Page 62 of When the Wicked Sing
Her breath caught at its magnificence.
Its walls were illuminated from the ground up, making it appear taller and more massive. In contrast to the darkness, its presence was striking. Eminence and power radiated from it like it was made to house the gods. Perhaps it was a tribute built for them, a temple, in case they ever decided to visit the world they’d left behind.
Astra was in there. It was still far, so far away. And yet Mariana felt the impending force of what was to come strike the breath from her lungs.
She tried focusing on her sister. She could already feel Astra’s willowy arms wrapping around her, embracing her in love.
Mariana’s throat tightened, and she couldn’t fight the few tears that escaped her closed eyes. She missed Astra more than she could ever explain, and all she wanted was to make sure her sister got to hold her daughter again. Luna would be over the moon; her smile would brighten their dark world. That was all Mariana wanted. But it was only the first step.
Seraphina’s amulet had to be found and kept safe from the fae king. There was no way Prince Helios could return; war would destroy the last of her sisters, and with so few left, she feared their existence would be wiped from the world. As soon as the amulet was hidden within the walls of Salus, Mariana could breathe, and the council could form a plan.
The impressive fortress imprisoning her beloved sister beckoned, its impenetrable white walls and guarded towers taunting her. She gazed at the spires that reached so high into the sky that the tips brushed the dark clouds. She stared at themassive illuminated dam separating the palace from the city. It was difficult to gauge how tall it was, but she assumed it was more than a ten-story drop to the canal below that fed into the sea. Two massive sewer drains spewed water waste into the waves where the sea met the cliffs. Mariana shook her head at the disrespectful contamination.
“You alright?” Dax asked from behind her.
She swallowed and nodded, keeping her gaze steady on the palace until it disappeared behind the forest as they descended a hill.
“One hundred and twenty-two,” she whispered. She licked her chapped lips, her voice was strained when she said, “That’s how many sirens are left in the world. More than half of them cursed murderers.” She lifted a shoulder. “But they’re all my sisters. They’re all I have left.”
Dax must’ve known how difficult this was for her, for he stayed silent behind her, listening intently rather than interrupting her thoughts.
“I don’t even know if there will be anyone left by the time I’m supposed to—” Her voice cracked, and she gulped down the fear attached to the words she’d almost spoken.
—by the time I’m supposed to become their queen.
“There hasn’t been a youngling born in Salus since I was born.” She shook her head at the absurdity of that statement. She was the youngest siren alive.
And it was her destiny to save them all.
“I have to save her,” she murmured. “I have to save Astra and bring her home.”
Dax tightened his arm around her, and she held onto it as she rested her head against his shoulder. Her eyes closed, accepting the weight of exhaustion and stress.
Dax stayed silent. He just pulled her closer and didn’t let go.
Chapter 33
Aurorasqueezedthespongeinto a jar, and she watched the gray, shimmering oil drip to the bottom of the glass. She pulled her hand out of the thick, kelp top that trapped the oil in the jar. The sponge immediately refilled with saltwater, and Aurora went back to wiping the queen’s forehead. With each wipe, more oil appeared, beading along her mother’s face.
Aurora sighed, the sound mingling with the soft clink of her gold bracelets as she worked.
It appeared to be tainted magic leaking from the queen’s pores, but Aurora had no idea why. What had her mother done to suffer such a heavy backlash of fallout? She’d have asked Cybele herself, but the queen had remained unconscious since whatever had happened.
She repeated her movements. Swipe, squeeze, swipe … But nothing she did made it any better. Tainted magic was toxic to those who breathed it in. It had to be constantly maintained until the fallout receded.
Three sirens entered the queen’s chambers, and Aurora handed the task to Malea before noting the other two in the room.
Aurora glanced between the Siren Witch and Luna. Both claimed to have no idea what had happened to Cybele, which Aurora hardly believed. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them; it was that their family loved keeping secrets like they were diamonds to hoard.
“How is she?” the witch asked softly, her posture stiff and hands clasped tightly together as she gazed at the queen’s still form. She looked worried, an emotion Aurora hadn’t realized the witch even possessed.
Clearing her throat, Aurora crossed her arms. “Still hasn’t woken up.Whateverhappened to her is taking its toll,” she said with an insinuating lift of her brow, which the witch ignored.
“Will she survive?” Luna asked with her arms wrapped around herself.
“She will, if by some miracle, we can secure the amulet. We must hope that wherever Mariana is now, she brings it back to us.” The witch approached Cybele and squeezed her wrist tightly before moving back toward the door. “Keep me updated,” she said to Aurora over her shoulder, then left.
Aurora scrubbed her face with her hands, frustrated with … well, everything.
