Page 46 of When the Wicked Sing
Grabbing his cloak, Dax motioned toward the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
Spiro tilted their head. “Perhaps you should go put on some dry clothes, hmm? Before you catch an illness even I cannot heal.” The suggestion was more of a command than a request.
Dax bit the inside of his cheek, and Mariana had to hide her smile behind a cough. He hesitated, meeting her gaze.
She gave him a small nod.
Spiro waved a hand. “Go on. We’ll be fine.”
“Alright,” Dax muttered, tugging his coat tighter as he left.
The door closed softly, leaving an unfamiliar stillness behind.
Spiro let out a heavy sigh, their smile faint and brittle. They reached out and gently squeezed Mariana’s hand.
“It’s a binding spell.”
Mariana frowned. “A binding spell?”
Spiro nodded. “The spell took time to take root. Your body rejected it so fiercely, it nearly killed you. I was able to calm the resistance, to help your body relax, accept the transformation, and complete the spell.”
Mariana’s stomach dropped. “Why?”
“It was the only way to save your life. I can still feel your energy, the same way I can feel the forest’s energy. It’s as though the siren within you is caged—present, but hidden away.”
The room suddenly felt smaller, like the walls were inching closer. Mariana clenched her fists against her lap as hope, fragile and dangerous, was kindled in her chest. Her voice cracked when she asked, “Can you undo it?”
Spiro hesitated. Their lips parted, but the words seemed to falter on their tongue. They took a slow, deliberate breath before answering. “It’s an ancient spell, an extremely powerful one. It would have gravely impacted the caster just as much as it did you. May I ask who did this to you?”
Mariana released a shuddering sigh and lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. Her hands gripped the blankets beneath her. “My mother.”
Spiro’s head tilted slightly, expression unreadable. They pulled a nearby stool closer, sitting across from her with calm precision. “Queen Cybele?”
Mariana’s head snapped up, surprise flaring in her wide eyes. “Yes. How did you know?”
“You remind me of her—strong, brave, determined.” Spiro studied her carefully, their gaze both calm and piercing. “Your mother is incredibly skilled and a master of her power. She would have known the consequences of a spell like this on both of you. And yet, she did it anyway.” The question hung in the air, unspoken but impossible to ignore:Why?
Mariana’s expression darkened, her jaw tightening as anger churned beneath the surface. “She betrayed me.”
Spiro leaned forward, their arms resting on their knees. “Why would she do that?”
Mariana averted her gaze, her eyes fixed on the floor. The anger in her chest tangled with something raw and aching. Her voice was a whisper when it finally came. “I don’t know.” She blinked hard, fighting back the sting of tears. “It doesn’t make sense. She … she broke something in me.”
The words hung between them, brittle and sharp as shattered glass. Spiro didn’t push. They waited.
After a long silence, they asked, “Why did you leave the safety of the sea, Mariana?”
The question hit her like a wave, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at them. The answer felt too heavy, too complicated, and yet it burned at the back of her throat, desperate to escape. She swallowed hard, her gaze flickering to the faint light filtering through the curtained window.
“What was so important,” Spiro continued gently, “that you risked your life to come here? Because as far as I know, sirens are still banned from these lands—”
“I had no choice,” Mariana interrupted, her voice breaking. She could so easily blame Dax for dragging her out here, but thetruth was more complicated. Even if Dax hadn’t taken her, she would have come anyway. She knew that.
Spiro’s steady patience seemed to draw the words out of her. “It’s because we’re banned from the fae realm that my sister, Astra, is out here. She wanted to restore peace with the king, and when she didn’t come back …” Mariana’s voice wavered, but she forced herself to continue. “I knew something was wrong. I just wanted to bring her back.”
“You make it sound like you’ve given up,” Spiro said carefully.
Mariana let out a bitter laugh, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Look at me! I’m a siren trapped in a fae body with no power and no way home. I can’t save my sister like this! My own mother threw me out into this realm with nothing but my armor. That’s it! How am I supposed to keep going? There’s no use fighting the truth.”
