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"It is too good to be true," Nevio says

Until now I felt strong, but ue co me to sink into it and rest

Nevio sees the weakness His eyes are bright with power, and his voice is still strong How does he ods for help and so alive stares down

One of the bats from the Below Fen has let theods of the Above the way they did in the Below I feel strength co at them

I feel better when the bats are near They are from the Below And I calm them, too We help one another

I remember the little body thrown in after Ciro’s, and suddenly I know

This is how Nevio plans to survive He takes the strength from the bats He uses them up to stay Above

I won’t do that

But the water on the altar is from the Below And it can’t be killed The water can’t be hurt

I look back to where Maire’s body rests

She was the most powerful siren I’ve ever known

And then I swear I hear her

No, Maire says You are

I walk up to the place in front of the pulpit where the jar broke and put asp Then I show them my wet palms "We shouldn’t be afraid to touch the Below," I say "Haven’t you missed it, deep inside? Don’t you wonder what is down there?"

Some of them nod--only a few--but hope starts in my heart

"Atlantia," I say, "is a city unlike any other Your ancestors helped build it You have helped keep it alive Wouldn’t you like to see it?"

And then I tell the pools I tell them about the trees, about the way the city breathes I tell the lanes, about the gods, the gondolas I tell the

"And then there are the people of Atlantia," I say, andof True and Bay, of all the others "We need to hurry," I tell the crowd I feel stronger, but I can tell that it will not last; it cannot hold The water can’t help for long "If we don’t save Atlantia, then it will die The city The people Please"

"We would have to trust that any sirens left would use their power for good," someone says