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I think Bay s in all her life Trying not to upsetto build her own life around protecting me It couldn’t have been what she wanted, but she did it anyway When our eyes ry at each other and that we love each other, just as it has always been and will always be

"Maire wasn’t supposed to die," Bay says, and her voice breaks "She and I talked about it, before I left She was supposed to keep you fro here She was supposed to use her voice to keep you safe"

Maire was supposed to use her own voice

Instead she taughtwhen Ciro the Minister opens the door again and coe rooood news for us "I’m very sorry," he says "My sources on the Council confirm that all the sirens are dead" In that moment I hate hi

"There were twenty-seven bodies retrieved from the island," Ciro tells us

Twenty-seven There were twenty-nine of us on the transport, but that number included True and me

There’s some to wait

Until when?

She said I would know

"Are they sure that everyone died?" Bay asks

"Yes," Ciro says, glancing over at True and me Ciro must have deduced that we came with the sirens--how else would we have come to the surface?--but he doesn’t say it out loud "They seem quite certain that no one on the island survived"

Maire’s voice worked, at least for a little while She was the most powerful siren Atlantia has ever known Why didn’t she save herself to save the world? Why did she think I should do it instead?

"Why would the people slaughter the sirens this way?" I ask "The sirens can’t even live for long Above"

"Some people are still fearful," Ciro says "They’re afraid that the sirens ht find a way to survive up here They wanted the sirens eliminated permanently They didn’t want to take any chances"

"So they killed the was ht there was no way to escape it"

"The Councils of the Above and the Below found a way," Ciro says "Or, I should say, your Minister found a way"

I feel cold "Nevio," I say "Is he Above?"

Ciro nods His expression and voice are hard to read "He and soht before the sirens did Apparently he, and the members of the Council he selected to come with him, are immune to the siren voices"

"It was them," True says, his voice soft as the sand "They were the ones who killed the sirens"

Don’t scream, I tell myself Don’t speak Wait It’s not time yet

It all ht he was co up after, but he came up before And then, with the Council members, the ones who killed my mother, he et his own hands dirty; he’d orchestrate it, the way he didon one of the boats and giving the co Above He knew True was co Why hasn’t he said anything?

Bay’s fingers find mine and she squeezes my hand

Because Maire won