"Why are you helping Ravena?!" I shout at her.
This isn't about simply understanding her intentions, but helping us gain time. If we have more werewolves around, we might be able to rally them to stop the human women from attacking us. I have no idea what's going to happen next, and I don't like it. It feels like we're dancing in Ravena's palm, and I'm not having it.
The Water Witch glares at me in a familiar stance. She really can't stand the sight of me...
"You damn Cursed One," she hisses. "You still have the guts to stand here..."
"This is my home and my city," I growl. "I don't care if you have a problem with Cursed Ones, but if you have an issue with me, at least leave the werewolves alone!"
"I don't owe you anything, and I don't care about your dogs, either. It's so typical of Cursed Ones to hide behind others... You're really the worst of us!"
"What the hell is your issue with Cursed Ones?!" I yell back, fed up. "You think I chose to be cursed? You think any witch chose to be betrayed?"
"They chose to lay with dogs! They betrayed their own blood when they gave in to those greedy dogs!"
So that's her problem, huh? She doesn't give a damn about the curse or its victims. She resents the witches who made the same mistake of falling for werewolf men in the first place... However, something doesn't sit quite right with her earlier words.
"But you didn't hate Nephera, did you?" I retort. "You knew she was Mara's mother, and you blamed me for the curse that took the first Mara, her unborn child. Still, you knew Nephera fell for a werewolf man twice, didn't you?! So why do you hate me so much when you know what she went through?!"
She suddenly looks like I slapped her. Yeah, I hit a nerve, didn't I?
I can't help but glance at Ravena, still waiting on the side. She doesn't look so arrogant anymore, and she's glaring at the Water Witch, her eyes full of doubt. It looks like their alliance is paper thin, isn't it? What deal did Ravena strike with her for them to be on the same side? Something's not right here. Ravena is after the curse's Dark Magic, but what is the Water Witch after? She loathes that curse and whatever it created. So, why would she agree to help Ravena? Why would she stay so close to Silver City too? She's not powerless, she could have picked any other place, but she stayed around... simply to attack me? No, it doesn't feel as simple as that.
“Mara…”
I glance over my shoulder. The human women are coming forward.
“Are they armed?”
“I don't know…”
I don't like this. If Ravena really wanted to make a mess, she would have given them some weapons or something... but I feel like that cunning bitch of a witch would have an even more twisted plan in mind, and I don't like this at all... I turn back to the Water Witch and that imposing wave still threatening to fall over us. I need to sort this out. If I can maybe reason with her, we could get ourselves in a better position, perhaps...
"You really hate me because I'm a Cursed One? What of the other Mara, then?"
"You are not Nephera's daughter!" she shouts.
"So it's about every Cursed One but Nephera? I wouldn't exist if it wasn't for her!"
"You insolent little witch!"
She waves her arm as if to slap me, but from the distance and her stance, it won't be as nice and easy. As I feared, the movement has the water move instead, and a portion of the huge wave comes right at us. All the wolves growl, but it's not going to change things. It washes over us and we roll on the asphalt. That thing hit us like a huge wall, much heavier than I anticipated. If we take more of those, she's going to smash us on the ground like ants!
“Mara, you may not want to anger her,” Selena growls.
“Sorry.”
However, I know she's pissed because I touched a nerve. That Water Witch isn't motivated by greed like Ravena. If I can find out what she's really here for and what her deal is with Nephera, maybe I can turn things around...
Suddenly, a growl behind me gets our attention. One of the women just jumped at Ben with a little knife in hand. Oh, shit... He bites her wrist without being too brutal, just enough to make her drop it, and pushes her back, but I feel like this isn't over. Quickly, another one moves, and begins doing the same, attacking Nathaniel's flank. He growls and easily steps away.
“Don't injure the humans.”
“I know!”
The bantering between the Black Brothers is echoed by several growls. The human women are all moving forward, but... strangely, they seem to mostly want to attack the male werewolves of our group. Ravena definitely used a portion of the curse to misguide them...
The women are closing in on us, and I don't like how we're cornered by the edge of the water.
