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“After more than a few hundred human years, the spirit world and the human world have been united once again,” King Melchior continued. “This means that the tasks of the sirens are hereby reinstated. But the judgment of the humans cannot be entrusted to those who have strayed from good or from truth. So today you will all be trialed.”
The silence felt like a sucked breath. The king gave a sad smile.
“If you have faithfully followed in your purpose,” he said gently, “with your heart turned toward truth and good over evil, then you shall remain here. If, however, your hearts have turned toward evil, and your purpose has become selfish and destructive, you will be cursed as a human until you have redeemed yourself. But you will always be welcome to return.”
His eyes landed on me and Luc.
“No matter how many times it takes,” he said with a smile.
The sirens looked over to us. I straightened, trying to look as dignified as possible, regardless of how uncomfortable I truly was.
The king pointed to Jacques and the other Judges on the sides of the pool. They nodded, stepping forward into a five-point star around the king. The king then brought out a knife, the blade reflecting the light from the water as he cut across his own hand, Jacques and the others doing the same directly after. All five of them held their hands out over the pool, until blood dripped down their hands and into the pool below.
The blood dropped, and the water rippled. As the ripples webbed across the water, the pool turned from red to gray to teal, the colors swirling and spinning until the water began to rise up like a geyser.
I reached out for Luc. He took my hand, holding it firm in his.
The water then formed into long, twisting lines like snakes, striking out at the audience. I screamed and ducked, feeling something wrap around my wrist like a wet and unbreakable spiderweb. I tried to pull my hand away, but it held tight, a thin line of red and teal running from my hand to the pool of the king.
Screams echoed off the walls, and I looked back for a moment, only to see sirens around us burst into flames. Their wings were the first to disintegrate in the flames, the shadows of their bodies following right after. In a moment, the fire and the heat vanished, their seats instantly empty.
It stopped as soon as it began. The light and water turned back to white. Gasps and wails filled the hall as sirens were now realizing who had disappeared.
I looked next to me to Luc, who was wide-eyed and breathless, but still next to me.
We were both still here.
In fear, relief, and sorrow, I wrapped my arms around him. He didn’t say anything and held me close, rubbing my back after a moment.
I looked over my shoulder to Jacques and King Melchior. Jacques quickly came to the king’s side right before King Melchior’s knees gave way under him.
“My own…” I heard the king say painfully. “It never hurts less.”
The king’s skin was pale with grief, his rich alabaster tone faded, the white in his hair darkening. Jacques supported the king until the other Judges came to assist, and they carried him to a throne off to the side of the room. Hugo and Vito stood on each of his sides, their heads bowed in respectful grief.
I felt myself shake. Luc held me close, trying to settle my nerves.
Even though the sirens around us had been strangers to me, theyfeltlike people I had once known. I wanted to grieve them deeply, but I didn’t understand why. Something in me was tearing. Like my mind was a thin piece of paper and there were holes in it with light seeping through.
“Don’t be afraid, little dove,” Luc whispered in my ear. “It’s good news. This means you can choose to go home to your father.”
I looked up at him, still shaking. “Really?”
He nodded, moving the hair out of my face. “I promised to get you home safely, didn’t I?”
His warm smile nearly made all my hatred of him disappear.
“You’re both still here,” a familiar voice cut in.
We turned to see Jacques, who was still shirtless. I turned my head away quickly, embarrassed.
“Don’t act so shy, Esmeralda,” Jacques said with a chuckle. “You’ve seen me undressed before.”
I glared at him from the corner of my eye.
“Can you tell us what happens to the two of us now?” Luc asked.
“You’ve both been deemed pure,” Jacques said. “As incarnates, that leaves one final task. It’s time to decide whether or not you get your wings.”
