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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Celeste sank to the dirty cell floor.

There was no way out. She had betrayed her people at every turn.

She leaned her back against the cold metal bars, trying to find a comfortable position with her rope-bound hands behind her back. The bars surrounded her on three sides, while the fourth was the wooden side of the ship. What little light there was came from a small window at the far end of the hall, which grew brighter and dimmer as the day wore on. Time slipped through her fingers as she sat alone. Her mind felt as though it were stuck in a whirlpool, spinning around and around. Coming up with nothing new. At some point, the tears stopped, and when they did, she laid down on the floor, curling in on herself. Lonely didn’t seem to capture what she was feeling. Nor did the word lost ... but the two combined came close. There was an ache inside her that grew and grew with each memory that arose, each treasured moment upon the Red Revenge that turned acrid now.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard footfalls in the hall.

Captain Raiden Sharp appeared in the doorway, a shadow blotting out the light in his long black coat and leather gloves. A sword gleamed at his hip. His mouth was a hard line as he opened her cell door and entered, gaze falling upon the crumpled siren on the floor. Celeste’s body tensed as if waiting for another blow.

“I never meant for this to happen,” he said, removing her gag.

She squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of pain hit her in the chest. Don’t cry. Don’t let him see you cry . But she never had been able to stop herself, and today was not the day she would start. Hot tears pooled in her eyes and slipped down her face, dripping onto the floor.

“If you didn’t help us, we would have died. All of us. Even if the sirens didn’t kill us... my father would have. For failing him.”

“You could have told me,” Celeste said, voice faltering. She finally turned to look at him, but it was a mistake. His hair was tousled, the way it always was when he was running his hands through it over and over. A habit that had once been dear to her.

“You wouldn’t have helped if you knew.”

“I would have,” she said.

And it was true.

Another piece of her heart broke at the realization. She would have done anything for him. And she had . She’d revealed herself as a siren to a human, breaking the treaty between siren kingdoms. She spared him and doomed herself to never return home to Staria. And last, she revealed siren secrets to lead him straight to a sacred island.

Raiden went silent. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft hiss of the ocean waves hitting the side of the ship. Her thoughts strayed once again to Maeve. If she survived, would she come back for her? Did she even know Celeste was on this ship? Did anyone even care? It wasn’t as if a siren would be able to board the ship and rescue her. If the Chorus returned to this ship, it would be to sink it. No, Celeste was trapped. And even if she were able to escape, where would she go? She had no one. Belonged nowhere. She wasn’t even a siren anymore. She had sold that part of herself to the Sea Witch.

Raiden looked as though he wished to say something else, but instead he turned and exited the cell, closing the door behind him with a clang. But just before he left the hall, he paused.

“We only need you a little longer,” he said. “Once we reach the island and get what we need, you will be free to go.”

* * *

Celeste awoke to the sound of soft voices.

After Raiden had gone, the day had passed sluggishly. No one else visited her. Pitiful sobbing gave way to white-hot anger, first at Raiden and then herself. Eventually, she fell asleep. But she slept horribly. Tossing and turning, despite how weary she was from the past week of little to no sleep. And the cycle would begin again, fresh tears. Fresh hatred. Like a scab that she’d pick off again and again as it healed. It wasn’t until night had fallen that she had finally settled into some semblance of rest.

But it hadn’t lasted long.

Raiden’s voice drifted to her, low and stern. “We will do no such thing.”

“Why not? She’s a siren, Rai. Would you rather go in there blind?” Bastian replied. “What if there are traps? Enchantments? It can’t hurt to question her. We don’t even know what it looks like.”

Raiden, as was his new habit, fell silent. She could picture him, his dark eyes hard and his full lips flattened into a line. “We can’t risk her knowing,” he said at last.

Bastian’s voice grew louder, more frustrated. “Why?” Then he paused, the sound of shifting feet. “You know we can’t let her go after this, Raiden. She’s too dangerous.”

“Fine,” Raiden said through his teeth. “You go right ahead. Ask her about the Voice of the Ocean. See what happens.”

Bastian fell silent. And Celeste’s world tilted on its axis.

The Voice of the Ocean.

The legendary power of the Goddess herself.

That was what they were searching for? All this time she thought it was treasure the Pirate King wanted. But no. Of course not. He wanted control over the ocean itself . But the Voice of the Ocean had been lost for centuries. It was practically legend.

Much like the island of Lunapesce.

Celeste racked her brain for any knowledge of the Voice of the Ocean, but she knew so little. It was said that the Voice was the final gift passed from the Goddess to one of her daughters. Any who possessed the Voice of the Ocean would have the power to control the sea. The Voice could sink cities.

She couldn’t let them find it.

The sound of two pairs of retreating footsteps sounded upon the stairs, signaling the departure of the two men.

Once she was certain they had gone, Celeste sat up and took stock of her surroundings. As Bastian had said, it wasn’t as if they were planning to let her go when things were finished, despite what Raiden said to the contrary. As if she’d believe a single word out of his mouth now. No, they’d surely kill her when she was no longer useful. They’d be fools not to.

A darkened, empty room greeted her. There was not even a chair or chamber pot. The only thing she found was a piece of bread, set just outside the bars where she could reach. She took it, suddenly hungry, and devoured it in seconds.

But she found no means of escape.

They still hadn’t reached the island. It was more than likely they’d need her at some point to help. She’d just have to bide her time until an opportunity presented itself.

Feeling a small semblance of herself returning, Celeste laid down upon the floor to try to let sleep take her once again.

It was still night when a clanging sound sent her bolt upright on the dirty floor. Her eyes, still more siren than human, saw what it was right away.

Or, more accurately, who .

Kiyami stood before her, holding keys. The door was open.

“Celeste,” she said, voice cracking. “Oh, Celeste, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Tears streamed down her face as she fell to her knees. “I should have stood up for you. Everything happened so fast. I had no idea you were a—I saw them capture the siren—your— friend , and I thought they t-told you.” Her body shook in Celeste’s arms as it all came pouring out of her. “I didn’t even believe in sirens until I saw her, and she was writhing and looked so very monstrous. But when I saw you with her—everything felt so wr-wrong .” Her hands shook as they unbound Celeste. “Raiden said we still need you, to be sure there’s nothing on the island that we’re not prepared for but—but I couldn’t —I couldn’t l-leave you here.”

“It’s okay,” Celeste said, pulling Kiyami into her arms. “It’s okay.”

She had never seen Kiyami cry before. Not like this. In fact, she had never seen anyone cry like this before. And although it broke her heart to see Kiyami hurting, there was something wonderful in it too. In some ways, Kiyami had given her a gift. A gift of her vulnerability. And for the first time, Celeste got to see from the other side.

And the tears did not make Kiyami weak, in her eyes.

The human girl pulled away, cheeks shining softly in the moonlit room. “I waited until the captain was asleep, and I stole the keys,” she said quickly, gripping Celeste’s hands. “We don’t have much time. I need to get back to the wheel before anyone notices I’ve gone.”

In a moment, Kiyami was on her feet, pulling Celeste with her.

“What if he finds out you did it?” the siren protested, taking a step back. “You could risk your chance to help your family.”

Kiyami smiled, if a bit sadly. “I’ll figure something else out,” she said, shrugging. “If I left you here, I—I’d never forgive myself. You’re my family too, Cel.”

Celeste gave her a watery smile. “And you’re mine.”

Hand in hand, the two crept swiftly through the belly of the ship, avoiding every creaky floorboard on their way up the stairs and past the room of sleeping crew. It was a special sort of bittersweet to know this would be the last time she would see the Red Revenge . Despite everything, it was a place she had just started to consider home. With a pang, she realized she wouldn’t get the chance to say goodbye to the Admiral.

As they stepped out onto the deck, Celeste once more felt the soothing touch of salty wind against her face. She would miss this. Miss the ship rocking beneath her feet and the wind in her hair. The sun on her face. The feeling of rope in her hands. It was the last night before the eclipse, the moon full in the sky. Dawn would come too soon.

Kiyami drew her into a fierce hug.

“May our God keep you until we meet again,” she whispered into her hair.

“No siren swims alone who has family,” Celeste replied. “Until the tides turn.”

They parted, and Celeste laughed lightly, seeing Kiyami’s eyes glistening with tears, for there were tears in her own eyes as well.

“We should hurry,” Kiyami said, squeezing Celeste’s hand and pushing her toward the lifeboat. Celeste nodded, realizing with a twist in her gut that she’d still need to see the Sea Witch to get her fins back. Perhaps then she’d be able to swim home and warn her mother about the king’s plan to steal the Voice of the Ocean.

Kiyami pulled at the ropes that lowered the lifeboat toward the dark waters below. It dropped slowly. Inch by inch.

“Wait.”

The word did not come from Kiyami.

Celeste turned her head to see the captain, frozen at the top of the ship’s stairs. His chest was heaving up and down, and there was panic in his eyes, as if he had been running. Perhaps he had gone to check on her and found the cell empty.

“Go, Celeste!” Kiyami said, her hand finding the hilt of her sword.

But the lifeboat was nowhere near the water. She’d have to cut it free. Celeste’s hand went to her hip, but her knife was gone.

How could she have forgotten? They’d taken it from her when they bound her.

Just like they’d taken everything.

“I want to call in the favor I won from you,” Raiden said.

Celeste met the captain’s fierce gaze. But he didn’t look like Captain Raiden Sharp. He was just Raiden. A cloud passed over the stars, blotting them from the sky.

“Name it,” she said.

“Stay.” His face was open, vulnerable. It wasn’t a demand, but a request. A hope. “Please,” he added, his voice breaking.

Strong winds blew. The sails flapped. Celeste stared, unable to move beneath the gaze of the one who betrayed her. The man she loved.

“I told you,” she said, her heart breaking, “it has to be something in my power.”

And then she dove overboard.

Raiden’s face appeared at the banister, watching from above as she dove. With an inhuman grace, Celeste arched her back, bringing her hands up over her head into a perfect line. The waves grew closer and closer, as if rushing to welcome her. And then her body sliced through the water, as it had a thousand times before. And suddenly her time on the ship felt like a dream. A dream from which she was finally waking up.

But her lungs were human lungs. Her legs were human legs. When she surfaced, she couldn’t make out his expression. Couldn’t tell if his cries were in sorrow or rage. She held her breath as she put as much distance between her and the ship as possible.

Celeste swam quickly. Much quicker than any human, but not even a quarter of the speed of the siren she once was. To keep out of sight, she swam beneath the water as much as possible. Even so, she had to surface every few minutes for air, risking one gasping breath before diving back down beneath the safety of the waves. If they could capture Maeve, they could surely catch her.

But no nets were cast nor harpoons shot.

He let me go . The thought came unbidden, and at once she cast it aside. It doesn’t matter if he did . Soon she was far enough from the ship that she felt safe to surface. And so she did, white hair clinging to the sides of her face as she bobbed with the waves. Through the darkness, she could still make out the ship, sailing toward the horizon.

Now what?

It wasn’t as if she could go looking for Maeve. If her friend were alive, she’d be on her way to Staria right now, and if she wasn’t—well, there was nothing Celeste could do to help her. They were nearly a day’s journey from where Maeve went overboard.

There were too many wrongs Celeste wished she could make right. Too many mistakes. Too many failures. She had trusted a human and now paid the price. And soon, so would all sirens. The King of Pirates was planning something. She didn’t know what, but she knew if he had the power of the ocean at his fingertips... there was no telling what he could do. And she had guided him straight to it.

But there was still hope. They didn’t know how to get on the island. It was a legendary place of the gods. It wasn’t as though one could simply dock their ship on it. There would be magic protecting that island. Ancient magic.

Still, it was possible the king already knew a way in. She couldn’t assume the island was safe. I shouldn’t have jumped off the ship , Celeste thought bitterly. I should have just thrown Raiden overboard.

But she couldn’t change what she’d done. Now she had to focus on finding a way to stop the humans from getting the Voice of the Ocean. Trying to stop the ship itself was out of the question. Her voice was not strong enough alone to lure the entire crew into the water. And Raiden was somehow impervious. I should go back to Staria , she told herself, turning in the direction of home. But would they even listen to her? And Staria was so far. She’d never get there in time.

I am too human , she thought angrily, kicking her legs. I can’t do this . At her best, she wasn’t the best soldier. At her strongest, she wasn’t the strongest singer. She wasn’t wise and calm like Sephone or strong and decisive like Shye. Even in those few moments when her powers had been remarkable she couldn’t control them. She didn’t even understand them.

But she was the only one who knew what the humans had planned.

And right now that had to be enough.

If I could just beat them to the island... maybe I could grab the Voice and leave before they arrive . The thought energized her, even if it was only a half-baked plan. Celeste looked above her to the stars. The thin clouds that had been covering them slid by to reveal the four daughters watching over her. She oriented herself, turning to face the direction she knew the island to be. And then she dove into the water. She scanned the sea below, hoping to find some passing creature to help tow her, but saw nothing. Unfortunately, a siren couldn’t sing and have an animal come running. A Song was intended for a specific target, a bond between the singer and listener. It was not a net to be cast.

And so she began to swim.