“The first Royal?” gasps Nora.
“Exactly. She's the one who created that curse, and that's why the witches couldn't stop it. The normal witches, that is. They called people like me Cursed Ones because we were the only ones who were both witch and werewolf like her, the only ones who could get to her…”
“How did you get out of there?”
“I'm... not entirely sure. But I think the key is inside that hurricane. I need to get back to Luna and make her stop.”
"You're not going back in there!" shouts Liam. "Look at yourself, she almost killed you! You can barely stand!"
“You're really weak, Mara,” adds Nora. “I can barely feel your life force... let alone your magic.”
I take a deep breath and stare at Liam. I know what I might be about to do is dangerous... but I need to stop this curse, at any cost. Otherwise, she will use me to unleash herself all over Silver City, and start haunting witches all over again. I look at the fight all around me, knowing I ought to stop them all.
"I'll be fine," I shake my head, "as long as I can convince–"
“Oh, cut it out, Mara,” suddenly growls Selena. “That witch has been having her tantrum for centuries, she's not going to listen to you so easily, not without you having your magic fully charged back up at least.”
“Selena is right. We need to help you get back to a state you can fight–”
"Nora, no! We're losing time, and it's not like I'll suddenly charge up or heal so easily!"
“Don't underestimate me! I'm still the Luna of Silver City, if I say I'm healing you, I'll heal you!”
I don't dare to say a word after hearing Nora get mad. She's usually so calm, it genuinely took me by surprise. Facing me, Liam chuckles, but moves and stretches his shoulders as if ready to go back to fight.
"What about your magic?" he asks. "Luna must have used a whole bunch, right?"
How do I charge it back up...? Before I can even think, I feel it. A flame, a powerful one, moving away from me, yet it's mine...
"Spark," I gasp. "If I can get back to him, I'm sure I'll be able to transfer the magic he drew back to me."
“Alright. Let’s get you to Nora, to the cat, and then you can play with that crazy curse…”
"But it's going to take too long," I mutter. "By the time I'll be ready–"
"She doesn't control you anymore, Mara," says Liam. "Look around. No new golems coming out of the ground, we're only dealing with the ones she had already made. She doesn't control your magic or Ravena's, as long as she doesn't get her hands on another witch, I think we will manage..."
Moon Goddess, I hope so... I take a deep breath and try to focus, but when I open my hand, only a very small flame appears. Alright, time to run and get back in shape...
“Ready, hot stuff?” Liam winks at me, ready to run too.
“Ready when you are, babe,” I smile.
Chapter 38
We keep running, away from Luna's shadows this time, and back onto the battlefield. We are searching for Spark, but I actually know exactly where to go. Each time I focus a bit more on that flame inside of me, I can feel its echo on the other side. I feel my cat, fighting and roaring against his enemies. That's my Sparky... I guess I'll owe him tons of treats and pets later.
We're not anywhere near him yet, though. The truth is, the battle has intensified all around us, and the rain is acting against the werewolves, trapping them in the mud and slowing down their movements. Running is fucking difficult too, and I'm out of breath in a matter of minutes. Not to mention I just went through hell and back, being suddenly thrown back into the reality of this fight is... hard. I'm grateful I can reach out to my friends, my pack, to share their strength and ignore the sore muscles and heavy body. Using our mind-link, I update them on everything I went through while Luna had trapped me. The illusion, the truth behind the curse, the real past she went through, how she did... everything. The only thing I try not to mention is that tombstone thing. I don't know why but it... haunts me. The vision of Liam's name there, it's just scary, and I don't want to think about it. I know he's aware I’m skipping parts of the story from the looks he gives me. After all, he did hear me mention the grave earlier, but I just... I don't want to talk about it now.
Thankfully, there's a lot more to discuss than that.
“So... the curse was started by Luna the Wolf, the first... Royal?” says Selena.
“Exactly,” I nod. “She wasn't the first female werewolf, from what I understood, but she was the first Royal, the one who got pure, Light Magic to make her more powerful. Her mate couldn't receive magic since he was male, so it makes sense that the Royal bloodline was a... girl-only thing. Witches are only women.”
“It partially explains why my dad was a bit less of a Royal than Nora's mom, his twin…” agrees Selena.
“So the targets of the curse were... witches falling in love with werewolves from the beginning? The whole thing about us being able to protect our children... Was that fake?”
