CHAPTER 6:

Greying skin. Seaweed tangled into their hair. Scaled tails that flashed in the sunlight. Blaine had been captured by sirens and Kurt was stuck on the edge of the river between their two horses. Tears had slipped down his cheeks and his hands were trembling where he held the reins. He hadn't been able to move once he saw the creatures. They had pulled Blaine under. He was probably already dead. Kurt had only been able to rescue the horse that had lost his rider.

The spiders were crawling downstream. The snakes were slithering out of the river. There was a shadow over his left shoulder that he didn't dare try to look at.

“I need help,” Kurt whispered as he closed his eyes and more tears leaked out. “I need help.”

A hand touched his shoulder and he span around, his hand clenched into a fist. He blinked away his tears and saw that Sebastian and Adam stood before him. They wore shirts and leggings now but their leafy crowns of maple and oak leaves still rested on their heads.

“Kurt? Where's Blaine?” Sebastian asked.

Kurt's lip trembled. “He was taken. He tried to cross the river and was taken by sirens. They pulled him under. I don't know where they went.”

“They will have gone to their lair in the lake to the south east,” Sebastian said as he strode towards the river. He crouched down and reached into the water, tasting the droplets on his fingers before he flicked his hand dry. “Two of them. Ocean dwellers from the north. They've come a long way looking for something.”

“What would they want with Blaine?” Kurt said through his tears. Adam had taken the horses from him and Kurt had resorted to hugging his stomach as he tried to ignore the wavering illusions in the corners of his eyes.

“Blaine's a prince, Kurt,” Adam said, his voice gentle. “There are a great number of spells that can be cast with a prince's blood.”

“But how can he still be alive? He can't breathe underwater.”

“They have ways of getting around the inadequacies of humans,” Sebastian said with a sigh. “We're going to have to go and get Blaine. We can only imagine what they want him for but whatever it is won't be pleasant for him. And he can't protect himself in that lair.”

“What about his cane and his echoes?” Adam asked. “Wouldn't he be able to use that to get away?”

“Not in caves. It'll echo too much. With the tunnels and the underground streams and pools he'll be lost.” Sebastian had taken the shield and sword off of Blaine's saddle. He tried to hand the shield to Kurt but the boy didn't take it. “The shield will protect you, Kurt. So will the sword.”

Kurt shook his head. “The shield was for Blaine, not me.”

“And now we're giving it to you. We can't rescue Blaine on our own. You have to help.”

“I can't. I don't know how.”

Adam laid a hand on his shoulder again. “You'll figure it out. We'll be there with you. You're not alone.” His small smile faded. “But Blaine is.”

Kurt took a deep, shuddering breath. “If we don't go rescue him, will he definitely die?”

“I can't say that for sure,” Sebastian said. “We have to try.”

Kurt closed his eyes as he tried to think. Blaine wouldn't ever get out of the caves without help. Even if he did, he'd never be able to get back to Anders. “I don't want him to get hurt. Let's go.”

“I'll shelter the horses and then catch up to you,” Adam said. “Don't wait for me if you can't afford to. Blaine's safety is paramount.”

“How are we going to get there?” Kurt asked.

“We're going to swim,” Sebastian said as he tied Blaine's sword to his belt. “It doesn't matter if you can't. My magic will keep you safe.” He took Kurt's hand and they walked to the edge of the river.

“So we just jump in and let it carry us to the lake?” Kurt asked.

“More or less. But there's one thing you have to remember above all else around the sirens.”

“What?”

“Beware of their singing for it is more powerful and enchanting than any other sound in the world.”

Kurt didn't have a chance to respond before he and Sebastian leapt into the icy water of the River Anders.

***

Blaine clicked his fingers and listened as the sound bounced around him. He could hear something dripping into a puddle and water was running somewhere. Every sound echoed and everything felt cold. His fingers and toes were numb and he shivered as he tried to take another step. Where he thought his foot would find solid ground, it slipped into another body of water and he fell forward. This one was deep enough that he plunged underwater before springing back to the surface. He coughed and gasped for air while he scrambled for the edge, pulling himself out again and cursing the creatures for bringing him here.

He had woken cold and alone. No matter how much he called, all he heard back was the sound of his own voice and the steady drip of liquid in the distance. He had tried to find a way out but without any way to tell what he was surrounded by, he only fell in the ponds that were dotted all around. He had to be in a cave. A cave was the only place his navigational skills would be totally useless.

Drawing his knees up, he tried to get as much of the cold water off him as he could but nothing was helping. The chill seeped into him, further and further, until he wasn't sure he'd ever feel warm again.

The creatures that had brought him here were sirens. That much he was sure of. There could be no other creature in the world whose song could disable him like that. Sebastian had tried to win him over with his song and he'd been able to run from that quite easily. But the song at the river had paralysed him. Blaine didn't even understand how he was still alive. Unless he was dead and the caves were his own personal hell.

He had almost fallen asleep where he sat when he heard two loud splashes. Straightening up, he listened for any sound that someone was coming towards him before he felt a pair of heavy hands on his shoulders.

“Such a very smart prince,” a voice murmured in his ear. It was the creature that had sung to him at the river – Jesse. “We have spent a long time looking for you.”

“What do you want with me?” Blaine hated the way his voice shook. He couldn't tell if it was from fear or the cold.

“You have something we need,” the female, Rachel, said. One of them smoothed a hand over Blaine's chest while the other sat behind him and pulled him back against them. They were undoing the buttons on his shirt and the cold air slipped in around his skin.

“I don't have anything,” Blaine whispered as they continued to smooth their hands over his upper body.

“You have so much,” Rachel replied with a soft laugh. “And you don't even realise it. You will nourish our souls and brighten our path as we walk across the land to take over Anders and all of its surroundings.”

“W-What?” A weakness and lethargy was coming over his body. His heartbeat had slowed and everything felt heavy. Their hands were so gentle and warm.

Jesse laid a hand over his heart. “Your heart is going to give our people the strength we need to walk on land. A royal heart is the last obstacle between us and a ‘land-walking' spell. You're going to help us overcome this last obstacle.”

“But I-”

Rachel pressed a finger to his lips. “Hush, little prince. It will all be over soon. You won't feel a thing.”

“Just let me hold you,” Jesse murmured before he began to sing.

The music was quiet and the melody lilted as it flowed through Blaine's head. He fell further into the siren's embrace and felt his eyelids close as everything dropped out of his attention to make way for the song. There was pressure on his chest and a cold pinprick pain before a mighty yell echoed around them. The song halted and a mangled screech pierced Blaine's ears as the sirens threw him to the ground.

“Get away from him!”

Kurt.

“He's ours!” Rachel hissed. “We claimed him. His heart belongs to us.”

“You won't lay another scale on him without losing a limb.”

Sebastian?

“Just give him back to us.”

Adam.

They had come to rescue him.

“We'll never let him go,” Jesse shouted. “We need his heart and we're not leaving without it.”

The ringing of metal sounded through the caves, the clear noise loud. There were wet, splashing footsteps before one of the sirens hissed. Blaine heard the blood-curdling crunch of metal hacking into bone as Rachel began to scream. He felt Jesse's arm wrap around him before a blade was pressed to his neck.

“Stay where you are or I slit his throat!” Jesse yelled. Blaine grappled at his arm and tried to break free but he was too strong. Except for the gurgling of Rachel's dying cries, they had fallen silent again.

“Just let him go,” Kurt whispered. “Please.”

“Never.”

Blaine felt a blast of heat searing towards him and at Adam's yell, he lowered his hands. Jesse yelped and let go of him, Blaine scrambling away until his hands found a pool. The acrid stench of burnt flesh filled his nose and he feared he might vomit. He felt hands on him again before a blade scraped across the rock floor.

“Kill him, Kurt,” Sebastian yelled. “Chop off his head!”

Blaine trembled as Adam pulled him to his feet and led him away. He heard another sickening crunch but there was no scream this time. The last tendrils of Jesse's song left Blaine's mind and his legs gave way beneath him. The cold overtook him again and he shuddered against Adam as the fae tried to help him up again.

“We need to get him somewhere warm,” Adam yelled to the others.

There were rushed footsteps and the clatter of a sword falling to the ground before there were hands on Blaine's face.

“Blaine, hold on, we're going to get you somewhere safe. Are you hurt?”

Blaine managed to shake his head before a violent shiver rocked through him. “S-s-so c-c-c-cold.”

“We'll take you home,” Sebastian murmured. “We'll take you back to the horses and then lead you to Anders castle.”

Blaine felt them gather him up and carry him from the caves. He heard nothing but the ragged sounds of his breath and he felt no change in the atmosphere. He was tired and he wanted to sleep and he was thankful when he finally stopped shivering. He didn't try to convince them to let him walk. He didn't say anything at all. He let Kurt, Adam and Sebastian carry him homewards and barely noticed when he fell asleep.

***

“He stopped shivering. That isn't good. He could be dying. Oh no, what if he dies before we get to Anders? I'll be held responsible for killing the prince. I've already killed three people I don't want to make it four! I'll be imprisoned for the rest of my life. And what about the spell? And what about you two? You two could be held as accomplices to the murder of a prince. We have to help him. We have to save him. Isn't there anything you can do? Can't your magic save him? Can't you-”

“Kurt, take a breath,” Adam said. “We're doing everything we can for Blaine. With our help, you'll both be at Anders castle by sundown.”

“But he's not even drying off. For a human to stay wet and cold for so long…”

“We'll keep him alive,” Sebastian murmured. “There are songs I can sing while we ride. Between the three of us, Blaine will make it back in one piece.”

Kurt looked to Blaine where he sat in the saddle in front of Sebastian. His eyes were shut and the edges of his lips were turning blue. Water still glistened on his skin and dripped from his curls. Kurt leaned up and kissed his cheek before stepping back.

“Don't go into the castle without us,” Kurt said to Sebastian. “I need to explain this to King Cooper myself.”

“I'll try. But if he gets any sicker, I'm taking him to a healer.”

“Be safe.”

Sebastian nodded before he spurred the horse into a gallop, taking off alongside the river to find the bridge.

“Will the sirens attack him again?” Kurt asked Adam who stood by with the horse.

“Not this soon. But maybe one day.”

Kurt nodded. “Let's go then.”

They mounted the horse the Witch Quinn had given Kurt and took off after Sebastian. The fae would ride fast and keep Blaine safe. Kurt only hoped he could do the same for himself.