“Look at me, Father! My powers are weak. I can’t be cursed. Do you have proof you were poisoned?”
His gaze flicks to me, his eyes hardening. “Youarecursed, and I have nothing to prove to you. The witch sang of the curse, warning the oceans not to forget it. The curse was whispered through generations, and the cycle will repeat with every generation. But there is a way to break the vicious cycle, and on her deathbed, the witch shared it. When the ninety-ninth daughter is born, there is one chance to break it. And you, Siralaine, are the ninety-ninth.”
“What did she say?” I ask, refusing to accept it.
His voice deepens as he begins to sing, haunting and deep.
“On the ninety-ninth turning of the tide,
She who is born of storm and sorrow shall bring death to us all,
Or end it. She shall bring death to the kingdom beneath the tides.
She will find her fated, a monster not of her kind,
And love shall draw them both to death’s door,
Her selfish love will feed the venom that she had whispered into his soul.
When the fated falls and the poison blooms,
The ninety-ninth sea siren must slay the man she loves before he slays her.
And in doing so, I shall accept my revenge executed.
But mark this well, none may spill the cursed sea siren’s blood,
For her death by another’s hand shall wake the curse anew,
Weaving ninety-nine more tides of ruin from her blood’s nearest kin.
Wait. Wait for her to do what she must, for she must bring her fated to ruin.
For in ruin lies the key to freedom.”
The last line echoes in the silence as I cling to every word.
I swallow hard, the water pressing in on me. “So that’s why you won’t kill me,” I say. “You’re waiting for the curse to bebroken. You’d sacrifice me to protect your precious daughters. Kalina and Maerina mean more to you than I ever did.” It’s a statement, not a question, one we both know is a reality.
“Of course,” he says coldly. “They weren’t born from a monster, nor do they look like one.”
The words sting, but it’s not as painful. Somewhere along the way, I’ve accepted it. “Was it my fault I was cursed?”
He says nothing, and his silence answers for him.
“Well,” I whisper, “You’ll be disappointed. This curse won’t break because I have not found my fated.” But fear still eats at me. I may not be able to break the curse, but if he’s telling the truth, then I am poisoning Kai, a truth I desperately pray is a lie.
But Father chuckles mockingly. “Haven’t you? You think I didn’t know when you repeatedly fled to the surface? I allowed it because I needed you to find him. The one who isn’t of your kind, to ensure the curse fulfilled its destiny. I had a witch seal your bond, so even if you met your fated, you would not feel it… until it was too late. And it worked.”
The world spins, my breath catching in my throat. “You’re saying… that Ihavemet my fated?”
He smirks, satisfied. “Why else would the man you have been travelling with tolerate a sea siren? You’ve already begun his undoing. When he comes for you, you will kill him and end the curse with his death,” he commands.
“No…” I whisper, horror flooding me. “I won’t.”
My heart pounds in fear. I gave him the sea siren’s breath. He’ll come here for Morcant, if not for me. What have I done?
“If you will not kill him,” Father says menacingly, “thenIwill. And I promise you, he will see no end to the torture. His death will feel like the kindest thing I can give him. And, it’s befitting.After all, he is a sky siren. Keiran Kaldor of Alvazakh is here to kill me, is he not? So either way, his end is near. It’s up to you if you do it and make it easy, or if I do it and break him first.”
