“It doesn’t matter,” I told him. “Rules are rules, right? Monsters who enchant students don’t get second chances.”
“You didn’t enchant him,” Dean Thornfield stated with surprising certainty.
I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. “How would you know?”
“Because I’ve been teaching at this academy for thirty years, Mr. Thalassos. I know enchantment when I see it. And what I saw between you and Mr. Voss was something else entirely.”
His words cut deeper than any knife could have. I swallowed hard, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. “It doesn’t matter now. I think we both know that. Teddy’s parents will never allow him back now.” I turned to him, trying not to break. “And you know what’ll happen to me if he ever…even for a second… stops loving me. Don’t ask me to do that.”
The Dean, knowing there was no arguing, led me out of the wrought-iron gates. We stepped through the wards into the cold that warned of a winter not long off. Looking back, I could see how beautiful campus was this time of year, trees blazing withred and gold leaves. I’d wanted to paint them, to capture the way the sunlight filtered through the branches. Another dream to add to the pile of things I’d never do.
“I can arrange transportation to wherever you’d like to go,” Dean Thornfield offered as we walked toward the standing stone teleportation circle at the edge of campus. “We maintain connections with several academies across the country. Perhaps another school would?—”
“I’m not going to another school,” I interrupted. “I’m done with all of this.”
The Dean’s footsteps faltered slightly. “Then where shall I send you?”
I’d been thinking about this since the moment they’d expelled me. There was only one place that made sense, one place where I could disappear completely and never be found.
“The North Sea,” I said quietly. “Off the northern coast of Scotland.”
Dean Thornfield stopped walking entirely. “The North Sea? But it’s?—”
“Cold. Dark. Dangerous. I know.” I turned to face him. “It’s perfect.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed quickly by alarm. “Nerion, if you’re thinking of?—”
“I’m a siren, Dean Thornfield,” I reminded him with a bitter smile. “The ocean is my home. Even the cold, dark parts.”
“There are other options,” he insisted. “Other places, warmer waters?—”
“I’ve made my decision.” My voice was firmer now, resolute. “The North Sea. Please.”
We reached the teleportation circle, ancient stones arranged in a perfect ring, each carved with symbols older than the academy itself. Dean Thornfield stepped into the center, his expression troubled as he gestured for me to join him.
“I’m sorry it came to this,” he said as I took my place beside him. “Truly.”
“Me too.”
He began the incantation, his hands weaving complex patterns in the air. The stones around us began to glow with a soft blue light, responding to his magic. I closed my eyes, picturing the wild, black waters of the North Sea, the towering cliffs, the endless horizon. A place where I could swim away from everything, away from Widdershins, from memories of Teddy, and from the curse that would eventually claim me just as it had claimed my parents.
The magic built around us, a whirling vortex of energy that made my skin tingle. In moments, we would be transported thousands of miles away, and I would begin my new life alone, the way sirens were meant to live.
Just as the teleportation spell reached its crescendo, a voice cut through the magic like a thunderclap.
“STOP!”
My eyes flew open. Running toward the circle, his golden hair wild and his face flushed with exertion, was Teddy.
“Teddy?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the hum of the teleportation magic.
He was sprinting toward us, his face a mask of determination. Behind him, I could make out a woman in an Elder Council robe with giant antlers rising above her head. It was just the two of them.
“Dean Thornfield, cancel the spell!” Teddy shouted as he reached the edge of the circle.
The Dean hesitated, looking between us with uncertainty etched across his face.
“Please!” Teddy begged, his eyes locked on mine. “Don’t let him leave!”