Chapter 38 The Betrayal
Morning came with shocking news.
"Riven is missing," Luna reported. "No one has seen him since last night."
"Missing?" Mara sat up quickly. "What do you mean missing?"
"His tent is empty. His weapons are gone. He left no note. Nothing."
"Maybe he went hunting," Isla suggested.
"Without telling anyone? That is not like him." Luna looked worried. "Something is wrong."
Mara got dressed quickly and went to search for her father. She asked everyone. No one had seen him since the feast.
"I saw him talking to a stranger," Corin said. "Late last night. Near the edge of camp."
"What kind of stranger?" Zevran asked.
"A woman. With white hair. She was wearing a dark cloak so I could not see her face."
"White hair?" Mara felt her stomach drop. "Morgana."
"You think Morgana took him?" Luna asked.
"I think she is sending me a message. Showing me she can still hurt me even though the Shadow King interfered."
"We need to find him. Now." Zevran started organizing search parties.
They searched all day. Through the forest. Along the rivers. Up the mountains. No sign of Riven anywhere.
As the sun started to set, a messenger arrived. A wolf Mara did not recognize.
"I bring a message from your father," the wolf said.
"Where is he? Is he safe?"
"That depends on you." The wolf handed her a letter.
Mara opened it. The handwriting was Riven's but the words were wrong. Forced.
Daughter. I am safe. For now. Come to the Old Ruins alone at midnight. Bring no one. Tell no one. If you disobey, I die. Come quickly.
"This is a trap," Zevran said, reading over her shoulder.
"Of course it is a trap. But I still have to go."
"No. We find another way."
"There is no other way! She has my father!" Mara's voice cracked. "I just found him! I cannot lose him now!"
"So we go together. Take backup. Surround the place."
"She said come alone. If I bring others, Riven dies."
"And if you go alone, you die. Then we all lose."
"He is my father!"
"And you are my wife! My mate! I will not let you throw your life away!"
They stared at each other. Neither backing down.
"I am going," Mara said finally. "With or without your permission."
"Then I am following you. At a distance. You will not even know I am there."
"Zevran—"
"No arguments. That is my final offer."
Mara wanted to argue more but she knew it was pointless. Zevran was as stubborn as she was.
"Fine. But stay far back. If Morgana senses you, she might kill Riven immediately."
"I will be careful."
That night, Mara prepared for the worst. She took Mooncleaver, the sword Adira had given her. She told Shade to stay with the camp and protect it.
"This is a bad idea," Shade said. "Morgana is playing with you. She wants you isolated and vulnerable."
"I know. But I have no choice."
"You always have a choice."
"Not when family is involved."
At midnight, Mara transformed into her wolf form and ran toward the Old Ruins. They were about an hour from camp. Ancient structures from a kingdom that fell a thousand years ago.
The ruins were eerie in the moonlight. Broken pillars. Crumbling walls. Shadows everywhere.
"I am here!" Mara called. "Where is my father?"
"Right here," Morgana's voice came from above.
Mara looked up. Morgana stood on top of a tall pillar. Riven was beside her, unconscious and bound with shadow chains.
"Let him go!"
"Soon. First, we talk." Morgana floated down. She moved like smoke. "You embarrassed me earlier. Had the Shadow King interfere with my deal. That was very rude."
"You tried to make me kill my friends. That was very evil."
"Evil is such a judgmental word. I prefer practical." Morgana circled Mara slowly. "I gave you power. You owe me payment. Simple."
"I will pay you back. Just not the way you wanted. Name another task. I will do it."
"Another task?" Morgana smiled. "Very well. I want you to kill the Shadow King."
"What?"
"You heard me. Kill the Shadow King. Break his curse. Free him from his darkness. That is your new task."
"But he is going to try to kill me in three weeks!"
"Then you better kill him first. Or convince him to let you break his curse peacefully. Either way, he must be freed." Morgana's red eyes gleamed. "Do this, and our deal is complete. Refuse, and your father dies."
"Why do you want the Shadow King freed?"
"That is my business. Will you accept or not?"
Mara thought quickly. Killing the Shadow King seemed impossible. But maybe there was another way. Maybe she could actually break his curse like Morgana said.
"I accept. But you release my father now."
"Of course." Morgana waved her hand. The shadow chains vanished. Riven fell.
Mara caught him before he hit the ground. He was breathing but still unconscious.
"He will wake in a few hours. Unharmed." Morgana started to fade. "You have three weeks, Moon Wolf. Free the Shadow King or lose everyone you love."
She vanished.
Mara held her father close. He was safe. For now.
Zevran appeared from the shadows. "That was close. I thought she would kill you both."
"She wants me to kill the Shadow King. Or break his curse."
"How are you supposed to do that?"
"I have no idea. But I have three weeks to figure it out."
They carried Riven back to camp. He woke up the next morning with no memory of what happened.
"I was talking to a woman," he said. "She had white hair. Then everything went black."
"Morgana took you to lure me out," Mara explained. "But you are safe now."
"Did you make another deal with her?"
"Sort of. I have to free the Shadow King from his curse."
Riven's eyes went wide. "That is impossible. His curse is ancient. Unbreakable."
"Then I will find a way to break it. I do not have a choice."
Over the next few days, Mara researched everything she could about the Shadow King. She talked to Theron's ghost. Consulted with Nyra. Read ancient texts that Elder Sage provided.
She learned that the Shadow King was once named Kieran. He was a wolf who lived a thousand years ago. He learned to balance light and dark, just like Mara. But he made a mistake. He tried to eliminate all darkness from himself. Tried to be pure light.
The darkness fought back. Consumed him. Turned him into the monster he was now.
"So the curse is self inflicted?" Mara asked Theron.
"Yes and no. He created the conditions for the curse. But something else locked it in place. Something or someone wanted him to stay cursed forever."
"Who?"
"That is what you need to find out. Find who cursed him permanently and you might be able to break it."
Mara spent days searching for answers. She barely slept. Barely ate. Zevran was worried but he did not interfere.
Two weeks passed. Then three. Time was running out.
On the last day before her deadline, Mara had a breakthrough.
"I found something!" she called to everyone. "In this old book! There is a ritual that can break ancient curses!"
"What kind of ritual?" Marcus asked.
"It requires three things. The blood of the cursed. The tears of someone who loves them. And the sacrifice of something precious."
"The Shadow King has no one who loves him," Luna pointed out. "He is alone."
"Maybe he was not always alone. Maybe someone loved him once. Before he became a monster." Mara looked at the book again. "I need to find out who."
"How do you plan to do that?" Riven asked.
"By asking him. Tonight. When he comes to kill me."
"What?" Everyone shouted at once.
"Tonight is the end of our one month agreement. He will come for me. When he does, I will convince him to let me try the ritual."
"And if he refuses?" Zevran demanded.
"Then I fight him. And probably die." Mara smiled sadly. "But at least I will have tried."
That night, everyone gathered in the Great Stone Circle. Waiting. Nervous. Ready to defend Mara if the Shadow King attacked.
Midnight came. The air grew cold. Dark clouds gathered.
The Shadow King appeared in the center of the circle. His massive form was terrifying. His white eyes blazed.
"Moon Wolf. Our time is up. I gave you a month to prepare. Are you ready to die?"
"No. But I am ready to save you."
The Shadow King tilted his massive head. "Save me? What are you talking about?"
"I know your real name. Kieran. I know what happened to you. How you tried to purge darkness from yourself and it consumed you instead."
"How do you know that name? No one has spoken it in a thousand years."
"Because I researched. I read. I learned." Mara stepped forward. "I know you do not want to kill me. I know you are trapped. Forced to destroy every Moon Wolf because of your curse."
"Even if that is true, there is no escape. I tried for a thousand years. The curse is permanent."
"No curse is permanent. I learned a ritual. One that can break ancient curses. But I need your help to do it."
"Why would I help you break my curse? Then I would have no excuse to kill you."
"Exactly. You would be free to choose. Free to live without the darkness controlling you." Mara held out her hand. "Let me try. Please. What do you have to lose?"
The Shadow King stared at her hand. At the hope in her eyes.
"You are either very brave or very foolish."
"Everyone keeps saying that. Maybe it is both."
"What does this ritual require?"
"Your blood. Tears from someone who loved you. And a sacrifice."
"I have no one who loves me. They all died a thousand years ago."
"Are you sure? What about family? Friends? Someone must have cared about you once."
The Shadow King was quiet for a long moment. "There was one. My brother. He cried when I was cursed. Begged them not to do it. But they did it anyway."
"Where is your brother now?"
"Dead. Long dead. His tears are gone with him."
"Maybe not. Old magic has a way of lingering. Where was he buried?"
"In the Wolf King's Tomb. Deep beneath the Old Palace."
"Then we go there. We find whatever remains. We do the ritual." Mara kept her hand extended. "Trust me. Like I am trusting you not to kill me right now."
The Shadow King looked at all the wolves surrounding them. They were tense. Ready to attack if he made a move toward Mara.
"Very well. I will try your ritual. But know this, Moon Wolf. If it fails, I will kill you immediately. No more delays. No more chances. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
The Shadow King reached out with his massive paw and touched Mara's hand. The moment they made contact, both of them gasped.
A connection formed. Not a mate bond. Something different. A bond of shared understanding. Shared pain. Shared hope.
"Tomorrow," the Shadow King said. "We journey to the Old Palace. Bring only those you trust most. This will be dangerous."
"Why dangerous?"
"Because the Old Palace is guarded. By something worse than Shadow Wolves." The Shadow King's white eyes burned bright. "By the one who cursed me in the first place. And she has been waiting a thousand years for someone to try to break it."
"Who is she?"
The Shadow King smiled grimly. "Your new worst enemy. The Witch Queen of the North. Morgana's mother."