A Symphony of Sirens
Amy Sumida
Copyright © 2017 Amy Sumida
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10:1547255609
ISBN-13: 978-1547255603
More Books by Amy Sumida
The Godhunter Series(in order)
Godhunter
Of Gods and Wolves
Oathbreaker
Marked by Death
Green Tea and Black Death
A Taste for Blood
The Tainted Web
Series Split:
These books can be read together or separately
Harvest of the Gods & A Fey Harvest
Into the Void & Out of the Darkness
Perchance to Die
Tracing Thunder
Light as a Feather
Rain or Monkeyshine
Blood Bound
Eye of Re
My Soul to Take
As the Crow Flies
Cry Werewolf
Beyond the Godhunter
A Darker Element
Out of the Blue
The Twilight Court Series
Fairy-Struck
Pixie-Led
Raven-Mocking
Here there be Dragons
Witchbane
Elf-Shot
The Spellsinger Series
The Last Lullaby
(A Symphony of Sirens)
Other Books
The Magic of Fabric
Feeding the Lwas: A Vodou Cookbook
There's a Goddess Too
The Vampire-Werewolf Complex
Enchantress
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Pronunciation Guide/ Character List
Adam MacLaine: Human client
Adelaid Tanager: Ah-da-laid Tan-ah-jur, a spellsinger, and Elaria's Great Aunt, and Kalliope's Aunt.
Aoide Tanager: E-da Tan-ah-jur: Elaria's aunt, Kalliope's sister, and siren
Arnet: Are-net, Knight of Fluorite
Ava: A-vah, Queen of Sapphire
Banning: Ban-ing, Gheara of the Kansas Gura
Barret: Bare-it, Commander of Chrysocolla Army
Beneath, The: A term used for the supernatural community as a whole, but mainly those who occupy the Human Realm of Earth.
Bran: Bran, King of Garnet
Branna: Bra-nah, Duchess of Jade
Carrick: Care-ick, Knight of Onyx
Ceana: KEH-na, Duchess of Alexandrite, and Torin's mother.
Cerberus: Ser-bur-us, Demi-god dog-shifter
Declan: Deck-lan, King of Alexandrite
Edmond: King of Jet
Eileen: I-lean, Queen of Copper
Elaria: Eh-lar-ee-ah, spellsinger
Elise: Eh-lease, Countess of Alexandrite, and Torin's grandmother.
Finbar: Fin-bar, Duke of Sapphire
Freya: Fray-yah, the Norse Goddess of Cats and Love
Galen: Gay-lin, King of Sapphire
Garret: Gare-it, King of Topaz
Gerard: Jare-rod, Knight of Onyx
Glinda: Glin-dah, an air witch and coven leader
Hugh: Hew, Knight of Onyx
Isandra: I-san-dra, Queen of Diamond
Jack Armstrong: Loup
Jameson: Jay-meh-son, Knight of Fluorite
Jarlath: Jar-leth, King of Diamond
Jonah Malone: Human gangster
Kalliope Tanager: Kah-lie-oh-pee Tan-ah-jur, Elaria's mother and a siren
Kean: Key-in, Knight of Howlite
Lorcan: Lore-can, King of Copper
Maeve: May-ve, Queen of Peridot
Maon: Moon, Duke of Sapphire, and Torin's father.
Moirin: Moy-rin, Queen of Tiger's Eye
Mrs Chadwick: Adam MacLaine's housekeeper
Niall, Nigh-all, King of Citrine
Nigel Windthrope: Nie-gel Wind-throw-p, an air witch and Robert's best friend
Odin Earthshaker: Oh-din, an earth witch and coven leader
Odran: O-drawn, King of Howlite
Oonagh: Oooh-nah, Queen of Snowflake Obsidian
Parthalon: Par-tha-lawn, King of Jade
Quinlan: Kwin-lahn, Alchemist
Riona: Ree-oh-nah, Queen of Malachite
Robert Scorcher: A fire witch and Elaria's father.
Sara: Sare-rah, pink tourmaline fey
Sgàthan: Scah-hin, the sea in Tír na nÓg
Sean: Sha-ahn, King of Turquoise
Shauna: Shah-na, Queen of Amethyst
Shevaun: Sheh-von, Queen of Chrysocolla
Svartalfheim: SVART-alf-hame, home of the Norse dark elves.
Thomas Frost: A water witch and Robert's best friend
Thor: The Norse God of Thunder
Teagan: Tee-gan, Queen of Jet
Tír na nÓg: Tier-nah-n'awhg, Realm of the Fairies, the Land of Youth
Torin: Tore-in, King of Onyx
Vivian Lake: A water witch and coven leader
Chapter One
“El?” Cerberus rapped on my picture window, startling me enough to spill my coffee. He chuckled as I let out an inventive curse.
“Gods damn it, Cer.” I swiped at the mess with a napkin. “Can't you come to the front door like a normal person?”
“And miss out on spooking a spellsinger?” He came in the back door of my house in Hawaii, and started rooting around my kitchen. “You got anymore of that?”
“You mean, so you can replace what you made me spill?”
“Yeah, sure.” He got himself a mug and filled it, then brought the pot over to me. His tone went grim, “I've had some unsettling news.”
“No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I just finished that crazy job for the nagas. I'm tired, and I intend to head back to Tír na nÓg as soon as I finish this cup of coffee. I need some onyx therapy.”
“Still with Torin, eh?” Cerberus took the seat across from me.
“Yes, I'm still with Torin,” I huffed. “Things are going really well, actually.”
“Things are going really well, actually,” Cerberus mocked me.
“I don't sound like that.” I grimaced.
“It's not a job.” He ignored me. “It's straight up news: siren news.”
“If it's siren news, why hasn't my mother called?”
“She may not want to bring you into it,” Cerberus sighed. “It's bad.”
“The last time you said it was bad, I had to kill an entire army of blooders.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Sweet stones, Cerberus, just tell me.”
“Since when have you started using their expressions?” Cerberus scowled.
By “their” he meant the Shining Ones, of which my boyfriend happened to be a king of (they had several kings but it was still a pretty big deal). I'd been spending most of my time in fairy central, aka Tír na nÓg, which is one of the many realms separated from Earth by a magical boundary called: the Veil. I may have become a little wrapped up in my love affair with Torin. It was entirely possible that Cerberus, who was not only the ex-Hound of Hades but also my best friend, was jealous. It looked as if I needed to make some more time for him; friendships like ours were rare.
“You know you can always come for a visit,” I offered. “I'll get you a traveling stone.”
“Torin already gave me one,” he admitted.
“What? Then why don't you come to see us in Tír na nÓg?”
“I don't know,” he sighed. “Do you want to hear about the sirens
or not?”
“Go on then, tell me.”
“They're disappearing.”
“Disappearing how?”
Cerberus gave me a look which clearly said I was an idiot.
“There are several ways that a supernatural member of the Beneath could disappear,” I chided him, referring to the community of supernatural races which we were a part of –and which most humans knew nothing about. “They could fade out of existence, they could go invisible from a spell, they–”
“Someone is abducting sirens,” Cerberus growled, cutting me off.
“Oh.” I blinked. “I'd better call my mother.”
My mother is a siren, as are all the mothers of spellsingers. All of our fathers are witches. We are one of the few races of the Beneath which require a very specific set of parents to produce one of our kind. It's the recipe for spellsinger babies: one part siren and one part witch. Or, as I liked to refer to it: the Recipe for Disaster.
“Yeah, you might want to do that.” Cerberus rolled his eyes.
I left the dining table in search of my cell phone. A few taps and the call was going through. Mom answered on the second ring.
“Praise Persephone,” my mother exclaimed. “I need your help, Elaria.”
“Cer just told me about the disappearances,” I said. “Why didn't you call me?”
“I only found out a few hours ago,” her voice dipped into an angry mutter. “Cerberus is evidently more informed than I, and about my own family, no less.”
“Well, he makes it his business to know everyone else's,” I reminded her. “Do I need to get on a plane?”
“Yes,” she said immediately. “Come home, honey. The family is in danger.”
“How many have gone missing?”
“Eight, including your Aunt Aoide.”
“Aunty Aoide?” I felt my knees go weak.
She was my favorite. Aunty Aoide had often come to visit me when I was a child. Being raised on an island, with only my parents for company, made me appreciative of consistent visitors. But Aoide was special. She'd sing with me; something most of our visitors were afraid to do. And she'd take me flying. I had the fondest memories of soaring over our island, Aunt Aoide's golden-brown wings catching the sunlight like a hawk's.
“Yes,” Mom's voice quivered. “Your father is upset. He's already started five fires by accident.”
“I'm on my way.” I hung up the phone and looked at Cerberus. “You coming along?”
“To siren central?” Cerberus smirked. “I wouldn't miss it for all the worlds.”
Chapter Two
Pyrosvesti, the island I was raised on, and the one my parents still lived on, was accessible only by boat. Most of the world didn't even know it existed. It certainly wasn't on any maps, and you wouldn't be able to spot it, even if you sailed nearby. A repelling spell kept boats from plowing into it by mistake and planes from flying through its airspace. But if you were invited to the island, or were family, the spells recognized you and let you pass.
The lush paradise of verdant mountains, pristine beaches, and flower-filled meadows rose up before the boat Cerberus and I had rented. The repelling spell didn't even flicker when we passed the reef it was set into. Cerberus and I had been passing through that spell for centuries. We docked about fifty feet from the shell-spotted shore, then took an inflatable raft to the island. My parents were waiting for us on the beach.
“Hey, little Ellie-phant.” My father hugged me first, his thick build nearly squashing me.
“Dad, how many times do I have to tell you that it's unflattering to call a woman an elephant?” I huffed.
“I didn't.” My father gave Cerberus a conspiratorial wink. “I called you an Ellie-phant. Huge difference.”
“Huge,” Cer agreed as he extricated himself from my mother's embrace. “Bigger than a pachyderm.”
“You're not helping,” I said dryly to my best friend.
“Oh, why have you never married my girl?” My mother asked Cerberus, as she always did. Her lavender eyes lit up, making her fragile, blonde beauty seem suddenly vibrant. The midnight-black of her feathered wings was like a velvet background, bringing that vibrancy to an almost glowing level. “You two are perfect for each other.”
“We are perfect as friends, Mom.” I gave her a big hug, loving the way her wings wrapped around me. I always felt safe when I was held within my mother's wings. “And you know I'm seeing Torin.”
“He's a beautiful man,” she admitted, smoothing her cotton dress down over her full figure. “But a Shining One, El? I don't like you spending so much time in Tír na nÓg. It's dangerous; all of that wild magic running amok.”
“Amok, amok, amok,” Cerberus sang.
“I know.” I sighed and gave Cer a scowl. “But we're not here to discuss my love life. Tell me about the sirens.”
“Come inside first.” My father's normally sparkling, blue-green eyes looked grim and dull. “Nothing will change in the few minutes it takes us to walk home.”
“Home” was technically the entire island, but Dad was referring to the rambling spread of living spaces nestled among the branches and root systems of several massive banyan trees in the center of Pyrosvesti. Mom was a siren, and they loved nesting in high places. Dad was a witch; a fire one in particular, so he felt more secure on, or under, the ground. This made for some interesting compromises.
Our house was built with several levels, going from subterranean to sky. Dad had his witch workspace underground, burrowed deep into the bedrock of the island. Mom had her music room built up above the highest branches of the banyan, directly above. Between those two spaces were numerous rooms set at various levels: ground, trunk, branches, and beyond. The main entrance was on the ground.
In case you've never seen a banyan tree, I'll explain. Banyans are unlike any other tree. They have the potential to grow in all directions. Most trees grow upward and downward; their roots spread through the ground while their branches reach for the sky. Banyans are also able to spread outward. Their branches send down supporting roots every few inches; roots which thicken into thin trunks, and which allow the Banyan to keep growing as wide as the landscape permits. The branches don't have to taper off since they have support beneath them. Because they are supported by these root-trunks, the lower branches end up growing relatively horizontal. This makes them prime candidates for tree houses; their sturdy, straight branches providing a great foundation for floorboards.
The entrance to our home is set among a banyan's hanging roots; a foyer built of stone with the banyan root-trunks as support columns. Inside this main room, stairs go down to my father's study and his numerous workspaces, while another staircase heads upward to the family rooms and my mother's loft. Cerberus and I took the stairs up; spiraling around the main trunk, bypassing the kitchen on the ground floor, to continue between the branches. We came out on the first landing and went to the right. This took us to the living room: a spacious, semi-circular room which curved out from one banyan to its neighbor, creating a bridge between trees and a sort of balcony. The back end was built against other rooms and also held the entrance to the hallway, but the entire curved front was set with windows. It gave a remarkable view of the valley, which we were perched on the edge of.
I was too worried to appreciate the view. Instead, I headed straight to the bar at the back of the room and poured myself a drink. I downed it and poured another before I went to take a seat on the long, fluffy, white couch which was set facing the windows. I put my whiskey down on the glass-topped nautilus shell which served as our coffee table, then I sat back and waited for my parents to tell me what the hell was going on.
“This never gets old,” Cerberus noted as he swaggered over to the windows. “I gotta build me a tree house.”
“Mom”–I ignored Cerberus–“tell me. Who took Aunt Aoide?”
“We don't know, Ellie,” it was my father who answered. “We just don't fucking know.”
“They're simply vanishing
.” My mother shook her head. “Aoide was due for a visit yesterday. She never showed. I called her cellular over and over. Finally, someone answered, but they didn't say anything.”
“Just silence?” Cerberus took a seat beside me.
“No”–my father scowled–“they crowed.”
“Like a bird?” I asked. “Is that a reference to sirens?”
“Like a rooster,” my mother whispered. “It was chilling, Elaria.”
“They fucking crowed?” Cerberus scrunched up his face. “What kind of lunatic are we dealing with?”
“That's a damn good question.” My father agreed.
“He has to be powerful,” a man noted as he entered the room. Another man came in with him. “He couldn't abduct a siren if he wasn't.”
“Tom”–I went over to the guy and hugged him, then hugged his companion–“Nigel; I didn't know you two were here.”
“We arrived just before you and Cerberus. We came to help with the search.” Thomas Frost was a witch with a talent for using the element of water, specifically: ice. He was also one of my father's closest friends, despite their magics being so at odds with each other.
“And to offer emotional support,” Nigel Windthrope said in his British accent, which made the warm intention sound a little cold. But there was no doubting the sincerity in his golden-brown eyes. Nigel was my father's other best friend. Together, the three of them were a powerful team. Besides my mother and me, these were the people my father trusted the most.
“Thank you,” I said sincerely, “we can use all the help we can get.”
“Tom”–Cerberus came over to shake Tom's hand and then Nigel's–“Nigel; good to see you both.”
“Cerberus”–Thomas nodded–“I heard your security company is doing well.”
“Hopefully it will come in handy now,” Cerberus said.
“So, it's someone immune to a siren's call,” I mused, then looked at Cerberus. “You know of any race that fits the bill?”
“Only gods or a very powerful witch,” Cerberus said immediately. “That's what's so great about being a siren, nearly the entire Beneath is affected by your magic.”