Page 16 of Voice of the Ocean

This was so much worse than breeching the surface. Then she’d only risked losing her place in the Chorus. In saving the prince after he’d seen them, she’d committed treason. Broken the treaty between siren kingdoms. The penalty was death.

She continued to swim.

She swam until she could no longer see the ship in the storm. And then she stopped. They were not followed.Good. Her hands, stiff from gripping the humans, released.Now what?There were others. So many others. Could she go back and save more? She looked at the prince and his friend, floating in the sea before her. Would they drown if left to their own devices? Bastian was floating, despite being unconscious. But that fact wasn’t terribly reassuring.

She bit her lip, keeping her focus on the problem before her instead of allowing the shock of what she had done sink in. Their safety remained uncertain regardless of what she did. Xandra or Echo could come for them at any moment. But no ideas came rushing to her. Nothing but endless water surrounding them. From the dark waves beneath to the pouring rain above. She pushed her wet hair from her face, trying to think. These humans were helpless. It would likely take all night to reach the closest human island from here; she wouldn’t have time to get them there if she wanted to save the others. And there were no small islands nearby to leave them on.

The prince looped his arm under Bastian’s shoulders, helping to hold his head above water as they bobbed. But his gaze remained on her, appraising beneath long, dark lashes. He was so close she could see his eyes were as dark as his hair. They turned downward at the corners and were framed by full, arched brows that were nearly hidden beneath his wondrously tousled wet hair. His full lips, which were topped with a rounded cupid’s bow, pulled into a smirk. Were they as soft as they looked?

“Eyes up here, love.”

He pointed to his eyes with his free hand. Celeste tore her gaze away, wishing the Goddess would smite her. And yet there was something thrilling about hearing that low voice, which had run through her mind all day, speaking to her. Still, she didn’t respond. Although she understood the common human language well enough, she hardly spoke it. Her accent was thick. It struggled against the human’s hard consonants, and the sentences always formed wrong. Instead, she gestured with her hands spread wide, palms facing down toward the water.

Stay here.

“Where else would we go?”

She rolled her eyes. If he was well enough to make jokes, he was well enough to keep them both afloat until she returned. She dove into the water and swam in the direction of the ship. She couldn’t see it in the storm, but she knew where it was. The journey without the humans took less time. And before she had time to question what in the Goddess’s name she was doing, she’d arrived.

The storm raged. It was no longer the idle threat she remembered but a violent, terrible thing, wreaking vengeance upon the ship. The vessel looked small beside the rising waves that crashed against its sides. The woman at its bow no longer looked as if she were taking off in flight. Instead, she appeared as though she were tied to the ship, forced to meet its fate. Fear grew within Celeste, and she tore her gaze away to search for the other humans. But the water was too rough. It took her time to find them.

Her hands flew to her mouth. Her stomach roiled as she looked upon the hand of death for the first time. The humans floated together along the starboard side, nearly twenty in total, bobbing and tossing face down in the angry waves. The sirens were nowhere in sight.They must be underwater with the others. The thought made her stomach twist tighter. She had arrived too late.

A howl pierced through the storm, the sound its own painful music, desperate and raw. Celeste searched for the source until she found it. The floppy-eared animal paced back and forth on the ship, whining. The Song was only sung for the humans. This creature could not speak. Could not reveal the existence of sirens. It was unaffected. And now the poor thing was left all alone.

A wave crashed against the ship’s side, sending the deck tilting. The creature’s thin legs tangled beneath it as it attempted to find purchase, but it slipped on the slick floor and slid with a yelp out of sight.

Celeste let out a cry and swam toward the ship, careful to keep herself away from the bodies. She dove deep into the water, reaching a spot far enough beneath before turning and racing upward. She built up speed, moving faster and faster, until she launched from the water and into the air. Her arms reached above her head, stretching for the railing. But although her jump was high, the deck was higher. Fingernails scraped wood as she began to fall, sliding down until she fell into the water below.

Reemerging, she searched the side of the ship. There had to be a way that the humans could climb up. But Celeste didn’t find anything low enough for her to reach. If the humans used something to come and go, it wasn’t there. Maybe they never left the ship. That would make sense, given their disastrous excuse for swimming.

The ship gave a great surge and began to tip sideways, away from her. She heard the animal howling a sorrowful note.

A thought struck her.

The sirens hadn’t sung to the animal. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t. Still, Celeste hesitated. Her command over her Song was uncertain at best. What if she lost control? What if she hurt the animal? What if she hurt someone else?

But there was no other way. She had to try.

With a deep breath, Celeste began to sing. “Take my hand and let me guide you as you listen to my song.” Her words danced along the roaring waves, slipping up and through the storm circling around them. In her voice, the words sounded soft and sweet. Almost playful. She focused on the picture of the animal. Ears flopping. Tail wagging. “Come closer. Hear me calling. In my arms you belong.”The howls stopped. Celeste swept her eyes back and forth along the deck of the ship. “Come rest your weary bones, love. Come join me in the sea.”Her voice crescendoed as she sent a little prayer to the Goddess that her Song wouldn’t alert the Chorus. That it would not slip from her grasp. “Let the gentle waves consume you, for your heart belongs to me.”She lifted her arms, reaching for the ship and beckoning gently. Ears flopping. Tail wagging. Legs jumping.

A little black nose appeared beneath the railing. Her heart lurched in relief. The animal stared down at her with cloudy white eyes. A rush of victory thrummed through her, and Celeste had to stop herself from spinning around in glee. Still, this little victory cost her. Her focus wavered. The animal’s eyes blinked, clouds fading.No... Another wave crashed upon the deck, sending the dog sliding once more out of sight. Celeste squeezed her eyes shut, fear like yellow bile choking her. But she suppressed it; she had to focus.

“I’ll fulfill your every longing. I am everything you crave...” Celeste beckoned.“Let me kiss away your sorrows as I”—from the corner of Celeste’s eye, she saw something move, but she had to stay focused—“lay you in your?—”

A blinding bolt of lightning struck. Celeste watched in horror as the pretty white sails were set ablaze. The ship was on fire. But she didn’t have time to gawk. The animal appeared, running. She swam down just for a moment so she could gather enough speed. Then she launched herself into the air, arms flung wide. The animal leaped, skinny legs stretching and ears flapped back as it sailed through the rain. The body collided with her chest, throwing her off-balance. But her arms circled the creature, clutching it to her as they fell backward into the raging sea.

For a moment, she did not know up from down. Not until she saw the flames roaring, guiding her back. She surfaced, checking the animal for injury. But she found none. Nothing but docile white eyes where her magic still lingered. Holding the warm, furry body close, she swam away from the ship, careful to keep the creature’s head above water. She didn’t know much about land animals, but she guessed they were similar to humans in this way.

She didn’t look back. She already knew how it all ended. It had been there all along. She had known those sunken ships had once belonged to humans. But she hadn’t thought much about what had happened to them. Each happy memory of searching sunken ships soured. Mustering all her strength, Celeste pushed herself to swim faster, beating her tail behind her. Seeing the destruction firsthand was too much to bear.

A wall of heat and sound crashed into her back. Celeste cried out. She curled around the dog protectively as the impact sent them flying. Shards of wood mixed with the pouring rain. She turned.What was that?Black smoke spread like squid ink above the sinking remains of the once glorious vessel. Celeste could feel herself holding back tears.Had that been their home?If it had, it would not be mourned. Its inhabitants were dead. All but three.

The prince was waiting. But instead of leaving, she straightened. For just at the back of her neck, she felt an unmistakable feeling. She was being watched.

She held the enchanted creature close as she searched for the source. It did not take her long to find them. The Chorus. They had surfaced just on the other side of the ship. Her hands grew cold. It wasn’t over. They wouldn’t let the prince escape that easily.

And then she saw Maeve looking right at her.

---