Page 71 of When the Wicked Sing (The Leruna Sea #1)
Mariana stared at her former teacher, friend, and kin with dread.
The Siren Witch’s long legs faded from pale white to midnight black, as though her feet were made of pure darkness.
Her scales shimmered like black diamonds under the lights, where her silky dress exposed her knees and arms. The sleeves billowed out from her elbows like claws dragging along the marble floor.
She was as thin as a skeleton, with skin as fresh as a newborn but with the beauty of a black rose.
The air around her stirred with a sinister energy.
The Siren Witch smiled at her, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.
“Mariana, my dear. Oh, how I’ve missed you,” she said with welcoming arms spread wide as though she expected her to step close for a hug.
Instead, Mariana instinctively stepped back.
The witch’s arms drooped slightly. “Come now, there’s nothing to be frightened of. It’s time to come home.”
“Home?” Mariana murmured hesitantly, her heart drumming in her ears.
“Yes.” The witch gave her the look of a proud mother .
Mariana’s gaze lingered on the beautiful, glowing amulet resting against her pale chest, then her eyes drifted to the fae beside her. Halia had the nerve to appear ambivalent beneath her stone-cold facade.
“You did this.” Her words were so soft, she could barely fathom how Halia heard her.
The queen cleared her throat and looked away. “I did what had to be done—”
“What had to be done? ” she shouted. Halia blinked at her in shock. “You hired the witch to kill your father just to take the throne, am I right?”
“Keep your voice down,” Halia replied in a deadly tone, her expression tightening.
“I know it’s true. Your people know it’s true. And you tricked me into signing Sirenia’s independence away when you had already given the amulet to the witch!” Mariana’s pulse began to race as her rage boiled within her.
“My people will rejoice when they hear of what I’ve accomplished. They will parade in the streets when they hear that I made this righteous kingdom into an empire! I will live on forever as the savior of our people because I did what only a great ruler would do!”
“You’re blind if you think the choice you made, that choice,” she said, pointing at the amulet around the witch’s neck, “was an accomplishment, because she’s going to come after all of you.”
Halia’s eyes grew wary and darted to the witch, who released an exasperated sigh.
“She’s hysterical. I have no intention of coming after the fae. ”
Mariana shook her head. “You manipulated Astra and me just to get that amulet. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that you’re not going to use that power for revenge?”
“What revenge? Mari, calm down,” the witch crooned gently from where she stood. Mariana still couldn’t believe she had legs. “We can discuss everything once we’re back in Salus. Come with me.” It wasn’t a request.
Mariana glared at her and shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you. For all I know, you’re going to kill me the moment I walk through that portal.”
The witch’s head tilted, brow furrowed, and she gave Mariana a look unlike anything she’d seen on her face before. Sadness. “Now, why would I do that, little one? I’ve always protected you, and I will continue to do so. You’re my family, and I want you by my side.”
Mariana’s heart tugged involuntarily, but she shook her head again. “You’re lying.”
The witch stood straighter. “I am not.”
“What would you possibly want with me?”
The witch’s voice grew firm. “I want you there when we restore Sirenia, when we bring our sisters back home to their rightful place. I want you there when we bring glory to our queendom once again.”
Knocking sounded from the door leading back to the party. “Mari?” she heard Dax call out.
Her head whipped between the door and the witch. “And what about my sisters? My mother? Did you kill Cybele? ”
“Cybele is alive,” she said, the irritation clear in her tone. “If you want to see her again and say your goodbyes, you’ll come with me.”
“What did you do to her?”
“It’s not what I did to her, but what she did to herself. The moment she turned you into a fae, she began to die. The fallout was too great.”
“Mari!” Dax shouted again behind the door, the handle rattling.
“I’m getting sick of your vile lies,” Mariana sneered at the witch.
“And I’m getting sick of your defiance.”
Two figures stepped through the portal behind her, and Mariana’s eyes widened in horror.
A creature unlike anything she’d ever seen stared her down, dripping saltwater. Its eyes were droplets of blood, its mouth a circle of razor-sharp teeth designed for tearing, and its body a motley of corals and seaweed woven tightly together.
“What are you—” Before Mariana could finish, the beast lashed out a long, octopus-like arm, wrapping it around her face and body.
She thrashed violently as it choked her.
Dax’s shouting behind the closed door faded.
Her vision grew hazy. She stared at the witch, who was looking down at her with pity.
“I missed you,” she heard the witch whisper.
Mariana’s eyes drifted shut. The sensation of the witch’s fingers stroking her head gently was the last thing she felt before everything was swallowed by darkness.