Page 2 of Moonlit Guardians
Everything will be different now. I will be different.
The blood of the succubae truly ends with me now. I thought I knew what being the last of something felt like, but this is far more profound than I ever imagined. The cold, harsh truth ofbeing utterly alone, and not having the answers I seek, begins to sink in as I stare at the body of my father.
What was the life he lived before heartbreak took his sanity?
How did he love my mother, a creature so much brighter than him? Why did he never seek me out and show me I could be more than my instincts? Was I not good enough for him? Was he ashamed of me for being a half-breed? If my own father didn’t place any worth on my life, then why should anyone else?
I look to my companions, mylovers, and though they’re unaware, I see their hearts in their eyes. They look at me with something akin to reverence but their pride or awe doesn’t echo in me. I feel… empty.
I came to the mountain searching for answers from a father I never knew.
Instead, the answers were right in front of you all along,I tell myself as the emptiness within me begins to fade. As I move my gaze from Dragan, to Baron, to Pyre and realize each of them stares back at me, I realize I’ve been whole all along. I never needed to seek my father out, to understand my lineage because it never mattered.
All that mattered was the family I have now—a family with the men who love me.
Morrigan was wrong about me. I’m not to blame for all that’s happened. If I was, these fearless men wouldn’t look at me as though I embody everything they’ve ever needed. And I feel the same. They are my strength.
I was robbed of a complete life, but killing my father feltgood. Killing him to save Pyre feels even better.
Pyre…
Pyre’s journey isn’t over yet.
Silvanus is gone, but I know he won’t stay away long. He left the sanctuary of the Raven Forest and that means he’s a fugitive as much as the rest of us. If I can get Silvanus alone, maybe I canpersuade him to join our fight and rid the realms of Morrigan once and for all. Then, we could take on Abedon and restore the balance, finally setting things right.
But we must act—and act quickly, or we risk losing the progress we’ve made.
I use the shredded sleeve of my tunic to wipe the blood from my face. The Incubus is dead. Word will spread through the realms and soon there will be many who seek to claim this land for themselves.
My land. The land my mother created with the help of Silvanus. I can’t let them take it from me. We need to restore this place, turn it back into the haven it once was before the worlds collided and the realms were thrust into chaos.
***
BARON
Incubus Cave
Dragan’s jaw drops, and I stand with my own mouth gaping.
Eilish... killed her father...
I never imagined her capable of taking a life in such a brutal manner, much less her own flesh and blood. I move closer, cautious as I see fear still dancing in her eyes, warring with shock.
I touch her shoulder. “You all right?”
Eilish flinches, but she doesn’t shake off my hold. Instead, she stares at me with wide eyes as she turns her gaze from me to Dragan.
“Eilish?” he asks.
She looks at Pyre.
“You did what you had to do,” he says.
She nods and looks at me again. “It’s okay,” I try to soothe her in a soft voice. She doesn’t say anything, just stands there,her chest heaving with her elevated breathing. And then she throws herself into my arms and weeps.
“We should leave,” Pyre says as he lets out a pained grunt. Eilish pulls away from me and dries her eyes as she turns to face him.
“You’re hurt,” she says as she separates herself from me and hurries to him, lifting his head as she whispers a healing spell. She glows brightly, washing them both in a light that causes the goblins to shrink away with fear. They scurry back into the tunnels, leaving behind mounds of bodies and a river of pus flowing freely from each pile.
