Page 108 of When the Wicked Sing
Everything centered around the amulet. Someone desperately wanted it.
Halia would’ve been keeping it close. No doubt she had it around her neck at that very moment, making it nearly impossible to steal without her noticing.
Scrubbing her face with her hands, Mariana sighed. Her mind was tired, and her body was aching. She’d hardly slept over the last week.
Tomorrow morning, after Halia was officially Queen of Aurelia, Mariana would have a meeting with her and the council to discuss the future of Sirenia—and the possession of the amulet.
Glancing back at the gold coffin before it disappeared into the throng of fae, Mariana said a silent goodbye to the father she had never really known and walked away from the window.
As she lay in bed that night, all she could think of was the moment when she hugged her sister goodbye on the beach. They had a plan.
Aurora would protect their mother, and Mariana would return home with the amulet.
There was only one way to get it back.
Tears leaked from Mariana’s eyes, staining the silk pillow as she thought of all that they were about to lose.
Chapter 59
Breathe.Justbreathe.Marianastared at the council, sweat rolling down her spine beneath the stifling dress that had been given to her. It was the color of the sea, and it squeezed her waist so tight, she was sure her ribs were visible through the fabric.
The council room was enormous, at least three times the size of the council room in Salus. It had tall, arching beams of pearly white stone running from the center to the marble walls, all carved with scenes of prosperity and war, as though the two reflected one another.
Halia’s eyes narrowed as she waited.
Mariana cleared her throat. “Council, I come to you today not as the Queen of Sirenia, not as the Queen of the Leruna Sea, but as Mariana, the daughter of Queen Cybele and King Stavros.”
Shocked gasps whispered across the chamber, and Halia sat up straighter in her chair, never taking her searing eyes off Mariana.
“Can she prove that?” she heard one of the council members ask.
“King Stavros was courting Queen Cybele, don’t you remember?” another counselor said in a dramatic whisper that may as well have been a shout.
“Let’s skip over the dramatics, shall we?” Halia interrupted the clamorous crowd and stood, her large gold crown glittering with untamed power. “Queen Mariana, I made precious time in my very busy schedule for you today. Please tell me why that wasn’t a mistake.” Her words were laced with a venomous undertone.
Dropping all pleasantries, Mariana glared at her. “I want my amulet back. The one youstolefrom me. It is an heirloom that belongs to the people of Sirenia.Mypeople.” The council erupted with whispers again, and Mariana raised her voice, keeping her eyes solely on Halia. “I could consider that an act of war. It doesn’t belong to you, and I am willing to make sacrifices to see it returned safely to me.”
“Sacrifices?” Halia chuckled, and the council laughed alongside her.
“Why are we even listening to thisnaiad?” a male with a particularly large nose asked suddenly, and Mariana felt her blood begin to boil.
“I am not a naiad. Call me that again, sir, and I will show you exactly what asirencan do,” she spat out.
“She threatened me! She threatened me!” he shouted hysterically.
Halia rolled her eyes and sat back down. “Oh, hush, Silvester, there isn’t a day that goes by where you aren’t threatened.Queen Mariana, what exactly are you willing to sacrifice for the amulet?”
Standing straighter with her hands firmly locked behind her back to keep from strangling Silvester, Mariana said, “My right to the Aurelian throne and …” She took a steadying breath. “Sirenia’s independence.”
The chamber went silent.
Halia leaned forward. “Excuse me. I must’ve misheard you, Queen Mariana, but are you saying you wish to abdicate to Aurelia?”
Mariana felt every muscle in her body grow taut as the corner of Halia’s mouth lifted.
“In exchange for the amulet, Sirenia will merge with Aurelia, growing it into an empire, and you will become Empress Halia.”
As the council began discussing the proposal’s logistics among themselves, Halia and Mariana stared each other down. The air felt suddenly sticky and warm. The cold spring breeze drifting in through the massive open windows did little to cool the heat radiating from the two queens.
