Page 68 of Siren Problems
I trace my finger over the spiral’s center, where the leylines fracture outward like ribs cracking around a heart.
“This isn’t just punishment. It’s a mirror.”
Mira’s brows lift. “A mirror of what?”
“Of guilt,” I whisper. “He believed he deserved it. And magic obeys belief like blood obeys gravity.”
She exhales. “That’s cruelly elegant.”
“Which means we don’t break it by overpowering it. We break it by changing what hebelieves.”
I pause, staring down at the ink.
“It feeds on silence because silence is what he thinks protects the people he loves.”
“And it anchors itself in betrayal,” she says. “Because that’s what created it.”
I look up.
“Then forgiveness is the counter-charm.”
Her eyes widen. “You think if he forgives himself?—”
“It might unbind the loop. His voice, his magic, hisfreedom.”
“But how do you make someone believe they’re worthy of forgiveness?” she asks.
I don’t answer.
Because I don’t know.
But I intend to find out.
I’ve seen the cracks in him. The fault lines between rage and sorrow. He’s held onto that guilt like a lifeline—like if he lets it go, he’ll float away.
But I won’t let him drift.
Not without knowing hecouldcome back.
I start organizing the overlays, hands moving faster now. “We’ll map every sequence. Track the feedback loop. Build a counter-rhythm he can align with. If he sings into the structure willingly...”
“You think it might resonate,” she finishes. “Unlock what’s buried.”
I nod. “It’s not magic we need.”
“It’s a key.”
She places her hand over mine.
“Then let’s build one.”
CHAPTER 22
CALDER
The cave is older than memory.
Black stone carved by salt and time, sloping down into the belly of the sea. Bioluminescent moss veins the walls like an underwater galaxy, and the air thrums with low, eldritch vibrations—music too deep for ears, but not for bone.
