Kerrigan slept for two hours. Po remained alert, ever awake, listening. Her presence kept the nightmares at bay. Their home, aflame and crumbling, appeared from the shadows of sleep, but Po pushed it away. When her mind pulled the Sirens out from the cold depths of the sea, Po sent them back. Eventually Kerrigan fell into such a deep sleep that no dream or nightmare dared disturb. Time, the cave, and the hammock ceased to exist. Even Po faded away.

Then she woke, silent and still, her hazel eyes peering sleepily between her thick lashes.

She lay facing the wall. The rocks were slick with seawater, pockmarked and scarred from possibly years of habitation. The glowing fungi had started to work its roots down from the ceiling, sinking into the cracks. Her gaze focused on the rope of her hammock and studied its fraying edges. The fur coat reeked of damp. Kerrigan sensed the presence behind her, lurking at the edge of the pool.

Here we go.

She turned, expecting to face Undilla, yet it was a young, ashen-haired Siren watching with a hawk-like gaze from the water. A deep scar ran from the corner of her lower lip to her chin. As Kerrigan inhaled to speak, several more Sirens emerged from the water. Many appeared above the surface no further than their nose.

"Well?" Kerrigan demanded. The ashen-haired Siren raised her chin.

"You come with us."

Kerrigan stretched. She kicked aside the fur coat and rolled out of the hammock. Her boots echoed on the cave floor.

The Sirens stirred and backed away from the edge as Kerrigan approached. Two at the back pulled themselves onto the ledge, keeping a good distance from their guest. Their muscles rippled beneath the pallid skin of their backs, writhing beneath just enough fat to keep their organs warm. Sirens had a greater density than any human, Kerrigan knew – she had certainly felt the weight and strength that Undilla possessed. It was enough to keep them warm in the ocean and perfect for catching food. Their weight surmounted the strength of any human male and led them deep beneath the surface of the ocean, sinking like rocks as their tails remained still and immobile while their prey drowned, trapped in their tight embrace.

The two out the water paused when they caught her staring. Kerrigan looked back to the ashen-haired Siren.

"You," she said. "What's your name?"

"Mae," the Siren replied.

"How far from here to the shore?"

"From here, the next cave. Then to the shore. It shouldn't be too far for you."

Kerrigan lowered her feet into the water, her boots still strapped tight. As she lowered herself in to a low step beneath the surface, the two Sirens across the pool continued out onto the rocks. Their tails were tremendously long. She found herself staring wide-eyed in disbelief. They both had soft blue, scaly limbs, not unlike the body of a strong fish, yet it trailed behind them like a basilisk. They scurried across the rocks using the strength of their arms, their tails coiling and curling.

They'd certainly perish inland, Kerrigan mused. She felt Po agree.

"You go first, into the tunnel," Mae instructed, pointing into the water at a dark gaping chasm. Kerrigan wanted to query, but Po piped up at the back of her mind.

If you try anything brash they'll be on you at lightning speed.

Of course.

It would surely take a moment too long for a sharp turn with tails of that length, especially with so many of them inside the tunnel. It was a cautious move, sending her in first.

What were the other two doing? Obeying her instinct, Kerrigan glanced back into the cave and saw the two Sirens toying with her hammock, propped up shakily on their lower bodies. Well, she thought, raising an eyebrow, surprised and somewhat amused.

Then she inhaled deeply and pushed herself beneath the surface, sweeping apart the water with huge strokes of her arms. Kerrigan blinked open her eyes, her vision cleared, protected by Po. She stared into the tunnel. It stretched ahead into shadows, falling deeper into the ocean. As she pushed her way forward, her ears felt as if they were filling up with cotton. The pressure grew inside of the tunnel, pushing down on her from every side.

It's okay.

Her ears cleared and she felt herself relax.

I'd forgotten how much I hate small spaces.

Just focus on moving forward. Forget everything else.

Po warned her of this as she became aware of the Sirens following her feet, four of them with Mae on her pursuit into the deep.