Page 171 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“One of the sisters, Tia, was cunning, and had fallen for the humans. When the humans and elves inevitably started fighting, she felt the elves had an unfair advantage and wanted to do something to even the playing field.” The speaker pauses, and I see the looks shared by some of the watching elves. Although they know what’s coming, they’re still listening with rapt attention. “The youngest goddess was kind and wanted the fighting to stop. She was convinced by her older sister to help give the humans a chance. With the desire to help, she, along with her sister Tia, sacrificed a large part of her power to the humans, and so the mages were born.”

“The eldest god, Holume, was furious. He favoured the elves and hated seeing them being slaughtered by the magicians and their new magic. Feeling betrayed, he and his four other siblings turned on the youngest goddess and her sister. The cunning sister was killed, but they spared Menishea, as they knew she held only kindness in her heart and was now far weaker than they were.”

Blinking at this new information, I think of what I know of my goddess, the Great Mother, who, from what I’ve been told, is their Menishea. In our teachings, the Great Mother is an all-powerful being, so I can see why the priests wouldn’t want this version of creation being told.

“Over the years, the gods became bored as the humans and elves who once worshipped them began to forget them. Pulling their influence, they left, forsaking their creations.” He pauses again as a smile returns to his face. “All except the youngest goddess, Menishea.” Awed sounds and praises to their goddess fill the space, the elves’ eyes glittering with pride and happiness. I am also in awe, but not at the goddess, at her people. They believe and worship her with every fibre of their being, which is completely different than their high elf cousins.

“Menishea loved all of her subjects and watched over them, but she was weak. She found a sect of elves who still fully believed and worshipped her, so she used her magic to help them grow and flourish, their love for her fuelling her own power. That is how the wood elves came to be.” There is another pause as Speaker Hawthorn glances over his shoulder at the other speakers, who are nodding in agreement. His expression changes now, becoming somber at whatever comes next in the story. “We have continued to worship her ever since, until one day, she vanished.” Some of the gathered elves make quiet noises of distress, shaking their heads at the loss of their goddess. “However, some of her magic remained in the veryground itself, and through the forest, we were able to see a vision. In that vision, a young lady of mixed race was going to come to us, and with her, magic would be restored.”

Although the speaker doesn’t look at me as he finishes his story, I feel the eyes of almost every elf on the platform land on me expectantly.Mother above,I pray, needing her guidance now more than ever. Falling back into my nervous habit, I reach over and start to twist the bands on my wrist, my finger brushing gently over the goddess mark. As soon as I touch it, it’s like a jolt of electricity goes through me. My entire body becomes stiff, and my mark glows so bright I see many cover their eyes to protect themselves against the light. Vaeril turns and places his hand on my shoulder. I see his mouth open, but no sound comes out. Then, everything goes black.

I feel like I’m floating, my whole body weightless. I can’t see anything, but I know I’m not alone. There is a familiar presence watching over me and surrounding me with love.

“Great Mother,” I whisper, my mouth pulling up into a smile. I wish I was able to bow and show my proper respects. This is the first time I’ve been able to feel her properly since I escaped Arhaven, and I hadn’t realised how much I missed her comforting presence.

My child, she replies, but it’s like she’s speaking directly inside my head, no sounds reaching me.You have done well.

“Where am I?” I query, then realise that’s not important, so instead, I ask the question at the forefront of my mind. “Are you Menishea?” I whisper again, but it’s not the awed tone from before, it’s the voice of someone who’s not sure they want to hear the answer.

Her pause is answer enough.Yes, I am both the goddess the humans worship, and the Menishea the elves worship, she explains in an even tone. If that is true, then were the elves right about the other gods? I’m struggling to get my head around it. Everything I thought about my goddess was wrong. No. That’s not true. Sure, what the priests taught us was wrong, but how I feel about the Great Mother and her love for me hasn’t changed.

There is a great evil keeping me from my people. The only reason I can speak to you now is because some of my magic is in the environment around you, she continues, pulling my thoughts back to the present. A great evil? What does she mean by that?

“But I could hear you back in Arhaven,” I point out, confused as to why she would be weaker only in one place.

The evil is only surrounding the elves at the moment, but it is spreading, she warns, and a shudder takes over my body.I cannot stay long. I am weak, and even now, I can feel myself fading away. Her voice fades in and out as she speaks, as if to punctuate what she’s saying.I have a job for you.

Her words make me nervous. What is she going to have me do? Is it selfish of me just to want to enjoy my freedom? Images fill my head, of the slaves back in Arhaven, of the sea elf who couldn’t pay his taxes, of the ladies-in-waiting, and I know I could never rest easy while that was still happening. “What do you need me to do?”

She doesn’t respond, instead, images appear inside my head.

I’m above the castle in Arhaven. There’s a group of slaves being watched over by the guards, there must be at least twenty of them, and farther away, I can see more. Every single slave was slaughtered before I escaped, and to see these numbers rebuilt that quickly makes me sick to my stomach. Suddenly, the image zooms in, and I realise what they’re digging—mass graves. Most of the bodies in the graves are adults, a mixture of servants,lords, and ladies, but I do see the worn-out, broken bodies of children in there too.

A noise reaches me now, and I realise it’s fighting. The vision zooms back out, and I see the guards fighting with a group of people. They’re all fighting back and trying to push through to two individuals standing on the other side of the guards—the king, and at his side is Jacob. I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach, and I want to look away, but I can’t, the images keep coming. Jacob’s blank face as he watches the slaves work, the king’s evil smirk, the faces of the townsfolk as they get cut down by the guards.

The images change again, and this time, I’m looking out across the land with Arhaven behind me. The barren lands have always been just that, but it seems to be spreading. Part of the forest we escaped through is dying, and I see imps, pixies, and other fae running deeper into the forest, trying to escape the threat that seems to be behind me. I try to turn, but the images are in control. Next, I’m zooming across the land until we reach Galandell. The city looks beautiful and peaceful, but as the vision zooms out, I see that the lands around the city are dying, and an inky blackness descends on the city. As the images fade, I hear the screams of the elves as they are swallowed whole by the darkness.

My eyes open, and I see a concerned Vaeril above me as my head rests in his lap. Several other elves are surrounding me, including Speaker Hawthorn. Their mouths are moving, but no sound is coming out. I can see them, but I’m not reallyseeingthem, the images from the vision still fresh in my mind.

Defeat the darkness, my beloved,the Great Mother whispers in my mind, before her presence fades until it’s almost completely gone.

Sound returns and batters my ears, making me wince, the cacophony loud against the silence of the vision.

“Clarissa.Alina. Can you hear me?” Vaeril calls, and I meet his eyes, nodding my head slowly. I close my eyes again, fighting the wave of dizziness that overtakes me.

“I need to sit up,” I mutter, my thoughts feeling thick, my body heavy as several arms help me up into a sitting position. Taking a deep breath, I look around and see all eyes on me. Naril is sitting at my feet wearing a concerned expression, and I glance up at Vaeril who’s behind me, helping me to stay upright.

Speaker Hawthorn gently puts a hand on my leg, pulling my attention to him. “Menishea spoke to you.” It’s not a question, but I nod anyway, not having the words to describe what just happened. His eyes are bright with excitement, but his expression is kind, like he knows the toll it’s taking on my body. Vaeril is stiff behind me, and I know he’s struggling against his instincts with all these people surrounding me. Reaching up, I place a hand on top of his, which is resting on my shoulder, squeezing it gently.

Movement catches my eye, and I glance over. I see a small female elf making her way towards me with a cup of what looks like water in her hands. Kneeling at my side, she offers it to me, and I smile gratefully as I take it, sipping at the cool water. “Thank you,” I tell her before handing it back to her.

“You’re welcome, beloved.”

As soon as the words leave her lips, nausea slams into me, reminding me of what the Great Mother had shown me. Scrambling to my feet, I push past the elves and run to the edge of the platform, only just managing to reach it before vomiting over the side. I tremble, the meagre contents of my stomach being purged from my body as the horror of the vision finally hits me. I don’t know why it took one of the elves calling me ‘beloved’ to trigger the memories. A cool hand rests on my back, rubbing calming circles, and I know instantly it’s Vaeril. My retching continues until there is no more for me to vomit, and Irest my forehead against the railing of the platform, my breath coming in pants. He doesn’t say anything and doesn’t ask me if I’m okay, because he already knows the answer. No, I’m not okay. How could I ever think I could get away from the darkness of the King of Arhaven?

Eventually, someone else joins us at the railing, but I don’t bother to lift my head, I’m too exhausted. Assuming it’s Naril, I just lean back into Vaeril, enjoying the cool, gentle breeze against my skin.

“That was an interesting meet.” The voice makes me jerk upright, causing all my muscles to protest at the violent movement.

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