Page 123 of When the Wicked Sing
“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 knowwewill achieve greatness, Mari. You and I, together, we can changeeverything.”
“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.”
