Chapter 9: The Siren’s Tears

THE Night Children were already scattered inside the forest. Albert made sure that the ritual of the hunt was perfectly offered for the meat of animals. 

When twilight came, Albert called the hunt, and not before midnight, they already had the meat. The Vampires were waiting. But, they were outwitted. 

Blood perfumed the air and it was ready for the harvest. Miranda had been waiting for that flood so she could finally break through the veil while it’s still unstable. 

He did not know what’s going on, but he knew something was wrong. Before the Vampires would finally be successful, he would first die in combat. In no way, he would open that door to the other side. They had kept their peace for centuries. Even how tired he was, he would not exchange it for a war that could still be prevented.

He could feel the temptation to hunt for blood. But like an unbreakable oath, only the Constant could release a command. Anything that happened without the Constant’s permission was punishable. Being a vampire had no hope of passing through the next life. 

“You brought the basket?”

“Yes.”

“The meat is ready,” Albert said. 

“They are angry,” Kristina said. “The Vampires are furious.” 

“I know,” Albert confirmed. “Ignore them. If they attack now, they will lose.” 

“How do you know that?” Kristina clarified. 

“Because her clan is not prepared and she could sense him.”

“Who’s presence?” Kristina asked. 

“A Siren,” Albert replied. “There’s a Siren in that crowd. That is why it was not as damaged as it’s expected.”

“And, the Siren is a man?”

“This kind of power is ancient,” Albert said. Behind the shadows, they could feel vampires lurking around. “Miranda created a very powerful ritual with a demonic passage. Only a few could survive that.” 

“This Siren,” Kristina said, and continued, “. . . is he against us or with us?”

Albert could not answer this. He stood and commanded a signal to a messenger back to the Sanctuary. “We will know soon enough. But the breaking of the veil is not a coincidence. Something is not right.” 

Kristina nodded and changed the course of the conversation. “I’ll send the herbs and the fruits. I’ll have Karen and Cassy with me.” 

“It’s time,” Albert said and howled once. They moved forward to the open camp - back to their human form. 

She rolled the blanket on top of her as she always did every morning. Next to her was Jason. She's always the first to wake up. Sensing that she's already up, Jason grabbed her over the hand causing her to stumble back to bed. 

"Where are you going?" he asked through his eyes, still shut. 

"It's high noon," she answered, giggling. "I'm hungry." 

"You always do for the past two weeks." 

"Yes," she stood over again, gaining her balance while she wore her morning robe. "You are always late." 

"You always keep me late," Jason teased. He now rolled over and took his robe.

"Right," she teased back. "It won't happen again." 

"Joking," Jason laughed and embraced her tightly. "I like our nightly adventures. Don’t want to stop it.” 

He was kissing her on the neck; however, she remembered her dream last night. 

"How has it been since Rudolf escaped?" she asked. 

"Two weeks now," he answered, trying to get some kisses again. However, Elena already wriggled herself free, showing her refusal. "Why?" 

"We need to prepare," Elena said. 

Seconds later, they were already in the kitchen of the Dwelling Palace. Both of them were still in robes, however, they were not ashamed of it. The Palace was aware of the two of them. Besides, magicians slept with each other. Who knows who sleeps with who? No problem at all. 

"I dreamt of Professor Luna," Elena said as she peeled off some papaya for the smoothie. "He was telling something about Rudolf." 

"And then?" Jason asked. 

"I could not understand him except being in trouble," she finished preparing her breakfast plate with a buttered egg. "We all should prepare." 

"Elena, that's what we have been doing for the past two weeks," Jason answered her. "I'll show you later on." 

Elena watched him after he said that. "Seriously?" 

"What?" 

"What have we been doing for the past two weeks?" 

"Aside from screwing ourselves?" Jason asked back. "Nah! That's what happens if you always stay in the Time Palace. I’ll show you around for some fresh air too." 

No longer than an hour, they were walking past the field. The Residential Gardens were once busy with chitchats. But, now only a few were left to do some leisure. Elena and Jason walked, hand by hand; their destination was on the Fields of War. 

The Palace of Los Barrios had so many Palaces based on the Celestial Palaces. Aside from the garden, there was a place where magicians went to train themselves. The Fields of War were mostly unoccupied except for the War children. There were many fields. Each was designed with certain challenges. Now, they were going to the Dueling Court. 

This specific court showcased how each skill of each magician, how little it may be, could be put to war. 

There were groups of five magicians with different skill sets. The team should choose a leader. Within 20 minutes, they should discuss plans of attack or defense even without knowing what the challenge was. The number of the groups depended on how many wanted to compete. 

Elena and Jason arrived just in time when the preparation was over. There were six groups waiting on the field. Each group chose a color to represent them. In the center of the court, a stone stage was rising with the moderator standing on top of it, calling everyone's attention. 

The desert sea protects an egg

Golden that one should beg

Many tried to steal 

Only if the locks are real. 

Break the doors and walls.

Find the most precious of balls. 

"What does that mean?" Elena asked. 

"Four lines for the description and two for the command."

"Then?"

"They should do what was asked."

"How long?"

"Until the end of the day."

 "How are we supposed to speculate?" Elena wondered. "If they were to find it somewhere, why  should we stay here?"

"Just wait," Jason answered. 

Seconds later, the teams were gone. The only person left was the moderator. "Brothers and sisters, our challenge just started. The mirrors are opened. 

 An invisible power source rose from the ground creating mirrors. Like watching through open windows, one could see what each team was doing. 

"Is this training for you?" Elena directed Jason, still confused about the essence of the game. 

"You watch, please," Jason requested. She just followed for the sake of respect. 

One of the windows showed how a Samsonara created a wall and broke it. Still, it was useless. Another showed how a Revlon told a Fulena what to do and yet, instead of listening, they argued. 

"This is just a game, right?" Elena asked.

"This is a challenge," Jason answered. 

On one of the windows, a dragon blew out some fire and it consumed the magician who tried to counteract it. When the fire subsided, so did the magician. Elena could hear the gasps around and not long, she could hear some controlled sobbing. 

She's dead," Elena said flatly. "Jason, you have to stop this. This is madness."

Jason was either listening or was just focused on the entertainment that he could not hear what she’s saying. She was about to leave when Jason caught her arms, bringing her back to her seat. 

"Do not leave," Jason whispered to her, his hands tight on her arms. "Watch." 

"You are hurting me," she complained. "I’ll stay. Just get your hands-off." 

Jason realized it. "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited. You need to see it." 

"Why?" 

"There's a lesson to this, Elena," Jason defended. "This is what we have been doing in the past two weeks."

"I should be going to train myself too," 

“You asked me that the Palace should prepare. This is how we prepare while you stay in your Time Palace,” he faced her. “Just give me this one afternoon to explain to you how this works.”

 “Fine,” Elena sat back. “I’ll watch. But promise me, when the game is finished, you’ll stop this. You can’t just let someone play and die. It’s as if you kill them.” 

“They kill themselves,” Jason answered, his voice rising with his temper. “If they could just learn to use their gifts better, they would survive.”

Elena shut her mouth. She just watched useless attempts of deciphering the words. She just watched suicides. She just watched close friends cry in silence. Sunset came and each team was back on the field. Either their deaths were with them or they were left shocked. 

“So tell me,” Elena started. “Who won?” 

“The game is not yet finished,” Jason said, his eyes fixed on the field. “The egg is not yet found.” 

Fear started to climb inside Elena’s stomach. “Will it be played again tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Jason answered. “Until the egg’s found.”

“Why is it so important?”

Jason did not answer except saying, “They started from 24 teams. Now, they’re down to four. How many deaths were there already?”

“Why are you doing this?” disbelief flooded Elena’s eyes. “How could you believe we can stand against the Night Children with our numbers left?” 

“The egg is important, Elena,” Jason responded. “Now you can go back to your Palace.” 

Elena was never as angry as she was. She stormed her way back to the Palace, never looking back. She closed all her doors and locked them with a platinum protective spell. 

She went straight to her room. Strange as it was, she smelled Jason’s scents. His things piled on a cabinet. “What is he doing there?'' She tried to recollect some essence of the past until she saw what she left two weeks ago. 

A remnant. Her remnant lived through stored magic. The theory was indeed true. 

“How’s your sleep?”

Betty heard a male voice and she tried to recognize it. Somewhere, she heard it. But, where? Now, she opened her left eye and saw a face staring at her. 

She roused quickly. “Stay from where you are!” she exclaimed. “Philip, your bruises are still fresh.”

“We are on a first-name basis now, huh?” Philip teased. “How can I call you?” 

Red apples showed on her face. She’s blushing that she could not answer him straight. The first thing on her mind was, “Where’s Mark?” 

“He just excused himself to pass his water,” Philip answered. “He’s such a sweet child. Your boy.” 

“He’s not my son,” she defended. 

“Not yours?” 

“Do I look like a mother to you?”

“Figures, doctor,” Philip said. “Is it offending to say you adopted him since he’s not here yet?”

“It’s offending,” she replied, smiling while she checked on his bruise. 

“You are a happy person when offended,” he remarked. 

“You are a lucky person, mister,” she commented. “Only a few regained consciousness after losing such an amount of blood. You are amazing.” 

“As you are. But, back to mister and miss basis?” he teased again. “I like it when you call me Philip. Can I know yours, doctor?” 

“You might have heard my name from someone here,” she replied.  

“Right,” he smiled - perfect pearls for a set of teeth and a powerful jaw. “I may have and you didn't hear my name first from me. That is why I am introducing myself. My name is Philip. Yours?” 

He extended his hands and Betty was taking her time to respond. Later on, she surrendered. “Fine. Just call me Betty.” She accepted his hands. Beautiful hands! 

“Nice meeting you, Betty,” Philip said. “I’m sorry for offending you about your son.” 

She chuckled. “I need to excuse myself now. You are not my only patient here.” 

She did not know why she was smiling. The handsome pilot was entertaining her - and she liked it. 

She tended to other patients. Good thing, no one perished during the night. After the routine, she decided to relieve herself too. Through the made-up tent, she went outside. It was still early dawn, but everyone was busy. 

Not far, she saw Mark. Then, John.  

“What’s going on?” she asked him. 

“Some help came around,” John replied happily. “Some natives arrived by early dawn. With gifts. We set up a tent for the fruits and the men are getting ready to butcher some meat.”

“That’s great news,” Betty said. “Where are these natives?” 

“They’re in the tent.”

 “How many are they?” 

“There are three women and two men,” he replied. “They are waiting for you.”

“Thank you, John,” she said. “By the way, Philip is awake.” 

“Thank you, doctor,” he said, and hurriedly went. 

Betty went straight to the tent. She found the women who were talking to others in the camp too. She thanked the locals. “My name is Beatrice Villanueva. You can call me Betty,” she said to the one who looked like she was in charge of the guests. 

“No worries, Betty,” the woman said. “We heard that you are a very able doctor.”

“Entirely my pleasure,” she said. Her eyes caught a basket of medicinal herbs. “Wow! Are those . . .” 

“We took that very early, thinking you might need it. We apologize though. We can’t get fast enough to the nearest store for your pills.”

“Oh no problem at all,” she said. “These are more powerful than any pharmaceuticals. I am trying to create a formula with raw materials. I’m still looking for this kind of herb that I only saw once.” 

“What does it look like?”

“It was heart-shaped. But not red. It’s silver. Not white or platinum. Silver.” 

“Where did you find this herb?” a mother asked, confused and intrigued. 

“The Haven,” she recalled. “My father named it the ‘Siren’s Tears’ because it gives healing to what’s necessarily needing healing. It’s effective. It’s like a magic herb” 

“The locals said that they saw that before,” one of the guests said. “Does it happen that the Haven’s a place in Los Barrios?” 

“How do you know it’s in Los Barrios?” 

The guests gave a meaningful look at each other and responded. “Doctor, you are lost in the heart of Los Barrios,” the woman said.

The Phoenix floated with her wings on fire. Her eyes close but still radiating in power. She was enclosed in a circle with five points on the proportional circumference. The points were empty. 

It looked like a stadium where the only present was the floating Phoenix and a platform for a visitor to stand on. 

George Luna, Hybrid, bowed in front of the Phoenix. 

“Stand,” the Phoenix commanded though her lips were not moving and her eyes were shut. 

Luna stood, “Your Royalty, it’s about time.” 

“Does she know?” 

“Not yet,” Luna replied. “But her Ascension was completed.” 

“Remind her,” the Phoenix commanded. “Elena should travel now. Time is losing its substance. Prepare her before it’s too late.” 

“But how?”

“The Siren’s Tears,” the Phoenix replied. “The chosen human and the siren are near the Sacred Place. He’s waiting for you there.” 

“How about Rudolf?” Luna asked. 

“He’s fulfilling his prophecy too,” she replied. “You still have the pendant?”

“Yes.” 

“He will understand soon,” the Phoenix said. “Prepare yourself.”