Page 73 of When the Wicked Sing (The Leruna Sea #1)

The scent of warm honey, herbs, and dust woke Mariana.

Blinking back her bleary gaze, she realized she was inside Celeste’s cabin. The familiar, cozy scent conflicted with the instant, twinging pain in her chest.

Lifting her head with a groan, she sat up in the bed and squinted through the darkness.

“What is this place?” the witch asked from the kitchen area, staring at the dried herbs hanging along the wall.

“What …” Mariana started, her mind clouded. “How did we get here?”

With an amused smile, the witch inspected the cabin. “You had it in your mind.”

Shaking her head, Mariana swung her legs down to the floor. “Wait … my mind?”

“Yes,” the witch said casually. “The amulet has a plethora of power. When you were unconscious, I could hear your mind calling out. When I saw this cabin in your mind, I brought you here. I wanted to understand what tethered you to this … place.” He r fingers brushed along a dusty shelf, and she frowned in distaste.

“And some mortal that doesn’t seem to be here. ”

“Celeste,” Mariana said softly, her throat tightening.

The witch sat down in Celeste’s chair, the one she’d been sitting in the last time Mariana saw her … before …

“Strange that you would cling to something so beneath you, Mariana.” The witch met her turbulent gaze. “Who was she?”

“Don’t you dare speak about her like that. She was more of a mother to me than anyone.” Her voice broke slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “You—You killed her!”

“Killed her?” The Siren Witch scoffed lightly, her smile cold and condescending.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mariana. This mortal’s death wasn’t my doing.

You’re letting your grief cloud your mind.

She was nothing”—she waved her hand dismissively, her tone darkening—“but a mortal who coddled you, made you weak.”

“You. Killed. Her.” Mariana ground out each word through clenched teeth as she fought to stay calm.

The witch’s eyes narrowed, sending chills down Mariana’s spine. She sighed heavily. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, little one. I’ve never been here before. I’ve never seen this ‘Celeste,’ and I certainly have never sent any of my lovelies to this place. You have my word.”

“Your word clearly means nothing.”

“Oh, because I have this?” She lifted the amulet and gazed at it fondly. “I did what I had to do. With the amulet, we can save our people.”

“And what about Astra? ”

Letting the amulet go, the witch sighed as though she was bored. “Yes … that was unfortunate.”

“Un-unfortunate?” Mariana stuttered.

“She didn’t want to work with me.” The witch shrugged nonchalantly. “She never would, so I did what I had to do. But I know we will achieve greatness, Mari. You and I, together, we can change everything .”

“There is no ‘you and I.’ You’ve manipulated me, lied to me, and hurt the people I care about most in this world! All so you could trick me into getting that damn amulet for you!”

The witch winced and shook her head. “No, I simply nudged you along the way to fulfilling your destiny, little one.”

“Destiny?” Mariana released a harsh laugh.

“Yes.” The witch gazed at her, her expression softening. “Your destiny was written in the waves of the sea and the stars of the sky, the moment you were born, Mariana. You were always going to find the amulet that would lead to our people’s salvation.”

“Astra found the amulet,” Mariana spat out. “And you killed her for it.”

The witch sighed heavily. “Everything I did was to help you.”

“Help me?” She shook her head, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

“Poisoning Astra did not help me! She didn’t deserve any of this.

None of them did!” As the words spilled from her lips, she remembered something.

“Did you … Did you do something to Astra’s guards?

” The witch said nothing, and Mariana’s fists tightened at her sides.

“It wasn’t sun poisoning. Cybele’s power was still strong when she cast the protection enchantment on their armor.

I watched her do it. It was you. You killed them, didn’t you? ”

A corner of the witch’s mouth lifted. “I knew you were too smart to fall for that.” She shrugged and picked at her claws.

“Yes, I killed them. They were on their way back with information that I wanted to hear first. One of my followers intercepted them, called for me, and they told me Halia had taken Astra. When I kept pushing them for more information … Let’s just say, they had trouble believing my intentions were genuine. ”

“So, you murdered them,” Mariana said in disgust.

The witch’s mouth pinched. “I knew I could get you to go after it if I pushed you to save Astra.”

“You figured out I was the only one who could unlock its power.”

The witch smiled. “I knew the moment Cybele told me she had been impregnated by the fae king, the only male with the power to bring down the sky. The moment I saw you, held you in my arms, I knew you were special. It was only after the Scourge opened my eyes and showed me the way that I realized the true potential of the amulet that only you could unlock. That’s why I encouraged your mother to give you the star sapphire.

” The witch tapped the center of the amulet, where the stone glowed. “I knew one day you would need it.”

Mariana stared at it, thinking about how she’d had the key the whole time. She’d almost lost it once playing in a bed of seaweed. Her mother would’ve lost her mind; the witch … might’ve killed her.

Then she realized something. Her eyes shot up to the witch’s. “How did you convince Cybele to cast the binding spell on me? ”

The witch released a chuckle. “I really should never underestimate you, little one. I’m impressed you figured it out.

Honestly, it all came to me in the moment.

When you were screaming, I believed that the sky power your mother convinced you to deny your whole life had finally overcome you.

It was easy to convince her you had to go back to ensure you didn’t die. ”

“You made it impossible for me not to find the amulet. It wasn’t just about saving Astra anymore. It was about getting home, and I couldn’t do that as a fae.”

“Yes, and if you learned more about your heritage along the way, then so be it.”

Mariana scrutinized her. “You expected me to meet my father?”

“I suspected you would encounter him while you were in the palace. I didn’t realize how much he knew about his daughter’s ‘clandestine affairs.’ ” The witch chuckled, and Mariana’s jaw dropped a touch.

“How?”

The Siren Witch eyed her bracelet. “The shell I’d given you. I could hear you through it.” Mariana lifted the bracelet and found the shell. “Clever trick I learned a while back. Had Luna give one to Astra too, told her it would keep her mother safe.”

Mariana crushed the shell furiously in her hand. “You’re a snake.”

The witch tsked , shaking her head. “You’re looking at this the wrong way, little one.

” Leaning forward, she rested her arms against the table where Mariana and Celeste used to make tea together.

“Your destiny has always been entwined with mine. Everything I did, and everything I will do, is for you. For us. For our people to thrive and survive. Don’t you see?

The fae will never be able to harm us again with your power and my control of the amulet. We’ll be unstoppable.”

She was a monster. A lying, cheating monster.

“Did you enjoy killing Stavros?” Mariana asked in a near whisper.

The witch began to laugh. “How could I not? The male was a walking wraith. I put him out of his misery. That fae should be thanking me. In fact, everyone should be thanking me.”

“So, you killed both son and father.” The witch’s smile faded. Mariana glared at her. “How does it feel? Just as you had hoped?”

The Siren Witch smirked. “I’d say, even better. Stavros had to die anyway. He served no purpose other than darkening those palace hallways.”

Mariana glanced away. The witch was avoiding anything to do with Helios, and Mariana suspected she knew why. “Do you miss him?”

The witch’s cold, black eyes narrowed on her. “Miss who?”

“Your lover, Prince Helios. If you listened to my conversation with King Stavros, then you’re aware I know that you were having an affair with his son.”

With a roll of her eyes, the witch stood, her hands curled into fists.

“Did you enjoy killing him too? Did you enjoy causing all of your sisters to be banished, causing our queendom to fall?” Mariana’s voice rose in volume with each word until she was shouting at the witch. “You did this! You have so much blood on your hands, you’re practically soaked in it! ”

“And I LOVE IT!”

Breathing heavily, the witch chuckled and gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You know, whatever this place is to you, whoever this Celeste was, I think it’s time you finally let her go. Be free of all this … emotion .” She spat the word out like it burned her tongue.

“What? Like you think you’re free of your past?”

The witch gave her a pointed look. “I am, Mari. And I’ll help you be free of the poison this place has inflicted upon you.” The witch nodded toward a shadow in the corner, and suddenly, flames erupted in the kitchen.

Standing, Mariana watched the fire climb the sides of the cabin, scorching everything in its path. Her hands shot up to her mouth.

“What are you doing?” she breathed in horror.

“Helping you rid yourself of this toxic place.” The witch grabbed Mariana’s arm and roughly pulled her toward the cabin’s front door.

“No! NO!” Mariana shouted, tears flooding her eyes as Celeste’s prized plants began to burn, her homemade quilt catching fire along with all her books. “Stop! It’s all I have left of her!”

“It won’t stop, little one. Let it go.”

The witch yanked Mariana out the door and wrapped her arms tightly around Mariana’s chest, trapping her.

Mariana kicked and screamed, but the stabbing pain in her chest just kept growing as the fire consumed Celeste’s cabin.

The place where she had always escaped to, the place she’d felt safe, loved, and appreciated .

Mariana’s chest heaved. She could barely breathe through her sobbing.

“You need to let her go,” the witch whispered into her ear, gripping her wrists tight.

“Stop!” Mariana begged. “Please! Please don’t do this!”

But the flames never stopped, even as it began to rain.

The sky rippled with dark clouds, and thunder growled through the air, followed by bright flashes of lightning.

Mariana screamed for help, but it seemed the villagers knew to stay away.

Through it all, the witch held on, not letting her go until the cabin was nothing but a pile of smoldering ash.

“There.” The witch let her fall to the sand. “Now you’re free. Free from the false sense of safety, free from the poisoned past. It’s time to move forward, Mariana.”

“You’re a monster,” Mariana whispered coldly, her eyes never straying from the ashes of her friend’s home. “How could you do this?”

“Because I love you, little one. I’d do anything for you. That’s why.”

Mariana’s teary eyes shot up to hers. “Love?” She shook her head. “You don’t know what love is. The Scourge and its lies made sure of that when it sank its wicked teeth into your black heart.”

“Lies? You mean truth.” The witch stared at her in disbelief. “I am more powerful than I’ve ever been. I am more awake than I ever was before the Scourge opened my eyes. Don’t you see? You’ll be thanking me for what I did.”

Mariana turned away, wiping her face .

“We’ll start anew, you and me. Together, we’ll rebuild what was lost in Sirenia. And you’ll see, little one, that this is the only way,” the Siren Witch said with so much hope, it made Mariana release a harsh laugh.

She stood on shaky legs. “No,” she muttered. Tears she couldn’t stop streamed down her face, but her voice was steady and filled with resolve. “I’ll never follow you. I’d rather die.”

The silence, followed by a dark, grim sigh from behind her, made fear coat her insides. She slowly glanced over her shoulder. The look in the witch’s eyes sent chills down her spine.