A woman clothed in tight black leather strolls into the temple as if she appeared from the air. Her long black hair is loose behind her and her face is beautiful, but terrifying.
“You’re a god?” Something stirs in me, a twisting, slithering sensation. I’ve felt it before. When my magic is activated. When I’m tempted to use it.
“You’re Mara. You’re the Goddess of Death.”
“For a moment, I was worried I chose the wrong person.” Her movements are feline, purposeful and graceful.
“Why? Why did you give me this magic? I am grateful, but I’m not sure how it helps me.”
“You’ll figure it out,” she says.
“Is it connected to the prophecy? Is there a reason my mark is the opposite of Brevan’s?” I ask.
She smirks. “How very interesting that your first thoughts are of him.”
“I care for him.” My words are more defensive than I meant.
She studies her fingernails, as if this conversation is boring. With a sigh, she drops her arms to her side. “I know you do. And in doing so, you risk everything.”
My pulse kicks up. “What do you mean?”
“He is light, and you are darkness.” Her tone is matter of fact. As if I should have known this already.
“So it is the prophecy?”
“Not as you know it. That prophecy, the one the humans hold over everyone is a myth. It was used to offer false hope. Invented by someone who wanted control.”
“It’s not real?” A pit forms in my gut. I thought maybe it meant something. That maybe there was some hope there. “I thought it brought magic back for all.”
“You don’t need a prophecy for that. But know that all magic comes with a cost. Giving it to everyone would change everything,” she warns.
“Wouldn’t it make it better?” I ask.
“I don’t know, would it? Or would you rather keep your power? You have the chance here to claim it all. To end one empire and begin a new one. It’s at your fingertips,” she says.
My heart hammers against my ribs. Is that what I want? To claim power for myself? I haven’t let myself think beyond the destruction of the Pendralian royal line. But once they’re gone, then what?
It would create a vacuum. A castle without a ruler. A perfect opportunity for someone else to swoop in and claim power.
Someone who could be even worse. But not me. I never wanted that.
“What am I supposed to do?” I ask.
“That’s what you must decide. You promised me the downfall of an empire. What you do with it after it’s gone is your choice.” She turns in a slow circle. “I forgot how beautiful it is here in this realm. I really should visit more often.”
“Can you give me something? I don’t understand what’s happening. How I got magic how I can give it to others…how the emperor chose who could get it, how he controlled those with magic…Please. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with all this.”
“That is not my job,” she says. “I chose you. I gifted you with something that will change everything. But I don’t believe in removing free will. It’s still your choice.”
Free will. My choice. I run my fingers over the scab on my wrist. How much of a choice will I have once Caiden knows what I can do?
Icy fingertips join mine and I look up at Mara. “I removed the relic. You are bound to nobody but yourself.”
Brevan’s scars flash in my memory. “What about the others? All the people who were bound to the emperor. He’s dead, shouldn’t that free them?”
“It would, if he were the one the magic was bound to.” She walks closer to the violet light, then drags her fingertips through the flickering flames.
“You’re saying there’s someone else?” My brow furrows. “Caiden?”
