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“Don’t worry. I can do nothing to her that we haven’t agreed to,” Bastian smiled. “But this certainly raises the stakes of our deal.”
"We have no deal,” Bellamy turned away, as if readying himself to leave, fists clenched at his sides.
I rushed to his side. “We can’t leave without that crown,” My voice cracked as I fought back the lump rising in my throat. “We can’t give up after we came all this way.”
Do it. Destroy the heart. Kill the man.
Bellamy’s eyes softened, and in that moment, I realized how empty they truly were. He had given up long ago. Not just on this, but on everything. He had finally learned to be content with death, and yet was forced to live through his grief all over again. This was too much for even him. “Unfortunately, Katrina, sometimes you do everything in your power, and you still can’t save them.”
“Who are you?” I sputtered, nearly choking on the words. “The Bellamy I know wouldn’t stop fighting. You’re too stubborn.”
He didn’t respond, but something told me the Bellamy I knew might have been hiding behind more layers than I realized. And if this was all too much for him, that was fine. I understood. But it wasn’t too much for me. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to rescue Milo from the past. I spun around, facing a bored-looking Bastian, who watched us bickering just a few feet away.
I darted past him and grabbed the jar, raising it above my head and smashing it on the ground. The glass shattered and I swiftly grabbed a piece, slicing my own hand, and drove it into the glimmering heart. I looked at Bastian, longing to see him collapse so that I could rush down his trove and take the crown. But he stood there, smug, almost entertained.
“I was wondering when one of you would try that,” he smirked. “Do you think if that heart was keeping me alive that I would really be so stupid as to keep it there?”
My mouth hung open in shock.
“How the hell are you still alive then?” Bellamy asked.
“Bellamy, you’re adorable,” Bastian laughed. “You both are, really. Thinking you can kill me that easily and that I’ll just spill all my secrets. Why don’t I just hand you the Crown and leave you the keys to my club?”
I was furious and sick. Sick of myself, for just trying to kill a man, but mostly at Bastian for his twisted games.
“I’ll kill your Kraken.” I straightened my spine and stood tall, speaking with all the authority I could muster. “I’ll do it. For the damn crown.”
A wicked curve slid over Bastian’s lips, a shadow falling over his eyes. Bellamy whipped back around, pulling me to him. “No!” He covered my mouth. “She doesn’t agree to anything. I’ll do it. Your deal is with me. Always has been. I’ll take the mark. Not her.” I struggled against him, feeling guilty that he felt the need to jump in for me, and also wondering what mark I was meant to take. The idea of it made my skin crawl.
“She already agreed,” Bastian approached us, stepping over the shattered glass and bleeding heart as he checked his watch. “And we really need to get this moving along. I’m expecting someone.”
“No!" The tone in Bellamy’s voice changed from anger to pleading. He lowered his face to mine, squeezing my shoulders so tightly I thought he’d bruise them. “No, Katrina, dammit! He’ll always play the game in his favor. He’s sending us to our graves. This wasn’t part of the plan.”
“Aren’t you the one who told me the plan sorts itself out at the right time? You can’t be afraid when it does!” I shouted, heaving as I thought of every second wasting.
“I’m not afraid for myself,” Bellamy snarled back. “But I’m afraid of losing the last person I care about!” His words sliced through my heart like a cold steel cutlass. Bastian stepped between us, separating Bellamy from me.
“Such a touching moment, really, but we must get on with this. And don’t worry, dear girl, I have no intention of sealing this deal like all the others. It does me no good to track the two of you with some tasteless tattoo. No, instead, let’s bind our contract a different way...a more effective way given your nature.”
“What do you want?” I blinked, afraid of the answer.
“Your voice. Your siren song.”
“What?” I clutched a hand to my throat. “No...” I stammered. Bellamy pleaded with me, his voice dry and distressed.
“Don’t worry. It's only a small deposit. A signature if you will—that you agree to my terms.” Bastian coaxed. “You’ll get your song back—and the crown—when you return...with the beast’s head.”
“Let’s get on with it.” I tried so hard to sound brave, but my confidence was wavering. I was doubting everything. The room melted around me like swirling paint and my head felt light. My palms were slick from sweat. Bellamy’s voice faded out as he begged me—demanded me—not to do this. But I didn’t see any other answer. I didn’t know what else to do.
“Then sing your song,” he commanded.
I opened my mouth. The first notes came out shaky and weak, but as I sang the haunting melody, my song strengthened into a powerful aria. Bastian raised his serpent hand, where he adjusted a ring on his finger. It was iron, with a black polished stone of some sort in the center. As he turned it, curling black smoke rose out of it. I was startled, but I kept singing.
The smoke coiled and writhed in the air like a snake made of shadow, slowly creeping its way across the air to me. It surrounded me, trickling down into my throat, where it wrapped its dark clutches around my song. I could feel it, choking me, but I was now powerless to stop my song. I gasped in horror as it pulled away, a glowing blue and white pulse of energy wrapped in its smoke-like grip. My song. It echoed as if distant, trapped in the glowing orb. Then as quickly as it appeared, it retreated back into Bastian’s ring, now another part of his collection.
The room was silent. Even Bellamy was frozen in place and speechless. I opened my mouth to sing again. But my song was gone. It just sounded like an ordinary voice and an ordinary tune, one that no longer held a hint of magic or power.
Bastian grinned. “Well, a deal’s a deal. As an added bonus for your compliance, I’ve thrown in a special tool to help you find the beastie.” He crooned, looking to the door, before tossing me a spyglass that I barely caught. “Now get to Kraken hunting. Can't hold up my next appointment.”
