16.

The tears of true love and all the power with which it may bring, fills my heart with joy, makes all our hearts sing. – oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling.

Ten years ago, there were rumours, apparent sightings of unnatural darkness, spheres of emptiness, portholes or nothing emanating in the most random of places. Theses apparitions were and are so much more arriving holes in thin air. Investigations saw items disappear into these ... black holes. Whether fired towards these holes or gathered into such by proximity or growth, plenty would go missing ... never to be seen again.

The Phantom Queen being one such title for Morgan Fay herself, it first had been thought of as magic, created by her as punishment for those who may go against her or disobey her but no ... it had to be more than that for these apparitions were appearing to loyal subjects, those within her kingdom who never so much as even spoke a word against her ... so why would these people need to be punished? It just would be her way of doing things anyhow ...

It wasn't long before people began being hurt, losing limbs with which they had to amputate themselves with whatever instruments or tool such people had handy so to speak. For when a hand or arm, or anything else for that matter, became consumed by such portholes of nothingness they generally would only stop or slow if a whole person had been taken off completely.

Such phenomenon began as being items of extreme rareness and slowly but steadily at first began to grow and indeed would grow indiscriminately to include wildlife both fantastical and common to those directly under command of The Morrigan herself. Over ten years, a war was vowed to end this plague but indeed there was nothing which could stop this nothingness until research discovered a potential cure and this now is what she seeks.

Can she acquire it? She cannot just ask for it as it has to be real and unrequited and so it is on before this darkness can be all consuming. There is time ... just how much time is unknown and if failure arises ... well such a thing is not worth thinking about unless it becomes something quite imminent.

***

Skin and blisters, the seven mysterious sisters ... of course, the seven mysterious sisters, how could he have ever forgotten? He can't help but remember now, or at least remember something as he stands near to a body of water upon which a stone building rests. He has been here before, not only that, but he remembers being here before with Delia.

What exactly is it that he remembers?

He is on the right track; Samuel is sure of that. He will find the one true love of his life; they will be re-united as sure as the stars shine in the nighttime sky. Sure, as the stars ... those stars have called him once before they will call him again. Will they lead him in the right direction? Or will they lead him astray? There may even be a price to pay.

He had her to find him, rescue him once before, but this time he is alone and will be every bit as much unable to resist now as he had been before. If there are tools and tree trunks to build with, perhaps he would have something to traverse the waters before him to either take rest bite on an island where a stone building waits or take his chances and cross the lake entirely to investigate the land on the far side ... but there is something else.

Music, a vocal harmony, a sirens song, calls to him from out along that body of water. It is beautiful, entrancing and Samuel can do nothing but lose all control. That sound, that allure, he wants it, he needs it, so much so that it takes him slowly forward and into the water.

The celestial beauty on a ground level, or water level, is too strong and before long, the water is chest high. Seven beauties call out, sing out, surely, they are an illusion of some sort. An illusion or not, the Siren's song is powerful, extremely enticing, entrancing enough to attract the attention of any man. And just like before, he indeed cannot resist.

Something is wrong he begins to feel. Things are not right. It is his love for Delia that brings him around. The song continues to call. Pleiades, the song of the Seven Sisters is a difficult one to resist though resist he begins to do. His love rests with one, not seven. Perhaps in some way his wife is in some way saving him in the here and now. Samuel fights, no matter how hopeless or how difficult his fight might appear.

So deep in the waters with a current wanting to take him deeper, Samuel takes on the battle with every ounce of strength within him and then some. Thoughts of Delia spur him on. He must get to her, he must find her, and he cannot fail here deep in the waters, waters that have now become neck high.

Floating up onto his back, Samuel begins to paddle though paddling against a strong tide is not easy. At first, he is moving forwards, then he attempts to change direction to move towards the small island shore. The pace begins well at first and he is indeed moving back towards that shore. Fairly soon the current consumes him, it is too strong, and Samuel is not getting anywhere at all. Getting over to that island with the stone building is becoming more and more difficult.

There had been not time to build and kind of craft to take him onto the waters, if there had been time then would his present condition have allowed him to use it? The sirens song continues to call, and the shore whether what was near or what belongs to an island, begins to move further and further away, so Samuel lets go and allows the current to take him. He is not giving into the siren's song, he is simply, or maybe not so simply, resorting to a plan B.

Indeed, there is that stone building out on the waters. If only the tide itself would take him to it, then maybe he might have a chance of getting out of his current predicament. He is half taken by the song and half resisting it.

Finally, something is on Samuel's side for the tide alters and does takes him to that stone building. A tide ... upon a lake? The water is not all so cold, just as well for Sam is exhausted by the time, he reaches the building on a small island in the center of the lake. And once he is there, he needs to take a moment or two before he can recover from his fight, a fight which had been as much mentally as it had been physically, he needs that moment or two before he can begin to make his way inside.

The sound of music no longer calls out. The Seven Sisters will not win on this night. The enticing celestial entity has been defeated. His love for one could not be defeated by the song of seven, be they celestial entities or anything other. The stone building, its dark and impressive entrance is made of iron and is padlocked to a steel chain. Nice ... what now? ... the keys ... he has three of them, right?

The second of those three keys he has gains him access. Inside appears as if it has gone untouched for a long time, years even, a little underwhelming as it is, still it is easy to imagine it once was rather impressive. One bed, king size or perhaps queen size. Indeed, had he and Delia once spent time here? It is late and getting dark so a layover it is.

The position where he rests also brings something back from before. When he was last there with Delia, they both had taken a moment outside to stare at the stars, more than that, they also needed a moment of recovery. Little did they know then of what was still to come.

***

The stars shone bright that night, that first time around, stars as bright as any stars ever seen before. Samuel and Delia had settled for the night in that stone building, well Delia settled more so than Samuel. As soon as she lay down, she was out for the count. Having been out himself, Samuel is woken, woken by something strange and unusual. There was music in the air, an acapella harmony being carried softly and firmly. It was calling, it was tempting, and Samuel soon stepped out of that building.

Indeed, the sky is clear, and those stars indeed shone bright. Almost everything about this night tempted Sam. The Siren's song was as strong and powerful as the music played by any Pied Piper. The seven sisters shone bright and their light, an oasis on the water, their music was leading a lamb to slaughter. In the water Sam went unwittingly, more taken this time round than ten years from now.

The siren's song cannot be heard by everyone, it can only encapsulate those of a male persuasion. Not hearing what it is that Sam does, not falling into the trance that Sam has, Delia turns where she lays and reaches out. She does not embrace what she expects to embrace. She does not embrace anything at all.

Delia's eyes open and she does not see Samuel, he is not resting next to her. Sleep can often disorientate so it takes Delia a moment to realize where it is that she is. Once she does, she stands quickly and searches her surroundings and still does not see Samuel. Time is short and she can sense that such is the connection she has with her husband, so she moves to exit the building as quickly as she can.

It's dark but not completely so, the moon is full, and the stars continue to shine bright though they can only illuminate so much. At first, she cannot see him. Before she does see him, she hears him. Standing outside right near to the entrance of the stone building she calls for him. Seconds pass without response and she calls for him again. Still there is no response.

She stands silent for a moment. The stone building limits her view on the waters though luck comes her way for in her silent stance she hears the waters stir. It is more than the current lapping up against the rocky base the stone building sits upon. There is someone in the water not all so far away from Delia. That someone in the water can only be and is Samuel. Delia calls him by name one more time and without hesitating she heads straight into the water.

Get to her man she must, get to her man she will, get to her man she does. Their love is unique, their love is strong, their love is a two-way street, a street that generally runs peacefully and well but now a minibus has parked itself right smack in the middle of that street between them and it is not making any effort to move.

Delia is and always has been a strong swimmer and once she is within the water, she needs every ounce of strength she possesses for when she gets to Samuel, she finds him completely unresponsive. It takes every little bit of what she has and who she is to get Samuel onto the rocks that the stone building rests on.

He is not moving, he is not breathing, Samuel is completely still. Delia begins to panic.

'Samuel, what have you done?' she speaks while slightly unsure as what to do next. 'Samuel ... please' she speaks a little louder.

Their love indeed is strong for he can hear her voice, he can hear her love and he cannot help but react. His eyes open, sea water is expelled, and he begins to cough, more importantly he begins to breathe. He crouches upwards slightly, and she does all she can to aid him before exhaustion takes them both over.

'I thought I lost you' speaks Delia almost crying but not quite, and both she and Samuel rest right where they are, 'I thought I lost you.'

The stars up above still shine strong and bright, maybe at another time they could be a joy to behold but given current circumstances, little can be savored or enjoyed.

Minutes pass: soon Samuel and Delia aid each other into that stone building where they spend the rest of the night inside and without further incident. Standing on the shore across the water, in the spot Samuel and Delia stood not so long prior, are two entities quietly observing all that transpired.

'Darn' speaks The Faerie Knight, I really thought we had them there.'

'Not to worry' replies The Phantom Queen, 'it is early yet, and we are in no rush.'

Unfortunately, in years to come, there will be a rush as time is surely running out.