As my motherspoke, each word filled my ears and wrapped around my heart. Istared at her in awe, unable to believe she was there. Alive. Justa few feet away. I could reach out and touch her, if I had my handsfree. It killed me to not fall into her embrace and, as I caughther glistening stare, I knew she felt the same. She ached to grabhold of me, and we exchanged a silent I love you.
“A better lifewith those God damn witches? How are they any better than me?”
Mom spoke ascalmly as she could. “Maria, you know the answer to that.”
My derangedsister began smacking a fist against her own head and paced thefloor between us.
“Maria,” Momsaid, still holding on to the calm tone despite being scorched bythe child she pleaded with, “Just let Dianna go.”
“No!” mysister screamed in anger. “Tell me why. Tell me how I came to bethis way. Why you couldn’t love me!”
“I tried!” Momreplied, breaking. “I tried so hard to love you. With every fiberof my being. When Martha pulled me back to the past, stole me frommy family in the future, I grieved myself sick. I wished fordeath.”
My throat randry as I gawked at my mother, telling her story, saying words Inever knew. Giving me a whole new image of how she departed from mylife. I’d thought she’d drowned at sea for so long, then,discovered that she’d in fact lived and fled back to her own time.I’d thought she’d abandoned me and dad. But now… to find out thatshe was taken from me…
Mom’s facepaled as her eyes spilled over with tears, mouth gaping helplessly.“I-I had no idea,” she said to me. “When you were growing up. Thethings I collected. The research I’d done. I became obsessed withfinding out who this mysterious Cobham was. She hadn’t existed inmy time…”
My stomachdropped as the tightness in my throat squeezed further. “Becauseshe hadn’t existed,” I said mostly to myself. “Maria, she… youdidn’t give birth to her until you went back. But that wouldmean–”
Mom noddedsolemnly. “I was meant to meet your father. It was part of mydestiny to have you, Dianna. This–” she craned her face around theroom, “is all meant to happen in some form or another. Time doesn’texist like we all believe it does. It’s a mess of paths,intertwined and striving to exist all at once.”
I stared inawe at the woman speaking, how she verified my suspicions about theworld. About time and how much fate had played into my life.Dictated every detail and steered me to where I now stood. Details,they’re all irrelevant. It’s the bonding of souls that tie ustogether. Dragging us through the murky sands of time.
“Enough!”Maria screamed at us. She neared my mother and held the tip of adagger to her nose. “I don’t care for those parts. You knowwhat I want!”
Mom inhaleddeeply. “I thought the only thing that could repair the hole in myheart was another child,” she continued, glaring at Maria. “Isummoned a siren and begged for a baby. Offered anything in return.Even my own soul. The creature asked for a favor, one she couldcall upon at any time.” She pausedand shook her head, lost in the memory. “A fool I was. I accepted.I would have given anything, and the siren knew it. Before long, Iwas with child.”
Maria’s clunkyleather boots paced the floor as her long black jacket fannedbehind her.
“So, whathappened after that?” I asked. Mom smiled at the sound of my voicespeaking to her but then yelped as Maria touched the hot poker tomy arm, eliciting a scream from me as it burned through myshift.
“I will askthe questions!” she spat in my ear. She turned to our mother,pointing the burning rod directly in her face. Her eyes wild. “So,I am not born of this earth?”
“No,” Mom saidapologetically. Her aging, but still beautiful, face turning downinto a frown. “You’re not. You were conceived by the magic of thesea and grown inside my body. How do you think you came topossess the ability to manipulatea siren’s call?”
My stomachtoiled at my mother’s words. A siren’s call? A mythical lure? HadMaria truly been calling to me this whole time? Coaxing me towitness my mother’s death and possibly face my own. I had to getfree. My mind kicked into overdrive and focused on wiggling myhands free of the ties that boundme to the canopy above my head. The ropes weren’t as tight as Mariahad probably intended and I felt them loosen with every slight moveI made. I did it slowly, carefully. Determined not to call myderanged sister’s attention to it. A long sword hung on the wall,the fire glistening against its blade, inviting me to reach out andtake it. If I could just break free and lunge for the weapon, I hadevery confidence I could take my sister down.
But could Isave my mother in time?
Maria, seemingto fight with Mom’s words, back away, shaking her head and beatinga closed fist against it. Mumbling no, no, no under herbreath. Mom inched forward on the bed, discreetly, closing thespace between us.
“You were abeautiful baby,” mom continued. “Happy, cheerful. You filled mylife with love and joy, helped my heart heal from the pain oflosing Dianna and Arthur. But the sirens waited until I was at thepeak of my happiness to collect the favor. They asked me to sailout to sea, to a hidden island, and bring back a stolen gem from acursed ship. They said I may not come back alive, but that my taskwas to try. I-I couldn’t… I couldn’t leave you. Not knowing thatthere was a high chance I could die and leave you an orphan.So…”
I couldn’tbelieve my ears and my brain raced to click all the pieces inplace. Mom’s task… it was The Black Soul. The siren’s heart. Shewas supposed to get it back and break the curse. But, clearly, shehadn’t. Because that perilous mission had been thrust upon me. Mymother’s cowardice had inexplicably altered my own fate and put meon the path to finish what
