• Published 7th Feb 2015
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Burning Sirens - Lonarion



Adagio, Aria and Sonata are accused of witchcraft.

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4. Sonata's Quest

When Sonata woke up, the room was still dark. The first lights of dawn were barely visible through the shutters. What little she could see was unfamiliar, and it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. She had slept not at the inn, but in Midnight Storm’s house.

Adagio and Aria were still asleep. Soon they would wake up, and the three of them would leave the city, abandoning their belongings in the inn room.

Sonata’s possession mostly consisted in clothes and toys, and the thought of losing the latter made her heart pinch. Adagio had said, “We’ll replace them,” but one of them would be hard to replace, and it happened to be her favorite toy.

An idea crossed her mind. Maybe she could return to the inn, retrieve her toys, and come back here before Adagio noticed she was gone. All she needed was the key to their inn room, and she knew exactly where it was.

She pondered that plan for a moment. Obviously Adagio would disapprove of it, as she never liked it when Sonata wandered on her own. On the other hand, if she didn’t go, she would never see her toys again.

Sonata slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible and crept to the chest. She slowly opened the lid. Inside, all she could see was black, but she remembered where she had put her clothes, and where Adagio had put hers. She slid her hand in the chest and blindly searched through its contents.

She quickly found what she was looking for. In a corner, her dress, belt, and hair ribbon; in the center, a cold, small item of irregular shape that could only be the key. She grabbed everything, carefully closed the chest, dressed up in silence, and groped her way downstairs.

The door squeaked as she unlocked it, and she hoped it hadn’t awoken her sleeping companions. She opened it and poked her head outside, into the chill morning air. The streets, as far as she could see, were deserted.

Just then, the day bell rang. Sonata knew it meant the end of the curfew; therefore, she could go out without fear of being arrested. She stepped out of the house and ran, determined to accomplish her quest.

She quickly realized she didn’t know the way to the inn. Looking around, she saw people coming out of their homes, and asked a woman for directions. Once she got the necessary information, she resumed her trip, making a particular effort to memorize her itinerary so that she wouldn’t get lost on the way back, or else Adagio would get angry again. And Adagio getting angry was never pleasant.

“Aren’t you one of the witches from yesterday?”

A chill ran down her spine as she heard these words. She stopped, and her mind relived the events of the previous day. It occurred to her that, even if she wasn’t breaking curfew, she still could be arrested, due to the crazy townspeople believing she was a witch.

“It can’t be her; the witches should be in jail right now.”

“She does look like one of them.”

She pressed herself against a building, hoping she would disappear in the shadows. All around, people were staring at her. Her legs quivered, and she felt herself melting under the weight of the accusatory glares and murmurs. If only Adagio was there…

“Hey there, Sonata.”

Sonata emerged from her thoughts and, like everyone in the crowd, looked at the person who had just addressed her.

“Oh, Midnight Storm! Good morning.” It had taken her a second to identify him, as he was no longer wearing a weapon or armor. She smiled. He could be trusted; after all, he was under her spell.

“I know her,” he told the crowd. “She isn’t a witch, trust me.”

Some skeptical mutters emerged, but the townsfolk progressively walked away. Sonata felt lighter as the stares vanished. Some people were still looking at her distrustfully, but she ignored them and approached Midnight Storm.

“Are you going back home?”

He yawned. “Yeah. I hope you girls aren’t using the bed anymore.”

“Well, Adagio and Aria were still asleep when I left, but I’m sure they will wake up soon – Ah!” She suddenly remembered her quest. “I have to go to the inn, see you later!” She darted off.

When she reached the bridge, she encountered a small white dog wandering by the river. She stopped. It was so cute that she got an urge to pet and hug it. After all, Aria wasn’t there to stop her and claim she was wasting time.

Simultaneously, she got an urge to grab the dog by a leg and suspend it over the water, threatening to drop it, just to see its reaction. Wouldn’t that be fun? After all, Adagio wasn’t there to stop her and complain that she could get them in trouble.

But Sonata had a quest to accomplish. She couldn’t be distracted. For her toys. She took a deep breath and reluctantly resumed her journey.

She ran across the bridge and through a few more streets before she finally reached her destination. She halted in front of the inn’s gate, panting. At least, no one she had met seemed to have recognized her. But then again, she didn’t look at their faces to check.

She entered the timber building. The main hall was empty and uncharacteristically silent. The innkeeper was absent, probably having gone to attend mass.

Only a few steps separated her from her goal, but the more she approached, the more she shivered. As she turned the key in the lock, Adagio’s word resonated in her mind.

“People know we’re not from this town. When they notice we’ve escaped, the inn is the first place they’ll search. In fact, the soldiers may have already gone there and confiscated our belongings.”

Her heart pounded behind her ribs. Maybe everything was already gone, and her quest was vain. Maybe she had already failed. She pushed the door with apprehension.

Wooden figurines and a ball were strayed on the floor next to the bed, the one Sonata had shared with Aria the previous night. Her leather satchel lay next to the floor, where she had left it, and Aria’s bag was at the foot of the bed. Everything was just as she remembered it.

Still shaking, she kneeled next to her bag and looked inside. When she got confirmation that her favorite toy was still there, she let out a deep breath.

In the bag, she also noticed her hooded cape, and remembered what Adagio had said. It could be useful. A new idea popped up in Sonata’s mind, born from a desire to help her companions. If she gathered the capes of all three sirens and brought them all back, it may make Adagio and Aria happy.

With her bag full of toys, the capes probably wouldn’t all fit inside. She had to make some room, and the only way was to remove toys.

She stared inside the satchel for a minute, trying to decide on which ones to sacrifice. Why was it so difficult to choose? She could always replace them later. Adagio had said so. Finally, she extracted a large part of her toys and dropped them on the floor. Only a handful remained in the bag, and she added the ball, even if it was damaged.

Then she opened Aria’s bag to take her cape, but the other items there caught her attention. She realized how selfish it would be of her if she brought back her toys but let the belongings of the other sirens be lost. Aria and Adagio would certainly be disappointed at her, maybe even angry, and Sonata didn’t want that. She resolved to bring something for them besides the capes. Maybe that would make them even happier.

She considered simply taking everyone’s bags, but it would be too heavy for her, so she decided to pick up some of their personal effects. She slid a hand in Aria’s bag, and after retrieving the hooded cape, she grabbed a couple items at random to transfer to her own bag.

First was a small knife in its sheath. Sonata frowned as she remembered how Aria had used it the day before. Her ball would never be the same.

The second item was a leather-bound book, one of several books that Aria possessed. Sonata didn’t know their contents, nor did she know how Aria had gotten this one. She may have charmed its previous owner, or she may have written it herself; Sonata had seen her do both.

Being done with Aria’s bag, she looked at the other side of the room, where Adagio’s bed was, and at its foot, a chest where she had seen Adagio store her bag. She opened it and retrieved Adagio’s cape and one of her dresses, as well as her purse.

Sonata’s bag was packed full; it was time to leave. She hauled the strap over her shoulder and exited the room.

When she went back to the inn’s main hall, two men who weren’t there before, both wearing armor and helmet, were standing in her way.

One of them was a tall man carrying a halberd, and Sonata could swear he was one of the soldiers who had arrested her on the previous day. The other man was smaller and wearing a sword at his belt.

“That’s one of them,” the tall one said.

Sonata shivered as the small one approached her. Her instinct told her to run away, but they were blocking the only exit.

“I am sergeant Iron Blade. I shall bring you back to the jail you escaped from.”

Sonata gulped, and Adagio’s words echoed through her head again.

“When they notice we’ve escaped, the inn is the first place they’ll search.”

Only then did Sonata realize exactly what she had done.

* * * * * *

Adagio rushed upstairs to the bed and violently shook Aria, which made the latter groan.

“Wake up! Sonata’s gone.”

“What?” Aria asked drowsily.

Adagio couldn’t afford waiting for her to wake up properly. She grabbed the lazy siren by the shoulders and hauled her chest to bring their faces close. “Sonata is gone. She left the house. Do you know where she went?”

She knew she had hardly any chance to receive a positive answer, but she clung to that hope.

“I was sleeping, in case you haven’t noticed.” Aria pushed Adagio’s arms away and let herself fall back on the mattress.

Footsteps resonated below. Could it be Sonata? Adagio hurried down. Unfortunately, she didn’t meet a siren, but only Midnight Storm.

“Good morning,” he said.

She wasn’t in the mood to return the greeting. “Have you seen my companion, Sonata?” Again, she wasn’t expecting him to reply in the affirmative.

“Yeah, I met her,” he said as he climbed the stairs. “Said she was going to the inn.”

To the inn? Of course, that foolish, scatterbrained siren would do that. After mentally cursing Midnight Storm for advancing so slowly, since the staircase was too narrow for Adagio to pass him, Adagio went back to Aria.

“Come, we have to go after Sonata.”

Aria rolled onto her other side, facing away from Adagio. “What for? I don’t care what happens to her. Just tell me when we’re leaving the town. Until then, I’m staying here.”

“Can you at least move to the side?” Midnight Storm said as he started undressing, “I’m going to bed.”

With another groan, Aria got up. She had never liked humans, and sleeping in the same bad as one was probably too much for her.

“Are you coming then?” Adagio asked while retrieving her clothes.

“Ugh, fine. Let’s go find the moron and get us all killed in the process.”

Adagio couldn’t tell what was going on through Aria’s mind. She understood wanting to let Sonata cope with potential troubles on her own, of course, but after the way Aria had criticized Adagio’s decisions on the previous day, why would she agree to look for Sonata now if she thought, rightly so, that it was so dangerous?

Adagio shook her head. She had more important things to do than question Aria’s actions. The two sirens dressed up and asked their host for directions, then went downstairs.

“We should cover our hair to minimize the chances of being recognized,” Adagio said, looking around. Some pieces of worn-out cloth lay on the table, and she wrapped one atop her head.

“Ew. I’m not putting that on my hair.”

It was moments like that that convinced Adagio that she was the only siren in this world with a survival instinct or a fully functional brain. Not wanting to waste any more time, she didn’t argue and just sighed. After some effort to cram her mass of hair under it, she tied the cloth below her chin, even though the contact was uncomfortable, and she knew it probably wouldn’t stay in place for long.

Adagio and Aria left the house and ran towards the inn. On the way, after just a couple blocks, they came across a passerby who gave them a strange look. Adagio feared he might have recognized them. She tried to ignore him and kept moving forward, hoping he wouldn’t attempt anything.

To avoid trouble, Adagio decided to go through the smallest, least frequented streets as much as possible. But despite these precautions, they were still taking a high risk. All because of Sonata.

After a trip across half the town, they were almost at the inn and reached the main street, larger and straighter than the rest, when Adagio saw a group of people coming towards them, and Sonata was among them. Adagio quickly retreated to a nearby alley, followed by Aria, and hid behind a barrel, stealthily observing the group as they passed across the two sirens.

Sonata was carrying a stuffed bag and was looking at the floor as she walked. A soldier was grabbing her arm, walking alongside her. Another, smaller soldier was walking a few feet in before them, telling passersby to step aside. Around them, townsfolk were tagging along, and among them, Adagio even recognized people who had chased them the previous day. As expected, Sonata had gotten in trouble. What was she thinking when she left the house?

Finally getting tired of the cloth tied unstably around her head, Adagio unfastened it and dropped it while trying to figure out the best course of action. Once again, singing wouldn’t work; they wouldn’t be able to charm everyone at once due to the distance between them. Moreover, the townspeople may recognize her or Aria, and attack them before the spell took effect.

Adagio poked her head out of the alley and frantically looked around for something that could be of use. On the side of the street, in the direction opposite from where Sonata was, a horse drawing a cart was stationed, and a man was unloading sacks from the cart. Adagio got an idea, albeit a perilous one. She turned towards Aria.

Aria was leaning against a house, her arms crossed, and her face looking much grouchier than usual.

Adagio wondered when Aria got like this. Thinking about it, she hadn’t gotten a good look at Aria’s face since she woke up. When they were in Midnight Storm’s house, it was too dark to see properly, and when they were outside, she didn’t really look at Aria, simply expecting her to follow. Maybe she was still angry due to their argument that night.

Adagio would worry about it later. “We could use this cart. Let’s charm that man.”

* * * * * *

Sonata had been dragged out of the inn before she could think of what to do, and now the soldier and the sergeant Iron Blade were leading her back to the jail. Townspeople were gathering around them with curiosity, and some were once again giving her distrustful stares and pointed fingers.

“A witch?”

“Hasn’t she been already arrested yesterday?”

“Did she use her sorcery to escape?”

Sonata wanted to run away and hide, and the strong grip of the soldier on her arm only increased her discomfort. She wished Adagio was there to tell her what to do. But Sonata was alone, so she had to think of something by herself.

She knew her powers were limited, but even if she could just charm the soldier and make him let her go, then she would have a chance to escape. The other people would probably try to catch her, or the sergeant may attack her, but that was her only option, or at least the only one she could think of.

As she was considering this, a sound like a rumble mixed with clops grew louder from behind her. It was eventually joined by a shriek, which caused her and her whole escort to turn around.

A horse drawing a cart was galloping straight towards them. Adagio sat at the front, next to a man holding the reins, while Aria was inside the cart, leaning on the edge.

“Out of the way!” Adagio shouted.

Chaos erupted around Sonata. Screams resonated; people ran and jumped away, and she found herself pulled to the side of the street. She was disoriented by the disorder, but when she heard Aria shout her name, she looked at the cart again. Aria was reaching out a hand to her.

Just as the cart passed in front of her, Sonata leaped forward. Aria grabbed her, and the force of the movement made the soldier release his grip. Sonata tried to haul herself over the edge of the cart, a task made difficult by the wind hitting her and the frequent jumps of the vehicle on the uneven road.

“Stop!”

Her eyes widened when she saw that Iron Blade was also grabbing the cart, and was struggling with Adagio. Finally, Aria pulled her inside. Sonata fell against the hard wood while Aria rushed to help Adagio, pushing the sergeant who eventually let go and disappeared in a blur.

Adagio told the driver to slow down. Even though they were in a relatively large and straight street, Sonata knew it wasn’t meant for galloping carts, and their situation was dangerous.

With a loud knock, Sonata suddenly found herself thrown in the air and unconsciously screamed as the world spun around her.

A wave of pain surged through her right leg when it collided with something hard shortly before she crashed into the ground. Her mind was fuzzy; her pain was the only thing she could think about. She heard someone call her name, then she was grabbed by the waist and lifted. Her bag hit her side, reminding her she was still carrying it.

She slowly opened her eyes, though she didn’t know when she had closed them. The cart was on its side, the horse was lying down, and the driver was getting up with difficulty. She hoped the horse was all right, but didn’t get the opportunity to check.

“Can you walk?” Adagio asked, apparently being the one who was holding her.

She was with Adagio. Regardless of the pain and all the troubles, that thought reassured her.

Sonata tried to take a step, but the pain surged again. “No…”

Aria entered her field of vision and grabbed her to help her walk. “We have to go.”

The three sirens entered the closest alley, Sonata using her uninjured leg while wrapping her arms around Adagio and Aria’s necks. She didn’t know where they were going, but she was sure Adagio had a plan.

They passed through a few streets without meeting anyone, save for a girl who was playing with a toy horse on wheels without paying attention to anything around her. Sonata looked at the toy with envy, and considered snatching it for herself, but the other sirens didn’t leave her the opportunity to halt.

Around the corner, Adagio opened the door of a small wooden building by the riverside. Inside, it looked like a warehouse, with crates and barrels piled around the only room. Adagio closed the door behind them while Aria asked if someone was inside, getting no reply. Sonata sat on a crate.

“We can’t stay here,” Aria said. “If the door was unlocked, the owner is not far. And the soldiers will come looking for us.”

Adagio stomped the floor. “I know!” she said with an angry tone that made Sonata recoil. “This is only a temporary hideout while we plan the next move.”

Sonata let out a deep breath. She was certain everything was going to be fine. Adagio would come up with something, and while her leg was injured, her magic pendant would soon heal it.

“Sonata.”

That was Adagio’s voice, and it sounded particularly unpleasant. Sonata timidly looked up.

She was slapped so hard that she fell to the ground, the pain in her leg rushing again. Her lips trembled as she met the glare of Adagio, whose face was distorted with rage.

“What were you doing outside?” Adagio hissed.

Sonata crawled back until she bumped into a crate, while Adagio advanced threateningly. “I, I wanted to get my toys…” Adagio growled, and Sonata buried her head under her arms. “I also retrieved our capes! You said you wanted them!”

“You idiot!” Adagio grabbed Sonata’s dress and held her face in front of hers. “I told you we could do without. Do you realize how careless you’ve been? That you could have lost your life?”

“I’m sorry,” Sonata muttered, her throat aching.

Adagio dropped her, and said sternly, “If you ever get in trouble again, I will not come to help you.”

Aria nodded.

Sonata felt like her heart had turned into ice. “You can’t! You can’t abandon me!” Adagio flinched slightly at the outburst, but her face stayed impassive. Sonata felt her eyes getting wet and wiped them with her sleeve. “We’ve always been together, all these centuries. You’ve always been there for me. We should care for each other…”

“Shut up,” Aria said before turning to Adagio, while Sonata wiped her eyes again. “Why don’t we leave her behind now? She’s just going to slow us down if she can’t walk.”

Adagio shook her head. “That may not be necessary. The harbor is nearby; we should try to leave by ship rather than through the gates.” She approached Sonata. Even though Adagio seemed to have calmed down a little, Sonata recoiled.

“You said you retrieved our hoods?”

Sonata hastily opened her bag and took out one of the hooded capes. “Yes, here.”

Adagio put it on and pulled the hood over her head, hiding her massive hair. “I’m going to get us a vessel,” she said as she walked towards the door. “You two stay here,” she added, looking at Sonata. “And if someone enters, sing.”

She opened the door and, after cautiously peeking outside, she left.