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Chapter 39 - The Siren's Melody

Ana took a deep breath as she heaved the heavy sword high into the air. She was surprised that the sword that most of the military complained about carrying was lighter than a feather in her skilled hands. Venus’s summer winds had begun to turn icy as the night slowly prepared to descend upon the once beautiful land. All too familiar memories washed upon Ana’s brain like a numbing cold. She did her best to hide the uncomfortable feelings from Ashton as the hours approached her return to Earth. Ashton had arranged a special carrier to send Ana back to Earth within a matter of minutes. She would attack the remaining group of the Chosen and bring them back to Venus for their demise. Ashton cared nothing about Brian, Kimberly, Kevin, and Alison being taken alive. He made Ana promise that she would at least bring the twins back alive. Ana had promised to do so.
‘Stop concentrating on the future, because when you concentrate on the future the past comes into your mind,’ Ana scolded herself as she steadily raised the sword at the black sandbag hanging before her. She was summoned to the fall familiar martial arts room she was forced to practice in as a young child. She remembered grueling hours with the guards of the palace, forcing her to go over the special techniques that she had to master – otherwise she would face punishment. Every day Ana would be summoned to this room for at least eight hours of practice. If she did well – that would be all. The longest day Ana had suffered through in the room had been twenty-four hours. The twins had no clue about her secret meetings; they assumed that the bruises upon her body in the past years were from the rough-housing she engaged in with her friends. If they had only known the truth – then maybe they would have eased up.

Ana gritted her teeth, dropping the sword against the soft padding of the floor. She was tired of letting her mind roam and decided to practice her hand-to-hand combat. She immediately attacked the bag with her hands and legs. Heavy blows and punches were released against the thick bag. Frustration and guilt plagued her mind as she whirled her right leg against the sandbag, delivering a hard box kick. The weary bag exploded with dust as Ana fell to her knees, seizing the sword. Unable to control the passion of anger, she shoved the blade upward and deep into the interior of the bag. The sword blazed with heat, searing the sand inside as it flowed out upon the red padded floor. She would have her revenge on the Carters if it was the last thing she would do within her life.

Before Ana could compose herself, she heard something clatter against the floor. She glanced up to see a familiar small woman immediately bending down to scoop up whatever she had dropped. Ana stared hard at the woman, surprised that the slave labor was allowed within the confines of the martial arts room. She tilted her head in wonder, examining the woman carefully. There was no mistaking the woman. The dark silky curls were faint with streaks of gray, but it was the same woman in the dungeon back in the lands of Canada – Paula Dorough.

Ana stood up, preparing to help the woman when a menacing black cloud of testosterone loomed above the woman. She shrieked with terror as the shadow pushed her down upon the floor roughly. Ana grew a little anxious as she watched the man raise a thick, threatening, black cable toward Paula. Ana rushed forward in time to swing her sword forward against the man’s right arm, severing it from its elbow immediately. Blood exploded upon the black tiled floor. The silent tension continued to thicken as the blood spurted from the flesh wound. The man fell in agony, grasping out for the missing attachment of his arm. He cursed heavily as Ana brought the sword dangerously close to the jugular artery within his neck.

“How dare you try to injure my servant,” Ana hissed as her sapphire-emerald eyes blazed with anger and indignity. She took on the role of a dangerous Queen quite well, even if her mind was distracted. The acting was the most convincing as the man stared in horror. She sneered at him, allowing the blade to connect softly with the flesh of his neck, causing a few more droplets of blood to cover the blade. “Servants like these are quite hard to break in! How dare you try to cause her harm! I should have your head for this indecent deed!”

“Q-Q-Queen Anastacia—”

“I will hear none of your bantering!”

“Please, Sire!”

“So be it,” she growled, raising the sword.

“SIRE?!”

“Go have yourself cleaned up you worthless pig!” Ana spat, allowing the man to scramble to his feet. He held onto the stump of his right arm, trying to stop the flow of blood. She stared darkly at him, causing him to scurry off in the opposite direction. His labored breathing echoed down the thick walls as he screamed for medical attention. Ana released a heavy sigh of relief, tossing the sword toward the ground. The droplets of blood splattered against the white mat near the sandbag. Ana bent down to help Paula to her feet. “Queen Dorough, I was so afraid—”

“Before everything happened, you called me Mother. Why don’t you do that again?” Paula reassured with a fresh smile. Paula could not lie that she had been terrified, but Ana’s loyalty shined through the disastrous attack upon Ana’s guards calming her rattled nerves. She felt relieved as Ana helped her from the floor. She was starting to fret that the darkness had completely consumed Ana’s gracious heart.

“I don’t think it’s wise to call you that during these troubling times,” Ana answered softly, allowing Paula to gather the rest of her dignity. A painful jolt attacked Ana’s heart when she gazed upon the woman who was supposed to be her mother-in-law. She had once been a beautiful Queen of the Irelian World. She had bestowed jewels, affection, silks, silver, and other tokens upon her family and Ana as if they were nothing of significance. Now she was forced into rags of scratchy cloth and forced into demeaning work. Ana’s stormy blue-green eyes reflected the pain she was feeling. “I am so sorry, Queen Dorough. I hadn’t known that they would catch you again.”

“After Howard ran off from me… It was impossible not to assume that they would hunt for me again. After all, I am charged with the collapse of the Dark-Elition Dynasty when your mother and I gave you and Howard a chance at love,” Paula replied wistfully, reaching down to gather the black silk garments she had been carrying to Ana’s chambers before she had fallen.

“Love ran from you?” Ana asked with a look of horror. Ana had managed to release Paula from the dungeons during one of her midnight romps. She had hoped that Paula would be able to escape and find the Chosen, but all hope was lost when Paula was beaten and dragged back to the castle. Ana brought a hand to her mouth, concealing her emotions. She could feel her heart ache for Howie. She wanted to be near him so badly. She had tried to visit him and Jamelet within the cells, but Ashton kept a firm watch upon the chambers. He wanted her to be completely severed from the ties of the Chosen.

“He was very upset about you being taken away. He loves you a great deal, although no one else seems to realize it. He has always kept his heart attached to yours, even when your heart was frozen over by Ashton. Be honest with me, Darling. Do you love Ashton? Is he the one that you want for all times?”

Ana groped against her dainty neck to find the chain that Howie had thrust toward her when he had been captured. Tears began to gather at the corner of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She closed her fist around the necklace. “Ashton is what was destined for me.”

“That’s not true, Darling,” Paula whispered as she hurriedly picked up the rest of the garments. She kept a close watch for a passing guard. She hoped that no one would realize the dangerous situation that Paula had forced upon Ana. It was a sin in Ana’s father’s eyes for Ana to converse with anyone related to Venus’s Ancient Kingdom. “Your mother wanted something completely different from you. She cared about you a great deal. She wanted you to realize the potential you had to create a new world. It’s true that your mother fell in love with your father, but he was a different man then. Just realize that this wasn’t your destiny. You were supposed to be with Howie and create a new line of Elitions. Darling, don’t you know that?”

“Queen Dorough—”

“Please, tell me that you’ll call me Mother and rescue your true love?” Paula begged.

Ana gave a defeated sigh, threading her arm carefully through the crook of Paula’s elbow. Her mother’s memory remained fresh within her mind, even if it was years since she had last seen her. “Let’s go to my bed chambers and talk. It’s dangerous to speak of insubordination in the echoing hallways.”

“Ana, I just need your promise—”

“Hurry, before we’re noticed.”

*~*~*

Howie’s heart sank against the soles of his feet when he watched Ana quickly guide his mother deep into the shadows of the narrow hallways. The dungeon had been fortified in the deepest chambers of the castle, but overlooked the large martial arts room. The entire room was encased in solid brick with iron bars against the door. The doors were then framed with thick sheets of shatter-proof glass that could be raised and lowered when Ashton felt the need. He knew that Howie could easily make himself into a small insect and escape. Everything was designated to use the Chosen’s powers against them. The room absorbed anything Howie might scream out, so he couldn’t reach his mother or Ana for that matter. It hurt to know that Ana was so close, yet she was so far away. His emotions were jumbled as Jamelet placed a comforting arm upon his shoulder.

“I never thought…” he couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“Howie, you’ll make yourself sick if you keep doing this to yourself,” Jamelet answered, leading him back to the rock-solid cots that they were forced to sleep in. Jamelet had come away from the roughing of the guards with a limited number of bruises. However, Howie had been completely ripped apart by the guards by Ashton’s choosing. Jamelet believed that Ana still held a deep affection for Howie and Ashton could somehow read it within Ana’s eyes – so Ashton released his anger upon the source of Ana’s turmoil.

“Why haven’t the boys come to get us?” Howie asked as Jamelet forced him to lie on the cot. He stifled a groan as the bruises upon his back lit with flames. He sucked in a quiet hiss of agony, trying to absorb the pain. He hadn’t been able to sleep well for days. Either haunting nightmares or beatings kept him awake during all hours. He was thankful that he was at least able to spare Jamelet from the pain he experienced. When he was in a room, Jamelet was untouched.

“I don’t think they know where we are.”

Howie didn’t even care for the answer. He glanced at the darkening hallways as various amounts of lighting bounced against the crumbling walls. His mind was occupied with one person only – Ana. He tried his hardest to accept that Ana had turned wicked, but his heart wouldn’t allow it. He could only remember his sweet and endearing Ana that had saved his neck on a continuous basis. She cared for him, even if Ashton had her brainwashed. “Do you think she thinks of me?” Howie asked wistfully, staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t really know what’s going on in her mind… I wish I could tell you, but I can only make things burst into flames.”

“If she could get close enough – I could see what she was thinking—”

“That will never happen,” a dark voice echoed against the walls. Howie sat straight up to see Ashton waltzing happily down the large stairway. His thick blonde curls fell against his dark eyes as he walked toward the cell. A bemused smirk pressed against his handsome face. He tapped a small dagger against the bars of the cell, allowing the glass to recoil to leave open bars. “I came to check upon you.”

“We’re fine – now leave,” Howie barked as Jamelet curled herself on a nearby cot. She refused to launch herself into the bitter arguments between Ashton and Howie. She saved herself many painful beatings by withdrawing herself from the present situations.

“I came to bring you good news, Prince Dorough,” Ashton sneered.

“You’re dying a slow and painful death?”

“I though you were supposed to be the Chosen Man of Love? Such a mouth on a man who is supposed to be kind-hearted and accepting... No wonder my Anastacia constantly bereaves on what a waste of life you were. She loathed your presence for all those years she was forced to play your better half. I’ve given her what she really deserves—”

“You’re lying!” Howie shrieked.

“Of course,” Ashton cooed as if he were talking to a raving child. “I promised my Anastacia that I would be kind to you, because as the heir of Dark-Elitions grows within Ana’s womb – you grow closer to your death bed.”

“Excuse me?” Howie choked.

“Anastacia has my child growing within her womb.”

“You lying bastard!”

“Ah-ah-ah, Prince Dorough, no need for that filthy language here. Anastacia is just fulfilling her duty as my wife. Our child will prosper in his life as a Dark-Elition King. Anastacia was my wife since the very minute that she joined this world through birth. You have no right to claim her, nor will you ever. She is my property and wants nothing to do with you. Bastard, indeed, only to those who have suffered by their foolish ideas. I will be sure to send you delightful images of our child when he is delivered into this wonderful world, however, you’ll only be able to see the pictures at a glance, because the hour that he is born is the hour that you will die.”

Howie felt his chest collapse as Ashton disappeared into the stairwell. He gasped for breaths as the panicky feeling invaded his heart. He could feel Jamelet wrapping her arms around him to provide comfort. It hurt to think that Ana could possibly be bearing that monster’s son. Jamelet quickly ran her hands through Howie’s short silky curls. “Howie, Honey, he was just bluffing. Ana’s not pregnant, otherwise she wouldn’t be doing that labor in the martial arts room. He just wants to have an edge over you. Please, don’t let him do this to you. Ana still cares for you – she’s just covered with armor to protect her frail heart. Please, Howie, say something… She’s not having a child, I promise. Please – just, Howie, Please?”

“I’m going to kill him,” Howie rasped before breaking into tight sobs.

*~*~*

Ana crouched deep into the bushes surrounding Kevin and Kimberly’s backyard fence. She had arrived on Earth within five minutes of departing from Venus from her father’s special transporter. She had heard the news that she was to deliver a child stirring within the castle. She was glad that she was sent away from the madness, because the truth of the matter was that Ana was still a virgin. She fingered the large blade that was attached to her right hip as she heard the beep of her nuclear gun being fully charged. She had to deliver her father the Carter twins and the rest of the Chosen within two hours. She blocked her mind from outside interference as she watched everyone gather within the backyard.

Brian, Nick, and Rose were sitting at the far-end of the yard eating something. Brian had his arm carefully draped around Rose’s shoulders, tugging her closer to him as Nick whispered something in her ear. The three broke into tight laughter as Ana’s eyes traveled over toward the others. Kimberly, Alison, AJ, and Kevin were practicing their mental abilities as the sun slowly started to dip into the mountains. It seemed as if an invisible line had been drawn between the groups and Ana could definitely use that to her advantage.

Slowly, Ana allowed her eyes to glow, sending direct messages to Alison. She knew that Alison was the most innocent out of the group and would not attempt to harm Ana. Alison loved Ana like a big sister. Ana returned the same affection to the young adult, wanting to save Alison from the carnage that Ana would be forced to release. Ana’s soothing melody radiated against Alison’s temple: ‘Ali, you’re so fatigued from today’s events. Nothing could possibly keep you awake any longer. Please, give into the temptation. Your eyes are quite heavy. Sleep – deep sleep. It’s calling. Do you hear your name? Ali, dreams are calling to you. Wonderful opportunities. Sleep, Ali, Sleep.’

The message took affect quite quickly. Alison stood up and yawned, stretching her small arms outward to her sides. “Wow, all this practice gave me a case of drowsiness. I’m hitting the sack for a few minutes, okay?” Alison asked timidly as Kimberly kissed her cheek. Kevin offered an affectionate smile, giving his consent. Alison nodded with a tired smile and collapsed into a nearby hammock.

Ana nodded with relief, knowing it was impossible to divert the others’ attentions. She took a deep breath, standing up from the pushes. She groped into her leather pants pocket to produce a red orb. She pushed the button upon the top and heaved it into the middle of the yard. Within seconds, a brilliant flash of flames and sparks radiated toward the colored sky. Ana propelled herself into the middle of the smoky clouds, raising her powerful weapons from the utility belt, poised for an attack. Slowly, the smoke cleared to reveal her tempting figure.

“Holy…” Nick’s voice faltered as he shielded Rose from the passing black clouds. He couldn’t believe that Ana was standing amongst the carnage of the red orb. Kevin, Kimberly, and AJ stood at the sidelines in an attack ready mode. Rose trembled beneath Nick’s protective arms. Brian scrambled to his feet, struggling to orient himself. “ANA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Your family must pay for the crimes they committed against my family,” Ana whispered, her voice caressing everyone’s hearts. Rose clamped her hands over her ears, screaming. The siren portion of Ana’s voice beckoned everyone to drop their defenses for the safety of the entire group. Everyone seemed frozen in a frightened stance; unable to comprehend why Ana had appeared.

Ana wasted no time with the great opportunity of the group’s misfortune. She closed her eyes as the blue-green rings of her irises glowed brilliantly and sparked with a menacing flicker. Suddenly a burst of energy flashed against Nick and Rose, causing them to fall backward against the ground. Images of their tortured aunt were projected into their minds. Rose screamed in fright, trying to scratch the images away from her mind. Other fears invaded as deadly spiders, scorpions, and poisonous snakes were projected to coil about the twins’ feet. Images of their future death projected bloody scenes of pain and destruction, sending both twins into a howling hysteria – immobilizing their powers.

“WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING?!” Kevin screamed over the twins’ howling.

“MAKE HER STOP!” Kimberly shrieked.

“LET ME WORK UP A FLAME!” AJ barked.

Brian scrambled to his feet, running away from Nick’s thrashing body. He struggled to orient his powers into his own control. Another brilliant flash or mental force from Ana’s hypnotic siren abilities sent everyone to their backs. Brian moaned in agony as brilliant sparks of light began to center around everyone in the backyard – the auras were radiating. Brian moaned, seeing the murky yellow erupting from Rose and Nick to relate their fears and hysteria. Brian noted that Alison was a tranquil blue which represented peace. He turned to glance at Ana when Kevin had reached his boiling point.

“DAMNIT ANA! STOP THE CARNAGE!” Kevin bellowed as his fingertips surged with electricity. His hands exploded with an intense lightening bolt that sparked against the sky – a warning signal. Ana blew another mental surge causing everyone to fall to their knees with agony. Kevin’s fury was unstoppable, he pounded his fists into the dirt, creating large craters as he pushed himself up to his feet. He prepared to charge Ana and thrash her body into the nearest building.

Brian watched as Kevin broke out into a sprint across the yard to attack Ana. He glanced to see Ana’s aura glow brilliantly against the setting sun. So many emotions filled the aura, causing Brian to hastily pick apart each individual color. One side of her aura was dark with the colors of emerald, sapphire, black, burnt yellow, and ruby that represented wickedness, aggression, vengeance, hate, and blood-thirst. However, the other side caused Brian’s heart to stop. The soft colors of white, baby blue, lavender, pastel green, and soft yellow started to overcome the darker parts of the aura. These colors expressed Ana’s fears, guilt, agony, loneliness, and confusion. She wasn’t completely evil, she could be reasoned with.

Brian’s heart lurched when he saw Kevin only a few feet from Ana. Kevin was making a mistake – Ana wasn’t as terrible as the twins had assumed. Brian’s voice seemed to melt against the words, refusing to let them project. He screamed, unable to get Kevin’s attention before it was too late. Kevin’s massive arms connected with Ana’s abdomen, sending her flying backward against the brick wall. Bones crunched as blood flew from Ana’s mouth. Her body crunched against the brick wall, imprinting her outline into the crumbling brick. She slumped downward as Kevin heaved with tired breaths. Brian feared that she was dead as her body lay lifeless against the murky ground. The twins continued to howl.

“KEVIN! SHE WASN’T ALL EVIL!” Brian shrieked, struggling to reach Ana. Brian hoped that he could somehow save her. They needed her to defeat the Darker-Elitions. Kimberly reached out to grasp Brian by the waist, sending them both against the floor. Brian’s sobs strangled his panicked breaths. “HER AURA WAS TAINTED, BUT SHE WAS GOOD! KEVIN, SHE…”

As everyone struggled to comprehend Brian’s hysterical babble, Ana had revived her damaged body. She crept away from the wall, refusing to be submitted to the failure. Ashton would surely kill her for the failing. Ana’s mind was focused upon the goal and before Kevin could react, Ana had snatched her large sword from the ground and rushed Kevin. The tip of her blade pierced the flesh of his back, causing him to scream in agony. His back arched, sending the sword deeper into his organs. She drove the heating metal deep into his thoracic cavity and propelled his organs out of the front of his stomach. His intestines splashed against the ground amongst the other burning organs as blood splattered against Ana’s dark clothing.

“KEVIN!” AJ screamed as he watched Kimberly’s body explode in the same manner as Kevin’s body. His mind went numb as Kevin and Kimberly collapsed against the fresh grass with blood gushing from the wounds. Ana stood overtop Kevin’s body, breathing heavily. She was obviously wounded beyond comprehension. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. Her temple was gushing with blood and her left arm was bent at an odd angle, but she didn’t allow it to faze her. Before anyone else could retaliate, she sent a sharp blow of her mental abilities to the frontal lobes. Brian and AJ collapsed to the ground in slumber.

Ana reached toward her broken left arm, clicking an intercom system that was attached to her wrist. Her breathing was labored and she knew that she had deep internal injuries. Immediately, Ashton’s voice projected against the speaker. “Ashton, they’re all down. Kevin and Kimberly are dead; the others are paralyzed in various states. Get the portal fired up and have the doctors prepare my surgery-chambers. I’m fatally injured. I have about ten minutes before I completely black out.”

“But you succeeded?”

“As always.”

“You are a hero, my Love,” he applauded, immediately sending several guards out from the portal. Ana watched as each guard took pride in grabbing a paralyzed body and taking it back to the portal’s blue haze. Ana sighed heavily as a guard gently gathered her dying body into his arms.

“Fifteen hours in the chamber and you’ll be completely healed, Sire,” the guard assured.

‘Only physically, my heart and soul will never be healed,’ Ana thought mournfully as she gazed upon her dead friends’ bodies before disappearing within the haze.