the table, to stand above Diana. It didn't speak English, or any language Mikar recognized, but he understood every word all the same. Its communication was beyond words, predating the very notion of language. Predating life in this world.
This…thing wasn’t a person, though it wore a suit of flesh. It wasn’t a master, a lord, or a king of the underworld. It was emptiness. It was void. It was Death.
It dropped to a low crouch, and extended a long, pale hand to touch the tip of her chin.
Mikar started to advance, not able to help himself. If Eirikr hadn't firmly held him back, he would have entered the circle and stood between that thing and Diana.
“It’d kill you where you stand without a blink,” Eirikr whispered, his words coming out fast and low.
“It could kill her,” Mikar shot back.
“It won’t.” He sounded so certain. “She’s a Helsing.”
Mikar’s lips pursed, but he stopped fighting to get to her. For now.
Death paid him no mind, entirely focused on Diana. "I remember you. The last time such a spell was cast to get me here, you were right under me." Death sounded amused, glancing down to Chloe.
Mikar blinked. Diana had been dead? Or dying. That was hardly better. His heart skipped a beat.
“I’m honored you answered, Thanatos.” Diana seemed calm, but sweat was gathering on her forehead.
Death let go of her chin and rose with a chuckle. "Oh, you knew I would. The deepest, darkest pit of the underworld gets rather tedious. I enjoy your summonses. Well, I see a dying girl and a girl willing to die. I see blood, and salt and water to keep me away from your little friends.” Death’s smirk suggested that if it so wished, it’d get out of the circle and destroy them all without any effort. Mikar believed it.
“Yes. I see many things. But I hear nothing." Death stared pointedly at Diana, its gaze demanding, probing, challenging.
Diana lowered her gaze to her palms, biting her lip, uncertain.
"Do not tease. I have little patience, girl."
“I’m not my father,” she said. “I haven’t got his skills. You may find me wanting.”
Thanatos’s depthless dark eyes were set on her. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Diana breathed deep, in and out, and opened her mouth.
The sounds coming out of her throat weren't real. They couldn't be. Mikar wouldn't have thought such a pure, powerful, clear voice could possibly exist. She sang. The valley was filled with her voice, responding to it, every bit of grass, every tree, every animal falling silent to listen to the ageless lullaby she sang. The elemental magic the witches were maintaining outside the circle erupted in colorful flames, dancing with her voice. Her voice was a spell. A curse. All here would live the rest of their lives haunted by the melody, seeking more to make sense of their lives.
When her voice quieted, Mikar realized he was on his knees. He wasn't alone. Everyone had fallen. All but Eirikr, and Death.
The Helsings weren’t vampires. Or at least, not just that. Long before the first of them had been turned, they’d been something else.
Sirens.
“Not your father?” Death tilted its head. “Certainly. Your father was pompous and controlled. He studied each note. You’re messy.” Death’s mouth wrapped around the word. “You taste of wildness, poison, and sex.”
Diana looked terrified. But Death was pleased, Mikar could tell. Beyond pleased. It was interested. In Diana.
Fuck.
“I will grant your wish today if you grant one of my own."
Diana only nodded.
"You will call me in a hundred years,” Death stated. “And a hundred years after that. Every century, till your last breath. Fail to do so, and I will not be so kind when next I stand in front of a Helsing."
Diana swallowed hard, but lifted her eyes to Thanatos, holding its gaze. "I swear it."
Death inclined its head, almost imperceptibly, and dissolved into the darkest mist once again, filling the circle with a fog so thick Mikar couldn't see anything inside it. Then an instant later, it was gone, all clouds cleared out.
First Meal
Death had disappeared, leaving only the scent of blood and a sense of dread behind it.
Diana still sat in the exact position where she'd been, to Mikar’s great relief.
However, Tris was spread out under the table, lying at an awkward angle, too still. Mikar couldn't hear any heartbeat.
Diana lurched to her feet, spent. From behind her, Gwen was the first to steady her. "You're all right?" Mikar joined them, taking Diana from Gwen’s hands.
The proud, strong