Chapter 75 The Shadow’s Bargain
Kieran followed Mara to a private chamber. Away from the council. Away from listening ears.
"You want to use my shadow," he said. "How?"
"I do not know yet. But you said it woke up. Started whispering. What is it saying?"
"That the Moon Goddess is afraid. That Demetrius serves the Sun God. That this is not a battle between kingdoms. It is a battle between gods. And we are caught in the middle."
"Afraid of what?"
"Of losing. The Moon Goddess has been dominant for centuries. Most wolves worship her. Follow her. But the Sun God is gaining followers. Gaining power. If Demetrius wins, if his kingdom grows, the Sun God becomes stronger. Equals the Moon Goddess. Maybe surpasses her."
"So she weakened me. Made sure I cannot help. Made sure Demetrius has a fair chance."
"Exactly. She wants balance. Not victory. She wants the fight to continue. To stay relevant. If you crush Demetrius easily, the Sun God loses followers. Becomes irrelevant. The goddess cannot allow that."
"That is sick. Using us as game pieces. Letting people die just to maintain balance."
"That is gods. They do not care about individuals. Only about power. Influence. Dominance."
Mara sat down. Put her head in her hands. "So what do I do? How do I fight Demetrius without the goddess's support? Without my full power?"
"You make a different bargain. With a different power."
"What power?"
Kieran's eyes went dark. Black. The shadow emerging. "With me. With the Shadow King. The original one. The one who was sealed away a thousand years ago."
"You said the shadow was weakened. Pushed back. That it would take time to recover."
"It lied. It was never weakened. Never pushed back. It was waiting. Watching. Learning. And now it wants to make a deal."
"With me?"
"With both of us. With you and the fragment. With Ash and me. Together we could crush Demetrius. Destroy his army. Save the kingdom."
"And in exchange?"
"Freedom. One day of complete freedom. Where the shadow controls me fully. Where it can do whatever it wants. Go wherever it wants. Experience life without restrictions."
"That is insane! The Shadow King nearly destroyed the world last time! I cannot just set it free!"
"Not free. Controlled freedom. One day. Supervised. With you and Ash watching. Ready to stop it if it goes too far. But it gets to live. Gets to feel. Gets to be more than a prisoner."
"Why would the shadow agree to supervision? Why not just take over and never give back control?"
"Because it knows you would kill me. Kill Kieran. And the shadow does not want to die. It wants to exist. To experience. And this is the only way."
"How do I know you are not lying? How do I know this is not a trick?"
"You do not. But you also do not have a choice. Demetrius is coming in one week. You cannot use your full power without breaking the goddess's blessing. Your army is outnumbered. Outmatched. You need help. And I am offering it. Take it or watch everyone die. Your choice."
Mara felt Ash stirring. Interested. Curious.
"What do you think?" she asked the fragment. "Can we trust the shadow?"
"Trust? No. Use? Yes. The shadow is powerful. Ancient. It knows things we do not. Can do things we cannot. If we work together, we win. If we refuse, we lose. Simple."
"And after one day? After the shadow gets its freedom? What stops it from taking more? From refusing to give back control?"
"We do. You and me. Together we are stronger than the shadow. Together we can force it back into the cage. But only if we work together. Only if we stop fighting each other and start fighting them. The goddess. Demetrius. The Sun God. All of them."
"This is wrong. Everything about this is wrong."
"Wrong is a luxury. Right now we need to survive. Morality comes later. After the battle. After we win."
Mara looked at Kieran. At the darkness in his eyes. At the ancient power lurking beneath the surface.
"If I agree to this. If I make this bargain. You swear the shadow will only have one day? One day of freedom and then back to the cage?"
"I swear it," the shadow spoke through Kieran. Its voice layered. Old. Tired. "One day. That is all I ask. All I need. Then I sleep again. Wait again. Dream again. Until the next crisis. The next desperate moment. I am patient. I can wait."
"And during that day? What will you do?"
"Explore. Learn. Taste food. Feel sunlight. Experience everything I have been denied for a thousand years. I will not hurt anyone. Will not destroy anything. I just want to live. Is that so wrong?"
"For something called the Shadow King? Yes. That is very wrong."
"The Shadow King is a title. Not a nature. I was given that name by people who feared me. Who did not understand me. I am not evil. I am just... different. Powerful. Dangerous if misused. But not evil."
"The history books say you tried to consume the world. To cover everything in darkness."
"The history books lie. I tried to balance the world. The Moon Goddess was too dominant. Too controlling. I pushed back. Tried to create equilibrium. But she painted me as a villain. As a monster. And people believed her. Because she is a goddess. And I am just a shadow."
"How do I know you are telling the truth?"
"You do not. But ask yourself this. If I was truly evil, truly monstrous, would I negotiate? Would I make bargains? Would I offer help? Or would I just take control and damn the consequences?"
Mara hated that the shadow made sense. Hated that its logic was sound. But she was desperate. And desperation made terrible allies acceptable.
"Fine. I agree. One day. After we defeat Demetrius. After the kingdom is safe. You get one day of freedom. Supervised. Controlled. And then back to the cage. Do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal." The shadow extended Kieran's hand. Mara shook it. Felt cold power flowing between them. Sealing the bargain. Making it binding.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now we prepare. The shadow and I will teach you things. Show you how to fight multiple enemies at once. How to use Ash's power more efficiently. How to combine light and darkness in ways you never imagined. You have one week. We make the most of it."
"And if this goes wrong? If the shadow betrays me?"
"Then you kill Kieran. Kill me. Kill the host. The shadow dies too. That is the price of betrayal. We all understand it."
"I do not want to kill you."
"Then make sure I do not betray you. Simple."
Kieran's eyes returned to normal. Blue. Human. The shadow retreating. "Did you agree?" he asked. "Did you make the deal?"
"I did. I am sorry. I had no choice."
"Do not apologize. I offered. I knew what I was asking. The shadow is right about one thing. We need help. Need power. Need every advantage. If one day of freedom saves the kingdom, saves everyone we love, it is worth it."
"I hope you are right."
"Me too."
They returned to the council chamber. Everyone was working. Organizing. Preparing. The city was transforming into a fortress. Walls being reinforced. Traps being set. Weapons being sharpened.
Isla approached. "Mother. We need to talk."
"Not now, Isla. I have too much to do."
"Now. This is important."
Mara sighed. Followed her daughter to another private room. "What is it?"
"I want to fight. Want to help defend the city."
"Absolutely not. You are too young."
"I am seventeen. Almost eighteen. Old enough. And I am strong. You know I am."
"You are also my daughter. My only child. I cannot risk you."
"You risk yourself every day! Why is it different for me?"
"Because you are the future! If I die, you take over! You lead! But if you die, everything falls apart! There is no backup plan! No successor!"
"Then make a backup plan! Choose someone else! But do not make me sit on the sidelines while everyone I love fights and dies!"
"Isla—"
"No! Listen to me! I carried the fragment! I fought Oblivion in my mind! I survived! I am not weak! I am not helpless! And I will not hide while others sacrifice!"
Mara looked at her daughter. Saw the determination in her eyes. The fire. The stubbornness. She saw herself in that moment. Young. Angry. Desperate to prove herself.
"You are right," she said quietly. "I cannot make you hide. Cannot make you weak. You are your own person. Your own warrior. If you want to fight, I cannot stop you."
"Really?"
"Really. But you train first. With Zevran. With Kieran. With the best warriors we have. You learn to defend yourself properly. Learn to survive. And you stay away from the front lines. You fight only if the city is breached. Only as a last resort. Deal?"
"Deal."
They hugged. Held each other. Both knowing this might be the last peaceful moment they had. The last time they could be mother and daughter instead of queen and heir.
"I love you," Mara whispered. "More than anything. More than life itself."
"I love you too. Now come on. We have a kingdom to save."
They returned to the chaos. To the preparations. To the impossible task of defending against an army three times their size.
One week. Seven days. One hundred sixty-eight hours.
It was not enough time. Would never be enough time.
But it was all they had.
And they would make it count.