Mark of Fate

by K. T. Webb

  “Tell us the rest, Noble!” Legacy encouraged.

  “Raise a King to kill a Queen, kill the Queen to end it all. But, if you shine against the dark, the wild magic will hear your call,” Noble shouted against the pained voices of the Shadow Mages.

  The skin that had been sallow began to change as a smile spread across the young boy’s face. Legacy squeezed Honor’s hand as their brother’s skin slowly released a bright and blinding light. His mother told him to shine against the dark. Noble was most definitely shining. His brilliant, beautiful light cast the Shadow Mages from his body. Noble fell to the ground in a heap as the trio of shadows burst from his chest. Legacy and Honor did not stop to discuss what they were doing, they simply ran to their brother. Together, they supported his semi-conscious body back to Renata and Arabella. Calix and Theon helped the practitioners gather whatever they needed to help Noble.

  “They have not been beaten, Your Highness,” Silverleaf gently turned Legacy away from her brother.

  “I know, that was only the beginning. Now we must work together. The three of us are connected to Alderwood by fate, the three of them are connected to Alderwood by force. It is up to us to end their hold over the wild magic,” Legacy looked to both Silverleaf and Nikita.

  They were as ready as they were going to be given the circumstances. If Noble could fight them off by finding the light inside himself, they could put an end to their tyranny once and for all.

  It did not take long for the enemy to rally. They would not be giving up easily. Legacy thought about what Daenera had taught Noble. They could apply that same thing in the battle they would now wage against the Shadow Mages. If their enemy reacted so violently to being exposed to light, that was a weapon Legacy, Nikita, and Silverleaf could use against them. This would not be a physical battle, but a war waged in wills. The only way to eradicate darkness is to overwhelm it with light. Noble had done that by allowing the wild magic to use him as a conduit. The three rulers were chosen by Alderwood to be the most influential conductors of magic when they used it for the good of all those who lived in their realm.

  “We will not be fighting this battle,” Legacy said aloud.

  “We have to, there is no other choice,” Nikita objected.

  “No, let me explain,” Legacy insisted. “What I mean is, we are not going to fight them because the wild magic must. We must allow it to take control and fight them. This has never been about us as individuals,” Legacy realized she was starting to sound more than a little insane.

  As the others contemplated her words, Legacy looked to Renata. The Oracle was standing nearby, watching the trio of rulers. Arabella was tending to Noble with Rowan by her side. Eirny sat on his shoulder as she often did, undoubtedly trying to determine if Noble required her healing bite. Legacy felt the overwhelming urge to collapse into the arms of the person she would have to say goodbye to soon. As though Renata sensed her exhaustion, Legacy found herself being supported by the Oracle.

  “You cannot falter now. Hold it together, Legacy. Your kingdom needs you more than they ever will,” Renata whispered urgently.

  “I know. Renata, in case I do not have another chance to tell you this, I need you to know that I love you. I have become the woman that I am because you saved me and raised me to be the Queen,” Legacy wiped tears from her cheeks. “You saved me out of obligation, but you became my mother out of love.”

  Renata smiled, cleared her throat, and looked away. Legacy had never known her to be an emotional person. The woman who raised her never cried and never displayed any indication that she was affected by anything. To see Renata choked up at Legacy’s words was almost more than she could handle. A terrifying scream interrupted them. Legacy gave Renata one last look before they turned to face the enemy again.

  The Shadow Mages recovered quickly from the damage they sustained when Noble broke free from their control. Now, they were forced to show their true forms. The wispy shrouds of darkness were gone, and in their place stood three barely human enemies. Legacy was struck by the stark differences between Renata and what remained of the siblings she once knew. Where Renata had lived a life filled with goodness and light, the Shadow Mages had dedicated their lives to the hunger deep inside. That hunger for power had hurt so many and left others with an emptiness they must now work to fill. Still, despite their wickedness, Legacy could not bring herself to hate them. Hatred is bred in that same dark place where that hunger is born; hatred is fueled by selfishness. Legacy could not afford to be selfish when people she loved were depending on her.

  The Shadow Mages now presented themselves as individuals. They were of like mind, and likely still connected as they had been for centuries, but they stood separately. Legacy wondered if they would have to destroy them simultaneously or if killing one would kill them all. That was assuming they could be killed at all.

  Renata stood staring at her lost siblings. They were poor copies of the people they had once been. Their skin had grayed with time, it was thin enough to show the veins that should have pumped blood through their bodies. Now, it was evident to Legacy that something about their basic make-up was completely off. The veins she could see under her own skin were blue, theirs were black. The dark color seemed to come and go as the blood pumped through their bodies. It was almost as if their bodies were still trying to clear the evil from their systems. How can a body eradicate a toxin if the host continues to take it in willingly? Renata had white hair that reached her hindquarters if she did not have it tied up. The Shadow Mages were completely bald. It was impossible to tell the difference between the three who had once been individual forces for good. Legacy could not imagine how Renata felt looking at the people she grew up with as they were at that moment.

  “We have found a way into the hearts of many, you cannot destroy us as long as those people carry a piece of our power within them.”

  Renata took Legacy by her right hand as Nikita growled from the other side. Silverleaf took his place next to Nikita as they stood facing the force of evil that threatened to destroy Alderwood. Legacy was thankful the rest of the army was not within striking distance of the final battle. They had no impact on the outcome and would only prove to be a liability. The Shadow Mages did not care who they hurt in their desperate quest for control over the wild magic.

  “We know we will never fully destroy the darkness in the hearts of some. You have led to the corruption and destruction of many in Alderwood. It is our calling to protect the many who stand between you and your ultimate goal,” Legacy stood firm against their blank stares.

  All three turned their heads in unison and looked directly at the Queen. Chills rippled through her body under their lifeless gaze. The same eyes had regarded her from Noble in the Forest of Illusane.

  “If you do not wish to destroy us, why have you not joined us?”

  Silverleaf laughed aloud, “You misunderstand, we fully intend to destroy you.”

  An unexplainable ripple played over the mages when Silverleaf spoke. Legacy noticed they seemed to tremble against the words of her friend and fellow ruler. Were they afraid or was it an involuntary reaction to the good intentions Silverleaf carried?

  “You do not possess the power to fight us. We are close to snuffing out the light forever.”

  “You will never destroy the light completely, those of us who fight for good will not give into your persuasions,” Nikita scolded in her gentle voice.

  Again, Legacy noticed the shudder. There had to be something in that. The queen decided the wild magic coursing through their veins must be a bit more than the enemy could handle. This battle would not be fought with swords and arrows . . . it would be fought with the wild magic. Legacy focused on her beating heart, then brought the energy to her core. She could feel it there, just as she always had. The wild magic pulsed along with her heart as though it was a tangible force keeping her alive. Legacy pictured the vines that hung from the trees in the Forest of Illusane. She remembered how t
hey ensnared Justice. It did not take much for her to will the vines to sprout from the ground and wrap around the legs of each mage. Once they had been secured to the ground, Legacy released the wild magic and silently thanked it for the help she received.

  “Foolish child! This will not hold us.”

  Silverleaf and Nikita murmured their approval. Renata gave Legacy’s hand a squeeze. This would be how they would be defeated; by allowing the wild magic to flow through them. Legacy already knew the vines would not hold them long, she had only meant to determine if it would work to use the wild magic against them. If she could fight them with the magic they so desperately wanted to control, they had a chance.

  Silverleaf seemed to understand what she was trying to accomplish, but he knew it would certainly not be that easy. Legacy glanced toward the place where Arabella was tending to Noble. He was sitting up with Honor by his side. Legacy was relieved to see how much he had recovered; Eirny must have administered her live-saving bite. Rowan was next to Arabella, and Harcos stayed beside Honor. Legacy knew they all felt the power given to them by Alderwood. Each of them had loved and lost as a result of the darkness the Shadow Mages cast upon them. In spite of their heartache, each of them had chosen to pick up the pieces left behind and embrace life. It was not just down to Legacy, Silverleaf, and Nikita.

  “We have to work together,” Legacy said loud enough for the others to hear her. “We can end this by showing them we are stronger in spite of what they have done to us.”

  “What do you mean?” Evander asked from his place near the others.

  “I mean that every one of us was hurt somehow by the people they corrupted, yet each of us is standing here prepared to face them,” Legacy said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “We cannot be destroyed with good intentions. Our power has grown beyond measure,” the Mages called out desperately.

  “You are wrong,” Silverleaf declared. “When you took the power that was never fully yours, you destroyed those I loved. You took my friends, then you took my freedom.”

  Another ripple ran across the Shadow Mages. It was not enough to tell them what they had done, they did not care. Silverleaf would have to be more direct. Legacy nodded at him to continue.

  “In all those years that I lived in solitude, I never stopped hoping to see the day I would return to the world outside the Forest of Illusane.”

  Two things happened simultaneously, the Shadow Mages released a discordant groan, and a sliver of light appeared in one of the mages. Legacy and Silverleaf smiled at one another. Nikita took the lead and began her story.

  “Creatures like myself and my pack were forced into hiding as we lost our ability to think or speak as we should. Your thirst for power drained magic from the Kingdom of Creatures, leaving us dumb,” Nikita paused, “But, we did not give up. We lived, we hid, we hunted, and now we are fighting to regain what was lost.”

  Another beam of light shot from the Shadow Mages. Legacy was prepared to share her story, but someone else began to speak before she could start.

  “You corrupted the hearts of the people of Alderwood to the point that those of us who stand for good had to hide our plots,” Justice spoke clearly. “Yet we rose against your puppet and brought his reign to an end.”

  Legacy nodded at her uncle, “The King murdered my mother in order to kill me. I was born an orphan, the eldest bastard child of a murderer. But I am standing here to accept the destiny the wild magic has given me and destroy you all.”

  “I was forced to be a soldier from the time I could hold a sword. My father took orders from the king, and he took orders from you. He held my mother captive for eight years. Your control cost me a father, a mother, and my brother,” Evander paused and glanced at Arabella. “I am here because I saw the light inside Legacy and was drawn to it in a way I was never drawn to the darkness.”

  Arabella stepped next to her son, “I was called upon to deliver a baby at the palace. The king wanted a son, but this was a daughter. The delivery was flawless, both mother and child were in perfect health, until the king realized the truth. I watched him strangle the mother, then suffocate the baby as my own husband held me back.”

  It was obvious that everyone was sickened by this information. Legacy had wondered why Arabella had been held captive all those years, now she knew. Once the practitioner witnessed something so heinous, he could not afford to let her go.

  “I was locked away in a dark cell, only brought out to care for each woman and baby that monster subsequently murdered. Each child tore a piece of my soul into shreds. Finally, a woman bore him a son and they were both permitted to live,” Arabella paused to look at Noble with tears in her eyes. “I stand against you because I believe the boy who was born to serve you will be instrumental in your destruction.”

  Evander held his mother close, allowing her to shed silent tears on his shoulder. Legacy tore her eyes away from the heartache Arabella had laid on them. As she refocused on the Shadow Mages. Legacy nearly cried out in excitement as she saw how weakened the Shadow Mages had become. It was working. They were raging against the light, but the light was stronger than they could imagine.

  “The Makt destroyed an entire village, murdered everyone there, even babies and children. They burned the bodies, then destroyed my home on the way back through the Ternion Forest,” Rowan explained, “I nearly lost my mother because of their brutality. I am here because I believed in the destiny my wife was determined to fulfill. I am here because I want nothing more than to live a life free of fear.”

  Theon stepped between Justice and Evander as they stood side by side. “My wife and son were taken by the king you controlled. I was left to raise three of our boys on my own, never giving up hope that we would see them again,” he hung his head slightly and took a deep breath before continuing. “Now, I know she was forced to have a child with that monster. My son was kept on the brink of death just to be able to feed his mother when the King was through with her. But I am here because I have come to know the children of that King and believe in what they stand for. The son my wife brought into the world in that castle is now part of my family.”

  Legacy felt tears sting her eyes. It meant the world to her that Theon was able to see beyond the horrible pain he suffered and embrace the people who had been put in his path. The Shadow Mages were now pierced by light in multiple places. Legacy felt as though the wild magic grew stronger with each person who shined a light into the darkness. The enemy was struggling to break free from the vines that held them. A few vines had fallen away, but they were still firmly in place. It would not last forever.

  Legacy watched as Honor stood beside Rowan, “My mother died when I was a child. I was raised to believe I was an orphan because I had no idea who my father was. I watched people I love suffer and die because of what you did to my father and my grandfathers before him.”

  Legacy looked at her sister. It was true they had both been through so much to get where they were, but despite the terrible moments they faced, they had been brought together. In no way did the positive things excuse the horrible actions of those effected by the Shadow Mages. But it proved to Legacy that anyone can thrive in spite of the trauma they experience.

  Honor continued, “I am here because I followed my destiny. I helped bring the Makt to their knees. I killed King Junius to make way for the first Queen of our bloodline. Nothing you have done has stopped us from fighting for what we know is right.”

  Legacy choked back a sob as Noble rose on shaky legs with the help of Arabella. He closed the distance between himself and Honor, taking her hand and leading her to stand beside Legacy with him. All three siblings stood together as Noble confronted the entities that laid claim on his life before he was born.

  “I am here because you convinced my father that he must have a son to stop his daughter from taking the throne. My father killed and hurt so many people just to make a child he could hand over to evil,” Noble took each of his s
isters’ hands. “I am here because I know my sisters are stronger than our father ever was.”

  Wind began to swirl around the gathered crowd. The end was creeping closer, Legacy could feel it. There was only one person with them who had not shared her story, and hers would be the most important of all.

  “You were my family. I loved you, shared my life with you, learned with you. Each one of you were outstanding practitioners. We were so strong because of what Alderwood gave us. It was not enough for you. Why was it not enough?” Renata spoke and walked closer to her siblings, her voice raw with centuries of repressed pain.

  “Alderwood was holding us back. We knew we could be more; we became more.”

  Renata shook her head, “No, if you could see yourselves, you would know that by trying to take more than you were given, you have become a fraction of what you were. There is no life left in you. Each of you only exists because you’ve destroyed pieces of yourselves to corrupt the wild magic.”

  “No, you are wrong. We are all-powerful. We are infinite. You may destroy us, but we will never be completely gone.”

  “That may be true, but I cannot allow you to continue to destroy our kingdom,” Renata shook her head sadly. “My life has not been easy. I have lived longer than anyone should, I have trained more practitioners than I can count, and I have worked to help build the Resistance that brought us to this moment. I saved two of the children who would have died at the hands of King Junius, but I failed so many others. I raised the very capable Queen who now rules the Kingdom of Man, and who helped the princess and now General of the Gildi on her journey toward her destiny.”

  Renata planted her feet firmly as she faced the Shadow Mages. Legacy felt the tightening in her stomach that told her this would be the moment that took Renata from her forever. Both Honor and Noble held onto their sister’s hands tightly as they watched helplessly while Renata continued her stand-off.