Page 64 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

"I'm here, tiger."

I glance over my shoulder, and he's here.

Moon Goddess, he's really here. It's Liam. I suddenly lose all my strength and fall back, right into his embrace. I chuckle nervously, half-crying and half-laughing, just so glad to see him. I feel his torso against my back, protecting me... For a while, I get lost in his blue-gray eyes above me, darkened by the storm raging above us, as if those were the only things I ought to see for the rest of my life. They probably are.

He's a mess, he looks panicked and stares at me as if I was about to disappear at any moment, but no doubt, that's my man. I chuckle again, and he sighs, hugging me tightly.

"Moon Goddess, Mara... Thank Moon Goddess you're back... Damn it..."

I nod, but the truth is, I'm still not... completely back. It's like one universe is trying to overtake the other. I see the forest around us, but I also see the raging flames of a fire, wolves fighting golems, and in front, Luna still standing there and watching us. Above us, there's a clear day, but, somewhere behind, like a strange filter, also the raging clouds of a thunderstorm.

I'm still being pulled toward that other place. She wants to keep me trapped there, to keep me in that forest, with the sorrow of a loss that isn't mine. I feel Liam, but he's the only tangible thing that I can hold on to. Everything else around me is wavering, as if I was on the verge of falling into one world or another... I look down at the butterfly on my finger. It starts... melting there, and I watch as it literally imprints itself onto my finger. It's now stuck there like a very vivid tattoo... I feel a slight pressure, but that's it. Is this what's helping me stay awake? I hold on to Liam's arms a bit tighter. I need him, otherwise, I'll go back into that horrible nightmare where I think my mate is dead...

"Enough, Luna!" I growl, warning her.

"What is it?" she chuckles. "You're dreaming, Luna. Your mate is dead, and I killed him... Don't you hate me?"

I close my eyes again, for a second. I'm not going to give in to her lies. This is probably how she got them all, all those witches. Make them see that nightmare, make them feel the loss of their mate, and then, have them give in to the hatred. But I won't. My mate is right here, I haven't lost him.

"Mara, who are you talking to?" he whispers, sounding worried.

"...You can't see her?"

"What? Her? ...No, I only see... some sort of dark hurricane. It's like the black aura you always mentioned..."

So this is really happening all in my head.

It's the same mind spell as the one I was stuck in when I trained with little Mara. Somewhere out of time. I stayed there for years indeed, taking the female wolf's place, but outside, probably a lot less time has passed. Thank Moon Goddess...

"Liam, how long was I... out?"

"A bit over an hour. You... got in the same state as Ravena, with the dark eyes, so we thought you had been taken too, but Nora said she could still feel your spirit, and the white aura in it... Selena too, she was sure you were still fighting. I could still feel our bond, but it was... very faint. So we just kept fighting to get to you."

Over an hour? Moon Goddess, I can't believe I abandoned them for so long... I knew I had to walk in Ravena's stead, into this trap, but still... I hope everyone's alright.

Something suddenly makes an awful noise on our right, and Liam growls, but to me, there's nothing but the forest!

"Liam, what's going on?!"

"The golems are coming closer," he whispers quickly. "Don't worry, we won't let them get to you... So you can't see them, huh?"

"N-no, I have to focus," I mutter. "I'm still trapped in her curse, just... more awake, now."

"I figured so. Your eyes... One of your irises is blue, and the other turned gold again. Are you going to be okay...?"

I chuckle. I hope so...

"Can you kiss me? Now?"

"Anytime."

I feel his lips on mine, but it's very faint. Moon Goddess, his lips... They are so warm...

"NO!"

Luna's scream pierces my ears, and everything around fades back into the forest again. This time, she isn't pretending anymore. A magic circle has appeared under us. I growl. I can feel Liam, but he's gone from my vision. She's blinding me somehow, but I don't care. She can win the visual battle, but my mind is where I need it to be, and crystal clear.

"Stop it, Luna," I growl.

"You think you can beat the curse? She's like you," she hisses. "You're just like her, and once you experience her pain, you'll give in too. You're a wolf, like her, and once your mate is gone..."

"Like you, you mean?"

She freezes, and I snicker. I knew it. I struggle to stand back up, but I feel Liam's hands helping me get back on my feet. Although I can't see him, his strong embrace is all I need. I know he'll never let go as long as I need him. I swallow my tears. I am not giving in to her charade.

"Enough..." she hisses.

"No, you're the one who should have enough," I retort. "Enough of your lies. You know, I knew there was something wrong about that whole curse thing from the start, Luna."

"Shut up!"

"It didn't hit me at first, when I heard the tale for the first time. The wolf and the witch, it fit with everything we knew about the curse, the witches, the Royals. Except that... there was something that didn't make sense. I can't believe I missed it."

She stays silent, but her eyes are glaring at me. The black markings on her body are shining.

"Why would the witches be the one to suffer?" I continue. "It was Nephera's story that made me realize it. If you look at the picture, she was the main victim of that curse. She lost her child, she suffered the most, and went insane until she attacked her own sister. Sure, the man she had once loved went crazy, but... why did the Black Brothers' mom not get affected by the curse? At first, I bought the whole motherly protection thing. Perhaps there is some truth in it but even if it was true, why would Nephera have been the one driven crazy by the curse, consumed by it? If the Witch Luna had placed the curse, it should have attacked the male werewolves, but not the witches. Why would she have cursed her own daughters? Why would my mother have been cursed, and Clarissa too? Nephera, and all the other witches, just for falling in love with a wolf? Only to be abandoned and suffer more when they would meet their mate. Why?"

She steps back, looking defiant, and I step forward, ignoring all the fatigue and pain. I know I have the pieces to all of this. I can see the doubt in her eyes. She even has trouble keeping up appearances. The witch from before had long red hair, but now, that hair is getting brighter and clearer. I can see behind her mask, behind her spell. I'm breaking free from her magic, and she knows it. The spell is being lifted, and the forest is slowly disappearing. I see the dark sky, the thunderstorm, the fire, the golems. I feel Liam even closer, I see his arms wrapped around me.

"There were two witches in that tale," I continue, determined. "Luna, the original witch, and Luna, the original werewolf, who received magic powers. ...This is the real reason all the witches before me have failed, isn't it? They tried to stop a curse created by a witch, they thought they could reason with her, stop her, that they would be able to relate to the witch. They had no idea what they were really dealing with, and they were all wrong."

I chuckle. Moon Goddess, finally... finally, I'm getting to her. I don't feel sad, nor do I feel happy about it. I'm just... so calm. It's even weird how calm and composed I am right now. I understand, and I see the truth. I take another step, and once again, she retreats. She's almost acting as if she's scared of me now.

"That's right," I whisper. "I know who you really are, why I am the one you couldn't stop. You did this whole charade to try and stop me, but it won't work, not on me. Because I'm not just a witch. We're the same, aren't we? Both werewolf and witch. You're not Luna the Witch, you're the other one in the story. You made me feel your pain. ...Luna the Wolf's pain."

I see the shock in her eyes. She stares at me, completely stunned, her disguise slowly falling in front of my eyes. It's as if while she is recovering her appearance, she finally leaves me, and I feel like Mara again, without any confusion. I'm still half trapped in that strange forest, but at least I see my body for what it is. I glance to the side, and Liam's name is gone from the tombstone, replaced by letters in a language unknown to me... Although I already knew, I can't help but feel relieved seeing that it's gone. I hold Liam's hand a bit tighter, knowing he won't let go of me.

"Luna... you have to stop all of this now," I mutter.

"Don't call me that!" she suddenly yells.

Her scream throws a monstrous blow at us, like a gigantic slap that burns our faces and forces us to step back. For me, it's like a gigantic wave of that dark aura, but Liam's groan lets me know that he felt it too. Still, we manage to keep standing, and I take another deep breath. I need to have more time, save enough energy to fuel up my magic again... I feel drained for now, and I probably used too much during that illusion without even knowing...

"But it is your name, isn't it," I resume, determined. "The only name you knew, the one she gave you. You can take mine or anyone's you want, it won't change a thing, it won't change the past. No matter whose name you put on that tombstone, it can't change the truth, Luna. You can change your name, but you can't really give that pain to anyone."

"You know nothing," she hisses, pushing her white hair back. "You know nothing of the pain I went through. Should I make you lose your mate too so you understand?!"

I growl furiously, warning her. If she touches one hair on Liam's head... I step to make sure I'm still standing between him and her, just in case.

"What?" she smirks. "Are you scared now, brave Mara? Donˇt you think you could withstand the pain that I felt?"

"You have to stop that stupid lie of yours! You wanted all the wolves to put the blame on Luna the Witch so you could feel fucking sorry for yourself and have them pity you and hate witches on top of that!"

"That's all she deserves!"

Another blow, and this time, I feel Liam holding and pushing me to stay standing, his growls in my ears. I'm glad he's supporting me, because I don't think I'd have the strength to fight this otherwise. I can endure the pain it blows at my face, but it burns, and I'm too tired to keep standing for now. I hope I can win more time and make her talk, because otherwise, she'll kill us both right here before I can reason with her...

I try to look around, and my vision is starting to adjust and ignore the fake vision of snow around me. I can see the darker, muddy ground underneath, and more importantly, the silhouettes of all the fights happening not far from us. I think I see more of their auras rather than the actual people, though, in particular the bright white and gold ones next to me.

"Nora and Selena?" I mutter.

"You can't see them?" worries Liam.

"Sort of..."

¨ We're right by your side, Mara, 〃 says Nora's voice in my head, comforting as ever.

¨ We're not leaving you, witchy. 〃

I nod, feeling a lot better with them by my side. I can almost feel Nora's gentle white aura surrounding me, probably shielding me while also trying to heal my body. I see Selena and the two other scary dark auras jumping all around us, probably defeating enemies invisible to my eyes... You're a poor excuse of a witch, Mara.

I turn my eyes back to Luna. I'm the only one who can see her, aren't I? She doesn't look bothered at all by everything going on around us, and I think she might be an illusion herself. After all, Luna the Wolf died centuries ago, this is merely her curse playing out and carrying her memory, her spirit... I need to get to the root of the curse and stop it. I probably already weakened it by revealing its true nature, but she's still standing like a hurricane in front of me, ready to strike again and blow us all away.

"You have to stop your curse, Luna," I insist. "It's been centuries now. It has to stop!"

"It won't," she says, looking strangely calm. "You've seen it. My curse will continue, and keep haunting the witches for all the harm they have caused our kind with their wretched greed... Once I kill you and your mate, I'll get stronger again, and the next generation will feel my wrath just like all the ones before!"

"For Moon Goddess' sake, killing me won't solve it! Snap out of it! You think you can survive eternally? If the curse lives on, so will the wolves and witches! There will be more love between them, even if you hate it! Wretched greed? It's just love, whether you'll admit it or not! You think you can stop people's feelings? You think you can love and replace it with fear or anger? With that stupid curse? Even if you keep cursing the witches, they won't stop trying to stop your madness, Luna. Another one like me will be born someday. And she will say the same thing to you, Luna. No... perhaps I am not the first?"

She frowns and glares at me, making me realize. I can't be the first witch-werewolf. This... This whole charade of hers, it's way too well done. I wonder how far the witches who tried to stop her got into her illusion, but I'll bet she showed them Luna the Witch's side, or she didn't even bother to enchant them at all. Like Ravena, she probably just used them like vessels and got rid of them as soon as she was done.

That whole number she did on me, though, it felt like she knew. She knew to put my mate's name on the tombstone, she wanted to let me feel what she felt...

"So that's right, Luna, isn't it?" I scoff, glad I made another point. "I am not the first to try and get to you, to stand before you like this. You've seen other witch-werewolf mixed girls like me. Did you make them go through it all as well, Luna? They had different names, different mates whose names you put on that tombstone. How did it go? Some failed, but some saw through it. I tell you, Luna. I understand why I was born now"

"Enough! You're cursed, an abomination!"

"I'm a result you should have expected long ago!" I shout back. "Wolves and witches will keep falling in love, even if you kill me and my mate! Even if you get rid of me, you'll see many more Cursed Ones like me! We will bear the mark you put on us, and we will be the only ones to see through you, because we are just like you!"

"You know nothing!"

This time, the blast hits us right away. I barely see it before I'm thrown across the ground, feeling my body fly like dead weight. I hear growls and voices calling us, and my body violently hits the ground. Oh, shit... I grimace and roll on the other side, holding my painful ribs.

"Mara! Mara, are you alright, babe? Babe, talk to me!"

I feel his hands all over me, and he touches my flank, making it painful again without knowing. I growl.

"Liam, don't... Oh, Moon Goddess, give me a second... and hands off, I think my ribs are broken..."

"Oh, shit, sorry..."

I feel his hand move gently to my shoulder instead, the other under my head. I spit out some blood that was stuck in my mouth, and he helps me sit back up gently.

"Are you alright?" I ask, knowing he got blasted away too.

"Yeah, I landed upright..."

Better than me, then. He helps me up, gently holding me where he thinks it doesn't hurt. I hear him sigh before he gently kisses my temple. More like licks it, actually, and I turn to him, a bit confused.

"Sorry, but you got... blood" he grimaces. "Damn, babe, you look ugly..."

I roll my eyes. Yeah, I mean I feel the blood dripping down at least five different spots on my head, and I feel like I just got run over by a truck, so I can imagine...

"Call me ugly again and I'll burn your ass..." I sigh.

"Noted. At least you still have some good burns... Is she still there?"

I look over his shoulder. Luna is still standing there indeed, but there is now a large space between us, and violent winds sweeping across the battlefield. I take a minute to look around, and the illusion is finally gone.

The battle has moved to be centered around us, with wolves everywhere fighting golems. It seems like the cracks in the ground don't break anymore; with the heavy rain that began pouring Moon Goddess knows when, we now have a wide mat of mud under our feet... No wonder I look like crap, after I rolled in that... Liam rubs his face with the back of his hand too, only spreading more mud. Is it a wolf thing that I don't find it that gross? It might even be a tad sexy to see him with that mess on his torso... I notice he's not completely fine and just dirty, though. There's blood clotted with the mud in some parts, and I feel bad for complaining when he visibly has tons of bruises too... I approach my hands to try and heal him, but he grabs my wrists.

"No touching and no healing, Mara, you need that magic!"

"What happened to you?" I grimace.

"The bear disappeared right after you got into that... weird state," he sighs, turning his head to where Luna stands. "We didn't defeat it, so we figured... something had happened. Once we got here, though, you were blocked inside this weird tornado thing, and... havoc ensued."

"Wait, what?"

¨ You heard him, 〃 says Selena, a few steps away. ¨ She used your powers to attack us... It was a nice relief not worrying about where to stand at first, but I have to admit, running from flames and water is harder than it seems... "

"Was anyone injured?"

They both exchange a look. Wait, what does that mean? Someone got hurt for real?

"Don't worry, babe, it wasn't your doing..."

"Liam, it was still my power! And I stayed stuck inside that... illusion for about an hour!"

¨ Trust me, it felt longer than that for us 〃

"Selena!"

Well, it felt a lot longer than that for me too, but at least I was out of danger, aside from her sucking out my powers! I can't believe I attacked my friends, and I have no fucking memory of it! I look around, but I'm so panicked, I can't even focus to find out who is missing. With the downpour around us, the mud flying and covering everybodyˇs fur, I can barely recognize the wolves I actually do know.

"Liam, who did I harm?"

"Mara"

"Tell me," I retort before he can protest.

He sighs, grimacing.

"Ben was... forced to leave the fight. We lost contact with some other wolves, and my brother got burned a bit..."

I look around, quickly spotting the big, black wolf, the one with the silver eyes. Moon Goddess, it's true. He's seriously limping on one side, and there's a long, bloody, pink patch of exposed flesh on his flank...

"Moon Goddess, I... burned him?"

"Mara, Mara, no!" protests Liam, forcing me to look at him. "Babe, we know it wasn't you. Look at me. Babe, look at me."

He grabs my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. His eyes are dark gray like the storm above us, only hiding a faint hint of blue in them... Oh, Moon Goddess, I feel like I really hadn't seen him in years. Now that I can properly look at my mate, my Liam, I feel like bawling. I sniff it back down, probably making a horrible expression, because he chuckles.

"Mara, this isn't your fault, tiger. You probably saved us a ton more than that, I'm sure of it. I don't know what happened to you during all that time, but don't worry about anything. We're your family, your pack, and we trust you a hundred percent."

¨ Ninety-nine. You tend to be reckless at times. 〃

I chuckle, but Liam probably didn't hear that... He still smiles back at me.

"You're Silver City's witch, Mara, nobody here will change that, alright? We know she's trying to use you, and we don't care, we know you. You're our Mara, our crazy Fire Witch, alright?"

He smiles a bit more and steps forward, igniting the fire inside me again. I feel my wolf wake up too, reacting to the closeness of our mate, as if she had been put into a deep sleep until now. Despite the cold rain pouring on us, I feel his warmth, his skin close to mine, and his gentle hands on my body. It feels like the whole fight around us slowed down to give us a little break, this break I really needed with him. Liam takes a deep breath and kisses my lips, a slight taste of iron between us. It's a bitter, ugly kiss, but it is real, and imperfect, and raw, and Moon Goddess, I need it. We don't have time for more, but that precious second between us is all I needed. I nod silently.

"...I love you, Mara," he whispers.

"I love you too..."

He nods.

"It's good that you know. Now, you're in charge. You tell us what to do, we will follow you no matter what, okay?"

¨ If you have a plan, I'd love to hear it, 〃 growls Selena. ¨ Since you were in that no-coverage zone, it's been hell here. We tried to get to her, but we had no way to get into that hurricane thing. How did you stop her? 〃

¨ Because I'm a werewolf-witch. The culprit behind the curse isn't the witch, but Luna, the werewolf-witch 〃

¨ The first Royal? 〃 gasps Nora.

¨ Exactly. She's the one who created that curse, and that's why the witches couldn't stop it. The normal witches, that is. They called people like me Cursed Ones because we were the only ones who were both witch and werewolf like her, the only ones who could get to her 〃

¨ How did you get out of there? 〃

¨ I'm... not entirely sure. But I think the key is inside that hurricane. I need to get back to Luna and make her stop. 〃

"You're not going back in there!" shouts Liam. "Look at yourself, she almost killed you! You can barely stand!"

¨ You're really weak, Mara, 〃 adds Nora. ¨ I can barely feel your life force... let alone your magic. 〃

I take a deep breath and stare at Liam. I know what I might be about to do is dangerous... but I need to stop this curse, at any cost. Otherwise, she will use me to unleash herself all over Silver City, and start haunting witches all over again. I look at the fight all around me, knowing I ought to stop them all.

"I'll be fine," I shake my head, "as long as I can convince"

¨ Oh, cut it out, Mara, 〃 suddenly growls Selena. ¨ That witch has been having her tantrum for centuries, she's not going to listen to you so easily, not without you having your magic fully charged back up at least. 〃

¨ Selena is right. We need to help you get back to a state you can fight 〃

"Nora, no! We're losing time, and it's not like I'll suddenly charge up or heal so easily!"

¨ Don't underestimate me! I'm still the Luna of Silver City, if I say I'm healing you, I'll heal you! 〃

I don't dare to say a word after hearing Nora get mad. She's usually so calm, it genuinely took me by surprise. Facing me, Liam chuckles, but moves and stretches his shoulders as if ready to go back to fight.

"What about your magic?" he asks. "Luna must have used a whole bunch, right?"

How do I charge it back up...? Before I can even think, I feel it. A flame, a powerful one, moving away from me, yet it's mine...

"Spark," I gasp. "If I can get back to him, I'm sure I'll be able to transfer the magic he drew back to me."

¨ Alright. Letˇs get you to Nora, to the cat, and then you can play with that crazy curse 〃

"But it's going to take too long," I mutter. "By the time I'll be ready"

"She doesn't control you anymore, Mara," says Liam. "Look around. No new golems coming out of the ground, we're only dealing with the ones she had already made. She doesn't control your magic or Ravena's, as long as she doesn't get her hands on another witch, I think we will manage..."

Moon Goddess, I hope so... I take a deep breath and try to focus, but when I open my hand, only a very small flame appears. Alright, time to run and get back in shape...

¨Ready, hot stuff?〃 Liam winks at me, ready to run too.

¨Ready when you are, babe,〃 I smile.