Chapter 86: Reckoning.
Korvin burst through the doors of Maren’s chambers, his fur matted with blood and dirt. His remaining wolves stayed outside in the hallway, too terrified to follow him inside. They had seen what happened in that clearing, and none of them wanted to be the ones to deliver the news.
Maren stood at her window, her back to the door. She didn’t turn around when Korvin entered.
"You’re back earlier than expected," she said, her voice dangerously calm. "Which means something went wrong."
Korvin swallowed hard. In all his years serving Maren, he had never felt this kind of fear. "My queen, I need to report what happened."
"Then report."
He took a breath and began. "The forged letters worked perfectly. The boys turned on each other just as you predicted. Killian believed that Rafe had betrayed them. They stopped fighting as a unit and became vulnerable."
"Good," Maren said. "Continue."
"I led the attack on the clearing. We separated them and kept the Moonblood isolated. Then I waited for my opportunity."
"And?"
"Rafe tried to protect the girl. I struck him from behind. My claws went straight through his chest. He died within minutes."
Maren finally turned around, her eyes sharp. "If he died, then why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?"
Korvin’s hands were shaking. "Because she brought him back."
The room went completely silent. Maren stared at him, her expression unreadable.
"What did you say?"
"She used some kind of power I’ve never seen before. Her fur started glowing silver and white. The air around her crackled with energy. She placed her hands on Rafe’s chest and reversed his death."
Maren walked slowly toward Korvin. "You’re telling me the Moonblood girl resurrected a dead wolf?"
"Yes, my queen. I saw it with my own eyes. One moment Rafe was dead, blood pooling under his body. The next moment he was breathing again. The wound in his chest had closed completely."
"And what happened to the girl?"
"She collapsed immediately after. She was unconscious when we retreated. Her silver fur now has white streaks running through it, like frost patterns."
Maren’s face had gone pale. "White marks?"
"Yes. They spread across her body after she used the power."
Maren turned away and walked back to her window. Her hands gripped the windowsill so hard that the stone cracked under her fingers.
"You retreated," she said quietly. "You left them alive and retreated."
"My queen, the power she used, it was beyond anything I’ve encountered in two centuries of fighting. My wolves were terrified. We needed to regroup and report back."
"You were afraid."
It wasn’t a question. Korvin bowed his head. "Yes. I was afraid."
Before Maren could respond, Mallory entered the chamber carrying a stack of old books. She took one look at Korvin’s face and Maren’s rigid posture and stopped.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Tell her," Maren said without turning around.
Korvin repeated his story to Mallory. When he finished, she set the books down on the table with trembling hands.
"Resurrection power," she whispered. "The True Silver."
Maren spun around. "Don’t say that name."
"But that’s what the prophecies call it. A Moonblood with power over life and death. A wolf destined to reshape the supernatural order."
"I know what the prophecies say," Maren snapped. "I’ve spent two decades making sure those prophecies would never come true."
She began pacing, her movements sharp and agitated. "I killed Liora specifically to prevent this. I hunted down every other Moonblood I could find. I suppressed their abilities, kept them weak and scattered. All to make sure no one would awaken the resurrection power."
"But Bella has awakened it," Mallory said.
"Which means we failed," Maren said bitterly. "Twenty decades of careful planning, and it all comes down to this moment."
Korvin spoke up. "The white marks on her fur, what do they mean?"
Mallory pulled one of the old books toward her and flipped through the pages. "According to the oldest texts, resurrection power comes at a terrible cost. Every time it’s used, it marks the user. The marks are permanent scars from touching death itself."
"So she’s damaged," Maren said. "Weakened."
"Possibly. The texts say the marks spread with each use of the power. Eventually they cover the entire body, and the user becomes something between life and death."
"How many times can someone use it before that happens?"
"The texts don’t say. But judging from how much of her body is already marked from a single use, I’d guess not many."
Maren stopped pacing and looked at Korvin. "She’s unconscious right now?"
"She was when we left. The power knocked her out completely."
"Then this is our chance," Maren said. "We attack now, while she’s vulnerable. Before she wakes up and learns to control that power."
Mallory hesitated. "My queen, perhaps we should consider capturing her alive. If we could study the resurrection power, understand how it works..."
"No," Maren said sharply. "Absolutely not. That power is too dangerous to exist. We’re not studying it, we’re eliminating it."
"But the knowledge..."
"Is exactly what got us into this situation," Maren interrupted. "Someone always thinks they can control powers that should be left alone. Well, look where that got us."
She walked to her desk and pulled out a map of the forest. "Korvin, how many wolves did you lose?"
"Six dead, three too injured to fight."
"So we still have over forty combat ready wolves. Good. I want every single one of them mobilized within the hour."
"Just wolves?" Mallory asked.
"No. Every supernatural creature I control. Wolves, demons, shadow walkers, everything. I want an army that can overwhelm them through sheer numbers."
Korvin looked up in surprise. "You’re going to personally lead the attack?"
"Yes. This is too important to delegate. I will end the Moonblood line myself."
Mallory made notes on her parchment. "What about the four boys?"
"Kill them all. No prisoners, no mercy. They’ve proven they’re too loyal to Bella to be turned or intimidated."
"Even with the prophecy saying one will betray her?"
Maren’s laugh was bitter. "The prophecy already happened. One of them did betray her by believing our forged letters. But it didn’t matter because she brought the dead one back. The prophecy failed."
She pointed to different locations on the map. "We’ll attack from all sides at once. No escape routes, no chance to run. We find them, we kill the girl while she’s unconscious, and we execute the boys."
Korvin shifted uncomfortably. "My queen, I must tell you. The light that surrounded her when she used the power, it felt ancient. Older than anything I’ve ever encountered. Are you certain we can defeat it?"
Maren met his eyes. "Are you questioning my orders?"
"No, my queen. I’m questioning whether we’re prepared for what we might face."
"We’re prepared," Maren said coldly. "Because we have no choice. If that girl wakes up and masters the resurrection power, she’ll become unstoppable. She could raise an army of the dead. She could make herself immortal. She could undo everything I’ve built."
She turned back to the window, looking out at the forest where Bella was hiding. "I killed her mother Liora in that same forest. Liora begged me to spare her daughter. She said Bella didn’t know about her heritage, that she could live as a human."
"What did you tell her?" Mallory asked quietly.
"I told her that Moonblood power doesn’t stay hidden. It always awakens eventually. I told her I was doing the merciful thing by ending the line before it could cause more suffering."
"And then you killed her."
"And then I killed her," Maren agreed. "I thought that would be the end of it. But I was wrong. I should have killed the child too, should have made sure the line was truly extinct."
She turned back to face them. "I won’t make that mistake again. By dawn, she will be dead. The four boys will be dead. And the Moonblood line will finally be extinct forever."
Korvin bowed his head. "I’ll mobilize the troops immediately."
"Good. And Korvin? When we find them, I want you to kill the boys while I deal with Bella personally. You’ve already failed to kill her once. Don’t fail me again."
"Yes, my queen."
After Korvin left, Mallory approached Maren carefully. "Are you afraid?"
Maren didn’t answer right away. She walked to her desk and picked up a small silver dagger, the same one she had used to kill Liora all those years ago.
"Yes," she finally admitted. "I’m terrified. That girl has awakened power that shouldn’t exist. Power that could reshape everything we know about life and death."
"Then why attack her head on? Why not wait, plan more carefully?"
"Because every moment we wait, she gets stronger. Right now she’s unconscious and marked by the cost of using that power. This is the most vulnerable she’ll ever be."
Maren tested the edge of the dagger with her thumb. "And because I’ve spent two decades living in fear of this moment. I’m tired of being afraid. I want it over."
"What if she wakes up during the attack?"
"Then we’ll find out if resurrection power can save someone from having their throat cut."
Mallory gathered her books and notes. "I’ll prepare the troops and make sure they understand the stakes. No one retreats this time, no matter what power she uses."
"Good. And Mallory? If something happens to me during this attack, if somehow she manages to kill me, I want you to burn that entire section of forest to the ground. Use fire, explosives, whatever it takes. Make sure nothing survives."
"You really think she could kill you?"
Maren looked at the dagger in her hand, then at the window where dawn was beginning to break over the forest.
"I think she’s already changed the rules of what’s possible. So yes, I think she could kill me. Which is exactly why I need to kill her first."
She sheathed the dagger and turned to face Mallory with cold determination in her eyes.
"Gather the army. We move in one hour. By the time the sun is fully up, the Moonblood line will be nothing but ashes and memory."