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Wallov’s face is harder than I’ve ever seen it in front of his daughter. “Because you disobeyed orders, a man is dead.”
Roslyn shivers involuntarily, but I feel my senses clearing.
“He’s not dead yet,” I say. “Get her belowdecks.”
Roslyn hangs her head, ashamed, as Wallov leads her away.
Niridia and the rest of the riggers arrive an instant later. “I’ll go in after him,” she says as she fiddles with her own rope.
“No,” I say. “It’s too dangerous.” My mind races, knowing every second we delay brings Riden closer to death. “Tie it to me.”
“What!”
“Just do it. Use a constrictor knot around my waist. I won’t be able to untie it underwater.” I don’t have to say aloud the next part.Even in my siren state.I hand her all my weapons, everything sharp. “I’ll have no choice but to return to the ship.”
“But you won’t be lucid enough to reach him.”
“I’ve done it before.” I somehow managed to save us both from Vordan by swimming us to safety.
“How?”
“I don’t know, but this is the only way he has a chance.”
She looks at me sadly as she finishes tying the rope. I know we’re both thinking the same thing.
Riden has no chance at all.
I try to rip the rope free and find it snug. “Be ready to restrainme when I get back to the ship. Have the other men stopper their ears.”
Then I dive.
As I fall, I fill my thoughts with Riden.Don’t forget. You are going into the water to save him, nothing more. You will not lose yourself. You will not become the monster.
I close my eyes as I hit the water, as if that will somehow keep me in control.
Warmth envelops me. The sea enfolds me into the world’s most gentle caress. I am one of her own, and she missed me during my long absence. And, oh, how I missed her. I am content to let her push me down, down, down, where I can rest on the ocean’s silky bottom.
But there is a disturbance in the water.
I search through the sea’s depths. I’d see better if it weren’t so dark and the waves so unsettled. As it is, I can still make out a human man. He can’t see me; he’s too concentrated on his arms and legs. As if he can master the full weight of the ocean with his limbs alone.
I watch him for a moment. If anything, he loses ground instead of gaining it. Sometimes he doesn’t even propel himself in the right direction, burying himself deeper under the waves. Soon I grow tired of watching him squirm.
Come here, sad creature,I sing, and the man turns his head in my direction. Though he can’t see me, he does his best to obey my beckoning. Every muscle in his body does what it can to bring himself closer to me. He makes better progress than hehad before, now that he’s not fighting against the direction of the current. But he still moves too slowly for my pleasure. I don’t like waiting.
I swim to meet him. I’m almost there, when a force pulls tight against me. I look down and find a rope holding me back.
I tug at it, try to wriggle free, but it is far too tight and unyielding. I could take my nails to it, but the man will likely be dead before then. We won’t have nearly as much fun if he’s already dead!
Come on, then. Just a little farther!
He manages to get in one more good kick, and I reach him with my fingertips. My lips pull up into a wide smile as I bring him closer.
My, he is pretty. I stroke a finger down his cheek until it reaches his lips.
His eyes strain to see me. He relaxes suddenly as if he’s comfortable now that he’s with me. No, wait, he’s running out of air. That won’t do just yet.
I lean down and press my lips to his. I’ve air left in my lungs from before I jumped. I give it to him.
