Dark Muse (18 page)

“No,” she replied. “Just thinking. If you
break or lose that guitar, are we stuck here?”

Great. Another worry to think about. The
camel’s back was creaking.

“Well, don’t go breaking a string now,” Otis
added.

The whole group groaned a little. Hopefully,
fate wouldn’t depend on a wire .09 of an inch thick. The band
unfortunately remembered Muddy’s penchant for bending the strings
too much. Might not be a good idea this time around.

The camel’s leg just buckled a bit in his
mind.

The band began their journey along the
western path. Muddy guessed that if this world reflected theirs in
any way, west would take them to the water. Luke didn’t try to
correct him as they co-led the way. Nobody else did, either. Maybe
for once, they saw him as bandleader instead of Zack’s little
brother, the lesser Rivers boy.

The path soon led them out of the forest. The
world of green disintegrated into a world exploding in soft blues
and cool breezes.

The ocean.

As the edge of the forest approached, the
band and the twins found themselves looking down a steep slope that
led down to a beach with pure white sand and crashing blue
waves.

Again, he heard the riff in his head.

“Wow, we sure ain’t in Jersey anymore. I
don’t see high hair, steroid bodies or green water.”

Otis spun to Corey, who’d uttered the words.
“Man, you trying to be funny? Finally?”

The bigger boy grinned. “I
am
funny,
when something isn’t trying to kill me.”

Poe inhaled deeply. “And no pizza or funnel
cakes, either, Otis. I think we took a wrong turn somewhere.”

“Funny,” Muddy said, although he worried
about never again seeing the tainted shore they all loved. “We need
to move, and quick.”

“Why?”

He pointed toward the water on the
horizon.

“Oh, my,” Corey exclaimed. “Is that what I
think it is?” They gazed across the calm, blue water and saw a
thick smoke hovering about a football field’s length away. “No
freaking way.”

“If it is, it can’t be good. It wasn’t good
news in the song, but it does mean we’re at the right place,” the
guitarist smiled. Now let’s go find ourselves a ride.”

Poe inhaled. “Is something burning on the
water? It looks like the water is on fire somehow; or is there
something on top of the water that’s feeding the flames?”

No one answered. After what they’d witnessed
so far, no one wished to venture a guess as to what danger they’d
face next.

The way down the slope consisted of snakelike
switchbacks which made the descent easier. On either side lay
rounded rocks of all sizes.

“Are these going to attack us?” Otis turned
to Lyra, who in turn looked at her brother.

Luke shrugged. “I don’t think so, but we’ve
never been this far before. Neither of us have.” His reply sounded
as though he was ashamed that his adventurer skills fell below
par.

Lyra shot him a glance. “Just by leaving the
city, they could kill us—the Tritons
or
our own leaders.
Luke risked his life to scout out this little trip for you
guys.”

Otis spoke first. “Wow. We really aren’t
worthy to cause anyone’s death. Why’d you do this for us?”

Luke kicked one of the stones, sending it
rolling downhill. “I didn’t,” he replied and kicked another. “I did
it for my family. We’re sick of being told what to do, where not to
go, never having that music to listen to anymore. Do you know what
it’s like to have people from your side come over here with such
fantastic skills, only to have it disappear for good when they
leave?”

“I’d go nuts,” Otis said, twirling a stick on
his fingers. “One day without my iPod and I’m a mess.”

“Yeah, well imagine hearing something
amazing, experiencing how good it feels and then being punished for
it. It’s all we had left once they took power. You don’t know pain
like that.”

“What?” Poe missed something, which was
definitely unlike her.

He stared at her deep, translucent green eyes
and his voice began calming. “What I meant was,
you
survived. Most don’t. We get maybe twenty or so musicians here a
year.”

“How many make it back?”

The group watched him skitter a rock across
the water. It sailed through the air, splashing as it danced into
the distance then disappeared into the deep. It didn’t swim back
and bite anyone. Muddy took that to be a good sign.

“You’ll be the first I know. I hope.”

* * * *

They walked carefully along the beach path,
nervously waiting for something to reach out and pull them beneath
the sand. With each step they tread carefully, yet no giant worm
devoured them nor did any of them fall into spider webs made of
guitar strings.

As they reached the surf, Poe scampered like
a nymph into the water. She splashed around, apparently thrilled to
be off the path and facing seemingly innocent water. “I love the
water,” she squealed. The waves crashed lightly as the tide rolled
in.

Muddy ran to the edge of the foam and nearly
skidded into the surf. He loved the water too, boogey-boarding and
snorkeling for shells in water where most sunbathers wouldn’t
reach.

However, he knew this wouldn’t be typical
beach water. The fear of the unknown paralyzed him as he attempted
to scream at Poe. If anything happened to her, a part of him would
be lost forever.

The other four jumped in, apparently not
worried one bit. Well, he’d wait for them right there, just in
case. He had a feeling if he ventured in he might be adding too
much temptation to what lurked beneath the surface.

* * * *

After Lyra and Luke explained that they had
never seen the ocean before, Muddy shared his fear and the desire
for frolicking ebbed. The concept of something unseen dragging one
of them under the water for good was enough to kill the mood.

“Thanks, Muddy,” Otis said. “Always the wet
blanket.”

“I got carried away,” Poe said. “After
everything we’ve been through, I couldn’t help myself.”

Muddy felt his guilt rise. “I’m sorry. I just
couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”

“Ever see
Jaws
?” Otis poked the
twin.

Luke gave him an “are you serious” look
before he pointed north. They all gawked at the massive darkness
swirling over the water just past the breakers. From black to light
gray, it churned, roiling like flames licked just below the surface
of the ocean. Muddy strained to see through it, to find the source
of the smoke. No light emanated from within and no burned-out ship
stretched out trying to save itself from destruction.

Was the smoke itself alive? No, it couldn’t
be.

They followed the shore northbound another
hundred yards and Muddy felt paranoia creeping inside him.

“Call me crazy,” Corey said, “and you know I
don’t spook easily, but is the smoke following us? I mean, the
breeze is blowing
out
to sea, not northbound, right?”

Luke stopped. Everyone followed his lead.
After a few minutes, they realized that the cloud of smoke did
appear to be moving with them. Or was it just an optical illusion?
“Walk faster,” he said.

“No problem there,” Corey agreed. “By the
way, where are we headed? We’re not walking all the way to the
fortress, are we?”

The blond teen grinned a bit, though his eyes
still showed fear. “We’re supposed to pick up a ride sometime
soon.”

“Ride?” Muddy began to worry even more. “From
whom?”

“Yeah,” Otis chimed, “isn’t this a bad place
to be hitchhiking?”

Luke pointed to the bend up ahead where a
black jetty stabbed into the sea.

“Right there, I think.”

“Is that what I think it is?” Muddy asked,
his voice unsteady, not caring who heard.

“The heck with that. Are
they
what I
think they are?” Otis smiled through his question.

The two locals, however, didn’t smile as they
hopped up on the jetty and speed-walked as though it would be their
last mile.

“Guys, I think it’s time to be afraid again.
Let’s go,” Luke said.

Muddy didn’t like seeing their guide turn
white. He could tell that Luke had expected something different,
something human. “Do you think they really are what I think they
are?”

Poe stared hard, tapping into the special
vision she was still getting used to. “I’m not sure what they’re
supposed to be like, look like, or what they really like to eat. We
read the Odyssey in our freshman year.”

Muddy grasped her hand in his. “It’s okay.
I’m a little scared, too.” He squeezed. “But we’ll be fine. I know
it. Silver Eye wouldn’t send us off to die.”

Otis kept walking, still smiling. “Who cares?
Oh, our guru did say we might not make it back, so that argument is
shot.”

“Otis!” Corey snapped. “We’re supposed to
make ourselves feel better, not scare the crap out of each other.”
He, too, placed a hand on Poe, even though his own trembled.

“Sorry, man, but we’ve got to embrace the
fear,” Otis said. “Some of us face stuff like this every day. Suck
it up, already.”

Muddy looked at his friend. Too many times
they forgot about his fragility and that each day might be his
last. Maybe that was the way to view life, instead of worrying.

“Sorry, bud. You’re right. Let’s go ride that
siren cruise.”

As they neared the end of the jetty, a few of
the creatures turned to stare at them. Fear raced through Muddy’s
veins. He hated feeling so anxious, hoping it wouldn't cripple him
when he needed strength most.

Remember, he told himself, Zack needs me. I
can’t let him die here.

The alluring siren sitting on the bow of the
ship spoke first. “Need a ride? We can take you anywhere you want.
Just hop in and grab a seat.” Her voice purred like a kitten but
with the edge of a hawk’s cry.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Otis said, stepping up to
the ship’s landing. “Just when I thought only ugly creatures lived
here.” Lyra slapped at his arm. “Oops,” he said. “No offense. I
only meant non-human ugly.”

They gazed at the female who spoke. Her raven
hair covered her and nearly fell into the ocean. The thick tresses
framed gray eyes that drew Muddy in, despite his reservations. He
now knew why they were the downfall of so many sailors in
mythology.

But here, they were real. He should have felt
scared but only found himself moving closer. He couldn’t tell what
she wore under the hair, if anything, but noticed the arch of black
wings peeking out from the tops of her shoulders.

Luke stepped up and held out a bag. “Don’t go
thinking you’ll get the meal you’re used to, harpy. We need to be
somewhere and we know you can get us there quickest and
safest.”

She smiled with the look of another creature,
perhaps a wolf. “But, of course. Meal? We're not even hungry.
What’s in the bag?”

“What you really want. Seeds of new songs.
Ones that no one will be able to resist.”

“Why would you want to give us something? We
do not need anything to help us sing for our food.”

“Okay,” he said, putting it back in his sack.
“If you don’t care about it, fine, but I gathered them from the
banks of the River myself.”

The others with her drew nearer. “How did
you?”

Seeds? Silver Eye had never mentioned that to
Muddy.

“Simple. I plugged my ears. My father taught
me what to look for and what to fear.”

Lyra punched his chest. “Fool! He told us
never to do so. You know how many have perished doing just
that.”

The leader stepped off the boat, carefully
avoiding the water, obviously intrigued. She stood well over six
feet tall. Muddy could only imagine her wingspan.

“I know you fear what the water will do to
you,” Luke said. “Just think, with these seeds, sailors from other
countries will beach themselves for you and fish will hop from the
surf when they hear your music.” The teen was a good guide. The
guitarist might have learned a little, but he was definitely out of
his league here.

Muddy finally took in what he saw before him.
They were just like in Greek mythology, but not at all. Their
beautiful eyes, silvery blue or green, stared at Luke and the
others. About a dozen perched on the long ship. The apparent
leader’s long, straight hair hung in front of her womanly torso and
tapered off to even longer legs. Yet, instead of human feet, five
talons jutted delicately from her ankles. She reached out to
Luke.

“Give, please, and I'll take you
anywhere.”

Luke retrieved the bag once more. “Only for a
trip to the mountain.
All
the way there.”

She cried out in a voice that sounded like a
thousand songbirds dying at once. The others joined her. The result
sent the band to their knees in pain. Muddy covered his ears,
jamming his fingers in as far as he could manage.

“You know we can't do that,” she hissed in
song. “The Tritons would kill us.” The others echoed her in sweet
harmony.

“They can kill you?” he taunted. “Even the
great sirens?”

She slashed out with her left hand. It was
attached to something other than an arm. It was human as far as the
forearm. The fingernails appeared to be retractable. A slender wing
about twelve feet wide nearly knocked the teen down. Gorgeous
feathers unfurled in a stunning pattern. The wing reached down to
her ribs and connected in the middle of her back.

“Give,” she said, “and I’ll take you to the
shore of the caverns. We’ll take you to where the supposed gauntlet
exists. You know that's our limit. It’s anyone’s limit, so please
don't tease me, boy.”

At the end of the wing, beautiful, slender,
human fingers beckoned to him with the longest nails Muddy had ever
seen. Muddy had figured out the game Luke was playing and took his
turn. “Look, they stole my brother and took him to the Dark Muse.”
He gathered up his strength, ignored his anxiety. “We're going
there, with or without your help. So, if you want these songs,
which I've heard myself, take us to the cove of the gauntlet, like
my friend, here, knows you can. If not, we’ll find another
boat.”