Page 54 of From the Mouths of Sirens

She would be the one to kill Rook.

Saoirse had made up her mind in the forest with Selussa and Adda Carew, even after Aurelia offered to do it in her stead. She was the one had made the bargain, and she alone had to live with the consequences.

The knowledge of what she had to do had sunk to the pit of her stomach, sitting there as cold as the bones at the bottom of the Fretum itself. And when she had found him standing in the moonlight outside her tent, the knife in her stomach twisted further. His face was so wide-eyed and hopeful that guilt had seeped through her blood like a poison. He never asked to be wrapped up in this selfish scheme of hers. He didn’t have any choice in the matter. And because of her actions, she didn’t have any other choice either. And so she had allowed herself a single moment to indulge in his taste, to find passion in his arms. For that was all the time they would be granted. It was a fleeting moment that would be engraved in her memory forever.

After he left, Saoirse sank to her knees and cried. She sat there for what seemed like hours, until her legs went numb and the tears had dried on her cheeks. But as she lay on the cold ground, she felt no pity for herself. She had brought this fate to herself, to Rook. But the truth that stung the most was that both she and Rook had been pawns in the game of Revelore long before the Tournament, long before the bargain with Selussa. Even if she had never vowed to kill him, she would’ve been sentenced to a life that was not her own regardless. There was no world in which they could be together, bargain or not.

And so there in the quiet of the night, she decided her own fate.

She had no right to take Rook’s life, no right to determine his fate for him. She would not be a pawn in Selussa’s game, nor in anyone else’s ever again. When the Tournament was over, she would find somewhere else to live, even if it meant wandering aimlessly until her last breath. She would escape the bargain, living on the run for eternity. But she would find rest knowing that she hadn’t allowed Selussa to win.

Saoirse rose from the ground when the sun began to rise, the dim light trickling in through the tent and warming her skin. She slipped quietly from her room and headed for Aurelia’s tent nearby. The horizon was streaked with pinks and oranges, soft clouds creeping across the sky peacefully. Saoirse pushed through the tent entrance and stopped abruptly.

To her utter shock, Sune was sleeping in the cot at the corner of the room, Aurelia tucked underneath his arm. Though he was still bandaged around his bare torso and covered with painful bruises, he looked much improved. Aurelia’s legs were tangled with his, her head resting on his chest. Saoirse smirked at the sight of them, turning to give them some privacy.

But as she took a step back, Aurelia cracked open an eye. Mumbling a string of indiscernible curses, Aurelia untangled herself from Sune and sauntered over, a flush creeping across her cheeks. Saoirse had never seen the fierce warrior so flustered. Sune didn’t stir as Aurelia threw a blanket over him, his head lolling to the side in sleep. Aurelia shoved her out of the small room with a huff.

“How long has this been going on?” Saoirse asked when they stood outside the tent, a grin unfurling across her face.

“A few months, give or take,” Aurelia muttered, looking down at the ground.

“I would’ve never thought you could stand each other’s company for longer than necessary,” Saoirse replied, raising a teasing eyebrow.

“If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you before this damned trial even begins,” Aurelia scowled.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Saoirse promised, hiding her smile. She grew somber after a moment, the grin slowly falling from her face.

“What?” Aurelia asked, reading her expression. “What is it?”

“I’m not going to kill Rook,” she confessed, lowering her voice to a whisper. “And neither are you.”

“What do you mean, you’re not going to kill him?”

“I won’t fulfill my bargain with Selussa,” she told her. “I can’t do that to him, and I can’t do that to his people. There are secrets at work here, Aurelia. Secrets I can only uncover with his help.”

“Saoirse, you can’t be serious,” Aurelia breathed. “You’ll lose everything. Selussa will take your life in place of Rook’s.”

“No she won’t,” Saoirse replied confidently. “After the Tournament, I shall leave and never return to the Maeral Sea. I’ll go on the run. Selussa will never find me. Rook and I will both keep our lives,” she vowed. “I won’t be a pawn in Selussa’s game. I don’t know why she wants that dagger, but I’ll never give myself the chance to find out.”

Aurelia was silent for a long moment, her eyes scanning her face. But she lifted her chin defiantly, a familiar look of determination settling across her face. “Then I will come with you,” she said. “You will not be alone.” She dropped into a low bow, catching Saoirse off guard. When she rose again, she gave her a nod. “You are my princess, and I will follow you to whatever end.”

Saoirse threw her arms around her, fresh tears pooling in her eyes.

“I will come too,” a voice called from the opening of the tent. Sune stood in the doorway, clutching his bandaged side with a grimace on his face. But he was as determined as Aurelia, his mouth set in a firm line.

“Thank you,” Saoirse breathed in disbelief. “Both of you. But I can’t ask that of you. Elorshin is where you belong. I must do this alone.”

“Nonsense,” Aurelia argued. “We have a duty to protect our princess. We are oathbound to remain loyal to you through whatever trials may come. We shall remain at your side, no matter the cost.”

“Thank you,” Saoirse whispered again, taking Aurelia’s hands in her own.

“We could hide in the Isles of Mythos for a time, and then move on to the Shujaa Desert,” Aurelia mused, her captain’s mind already calculating the quickest means of escape.

“We’ll figure out the details later,” Sune added with a grunt. “Just focus on surviving this last trial.” Aurelia gave him a look, but relented with a nod of understanding.

With one last squeeze to Aurelia’s arm, Saoirse turned back toward her tent, feeling only slightly more at ease. She would’ve given so much to gaze upon the Maeral Sea one last time, to speak with her father again and to tell him the truth. Sighing, she pushed into the tent, mentally preparing herself for the last trial. In the midst of bargains and political secrets, her focus on the trials had dimmed. In light of all she knew now, the Tournament had never seemed so pointless. And yet, her very life was at stake today. It was only by a miracle that she had survived the last two trials, and the third and final one would be the most challenging.

She dragged her fingers through her hair, trying her best to untangle the unruly curls. Her heart began to race at the thought of Rook untying her hair the night before, caressing her curls with reverence. She flushed at the memory of his touch, of his soft kisses here in the tent only hours ago. Saoirse busied herself with dressing, pushing away the thoughts that sang through her blood like a childish love potion.

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