Chapter 59 How The Curse Was Fully Birthed
The world seemed to slow down at that point, quieting itself gently as she said, “I meant to leave as soon as I was healed, but he would not let me. He said he saw… my pain, and my distrust. And that I did not have to leave, there was no reason to. I did not trust elves… and they did not trust me either. But Lir had a big heart that let him see more than he had to… and for the first time in my life, I realized I did not worry about a knife going through my heart while I was asleep,”
Maeve’s lips moved before she could stop it. “That must have felt… nice,”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Eldoria let out another chuckle. “Feared for most of my life. Hated for what I was not even certain of. An anomaly. A failure. A…”
“Curse,” Maeve finished.
Eldoria looked at her now.
There was that flicker of recognition, of hope— then it died down as soon as it had come as she continued, “I could not stop worrying after I found out about this… Mate madness. Was I his mate? What happened when he found his destined one? He swore it didn’t matter. That there had not been a tale of Fated Mates for ages… but I worried. And my fear… my fear made him want to take a risk that he did not need to,”
Something clicked in Maeve’s head. “The Life Bond,”
“I did not want it. What was the point of it, really? My life… it was being hunted down as we spoke. If he was connected to me, I—” Eldoria shut her eyes tight. “He said he would not let harm come to me. Everyone feared I had a reason to want it. I swore not to take it. I swore… but then…”
“You got pregnant,” Maeve did not believe the words as they left her lips.
It seemed so obvious. So… clear now. If Cassian was half Elf, then it would be important for him to be connected to the Life Bond as well.
Since he was Eldoria’s child, the Life Bond might be absent due to the high level of Mana she possessed… and what was an Elf without his connection to the Life Bond?
There was the probability that it wouldn’t survive.
“You have met him,” Eldoria‘s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “What is his name?”
“Cassian,”
Eldoria’s face fell but she hid it almost immediately with another laugh. “Not an Elven name. Of course,” Her mouth trembled though she said nothing as she let out a large breath, “Is he good? Is he well? Does he eat properly? I am not certain I spend enough time with him but… but he has his Father’s blood, so he must bear a good heart, yes?”
Maeve didn’t know how to tell her that she didn’t know Cassian much, so instead, she said this, “He is very beautiful? And he glows, is that… okay?”
“He’s alive. That is all matters,”
“The Life Bond,” Maeve continued, because she could feel a strange lightheadedness enveloping her every thought. “Something went… wrong, didn’t it? You both did it without officiating or asking for Aegon’s blessing—”
“It would have gone wrong. Always,” Eldoria looked at her. “My affinity… Rare… is a strange thing. No one fully grasps it. It is nothing like the other four. They are clear. Predictable. Rare is Concept. Incomprehensible. I have never known what mine is. No one knew. But they feared me for something that I did not fully understand… until now,”
Until now? “You… know your affinity?”
Eldoria looked at her, then said quite clearly, “ፈᏂᏗᎧᏕ”
The word glitched out, turning to static in Maeve’s ear.
She wanted to ask Eldoria to try repeating what it was again but she knew it wouldn’t change anything. The system would not let her hear it.
“I am the reason the Wraiths follow you as well, isn’t it? The curse is already happening?” Her voice softened. “I thought I ended it soon, I thought—”
“Eldoria.” The woman in question stared at Maeve. “What are you talking about?”
“The Life Bond,” Eldoria whispered, “I saw the Future… and I realized that they were all right about what I am, what would happen to them.”
Then it went quieter. “And what it did to Lir,”
Lir… what it did to Lir…
The lightheadedness Maeve was feeling suddenly vanished, leaving behind a pressure that felt like her skull was being cracked open as her eyes fell to the floor.
Blood dripped from the table Lir was on… the entire moment suddenly reminding her of an altar and spilled to the floor… but as it fell, she watched as it spread through the ground, growing far.
And dark.
Maeve’s eyes flew upwards, falling on the blood on Eldoria’s hand. She could hear how fast her head was pounding through her ears.
Oh. Oh, no.
“Eldoria,” Maeve’s voice sounded small as she looked at the woman in question’s face, “Is that… is that only his blood?”
Eldoria stared at her, then to her arm… and there it was. There was a cut that must have happened moments ago… dripping down into Lir’s chest. Maeve watched as horror flashed across her face before she stared back to the ground.
Maeve saw it too.
The blood darkened, spreading faster through the grass… killing everything in its path. Each plant looked like it was rotting, wilting the faster it spread. Maeve moved, wanting to stop the blood flow— but Eldoria was faster.
Her arm wrapped around his body, her eyes hard as rocks as she snarled at Maeve, “Stay away from him!”
“This destroys Satyr. Your blood… it starts a terrible curse on the land,” That is it. Your blood curses the lands. No matter how little it is, it causes damage. “Beasts appear— terrifying beasts, and the elves are starving—”
“If that is what is happening now, it will not change anything,” Eldoria snapped. “It does not matter. This… this is Lir. He will stay… he will stay here. Live on… here,”
Her voice broke on the last word. She was trying to convince herself, Maeve realized. The blood, blackening and seeping into the very roots of the world around them, was proof of a fate she couldn't accept. “Elves that die do not move on. They stay here. They are trapped here because of him—”
“I do not care,” Her eyes turned cold. “I… I feel him. Here. He might be breathing but here…” Eldoria’s eyes flanked back on Lir, and that was when Maeve noticed it. He wasn’t growing pale. If anything… he looked more alive than ever. “He is here. With me. That’s all that matters. That’s all I care about,”
“Eldoria—”
“What more do you want from me?!” Her scream pierced through the night. Birds fluttered, flying away while Maeve… Maeve stared, her eyes widening as Eldoria’s chest rose and fell, her eyes filling with tears. “I saw through the life bond… I saw what our union would do to him. He would have… he would have…”
The words stuck in her throat. “I thought this was better. I thought this would… save him. He did not even ask me why I was doing this. He trusted me. He… he let me. I have to protect him. I have to… I have to keep him safe,”
Maeve’s head looked downwards as the ground began to shake. She saw the first crack, her eyes widening as it spread, creating another and another.
She looked upwards, her fear worsening as she looked upwards. The sight in front of her glitched, cracking out of existence before a new image formed in front of her.
Eldoria was on her knees… and the wind had picked up again. It was harsh, fast as it swept through her hair and clothes.
Eldoria mumbled something under her breath, her words incomprehensible to Maeve who at first was staring then tried to move forward— the cracks worsened, causing her to stop as the fear of falling swept through her body. “Eldoria! What are you—?”
“He has to stay,” She whispered back, then let her lips curl into a smile. “Take care of my son, will you?”
Maeve opened her mouth to say something even though she truly had nothing to say— but none of it mattered because in a matter of seconds, cold hands grabbed every inch of her body and pulled her into the ground.