Chapter 90
Chapter Ninety
Blair
“Ibelieve the Mother of Darkness and I are connected.”
Surety rushed through Blair’s veins like the stormy winds of her bronntanas. For years, she’d hidden parts of herself—her love for Lorkan, her shadows. Now, she’d embraced both. She’d mated with her love, and her shadows danced at her fingertips freely.
She’d also set out to break the curse; revealing what she knew of the Blood Goddess—if that was actually her name—might help. Could she be so bold? Would she step out of line?
Why in the blasted books not?
Tovi lowered her sword in inch, and over her friend’s shoulder, she spied pride gleaming in Lorkan’s golden eyes.
“Blair, how did you get that mark?” Evelyn whispered.
The goddess stepped forward, and three very territorial werewolves growled.
Kade came forward, immense power radiating off of him. “That’s far enough.”
The Mother of Darkness halted, deep-blue eyes scanning him.
The sword of ancients remained strapped to his back, but at his sides, his fingers twitched.
The goddess’s expression remained blank, not an ounce of emotion rippling across her face.
She addressed Evelyn next, and Blair readied herself for the truth.
“My power runs in your sister’s veins, third born. She is weaved with my very essence, which includes the sadness I carry for my fallen brother and sisters. When she touched the bloodstone, the burn was but a fraction of the pain I carry.”
As if to prove her point, dark wisps leaked from the goddess’s boots and hands.
They reared towards Blair, and she swallowed.
For most of her life, she’d believed such magic would get her thrown in Tùir.
As if the land understood her fear, thunder boomed above, much like the storms that had hit off the coast of Nūa and barreled into the prison. Her gut clenched.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Plenty of witches, dark witches, wielded shadows—“
“Or did they choose darkness? Because those are two very different things.
“ She tilted her head, inspecting Blair.
“One is natural, no different from your winds, while the other is a choice. Though Macha twisted the perception of shadows over the centuries, steeping fear into witch’s lore, much like other beings of this world. “ She averted her attention to Tovi.
“How?” the vampyr queen asked through gritted teeth.
“She is your maker, not I.”
“You’re lying!” Tovi hissed, stepping closer.
The goddess laughed, raspy and dry. Her venomous smile revealed two fangs, far thicker than a vampyr’s. More like—Blair reared straighter. The wildness wafting from her, and those canines. The Mother of Darkness reminded her of Lorkan—a werewolf-vampyr.
“The entire tale of vampyrs is based on a lie. The Blood Goddess is not real, but a fictional character.”
Tension rippled from Eldrick. “If you are not her, then what is your true name?”
“Badb,” she said. “I’m one of the Three.”
Rook flew through the tent’s entrance and landed on the goddess’s shoulder. He picked at her tattered cloak and rubbed his head affectionately against her cheek. Blair swallowed, blood turning to ice. Her familiar and the goddess knew one another.
“He was a gift, too.” Badb scratched under his beak, and Rook shuddered from the touch. “A loyal companion to share in your otherness.”
Evelyn approached, flanking Tovi’s side. “Wait, what would the Sun Goddess gain by creating the vampyrs?”
“Control,” Badb sighed. “As you all know, I was banished to Hel after the Gods War, but my banishment wasn’t for eternity.
It was a time for atonement, away from my brothers and sisters.
Isolation was supposed to teach me something.
Yet, the Gods War began because of Macha’s own fears of herself.
She split her soul and hence divided her power amongst the Three, but wickedness lived in her still, because light and dark lives in us all.
Macha couldn’t control her nature any better than she had before, and instead of accepting what she was, she pointed a finger at me, a seemingly easier figure to pin darkness and death upon. ”
“Why didn’t you fight for that truth? Why let her win?” Blair asked.
“Because so many of my brothers and sisters had died during the war, and Macha’s influence grew too vicious. Beings of this realm, like the fae, were fleeing. I had to stop the senseless bloodshed, and time for us gods is but a blink compared to mortals.”
“You surrendered to Hel willingly.” Kade’s brow pinched, apprehension gleaming in his assessing stare.
“Yes, but over the centuries, Macha grew restless as the end of my sentence neared.” Badb continued to stroke Rook absently.
“I’d remained patient and silent in my kingdom of demons and darkness, unlike her in the Otherworld, toying with souls like playthings.
Along with Macha’s wickedness, greed rushes through her veins like a raging river.
She thrives on the worship she receives in this realm, and she feared she’d lose it if the truth was unveiled.
So, she orchestrated a plan to ruin my reputation. ”
“The Blood Curse,” Tovi whispered.
“Precisely.”
Maxie emerged from the outside and sat to attention near the goddess. Yellow eyes wide. Ears up. Tail flicking back and forth. Not as friendly as Rook, but not hesitant either. Tovi’s eyes widened, and Badb lips twitched.
“Vampyrs are created in their maker’s likeness, and you are far more similar to my soul sister than me.
Your court in Drystan brims with the same nature of her castle in the Otherworld.
All gods drink blood, but the bloodlust is a direct reflection of her.
The Daughter of the Goddess experienced Macha’s wretchedness, too, after stealing some of her power. ”
Blair shook her head. “Are you saying the goddess who made a bargain with Tovi’s father was the Sun Goddess?”
Badb nodded. “Yes. She recreated another story to paint me as the goddess corrupted by darkness, and the other gods so easily believed the new tale, as they had during the Gods War.”
Evelyn shared a look with Tovi. “It makes sense. The King of Elsewhere had never heard the name before.”
“The fae fled the One,” Lorkan said. “While later texts recounted the Mother of Darkness.”
“But that was after Morrígna split herself into three souls,” Kade said.
“I don’t understand.” Tovi turned a shade paler than usual. “Why not intervene sooner and stop Macha?”
“Hel suffocated my influence,” Badb said. “But I tried my best to send something near to those in the prophecy, a demonstration that darkness is not necessarily evil. Much like the Moon God and Sun Goddess gifted their power, I did the same. “
Tovi blinked, eyes going wide. “That’s why you gave Blair your shadows.”
Rook cawed, stomping his feet. Badb stroked his wings, absently. “Yes. Sight told me she’d one day cross paths with you, Tovi Verena, a valiant queen who fought against a curse, and Evelyn Carson, the one to rid darkness once and for all.”
Finally, Badb managed a small smile, the deep blue of her eyes no longer held wisdom, but sadness. “To think what connected you all was far more than circumstance, but love. After thousands of years, I almost lost hope until you, Blair Carson.”
Hope.
Blair inhaled the word as if she was parched and desperate for water. To think this goddess had endured far worse than she’d feared—persecution, misjudgment, isolation—and yet, Badb still held onto something far mightier than power or magic.
Blair had once thought fate a cruel bitch.
Blasted books, she’d revered the concept a majority of her adult life, resenting her shadows along the way.
How easy it would’ve been to lean into that anger.
To let it fester and spark into rage. Yet, she hadn’t.
Instead, she’d tamped down her shadows and stuck her nose in books.
Suddenly, relief trickled through Blair like she’d cleansed herself in a rain shower. A choice always existed, and Blair’d leaned into her true nature. She’d never let outside influence, temptations or labels dictate otherwise.
“Does Riven know who the Blood Goddess really is?” Tovi asked.
Badb sighed, and Rook flew from her shoulder, finding another place to perch as he preened his feathers.
“I’m not certain. She lost a great ally when Circe was killed.
Ingrid, too. I know she never revealed her true self to your father, but as for your brother, she may have grown desperate enough to tell him.
He, too, is mentioned in the prophecy. Light can be interpreted in many ways. ”
The news settled over the group, and wariness spread through the tent. It all clicked. The Sun Goddess’s nature. The discrepancy between lore and Blair’s research. Which meant Macha’s hold over Sorin was the darkness detailed in the prophecy. Blair’s inside swam with more uncertainty.
“Is breaking the curse enough?” She crossed her arms, sharing a look with Lorkan.
“No,” Badb said, tone adamant. “But it’ll piss her off enough that she’ll leave the Otherworld.
To fulfill the prophecy and truly defeat the darkness, you must end her, too.
Break the curse’s hold on Sorin first and then defeat Riven.
Snuff out those forms of darkness, and you’ll have a fighting chance of beating her.
When she emerges, I’ll fight alongside you to take down a goddess. ”
Evelyn shook her head, left brow furrowing. “In exchange for what?”
Badb’s lips tilted into a smirk, her namesake glinting in her gaze. “All I ask is that I’m the one to deliver the death blow.”
Kade’s gaze narrowed. “Odin said Macha couldn’t destroy you because it would do the same to her. If we succeed, you’ll die as well.”
“So be it,” Badb said. “I’m ready to leave this world a better place.”
“What of the third soul sister?” Lorkan asked. “If she still exists, will darkness truly be defeated if fragments of the One remain?”
“Nemain was a mortal soul, unlike Macha and me. I haven’t felt her tethered to this world since the curse fell. I believe Odin’s theory—she died when their fated bond was broken,” Badb said. “You all have everything you need—“
Thunder clapped from above, and everyone braced. The temperature dropped ten degrees, and the fires whooshed out, draping the tent in darkness. More thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the ground beneath Blair’s boots.
The storm’s energy pierced her chest and yanked her to move. Something wasn’t right. She answered the land’s call and sprinted from the tent. Lorkan growled her name, but she ignored him, and faced the sky. The others exited the tent, gathering around her.
“Bloody hel,“ Tovi whispered.
Above, the amethyst clouds churned above the Void.
Snow turned to sleet, scrapping across Blair’s exposed skin.
Tents in the war camp swayed in the wind’s force.
Horns blared across the plains, signaling formation.
Mists shifted to dark shadows, and the methodical beat of wings joined the storm’s crescendo.
A hundred italogs circled above, and the ground shook with the approach of marching foes. Prince Riven, atop a ghastly beast that resembled a kelpie, led at the front.
Yet, it wasn’t vampyrs flaking him a half-mile wide, but a legion of demons.