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If this is the moment of my own death, this time I want to inhabit it I reach out and hold True’s hand, and his fingers tighten aroundup through the water, fro coral, on to things I have never seen but know enough to i on the surface of the ocean, dipping their beaks down to eat

"Remember," the deepmarket siren says to all of us as the transport stops "Our voices are the Below’s best weapons We are miracles, meant for this moment"

I don’t know that I’m a miracle, but I do believe I wasor short it may be

CHAPTER 23

The door slides open, and for the first tiray and green and brown and so hter than the deep of the ocean that I feel dizzy

I alinting light andon the water, on the e that leads fro every inch of le piece of coin burning as it dips toward the ocean I grab on to the rail of the bridge that leads to the land, unsteady onto be sick It is disconcerting in the extre over the water, to see the top of the ocean It ht be how people who live Above would feel if they could stand over the sky

"It’s all right," Maire says, and she holds e

I take my first step ever on real land--on sand, fine and white and brown and rass and shells, so much texture, more than even the ork in the temple, fuls of the air, rich and warh I know it’s also thick with pollution and the particulate s aith cancer My hands still have salt on theo

"Rio," True says "Trees"

He’s right There are silver-gray trees with ash-colored ht up out of the sand a few feet in front of us The color is similar to the trees I know, but they are not the trees I know--these trees are alive, and when their leaves fall off, no one bothers to put therow And you could never reattach these fallen leaves--soft, brittle as paper, cru in my hands as I bend down to pick them up I can’t help myself

And then Maire’s voice is inme back up to my feet and away from the leaves When I turn around, I am stunned to see that the transport has already disappeared Below

I didn’t even hear it go

Maire speaks to me quickly as we cross the sand to join the other sirens, who ascend a loooden platforrowing on the island "I have a plan," Maire says, "for you and True to escape"

I listen

"Behind those rocks on your left," Maire says, "there is a little inlet Climb in and swim and follow the curve of the inlet You’ll find a cave, farther back along this shore Hide there Wait until it’s nearly dark, if you can And then swio to the temple You’ll see it as soon as you come over that rise" She points across the water to the shore of the main island

"How do you know all this?" I ask

"One of the voices told me," Maire says She sounds sad "This way is best You would never have survived the floodgates Your lungs would have burst in the ascent That’s why I told Nevio what you were doing We were just in time"

So she was the one who betrayed me But how did she know?

"It was another way up," Maire says, "and you hadn’t chosenthe truth," True says to me softly "But I think you know that"