See Chapter One (A) for Disclaimers

Epilogue

If the Sorceress hadn't known better, she would have thought it was Kyra kneeling beside the BeastMaster, holding his hand tightly against her cheek.  But Kyra was making the Ancient One . . . well, not so ancient.  And besides, Carrin of the Varono . . . Mira of the Sula . . . didn't really look like her brother's betrothed.

She had watched in silence as Pelagia and Curupira demonstrated what had happened in the Sula forest, all those years earlier.  She had watched as the young queen bolted from the room, sobbing helplessly.  And she had watched the reunion between brother and sister.

Once more, the contradiction that was love was revealed to the Sorceress.  She frowned thoughtfully.  Nineteen years ago, when she was just a small girl of ten, love for her little brother had led the young Mira to run toward the hunters, in an effort to keep them away from the little boy.

That love had given her the strength to protect a small, helpless one.  Yet, it was that same love which made her weak, which left her sobbing like a little one herself.  The Sorceress shook her head, even more confused than ever about love.  And what was truly confusing was how she was reacting to the young queen.

As a sorceress, she wasn't to feel such emotions as love, friendship, or even empathy.  But as she had watched the queen with her mate, with her daughter, with her brother, the Sorceress had found herself feeling a mixture of jealousy, and understanding.  She found herself empathizing with the girl's pain.

There was something else.  With the reunion between two of the surviving children of the Sula, another question remained for the Sorceress.  As Dar gained more friends . . . the clumsy scholar, and now Dar's own sister had been returned to him . . . he became more powerful.  And there was the threat that he could rescue Kyra once more.  Before the Sorceress had what she wanted from him.

And the more she watched him, watched his determination to find his Kyra . . . his desire to protect others . . . the Sorceress had more and more she wanted from Dar.  More than his handsome features and beautiful body, she was desiring to be the one whom he protected.  The reason why he smiled.

It never occurred to her, as she watched the brother and sister in her scrying bowl, that she was already starting to understand love.  How could it?  Her own memories of love had been wiped clean, something which she didn't even remember.  How could she realize that she was understanding, when she had no basis for comparison?

"You will never win him.  Dar has made his choice.  And you must make yours.  I'm warning you, child . . . leave them alone.  Or action will be taken," a voice said.  The Sorceress looked up, to find the Mother Goddess, Pelagia, staring at her.  Pelagia wasn't alone . . . her troublesome daughter, Curupira, was with her.  The young face was hard, but the Sorceress ignored the young demon, concentrating on the goddess instead.

"What kind of action?  You mean to protect them, but you are limited in what you can do," the Sorceress answered.  A thin smile crossed Pelagia's face, and the Sorceress felt a wave of fear wash over her.  She banished it quickly, and continued, "Now go.  I have work to do."

"Oh, we will go.  But not before I make you this promise.  Twenty-two years ago, on the night Etain of the

Sula birthed her son, you released a spell.  An experiment.  And because of that spell, Etain died in childbirth . . . the last of her strength was spent in protecting her child," Pelagia answered, her voice cold.

The Sorceress started to ask how this applied to the current situation and Pelagia continued, "The name of the boy-child Etain brought forth into the world was 'Dar.' The proud one.  I am warning you.  You are responsible for the death of his mother . . . and if I were to tell him that . . . "

"He would never forgive you . . . he hates you, Sorceress.  But even if he did not, my BeastMaster will never give you his power to communicate with animals.  Never!  He knows what I would do to him if he did," Curupira said, speaking up for the first time.  The Sorceress just rolled her eyes . . . she had her own ways of getting to Dar.

But evidently, Curupira knew things which she didn't about the young BeastMaster.  The girl smiled coldly, then added, "And I have a warning of my own.  If you cause harm to either of Etain's children, the punishment will be far beyond your comprehension."  And with that, both mother and daughter were gone.  The Sorceress swallowed hard.

She wasn't afraid of death.  But she was afraid of the unknown, even more than she was afraid of the Ancient One.  The Sorceress didn't know what Pelagia and her brat could do to her.  She didn't want to find out . . . she wasn't that foolish.  But she had decided that she would have Dar's powers.  And as long as the Ancient One held Kyra, they had a way of getting those powers.

~*~*~*~

"Will she heed our warnings, Mother?" Curupira asked when they re-materialized in the forest.  Pelagia didn't answer immediately.  She was still thinking about both of the Lothian attacks.  She was almost certain that the Sorceress had nothing to do with the original.

Carrin had told her of her idea to make an alliance with the Sula, before she sent Marinde and the others out.  And Pelagia had approved the idea . . . the time was coming when the Terrons would go too far.

When that happened, no one tribe could stand alone against the Terrons.  The best hope to defeat Zad was in standing together.  Since the Lothians had proven they couldn't be trusted, the Sula had been the logical choice -- regardless of which tribe had created Carrin.

What considered Pelagia now was how the Lothians had learned of the peace envoy.  She had to consider the possibility of a spy . . . and that was easy enough to find out.  There was another possibility . . . sorcery.  But if that was the case, why hadn't Pelagia hadn't felt the spell?

Instead of answering her daughter's question (which she had forgotten anyhow), Pelagia told Curupira, "Speak with your animal friends, dearling.  Find out if they've felt any magic from the Lothian village . . . particularly in the days before the attack on Marinde's peace envoy."

Curupira frowned and asked, "And what of the Sorceress?  Will she heed our warnings?" Pelagia shook her head.  She didn't really know.  But before they worried about her brother's pupil, they had to learn how the Lothians had learned of the peace envoy . . . and if there was a connection to the attack against the Sula.

"I don't know, love.  But the more I think about it, the more . . . Curi, we must find out how the Lothians knew to attack the peace envoy.  And how they knew to attack Dar and Tao.  They received information somehow.  I want to know the source of that information.  Because Dar and Mira may still be in danger," Pelagia answered.  Curi's face tightened, but she nodded.  The goddess looked back at the caves, murmuring, "If I find out you're behind this, brother . . ."

The Sorceress had been right about one thing.  Pelagia  was limited in what she could do.  She couldn't break her brother's spells, just as he couldn't break hers.  But spells could be modified.  She caught sight of a black eagle circling over the Varoni camp, and smiled to herself.  Yes.  Spells could  always be modified.

The End

Author's Notes

Choices of the Gods (Next Story in the Series)

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