Page 66 of She Who Was Once the Sea

"Don’t be an idiot, boy," that gravelly, dry voice mocked. "I didn’t bring you here to kill you. But if you insist on remaining a pest, I will do just that."

As my vision finally began to clear, I looked around, beyond Garrett’s face, to take in our surroundings. We were in a dank, stone cavern lit by sconces and stinking of filth and sulfur.

With a jolt, I realized that I’d been there before. There was no water on the ground now—that had long since dried up—but the smell of rot was unmistakable.

We were in the witch’s lair.

Garrett’s fingers tightened against my shoulder. "Why did you bring us here?" he demanded.

I opened my mouth, trying to form words, but no sound came out. His blue eyes cut towards me for just a fraction of a second, but in that moment, I saw them soften.

"You are here to receive a warning," the Stone Witch answered. "Stop trying to interfere with me, and I’ll let you live out the rest of your miserable, cursed life in peace. I tend to ignore those who ignore me."

Garrett started to respond, but she raised a hand to silence him. "But if you insist on provoking me," she continued, "I will lock you into stone alongside the merfolk and ensure that you never breathe another free breath in your life."

His mouth snapped shut.

"As for you," the witch turned her attention to Ordina. "You did what I asked. You delivered your sister and the Fratello to me. And you’ll find that our bargain is fulfilled."

My breath caught, and I finally found my voice.

"Ordina," I whispered, pushing my way up. Garrett kept his hands on my shoulders, supporting me as I stood. "What have you done?"

My sister stood on the far side of the room, in front of the only exit. She glared at me through red-rimmed eyes. "I did what you should have done from the start," she snapped. "I made a bargain to free our remaining family. I’ve saved us. You should be thanking me."

I took stock of my body, searching for the familiar ache of thirst at the back of my throat.

It was still there. And when I ran my tongue over my teeth, I could still feel the sharp prick of my canines. I looked to Garrett, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. He hadn’t changed either.

Across the room, Ordina seemed to be coming to the same conclusion.

"But you haven’t—"

"I told you I’d free you from the fountain." The Stone Witch smiled as she spoke. "I never said I’d release you from your thirst."

Ordina’s mouth flew open. "We made a deal."

"And I’ve fulfilled my end of that deal." Her voice was tight and mocking. "Like your mother, you could work on the specificity of your requests."

She turned her attention back to Garrett. We stood, face-to-face, his arms on my shoulders as he glared at the witch. "I suggest you retreat now, boy. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave this city, and my creatures, behind."

Garrett tightened his grip on my shoulders, pulling me towards his chest protectively. The gesture made my heart ache.

"And if I don’t?" he snarled, voice angrier than I’d ever heard it.

Petra eyed him boredly. "As I already said," she drawled. "I’ll turn you to stone." Her eyes raked across us, up and down our bodies as we stood together. "This would make a lovely statue, come to think of it. Perhaps I’ll freeze you both now and be done with it." She looked into the distance, examining something we couldn’t see. "The time has run out on our bargain anyway, dear Marella. And you seem to have failed in your quest."

I glanced between her and Garrett, feeling a lump forming in the back of my throat. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but hearing her confirmation, realizing that nothing had been undone, and knowing that that could only mean one thing…

That Garrett didn’t love me…

It hurt like nothing I’d ever experienced. Some deep part of me, still and long-buried, had been awoken these past few days. Seeing the good in someone like Garrett, witnessing his patience, feeling his gentleness… it broke something within me.

Or maybe it had healed something.

I swallowed once before speaking, unsure whether the bounds of the bargain still prevented me from revealing its stipulations to Garrett. When the words came out, I felt a deep sense of relief. "You swore he’d be safe, regardless of whether I succeeded."

She smiled again. "I said he’d live, little sea brat. As you well know, one can live within stone for millennia if I will them to."