Page 97 of When the Wicked Sing
“Attack,” Astra gasped between sobs. “I was attacked.”
“By whom?” Aurora demanded in a stern voice, contrasting the gentle movements of her hand against Astra’s now gray hair.
Astra shook her head again, keeping her eyes shut. It was almost as though she couldn’t believe it herself, couldn’t bring herself to say the name aloud.
“We have to get her out of here,” Mariana said to Aurora, who gave her a grim nod.
Something was terribly wrong with Astra, and if the person who attacked her was still around, they needed to act fast.
Mariana and Aurora began to stand, lifting Astra, when she gasped, her eyes wide with pain. She let out a scream, causing her sisters to quickly and gently set her back down.
“Stop! I can’t, I can’t—” Astra sobbed. Squeezing Mariana’s hand, she looked up at her with so much heartbreak in her eyes that Mariana felt like her whole body was drowning in quicksand, a never-ending feeling of hopelessness and fear.
“Mari, you have to get the amulet,” Astra said in a breathy whisper. “You have to protect it.”
“Astra, I think it’s best if it stays where it is. We have to get you help—”You’re dying, Mariana almost said. Clearing her throat, she tried to smile. “Don’t you want to see Luna?”
“The amulet,” Astra muttered, her eyes fluttering as she fought to stay conscious. “You have to keep it away from her.” She must’ve been talking about Halia, who was already on her way here.
The pleading look in her sister’s eyes made Mariana release a long sigh. She felt the amulet was better off where it was but knew it might be the only way to save Astra and Cybele.
“Okay,” she said softly. “Where is it?”
Astra lifted a shaky hand and pointed a bony finger at a dark tunnel across the ruined temple. “With Seraphina.”
Mariana stood up and glanced at Aurora. “I’ll be right back.”
“Be safe,” Aurora replied, her voice heavy with worry.
After giving her sister a small nod, Mariana approached the tunnel. A gentle breeze greeted her, carrying the musty scent of age and decay, welcoming her into the abyss.
Taking a deep breath, she descended into the pitch-black passageway. She dragged her fingers along the wall to steady herself, to keep from tripping over vines and rubble. As she moved deeper, a pale light came into view. The tunnel opened into a massive room with a half-empty pool at its center. Peeking over the ledge, she could see half the stone ceiling lying in shambles at the bottom of the crystal-clear water. She couldn’t fathom how it managed to stay clean, but as her gaze lifted, she caught sight of a statue at the center of the pool. A statue of Seraphina.
“Wilted hearts spring anew when the stars sing their song over the sea. Listen.” Mariana’s eyes widened. It was not a statue. “High tides wash away scarlet tears staining the forgotten. The crimson sea roars, glittering and gasping as it retreats.” The ethereal sound of the voice was so familiar that Mariana’s jaw dropped as she recognized the words.
“Luminaries sing bright like the sun under the cunning moon, guiding the way. Follow carefully,” Mariana murmured, finishing the riddle. “It was you,” she breathed, staring into the eyes of Seraphina.
Chapter 53
Seraphinasmiledanddippedher head in agreement. “Come here, my dear.”
Mariana glanced at the pool before she sat down at the ledge, pulled the dreadful boots off her feet, and plunged into the cold water. It was deeper than she expected. Surfacing, she pushed her hair back from her face and began climbing the short altar. As she reached the top, she stood and stared at the spirit of the first siren.
Seraphina smiled at her. “I know you have many questions. Please, ask them.”
“You were the one in my dreams, you led me here, to Sirenia.” She could hardly believe it. An angel, the first siren, was leading her to the amulet.
“Yes.”
“Why couldn’t you simply tell me where to go?”
“If I did, you wouldn’t have gone on the journey you were meant to travel and find those you were destined to meet. I cannot interfere with fate, though I do like to think I can help others guide you along the way to where you must go.”
“And were you the one who sang to me when I was a youngling? Were you the voice coming from the sky?”
The spirit shook her head. “No, your power called to you until it seemed you would not accept it. The day you became an adult, it ceased. Your mother helped you find it once again.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Mariana drawled.
