Page 75 of When the Wicked Sing (The Leruna Sea #1)

“It pains me to hear you say that, Mariana. I admit, the ways in which I went about acquiring the amulet were unsavory, but it had to be done. I don’t regret it.

And I want you to understand that.” The witch turned away, heading back toward the dark, churning sea just as her two beasts rose from the waves holding—

“Mother!” Mariana shouted and ran toward Cybele as they threw her unconscious body onto the sand. Her crown rolled from her head, landing near the witch’s feet.

Chuckling, the Siren Witch picked up the crown. She held it in her hands, staring at it for a long moment, while Mariana lifted her mother into her arms.

She was so pale. Dark veins sprawled from her chest, up her arms, into her face, causing Mariana to fear the worst. Settling a shaking hand against Cybele’s throat, she felt a pulse. Weak, but there.

“You could be so much more than she ever was,” the witch sighed.

Mariana met her gaze, hatred radiating from her toward the one who had betrayed them.

“I wish it didn’t have to be this way, Mari.

Please, don’t make this mistake.” She held the crown out toward Mariana, who flinched away, gripping Cybele harder.

“Take the crown, Mari. Take the crown, and let’s change the fate of our sisters forever. Let’s bring them home together.”

Mariana shook her head, her wet hair whipping her neck against the raging wind and rain. “You’ll never understand. That is not my crown. And you are not my family. I will never go anywhere with you because all you do is leave chaos and heartbreak behind wherever you go.”

A corner of the witch’s mouth tilted, and she let the crown drop from her fingers into the sand. “Well.” She cleared her throat and straightened her dress before lightly clasping her hands before her. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but you’ve given me no choice.”

The amulet hanging at her chest began to glow a frightening shade of red, pulsing black and white. Mariana struggled to breathe as she watched waves on the beach start to thrash violently, as though some creature was surging up from within.

The witch gave her a remorseful stare, one that Mariana almost believed was real.

Even the tears in the witch’s eyes seemed genuine as she spoke.

“I love you, little one. I have and always will. And because of that, I will give you the honor of a warrior’s death.

May your soul find peace with your choice in the end. ”

Without another word, the witch and her creatures walked into the water, disappearing beneath the waves.

Mariana stared ahead in complete shock. Something was coming. All the hair on her neck and arms stood on end. She had to move quickly. Grunting, Mariana pulled her mother up the beach.

“I’ll protect you,” she whispered before kissing her cold forehead.

The sound of someone gasping startled Mariana. Looking up, she saw a group of mortals glancing between her and the violent sea with wide, frightened eyes.

Then a roar gurgled up from the waves that was so loud, it shook the ground.

“What are you doing?! Run!” she shouted at the men and women standing there. They all quickly fled toward the center of the village just as something large and wet slammed onto the ground beside her.

Holding back a gasp, Mariana stared up into the hungry eyes of a beast that could have only come from nightmares.

“Oh, Gods,” she breathed before it slammed a large fin into her side, sending her careening into the waves.

Gasping back the pain, she quickly stood and shoved the sea back, away from her.

The beast reared its head and let out a piercing scream through a jaw of razor-sharp teeth.

Mariana clutched her ears against the sound. Lightning flashed above them, revealing the beast in its entirety.

The dark shimmering scales rippled over a muscular body the size of a house.

It stood on four legs that ended in long, sharp claws that dug into the sand.

Its short but powerful tail swung back and forth behind it.

And its eyes peered at her with such malicious hunger that Mariana couldn’t stop herself from shaking .

Mariana barely had time to react as the beast lunged.

She threw up a wall of water with a desperate wave of her hand, the waves crashing into the creature’s snout with a force that sent it staggering back.

But it was only momentarily dazed; it quickly recovered, shaking off the water like a dog shaking off rain, and fixed its piercing eyes on her again.

“Shit,” she muttered and ran up the beach.

With a leap and a swipe of its claws, it slashed at her back, sending her falling face down into the sand with a scream.

Gasping and choking, she moaned against the pain, feeling blood leak down her back and her legs, mixing with the wet, dripping paint sticking to her skin.

Mariana’s heart pounded in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. She couldn’t let fear paralyze her—not now, not with her mother’s life hanging by a thread.

The beast circled her, snarling, its claws sinking deep into the wet sand. It wanted her to run again, clearly enjoying the chase. The chase, she wouldn’t let it have.

Summoning all the strength she could muster, Mariana stood, then raised her hands high above her head. Her body hummed with energy that sped up her heart, and she smiled as the sea answered her call.

A towering wave surged up from behind the beast, curling inward like the maw of a leviathan.

Mariana clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she sent the wave crashing down, slamming the beast into the sand with the weight of a mountain.

For a moment, it seemed the creature would be crushed under the sheer force of the water, but then it rose from the deluge with a thunderous roar, eyes blazing with fury .

Mariana’s breath caught in her throat. The beast was relentless, its hunger insatiable, and it was clear that it wouldn’t stop until she was dead. But she was not defenseless. Not now, not ever.

The creature lunged again, its jaws wide open, but Mariana was ready.

With a sharp gesture, she called forth a current from the depths, wrapping it around the beast like a vice.

The water coiled around its legs, pulling it off-balance, and Mariana used the momentum to shove the creature back toward the sea.

The beast resisted, claws digging furrows into the sand as it tried to keep its footing.

But Mariana’s determination was stronger.

She poured every ounce of her will into the sea, commanding it to reclaim the monster that had dared to defy her.

With a final, desperate push, the beast was dragged back into the churning waves.

But it wasn’t enough. Mariana knew she had to end this here, now, before the beast could break free again.

As the creature struggled against the undertow, Mariana reached up toward the sky, calling on the storm that raged above.

The clouds churned in response, dark and furious, and the air crackled with the promise of lightning.

She thrust her hand down toward the beast, and the sky answered with a bolt of lightning that split the heavens.

The strike hit the water with a deafening crack, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still.

The sea glowed with an eerie light, and the beast let out one last anguished roar before it was engulfed in a vortex of lightning and waves.

The sea swallowed the creature whole, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm began to dissipate. The clouds parted, and the first rays of dawn broke through, casting a golden light over the beach.

Breathing heavily, Mariana stumbled back onto the shore, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. But she forced herself to stay upright, her eyes fixed on the spot where the beast had been. The water calmed as if the battle had never taken place.

But it had. And she had won.

Mariana’s gaze shifted to her mother’s still form lying on the sand. With a cry, she rushed to Cybele’s side, falling to her knees and gathering her mother into her arms.

“Mother,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

Cybele’s skin was cold, her breathing shallow, and the dark veins still crawled across her body like a poison that refused to relent.

Tears welled up in Mariana’s eyes as she cradled her mother’s head, brushing a damp strand of hair away from her face. “Please stay with me. I need you.”

Cybele’s eyes fluttered open, just barely.

She looked up at Mariana with a weak but proud smile, lifting a trembling hand to touch her daughter’s cheek.

“My brave daughter,” she murmured, her voice so soft, it was almost lost to the sound of the waves.

“You’ve become everything I always knew you could be. ”

Mariana shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “We’ll find a way to heal you. We’ll—”

“I love you, Mari,” Cybele whispered, her eyes bright with tears in the rising sun.

“I love you,” Mariana whispered back, clutching her mother’s head to her chest. “Please don’t go.

Please don’t leave me,” she whimpered. But Cybele’s hand slipped from Mariana’s face, her eyes closing as a peaceful expression settled over her features.

The last of her strength faded, and her body went still in Mariana’s arms.

“No,” Mariana choked out, holding her mother close as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. The sun continued its ascent, bathing the world in light, but all Mariana could feel was the darkness closing in around her.

“Come back. Please don’t leave me,” she croaked, feeling the pain of everyone she’d lost smother her, drowning her in grief.

She stayed there on the sand, crying, cradling her mother as the waves gently lapped at their feet, the sea now calm and serene.

“Amphitrite, hear my plea, hear my wish, and guide my mother safely to the end. Guide her to a peaceful place where she can be happy, where she can bask in the sun without fear.” Mariana pulled back, brushing her mother’s hair away from her face, and sniffed.

“Let her soul be free to wander the sea and give me the courage to do what must be done.”

A cold, ethereal hand caressed Mariana’s face, and she closed her eyes, leaning into the gentle touch before it slowly disappeared.

Opening her eyes, Mariana stared out over the horizon at the Leruna Sea. The sun rose steadily into the sky, bright and unyielding, just as she would be.

With a deep breath, Mariana wiped her tears, kissed her mother’s forehead one last time, and slowly rose to her feet.

A glint of light caught her eye, and she glanced at the diamond-spiked crown still lying half-buried in the sand where the witch had dropped it.

She slowly walked toward it and picked it up, feeling the weight of its history, its legacy, and the responsibility that it represented.

She hated it even more now. And yet, she couldn’t get herself to destroy it. No. She knew where it belonged, and it wasn’t on her head.

With one last look at the horizon, Mariana made a vow to her mother, to Astra, and to Celeste.

No matter what happened, no matter the cost, the witch would die by her hand.