An Affinity For Fire

32. Heleonne

"Clover!" Leo screamed as his friend disappeared beneath the water. He raced across the sand, charging in after her and thrashing his arms around to find her. His hand slapped against something scaly. The foul creature darted away from him as soon as he touched it. He continued to flail until he felt something softer - fabric on flesh.

Bracing himself against the cold, he plunged into the water and grappled blindly in the darkness. To his relief, his fingers eventually landed on Clover's shoulder. He gripped her arm with both hands and hauled her to the surface, gasping for breath. He waded back to the sand, dragging her along with him.

Leo hadn't been sure if Bryn would followed him or not. When he'd explained that Clover was on the beach and remembered, in a moment of horror, that night had fallen and she was alone in a siren-infested cove, he hadn't waited to see if the boy would go with him. Instead, he'd sprinted desperately back to the beach without any sort of plan or reassurance of backup.

He was therefore extremely relieved, if a little surprised, to find Bryn waiting for him on the sand.

"We need to get off this ruddy beach," he said. Having recovered from the initial panic of seeing his friend in peril, his senses had returned to him and he'd finally become aware of the chorus of sirens calling out. The song, while rhythmless and unornamented, was oddly sweet to listen to. The sound was almost tactile; he could feel it crawling inside him, distorting his vision and squeezing his heart, filling him with the painfully tempting urge to re-enter the water...

No, he thought. Clover. Look at Clover.

He dropped to his knees. Pressing his palms to his ears and groaning to drown out the noise, he fixed his eyes on her face.

She needs you. Pay attention.

"Bryn, if those ruddy things don't shut up, I'm not going to be able to do this alone. I need you to help me carry her." When he didn't respond, Leo looked up. "Bryn?"

He wasn't paying any attention. Instead, he was walking slowly towards the sea.

"No!" Leo shouted, rushing to his feet to stop him. He grabbed the boy by the shoulders and whirled him around, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "You've got to shut them out somehow. She needs you and I need you. I can't drag you both back."

Bryn's expression was vacant. He looked confused. Frightened, even, like he had no idea where he was.

Leo shook him. "Focus! We need to help her or she's going to die."

A vague level of understanding seemed to come to Bryn. He didn't say a word, or look any less dazed, but he managed to nod sharply.

Leo pulled him towards Clover's legs. "Hold her ankles," He said slowly and forcefully, as if instructing a bewildered child. Bryn obeyed, albeit reluctantly.

Progress, Leo thought.

He moved to her head and hooked his arms under her armpits. "Now, lift."

The pair carried, or, more accurately, dragged Clover up the precarious cliff path, all the while mentally fighting to block out the singing. As they ascended, the noise's volume dwindled, as did its influence over them. Once they were out of earshot, Leo put Clover down and dropped to the ground in exhaustion. Bryn was quick to do the same.

As soon as he'd caught his breath, Leo turned his attention back to Clover. She was still unconscious.

"Clo?" He said, beginning to shake her. "Clo!"

"Hey, relax," Bryn said, trying to pull him away. "She's going to be fine."

"How in all Hells do you know that?"

"Just calm down," He said gently. "She's just been kissed. They have some sort of toxin in their saliva that knocks you out. She'll be fine in a couple of hours. Nauseous, maybe, but fine."

Leo gave in, letting go of Clover and sitting back. He studied her face, remembering the way she'd looked at him before the monster got to her. She'd just stared striaght through him, Like she was looking for someone behind him, or like she didn't even know who he was. It made him shudder to think of the indifference that had been in her eyes.

"Didn't take you long to fall in love with her," He said at last.

"I'm sorry?" Bryn said, eyebrows furrowed.

"You managed to resist them in the end. That's only possible if you're around someone you're in love with."

Bryn looked puzzled. "Yeah... that's not actually how it works."

Leo studied his face. "What do you mean?"

"I hate to have to tell you this, but if you think you're in love with her ... you're not."

He shook his head. "I don't understand."

Bryn sighed. "Look, I don't claim to know the first thing about love, but I've lived by this beach long enough to know a fair amount about sirens. Resistance comes on a scale. Even if you've only just started to develop feelings for someone, you will be able to resist the siren song to some extent. Now, you don't need to convince me that you have very strong feelings for her. That's evident from the extraordinary level of resistance you just showed. But that's the problem - you're resistant, not immune. You blocked them out because you were looking at Clover and I just about managed in the end because I was looking at y- also Clover. But if either of us were in love with her, we wouldn't even be able to hear the sirens."

Leo's heart dropped. He pressed a hand to his face. "I just proposed to her," he said, not so much for Bryn's benefit as to come to terms with his own foolishness.

Even through his unfocussed gaze, he could make out the creases in Bryn's brow, pulled tight in confusion. "Wait. I thought you were already engaged."

"It's not official yet," he explained. "I don't even know her. And Clover- I don't know. I guess a part of me just wanted me to be the one who made the choice."

The judgement in Bryn's eyes softened. "I've never really been too taken by the idea of arranged marriage. But, hey, if you don't even know her, you don't know that you wouldn't have chosen her anyway, given the chance."

Leo said nothing.

"Anyway," Bryn said, "We have more pressing matters at hand just now." he cocked his head towards Clover, still sprawled unconscious on the floor.

"Right," Leo said, shaking his head. "Same positions as last time?"

Bryn nodded, moving back to Clover's ankles.

Carrying her was easier without the screaming of the sirens to block out. When they made it back to the house, they took her straight to her room, only to find Tarragon waiting in the corridor.

"There you are, where have you both be- wait, what happened?"

Leo caught Bryn's eyes.

I'll take her, he saw Bryn mouth. He nodded, grateful, and carefully laid Clover over the boy's shoulder. He carried her into her room and shut the door.

When Tarragon tried to follow, Leo put his arm across the door. "She's fine. She needs to rest."

"Fine?!" Tarragon hissed. "What in all Hells is going on, Heleonne?"

Leo felt his chest contract.

Well, this is going to be fun.