kind. I sighed and looked at my dagger, fingering the deathly sharp whale bone, wondering why I had to be different.

"Sloane, what's wrong?" he asked surprising me, I'd thought he was asleep.

I looked away, "Nothing, go to sleep."

"I'm not blind," he reminded me as he had every time he caught my melancholy.

"Neither am I. Why should I tell you if you won't tell me?"

He sighed heavily and finally explained the sadness in his eyes, "I was the captain of that ship… so many good men died and I couldn't do anything but watch them go. I should've gone down with the ship." He turned his eyes to me pleading, "Why did I survive?"

I knew why, my father had pulled him from the sinking ship. 'An easy exchange', he'd told me, not a kill, an exchange. Father never called it what it was. As I looked at this man, this human I doubted I could do it… "Do you want to die?"

"Does anyone?" he asked softly and shuddered. The night was cooler than normal. I shook my head and moved closer to him lending my body heat to him.

"I don't know what to do with you," I whispered.

"You're the one that's supposed to kill me," he stated but didn't move away, "I heard Ide talking. Why haven't you?"

"I don't know," I admitted torn in ways I'd never been before.

"What will happen if you don't do it?"

"I'll die," I breathed and he moved closer to me. "I'm no good if I can't live up to my name and keep this island safe. Do you know what Sloane means?"

"Strong protector," he said softly, "What if you just left?"

"Left? Where would I go? There is nowhere left in the world for my kind."

He took my dagger, "Then take my life… Sloane I would die for you."

It was called 'self sacrifice' but I had never seen it in action. The thought of him dying squeezed my heart painfully, "No!" I snatched away the dagger, "I… I can't kill you Wallace."

He touched my cheek tenderly, "Why? I don't want to see anything happen to you… I have nothing Sloane-"

"You have me!" I hissed and surprised us both. We looked at each other in silence for a few moments. He slipped his hand around to cradle my head, his lips pressed to mine. I'd never been kissed before, his lips were warm and soft on mine curling warm desire in the pit of my stomach. If this was what it was like to be with a man then I would do all I could to save him…