Just wow... Let's continue, shall we?

The meager moonlight that filtered through the looming storm clouds illuminated the gruesome scene below. Not even the booming thunder or the distant din of crashing waves could cover up the screams of the struggling pages. The massacre had just started, and already a few of the pages were were ready to give in. More than one of them had disappeared below the water.

As Eleni watched on, Pier dragged her back to shore. Though her initial instincts were screaming that she go back to Kyle, there was very little she could do. Another one of his poor screams pierced the air.

"Let me go!" Eleni ripped her arm from Pier's grasp, wading through the choppy water. "He needs me!"

"No!" She continued to drag Eleni to shore, shoving her out of the water. "Stay here!" The order was absolute, but Eleni would never listen to her.

"I can help!" Her feet were already in the river again. She had actually managed to walk past Pier, until she was pushed back. "Let me go!" Kyle was still wailing, struggling to stay above the water. "Please, I beg you!"

Pier went so far as to hold her own sword to Eleni's chest. "They're Undine, Pirate's Swoop, they take men. Stay here and help the ones that get free." And just like that, Pier dove under the water.

Left alone, Eleni could only watch as her friends futilely fought the deceptively beautiful women. She could save herself and risk her friends' lives, or she could save her friends and risk herself. The answer came easily. Despite not knowing how to swim, Eleni made it to the closest Undine she could find and the boy she held captive, Devin.

The steel dagger was plunging into the immortal's throat. It instantly stopped singing and the screech that came from its throat was unlike anything Eleni had ever heard in her life. It felt as if jagged pieces of glass were being forced through her skull, like her head would shatter at any moment. Relying on reflex, her hand continued to plunge into the immortal, while her other hand pulled dazed Devin closer to her body.

Then time suddenly stopped. The water around the two pages was glowing with the Undine's pearlescent blood. Amethyst eyes fixated on the blood, how the choppy water swayed it around her, staining her silver. Time slowed down for a moment. She had taken a life.

Then she felt the silver claws wrapping around her neck.

Again, instinct saved her. Quickly turned the blade in her hand, she rammed it into the body behind her. Pressure against the dagger told her that she had made contact with something. Devoid of life, the Undine fell below the water, but not before raking her claws against Eleni's neck and shoulders.

The ensuing splash of the falling bady brought Eleni back to present. Arm locked around Devin's half-drowned body, she made her way to shore. She'd only rescued one of the twelve pages, and she was already tired and wounded. Kyle screaming was all it took to revive her. Gods bless his lungs, the boy was making an effort to stay alive.

After giving Devin her boot knife, Eleni went back into the river. She never saw Devin go back to the water, lulled by the creatures' melody.

Though she couldn't be exactly sure, but it felt like the current was stronger now. Ignoring the pull of the unyielding water, she looked around for Kyle. He was too far away to reach, but someone else was right ahead: Lord Padraig.

Eleni reached the three Undine holding, stabbing one through her milky white skin. Pearlescent blood began to seep from the wound, but the creature did not succumb to the wound. Instead, it screeched like its two sisters had and lashed out at Eleni, silver claws glowing in the meager moonlight. The other two remained with Lord Padraig, softly singing in his ear, effectively keeping him from helping.

As the enraged immortal tried to butcher Eleni to pieces, Eleni clumsy tried to avoid a watery grave. Her feet kept slipping on the rocks below and the pull of the water was too strong. Taking a deep breath, she dove below the surface and tried to impale the Undine's abdomen. The blow hit true, but silver claws were already tightening around Eleni's throat.

The dead weight of the Undine fell on top of Eleni and pushed her further down. Breathing became difficult, but nothing she attempted worked. Struggling to push the immortal off, she gasped from her efforts, only to realize her mistake as water invaded her mouth. Her gasp became gagging, and Eleni saw dark spot clouding her vision.

In a detached sort of way, Eleni knew that she was running out of air, that she was drowning. Bubbles flitted past her eyes, taunting her efforts to free herself.

When Eleni opened her eyes, she couldn't see anything at all. Thinking had gone blind, she let out a strangled groan. It wasn't the sound she had wanted to make, however. Her voice wasn't working either. All she knew was that cold tendrils of something kept wrapping around her, pulsating almost.

Warm hands on her shoulders made her wince, she could finally feel the marks left by the Undine. It was a good sign. If she could still feel, it meant that she wasn't dead. But what was happening then? Not knowing what was holding her didn't make her feel any more secure, but it was keeping the cold away.

She could still hear, that much was helpful. Trying to draw attention to herself, she let out another awful groan. Suddenly, the warm hands covered her mouth, effectively silencing her. Eleni didn't have the strength to fight back.

"Peace, nestling." She knew that voice! Hearing it only made her struggle more. "Trust me when I say that you do not want to anger my brother right now."

There was a loud hissing noise, a screeching worse than anything Eleni had heard during her battle. Something was very angry and she did not want to stay to find out what. Kyprioth's hold on her tightened.

"If you run," he whispered in her ear. "He will show no mercy. My sister is trying to keep you alive, do not waste her efforts."

Blind to the world beyond, Eleni did felt a windstorm break out. It chilled her bones, and not even Kyprioth could keep her warm. Before she knew it, Eleni could feel herself falling.

As her scratched up back hit the riverbed, she heard another one of Kyle's screams, amplified by the water. Almost miraculously, it gave Eleni the strength to push away the Undine's corpse. Though the black spots continued to shroud her vision, she managed to right herself underwater.

Before she reached the surface, however, an arm rapidly shot down, trying to locate her. On the third attempt, Eleni grasped the hand, only to be propelled towards the night air. Muggy and damp air met her lungs, but it was the most delicious gulp of air Eleni had ever taken. No sooner had the sweet air entered her lungs, than it was forced out.

Her grandmother was cradling her form to her chest, relieved that Myles was still with the living. Alanna had seen her grandson go down, and it had killed her. It didn't kill her as quickly as she killed the two remaining monsters, but it had shattered her soul. To hold her grandchild, alive, was a blessing.

"Thank the gods that you're alive," she murmured.

Not listening to her grandmother, Eleni's attention was fixed on the overexerted Kyle. He gave one more panicked scream before the Undine holding him pushed him underwater. Eleni would never know what got her to do it, but she swam to the deepest area of the river, propelled by a need to save the poor boy.

Silvery blood stained her hands as she stabbed at the immortal, crazed by her bloodlust. This thing had tried to kill her friends, her mentor, even her grandmother! It had to die. Again and again she brought her dagger down, thrusting it into the lifeless corpse, never minding the fact that she was up to her neck in brackish water.

The Undine had long since let go of Kyle, but Eleni was blind to the action. The only thing she could see was the monster before her. Still moving, still daring to defy her. The dagger plunged down again.

It wasn't until a gentle, but infinitely firmer, hand caught hers that she stopped. It made her realize that the thing was dead, and that the night air was quiet except for the rumble of thunder. The only sound that could be heard was her own agonized screaming.

"Let it go, lad." Alanna was once again worried about her grandson, but this time, it was his sanity that she feared for. "Come back," she whispered.

Stumbling at the sound of her grandmother's voice, Eleni lost her balance. Alanna's arm shot out to catch her, she knew how exhausted Myles had to be. Without putting up a fight, Eleni let Alanna guide her back to shore.

Wide-eyed pages and a harried Lord Padraig watched as Sir Alanna set down Myles. Both were stained silver by the immortals' blood. Another onlooker was covered in silver blood, but she had long since taken to mending the wounded pages. Pierina had kept control of her actions.

Just noticing that she was on dry ground, Eleni regained her senses. Madly whipping her eyes around, she finally calmed down when she saw Kyle leaning against Schuylar. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the bruises on his neck. The ugly marks were also present on Schuylar's neck, and everyone else's for that matter.

But everyone was accounted for, and that was what mattered.

Eleni didn't mind that she was covered in blood, blood that had come from her first battle.

Her first kill.

Shorter than the last, but it had more action...

I was going to use Sirens, but TP already mentioned Undine in her works, so it was like it was made for me to use. I used a little creative license and tweaked the characteristics of the Undine and merged them with that of a siren. Interesting note: Kyle is mentioned screaming five times, that's the number of reviewers who protested against me drowning the boy. I hope you're happy...