Page 21 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)

Lorcan

“What do I need to do?” I asked Beryl.

She didn’t seem surprised by my choice, simply motioning for me to follow her. I could’ve asked Draven to fly me across the abyss, but I’d trusted Beryl this far. I stumbled only once as the floor disappeared and I walked across thin air towards the altar and the crystal. How fucking odd.

Then again, I could literally soar amongst the stars…so this really shouldn’t have shocked me.

“Stand there,” she said, pointing to a spot on the edge of the slab the altar stood on. Up close, the crystal seemed to shimmer inside with gold and black stars, but it probably was reflecting the ceiling. “I assume you’ve learned to draw your siren out while playing?”

“Yes. She pretty willingly comes.”

“Another thing that makes you different. There’s a reason other sirens can’t do that, and it’s not just your chosen artform.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling nervous at the realization that we were about to begin. Was I truly ready to do this? To give up my magic?

“Play and draw her out. You must convince her to go to the crystal and heal it,” she instructed.

Beryl wasn’t purposefully trying to rush me, I knew that, but the way that she stated things so matter-of-factly, if not slightly detached, had me feeling that way.

Inhaling slowly, I tried to calm myself down, and I could feel through my bonds that my men were trying to comfort me.

Closing my eyes, I brought my violin up and drew the bow across the strings.

Almost instantly, my eyes stung, turning hot with emotion.

Not because I didn’t want to do this, but because I could feel how ready and eager my siren was.

Even if I hadn’t realized this was her purpose, it was clear that she had.

As I began to play my slow, intense song, my eyes opened and I found myself face to face with her.

My siren was beautiful. Her skin was a pale blue, and she sparkled with stars as she floated in the air, her toes barely skimming the floor. I smiled at her, unable to stop the tears that sprang from my eyes at her pure joy. It was in that moment I recognized the truth:

My siren magic had never been mine to keep. She was always meant to be music.

I would mourn the loss of our connection when I lost her during the battle, but I knew this was the answer.

The way forward. As the melody grew, I didn’t have to instruct her.

My siren spun on her toes and floated toward the crystal.

It was a soft draw away from me, and I didn’t feel as though my power was being ripped from me—not like in the past. No, I knew what that felt like.

I was choosing this.

The choice hurt, caused grief to swell inside me, but I understood what had to be done. I would give up the symphony inside me if it meant the continuation of our universe.

My siren’s starlit fingers reached forward and skimmed the crystal, and its off-tune imitation of my song immediately came to a stop. I gasped, inhaling sharply as the world around me spun.

Unlike the other composition fragments, I wasn’t hit with a singular emotion, but all of them at once. The music changed as my fingers began to move in rapid motion across the violin, my eyes fluttering in response.

Pain flashed before my eyes—sorrow, rejection, grief, agony—tinging my vision in a haze of blue.

My siren wept, and I realized in that moment how many of the building blocks of my personality, my identity, existed because of pain.

I had been someone before I’d come of age and received my powers, but when I did, I’d changed.

I’d felt bound and voiceless, like I was screaming underwater.

That pain had created the woman I now was, and my siren had become my shield, my protector.

But I had grown stronger.

I no longer needed her to protect me. I knew who I was as a person, even if I was still growing, still discovering and redefining who that was.

The song morphed into a movement of yellow that slowed everything down—joy, happiness, comfort dancing through my head and making my chest squeeze with delight.

The freedom of realizing my identity, of being able to express true desire toward my men and not a reflection of what they wanted; the realization that I could feel love and that I wasn’t destined to be alone…

The joy soared through me, the music feeding my emotion.

But during a lull, a sliver of doubt creeped in. After everything I’d been through, would I still be worthy of that love? Without the suffering that had made the joy so much sweeter, would I still feel like me? Could I still claim that joy as my own?

Then a new twist filled the air, a tune not filled with sorrow or joy, but with truth. Tears leaked down my face as the reality of the situation settled in my chest.

My siren was always meant for more—my magic was always meant for more.

The song—this weapon—was never mine to keep.

It was mine to give.

My eyes snapped open, and I watched my siren shimmer and dive into the crystal that now floated right before me.

As the last bit of her was absorbed by the crystal, it slammed into my chest in one hard shove.

I hissed, warmth echoing through me as something settled within me. Something found its home there.

A temporary home—a shelter until it needed to be used.

My vision was blurry, and the song, the true composition, echoed in my ears in an epic symphony. The bow snapped as I fell to the ground, but my violin was safely cradled against my chest.

I could feel the room around me shift and change, but all I could focus on was Beryl. Kneeling before me, she cupped my cheek with one hand and spoke softly. “If you win the war, you will live. But you will never travel the stars again as a siren.”

Then she disintegrated like dust in the wind, melting back into the universe. A clatter on the floor made me turn my head. A bow that matched my violin perfectly, sat on the ground next to me, a gift from my grandmother.

Picking it up with shaky fingers, I clutched it and my violin to my chest as hope filtered through me.

I felt transformed, stronger than ever, and not because of my power but because of the choice I’d made.

Never before had I felt so sure and in control of my destiny, even if it meant a great sacrifice.

As my body gave out, my name echoing through the room, a smile tugged on my lips. I could still feel my men through our bond.