Page 49 of From the Mouths of Sirens

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SAOIRSE

The cool waters of the Adonis River washed over Saoirse in a cleansing rhythm, the waves lapping up the sand and whispering across her scalded legs. The touch of water stung with white-hot fire, but the sweet torture felt good. She waded into the river, wincing in pain as the water rose to her hips. She could feel her flesh mending, her scales slowly knitting back together under the water’s healing touch. But even as the waves eased her pain and made her whole, she knew that her legs would never be the same.

Saoirse closed her eyes, trying not to think about the hideous spiders and their foaming mouths. Even when she had been nearly skewered by Kaja’s jaws in the Trench, she hadn’t known fear the way she had known it in the underground caverns.

Saoirse sank deeper into the water and let it ripple over her head. Under the surface of the river, she scrubbed at her arms and hair, trying to wipe away the spider’s dark blood and the memories of its venom. But even after she scrubbed herself clean, she still felt the spider acid on her. When she had stood proudly before her people only days ago, she never imagined what kind of horrors would befall her in the trials. But the doubts and questions that swirled in her mind were almost worse than the secrets of the labyrinth or the jaws of the spiders.

Saoirse dove deeper into the river, tears stinging her eyes. She longed for her father’s reassuring arms, longed for his gentle voice as he held her like a child. Of all the people she wished for, he was the one who wasn’t here. She struggled to kick, the webbing between her toes failing to catch the water and propel her forward. How would her father feel about her when he learned the truth of what she’d done? What would he say when she returned home, her feet in tatters and her secrets exposed? If you ever come home at all, she thought.

Saoirse broke the surface of the water, unable to face her thoughts. She stared at the great expanse of green surrounding her, scanning the enormous trees that bloomed from the earth and erupted into endless branches overhead. Huge roots dove into the river’s edge, tangling in and out of the sand with probing, hungry fingers. Carpets of moss clung to the great roots, soft and studded with white mushrooms.

A rustle of movement caught Saoirse’s eye as she gazed at the treeline, and she narrowed her eyes at the shadows. Sinking lower into the water, she watched as someone walked between the columns of trees.

Her heart nearly stopped.

There it was again. In the dim shadows, she could see her own face. Her blood ran cold as she tried to make out the obscured figure. Blinking rapidly, she watched as the figure melted back into the trees, vanishing into darkness. Without thinking, Saoirse leaped from the water and ran up the riverbank.

“Stop!” she yelled, sprinting through the sand and into the tree line.“Who are you?” Up ahead, she heard footsteps crunching through fallen leaves, the rustle of clothing whispering across the forest floor.

“Stop!” Her feet flew over knotted roots and twisted vines, burning with every stride. But she could no longer see the person diving between the trees. Instead, the forest was utterly still, shafts of sunlight spilling through gaps in the treetops above. Saoirse stopped, spinning around in confusion. There was nothing in the sprawl of trees except for the call of birds and the gentle stirring of leaves in the breeze. Heart thundering in her chest, Saoirse took in the shadows looming all around her, desperately searching for the pale blue eyes that matched her own. But whatever she had seen from the river was gone.

She fell to her knees, sinking into the soft earth of the forest floor. She was going mad, seeing things that were impossible and hearing voices that weren’t there. She screamed in frustration, digging her fingers into the soil. She was becoming another delusional tribute, her mind lost to the arena and her heart eating itself alive in her chest.

“Saoirse,” a voice broke through the silence. No. Not that voice.

Gooseflesh rose on her neck as she lifted her head from the ground. Adda Carew stood in a shaft of sunlight, her purple hood shadowing her face. The High Elder stood as still as the trees surrounding them, her robes flowing down through the ferns like a statue cut from marble. Her eyes glittered with malice, nearly black in the shadow of her hood.

“So far, you have failed to fulfill your end of the bargain,” she continued, her voice dripping with disdain. She lifted a hand from the folds of her robes and extended it to Saoirse. She frowned, pulling herself up from the ground without touching Adda’s hand. Adda folded her hand back into her robes, a grimace on her mouth.“Follow me,” she ordered, striding forward through the forest.

Saoirse remained rooted in place, and a sinking feeling knotted in the hollow of her stomach. She willed herself to move, unable to resist any longer. As she trailed after Adda, she was suddenly reminded of how the Elder had led her into the dark the first time, guiding her through the forbidden waves of the Fretum. She felt the same dread wash over her, the same feeling of an invisible chain shackled around her neck. Adda said nothing as they strode through the forest, never once turning back to look at Saoirse.

After several minutes of silence, Adda led them into a clearing. Here, there were no bird songs floating through the air or shafts of sunlight pooling on the soft earth. The trees surrounding the clearing were barren, as if touched by the fingers of winter. Dried leaves were scattered across the uneven ground, a sharp contrast to the vivid greens of the rest of the forest. Where the woods had smelled of moss and fresh rain only moments before, it now smelled like decaying flowers and rotting fish.

Adda strode to the center of the clearing, raising her hands above the ground. Saoirse watched as Adda slowly pulled droplets of water from the earth, her hands trembling with the effort. The little orbs of water quivered in the air, growing weightless as she extracted them from the soil. Saoirse realized that Adda had done this before, if the dead trees surrounding them were any indication. One by one, the little beads of water melted together, joining into a single orb of floating water. The orb kept its shape, shimmering and moving as if it were alive. As the water remained suspended in the air, Adda reached into her robes and pulled out a glass vial. Inky liquid sloshed in the small glass, as black and consuming as a starless sky. She uncorked the vial and held it up to the orb, sending a single drop of ink swirling into the water. Saoirse watched as the black droplet surged through the orb like a parasite, rippling through the glass-like water and transforming it into something else entirely. The now blackened orb was glowing with otherworldly light, shimmering with something just below the surface.

The ritual now complete, Adda stepped back and grabbed Saoirse’s arm, anchoring her in place should she choose to run. Saoirse was transfixed by the glowing orb of water, unable to tear her gaze away even as unease prickled over her skin.

“Great One,” Adda began, bowing her head. The floating orb bubbled and hissed, as if something was fighting its way outside from within.

“Yes, my faithful servant,” a voice rumbled from the orb.

Saoirse instantly recognized that beautiful, poisonous voice. Selussa.

“I brought the Mer girl,” Adda told the Sea Witch, jerking Saoirse’s arm.

“Ah, Princess Saoirse,” Selussa said from whatever dreadful place she was watching. “How lovely it is that you were able to join us.” Somehow, Saoirse could feel the Witch’s gaze upon her, even if there were no eyes to be seen.

“Tell me, Princess,” Selussa called, “Where is my dagger? You compete in the tournament, yet your payment remains unfulfilled and the prince still breaths.” Saoirse could say nothing in response, her mouth going dry. “Two trials havecome and gone, two trials where the Auran prince was weakened and distracted,” Selussa drawled, irritation flickering in her garbled voice. “And yet, you have been too cowardly to finish what you promised. Must I remind you that you made an unbreakable bargain with me?” she asked incredulously. “Have you truly forgotten what is at stake, Daughter of the Sea? Should you fail to bring me the dagger of Aris, your life shall be taken in the prince’s stead,” she bellowed, her voice rising. “Even if I do not take your life, you would be a disgrace, unwelcome in the House of Angwin for eternity.” The witch paused, dark laughter bubbling up from the orb. Saoirse could practically see Selussa grinning with her sharpened teeth. “Perhaps I should let you live,” she suggested with wicked glee. “Perhaps facing your people as a failure will be a worse punishment for you than death.”

Saoirse didn’t have to be reminded of the cost of her bargain. It had haunted her footsteps through both trials, never allowing her a moment’s peace.

“Do you wish to dissolve our bargain, Princess?” Selussa cried from the orb.

Saoirse was silent for a moment, considering the question. Did she?

“Ah,” Sellusa’s warped voice purred from the darkness. “Has the little Mer’s heart warmed to the handsome prince? Surely a Daughter of the Sea would not stoop so low as to make the same mistakes as her ancestors did.” Saoirse’s skin flushed, shame and embarrassment rushing through her like a great wave.

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