To Kill a Kingdom

Elian balks at the idea of killing a begging creature and wonders why the vicious siren, who moments ago was ready to kill, is begging for her life. Lira asks him to kill Maeve, wanting her to suffer. She notices that blood, dripping from Elian’s wound down his hand and into his knife, is being absorbed by the blade. Kye, having heard Lira speak Psáriin, warns Elian not to trust her, but Elian focuses instead on Maeve. Lira’s suggestion that they pull out Maeve’s heart is also strange to the crew. Madrid explains that they don’t take hearts—only sirens do.

The siren begs for her life from Lira again, but Elian orders his crew to hold her down as Madrid shoots a spear through her fin, pinning her to the deck. Elian tries to interrogate her, using Lira as a translator, but the siren lunges at him. The crew scramble to save Elian from the siren, but they can’t find a good shot without hitting Elian. Finally, Kye pulls the siren away from him, and Elian quickly plunges his knife into her. The knife takes in the blood and the siren dies. They watch as the siren fades into sea-foam.