The Sound of a Siren's Call

31.) Revenge and Ruses

Ryan seemed as though she'd thought we'd developed some type of companionship during the night. She talked to me, the lack of sleep barely slowing her down.

I felt as though I'd been run over repetitively, but I still watched her carefully.

"We have to get out of here, Arriana. It's not for me so much as Leland. He was so little when they got us. I want him to know there's more than this."

She brushed out some wool. "We all need to be reminded there's more beyond those walls. I want him to grow up like he should be able to. He's so much more mature than I ever was. I don't like it."

She talked about her and Leland, growing up. She seemed genuine, but every once and a while, there'd be details she would carefully skirt. She didn't want to elaborate on any plans. She was open about the past, transparent in the present, but a closed book about the future.

She didn't ask me about how I'd grown up. I wouldn't have known what to say. Whether it was because she sensed that or because of how my hands were busy, she never asked me anything more than simple "yes" or "no" questions. She was so easy to be with.

She made me want to trust her with every fiber of my being, but I couldn't.

I looked toward the centaurs.

"Ryan," I interrupted her. "Aren't there normally more centaurs?"

"Crap. Yeah, there are."

With a few short words, she had all the witches on their guard.

I almost didn't see it at first, it was so subtle. Water started pouring through a crack in a building, rushing toward the clothes, toward the wool. Everything. I grabbed a rock and stuffed it in the crack. The water slowed to a trickle.

Ryan walked up to a guard.

He came over and examined the flow of water. He and Ryan talked, and he nodded. He led us away, and we picked up everything. The old woman looked worried.

"The stash," she signed to Ryan. Ryan's face soon mimicked the woman's.

The stopped the guard and soon they were arguing. Eventually, she was triumphant, and the soldier called more of his armed comrades over. A few grabbed a witch and the rest herded us back to our original spot. The witch had her wristband taken off, and she closed her eyes. A clump of earth rose and stuffed itself into the crack.

The flow of water stopped, and Ryan breathed a sigh of relief when she thought no one was looking.

"That was almost disastrous," she signed to the group.

"What would the centaurs have to get revenge for now?"

Ryan looked at her hands. "I may have—"

"I know. I was waiting for this to blow up in your face," the old woman signed, each sign messily transitioning into the next.

"If you knew, why didn't you try to stop me?"

"Because you need to see for yourself how destructive the pattern is. We need to break the cycle."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know they knew—"

"They could be just as good allies as they are terrible enemies."

"They'll still be allies."

"Use your head, Ryanione."

"I am!"

"Do not keep provoking them."

"But—"

"Do you understand me?"

"Yes, but—"

"Have you learned your lesson or do you need further discipline?"

Ryan took a measured breath. "What are you going to do? Send me to my room?"

"Oh, we're not all powerless. Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes."

"I hope you have."

I felt incredibly awkward being a part of the argument.

They went back to talking, but Ryan didn't participate. Instead, she sat still, sulking.

She didn't try to talk to me or anyone else.

My stomach growled all through the day. A pang ran through me when I so much as a thought of food.

"One more day," Ryan signed, still angry.

"What?"

"Tomorrow we get dinner."

I nodded.

She didn't say anything to anyone all through dinner. I didn't see Castor. I looked for him, but it was like he'd vanished.

I wondered back to the building where we slept in a daze. What had happened to him? Was he okay?

"Sing that song again, Arriana."

Ryan was dangerously close to me.

"The lullaby."

"Yes. Leland, cover your ears."

I could feel her breath on mine. Every muscle in my body froze.

"Do it!"

"Why?"

"Arriana..."

She looked pleading. I opened my mouth, squeezed my eyes shut, and sang.

Everyone fell asleep in minutes. I looked at Ryan. I hadn't made a mistake quite yet, but I could feel myself getting dangerously close to a mistake.

"It's now or never. We have to get out of here, and I need both of you to make my plan work."

She was telling me about her plan.

"How do you know I'll help you?"

"Please, Arriana. I need you."

"Tell me what the plan is."

"Okay. We need to talk to everyone. We'll talk to everyone tonight or tomorrow. We need all the magic creatures on our side."

Leland set a small fire on his hand, and it cast a light on Ryan's face. "Arriana can get everyone from the lake. Leland, you need to get the witches and centaurs on our side. I'll handle the fae folk, angles, and daemons. Me and Leland will get the undead on our side. Arriana, how are you with shapeshifters?"

"I've never even talked to one."

"Good. Arriana will rally the shapeshifters."

"Then what?"

"We need to get them on board with the rest of the plan. When we give the signal, everyone will cover their ears and Arriana will sing them to sleep. Then we all lock up the humans."

"You mean the guards."

"Sure. The guards. Then we take control of the camp. We divvy up the jobs the guards are doing and we become self-sufficient."

"That seems like a kind of shallow plan for how long you've been planning it."

"Are you in or not?"

"Promise the Regnese men will be fine?"

"Sure."

It was too dismissive. "You know I'm going to hold you to that?"

"I'm aware." She said solemnly.

"I'm in, but I reserve the right to pull out at any time."

Ryan nodded. "Good woman. Thank you."

Good woman. I hoped so. I desperately hoped so. Ryan left me to sleep and I wondered if I'd done it if anyone else had asked.

Not as easy as I'd agreed to Ryan's plan.

For the second time, I hoped I knew what I was doing.