The Lost & Cursed

by Rina S Mamoon

  “Get in,” the commander ordered. She glanced back at him, and then turned to enter the transport. Once everyone was in place, the carriages began to move.

  ***

  Mara looked out the window as their carriage traveled to Grey Mountain. She could see his reflection on the glass. The commander was scowling at her with his arms folded.

  “Did you enjoy my blood?” Commander White questioned in a cold tone.

  Mara refused to answer. A hand grabbed her face, forcing her to look at its owner. The commander glared at her while holding her face in his grip.

  “You better look at me when I talk to you.” Commander White released his grip and pulled her mask down. Staring at her face, he was stunned at Mara’s transformation. The commander then gazed at her with a raised eyebrow. “I see you’ve become easier on the eyes again.” He frowned at her. “Yet you remain so beastly, but I shouldn’t be surprised. I admit I didn’t expect you to chomp on my neck last night.”

  “Now we’re even,” Mara replied coldly. “Thought I return the favour after you hit me.”

  Commander White scowled at her. “You remind me of this she-wolf.” He reached for the left side of his neck. “This is the same place she got me.” The commander lowered his hand. “Ever heard of the Black Smoke?”

  Mara shook her head. He raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, that’s right… you have amnesia,” he said. Then he revealed, “The Black Smoke was a beast. Parading as a vigilante, she killed many people. The Faith sought to stop this creature and I was in charge of the investigation. The Holy Blades and I searched for her. She got me alone and that’s when it happened. Luckily, my men were nearby and came to my rescue.” He gave a smug look. “One of them smashed her skull with a sledgehammer.”

  Mara’s eyes remained on him. His tale perfectly matched the dream she had last night. She wondered if it was a memory, but couldn’t remember such an event.

  “And that’s why you do not trifle with Kallikratés.” He then pointed to his neck. “I’ll let this pass, seeing how my blood made you less repulsive, but there will not be a next time.”

  He reached over and pulled her mask back up. The two remained silent for the rest of the ride.

  ***

  After a long and uneventful ride, Mara saw Greyward Hold drawing closer. She also spotted the other transports. It appeared Master Harold invited others to the meeting as well. Once they reached the iron doors, the carriage stopped. The commander was the first to leave.

  “We’re here. Get out!” Commander White shouted at her. Mara sighed and left the carriage. The commander stayed behind her, grasping her arm tightly. Holy Blades surrounded them while they were escorted to the large iron doors.

  “Open up. We’ve come for the meeting,” Commander White called.

  The doors opened and they were allowed in. Walking through the grand hall, Mara saw the remaining Silver Thorns gawk at her. They were stunned by her appearance. Entering the meeting room, she grabbed the attention of Master Harold, Chancellor Davis and Dr. Moen, and Morgan. Even High Priestess Alena and some of her disciples were present. Commander White placed her in the centre of the room before joining his father and the priestess. He didn’t untie her ropes, leaving Mara to free herself from her bindings. After a moment, she freed herself.

  All eyes were on her. She looked around and noticed Dr. Moen glancing at the notes, obtained by Mr. White a few minutes ago.

  Harold stood up. “It seems we’ve gathered here again to discuss more troubling matters,” he began in a solemn tone.

  The chancellor stared at Mara. “What happened to her?”

  “We’ll get to that. With regret, I announce the deaths of Lady Isabella of Hema and Heru of the Old Hunting Ground.”

  Everyone was stunned. Taken aback, Davis looked at Harold.

  “How could this be?” The chancellor glanced back at Mara. He opened his mouth to say something, but Dr. Moen approached her with the notes in his hands.

  “Whoa,” Dr. Moen said, staring at her with wonder. She gazed back at him while he began to examine her. Others gave the middle-aged doctor a strange look.

  “Dr. Moen, what are you doing? You’re embarrassing me!” Chancellor Davis cried. The doctor ignored him. He reached for her mask, but Mara backed off and made a low hissing sound. Dr. Moen pulled his hand back as he stared at her. She made it clear she wasn’t to be observed or prodded. She had enough already.

  Commander White stood up. “What is she?”

  The doctor glanced at the notes. “From what I could gather, these undying are normally formed based on the environment they’re in.” Then he addressed the Silver Thorn master. “Where was she when she transformed?”

  “She was in the Dark Labyrinth before meeting Saskia in Ozin,” Master Harold replied.

  Dr. Moen gazed at him with wide eyes. “The Dark Labyrinth? That’s not much to go on.” The doctor rubbed his chin. “That’s a place of highly concentrated magic. Some of the most dangerous monsters are born there.” He looked at the notes. “She’s got wolf-like traits, but is not a werewolf or a vampire. She also has some regenerative abilities which leads me to suspect a shadow beast, albeit partially transformed.” Dr. Moen nodded. “Yes, it’s the closest creature that matches her description and it lives in the Dark Labyrinth. Shadow beasts can teleport, leaving behind black smoke, and have regenerative abilities. But it’s very rare, much like the darkling.”

  Murmurs filled the room.

  The commander shook his head and folded his arms. “Shadow beast? Darkling? Are you making this up?” Commander White asked in a harsh tone.

  The doctor scowled at him. “We do have a darkling living among us. Sealed away in the Black Tower, outside of the abandoned city of Cerebell,” Dr. Moen said condescendingly.

  “My, you do know your history,” Morgan commented on Dr. Moen’s knowledge. “Anna of Cerebell is a darkling who was sealed away for she posed a threat.”

  “For many years, the Silver Thorns have dealt with creatures no human has ever laid eyes upon and for good reason,” Master Harold added.

  The commander gazed at Harold. “Is that so?” Commander White asked indifferently.

  Harold nodded. “Yes, there are creatures even you may have never seen during your time as Commander.”

  The chancellor turned his gaze onto Master Harold. “What else is down there?”

  “The Dark Labyrinth is home to a past long forgotten, not just a prison for the Dark One.” The Silver Thorn leader turned his gaze onto High Priestess Alena and her disciples, as if he were directing his words to them.

  The priestess stood up. Commander White and his father watched as she rose to her feet. Ignoring Master Harold’s words, she gazed at Mara.

  “So, we have another demon amongst us?” Alena said, staring at Mara through her veil. Mara scowled at her with glowing eyes. A dark aura exuded from her body. She really disliked that old woman. Unfazed by Mara’s response, Alena gazed at Master Harold. “This creature is unnatural. Infected by magic, she is dangerous to mankind.”

  “Never mind that,” Master Harold said. “We have some pressing issues to talk about.” He gazed at Mara. “She is believed to be responsible for their deaths.”

  Gasps and murmurs filled the room again.

  “See, I knew she’s trouble! Not only did she kill two possessors of the seals, but she must’ve killed Saskia as well.”

  Mara heard a familiar male voice. She gazed at the one who said those words and recognized the young man with black hair. Boyd was present, standing with the Faith. They likely took him in after being kicked out of the Guardsmen. Why they did it was a mystery. The chancellor and the doctor glanced at him.

  “I thought we determined she didn’t kill Saskia?” Davis questioned.

  “Yes, the Watcher made sure of that!” Dr. Moen glowered at Boyd.

  “You believe in that thing?” Boyd demanded. Dr. Moen kept frowning at him. Davis sighed and looked at Mara. Everyone tur
ned his or her attention onto her.

  “Is it true?” Harold asked her. “Did you kill Isabella and Heru?”

  Mara gazed at him and nodded. “Yes, it’s true.”

  Boyd slammed his fists to the table. “See? She even admitted herself!”

  Mr. White stood up. “Well, she did kill them, but not with ill intention.”

  Alena turned her head to look at him. The commander glared at his father. They looked as if they never expected the old man to speak. Everyone gazed at Mr. White.

  “Go on, we’re all listening,” Master Harold said.

  Mr. White took a deep breath. “My son was turned into a beast by Heru.” He gestured to Mara. “Thanks to her, he was saved. Then Isabella took us hostage, planning an ultimatum with the Faith—withdraw the treaty or she would kill us. If not for the young lady, both Karl and I wouldn’t be standing here.”

  Harold nodded in response. “Yes, you mentioned this in the letter. Very well, yet it doesn’t explain why Heru and Isabella died.”

  “They both threatened me,” Mara began. “I was invited to Hema, to help find Saskia’s murderer. However, Hemal was attacked by the werewolf and I was bitten.” Mara glanced at Mr. White. “His father begged Lady Isabella to spare him. I administered the cure.” Mr. White nodded in accordance with her story. “For curing the commander, I was given the cure as one of my rewards. But Heru abducted me, thinking I wanted to remain a werewolf. He saw me take the cure and tried to kill me, so I stabbed him in self-defence.”

  “Ah, he saw you take the cure?” Harold questioned. “It’s no secret he despised it. Both Morgan and I know the lengths Lady Isabella went to create it. The creation of the cure caused the two to not see eye to eye.”

  “Before he died, Heru gave me a letter, claiming I wanted to remain a werewolf,” Mara continued, “but I didn’t write this letter. It was a set-up.”

  “Who wrote it?” Morgan questioned.

  “The same guy who ripped it up after slapping me,” Mara answered, turning her glare onto the commander. Everyone stared at her, and then to him. Commander White rose to his feet, staring back at her in anger. He held his hands behind his back.

  “I didn’t write this letter, nor did I give it to him,” he insisted coldly.

  Mara scowled at him. “Your father identified the handwriting to be yours, and the steward saw you give the letter to Heru.”

  The father gazed at him. “What if you were glamoured into doing this?”

  The commander looked back at him in confusion. His mouth opened. “I… I don’t remember,” he murmured.

  Mr. White watched him in concern. “I believe Isabella orchestrated Heru’s death,” he told everyone. “All evidence may point at Karl, but I believe he was hypnotized into writing and giving the letter to Heru. She offered to use her glamour to remove any lingering signs of lycanthropy. I allowed it as long as Karl was fine with it. I admit I was not present when she performed it since she requested to be left alone with him.”

  Everyone gazed at Commander White. Becoming aware of their stares, the commander nodded. “I gave consent, but do not recall anything from that night.”

  “It’s true Lady Isabella harboured a deep hatred for both Saskia and Heru,” Morgan said. “The two were responsible for the death of the Aristocracy of Hema, which were high-born vampires. The Aristocracy was created by Isabella. They assisted her in reclaiming Hema. Humans lived in fear of the vampires for many years.”

  Harold nodded. “Yes, this happened four centuries ago,” he revealed. “One of the vampire nobles attacked a young man, unaware he was a werewolf. The man transformed and bit him. The others could only watch as he died a slow and painful death. Upon learning that a werewolf’s bite is fatal to a vampire, Lady Isabella hired scientists and doctors to create the cure. Not only did it cure lycanthropy, it’s true purpose was to save vampires from the fatal bite. Nobles took to nightly hunts and many werewolves died. It escalated to a vicious war between the vampires and the werewolves, and humans were caught in between. Heru once sought the aid of the Silver Thorns. Saskia led a small group to help him. She played a primary role in helping many humans escape their oppressive ruler while Heru and his pack slaughtered the Aristocracy.”

  Mara thought about her final encounter with Lady Isabella. “Before she died, Isabella said she was glad that Saskia and Heru were dead, after what they did to her kind.” Mara tilted her head in confusion. “What about the incident in Marrow? Lady Isabella claimed she had the cure created after a rogue slaughtered the whole village.”

  “That incident happened eight centuries ago,” Harold revealed.

  “So, she lied to me?” Mara asked.

  “She may have twisted the truth, especially when it came to her not seeing eye to eye with Saskia and Heru,” he admitted.

  “She was not pleased with what those two did and may have decided to act recently,” Morgan said. “To avoid suspicion, she probably mesmerized some poor fool into killing Saskia, and then hypnotized the commander into orchestrating Heru’s death.”

  Everyone looked at her. Some expressed surprise, although this was an undeniable fact. Most were aware of Isabella’s hatred of Saskia and Heru.

  “The Silver Thorns could not find the one responsible for Saskia’s murder,” Harold added, nodding in agreement. “And what of Lady Isabella?” He gazed at Mara. “How did she die?”

  “I stood in her way,” Mara replied. “She shut off my humanity and offered to turn me. I refused and sided with them, so she tried to kill me too.”

  “Very well, but speaking of glamour,” Harold said, “I offer my humble apologies. With Isabella dead, there’s no way to turn your humanity back on.”

  Silence filled the room.

  “It may be possible,” Dr. Moen broke the silence. Everyone stared at him.

  “Is that so?” Harold asked.

  “No, don’t tell me you brought that thing here again!” Davis cried, his face twisted in a frown.

  Dr. Moen laughed. “Of course not, but…” He took out a gold pendant with a glowing blue gem. He held it out in front of Mara and gazed at her. “I believe the Watcher’s psychic powers may be able to neutralize Isabella’s glamour. Can’t guarantee it’ll work, but it is better than nothing,” Dr. Moen addressed Mara. “I can use this communication stone to call her here, but only if you want it. Do you want our help?”

  She stared at the doctor and shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

  Dr. Moen smiled and gripped the pendant. All of a sudden, everything went black.

  ***

  Waking up, Mara found herself laying on the floor of the grand hall. Rising to her feet, she looked around. Greyward Hold was silent and empty. Everyone left her alone.

  “Mara…”

  Hearing her name being called, Mara turned around and saw two people standing behind her. A man and a woman appeared to be in their fifties, looking similar to her. In fact, she recognized the man from an earlier vision when she was training with Saskia. She stared at them in confusion. She didn’t know who they were. Mara opened her mouth to say something, but a thought emerged in her mind. She knew these people.

  “Mom? Dad?”

  A flood of emotions and memories washed over her, tearing down the wall that locked away her humanity. This was the first time seeing her parents after becoming lost and cursed.

  She now remembered her full name: Mara Ashwood. Her mother, Daniella, had white skin and black hair. Her hair was actually greying, but she constantly coloured it to hold on to her youth. Her eyes were pale blue. Her father, Mathias, was often called Bear because his great strength rivalled such a creature. A member of the Stone Mage Tribe of the Outer Frontier, he possessed dark skin and greying hair that was once black. Daniella groomed her to be a wife and mother. Bear wanted to train her to be a hunter and take over his business. He also ran a workshop and forged weapons. Her parents’ different views often clashed and their fights sometimes bothered her. Even with an incomplete memory, she
at least remembered something very important—her family.

  Mara wanted to run to them, but her vision became obscured by thick black smoke rising from her body. When the smoke faded, her parents were nowhere to be seen. She felt fingers on her head. Mara turned around and found the Watcher standing behind her, pulling her hands away. She gazed at her in confusion, wondering what she did to her. She recalled the Watcher having psychic powers and suspected that she restored some of her memories.

  Dr. Moen gazed in awe as the smoke began to dissipate. “Whoa,” he uttered.

  Gazing at the doctor, the middle-aged man reminded her of a friend she once knew from college, but could not recall the name yet. The others looked on in surprise.

  “The dark aura is dissipating,” Harold said.

  Mara looked at her hands. She thought she saw blood, but another look showed her hands were clean. Her heart began to twist in guilt. She began to wonder what she was thinking, concerning her recent actions. What would her family think? She gazed at the Watcher and a thought crossed her mind. Her humanity was shut off and there was nothing she could do. Mara began to realize the importance of her humanity. She was grateful that the Watcher brought her back from the brink. She would not have a second chance.

  “What happened? What did you do to her?”

  Recognizing his voice, she turned around and saw Commander White approaching them. Their eyes met and Mara couldn’t look away. At first, she thought he was showing genuine care and concern, but it was too good to be true. The commander gave his typical glare.

  She glanced down at her hands. “I… I remember,” Mara murmured softly.

  Dr. Moen gazed at her in curiosity. “What are you talking about?”

  Mara looked back at him. “It’s just… I couldn’t remember anything before becoming an undying.”

  The doctor looked intrigued. “Hmm, so remembering your human life triggered your humanity to return?” He gazed at his creation. “And the Watcher did that?”

  The Watcher looked back at him and nodded. Dr. Moen stared in surprise. He turned away and rubbed his chin. “There’s a comatose patient in Mirahyll Hospital. I wonder if the Watcher can help?”