Cliodhna paused. Her brows furrowed, and her head cocked to one side, clearly not expecting Theo's answer.
“I’m sorry?” Cliodhna recovered quickly, trying to push past her own confusion and desperate to hold onto the upper hand. “What makes you think I want plausible deniability about any of this?”
She motioned broadly with her left hand, shaking Lyra's sister in the process. Theo forced back the fresh wave of rage that stirred in his gut.
“Your quarrel with me goes back to the day I was born.”
Theo forced himself not to look at Lyra, who was still rapidly shaking her head. Cliodhna swam a few feet closer, clearly intrigued.
“Keep going, lad,” Wyn whispered, a comforting, confident presence at Theo's back.
“If you let Lyra and her sister go, Wyn will take them back to Edinburgh. He'll be able to tell my brother that a trade was made, and it was my choice.”
“Your choice!” Cliodhna interrupted, looking almost offended. “What makes you think I care about that?” She pushed Theo again, acting indifferent but clearly interested in what he had to say.
“There won't be any repercussions for you,” Theo explained. “Calum won't come after you, and neither will the Scottish gods.”
“The Scottish gods!” Cliodhna roared, her agitation peaking as she moved around in the water. “I haven't been afraid of them since the dawn of creation, and I won't start now.”
“Fair enough,” Theo inclined his head, “but it's not about fear. You will have bested them. I will give my life to you, uncoerced, and my brother and his allies cannot do anything about that. They will rage for an eternity, and you'll know they are suffering, unable to seek revenge.” Theo was laying it on thick, painting a glorious image of Cliodhna's cunning and a victory over Calum, and he could only pray she was as vain as they were hoping for.
Theo watched the wheels turning in Cliodhna's mind. It was true. If Theo was actually planning to give himself up to Cliodhna, Lyra, her sister, and Wyn could testify that it was his choice. There wouldn't be any cause for war or retribution if it were Theo's own decision.
He was, of course, not planning on doing that.
“That is... an intriguing proposition.” Cliodhna's smile widened, her rotten breath carried on the breeze. “And they will suffer?” She pushed Theo, her appetite already whetted for Calum's pain.
“Undoubtedly,” Theo affirmed. “They will have to sit with their loss without any recompense.” He continued to harp onthat point to Cliodhna, knowing a goddess who'd harbored her revenge like this for decades would find this appealing.
“After all,” Theo continued, “haven't you been sitting here in suffering since I was born? Waiting for retribution?”
This sealed the deal. Theo could see it in Cliodhna's eyes. They lit up like the sunrise, and she could barely contain her movements. She nearly vibrated on the spot, ripples of water fanning out from where she floated.
“And you would do all of this…” Cliodhna scowled and stared down Theo. “For them? For a siren and her sister?” There was the slightest bit of hesitation in Cliodhna's voice, as though she was realizing this was potentially too good to be true.
Theo paused. His heart was racing, and against his better judgment, he looked at Lyra. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was rapidly shaking her head back and forth. He could see it from where he stood. She was begging him not to go through with this. She didn't want to see him die. That alone was enough to make Theo even more willing to surrender to the goddess, ten times over, because it would mean Lyra would be free. She would have her sister, and Cliodhna would never have to bother them again.
“Of course I would.” Theo's answer was clear as a bell, a declaration made for the open skies and the sea stretching all the way to the horizon. He could feel his throat closing up with the heavy emotion, his grip on the rope tightening as he tried to commit the sight of Lyra to memory. If this went poorly, if their plan didn't work, then she was the last thing he wanted to see. Most people would have wanted a happy memory, but those tears meant everything to Theo. It meant she loved him too.
“I would give myself up for her in a heartbeat,” Theo continued, “for far less a prize than her own life, too, if the situation called for it. However, goddess, you'll find I am adamant on those terms.”
Cliodhna looked mildly impressed. Either that, or she was starting to grow bored. She had the attention span of a cat. After a while, even playing with her food lost its appeal.
“Your life for theirs?” Cliodhna repeated, now deadly serious.
“My life for theirs,” Theo echoed with a firm nod. Cliodhna said nothing for a long minute, and Theo felt his pulse quicken. He could hear Wyn shuffling his weight behind him, wondering if they shouldn't signal for Niamh and try to cut and run.
“You are a fool,” Cliodhna scoffed, rolling her eyes in Theo's direction. “Do you really think a siren could ever love you? She was only helping you in the beginning to bring you straight to me. Now, do you really believe that she has fallen for you?”
The words hit as Cliodhna intended. For a minute, his faith in Lyra was shaken. As much as he tried not to think about it, Cliodhna was right. There was a chance all of this was a lie. He couldn't ignore what Lyra was. She was designed for this. Every part of her body and mind was created by the gods and nature herself to warp the hearts of men.
“Theo,” Wyn whispered, a steady presence at Theo's back. “Don't listen to her.”
Theo snapped back to reality. Wyn's belief in Lyra was unexpected, but it couldn't have come at a better time. It forced Theo to rifle through his memories, to think of everything he'd already shared with Lyra in their short time together. Sirens were capable of invoking lust, yes, but the love he felt for her wasn't conjurable by song alone.
“I believe it,” Theo announced proudly. “I know this to be true, above all else. Now, Cliodhna, don't waste any more of our time. Do we have a deal?”
Cliodhna laughed, throwing her head back and letting the wicked sound ring out towards the heavens.
