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Story: The Siren

Her eyes blazing red rage, Lucienne leapt in the air, spinning and kicking Seraphen in the face with all her wrath, hitting the Meridian point of pain. Though it might be in vain—she had seen what little effect acupoints had on Seraphen—she nevertheless tried to inflict as much pain on him as she could.

Wincing, Seraphen lunged toward the warrior girl. Lucienne yanked out her steel whip, sweeping it across the pain point on Seraphen’s face.

“Haven’t we tried this already, Siren?” Seraphen said.

Suddenly, Vladimir and the other survivors from the mountains joined them. They were bloody and ragged, yet alive and willing to fight. “Get your hands off my girl, you greasy pig!” Vladimir slashed his sanjiegun at Seraphen’s skull. The mighty force would kill any human, but Seraphen only wheeled and kicked Vladimir. The mutant was faster than Vladimir, her, and all the warriors combined. Vladimir ducked, but not quickly enough. Besides, he was already wounded jumping from the helicopter. Seraphen’s foot connected to the base of Vladimir’s skull.

Blood spurted from Vladimir’s mouth. His handsome face went ashen as he collapsed to the ground. Seraphen immediately went for the remaining soldiers.

“Vlad!” Lucienne moved toward him as tears streamed down her sooty face.

Seraphen strolled toward Lucienne, slowly and purposefully. There was no one standing between them now. All her warriors were down.

She needed more time to find a way to terminate the mutant, but time was another luxury she didn’t have. Her fists raised. Her legs parted. Lucienne bent her front knee and sank her weight down into a halfmoon Karate stance, waiting for the final showdown.

Then in front of her, Ashburn appeared, still swaying from the narcotics, but blocking Seraphen. “Enough killing!” he said.

“You can thank me later,” Seraphen said, giving Ashburn a hard shove.

Ashburn shoved Seraphen back. “You’ll not kill her!”

“She lied to you, tricked you, and nearly killed you,” Seraphen asked, “didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did all those despicable things.”

“Then let me remove her.”

“She doesn’t deserve to die. I can see the real her underneath her hard shell,” Ashburn said. “And she protected my parents, and that means everything to me.”

“Heaven and hell, this is worse than I expected,” Seraphen said. “Does she smell like night blossoms mixed with fresh milk? I remember the scent well. Her ancestor Niahm emitted the same scent. You’re an eighteen-year-old boy. Of course you can’t think straight when she’s around.” The mutant pushed Ashburn aside. “Let me do this for you.”

Ashburn jumped in the air and punched Seraphen in the face. “You’ll follow my order. You’ll not touch her!”

Seraphen shrugged at Ashburn’s strike. “You’re her prey,” he said. “I came into existence again to keep you safe. When you don’t take your own life into consideration, I override your command.” Seraphen grabbed Ashburn and threw him over his shoulder. Ashburn fell to the ground with a thud.

Seraphen charged.

Lucienne’s eyes fixed on the creature. A killing rage boiled inside her, but she controlled it. She must play cat and mouse with him, until she bought enough time. Until she found a way to reduce him to dust.

When Seraphen was nearly four feet from Lucienne, she shifted to duck, but Seraphen stopped in his tracks, his bulky body bending backward. A net of black lightning wrapped around him, binding him. Ashburn stood behind his protector, his hands up, dark electricity shooting from his fingers.

Clenching his teeth, Seraphen inched toward Lucienne to claw at her with focused determination to wipe out the last Siren, but the harness of electricity kept him at bay. Lucienne remembered Ashburn saying he couldn’t kill Seraphen, but he could weaken him. Then the same voice that warned her not to kill Ashburn chimed in her mind again.The combination of the lightning and the Eye of Time is a lethal weapon.

Wildfire spread inside Lucienne.

Her heart pounding, her blood rushing in her ears, she strode toward Seraphen.

“Lucienne, what are you doing?” Ashburn said anxiously. “Get away. Now! Take your helicopter and fly far away!”

Lucienne stopped before Seraphen, whose head and neck had gradually emerged from the black net of lightning. He smirked at her, showing his even, white teeth. In a few seconds, he’d break out, and no one could stop him.

Lucienne’s left hand was behind her back, holding the open locket. She must set free the Eye of Time at the perfect moment, so it wouldn’t go after Ashburn instead.

“Lucienne, go!” Ashburn called in desperation. “I can no longer hold . . .”

Lucienne leapt into the air, swung her arm and at the same time, pushed the pin in on the locket. Free from the Twilight Water, the Eye of Time lunged.

Seraphen’s eyes went wild. “Ashburn, release me!” he shouted. “She’s letting out—”