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CHAPTER

THIRTY-THREE

THE WOMAN

T he woman was no longer anxious.

Her heart pounded now with pure excitement that overshadowed every other feeling.

The ritual had gone well. Better than she could ever have expected. Any last shred of doubt she had about the identity of their chosen one had been cast aside.

“You have done well,” Mother said, a sudden voice in her ear that echoed the thoughts in her mind. “I always knew you would.”

The woman sat up a little straighter, pride swelling within her chest. Her years of service to Mother and to their community had not always been easy, but now, she could hardly remember the difficult times.

Mother showed herself now, her green scales glistening, somehow, even in the dark.

“The Professor would be proud, too,” Mother added in a hissing whisper. “He always told me you were special. He would stand in awe at the woman you have become today.”

The woman’s heart felt like it would burst with joy.

“Thank you,” she said, unable to say anything else for fear she would begin to cry. There was no time for that. They were near the end now, but it wasn’t over yet. Until it was, she had to keep her guard up against the dark forces that threatened their mission.

“I imagine you need more of the drug,” Mother said, once again seeming to read the woman’s mind. “The DX8. I believe we have nearly used up the remainder of our stores, and I don’t think we have enough to finish our task.”

The woman nodded.

“I apologize. It’s been difficult to get more.”

“Because of the others?”

“Yes. Especially Karlin McKenna. She always seems to be watching everything.”

Mother let out a hiss again. This one was not a whisper. The woman could almost see the anger that escaped the beautiful serpent’s forked tongue.

“It will not matter soon. Do what you must,” she commanded.

“I will.”

They were silent for a few moments.

“Mother?”

“Yes, my dear one?”

“Is it really time now?”

The woman knew that she sounded overeager–childish, even–but Mother’s voice had softened into kindness.

“There is one last ritual, and then, yes. We will be home.”

A sound like screaming wind filled the woman’s ears, and she felt the ground beginning to rumble beneath where she sat.

Mother was in front of her now, growing larger and larger, so big that the room could no longer contain her.

The woman could not see the room anymore. Somewhere, a great distance away, she could see a blanket of ink-black sky dotted with stars, but her eyes were trained firmly on Mother.

She had grown to a gargantuan size. Each one of her scales was now as big as the woman’s hand. Mother’s face was so high up now that she couldn’t see her mouth, her flicking tongue, or her fangs, but she was sure they had to be enormous.

“Listen well, dear child,” Mother continued, her voice booming, seeming to fill eternity with its volume.

“There is no power without sacrifice, and there is no sacrifice without the spilling of blood. We have our chosen one. She will give up her life for the salvation of all, and she will do so willingly. We will not fail.”

Her final words rang in the woman’s ears.

She could hear the sound of blood pulsing through them. They ached from the noise, and her body trembled with terror. How awesome, how powerful Mother was!

The woman would not fail her. No matter what it would take, she would go home to the empire of light. She would share in Mother’s power, in her greatness.

She, too, would be unstoppable.

All she had to do was get away from this wretched, dying earth.

She closed her eyes and smiled, speaking in a loud, clear voice.

“I love you, Mother. I live, and die, and kill for you.”

And when she opened her eyes, she was in her simple room again, alone in the dark.