Page 50 of When the Wicked Sing (The Leruna Sea #1)

Mariana leapt into her sister’s arms, smiling wide.

“Rora! What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“No fortress could keep me from getting to you,” Aurora mumbled into Mariana’s hair.

“Besides,” she said as she pulled back, both of them gripping each other, “after centuries of sneaking into the palace, I knew my way in.” Aurora winked at her, and Mariana squeezed her arms covered in black silky fabric.

“Did Cybele tell you where to find me?”

Aurora’s bright eyes dimmed, and her smile faded. She shook her head, her braid falling forward from her hood. “No, the witch finally told me what happened,” she said. “I can’t believe they made you go back. And that Cybele bound you in fae form. It’s just … cruel.”

Mariana wanted to agree. Wanted to condemn her mother for doing anything so awful to someone she claimed to love and care about. Instead, after everything Astra had revealed in her letter, she found herself saying, “I think I understand why she did it. ”

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the bookcase she’d been searching through before she found Astra’s letter.

“Astra’s gone,” she said softly.

“What?” Aurora’s face was scrunched in disbelief. “How? Where is she?”

“I think you know where,” Mariana offered softly. Aurora nodded in understanding. “Astra left me a letter. I already burned it, but it said—” She took a deep, steadying breath and met her sister’s golden eyes. “It said my father is King Stavros.”

Aurora blinked, her jaw dropping slightly. “That explains so much …” she muttered, pulling her hands from Mariana to cross her arms. She began to pace.

“Did you know Cybele and Stavros were lovers before the banishment?”

Aurora tilted her head. “I mean … When this place was built,” she said, gesturing to the whole wing the king had built for her—for them, “I suspected so, but I never saw them together. They usually regarded each other like they hardly knew one another. Now I realize it was all an act.”

“Yeah,” Mariana muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. She told Aurora the rest of what Astra’s letter had revealed.

Finally, Aurora stopped pacing. “So, Halia and the king want the amulet?”

“Yes.”

“Then we need to leave—now. You know where Astra went, and we can keep it from them—”

Mariana held up her hands. “Wait, it’s not that easy anymore. I can’t swim anywhere, I have no tail! ”

Aurora shook her head. “We’ll find a way. We have to get to Astra. Hopefully, she’s found the amulet and we can get it back to Salus before—” She stopped, her eyes falling as her lips thinned into a grim line.

Mariana’s eyebrows lowered. “Before what? Rora?”

“Before Cybele dies.”

The way she spoke sent chills down Mariana’s body.

“The fallout is killing her,” Mariana murmured, releasing a heavy sigh.

Her sister nodded. “The witch says the only way to save her is with the amulet’s power. But we have to move fast, she doesn’t have much time left, and Luna—” Aurora sighed and shook her head.

Mariana’s chest tightened. “What about Luna?”

Aurora swallowed, unable to meet her eyes.

“She’s not the same. She’s … changing.” Her gaze lifted toward Mariana, who inspected the way her brows were tight, her mouth taut.

“I don’t know what’s going on with her. She’s acting out, talking about revenge if you don’t bring Astra back or the amulet.

She’s even been staying in the caves with the cursed. ”

Mariana released a shaky breath. “She’s probably seeking solace from the only place that can give it.”

“Maybe.” Aurora bit her lip. “With how close she’s gotten to the witch, I fear what she might do.”

Lifting her hands, Mariana scrubbed her face and sighed deeply.

This wasn’t good. None of it was good. Astra would never have let Luna take part in the Scourge, but now that her mother was missing, she was scared, alone.

Luna had struggled to find her place in Salus, always believing it was beside her mother, but now that she didn’t have Astra anymore, there was a hole in her life.

One she was desperate to fill, no doubt.

Without the positive influence of Cybele, Aurora, or Mariana in her life, the only person she would feel comfortable turning to was the Siren Witch.

“There’s one more thing I have to tell you,” Aurora said softly, making Mariana go still, halting her hurricane of thoughts. “Cybele declared—”

“Put your hands up! Now!” a deep male voice shouted.

Mariana and Aurora both turned to see Kosta pointing a loaded crossbow at her sister. Dax stood behind him, staring at Aurora in shock.

In the blink of an eye, Aurora slid across the polished floor and tripped Kosta. His back hit the floor. Lifting the crossbow into her hands, she pointed the loaded weapon at his throat. She grinned down at him, her knee resting on his chest.

He sneered up at her and tried lunging for the crossbow, but she kept it just out of reach.

Aurora tsked and shook her head. “Sorry, hot stuff, I always have to be on top.”

In the chaos, Dax slipped over to Mariana.

“Are you okay?” he asked, placing his hands on her cheeks. She was so shocked—and strangely relieved—to see him, it took her a moment to pull away.

Aurora pointed the crossbow at Dax. “Step away from my queen!”

Mariana’s head whipped toward her sister.

What did she just say?

Her throat closed, and her vision wavered.

Cybele had declared Mariana queen.