The Song of the Sirens

Do you remember when Odysseus sailed past the island of the Sirens? Using their music—one played the cithara, the second sang, and the third played the flute—they would persuade passing sailors to remain with them. As Odysseus sailed past, he wanted to hear their song, so following Circe’s instructions, he plugged the ears of his comrades with wax and had them tie him to the mast. When the Sirens invited him to stay, he begged to be set free, but his men tied him even more tightly, and thus he sailed past.

No wonder in “The Fire”, a short story in the next Miriam bat Isaac book, The Deadliest Deceptions, Abigail describes her brother’s lover as a Siren. But many others could have been responsible for the fire that killed Lucia, including her Egyptian maid; husband; Miriam’s friend Abigail; and Abigail's brother, who longed to be free from Lucia's spell. The question was only who was responsible for the fire that killed her. Here’s a description of that dreadful scene:

The flames hissed like serpents. Soon they were crackling around her as she lay on the atrium floor. Her skirt fanned about her curvaceous legs, now contorted in a grotesque angle. Still, her long, Corinthian copper braids stayed in place with the hundreds of pearl-tipped pins her Egyptian maid had painstakingly arranged. Any onlooker would have seen the snakes of fire slither toward her, their viperous tongues licking at her face and wreathing her head in a coil of yellowish smoke. And their ears would have heard her curses and cries before the growl of the fire smothered them.

Instead of reaching for a fire extinguisher, watch for something just as hot, the release of The Deadliest Deceptions. Just click here.