The Frozen Moon: Book Two of The Living Curse series + BONUS Full Version of Book Three! (17 page)

              Nameh had slumped to the ground; Seth wasn’t sure if she was dead, but there was nothing he could do.  This powerlessness clawed at his mind, it was a feeling that he resented greatly.  Her hair of spun silver now fell around her body and the grass beneath her.  Grass always seemed so much greener in the autumn, but he wasn’t sure if the hue actually darkened, or if it just appeared this way against the crisp and brighter blue of the sky this time of year.  It was almost sickening, being surrounded by so much green, though it might have been comforting or beautiful in another time or situation.

             
He took a glance at those around him, the ones he had met only a few weeks ago.  Cal, he had met at the Vine a few months earlier, but had not known him well until he met the others.  They had lived together, worked together, fought and shed blood together.  They were more of a family than he had ever known.  Never before had he felt such belonging, but he knew it could not last; life had never worked out for him in the long run.  Even though he was about to die along with these people, he didn’t know that he would change things if he could. 

             
His thoughts were interrupted by a terrible din, a gruesome noise that filled his ears and became his only focus.  It took his mind a moment to recall where he had heard the sound before, though it was familiar.  He was brought back to his small apartment near central park a few years before, when he had first left home, if one could even have called it a home.  He had some money to his name, and he had been able to sustain himself for a while, but he soon turned to the Vine, having nowhere else to go.  Not only that, but it had been the one thing his mother had forbidden.  The long sleepless nights in this apartment had been filled with horrifying screeches which pierced the air for miles around, heard only by those with magical knowledge.  He remembered the Moon Faerie wars; the unnaturally loud clang of metal heard for hours, and the fierce battle cries that filled the night air.  This was how each battle was started: a declaration of war. 

             
He lay on the ground, still conscious, but barely, watching the flashes of metal armor streak by.  The faerie river rushed onward, paying little mind to the broken bodies strewn, barely alive on the cold ground.  It rushed around the Guild members, filling the crevices and concealing them from view entirely.  Behind them rushed werewolves, half-harpies, and vampires of all shapes, colors, and sizes.  They were adorned in armor bound with metal and dark leather, emblazoned with the crests of the Vine and Guardians alike.  He didn’t know how or why they were here, but it didn’t matter.  For a moment, hope welled inside him, perhaps they could be victorious, perhaps the world was not yet lost.  After all, the amulet was still protected in Max’s pocket, and not in the possession of the Guild. 

             
Just as the hundreds of warriors fighting on their side had arrived, a swarm of fighters for the Guild joined the mass of confusion.  There were now hundreds upon hundreds of bodies tangling in a fearsome struggle to end all struggles.  He had thought the battle between the few friends and Daniel’s close followers had been the battle to end all, but the fight was just beginning.  The war was far from over.

             
A tall and spindly figure approached, clothed in a robe of deep blue which rolled and brushed about his ankles like thick fog.  It was the blue cloak of a Master Healer.  He towered above them, and even if they had not been lying in their weakened state, he would have stood almost a full head above the tallest of them.  His hair and skin were fair, and his entire persona seemed to be brushed with a light color of wheat and sepia.  He walked with a comfort and ease that gave the impression he was gliding along the ground.  The figure bent down next to Seth, who was the only one who had noticed his approached, or was conscious enough to do so, he wasn’t sure.  His throat was dry and lips were cracked.  He was able to force some speech, but it was strained and painful.

             
“The girl,” he began, raising a finger to point at Nameh before his arm fell to the ground with fatigue.  He meant to continue, to describe to him how her abdomen had been clawed through, how she likely had blunt trauma as well as the lacerations, but as a healer, he would know these things.  The one before him was a welcomed sight, in fact, he had never been as happy to see a healer in his life. He began his spells, and Seth imagined that he would move on to the others when he had finished.  It brought him great relief to see color returning to her skin, hopefully he would be able to save her, but there was no way to know.  Perhaps this would quell the feelings of failure that clung to him with unrelenting will; he had not been able to protect them.

             
The sounds and sights of battle swirled around him, metal shimmering like diamonds, blood glinting like gold in the low moonlight.  He realized that the only thing tethering his weary body to consciousness had been concern; with this alleviated, he was fading quickly.  The last thing he remembered was the fierce and sorrowful melody of metal striking metal, the song of war.

The brush mingled with his dark hair as he pressed on.  Nothing more could be done here, and even less if he was dead. 
Though
it would be much better that way
, the tired voice in his head persisted as usual.  He ignored it and bent new branches back; he knew that his pace must quicken if he wanted to be absent from the brutal aftermath of the war.  He had no desire to respect the dead, or even aid the wounded followers he had left behind. 
Sickening
. 

             
Things had gone almost completely according to plan, save the unfortunate loss on the field.  That foolish boy had played directly into his hands, and he drew a delicious and sadistic enjoyment from it.  Toying with the emotions of youth had been an easy task, and even easier when the boy believed he was in possession of the one he loved.  He almost pitied the boy-almost, for being so ignorant.  This girl of his had been killed years ago in a raid, but it had been so easy to manipulate him into believing whatever suited him.  In times of desperation, man’s emotion clouded even the best of judgment.  So quickly he had sold out his comrades, and just now he would be finding out that their sacrifice was in vain.  He had even fled from the battle when reinforcements came, probably from shame.  He wondered whether or not the boy would join the Guild now, with nowhere else to go, or leave the city entirely.  Werewolves always were too rash for their own well being.

             
Now, he could only hope the girl was dead. 
Nameh can’t be dead.  She’s stronger than that-stronger than us. 
He had to remember to be more conscious of his thoughts, the will inside him grew stronger when she was mentioned; apparently their attachment had been deeper than he had thought.  Even if she wasn’t yet dead, their forces would be depleted, and he had already planned his secondary attack.  The Relic would be his, of this he had no doubt, he simply did not know when.  He spun the glistening and intricate web of lies and deceit ever thicker, ever deadlier, like an arachnid.  His mouth watered at the thought of the demise of those who would soon be ensnared.  After the destruction of the Vine, there would be nothing to stand in his way.  He alone could combine the nearly unlimited power of both dark and light magic, once united, everyone would know his name.  Daraka would wipe out all of history with ancient magic still known only in the spirit world, leaving only his name on the world’s lips.  He would be as powerful, more powerful even, than the Great Warlock himself had been.

              Daniel ripped at the constraints that bound him from every direction, but with each broken, ten more entangled him in its place.  He screamed as loud as he could manage, fought for control of his body harder than he had in years.  She was going to die, everyone was going to die, and it was going to be all his fault.  He remembered how it had been in the beginning, when he had refused to accept the new control over
his
muscles,
his
bones,
his
voice,
his
actions.  But soon, he had faded.  Even the strongest of fighters cannot maintain an unrelenting fight for years.  Now, this rage stirred within him again; his captor had gone too far. 

             
What ate away at him the most, killed him slowly and painfully, was that Nameh would never know he was sorry.  She would never know that he had only gone to the Guild to gain power for them both; he had done it because he loved her.  Young and foolish, he hadn’t known what he was getting himself into.  He had no way of telling her that dark magic was forced upon him, consuming his body entirely, leaving his mind in its original state, trapped within the blackness.  No one on the outside could ever discover the reality that the true soul resided within the dark spirit which overtook the body, because there was no hope of escape.  But it didn’t matter now; he knew they would never speak except through the harsh words Daraka conjured.  He could see the way she stared blankly at him, as though the past had never been, and that only malice remained.  This was his punishment, he knew, for becoming greedy and power hungry, if only for a moment.  Now he would watch the woman he loved hate him, fueled only by his captor’s attempts on her life and the wealth of information drawn from his own mind.

             
He would do anything for her, even now, when she would do anything to see him dead, because he knew he deserved every ounce of her anger.  He would do anything to let her drive the dagger he had given her through his heart, and watch him slowly bleed out.  This was the only way he could know that she would be safe.  But even his life he could no longer give, even his soul she could no longer have through his will.  Even in the most remote and corrupted depths of his mind, he could not think of a worse punishment than this. 

             
For now he could only watch, slowly watch his life being lived by another.  Slowly watch another thriving for what he would give his entire existence to prevent. 
It would be killing me
, he thought,
but nothing can
. 

Just then, a thought crossed his mind, or what could now be considered his mind.  There was nothing in this world that could truly get the best of him mentally if he wouldn’t allow it.  He could be physically beaten, but no one could take his thoughts and actions completely away from him.  At least for a moment, and that would be enough, he could take control.  With this realization, he drove the darkness out with all the will and power that he possessed, and had ever possessed.  He forced the other out of every inch of the mind and body-
his
mind and body. 

Daraka
rebelled, immediately aware of Daniel’s plan.  He knew he would have only one chance, that after this moment, the spirit would be more cautious of how it imprisoned him.  He ripped free one of his arms, and that was enough.  Before Daraka could motion to stop him, he snatched the dagger at his waist from its hilt.  Time slowed for a moment as everything he never wanted and always wanted came together in one breath.  He would surrender his life as he never thought possible, and bring safety to the only one he had ever loved.  At long last, he could cease plaguing the world from his fatal mistake. 

The silver of the blade glimmered in the rising moonlight for a brief moment, and he saw his own shocking green eye reflected in it.  In that instant, he saw the pain, the suffering, the love, and the determination that filled him irreversibly.  He hoped the expression would still grace him after death, but he knew
Nameh would never know his sacrifice.  The suffering drew together from the depths of his polluted soul, forming a single tear, which left a trail of soft salt as it slid down his face.  At last, Daniel would make a decision he couldn’t regret. 

He plunged the knife.

              Nameh’s eyes fluttered open, but the night was so dark that she wasn’t sure if she had actually awoken.  The strange shadowy face before hers only perpetuated her dream-like state; soft eyes were nearly all she could see of him.  He looked as though he was spun from silver and gold when bathed in the moon, though in the daylight, she thought, he would appear crafted from a dull bronze or softened copper.  His faint smile and the pain she became aware of as she awoke were the indications that this was more than a simple dream.  A strong arm wrapped around her shoulders and curled her up into a sitting position before she knew what happened.  She felt like a child cradled in secure arms, and immediately missed their presence when they retreated.  For a moment, he was all she could look at.  He would tower over her if they were standing, she mused, but she found this interesting more than intimidating.  She snapped out of her thoughts when a voice came from her right she had not realized she missed.

             
“Come on slacker, no more napping.”  Seth’s voice had the same sarcastic twinge that she had come to love, but she could hear the small crack that came from constrained emotion.  He had been concerned, though he would not show it much.  She smiled at her friend in acknowledgement of the feeling they shared.  They were alive, the thought continued to run through her mind.  Her head pulsed with such pain that she could hardly think.  Her fingers brushed her temples of their own accord, and the newly come blue cloaked figure took gentle notice.