Chapter 28 - Grace
I am flame.
Ancient power flows through me, up through the soles of my feet, pouring through the top of my head to meet in my core. It’s exactly what happened the night I stood against the snake.
When I was holding Dan’s hand.
My child within me is a living link to him, her tiny heart beating, circulating blood made by both of us. Even as the energy sickens with the taint of Sakesh’s evil intent, my faith doesn’t waver.
This is what is supposed to happen.
I just know it, deep in the marrow of my bones. I see the old families come forward and offer themselves to Sakesh. Their sacrifice makes him stronger, and the circle expands.
Not yet…
More soldiers are devoured by the spreading circle, and my heart mourns for them, but I know this is the final fight and we are racing to its conclusion.
Within an instant, we’ll know if we have him… or if he has us.
The circle of heat grows again, and a horrible wave of sickness flows through me, making me gag. My eyes water, and I’m suddenly aware of the heat. I can hear the other girls gasping as it reaches them, and the horrible stench of burned, rotting flesh clogs my nostrils.
My heart hammers in my chest as the pestilence invades my body, and fear for my child shakes my resolve.
Faith… she whispers, from somewhere deep where my soul meets my body.
Faith!
Recognition sweeps through me, a powerful rush that brings tears to my eyes.
She just told me her name!
“Hold on!” I gasp, and I know the other lunas can hear me. In each of them, I sense that same swirling nexus of power where they are joined to their fated mate. It grounds us, makes our power ten times stronger than it would be without them.
It’s not enough!
Sakesh keeps pushing back, and even though we resist with every last scrap of strength in our bodies, the heat continues to rise.
Just when I feel all is lost, my sisters rush from the forest, raising their hands and chanting. Sakesh challenges Gretchen, and I understand part of the exchange.
How old is she?
There is no time to think, only act. With the help of the coven, we strengthen our hold on the lines of light, pouring all our love and faith into it.
Love, hope, faith, truth…
Sakesh screams at Gretchen, and a massive wave of flame streaks up through the rock. It cracks open even further, and I realize how vulnerable Sakesh has made himself.
He always had the option to seal himself back inside and wait for another opportunity. Now that the seal is broken, he must win… or die!
The fire lives within me, caressing my skin from the inside out. It feels like ecstasy, almost sexual, and I hear the other women moan as it touches them, too.
“Grace…” Sakesh whispers. “I can taste you, Grace…”
“I hope it tastes like defeat,” I croak.
“I never wanted to hurt you,” he hisses. “I just needed you here. For us—all of us. The tales are true, Grace. Every last one.”
I shake my head, and I feel the power leak out around me as the other lunas hear his words.
“Power…” he whispers. “Complete power. Think of how you were treated. The abuse suffered by Alisha, by Sara. The pain Scarlett felt. No one ever needs to feel like that again.”
What?
“You will be a goddess, Grace,” Sakesh hisses, his voice seductive. “A goddess of fire. You’ll walk across the world, avenging the fallen and the broken. You’ll smite those who are cruel, just as I have slain your enemies today.”
“I can’t…” My voice fails as I remember the pain I’ve suffered, almost every day of my life.
Echoes flood the circle, and Alisha cries out as she remembers the brutal treatment from her ex.
Sara cries out, and memories of what her father did to her flood the circle.
Scarlett wails in pain, a dark cavern inside her where her parents’ death and her uncle’s betrayal still festers.
“You killed innocent people, too,” I gasp, fighting him with all my strength.
“I only needed to eat, Grace,” Sakesh whispers my name like a lover, in reverence and awe. “Now I am full, I only need you to feed me. Your power. We can be as one. All of us.”
“And what about the world?” I croak. My mind fills with images of the burning earth, the screams of dying animals, and thousands of people suffering under a red sky.
“Lies,” he spits. “Lies from the evil coven, the women who used you for their own ends. Always, it was you and me. The end doesn’t have to be like that, Grace.”
He hisses, and I feel his tongue flickering across my skin.
“It could be paradise,” he hisses. “A garden. A place of no injustice, only peace. Only love.”
My mind fills with beauty and warmth. Green grass, bright flowers, clear running streams. No pain, no sickness or greed. Only happiness.
“Be my goddess, Grace,” he whispers. “All of you… be with me. Let us change the world.”
My heart wavers. I hate myself, but it does. I remember the pain in my heart when Gretchen told me I had to marry Dan. The awful rejection. Years and years of abuse, all because I was different.
Faith!
A small thump in my belly yanks me back to reality so fast, I almost collapse. White light blooms from my belly, and my strength returns. I can smell the burning flesh again and hear the screams of the dying world.
“No, Grace!” Sakesh screams. “Have faith in me!”
“No,” I gasp, looking up at him. He writhes on the great pillar of flame, trapped by the net above and our white light beneath.
“No,” I say, louder, and I feel the strength of all my sisters behind me. “I only have faith in love.”
Sakesh screams, a piercing sound that feels like it splits my skull in two. Even though we all cry out in pain, all of us keep our hands pointed upwards, focused on Sakesh as our light pushes him up while the net descends from above.
Have faith in me, Grace! I hear Sakesh’s voice one last time. I can be everything you need!
“I only need love,” I whisper. “And you know nothing of love.”
Sakesh howls, and the beast begins to shred apart under the force of white light.
The net tightens, strangling him, and piece by piece, we tear him apart.
The coven chants, their voices getting stronger as the net descends, and the other lunas and I force the glow of white light into the fiery glow of Sakesh, feeling his body ripping apart between the two forces.
As the last scales of gold drift down, they sprinkle onto our heads, and I know that we have absorbed some of his power. I feel it flowing into my blood, and I know it isn’t a curse; it’s the assurance that he is truly gone, and now what remains of him is kept within the light of love forever.
A huge boom shudders through the rock, and the air snaps as if a powerful lightning strike split the air. As the magic clears, all of us fall to the ground, and the last thing I see before I hit the rock is Dan running towards me.
“Grace,” his voice reaches me through the void, and for a moment, I think I must have died, but then I feel his hand on my cheek.
“Gracie,” he almost sobs. “Wake up, please wake up.”
My eyes flicker open, and I see Dan’s blue eyes right above mine, wide and glittering with grief.
“I’m here,” I murmur, reaching for his hand. “I’m here, my love.”
“Oh, God,” he chokes out, wrapping his arms around me and holding me against his chest. “Oh, thank God.”
He shudders as he rocks me back and forth, and slowly, I gain the strength to wrap my arms around his neck and hug him back.
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “Shh, I’m alright.”
“I know,” his voice is muffled with his head pressed against my shoulder. “I just—”
“And your daughter is just fine, too,” I say with a smile.
Dan pulls back, looking into my eyes with shock.
“What?”
“A baby,” I say, putting his hand on my belly. “A little girl. She saved me.”
Dan looks at my belly, then at my face, and back again. “We’re going to—”
“Yes, Dan,” I say, laughing as my strength returns. “You’re going to be a father, and she wants you to know her name is Faith.”
“Faith,” he says, touching my belly. “Perfect.”
Dan helps me to my feet, and I see the coven gathered together at one side of the circle.
“Gretchen!” I gasp, hurrying in their direction, only to fall over my own feet.
“Hey, wait up,” Dan says, catching me. He sweeps me up into his arms and carries me to where the other witches are gathered. When we get there, we find Gretchen spread out on the ground, the others around her. Kyra looks up at me, tears streaking down her cheeks as she clings to Gretchen’s hand.
“I can’t heal her,” she sobs. “It’s not working.”
“And it won’t, child,” Gretchen gasps. “I’m done. My life’s work is complete.”
“How old are you, Gretchen?” I ask as Dan puts me down beside her.
“Not worth talking about now,” she rasps. “But I can go. That’s all that matters. And you girls—”
She looks around at the others, and they gather closer.
“You make your lives in the packs now. There is no need for seclusion, and you can finally live your lives. Go. Have love, have pleasure, have… freedom.”
I take Gretchen’s other hand, squeezing it gently. “I’ll take care of them, Gretchen.”
“I know you will,” she replies, looking up at me.
Her eyes suddenly pick out Dan standing beside me.
“And you, boy. Don’t be too hard on her.
It was I who made her keep secrets, so if you have to be angry, then hold me accountable.
Your girl here, she’s had enough anger for more than one lifetime, and now she needs love. ”
“She’ll have it,” Dan says, touching my shoulder.
Gretchen smiles and looks up to the sky. “I’ll be with you in your dreams, Kyra,” she whispers. “Find me there.”
“Mother!” Kyra cries. “No!”
The other witches gather around, holding Kyra as Gretchen’s last breath leaves her body.
I know Gretchen wasn’t her biological mother… but she was the only mom the poor girl ever had.
To my astonishment, Gretchen’s body disappears, vanishing into a thick white dust that scatters across the ground. Green grass and flowers grow upwards in a sudden rush, and Kyra reaches out for the petals as the other witches comfort her.
Dan picks me up again, walking towards the edge of the circle. I can see the other lunas being helped by their mates, and all around us, there is death, destruction, and carnage.
But we won. We finally won. This is the end of it. Forever.
“Should we go home?” Dan asks, nuzzling my neck.
I tighten my grip on him, snuggling against his chest.
“Yes, my love,” I reply. “Let’s go home.”