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“Dealing with the sea witch is a bad idea. Trust me,” Zephyr says, but this isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with Cosette.
The sea witch has been practicing her craft longer than anyone I’ve ever met. She may be an ancient fiend, but sometimes I turn to her when I have trouble identifying old relics.
I know she can help me with this as long as I’m smart about it.
“Shh,” I hush them. “She’s coming.”
Their energy shrinks toward my pendant, but I can still sense their presence as Cosette dismounts and takes the stepping stones down to the beach. Her white cloak gleams in the moonlight, its hem pristine even though it trails past the foamy skirts flouncing around her feet.
“I heard your song,” she says, her pearl-studded slippers throwing sand as she approaches the sailor. “Oh, you poor thing.” She clicks her tongue. “She’s your beloved, isn’t she?”
Her hood is pulled down low, hiding half of her face in the shadows, but I can tell she’s watching me closely.
“Yes.”
A wry smile twists her lips. “Then I’m so glad you called for me. You know I’m always willing to help you, dearie. It’s not too late to bring her back from this, if you’re willing to barter on her behalf.”
Propping myself up to a seat, I bring my bag to the front of my body. “I have a quizzing glass, a ritual knife, and my mother’s pearls, but I can always bring you another treasure from my trove. A relic you can use in your spellwork.”
Her creamy cleavage swells above her corset as she huffs out an impatient breath. “While I’m envious of your collection, this sort of spell requires something far more precious.”
Anxiety spikes through me. “I can’t give you my soul or let you shave years off my life if that’s what you’re implying.”
“Heavens no,” Cosette laughs. “I’m a little offended you’d even think I’d ask. I assumed we were better friends than that.”
A few afternoons spent discussing blood hexes doesn’t seem like a great foundation for a friendship, but I’ll take it over being her enemy. “Then what do you want from me?”
“It’s not what I want.” She crouches in front of me. “Honestly, I’d do it for free, but a sacrifice must be made in order to keep her grounded on this side of the veil.” She cups my chin. “Her memories will do.”
I stifle a gasp. “Her memories?”
“Only the ones of you.” Cosette feathers a nail down my jawline.
I search beneath her hood, unable to find her eyes in the shadows despite my sharp night vision. “She won’t remember me.”
She claps her hands together and shrugs. “If the price is too high, you can always refuse.”
“No, it’s alright,” I say, even though there’s a selfish part of me that doesn’t want to relinquish my spot in her mind. “She can forget all about us if it means she can live a full life.”
“Very well, then.” Cosette holds her hand over the sailor’s forehead and curls her fingers into a fist as she’s about to make contact. “Since we’re such good friends, I want to make you another offer. Would you like a chance to be together?”
“That’s impossible,” I state. I’ve already considered every aspect of a future together.
Our lifespans will still be uneven after I join the Order of the Undine. Walking on land won’t make me a human. No matter what, I’ll have to grieve the loss of her eventually.
“Nothing is impossible for women like us. You can take what you want. I can teach you.” She slips her hand beneath her cloak and produces a crystal bottle filled with bright green liquid. “This potion will transform you into a human for an entire lunar cycle. The transformation will become permanent if you can bind yourself to the sailor by the time the moon wanes and waxes back to fullness again.”
“How could I do that?” I’m not entertaining this as a possibility, but I’m curious.
“Through a sacred vow of love, sealed in blood,” she says. “Like the one exchanged for marriage.”
“She won’t remember me. How am I supposed to convince her to get married?”
“A heart can’t forget true love,” she answers simply. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to win her over.”
Maybe it wouldn’t be. After all, the sailor and I met last year, and we knew we were kindred spirits from the very beginning. I’d like to think we would fall in love all over again under any circumstances.
I’m not one to let my mind drift too far away from reality, but for a moment, I try to imagine how things would be if I could cut all my ties to the sea.
