Page 26 of Sins of His Wrath

The Mother made a sound at the back of her throat, so Naya continued, “The question it is, how long will it take and how many will die in the meantime? How many Omegas will die? You’re the only Mother left, but at least you’re still here. You can still help. Their knowledge lives on with you. You want to shut that knowledge away and restrict access, knowing that an entire generation of Omegas will almost certainly head back to the suffering that you protected their mothers and grandmothers from for over a hundred years. Are you happy to let that happen?”

The Mother was silent, and Naya knew she hit a nerve. Everything she knew about the Mothers was part of recorded history and one thing was clear—the infamous Mothers always insisted that everything they’d done was to protect Omegas. If that was true, no Mother could be happy with the idea of Omegas going back to the abuse they once suffered, regardless of what other issues they may have.

“Their knowledge doesn’t live on in me,” she muttered after a long moment. “They were all powerful in their own right—we each had different skills.”

“But you are still powerful.”

“Not without my sister,” she snapped, her voice hoarse.

Naya nodded in understanding. Twins had an enhanced magic—one that was more powerful than an average Talent-crafter. It was what made Papa’s Alpha Talent-crafter twins so powerful. But Omega twins were even more powerful. Mother had mentioned them once or twice over the years; Mothers Freya and Fern. She’d said Fern was the friendly one.

“It’s complicated magic, even for us,” Mother Freya continued. “Mother Azia was the most powerful Omega before you were born—she was the one who knew everything about it.”

“But you know it too?” Naya asked.

Mother Freya half-shrugged. “I know the theory of it. My sister and I were capable, but we left it to Mother Azia.” A smile ghosted across her lips, her eyes shifting to an unfocused softness. “Azia was always saying that we could be as powerful as she if we made the effort, but we didn’t need to. After Azia, Naysa was…” The old woman’s voice trailed off, and she stiffened as if realizing that she was reliving her memories.

Naya breathe shallowly and watched her. This woman was steeped in the love that she had for the fellow Mothers. People who’d fought her cause, who were now all gone. She was alone and disappointed—her cause failed, and in some strange way, Naya could relate to her. “Did she teach anyone else?”

“She tried. But a lot of it was too difficult for most Omegas. Very few truly learned how to do it. So even if I wanted to, there’s no way I could teach you everything. Too much has been lost with them.”

“For now, I just need answers to my questions.”

Freya turned on the bed to look at her, her face solemn. “It won’t be enough,” she insisted. “Magic is much more complicated than it appears to be. It requires serious study to master.”

“We don’t have time for that,” Naya said, trying not make her impatience obvious. “I just need to know how you created the rule-based magic and created a shield for your compound in the wastelands, and if there’s a way to—disable it or redirect that kind of magic.”

Mother Freya was quiet, but Naya forced herself to let the silence build.

“You recognize that all magic is not equal?” the old woman said finally.

Naya nodded. “It has different moods.”

Freya’s stiff lips softened into a smile. “Naysa used to say that.”

Naya swallowed. Mama had named her partly after Mother Naysa, who’d died before Naya was born.

“But no, while you can describe it as having different moods, it’s more specific than that. It’s not the same magic with different moods, it’s different magic of varied strength and purpose.” She paused. “You know that Omegas absorb magic before we’re born?”

Naya nodded. Magic naturally weaves into Omegas’ physical being while they are growing in the womb, making it an intrinsic part of who they are. The early exposure and absorption of magic in this way was why Omegas could command magic so easily without having to use spells or hand movements like Talent-crafters.

“Because of that, the way magic interacts with us is different,” Mother Freya continued. “You have been taught to control magic the way your Mother does—to reach out and manipulate using your will. But your entire body can hold magic.”

Naya stared at her, brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” Mother Freya said. “If we are strong enough, we can hold magic inside us, like you did when you returned. We can also act as its conduit.”

“But how does that help me with rule-based magic?”

“I don’t know what rule-based magic is,” Mother Freya said nonchalantly. “That’s not a term used by Omegas.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?” Naya snapped, finally losing her temper. This woman was wasting precious fucking time. “I just need to know how you controlled the dome that protected your Omega compound.”

“I know,” Freya said bitterly. “I’m telling you from the beginning.”

Naya forced her voice to calm. “I need the specifics about that first.”

The Mother shifted on the bed, her expression pinched. “The information I’m giving you is more useful for context.”

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