Chapter One
(Song in this chapter is "No Way Out" by Phil Collins.)
"Everywhere I turn I hurt someone
But there's nothing I can say to change the things I've done
Of all the things I hid from you I cannot hide the shame
And I pray someone, something will come and take away the pain
There's no way out of this dark place
No hope, no future
I know I can't be free
But I can't see another way
And I can't face another day
Tell me where did I go wrong
Everyone I love, they're all gone
I'd do everything so differently
But I can't turn back the time
There's no shelter from the storm inside of me
There's no way out of this dark place
No hope, no future
I know I can't be free
But I can't see another way
And I can't face another day
Can't believe the words I hear
It's like an answer to a prayer
And when I look around I see,
This place, this time, this friend of mine
I know It's hard but you found somehow
To look into your heart and to forgive me now
You've given me the strength to see just where my journey ends
You've given me the strength to carry on
I see the path from this dark place
I see my future
And your forgiveness has set me free
Oh, and I can see another way
I can face another day
(I see the path)
I can see the path
(I see the future)
I see the path from this dark place
I see my future
(I see the path)
I can see the path
I see the future
I see the path"
Siren went on down to the dungeons, following the piercing screams that echoed around the castle. Ah, the delicious wails of someone being tortured! How she loved it! Opening up one door in the dungeon, she found Tulio standing over a girl with black hair and blue eyes. The girl was strapped down to the ground covered in long, deep scratches, each of them oozing blood. She writhed in pain, screaming and sobbing. Each time the girl shifted a bit, Siren could see some bamboo growing beneath her.
Fast growing bamboo. Within three days it'll be half way through the girl, Siren thought in glee. She grinned maliciously when Tulio poured rat poison over the girl's wounds. The screams raised it pitch.
"Tulio," said Siren stepping into the room. He stopped pouring the rat poison on the girl and turned towards the villainess, gazing upon her with dead eyes. "Who is this girl, and what has she done to deserve this?"
"Her name is Helene," Tulio replied, "and I found her nosing around the castle. She thought herself too smart and important to get caught. She was wrong."
Siren chuckled. "Well, I guess some people need to learn to stay out of affairs that don't concern them." She moved closer and circled him. He continued to watch her with no emotion. "Tulio, I do believe you are ready! Nice... very nice. You have the same blackness in your soul that I have. What is your destiny?"
"I will destroy Incantationen," he said.
"Yes! What have I taught you?" Siren inquired.
"Aralyne is the enemy," Tulio replied.
"And what must you do?" the villainess demanded.
"I must kill her!" Tulio snarled.
I was out in a grassy meadow not far from Nesidy with Lao Shi beside me. We were sitting cross-legged underneath the light of a full moon.
"Release yourself, young one... Concentrate," said Grandpa. He was supposed to be helping me find peace. I clenched my eyes shut, trying to focus. "Sense the vibrations around you. Let your instincts guide you..."
A light breeze whipped through my hair. It was now past my shoulders, falling a bit over my chest; still not as long as when it had been cut. For a moment I felt at peace.
"Sense the balance of the magical world. Good and evil both," Grandpa instructed.
"I... I can feel it," I said, "Yeah. It's kinda cool, actually." I suddenly sensed a shadow pass over my face, and I opened my eyes to find that Grandpa had vanished and a dark cloud was passing over the moon. A dark figure popped up from a bush, and the silhouette seemed familiar. "Huh?" I jumped to my feet and chased after him, as he was clearly male. He ran deeper and deeper into the surrounding woods, before suddenly stopping at the base of a mountain. I slowed down and stared at him, my heart skipping a beat. "Tulio..."
"Aralyne, listen to me," he said, completely serious. I came to a halt just a mere foot away from him. This couldn't be real. He was here! "Siren is planning something big. Something terrible. You have to stop her."
"But what about you?" I inquired.
"You can't save me, Aralyne. And don't even try. It's too dangerous," he replied. As he turned to leave, I reached out and wrapped my arms around him.
"I don't care. You're worth it," I muttered into his chest. With his right hand, he lifted up head so I gazed up at him. He leaned in...
And I opened my eyes to find myself in the bedroom I shared with Catherine and Alyss at the Benbow Inn. Early morning sunshine was streaming through the window and the sisters were still fast asleep. It was just a dream!
Angry, I crawled out of bed and changed from my nightgown into a tight white tank top, torn olive green shorts, and knee-high brown boots. After tying my medium-length hair back into a braid, I grabbed my bow, arrows, and knife before leaving the room.
Bypassing the dining area, I could sense Sarah and Jim Hawkins watching me.
"Aralyne, would you like some breakfast?" Mrs. Hawkins tentatively asked.
"I'm not hungry," I said a little harsher than I meant to. Honestly, I felt bad for snapping at her. She wasn't the reason I was angry, but I couldn't stay around either. Anyone was likely to fall under my wrath while I was like this, so I had to be completely alone. I left the Benbow Inn altogether and headed out of Nesidy towards the woods. After a few minutes of walking, I came to my practice area where I had set up a piece of plywood with a painting of Siren on it. The plywood was already riddled with holes on her chest and head. I set to work firing arrows at the cut out of my enemy.
"Yo, Gramps, what's up? You said you wanted to see me?" said Jake Long walking into his grandfather's office.
"Yes, come in, Jake," said Grandpa motioning for the teenager to enter. "I have been worried about Aralyne."
"What for? She can take care of herself," said Jake sitting at a chair and placing his feet on Grandpa's desk.
Lao Shi frowned and shoved Jake's feet off the furniture. "That is not what I meant. She had finally agreed to her job as Queen of Incantationen, but she has not been performing her duties. Instead she has let her anger and hatred for Siren consume her. I want you to go and keep an eye out on her. Make sure she doesn't do anything dangerous to herself or others."
"You got it, Gramps," said Jake getting up off his seat, "Dragon up!" He turned into his dragon form and flew out the window, heading for the Benbow Inn. When he got there, he turned back into a human and went inside, running into Alyss and Catherine on their way downstairs.
"How's it goin', ladies? You're both lookin' fine today," he said with a wink.
"Forget it, Jake," said Alyss, rolling her eyes, "We're not interested."
"Yeah, you're like fourteen," Catherine agreed.
"Fine, but you're gonna miss out on all this! Check it!" He started break dancing in front of them, but wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and crashed into a table, knocking it over. "Oops! My bad!"
"Okay, I know you're not here to destroy things. What do you want, Jake?" said Alyss picking up the table and setting it right.
"I was looking for Aralyne," he confessed, "Is she out of bed, yet?"
"Out of bed, and out of the building," Catherine replied, "She was gone before we were even awake."
"Aw man! Do you know where I can find her?" Jake inquired.
"Probably out in the woods, but you should leave her alone," said Alyss.
"I can't. Gramps said I have to watch over her," said Jake.
The sisters exchanged glances then said simultaneously, "We're going with you."
I don't know how long I was practicing, but I didn't really care either. All I knew was that if I ever came face to face with Siren, I was going to make her pay.
Sweat now pouring down my face, I pulled out my knife, and aimed for the Siren painting. Hearing something behind me, I spun around and let my weapon fly.
"Hey, watch it!" Jake Long the dragon exclaimed when my knife became embedded in a tree trunk half an inch away from him. "You could have damaged my beautiful face." With him was Catherine and Alyss.
"What do you want?" I growled out at them.
"We wanted to know if you were okay," said Catherine.
"Fine," I snapped out moving forward to yank my knife out of the tree. "Now leave me alone."
"You're a lot bitchier than normal," Alyss said, "Something made you upset."
I came to a halt and stared at the ground, tears stinging my eyes. Lifting up my gaze, it landed on the painting of Siren. With a cry of rage, I threw my knife and it landed between her eyes.
"Tell us what happened, duck," said Catherine, coming over to wrap an arm my shoulders.
I told them about my dream, and by then Jake had transformed into his human self.
"So let me get this straight," said Jake, "you're in a rotten mood because of some dream?"
"I think it was more than a dream," I said wiping my eyes dry, "I think... I think Tulio was trying to contact me from wherever he is." Catherine offered me a sympathetic look.
"Well, there are spells you can use to enter people's dreams," Alyss piped up, "I use 'em all the time to, uh..." She blushed. "Never mind."
Catherine gave her sister a curious look. "Who's dreams have you been visiting?"
"No one's," Alyss muttered.
"Is it Milo?" Catherine persisted.
"No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe. Stop putting me on the spot! We're here for Aralyne!" Alyss cried, now very red.
What Alyss had said did grab my attention. Not about Milo, but the spell, and I nodded. "That's gotta be it! Maybe I can use the same kinda spell to enter his dreams and find out what's going on!"
"You really miss him, don't you?" Catherine asked, tilting her head.
I nodded, sadly. "It's been three months. I thought I'd be over him by now, but I'm not. I just... I need to know he's okay."
Alyss hesitated, then pulled a magical spell book out of her dress pocket and opened it. "If you're serious about finding him, I think I know a spell that'll do it."
"Really?" I asked. For the first time in months, I felt hope spring up inside of me. I threw my arms around Alyss. "You're the best!"
"So what are we talkin' here?" Jake inquired.
After I had released her, Alyss flipped the book open and said, "A portal spell. It's pretty tricky, but if done right, it'll open a dimensional door to wherever Tulio is."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked, eagerly.
Alyss shut the book and gave me a worried look. "One problem. I'm missing a key ingredient. Krylock venom."
"Kry-a-what-now?" said Jake in confusion. I was with him on this.
"Krylock," Catherine explained, "A beast of pure evil that feeds off of magical creatures. It has the head of a cobra, the wings of a bat, and the body and tail of a scorpion."
"Okay, so let's go find this Krything already!" I said gathering my arrows from the Siren painting.
"That's the hitch. It's inter-dimensional," said Catherine.
"Meaning...?" Jake asked.
Alyss then said, "Meaning it lives in another dimension. The only way it can enter our world is through a dimensional door, which can pop up anywhere anytime anyplace. It's impossible to track."
I felt my spirits sink. "So what do we do?"
"We wait for it make an appearance in our neck of the woods. When it does, that's when we strike," Alyss declared.
