Chapter 38
Riella sprinted back to the bow, knowing Jarin could survive anything.
The screams came from Neve. Her sword, which glowed red when she came to Riella’s aid, lay dull and discarded on the deck. She was sprawled on her back, grimacing in pain. Seraphine convulsed against the railing, so weakened that she couldn’t stand. The elf was a whisper away from death.
Polinth stood over Neve, his face alight with power and glee.
The arrival of Jarin’s vessel had distracted Polinth only momentarily. During the journey, he held Seraphine close to keep Riella at bay. He was adamant she needed to dive down and fetch the amulet before he’d release the elf.
That was before she realized Dark Tide Clan was on board. Jarin would kill the pirates, of course. All she had to do was stall until he could help her with Polinth.
But stalling was going poorly. Neve’s arrival both invigorated and incensed Polinth, who took it personally that a mage had been set against him. Before knocking her to the deck, he demanded to know what the High Magus said about him.
“Stop!” shouted Riella.
She shoved the sorcerer, but a deflective enchantment encased him and it was like hitting a sheet of metal.
“Careful, siren,” he said, his eyes narrowing to slits. “The only reason you’re alive is because I need the amulet. Now, hurry up and get it for me.”
“Alright, I will,” she said. “We’re at the right place. There’s no need to hurt Neve.”
Riella was lying. The underwater caves from the map were many, many leagues away. The ship would never make it before dawn. Even now, the horizon lightened to purple. Her death was close. The only remaining questions were how it would happen, and whether she’d manage to take Polinth with her.
“My patience grows thin.” Then, his pallid head whipped around at the male voices coming from the stern. “Who else is here?”
She waved her hands, desperate to distract him until Jarin neutralized his peers. “Doesn’t matter. Pirates fighting among themselves.”
“Well, then, what are you waiting for?” asked Polinth, redirecting his rheumy gaze to her. “Swim down and collect the amulet.”
“But I can’t access the place where the amulet lies without my Voice,” said Riella. “Remember? That’s why you took it, didn’t you?”
He considered her. “If you procure the amulet for me, I will not only return your Voice to you, I will grant you life.”
Despite her dire situation, she seethed at his arrogance. “Grant me life?”
“Yes, of course. I am your god, your creator, your master. You are an experiment. And a splendid one, but just an experiment, and even I can’t work against the laws of Nature forever. From that first night, you’ve only ever had until the next full moon. But, attain the amulet for me, and saving you will be my first act.” He indicated the lilac horizon with one gnarled finger. “Without my help, you have but minutes to live.”
He withdrew a small glass bottle from his robes and held it aloft. Riella’s Voice glowed blue behind the glass. Before she could reach for it, he uncorked the bottle and threw it overboard. The glass hit the surface of the water with the tiniest splash.
“Off you go.” Polinth made a shooing motion at her with his hands. “Fetch.”
Riella rushed to the railing. The glowing blue shot from the bottle in tendrils, merging with the ocean. In her heart, she knew her Voice would never return to her. Some things could not be undone.
“Are you going, or not?” asked Polinth, standing over Neve. “Because if I can’t have the amulet, I’ll happily use the sorceress as an energy source. It’s usually so hard to steal them away from under the watchful gaze of the Magus.” Neve clawed at the deck, trying to stand. “She’ll be my compensation for you wasting my time.”
Riella dug her talons into the railing, frozen with indecision. She’d accepted her own life was over, but she’d not reckoned on Neve dying, too.
Seraphine pulled herself to her feet, her eyes dull and hazy but determined. She went for Polinth, raising her arm to strike him. Before she could make contact, he blasted her back against the railing with a casual flick of his fingers.
Heavy boots thundered on the deck, making the siren’s heart leap with hope. Jarin was coming. He would help.
But Artus, Lovel, and Terrick rounded the corner. Lovel’s face bled profusely where she’d scratched him.
Confused, she peered past them. Where was Jarin?
Terrick leered at her. “Your beau is dead. Fish food.”
Nausea rose in Riella’s throat and her ears rang. That was impossible, because Jarin couldn’t die. Terrick must’ve been lying.
But then, where was he?
Before she could shout his name, the ship lurched. Everyone on deck stumbled, Neve falling onto her back and Seraphine grasping at the railing for dear life. Then, a beautiful and unearthly Song filled Riella’s ears.
“Sirens!” shouted Lovel, shoving his hands over his ears. “Sirens incoming!”
Artus and Terrick and even Polinth covered their ears. Terrick whirled around, trying to pinpoint the source of the Song. But the infinite sapphire ocean appeared empty. It wasn’t, of course. It never was, no matter how much it may’ve looked that way.
Riella pulled Neve to her feet.
“Bind him!” she instructed the acolyte. They had moments before the sorcerer would recover from the surprise and block the Sirensong with magic. “Bind Polinth, now!”
Neve frowned in concentration and moved her hands in circular motions in front of her chest. A black mist appeared between her palms, like a miniature hurricane. She flung it Polinth. The black mist exploded in the center of his robed chest and expanded, like a net, covering his entire body. He roared, stumbling backward. Seraphine dodged him as he lurched into the railing.
The pirates drew their weapons, having shoved candle wax into their ears, and stared around wildly in anticipation.
Thera burst from the ocean, raining water on the men as she soared through the air and landed on the ship. Her powerful pink tail swept the deck, knocking Terrick off his feet.
Lovel lunged, attempting to stab her. The siren picked him up with a scream of fury and threw him against the helm. His bones cracked and his lifeless body fell to the wooden deck.
Artus swung his sword at her while Terrick attacked her from behind. Riella ran at Terrick, slamming him onto the deck. He scrambled to his feet, sword in hand, and aimed a hacking blow at Riella. She dodged the blade and snatched him up by the throat, his boots kicking uselessly in midair. With a twist of her hand, she broke his neck, leaving his eyes to stare blankly at the expansive sky.
Thera fought Artus. He was a tougher opponent for the young siren, who’d never faced off with humans before. The disgraced captain was a veteran of the war and fiercer than his underlings.
Riella went to assist her, but Neve shouted. “Riella, help! The Binding won’t hold much longer!”
Polinth struggled against the spell, grunting and snarling. The black mist flickered and began to fade. In the water behind him, Riella glimpsed dark blue shadows swimming swiftly in wait.
He was backed against the railing and she strode to him. He’d lived for long enough. Ever since he kidnapped her, she’d waited for this chance.
Fear crossed the sorcerer’s wizened features for the first time as she approached, her eyes full of fury and determination.
“Stop!” he shouted, trying in vain to raise his hands against the Binding. “If you kill me, you’ll die. I can save you, I swear it.”
“But if you die,” she replied, balling her fists. “Your hold on Seraphine will break, will it not? She’ll be free.”
“She’s an elf!” spluttered Polinth, his watery eyes bulging. “She’s practically dead already—no good to anyone anymore. But you are a warrior. You can save countless lives, if you survive. That’s why sirens exist, is it not? I understand you, you see?” He jerked his head at Seraphine, who struggled for breath on all fours. “Think of the greater good, my dearest.”
Riella sighed, tilting her head back to gaze at the sky one last time. The stars faded now, the moon setting. Ferrante had been right. She would get to choose her fate. What a gift. And if Jarin had indeed perished, she would be with him again very soon.
She almost felt sorry for Polinth. He believed that power was the most important thing in the world, but he was wrong. It was love, and all of the infinite, colorful, wonderful, messy, big, small, and precious forms it took.
It was Kohara’s calm presence, Berolt’s kindness, Nuri and Ruslo teaching her to dance. It was Yvette’s strength, Sehild’s loyalty, and Odeya’s gentle heart. It was Seraphine returning to save her. Drue teaching her how to sail, and Neve coming to her aid. It was Ferrante’s faith. Galeil and Thera and Mareen searching long and hard for her when she disappeared, and aiding her now, even though she was a land-walker.
It was Jarin. A man, a pirate—who possessed her whole heart.
Her blue stare drifted back to the sorcerer. “You don’t understand sirens at all.”
She held her skirts and kicked Polinth hard in the chest. He flew backward over the railing, still tangled in the flickering Bind. Mareen emerged from the water with her flaming red hair, her icy gaze fixed on him. Something metallic glinted from her neck.
Mareen caught him before he hit the water, sinking her talons into his flesh. She wrapped her tail around his torso and jerked it, breaking his spine. Helpless and immobile, he shrieked as she scalped him with her razor-sharp talons, his bald head turning to red ribbons. The screaming only stopped when Mareen dragged him beneath the surface.
Riella watched from the railing as he disappeared into the sea. Moments later, a dense cloud of blood ballooned to the surface. Mareen had always liked to rip her prey apart completely.
On the deck, Artus locked Thera in battle. He sliced the air with his sword, as she nimbly avoided the blade. But his attacks were furious enough to prevent her from getting a clear shot at him.
Distracted by Artus’s onslaught, Thera had stopped Singing. Riella remembered what it was like, when she first began to fight. She’d be so caught up in combat that she forgot she had a Voice.
“Thera!” called Riella. “Sing to him! Extra loud!”
A smile flashed across Thera’s features as she recognized her oversight.
Then, she opened her mouth and Sang, filling the crystalline pre-dawn air with haunting Sirensong. She increased her volume to penetrate the candle wax in Artus’s ears. He flinched, then buckled in pain. Blood trickled from his ears.
Thera seized the moment and punched him square in the chest. His sternum cracked loudly and he flew backward, skidding across the salt-crusted deck. His dead body came to a halt at Riella’s feet, its chest caved in.
Her beautiful face alight with success, Thera surveyed the deck for threats, but no more existed. She nodded to Riella before diving into the water, leaving the land-walkers alone. Neve crouched over Seraphine, who had collapsed. Riella hurried to them.
She and Neve helped Seraphine to stand. Riella laughed in disbelief at the transformation happening before her eyes. The elf’s skin had a healthy peach glow. Her hair turned lustrous and thick, the color of honey. And her bright green eyes were full of life and feeling.
Seraphine took a step toward the railing. “I shouldn’t rejoice in death, but I do rejoice in the triumph of the light.”
Her voice was sweet and soft, like a lullaby. She looked around in wonder, inhaling deeply. Only when her gaze rested on Riella did she falter.
“Are you alright?” Seraphine asked the siren.
“Oh, Riella.” Neve grabbed her elbow in alarm. “Your face is gray.”
Riella was not bothered, or afraid. She’d done exactly what she set out to do. And now it was time for her to rest.
The sun broke over the horizon, turning the ocean to brass. Riella’s vision began to fade, and her heartbeat slowed. She would reunite with Jarin very soon. Perhaps then, she could finally tell him what she learned about herself, and her feelings, and what it meant to know him.
Neve frantically cast spells at the siren, moving her hands and chanting words. Riella wanted to tell the sorceress not to worry—that all was well—but she was beyond speaking. She ambled across the deck, climbed the railing, and plunged into the water.
The ocean embraced her, enveloped her, and she sank into the sapphire abyss. Gravity ceased to exist and she hung suspended, waiting for whatever came next with acceptance and curiosity.
Dark blue shadows swirled beneath her, rising.
“I can’t believe I’m saving a pirate,” Sent Galeil.
How strange, thought Riella. Was she hallucinating?
Mareen’s cloud of red hair rose from the depths, the siren stopping level with Riella. Around her neck, hanging from a chain, was an intricate gold pendant with a blue stone in the center.
Riella tried to Send, or move, but found she could not. She couldn’t feel her body at all.
“We heard your Voice,” Sent Mareen. “We came to investigate, and good thing we did. I had fun slaughtering the mage.”
Thera swam toward Riella, her opaline body and pink tail undulating through the water.
“We found the amulet with your instructions.” She giggled. “Mareen’s been itching for a reason to use it.”
“I have not!” Sent Mareen.
“Can she even hear us?” Thera tilted her head at Riella. “She looks dead.”
“Because she is! We’re in the In-Between, but I don’t know how long we have. Now, stop chatting and let me concentrate. I need to call forth the Sea Witch before they pass into the Beyond.” She held the pendant and a searing blue light ignited in its center, illuminating her face. “Galeil, bring the pirate here.”
Galeil swam into Riella’s field of vision. In her arms, she held Jarin’s unconscious body. Blood spiraled from the injuries in his back and he looked very much deceased. But apparently, Riella was, too.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Mareen,” Sent Galeil. “The elders said the sacrifice had to be voluntary for the Sea Witch to grant them life. Are you sure that’s what happened, Thera? They both died for another soul?”
“I’m sure. He gave his life for her, and she died to save the elf.”
Behind her friends, an enormous shadow loomed, tentacles reaching toward Riella and Jarin. Far from scaring her, the mysterious presence flooded Riella with gratitude and joy. The other sirens didn’t seem to notice the shadow or the tentacles, as if only Riella could perceive the Sea Witch.
“Wait,” Sent Thera. “Ask the Sea Witch if you can restore Riella to her original form.”
“Is that even what she wants?” Sent Galeil. “She seems very attached to this land-walker.”
“Well, we can’t very well ask her,” Sent Mareen, exasperated. “She’s dead.”
“We should?—”
“Hurry!” interrupted Thera. “The water’s starting to?—”
A flash of blue light blinded Riella and silenced her friends. She was driven upward by a roaring tornado of white water for what seemed like an eternity. The siren could do nothing except be borne on the water, glimpsing tentacles as she whirled higher.
Then, all at once, it stopped. She was underwater, near enough to the surface to see shafts of sunlight. The current buffeted her sideways.
“What happened?” Sent Jarin.
With a jolt, Riella turned in the water, kicking her legs. Jarin floated in the water before her, apparently healed. And . . . able to Send to her.
Jarin looked around in confusion. He seemed completely at ease, and she realized he could breathe underwater. And so could she, although her tail and Voice had not returned.
“My friends recovered the Amulet of Delphine,” she Sent to him, making him start with surprise as he experienced telepathy for the first time. “They used it to save our lives. I believe the Sea Witch imparted some siren traits to us, as well.”
“You’re alive,” he Sent, sheer relief overcoming his features.
“We both are.”
“But you’re alive. Riella, all I wanted was for you to live, with or without me.”
“And I want you. I need you. Jarin, I have so much to tell you.”
His face broke into a huge smile. He swam to her, grabbed her waist and kicked upward. Together they broke the surface of the ocean, water streaming from their hair.
In the golden light of a new day, they kissed.