Page 74 of Between Salt and Serenades
She threw herself at me, and I caught her oh so willingly. The two of us lost ourselves in each other, salty tears wettingboth our cheeks. A beautiful relief washed over me, releasing doubts, worries, and everything in between. Everything I had ever wanted was right here in my arms, and great waves, I would savor every moment.
Breena and I strode back into the cottage, new invigoration fueling us. It was easy to drag your feet on a project when you weren’t excited about the outcome. Now that Breena and I had both admitted the very last thing we wanted was to split up after defeating the hybrids, I felt a sudden sense of urgency to bring those caverns and their harmful magic to the ground.
When we entered the living space, I noticed Zellia curled up on the settee under a thin blanket. Rory sat on the settee next to her, handing my sister a cup of black tea. The two of them clinked their mugs together before taking a sip.
Holding my hand out, I halted Breena before we disrupted the moment. I blinked twice, my eyes adjusting to what I was seeing. Zellia was smiling, as was Rory. They were two fish in a shell, chatting and sipping their drinks. Was this my sister’s first slice of normalcy since the fish disappeared, since our father died?
The selfish part of me wanted to hang onto this moment forever. If Zellia could have a happy life on land too, was it all that bad of me to ask her to stay?
No, I can’t.
My poor mother’s heart would surely shatter.
And my mother, well, she would die before making a home for herself on land.
“Oh, Sid! Look at this,” Zellia exclaimed when she noticed us standing in the entryway. Rory smirked and handed her a redrose with perfect, velvety petals. She sucked in a breath, and when she blew it back out, it came in the form of a sickening, horrible melody.
Breena and I winced, but somehow, Rory looked excited, proud, even. What were the two of them up to?
A gasp ripped from Breena before I had the chance to digest what I saw. Zellia held out that once-beautiful rose that was now black with rot. A crumpled petal broke off, and Rory caught it as it floated toward the floor.
“Turns out my healing songs work both ways!” Zellia’s excited giggles etched themselves into my brain, even if her happiness stemmed from killing a flower with her very voice.
“Well, that’s handy,” I said, unsure what the correct response was in this situation. “How did you discover you could do that?”
“It was Rory’s idea. He has seen your magic firsthand and all the ways you’ve gotten creative with it. We figured my magic was expansive too, so we started pushing my boundaries. I’ve broken a few things, but it was worth it! I can actually help you in those caverns now, Sid, not just wait around in case someone gets injured.”
All I wanted to do was tell my younger sister she was being ridiculous, that this was a terrible idea, but that’s not what I would tell her. She sat in front of me as a grown woman, and a powerful one at that. I wouldn’t continue to baby her, when all she’d ever wanted was to be taken seriously and treated like the adult we all too often forgot she was.
I swallowed my fear. “This is perfect, Zel. Good job. We’re going to need every advantage when we head back to those caves.”
Breena ran her fingers over my lower back, as if she knew just how hard it was for me to get those words out. I gave her a soft smile, and she once again reconfirmed everything I already knew.
I fucking love this woman.
“We’ve been thinking a lot over the past few days about how we can get rid of the netted enclosures once and for all,” Rory said. His large hands twisted in his lap. “We know they are enchanted somehow, right?”
“Right. An enchantment that requires a whole lot of magic….” I trailed off, gears churning in my mind. “Magic they’re harvesting at the cave.”
Zellia nodded her head like she knew what I’d say. “We’ve been thinking the same thing. Do you assume the netted enclosures would disappear upon the destruction of the runes?”
I sat down across from Zellia and Rory, Breena right behind me. My arms crossed over my chest when I said, “I’m not sure how else they would have found the magic to be able to do such a large-scale enchantment. They’ve essentially blocked all fish off from the rest of the sea. These runeshaveto be how they’re doing it.”
I’d been suspicious of those harvesting runes the second I saw them, and now, all the loose pieces and fragments of knowledge were fitting together in my mind.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE CIRCLE OF CHANTING PUPPETS
“How much destruction are we really prepared to create?” Rory asked as we trekked down the beach, the light from the moon and stars coating us in liquid silver. We’d spent the rest of the day prior debating potential plans, and we had a vague idea of what we wanted to do. I held that left path in my mind, the one Zellia and I hadn’t taken last time we were in the caves. As we wandered across the shoreline, I couldn’t help but run scenarios through my mind about what we’d find on the other end of the unknown path.
“The caves have been around for hundreds of years; I’d almost feel guilty destroying them,” Rory spoke again when us women were too silent for his liking. I wondered if Zellia and Breena were stuck in their minds as much as I was.
“Rory, you can’t even use the caves and you still don’t want to see them ruined?” Zellia asked, being careful where she stepped along the sandy shoreline scattered with broken shells.
“Well, we all agree the hybrids can’t stay in Barthoah after what they’ve done, correct?” Rory asked. He cranked his head behind him to look at us, seeking validation we were all on the same page.
