Which is ridiculous, considering the fact that he literally carried me this morning into the house. By the realms, was that only this morning? At any rate, we’re engaged; he should at least be willing to lend an arm.
Without waiting to ask permission, Sienna slipped her hand around his arm just above his elbow. She sent him a breezy smile when she felt the muscles tense at her touch. “Just in case I trip again.” she told him innocently.
And because I’ve decided that I’m going to wear you down until I find out what is really going on in that head of yours. When tomorrow comes, we’ll only have five days together, which means I need to make the most of it.
“Ah, yes. Of course.” He swallowed. “So, these caves—how did you find them?”
“I’ve lived in Nivem my whole life. After my mother passed away, Papa and I would take long, rambling walks along the shore. We discovered the tide pools first, and then one day at low tide we realized that the caves were there. They’re tucked away out of sight from the sandy part of the beach, so most people don’t know they even exist. Papa and I do, and Devri. And Erik.” Sienna winced a little at his name.
“But no one else?”
She shrugged. “Not that I’ve told. It was fun, having a little secret hideout, even if it was a little too far from home for Papa to allow me to go on my own at first.”
“Far? I thought you said it wasn’t a long walk.”
“From the lighthouse it’s not. But Papa and I didn’t move into the lighthouse until earlier this year. Before that, we lived in a little house in town.”
“Ah.”
Sienna waited, but it seemed like that was the only response she was going to get from him, so she continued. “Now Papa doesn’t like me going on my own, but for a completely different reason.”
“Because of the crates?”
“Well, two reasons now, I suppose,” she amended. “He was quite adamant that I not return after I told him about what I found, but even before that, he’s been leery of the caves ever since the accident.”
“What happened? If you don’t mind my asking, that is.” Casper held the lantern out in front of them as they neared the tide pools, and the terrain became a little more hazardous.
“It’s fine.” Sienna stepped gingerly across a slippery rock. “I told Erik about the caves shortly after we started courting, and we would come out here often on days when the weather was mild to picnic and explore. It was our place—he even proposed there. One afternoon, we had arranged to meet at the cave ratherthan walking together, as he had some last-minute business he said he needed to take care of. He was late, and I decided to amuse myself by walking through the caves while I waited.” The memories were hazy as they played out in her mind. “I don’t remember much after that. According to Devri, I must have tripped and hit my head against a rock. Erik sent her to find me when he realized he wouldn’t be able to make it, and when she got here, the tide was nearly at its highest and the entrance to the cave was submerged. She found me unconscious in the water, and it was a miracle of the Almighty that she got there in time to still be able to use her Siren magic to force the water from my lungs.”
Jem let out a low whistle from his place a few steps behind them. “That sounds horrifying.”
“I certainly was for Dev and my father. I don’t remember most of it. But after the near-drowning, I ended up with pneumonia and an infection in my lungs and throat. It was touch-and-go for a while after that, which is when Papa seems to have incurred all of that debt.” She sighed. “He lost our savings, and I lost my magic and my future. It was a steep price to pay for what was supposed to be an afternoon picnic.”
The caves in the cliffside loomed before them, the openings dark, empty holes in the moonlight. Sienna let go of Casper’s arm and held out her hand for the lantern. His eyebrows raised curiously.
She wiggled her fingers in response to his unspoken question. “Give me the lantern. I can’t show you the way in the dark.”
The look he gave her was unimpressed. “You have one free arm, Si. I’m not going to fill it with a light and leave you with nothing to catch yourself. You don’t need to do anything more than point out the right direction.”
Sienna opened her mouth to argue, but Jem cut her off. “Don’t try to dissuade him. Casper’s biggest fault is that he can be morethan a little stubborn when it comes to taking responsibility for people.”
Casper scowled at him. “I didn’t realize that wanting to help Sienna avoid falling on her face was a fault.”
“In this case, no,” Jem responded cheerfully. “I was speaking in a more general sense. Youdotend to shoulder burdens alone.”
“I’m a captain. It’s called leadership.”
“No, it’s called being stubborn.”
Sienna looked back and forth between the two of them, certain that the underlying tension in the air went much deeper than whether or not she carried her own lantern. She cleared her throat. “If Casper wants to take the lead here, I don’t mind. The cave is right here.”
Her words brought the attention of both men back to the situation at hand, though she was certain from the steely glare that Casper sent Jem’s way and his easy disregard of it that this was a familiar and oft-repeated argument.
With a grunt, Casper pushed forward and ducked into the cave. With a shrug, Jem gestured for her to follow before taking up the rear.
“So,” he began conversationally. “When you said that you lost your future, what did you mean? Is it because of your voice?”
Casper’s voice held an edge of warning. “Jem.”
