Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Theo closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe slowly, attempting to ground himself in the serenity of the salty air.
He knew somewhere above them, hidden in the clouds, Niamh was circling the boat.
Wyn had returned to his usual self, looking almost entirely unbothered.
He was resting now on a low stool, one foot propped up on the ship's wheel.
He had found a multicolored scarf somewhere on board and tied it around his head, adding to his lackadaisical appearance.
Theo knew most of that was an act now, after spending some time with Wyn and seeing how affected he was by Niamh, but it still set him on edge.
He knew Wyn didn't feel as urgent as he did—it wasn't his beloved at the bottom of the sea, even if she was a siren—but a sense of shared urgency would have gone a long way in easing Theo's stress.
“When is she going to show up?” Theo turned around, starting to pace back and forth on the deck. “You said there was no way Cliodhna didn't know we were on her trail and in her waters now. I'm waiting!” Theo slammed his hands on the railing, leaning out over the sea as he shouted to the waves.
“Easy, boy!” Wyn jumped to his feet, grabbing the back of Theo's shirt and pulling him backward. “If you taunt her like that, then the goddess is just going to pluck you right out of this boat. She'll drown you, Lyra, and her sister.”
Theo grunted and adjusted his shirt. “What makes you think she won't do that anyway?” Theo snipped, feeling increasingly useless and tired of it.
Wyn shrugged. “Honestly? A hope and a bloody prayer, kid. We're dealing with a goddess. It's a miracle she didn't drown us all and be done with it. The fact that she likes to play with her food, if you will, is a blessing in disguise for us all.”
Theo said nothing in response, turning back towards the horizon as he kept up his ever-vigilant watch.
Theo didn't have to wait long this time.
Barely an hour later, the sea started to grow agitated.
The waves were sporadic and unpredictable, shifting from calm to rough in an instant.
Theo knew the ocean could be unpredictable, but it was almost supernatural how the currents seemed to switch on and off.
Wyn let out a low whistle when a particularly large wave nearly knocked them both into the water.
“Oh, she's agitated, all right.” Wyn looked almost pleased at this development.
“I wouldn't look happy about that!” Theo was holding onto one of the masts for dear life, his knuckles white. His sea legs weren't as good as Wyn’s, and they wouldn't be for a few hundred years.
“Lesson one of negotiations,” Wyn shouted as the boat started to pitch back and forth, “always stay calm!”
Waves crested over the side of the boat, drenching the deck in sea foam.
The water started to recede, further and further, until Theo realized it was unnatural.
The current was turning inward, and a whirlpool started to form rapidly off the starboard side.
Wyn and Theo braced themselves, gripping onto the boat's railing.
The whirlpool picked up speed, churning with a violent roar, as the storm clouds above it grew darker and darker.
Except this time, Theo couldn't be sure who exactly was the cause of the thunder.
Before long, the top of a head was visible in the center of the whirlpool, and Cliodhna started to emerge from the depths.
It was a terrifying and equally dramatic reveal. Theo realized what Wyn had meant when he said it was a blessing that Cliodhna was a tad dramatic. All of it gave them time to strategize and keep her occupied.
Her sickly green skin stood out amongst the waves as her torso was revealed, her arms rising from the water. Cliodhna smiled that fanged tooth grin, her rotting teeth a wretched sight, holding one siren in each hand.
“Lyra!” Theo couldn't help himself, shouting her name as soon as he saw her.
Oh, thank the gods, she's alive. Theo managed to take his first deep breath since her disappearance, part of his anxieties waylaid when he managed to obtain proof of life.
He spared a glance at her sister, assuring she was alive, too, and could feel the adrenaline rising in his chest. This was the part they had to sell.
The sea started to settle, the whirlpool disappearing, until Cliodhna was left floating in the water.
“Well,” her smile widened, “what do we have here? Have you come to rescue your little siren?” Cliodhna's voice was thick with sarcasm, obviously delighted with the perilous situation.
“Don't listen to a word she says!” Lyra screamed, beating her fists against Cliodhna's finger. “I’m serious, Theo—mmph!” Cliodhna made a clicking sound with her teeth, and a kelp gag, matching her sister's, appeared around Lyra's mouth.
“Leave her alone!” Theo climbed up onto the railing, holding one of the sail's ropes for support. “I’m the one you want, Cliodhna. You can let Lyra and her sister go.”
Theo's voice sounded more confident than he felt, but his declaration echoed across the wide-open horizon. He made for an imposing picture, a tall, strapping fae prince perched on the rail of the ship, one arm extended as he held the riggings for balance.
Theo could see Lyra struggle harder and hear her muffled shouts as she protested the idea.
“Now,” Cliodhna acted surprised, “that is quite the offer! But…” she glanced down at the two sirens in her grip, “what is keeping me from taking all of you to the bottom of the sea with me? Your little elf and his boat too.”
Theo tensed, reminding himself they expected her to play with them. This was all going to plan. The ace up their sleeve was hidden in the clouds above them. All he had to do now was keep up their charade.
“Plausible deniability,” Theo answered swiftly, forcing a bit more confidence in his voice.
Cliodhna paused. Her brows furrowed, and her head cocked to one side, clearly not expecting Theo's answer.
“I’m sorry?” Cliodhna recovered quickly, trying to push past her own confusion and desperate to hold onto the upper hand. “What makes you think I want plausible deniability about any of this?”
She motioned broadly with her left hand, shaking Lyra's sister in the process. Theo forced back the fresh wave of rage that stirred in his gut.
“Your quarrel with me goes back to the day I was born.”
Theo forced himself not to look at Lyra, who was still rapidly shaking her head. Cliodhna swam a few feet closer, clearly intrigued.
“Keep going, lad,” Wyn whispered, a comforting, confident presence at Theo's back.
“If you let Lyra and her sister go, Wyn will take them back to Edinburgh. He'll be able to tell my brother that a trade was made, and it was my choice.”
“Your choice!” Cliodhna interrupted, looking almost offended. “What makes you think I care about that?” She pushed Theo again, acting indifferent but clearly interested in what he had to say.
“There won't be any repercussions for you,” Theo explained. “Calum won't come after you, and neither will the Scottish gods.”
“The Scottish gods!” Cliodhna roared, her agitation peaking as she moved around in the water. “I haven't been afraid of them since the dawn of creation, and I won't start now.”
“Fair enough,” Theo inclined his head, “but it's not about fear.
You will have bested them. I will give my life to you, uncoerced, and my brother and his allies cannot do anything about that.
They will rage for an eternity, and you'll know they are suffering, unable to seek revenge.” Theo was laying it on thick, painting a glorious image of Cliodhna's cunning and a victory over Calum, and he could only pray she was as vain as they were hoping for.
Theo watched the wheels turning in Cliodhna's mind. It was true. If Theo was actually planning to give himself up to Cliodhna, Lyra, her sister, and Wyn could testify that it was his choice. There wouldn't be any cause for war or retribution if it were Theo's own decision.
He was, of course, not planning on doing that.
“That is... an intriguing proposition.” Cliodhna's smile widened, her rotten breath carried on the breeze. “And they will suffer?” She pushed Theo, her appetite already whetted for Calum's pain.
“Undoubtedly,” Theo affirmed. “They will have to sit with their loss without any recompense.” He continued to harp on that point to Cliodhna, knowing a goddess who'd harbored her revenge like this for decades would find this appealing.
“After all,” Theo continued, “haven't you been sitting here in suffering since I was born? Waiting for retribution?”
This sealed the deal. Theo could see it in Cliodhna's eyes. They lit up like the sunrise, and she could barely contain her movements. She nearly vibrated on the spot, ripples of water fanning out from where she floated.
“And you would do all of this…” Cliodhna scowled and stared down Theo. “For them? For a siren and her sister?” There was the slightest bit of hesitation in Cliodhna's voice, as though she was realizing this was potentially too good to be true.
Theo paused. His heart was racing, and against his better judgment, he looked at Lyra.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was rapidly shaking her head back and forth.
He could see it from where he stood. She was begging him not to go through with this.
She didn't want to see him die. That alone was enough to make Theo even more willing to surrender to the goddess, ten times over, because it would mean Lyra would be free.
She would have her sister, and Cliodhna would never have to bother them again.
“Of course I would.” Theo's answer was clear as a bell, a declaration made for the open skies and the sea stretching all the way to the horizon.
He could feel his throat closing up with the heavy emotion, his grip on the rope tightening as he tried to commit the sight of Lyra to memory.
If this went poorly, if their plan didn't work, then she was the last thing he wanted to see.
Most people would have wanted a happy memory, but those tears meant everything to Theo. It meant she loved him too.
“I would give myself up for her in a heartbeat,” Theo continued, “for far less a prize than her own life, too, if the situation called for it. However, goddess, you'll find I am adamant on those terms.”
Cliodhna looked mildly impressed. Either that, or she was starting to grow bored. She had the attention span of a cat. After a while, even playing with her food lost its appeal.
“Your life for theirs?” Cliodhna repeated, now deadly serious.
“My life for theirs,” Theo echoed with a firm nod. Cliodhna said nothing for a long minute, and Theo felt his pulse quicken. He could hear Wyn shuffling his weight behind him, wondering if they shouldn't signal for Niamh and try to cut and run.
“You are a fool,” Cliodhna scoffed, rolling her eyes in Theo's direction. “Do you really think a siren could ever love you? She was only helping you in the beginning to bring you straight to me. Now, do you really believe that she has fallen for you?”
The words hit as Cliodhna intended. For a minute, his faith in Lyra was shaken.
As much as he tried not to think about it, Cliodhna was right.
There was a chance all of this was a lie.
He couldn't ignore what Lyra was. She was designed for this.
Every part of her body and mind was created by the gods and nature herself to warp the hearts of men.
“Theo,” Wyn whispered, a steady presence at Theo's back. “Don't listen to her.”
Theo snapped back to reality. Wyn's belief in Lyra was unexpected, but it couldn't have come at a better time.
It forced Theo to rifle through his memories, to think of everything he'd already shared with Lyra in their short time together.
Sirens were capable of invoking lust, yes, but the love he felt for her wasn't conjurable by song alone.
“I believe it,” Theo announced proudly. “I know this to be true, above all else. Now, Cliodhna, don't waste any more of our time. Do we have a deal?”
Cliodhna laughed, throwing her head back and letting the wicked sound ring out towards the heavens.
“What a fool. Yes, we have a deal,” Cliodhna finally agreed, and Theo's stomach flipped with adrenaline. He released the rope and gracefully jumped off the side of the boat, landing effortlessly in the dinghy below.
“Release them,” he called out towards Cliodhna, “and I'm yours.” He picked up an oar, willing to start paddling towards his doom the moment he saw Lyra and her sister freed.
Theo studied Cliodhna's face, meeting her glare and refusing to look away. He forced himself to stay strong, knowing he couldn't be the one to break eye contact first. Then suddenly, with a quick movement and without a word, Cliodhna released Lyra and her sister.
They fell several feet into the water, their bodies barely making a splash when they broke the surface.
Theo sucked in a sharp gasp, and he heard Wyn mutter a series of curses under his breath on deck.
It only took a matter of seconds, but the sirens appeared above the waves, their tails flipping behind them as they started swimming for the Barufakr.
There was a desperation to their movements that made it clear they didn't trust Cliodhna not to snatch them again. Theo took a deep, steadying breath, grabbed the oar, and started to paddle towards Cliodhna.
His heart was racing inside his chest, and sweat was forming on his brow, already soaking the shirt on his back. This was where everything was either going to go to plan, or they were all going to drown.
Theo slowed the dinghy to a stop halfway between the Barufakr and where Cliodhna stood waiting.
Her expression was hungry, her mouth agape, nearly panting like a dog with a bone.
This was a piece of revenge that she had been waiting for over thirty years, and Theo knew it.
She represented everything in his life that had been ripped away from him—his family, his safety, his very home.
“Theo,” Lyra's whisper broke through his raging thoughts.
He dropped the oar in surprise and looked down to where she was holding onto the edge of the rowboat.
“Go, go,” Lyra urged her sister forward, “get to the boat! Don't stop!” She spoke with a calm urgency, pushing her sister to keep swimming towards Wyn.
“You need to go too,” Theo insisted, dropping to his knees. He grabbed Lyra's hands and kissed her knuckles, unable to keep his emotions in check. He could practically feel the angst and tension radiating off Lyra.
“What are you doing?” Lyra hissed angrily. Despite her fury and her nearly deadly glare, she didn't attempt to remove her hands from his. “She's going to kill you, Theo.” Lyra's voice cracked, fear cutting through her rage.
“She's going to try,” Theo admitted, removing his hands from hers.