Page 128 of When the Wicked Sing
Then a roar gurgled up from the waves that was so loud, it shook the ground.
“What are you doing?! Run!” she shouted at the men and women standing there. They all quickly fled toward the center of the village just as something large and wet slammed onto the ground beside her.
Holding back a gasp, Mariana stared up into the hungry eyes of a beast that could have only come from nightmares.
“Oh, Gods,” she breathed before it slammed a large fin into her side, sending her careening into the waves.
Gasping back the pain, she quickly stood and shoved the sea back, away from her.
The beast reared its head and let out a piercing scream through a jaw of razor-sharp teeth.
Mariana clutched her ears against the sound. Lightning flashed above them, revealing the beast in its entirety.
The dark shimmering scales rippled over a muscular body the size of a house. It stood on four legs that ended in long, sharp claws that dug into the sand. Its short but powerful tail swung back and forth behind it. And its eyes peered at her with such malicious hunger that Mariana couldn’t stop herself from shaking.
Mariana barely had time to react as the beast lunged. She threw up a wall of water with a desperate wave of her hand, the waves crashing into the creature’s snout with a force that sent it staggering back. But it was only momentarily dazed; it quickly recovered, shaking off the water like a dog shaking off rain, and fixed its piercing eyes on her again.
“Shit,” she muttered and ran up the beach.
With a leap and a swipe of its claws, it slashed at her back, sending her falling face down into the sand with a scream.
Gasping and choking, she moaned against the pain, feeling blood leak down her back and her legs, mixing with the wet, dripping paint sticking to her skin.
Mariana’s heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn’t let fear paralyze her—not now, not with her mother’s life hanging by a thread.
The beast circled her, snarling, its claws sinking deep into the wet sand. It wanted her to run again, clearly enjoying the chase. The chase, she wouldn’t let it have.
Summoning all the strength she could muster, Mariana stood, then raised her hands high above her head. Her body hummed with energy that sped up her heart, and she smiled as the sea answered her call.
A towering wave surged up from behind the beast, curling inward like the maw of a leviathan. Mariana clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she sent the wave crashing down, slamming the beast into the sand with the weight of a mountain. For a moment, it seemed the creature would be crushed under the sheer force of the water, but then it rose from the deluge with a thunderous roar, eyes blazing with fury.
Mariana’s breath caught in her throat. The beast was relentless, its hunger insatiable, and it was clear that it wouldn’t stop until she was dead. But she was not defenseless. Not now, not ever.
The creature lunged again, its jaws wide open, but Mariana was ready. With a sharp gesture, she called forth a current from the depths, wrapping it around the beast like a vice. The water coiled around its legs, pulling it off-balance, and Mariana used the momentum to shove the creature back toward the sea.
The beast resisted, claws digging furrows into the sand as it tried to keep its footing. But Mariana’s determination was stronger. She poured every ounce of her will into the sea, commanding it to reclaim the monster that had dared to defy her. With a final, desperate push, the beast was dragged back into the churning waves.
But it wasn’t enough. Mariana knew she had to end this here, now, before the beast could break free again. As the creature struggled against the undertow, Mariana reached up toward the sky, calling on the storm that raged above. The clouds churned in response, dark and furious, and the air crackled with the promise of lightning.
She thrust her hand down toward the beast, and the sky answered with a bolt of lightning that split the heavens. The strike hit the water with a deafening crack, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The sea glowed with an eerie light, and the beast let out one last anguished roar before it was engulfed in a vortex of lightning and waves.
The sea swallowed the creature whole, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm began to dissipate. The clouds parted,and the first rays of dawn broke through, casting a golden light over the beach.
Breathing heavily, Mariana stumbled back onto the shore, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. But she forced herself to stay upright, her eyes fixed on the spot where the beast had been. The water calmed as if the battle had never taken place.
But it had. And she had won.
Mariana’s gaze shifted to her mother’s still form lying on the sand. With a cry, she rushed to Cybele’s side, falling to her knees and gathering her mother into her arms.
“Mother,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Cybele’s skin was cold, her breathing shallow, and the dark veins still crawled across her body like a poison that refused to relent. Tears welled up in Mariana’s eyes as she cradled her mother’s head, brushing a damp strand of hair away from her face. “Please stay with me. I need you.”
Cybele’s eyes fluttered open, just barely. She looked up at Mariana with a weak but proud smile, lifting a trembling hand to touch her daughter’s cheek. “My brave daughter,” she murmured, her voice so soft, it was almost lost to the sound of the waves. “You’ve become everything I always knew you could be.”
Mariana shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “We’ll find a way to heal you. We’ll—”
“I love you, Mari,” Cybele whispered, her eyes bright with tears in the rising sun.
“I love you,” Mariana whispered back, clutching her mother’s head to her chest. “Please don’t go. Please don’t leave me,” she whimpered. But Cybele’s hand slipped from Mariana’s face, her eyes closing as a peaceful expression settled over her features.The last of her strength faded, and her body went still in Mariana’s arms.
