A Christmas Miracle on Dewdrop

The beast was in her face. In Sy's. It's mouth was wide. The rear of the spear's shaft had hit hard against the rock and the front half jutted from that mouth and where it had broken in the middle was a jagged and broken point that quivered in sync with the beast's body. The orca's body stilled and it slid backwards and turned. Sirena thought she saw the eye glaze over and darken as dark blood oozed slowly from its mouth.

"Get to the shelter!" It was Theo's voice.

Sirena tore her eyes from the dead orca as Theo sped past them as he angled deeper and directly away from them. She expected to see the single orca but there were two. No, a third followed, all in pursuit of the man! All were similar, young males. As they went past the one attacking Bebe vacillated but decided the better option was to follow his fellows as streamers of blood attested to Bebe's skill with her spear.

"Theo, no!!!" Sirena screamed and she tried to follow but Sy somehow wrapped his good arm around her.

"No, girl, you can't," his voice was choppy but his meaning was clear. People with Theo's strength and agility could match orcas in a short sprint but the pack predators had more stamina. They'd run him down eventually. And there were four of them and they'd already disappeared.

"Come," Bebe's voice was a demand, her arms bled and she had gashes across her midsection.

Sirena wailed but Sy and Bebe muscled her and they sank deeper. Bebe led them into a chamber.

"Stay with him," Bebe looked Sirena in the eyes and the singer's wild look settled. After a moment she nodded. Bebe gave her a spear and kept one and shot upwards. Sirena pushed Sy behind her and she placed herself at the entrance. After a few moments Bebe returned with a wad of the flat seaweed that was common around islands. She wrapped it quickly around Sy's arm and then used it to bind it to his torso. She looked quickly at Sirena's wounds but the singer glared at her but after a moment relaxed.

"Oh," Sirena held her left arm up, "here is your knife."

Bebe took it and hugged the younger woman. Then she slipped the knife back in the scabbard on Sy's waist.

"Let's get ready," Bebe said and she stood alongside Sirena, "in case those fuckers come back. Sing us a song of bravery, please."

Sirena did. The pain in her side and breast and stomach meant it wasn't her best work. She tried to use the songs to mute the sense of despair that threatened to overtake her.

"Come," Sirena woke up to Bebe's voice and light touch on her shoulder, "it's morning."

Light filtered down the calm scene. Sirena looked at Bebe, the woman's face was drawn and pale. She turned and Sy's arm was wrapped against his abdomen, he was bone pale and his expression showed pain but also determination. Sirena was surprised that her primary feeling was hunger.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I fell---," Sirena started but Bebe hooted at her.

"Whatever," Bebe said and handed her a spear. She indicated Sirena should wait and she left the shelter after a moment she returned, "come."

Sirena used her free hand to help Sy and they rose slowly, Bebe stayed to the outside but it appeared the orcas weren't close by. Nor was there any sign of Theo. Sirena hooted her anguish. After a few moments they broke the surface.

"There is only one barge," Sirena said. The mast had been snapped off and was nowhere to be seen.

"It's The...," Bebe chopped the statement but Sirena hooted again, "well, come. Better than the shitty seaweed around here."

She led them and they found a bag of abalone wrapped in a tasty kelp from the western reaches. The two women placed their spears on the barge and helped Sy to sit on the front of the barge and they all took a few mouthfuls.

"Let's go find the thing we came for," Bebe said. She took one spear and Sy pulled out the metal knife and handed it to Sirena and kept a spear.

"Just in case, you're very good with it," he said and let out an amused if pained hoot. She knew she blushed.

Bebe led the wary pair along the northern edge of the island until they were able to turn left. The sky was muted, the storm had moved well east of them but still blocked the direct light of the sun. They both stopped short.

"Well, ain't that the shits," Bebe said. The western side of the island had been scoured to its black crystal bones. The entire beach that the hunter couple had described no longer existed.

"I'm so sorry," Sirena said and her voice cracked, "we made you come all this way... and it's gone."

"Made us do nothing," Bebe responded and put her arm around the singer's shoulders, "it was worth it seeing you with your new mate."

Sirena shook her head then looked at Bebe. "Mate? He wasn't my ma---."

Bebe hooted. "If you say so. I'm... so sorry about him..."

"But I owe you," Sirena said, "the crystal and the---."

Bebe's hoot was as emphatic as Sirena had ever heard.

"You saved Sy's life. You gave us that knife. Girl, WE OWE YOU! Do whatever... no. Destroy it. Destroy that stuff. It's cursed. Like the Sister. Tell no one of our connection to it."

Part Three

Kringles

Sharky and Shamu shone brightly in the sky as Sirena sat on the stage that raised her slightly above the half circle of her audience. The air was again clear and chilled and her notes carried across the still water. Scattered applause and hoots filled the air as her improvisation was an unusual heavier rhythmic fill that harkened back to a song that only two people in her audience would fully understand. Those two sat at the rear to her right with sad expressions. The man's right arm had only just been released from its sling but the terrible damage was permanent and still raw. The woman's scars were fresh but subtler and covered much of her torso.

Just like the broad parallel scars that ran across its round swell and just below the singer's right breast and onto her side where they met a collection of additional scars. The Sister's ruddy light caught them as she raised her arms and signalled to her massed choir who silenced their hoots. Sirena looked down and the dark face of Aisha looked up and nodded.

Sirena stilled her throat and let the note fade. A quick breath and she brought her arms down then rolled them forward and lifted them up.

She was used to twenty-five or thirty youngsters in her choirs. Tonight there were almost a hundred. They'd doubled up on the larger seats but many were boosted by parents near them or around the outer fringes. Many had come from the nearer villages, wanted to be part of the Orca Warrior's Christmas concert.

'The boys of the NYPD choir... Were singing Galway Bay... And the bells were ringing out... for Christmas Day.'

Sirena smiled as she held the last word and her choir devolved into croaks and laughter before a new round of applause and hoots drove the youngsters to more energetic laughter. She found Beatrice's eyes as she sat next to Alphonse as he held little Chelonia who was still too young for a spot in the choir.

Next year. She was a precocious one! Sirena's voice kicked into a rapid cadence.

'You're a bum... You're a punk... You're an old slut on junk... Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed...'

'You scumbag, you worm... So creepy I squirm... Happy Christmas your arse... I pray God it's our last...'

As the last of the stanza approached the parents readied her choir. Most of the little ones bounced on their seats and in their parents' arms in excitement.

'The boys of the NYPD choir... Were singing Galway Bay... And the bells were ringing out... for Christmas Day.'

Her eyes flicked to the sky every few moments, the spot between the two great heralds of the season. But the Visitor didn't reappear. Hadn't since its final bright flash just after the previous Christmas. She was certain they hadn't left. But after the island she'd decided it was best kept to herself, once the Old Melon had passed and the annoying New Melon had become Old. She'd also told only Beatrice the full details of her night with Theo, although Bebe's stories had kicked off plenty of gossip. She'd denied it when Bebe had said he was her mate, but she'd known even then that had been a lie, but she couldn't acknowledge it more broadly for her own peace of mind and all but the rudest simply let her alone about however deep her loss had actually been.

They finished the Fairytale and her choir hooted and hopped before the rest of the audience joined in and added applause and a few of the little ones fell off their seats to squealed joy. Sirena let it go for a few moments until it lessened and she took a deep breath. It had only been the last couple of weeks that her injuries had no longer bothered her when she sang at full voice. She sang the first line.

'Rudolph the red-nosed ridgehead...'

The children hooted one last time before they joined in. Parents whispered lyrics to some of the younger ones. As music, it was borderline horrible. As a celebration? It was glorious. The end was greeted with more loud approvals.

'Dashing from the shore...'

'In a one horse open sleigh...'

'O'er the waves we go...'

'Laughing all the way...'

'Bells on shark tail ring...'

'Making spirits bright...'

'What fun it is to ride and sing...'

'A sleighing song tonight!'

Sirena kept her choir on the 'Oh' until they broke into croaking laughter.

'Jingle shells, jangle shells...'

She noticed Nigel beyond the crowd to her left. He had two other young men with him and she didn't recognize either.

She knew, no, maybe 'knew' was too firm, that young man had tried to find the 'artefacts,' a word the Old Melon had used for those mysterious items Bebe and Sy had found. He, or someone, had even been in her nest. But she'd stayed quiet and he'd not told the tale to anyone. At least no one who'd taken it to the Melons or the Margaret.

Sirena had insisted she tell the Old Melon herself of his nephew's bravery and assumed fate and the loss of the... dead flying thing. And about Bebe's request the artefacts be destroyed.

She'd been surprised at his agreement with the hunters. But she'd not had the heart. She'd passed the bag amongst friends, but only ones she'd trust would obey her instructions to not open it and not tell anyone.

And she was no longer just Sirena Chanteuse. She was the Orca Warrior.

She and Bebe had been near exhaustion as they'd towed the barge into the couple's village. The local medic had been quickly summoned and had been dismayed at Sy's condition.

"What happened?" Sirena had no memory of the asker, it had been everyone.

"A pack of orcas attacked us," Bebe had said, "and the only reason Sy is alive is this woman killed an orca in single combat."

Sirena's reaction had been to wonder who Bebe was talking about when the older woman put her arm around the singer's shoulder and pointed out the wounds. The medic and his assistant had paused from their work on Sy and the crowd murmured.

"See? She stuck it so hard she snapped her spear in half! And her mate sacrificed himself to draw the rest of the pack away so we could get to safety."

One of the medic's assistants approached the two women.

"No," Sirena found her voice, "we're fine. And I didn't..."

"We need to get this man to the big hospital," the medic said, "I don't have the skills or the equipment. Needs to be fast."

A couple of bulky hunters spoke at the edge of the crowd and they split and quickly spoke to a couple more each. Three sped to a barge and hurried at the stay lines. Three others rushed over and collected Sy in their arms. The six of them teamed up and with Bebe and Sirena also on the barge along with the medic the six towed them to the main settlement as fast as any of them had ever gone.

With Sy rushed to the surgeons, doctors attended to Bebe and Sirena. The nature of their arrival had attracted a crowd and villagers pointed out the 'Orca Warrior' and suddenly she'd single-handedly defeated the entire pack. Bebe's good-natured but earnest correction to her having killed only the one was still insane enough that it had to be true.

Sirena smiled as her massed chorus again devolved into happy hoots. Some hopped so enthusiastically more fell off their seats, which just caused everyone to hoot and laugh, even the ones who'd fallen. Sirena repeated a series of major chords until the crowd settled.

"Our last song, Jolly Old Saint Nick," she announced and immediately launched into it.

'Jolly old Saint Nicholas... Lean your ear this way... Don't you tell a single soul... What I'm going to say...'

'Christmas Eve is coming soon... Now you dear old man... Whisper what you'll bring to me... Tell me if you can...'

She took a series of bows at the end as the audience hooted and clapped and shouted 'Merry Christmas' again and again. She finally slid off her rock and was mobbed for hugs as she tried to work her way toward Nigel. His expression matched the one he'd had that morning with Bebe and Sy.

She finally worked her way to the edge of the crowd to meet Beatrice's family. She wrapped her arms around Chelonia as the little one ran into her and wrapped arms around the singer's midsection.

"Auntie Shirena!!!" Sirena lifted the girl and kissed her and with one more hug set her down before she hugged Alphonse and the dark and beautiful man gave her a chaste kiss.

"Great concert," he said, "your song for Theo was... incredible."

Sirena looked into his kind eyes then Beatrice's as Chelonia jumped happily around them. Let the little one not know such for now. Maybe she'd not have to learn such emotions... But truly, Beatrice had mated well with this one.

"Get me five minutes," Sirena whispered into an ear surrounded by blonde hair. Beatrice nodded and Alphonse gathered Chelonia and the three pushed between Sirena and the crowd.

"The Margaret," Beatrice announced, "sends her greetings."

She pointed to her right and a quartet of Anastasias had two barges with candies and treats. Cheers rose and Beatrice pushed past Sirena, who smiled, and the blonde herded the crowd away. Sirena moved slowly and turned.

"Good evening, Nigel," she kissed him on the cheek and he hooted nervously, his two companions stared with wide eyes and open mouths, "who are your friends?"

"You... do know her," the darker-haired one said, "you... weren't..."

"No," Sirena said firmly, "he wasn't lying. What's up?"

After a moment of the three muttering and nudging each other Sirena hooted angrily. All three jumped back. She offered a smile that wasn't really a smile and pointed at the darker-haired one.

"You, your name?"

"Ge... Gerry."

"Ok, Gerry, I'm hungry and the food's over there," she pointed with her left arm, "did Nigel just bring you to gawk?"

Oh... oh... NO! Um. NO," his friend held him when he jumped back, "we... we saw something."

Sirena looked directly at him. "And?"

"Kringles. Kringles have come."

"Kringle? You mean fat old Lobster?" Sirena's voice edged toward actual anger. She knew hers and Beatrice's private joke about the visitor had leaked, one or the other of them had let slip after too many bulbs of wine at one of her little club concerts. But it had been well after the Visitor had disappeared so it'd been laughed off. But. Now.

"No! No. Real... real Kringles. But they're not as fat as Lobster."

"Where?"

"Galway Bay," Gerry said and his partner nodded, "we were hunting. Trout were running. They're on Madagascar."

First Landing Bay

"Lieutenant, you need to listen to this," said Wendy Lui with a strained voice, "the drone that's near the reef on the other side of the island."

Renee Taylor sniffed quickly at the address but tried to hide it. This was, technically, still a space force expedition and she'd gotten her landing party. Medieval-level humanoids were on Dirtball, in fact, they were so humanoid it was insane. They lived in a thick forest where the larger dinosaurs couldn't penetrate and emerged to hunt. But that wasn't her immediate worry.

"Put it on speaker, Chief," Taylor said. Half of their team, five people, were crowded in the small pre-fab dome they'd hidden in Madagascar's jungle and served as their command center.

"Is that... singing?" It was Ensign Abraham Franck, she'd chosen him as shuttle pilot because he was the only one also qualified as not only a diver but also a dive instructor. And he was awake. His decision had been easy, his choice this or a desert planet with dinosaurs and bad-tempered humanoids with crossbows. Her original team had stuck with her, only Franck and their just-awakened ichthyologist were new. And the pilot was the only one without at least university level biology. But he had a degree in aeronautics and with hurricanes regular items on the planet almost to their current latitude that was a valuable extra skill.

"Shh...," Taylor said and everyone silenced except for Lui's taps on her screen. Then the crowd went silent and a single voice took over. Taylor's little crew looked at each other.

"Holy sh...," Franck said softly, "that's..."

"Freaking beautiful," Lui finished, "I play a few instruments and can carry a tune... but... she's not carrying that tune, she's owning it. Soprano. Traditional scale! Like ours. Give me a piano, I could accompany her."

"The words...," Taylor said as the song came to an end and what must be cheers. It was some sort of... 'hoots?' Applause as well, seemingly cheers. Then they went quiet and the singer worked scales and rough voices rose and fell as she went.

"All of you, quiet or stay the hell out," Taylor snapped as the rest of her little team tried to crowd into the lab through two of the connecting passages.

"Get this off of me," Franck pushed a red cloth leg from his shoulders.

"Oh, sorry, Franck," said Jay Jenkins, "replacing a bad seal. Hey, Lieutenant."

"What, encik?" Taylor said, "Chief, get me video. Now."

"If this mission is so stealth, why do we have these red and white environment suits? I know the idea is so if we get in strife we can be seen. But that means anyone can see us. And you won't let us out without 'em."

"Gotta keep the drone well wide," Lui said, "so view's kind of flat. But if we go overhead it'll be lit up by Dirtball dead above. At least the pterodactyls don't fly at night."

"Do what you can, Chief," Taylor said, "Gravesen kept all the military-grade stealth suits. Something about crossbow-wielding dinosaur hunters and he wouldn't give me time on the assemblers to print more. Too busy. Nothing here to hide from... supposedly... but if the detailed atmo workup is clean in a couple days, we'll see."

The video was reddish. It showed a mass of creatures at the surface of the sea, many of them perched on rocks that jutted above the water. At the front of the semicircular group was the apparent singer, perched on a higher rock.

"A stage," Taylor said, "that's... artificial. It's a concert!"

"Copenhagen," Franck said with a distant voice.

"What?" One of the new arrivals asked.

"'The Little Mermaid,' statue in Copenhagen Harbor, on Earth," Franck explained, "her, the singer. Looks just like that."

"And the Odyssey," said someone still in one of the passageways, "sirens, singing on the rocks!"

The video showed her lift her arms and the massed voices quieted. Her lower body glittered red and gold in Dirtball's light, the swell of a tail fin just visible with the rest under the water. Lui zoomed on the singer.

"Wow," said Jenkins, "she's got a set on..."

"Mister," Taylor said firmly and he cut off his statement, "but yes, very human-like breasts. But that neck."

The singer in the video launched into her next song.