Chapter 572: A Mother’s Love

  Loh arrived in time to watch in a mixture of astonishment and confusion as Lunae carried Stryg away. All he could do was dangle helplessly, eyes wide in panic.

  Melantha and Holo rushed out and spotted Lunae in the distance. They glanced at each other and dashed after her.

  “Loh!” Gale shouted angrily.

  Loh turned to her and smiled weakly. “Hello—”

  Gale struck her across the face. “Stay away from Stryg.”

  Loh staggered back a step, then straightened herself. “I deserved that,” she muttered.

  “Deserve?” Gale laughed bitterly. “You were entrusted with the protection of an entire class of young mageborns and the caravan they were guarding. They placed their trust in you. You were the contingency, you were supposed to keep them safe! Where were you, Loh? Where were you when Marek attacked!? Where were you when he killed my brother!”

  Gale stepped forward and leaned in as she threw a punch. Her fist sank into Loh’s stomach and lifted the drow off her feet. Loh doubled over and collapsed, coughing up bile and gasping for breath.

  “Deserve?” Gale spat at Loh’s feet. “You deserve to die.”

  “...I know.” Loh looked up at her while holding her stomach. Her eyes were red and tears formed at the corners. “I know,” she repeated, exhaustion coating her voice.

  Gale stared down at her in disdain.

  “I know I deserve nothing better, but…” Loh swallowed the blood and bile in her mouth. “I can’t die, not yet. I made a promise to my grandfather. I can’t run away anymore… And I can’t bring back Clypeus—”

  “Don’t you dare fucking say his name!” Gale kicked her in the chest, without holding back.

  Her vampiric strength sent Loh flying back, skidding off the frozen floor. Loh grimaced in pain but forced herself to sit up.

  “I’m sorry. I know that means nothing. There is nothing I can do to bring him back. …But I can’t die, not yet. So hit me if you want,” Loh bowed her head. “I won’t run away.”

  “You think you’re some kind of martyr? You are a murderer.” Gale hissed, her eyes filled with bloodlust. She kicked Loh to the ground. “You let your own brother die! And then in your fucked-up head you decided to let mine die too!” She kicked her again and again.

  Loh’s head bounced off the ground with a painful snap. Blood trickled down her forehead. Pain stabbed into her body, a thousand needles seeping through her skin and muscles. The world grew foggy. She could hardly breathe. Every breath burned. She heard the wet crunch as her ribs broke.

  She was going to die, some fading part of her mind told her. Loh thought she’d be afraid to die, but as death came for her she realized she didn’t mind. Only a single thought ran through her mind.

  I deserve this.

  Something heavy fell over her and she heard a sudden painful cry.

  “What are you doing!?” Gale hissed.

  Loh opened her swelling eyes and saw Dolores lying on top of her. “M-Mom…?” she mumbled.

  “Get out of the way,” Gale growled.

  Dolores grimaced and held her side where Gale had accidentally kicked her. She looked up at the vampire, her grey eyes calm with determination. “No.”

  “I said move!” Gale kicked her, deliberately this time.

  Dolores flinched and cried in pain, but still, she held and shielded her daughter.

  “Mom, stop,” Loh whispered weakly.

  Dolores exhaled and steadied her breath. “...Whatever harm my daughter has done to you, I bear the responsibility. If you wish to hurt someone, then hurt me.”

  “Stand aside, Lady Noir,” Gale drew her sword.

  Dolores staggered to her feet and faced Gale. “I won’t.”

  Angry tears burned down Gale’s cheeks. “She killed my brother. She killed your son!”

  “I killed my son… His death is my fault as much as it is hers. If you want someone to blame for your loss, then blame me.”

  Gale aimed her blade at Dolores’ chest. “Move! I will not ask again.”

  “…I was never there when Loh needed me. I never truly saw her… until now. So, please understand, Lady Gale,” Dolores took a step forward, the sword’s tip cutting her pale skin as it pressed into her sternum. “Whether it be you or your sword… here I stand and I shall not falter.”

  Gale narrowed her eyes. “She is a monster.”

  “Then so am I.”

  Gale clenched her teeth in frustration, “You damn—!”

  “That is enough,” called out a deep voice.

  Gale and Dolores turned to see Atlas standing at the manor’s front door, a scarlet-haired vampiress standing behind him with a satisfied expression.

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  “Drop the sword, trespasser,” said Atlas. “Whatever vengeance you came for today you will not find here.” He walked over with heavy calm steps.

  “And who might you be, giant?” Gale asked without lowering her blade.

  “Atlas Holoson. And you are?”

  Her eyes widened briefly, then she reluctantly sheathed her sword and took a step back. “Lady Gale of the Great House of Gale.”

  “Gale Gale?” he asked wryly.

  “Gale VIII,” she scowled. “I am the Shield & Shadow of your uncle.”

  “Yes, so I’ve heard. You are here for my uncle then, I take it?”

  “...Not anymore,” Gale glanced at Loh, then bowed stiffly to Atlas and walked away.

  “She’s a dangerous one,” Atlas mused. He turned and found Dolores and Lily at Loh’s side.

  Lily cradled Loh in her arms and stood to her feet. It seemed odd, a short vampire cradling in her arms a drow over a head taller.

  Loh’s blue eyes drifted in and out of consciousness. “M-Mom…?”

  Dolores brushed the back of her fingers across her daughter’s cheek, “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “She needs immediate medical attention,” noted Lily.

  Atlas glanced at the dozen guards lying unconscious on the frozen grass. “As do they it seems.”

  “Feel free to deal with the others,” Lily turned around and carried Loh back into the manor.

  Dolores followed, a limp to her steps.

~~~

  Holo and Melantha found Lunae in the Commoner District, in an abandoned street, where trebuchet boulders had flattened the area. Despite the late summer weather, snow and ice covered the ground, and a thick layer of frost-mist encircled the air.

  The moon goddess was lying on the snow in her wolfen form, her body curled around Stryg. The young godling was asleep, or unconscious, Holo wasn’t certain. Though he seemed unharmed.

  Holo cleared her throat and smiled, “~Lunae~ What a pleasant surprise.”

  Lunae cracked an eye open and said nothing. She gently nudged Stryg’s head, ruffling his silver-white hair. He mumbled something in his sleep and leaned deeper into her snow-white fur.

  “Did you put him to sleep?” asked Melantha calmly, though there was an edge to her voice.

  Lunae regarded her with a silver eye for a long moment before answering, “I didn’t want him to be a part of this conversation.”

  “Conversation? We don’t need a conversation,” Holo laughed awkwardly. “You make it sound like it’s something serious.”

  “It is. We need to clarify boundaries,” said Lunae coldly.

  “Boundaries? It’s funny that you mention that,” Holo clasped her hands behind her back and spun in a low circle, avoiding eye contact with the goddess. “Because I was wondering, just perchance ya know, whyyy you might have dragged Stryg here?”

  “Mine.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Stryg is mine,” Lunae growled.

  Holo cleared her throat, “Ah, yes. I have heard that his mother is one of your priestesses. By ancient law, Aurelia should not have had any children, and therefore Stryg is yours.” Holo raised her hands “However, surely my father’s interference changes things. He seduced Aurelia without your knowledge; the events surrounding my brother’s birth are complex. You can’t just claim a godling as your own… unless…”

  Lunae stared at her coldly as she spoke, her gaze not changing in the slightest.

  Holo slowly lowered her hands. “Unless… You already knew. You always knew… I had wondered how Stjerne slipped into Evenfall without your notice. He didn’t. You let him in.”

  “I didn’t let him into my city. No one tells the Traveler where he cannot go. I simply permitted him to stay.”

  Holo shook her head and laughed softly to herself. “Of course… You two are old friends. I just never thought you wouldn’t protect your own Favoured from him.”

  “Do not speak of things you do not understand,” Lunae growled, a deep rumble from her chest.

  “But you did know his intentions for Aurelia? Your priestess,” Holo pushed.

  “Aurelia’s fate was sealed long before she was born. She just happened to be the one to pay the price.”

  “The price for what?”

  “For what her grandmother started.”

  Holo waited for Lunae to elaborate but when she didn’t, Holo changed focus. “Either way, Stryg is a godling. You can’t just—”

  “He is a baby, he can hardly protect himself from mortals, let alone everything else that would seek to devour a titan.”

  “He is still a godling, he deserves his freedom. You can’t just drag him away whenever you like.”

  “Freedom?” Lunae frowned.

  Holo swallowed. “Look, I know you’ve grown fond of him and you may claim him as yours by ancient rights, but he is still my brother and a son of a Calamity. Just because you’ve named him your Chosen does not mean you can own him.”

  “Own him?” Lunae bared her fangs, “He is not some pet or slave. He is my son!”

  Holo furrowed her brow and shared a confused look with Melantha. “As in you’re the Mother Moon and the Sylvan are your children?”

  “As in I raised him from a cub! When he cried I was the one who comforted him. When he stumbled I was the one who caught him. When he triumphed I was the one who cheered him. I am his Mother. So before you choose to defend him as his sister, remember whom you speak to.”

  “You’re Sigte…? You’re the one from his fractured memories…” Holo whispered. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

  Lunae scoffed in derision. “I told you, do not speak of things you do not understand.”

  Holo’s expression faltered. “I am sorry.”

  “We understand.” Melantha stepped forward and put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You are not the only one to have children who are not of your blood. Holo is the mother of the beastkin. And I…” Melantha lifted a necklace from underneath her tunic. It was simple wrought iron, worn out over the years. “I know what it is like to have found family, not of blood, but of love.”

  Melantha looked up at Lunae, a quiet understanding in her lilac gaze. “You are his mother and yet we did not invite you to a meeting of his family. I’d imagine that must have angered you. If it had been me, I would have been furious.”

  Lunae grumbled a silent response.

  “I understand that you have your own circumstances and wish to keep the true nature of your relationship with your son secret. Nonetheless, you should have been there today. And for that, I am sorry,” Melantha bowed her head. “From now on, I will make sure you are included.”

  Holo bowed, deeper. “Apologies, Lunae. You and I have been through so much over the years, the last thing I want is to strain our friendship.”

  “You're 300 years too late for that,” said Lunae.

  “Right,” Holo said weakly. She stood up and stretched out her hand, “Then may I be the first to invite you to our family meeting.”

  “...You were not aware of my relationship with Stryg, so I will let it go this once,” Lunae muttered. “There will not be a second.”

  Holo grinned. “Well, then, shall we get going?”