Chapter 66 The Unexpected Ally
Mara froze. The knife trembled in her hand, inches from Isla's heart.
She turned slowly. A man stood in the doorway. Tall. Silver hair. Eyes that shifted between gold and blue. She had never seen him before.
"Who are you?" Mara demanded.
"My name is Thaddeus. And I am here to save your daughter."
"How? She said there is no way to remove Oblivion's fragment without killing her!"
"She is wrong. There is a way. But it requires something you do not have. Something I do have." Thaddeus walked into the room. His movements were smooth. Confident. "I am a Soul Weaver. I can separate essence from host without destroying either."
"Soul Weaver?" Isla's black eyes opened. "Those are myths. They do not exist anymore."
"We exist. We just hide very well. Because people like Elara hunted us. Tried to use us. Tried to control us." Thaddeus stopped in front of Isla. "But I am the last one. And I owe a debt to the Moon Goddess. She asked me to come here. To help you."
"Why would the Moon Goddess send you now?" Mara asked. "Where were you during all the other battles?"
"Traveling. I live on the other side of the world. It took me three months to get here after she called me. I came as fast as I could."
"Can you really save her?"
"Yes. But there is a price. There is always a price."
Mara's heart sank. "What price?"
"The fragment of Oblivion must go somewhere. I can remove it from Isla. But I cannot destroy it. So it needs a new host. Someone strong enough to contain it. Someone willing to carry that burden."
"Me. Put it in me."
"No!" Isla shouted. "Mother, you cannot! You already died twice! You cannot risk it again!"
"I can and I will. You are my daughter. I will not let you become a monster. I will not let you die."
"But—"
"No arguments. Thaddeus, do it. Take the fragment from her and put it in me."
Thaddeus studied Mara carefully. "Are you certain? Once I do this, you will carry Oblivion's essence forever. It will never leave you. You will spend the rest of your life fighting to keep it contained."
"I have fought my whole life. This is just one more battle. Now do it before I change my mind."
"Very well." Thaddeus raised his hands. They began to glow with silver light. "This will hurt. Both of you. Try not to scream. It will disturb the process."
"Just get on with it!"
Thaddeus placed one hand on Isla's forehead. One hand on Mara's. The silver light connected them. Formed a bridge.
Pain exploded through Mara's body. It felt like being torn apart from the inside. Like every cell was screaming.
Beside her, Isla was shaking. The black energy poured from her body. Flowed along the silver bridge. Into Mara.
"No!" A voice screamed inside Mara's mind. Oblivion's voice. "You cannot contain me! I will consume you!"
"Try it," Mara growled back. "I have contained worse than you."
The darkness flooded into her. Cold. Empty. Hungry. It wrapped around her soul. Tried to squeeze. Tried to break her.
But Mara held firm. Used her golden light as chains. Wrapped them around the fragment. Trapped it deep inside.
"Impossible!" Oblivion raged. "How are you this strong?"
"Because I have a reason to be strong. My daughter. My family. My love. You have nothing. That is why I win."
The last of the darkness transferred. Thaddeus removed his hands. The silver light faded.
Isla collapsed to the floor. Her eyes were brown again. Normal. Human.
Mara swayed but stayed standing. The fragment was inside her now. Sealed. Contained. Furious but trapped.
"It is done," Thaddeus said. He looked exhausted. "The fragment is contained. Your daughter is free."
"Isla?" Mara knelt beside her. "Can you hear me?"
Isla's eyes opened. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Mother. You saved me. Again."
"That is what mothers do. We save our children. No matter the cost."
"But now you have to carry it. That darkness. That evil. I am so sorry."
"Do not be sorry. I chose this. I wanted this. I would do it a thousand times." Mara helped Isla sit up. "How do you feel?"
"Empty. Weak. But free. For the first time in months, my mind is my own. The whispers are gone. The hunger is gone. I can think clearly."
"Good. That is good." Mara turned to Thaddeus. "Thank you. Truly. You saved her life."
"I did what the Moon Goddess asked. But be warned. The fragment inside you will try to break free. Every day. Every hour. You must stay vigilant. Never let your guard down."
"I understand. Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Yes. The fragment will make you stronger. Give you power you did not have before. But using that power feeds it. Makes it grow. So use it sparingly. Only when absolutely necessary."
"I can do that."
"Can you? Your life seems to be one emergency after another. Constant battles. Constant threats. How long before you are forced to use the power? How long before the fragment grows too strong?"
"As long as it takes. I will fight it every day for the rest of my life if I have to."
"I hope your resolve holds. Because if you fail, if the fragment escapes, it will finish what Oblivion started. It will consume everything." Thaddeus moved toward the door. "I have done my part. The rest is up to you. Good luck, Moon Wolf. You will need it."
He left before Mara could respond.
"Is he always that cheerful?" Isla asked weakly.
"Apparently. Come on. Let us get you out of here. You need rest. Real rest. No fighting. No channeling power. Just sleep and recovery."
"Where is Father? I want to see him."
"He is probably still at the palace. Sleeping. We will wake him up and tell him the good news."
They walked slowly out of the fortress. Guards stared at them. Whispered. Wondered what had happened.
"Is the girl okay?" one guard asked.
"She is fine. Better than fine. She is free." Mara smiled. "Spread the word. Tell everyone. Isla is healed. The darkness is gone. We won."
The guard ran off to share the news. Within minutes, the entire fortress was celebrating.
By the time they reached the palace, dawn was breaking. The city was waking up. People were starting their days. Rebuilding. Healing. Moving forward.
Zevran met them at the entrance. He took one look at Isla's normal eyes and pulled her into a fierce hug. "You are okay. Thank the goddess. You are okay."
"I am okay, Father. Mother saved me. Again."
"Of course she did. That is what she does best." Zevran looked at Mara. "What did it cost?"
"The fragment is in me now. I am the new prison."
"Mara—"
"It was the only way. And I would do it again. She is our daughter. Our child. Her life is worth more than my comfort."
"You keep sacrificing yourself. Keep taking on burdens. When do you get to rest? When do you get to just live?"
"After this settles. After the fragment is under control. After I am sure everyone is safe. Then I rest. I promise."
"You said that after Oblivion. After Elara. After every battle. When will it actually be true?"
"Soon. I hope soon."
They went inside. Isla went to her room to sleep. Mara and Zevran sat in their chambers.
"I can feel it," Mara said quietly. "The fragment. It is like a splinter in my mind. Constantly irritating. Constantly trying to grow."
"Can you control it?"
"For now. But Thaddeus was right. Using power feeds it. So I need to stop fighting. Stop using magic. Let myself be weak for a while."
"How long is a while?"
"I do not know. Months. Maybe years. However long it takes for the fragment to settle. To go dormant."
"And if it does not go dormant?"
"Then I live with it forever. Learn to coexist. Figure out how to be strong without letting it consume me."
"That sounds exhausting."
"Everything is exhausting. This is just one more thing."
A knock interrupted them. A messenger entered. "Moon Wolf. I have news. Several of Elara's children are here. They want to speak with you. They say it is urgent."
"Which children?"
"Sera. And eight others. They are waiting in the throne room."
Mara sighed. "I suppose rest will have to wait. Come on. Let us see what they want."
The throne room was full. Sera stood at the front with eight siblings. All looking nervous. Uncertain.
"Sera. What brings you here?"
"We need your help. Our siblings. The ones who ran during the battle. Dante's body disappeared. We think Marcus took it. And now they are planning something. Something bad."
"What kind of something?"
"We do not know. But Marcus loved Dante. They were close. And Marcus blames you for his death. He wants revenge."
"Let him come. I will deal with him like I dealt with Elara."
"You do not understand. Marcus is not alone. He has allies. Other children of Elara who were not at the battle. Ones we did not know about."
"How many?"
"We do not know. Mother kept secrets from us. But there could be dozens. Maybe more. An entire army of her children we never met."
Mara felt her blood run cold. "An entire army?"
"Yes. And Marcus is gathering them. Promising them revenge against you. Against everyone who killed our mother." Sera looked desperate. "You have to stop him before he attacks. Before he brings war again."
"Where is he?"
"We do not know. He could be anywhere. But he will come eventually. And when he does, he will bring everyone. An army of Elara's children. All wanting your head."
"Then we prepare. Again. Build defenses. Gather allies. Do what we always do."
"Will that be enough?"
"It has to be. Because if it is not, we all die. And I refuse to let that happen." Mara turned to the messenger. "Call an emergency council meeting. Right now. We have work to do."