Page 78 of When the Wicked Sing
The only one you can trust is King Stavros. I expected to hate him, but when he found me in this library, I could see just how heartbroken he is, even after all this time. He truly loved our mother, and I believe withhis help, we can restore Sirenia to its former glory. Stavros doesn’t want to see us suffer anymore. He only wants his son back. And he wants to meet you. His daughter shared with his lost love.
Something I found interesting that Stavros revealed to me was that Helios had been courting Zafiria before he died. I asked the king if he truly believed that Cybele killed his only son, for even I don’t believe it, and I only saw the remorse in his eyes. After so many years contemplating the past, the king believes Zafiria was truly the one who killed Helios, and Cybele took the blame. I cannot understand why Zafiria would have killed him. Maybe a lover’s quarrel? But I know for certain that there is more going on than they’re telling us.
This leads me to my next secret, the one Halia discovered, which was what forced you here.
Halia approached me one day, demanding to know the identity of “the daughter of the sea and the sky,” claiming they were the only siren who could unlock the amulet. I knew instantly she meant you, but I tried to stay quiet. I have no idea where she got that information from, but there are spies everywhere. Someone must have been listening to me ramble—you know I have a tendency to read out loud.
Within the book where you found this letter is information about Seraphina’s amulet. It reveals how Seraphina was birthed from the heavens and reborn within the sea. Thus, only a daughter of both the sea and sky can activate or silence the amulet’s power. That’s you, Mariana. Your father is from House Sky, and you are a daughter of the sea. Halia was furious when she found out I kept information from her. I thought I was strongenough to keep silent, but when Halia threatened Luna’s life, I felt your name spill from my lips. I’m ashamed, and I’m so sorry. I knew she would send someone after you, and I knew I had to escape her prison as quickly as possible.
I suspected that you would have already been advocating for my rescue when my Guardians arrived back home without me. Yet I knew our mother would not send help. Before I left for Aurelia, I made her swear to me she would not send anyone to rescue me if anything went wrong. I never wanted you or any of our sisters near this place, but the moment I said your name to Halia, I knew I had failed you. That is my burden to bear.
And now that I have the location of the amulet, I can only pray that the Goddess will guide you to this letter. The secrets I’ve held can save your life. Consider the information wisely. And dispose of this letter the moment you read it.
I wish I had more time, but the king has a plan to get me out of here and to Sirenia so I can secure the amulet for you. That is where I’m headed and where you must go next. If what this book says is correct, then the amulet was hidden by our ancestors within Seraphina’s statue at the center of Sirenia. When you arrive, I’ll have the amulet ready for you, and we can reunite amongst the ashes of our fallen sisters. Together, we will light the way to a bright future for our people.
Be safe on your journey, sister. I love you.
Astra
Mariana read Astra’s letter three times before throwing it into one of the many fireplaces Ophelia had requested to remain lit. It had probably been to keep an eye on her, but Mariana neversaw the servants who kept adding wood to the fires. They came and went like ghosts.
She watched the pages burn into ash within seconds, and her heart finally felt free. Then the hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she knew someone was watching her. Turning quickly, she found the same turquoise eyes as her own staring at her. Eyes that belonged to none other than King Stavros.
Chapter 42
“It’syou,”Marianawhispered.
King Stavros stood tall, his rich brown skin contrasted by an open white fur-lined surcoat, revealing a cobalt tunic embellished with gold thread. His long black hair stopped at his broad shoulders, where it was brushed back beneath a gold crown that glinted under the chandeliers.
He was every bit as intimidating as Mariana could’ve imagined. And yet, as she continued to stare at him with wide eyes, she noticed he was doing the same. He hadn’t expected to find her here.
“I—uh—” She stumbled over her words until she cleared her throat. “How did you do that? I didn’t hear you come in at all.”
The question seemed to pull Stavros from his confused stupor, and he regarded her carefully. “I can manipulate the air around me, making myself as silent as a mouse when I want to go somewhere in peace without watchful eyes,” he stated softly, his voice deep and soothing.
His words rippled through her as she considered what Astra had said in her letter.
Your father is from House Sky, and you are a daughter of the sea.
Mariana took a steady breath, realizing she was standing in front of her father and that there was the possibility that she had more magic than she even knew about. She thought of the incident with the papers floating to the floor, the curtains billowing from an imaginary wind after her meltdown. Had she done that?
The questions began to build in her mind, swirling and threatening to spill over.
“Are you alright?” Stavros asked, stepping forward and reaching out a hand to steady her. She hadn’t noticed the ground tilting toward her.
Mariana shook her head to clear her troubled mind, then glanced at the hand on her arm, following it up to the eyes she’d known her whole life, though they belonged to someone else.
“You look unwell, child. Let’s sit.” The king guided her toward the seating area at the back of the library. Mariana sat on an ivory silk sofa while he took the chair beside it, staring at his hands. She wondered what he saw.
He glanced up. “You are Mariana?” he asked with a hint of wonder.
Nodding, she averted her gaze, trying and failing to come up with the right thing to say. In the awkward silence, she said, “You look different than you did in the painting.”
King Stavros’s brows lowered in confusion, and she realized he had no idea what she was referring to.
“The painting of you and my mother in the foyer,” she supplied.
The king’s lips twitched. “How did I look?”
