Page 14 of When the Wicked Sing
Mariana was baffled, unable to comprehend how the hissing, slithering creatures could be comforting to anyone.
“Look, I know you came down here to ask me to convince Cybele to let you go to the fae realm. Unfortunately, I cannot,” the witch said, scrubbing her hands with a gritty gray paste.
“We’ve lost so many,” Mariana whispered, her gaze fixed on the swirling stygian oil. “I don’t want to lose Astra too. Not like this, hiding away in the darkness.” She looked up, her voice trembling. “If you won’t talk to Cybele, then why did you support my plan to rescue Astra during the meeting?”
The witch was silent for a moment before she sighed. “Because … despite everything, I believeyouneed to be the one to find the amulet.”
“Why?”
“The amulet is a powerful source of raw magic. Only a siren can wield it, but that doesn’t mean Astra wouldn’t bring back the fae king’s son if he demanded it. We need the amulet safe in Salus. And you, as the heir to the sea, should be the one to possess it.”
Mariana nodded slowly. “Astra would know where it is,” she said. “I have to find her. I have to stop all of this.” The weight of responsibility pressed down on her, threatening to crush her. “I have to prove myself. What happened out there”—she gestured toward the door leading to the tunnels—“can’t happen when I’m queen. I need their respect.”
“They respect no one.”
“They respect you.”
The witch shook her head and wiped away the paste from her hands. “That’s different. You don’t need to earn anything. Whether they respect you or not, you will be queen.” She sat across from Mariana, leveling her with a look.
Mariana shook her head, determination hardening her voice. “I know I have to do this.”
The witch’s eyes lit with a hint of mischief. “Then it sounds like you know what you have to do.”
Mariana’s breath caught in her throat as she understood the witch’s unspoken suggestion. “I can’t,” she stammered. “That would be treason!”
The witch shrugged, expression unreadable. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, rising from her stool. “But remember, you will be our queen soon. Consider each outcome carefully, then decide which path leads to the future you desire.”
“How am I supposed to know which is the right path?”
For a fleeting moment, the witch looked almost … normal. As if the Scourge had never tainted her.
Then she said, “I’d prefer the path that doesn’t lead to Helios returning and killing us all, but the choice is yours.” She turned away, her figure blending into the shadows once more.
Chapter 7
“Ican’tbelieveit’sbeen three weeks, and we still haven’t heard anything,” Aurora muttered, her voice barely cutting through the rhythmic sound of waves crashing overhead. She lay beside Mariana on the sand, their bodies bathed in the moon’s silvery light, which filtered through the water, casting them in a shifting, rippling glow.
No word had come from the fae king after Astra had vanished without a trace. Each day without news wound Mariana tighter, coiling tension through her muscles like a predator ready to strike.
“We need to do something,” she admitted softly.
She’d told Aurora everything she’d learned—everything except the conversation with the witch. Since leaving the witch’s dwelling after their talk, Mariana couldn’t stop thinking about what the witch had implied. The thought of adventuring into the fae realm without permission haunted her, a shadow she couldn’t shake. She could go, she knew that, but it would mean crossing a line she didn’t think she could ever come back from. That thought scared her more than she cared to admit.
“We can’t,” Aurora replied, her voice firm. “Cybele made herself very clear. We wait until the king sends word of a trade.”
“And if he doesn’t send word?” Mariana turned to her sister, their eyes locking in a silent exchange of fear. Astra’s fate hung between them, a fragile thread that could snap at any moment. Luna claimed she could still feel their mother’s soul, but how long would that last? How long until they were too late?
“We’ll think of something. Somehow, we’ll convince the queen to let us go. I know it.”
Mariana exhaled slowly, her breath stirring the sand as she turned her gaze back to the moon. Tonight, more sirens than ever would take part in another culling, five new souls pledged to sacrifice themselves to the Scourge to keep their sisters safe—a noble choice in the queen’s eyes, but to Mariana, it was abhorrent. She couldn’t bear to be near them, to witness such barbarity. The thought of anyone accepting the Scourge as an honor made her skin crawl. Each day, the cursed sirens grew stronger, more wicked, and she felt powerless to stop them.
But was she truly powerless?
The witch’s unspoken suggestion echoed in her mind:Go. Take matters into your own hands.So, why hadn’t she?
She cleared her throat, glancing at Aurora. “What if we just went to Aurelia to rescue Astra?”
Aurora’s head snapped toward her, concern etched in her eyes. “What?”
