***
A bell’s chime pulled her from her sleep. Mara didn’t know how long she was unconscious. She no longer felt any pain. Her eyes scanned the room. The room was dark, all the lights were off. Dr. Moen and the Watcher were gone. Mara wondered where they went. Looking down at her body, she was no longer strapped to the table. Getting up, she noticed a white light shining on her. She looked up and saw a glowing white figure standing before her. It appeared to be a woman, yet her face was veiled from below the eyes. She wore a white dress and a hood. Mara tried to see her face, but was blinded by the light. The ghostly figure began to approach her. Mara felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay? Can you hear me?”
Mara heard Dr. Moen calling her. She gazed back at him, seeing his concerned face. He was kneeled before her. The Watcher was also looking at her. She stared at him for a while, and then looked back to where the woman in white was standing. Mara glanced at the empty space in confusion.
“Where is she?”
Dr. Moen looked concerned. “What are you talking about?”
“There was a woman here, wearing a white dress and a hood.” Mara looked around again. “Didn’t you see her?” She looked back at them. Dr. Moen and the Watcher exchanged glances. Judging by the looks on their faces, they never saw her.
“No one else was present during the procedure,” the Watcher stated.
The doctor rubbed his chin. “Could be a hallucination?”
Mara stared at him in horror and anger. She didn’t sign up for this.
He saw her expression. “It’s never been documented before,” he said calmly. “You’re the first.”
“Is this permanent?” Mara demanded.
Dr. Moen looked back at her with sympathy. “Hey, no need to get worried. I’ll make sure it doesn’t get worse.” He stood up. “Can you stand?”
She rose to her feet despite feeling upset. She could still stand.
He nodded. “Okay, that’s good. Can you walk to that desk?”
She looked at the desk and approached it with no problems. Mara turned around and looked at him. “Why do I need to do this?”
“Wanted to make sure you’re still functional,” he admitted. “I’ve never actually attempted this before on anyone since the Watcher.”
Her eyes widened. “What? You couldn’t also tell me this?”
Dr. Moen lifted a finger and pointed at her. “Hey, at least you turned out okay despite a little side-effect. Though I better take a blood sample to observe any changes.” He left to get a syringe and returned. He made her remove a glove, penetrated her flesh with the needle, and took some blood. After he was done, she put her glove back on. He put the sample away.
“Why are we doing this?” Dr. Moen asked as if to remind her.
“To defeat Anna,” Mara sighed.
“Great! Now come over here,” he beckoned Mara.
She walked before a gold ornate device. It looked like a giant clock face with a hollow centre. The outer ring had runes etched on. A person could walk through. She also noticed more of those staves near the device, but the gems were not glowing.
“What’s this?” Mara asked.
“This is the Gateway. It’s a teleport machine,” he said proudly. “While being in Thoron, I got to look upon one of the greatest pieces of technology ever created: a time-travel machine! However, the Thoron Sages forbade its use, claiming it was very dangerous. I got limited information, yet enough to reverse engineer and create this. Some of the technology is built in the Watcher’s armour and she can use it whenever. This is limited to teleporting to a different place in the present time, and only in Ardana, but it’s still effective for a one way trip.” The doctor pointed to the staff-like objects. “To use the Gateway, we use these staves to mark the locations. They have to be placed at a specific location and activated. I placed some around Ardana with the Watcher’s help. We’ll send you back to the Black Tower.”
Mara gazed at the machine with uncertainty. “Is this safe?”
“Don’t worry. We’ve used this many times before. It works perfect,” Dr. Moen reassured. He then turned to a lever and pulled on it. The lights began to flicker in the laboratory. A light hum came from the machine coming to life. The runes on the outer ring began to glow bright blue. The doctor approached a pedestal and began to push on some tiles on the dial. An image appeared in the hollow centre. It looked like the entrance to the Black Tower.
Mara stared in awe of the wondrous machine. It was essentially a portal. She took a few steps towards it. Before entering, Mara looked back at the two. “Anything else I need to do?”
“Find Commander White and the Watcher will do the rest,” the doctor instructed. “I’ll also have the Watcher help. If Anna tries to get you with her tail, the Watcher can attack her mind.”
Mara looked impressed. “She sounds pretty powerful.”
The doctor nodded. “Even I don’t know the extent of her powers, but I know her body is very fragile.” He looked at the Watcher. “Even with the armour, one strong hit will critically injure her.”
“Oh,” Mara simply said. She turned around and approached the portal. In a bright flash of light, she found herself standing in front of the Black Tower. She ran into the building once again.
***
Wandering the tower, Mara returned to the room she was killed in. She heard the hissing sound again and peered into the darkness. Anna emerged from the shadows. Mara stared at her, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. The shadows pulled back to reveal Commander White. He was kneeling before Anna, kissing her hand. Anna’s eyes widened and gave a wicked smile.
The commander opened his eyes. He pulled away and stood up. He turned to face Mara with a blank expression on his face and drew his sword. Anna slithered around, grinning from ear to ear. Mara ignored her and gazed at him. In silence, the commander dashed at her. Mara was about to unsheathe her sword.
“Do not draw your blade,” came the Watcher’s disembodied voice. “I’ll deal with this.”
Mara became still, watching Commander White. As he was about to strike, the Watcher suddenly appeared between them and touched him. They both disappeared in a flash of blue light, blinding Mara.
“We have him,” the Watcher said into her mind.
With the commander out of the way, Mara could deal with Anna. When her vision returned, the darkling was nowhere to be seen. Mara heard a low hiss from behind. She turned around and saw Anna transforming into a hideous creature. The darkling grabbed her head with her tentacles. She extended her sharp proboscis, poised to plunge into her head. Mara grabbed it in time, although it dug into her skin and drew blood. She struggled to push the feeding tube away. With a free hand, she grabbed her sword and swiped it in front of Anna’s face. Anna screamed as the severed proboscis and some of her tentacles fell to the ground. She released Mara while blood sprayed everywhere. Mara struggled to her feet, but the tail appendage plunged down on her head. Anna began to pump the paralyzing substance into her.
Mara convulsed as a series of images assaulted her mind. She found herself set ablaze, her skin charred as the flames ate her body away. She had no time to scream. Another image flashed into her mind. No longer was she on fire, but laying in her bed. Mara saw herself as a small toddler. A fever gripped her, sapping her strength. Mom took her to several doctors, but none could diagnose her ailment. Everyone decided to give up on her.
However, Dad refused to let his daughter die. He went away to return with a possible cure. Dad appeared before her with the moonstone necklace.
“Put this on, sweetie,” he said softly. “It’s magical. It’ll help you get better.”
As soon as the necklace was donned, she recovered immediately as if she were never sick in the first place. An old woman approached her.
“This is Alkina,” Dad introduced, “the shaman from my home village.”
Mara remembered her. The old shaman was very kind. She came to perform a rite, claiming to aid Mar
a’s recovery and keep evil away.
She was surrounded by the Stone Mages. They danced and chanted in a language she could not understand. They pounded on drums, creating a thunderous sound. The old shaman approached her with a bowl of red liquid. Dipping a finger into the bowl, she painted on Mara’s face. Her fingers drifted over her eyelids. They pressed against the edges of her cheekbones, then down the sides of her face. After she was finished, the shaman took the bowl and brought it closer.
“Drink,” she instructed calmly.
Mara drank the liquid. It tasted awful as if it were copper. After drinking the entire contents of the bowl, the painted marks on her face began to darken.
“Fight poison with poison,” the shaman said.
She felt a powerful tingling sensation on the base of her neck. A blue glow caught her eye. With her right hand tightening into a fist, Mara became filled with an intense rage.
In a bright blue flash, Anna was blasted back. Her tail detached from Mara’s head. The visions and the paralysis wore off. Mara opened her eyes and looked down at the glow, emanating from under her cloak. She felt a round object, sitting at the base of her neck and still quivering. The glow faded and the quivering stopped. Glancing at Anna, Mara’s eyes began to glow.
“I think it is time for you to die,” she hissed in a low tone. It was more than enough to frighten Anna. The darkling’s plan to stop her failed. Mara noticed her tail and swung her sword at it. She slashed it in half.
Anna screamed and writhed away from her. The other half of her tail flopped around before withering and dying. The darkling crawled away from Mara. Her tail writhed and wiggled, spraying blood everywhere. The loss of blood made her weaker. Mara approached her with glowing eyes. Anna became less mobile from her blood loss. Taking her sword, Mara plunged it into Anna’s heart. A loud gasp escaped the darkling’s lips. Her body began to turn to dust. She gazed at Mara, uttering some parting words.
“Aazalith… is… coming…” Anna said just above a whisper.
Mara watched as Anna’s remains dissipated into the air. The yellow glow in her eyes faded. In Anna’s place was another healing stone. She picked it up and decided to save it. Mara turned around and walked away.
Anna’s parting words sank into the deepest corners of her mind. Dr. Moen mentioned Aazalith, one of the Seven Divines. What did Anna mean about Aazalith’s return? Maybe Harold knew? Still, there were other things to deal with and she could not return to Greyward Hold just yet.
The Watcher appeared before her, ready to take her to the doctor’s laboratory.
Mara looked at her and said, “Thanks for helping me back there.”
The doctor’s creation tilted her head in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“You know, for helping me,” Mara replied.
“What are you talking about?” The Watcher was clueless, which was contrary.
Mara furrowed her eyebrows. “You helped me defeat Anna, right?”
The Watcher shook her head. “No, I did not.”
Mara gazed back in confusion. “What do you mean you didn’t help me?”
She thought about what happened and recalled the strange tingling sensation at the base of her neck. Looking down her cloak, Mara found a necklace and a choker. The choker was nothing special, just a dull gold and black piece of jewelry with some lace and embroidery. The necklace underneath was a black cord attached to golden beads and two round sapphire crystals. The smaller stone sat above the larger one. Reaching for the larger blue orb, Mara looked at it. This was a gift from her father, when she was a small toddler. She got it around the time of her illness. He claimed the necklace was magical and will cure her. As soon as she wore it, she recovered. At first she believed it was magical, but it never did anything else. Over time, she thought it was a mere necklace. Still it was really beautiful and she rarely took it off. There was no mistake—the blue glow emanated from the necklace. Mara wondered if this helped her defeat Anna. Harold mentioned moonstones and how they could neutralize magic. Now that she thought about it, the necklace had moonstone.
She thought back to the time she got ill. After Dad gave her the necklace, he invited the shaman from his home village. They did a strange ritual and made her drink that awful soup. Thinking about its coppery taste, Mara realized it wasn’t soup. It was blood. Why did they make her drink blood? She also recalled the shamans words: fight poison with poison. What did that mean? Dad had some explaining to do.
Mara looked up at the Watcher, putting her necklace away. The Watcher held out her hand. Mara took it and they teleported back to Dr. Moen’s lab.
***
Mara arrived at the laboratory with the Watcher. She saw Commander White strapped to the chair, his head convulsing. The doctor stood over him. He gazed back at them and waved.
“Hey, glad to see you back. Dealt with Anna?”
“Yeah, she’s dead. How are things on your end?” Mara looked at the commander.
Dr. Moen also glanced back at him. “We’re about to find out.”
Four knocks on the door grabbed their attention. The doctor went to answer, only to have the Faith’s followers and the Holy Blades flood in. Mara was surprised, seeing so many people in the laboratory. She looked at Dr. Moen, noting his dismay towards all these people crowding his lab.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Dr. Moen demanded.
A priest in gold and ivory robes stepped forward, and gazed at them dismissively. “We’ve come for Commander White. Now, release him!”
Mara looked on in surprise. She glanced back at the doctor, seeing him express a similar reaction. Looking back at the crowd, she saw Mr. White. He spotted the commander strapped to the chair and having a seizure. The father looked horrified to see his son in that state.
“Karl!” He ran to him.
The priest also approached him, looking disturbed. He glared at the doctor and demanded, “What are you doing to him?”
“We’re saving him,” Dr. Moen explained. “He was a victim of Anna.”
Mr. White gazed at Mara, looking horrified. “You brought him here?”
“Had no choice. I needed their help,” Mara replied, gesturing to the doctor and his creation.
The doctor nodded. “And she was right to come to us,” he said in a serious tone. “After what Anna did to him, I doubt your priestess can mend his mind.”
Mara glanced over at Commander White, noticing his seizure ceased. After a few moments, his eyes fluttered open and he began to groan. Everyone looked at him.
Mr. White approached him. “Karl!”
The commander looked at his father. He also noticed the congregation, the doctor and the Watcher, and finally Mara. The commander looked very confused. He gazed at his father again.
“Arthur?” Commander White asked softly, garnering mixed reactions. Clearly he was befuddled and not his usual self. Mr. White looked stunned and confused.
The priest scowled at Dr. Moen again. “What is this devilry? What did you do to Commander White?”
“Please, Father Vernon,” Mr. White addressed the priest. “Let’s give him some air.” He turned to his son. “Do you know who you are?”
“My name is Karl White,” he replied with a soft and quiet voice. “But I was not born in the family. I was taken in after my father passed away. I was only five.”
Mr. White nodded. “Good… Do you know where you are?”
The commander looked back at him, then glanced around. “I… I don’t know.” He gazed down at his attire. His confusion kept growing. Even the doctor took notice.
“Seems he’s suffering from partial amnesia,” Dr. Moen said. “He should go home and rest.”
Mr. White looked at the doctor. “Yes, I think it’ll be best.”
Dr. Moen walked up to them. “Here, let me undo these straps.” He released Commander White from the chair. Dr. Moen and Mr. White helped him to his feet. The commander was very wobbly, almost falling on his first attempt at standing. “Okay, his motor skills may
need some time, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Father Vernon approached them. “He should return to the Temple of Kallisto. The High Priestess will mend him.”
Mr. White glanced back at him, looking less than keen with the idea. “I believe he’ll benefit more from a few days of bedrest.”
Father Vernon frowned at him. “Please, I insist. We’ll take him to Golden Mountain.”
“I don’t think he’s well for travelling,” Mr. White argued.
“She’s the only one who can help him,” the priest persisted.
“Why don’t you let the commander decide?” Mara butted in, shaking her head.
Everyone looked at her, even the commander was gazing at her. She looked back at him and noticed how soft his face appeared. Ever since he awoke, Commander White never once glared at her. Instead, the followers of Kallikratés were scowling at her.
“What do you know?” Father Vernon hissed.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Mr. White. He looked at his son. “What do you think? Do you want to go home to rest? Or the temple to heal?”
The commander gazed at his father. After staring at him for a while, he looked away and closed his eyes. “I’m so tired and confused,” he said barely above a whisper.
Mr. White watched him. “Very well.” He looked at everyone. “I’ll take him home and make sure he’s gained enough rest.”
Dr. Moen nodded. “Good idea… Any doctor would say the same as well.”
Mara looked at Father Vernon, seeing how unpleased he was. He glared at Mr. White before turning around and leaving. The Holy Blades and the followers also left. She looked over to Mr. White. He released a sigh, then looked back at Mara. He approached her.
“Thank you for saving Karl.” The old man held out his hand for a handshake. “You did the right thing, bringing him here.”
She shook his hand. “It wasn’t easy to save him. Did you send my request?”
The old man’s face fell into a frown. “I did, but she refused. I’m sorry.” He pulled out his wallet. “But I’ll not leave you empty handed. How does two thousand gold sound?”
The Lost & Cursed Page 25