Embers of the Lost
Chapter 17: Morequacor

The journey to the caves was longer than the route she had taken previously. Mainly because this time she ventured out of the woodland and made herself visible to the witch villages. No, that wasn’t quite right. She didn’t just make herself visible on the horizon; the lupine Mokai made appearances in the villages before running back towards Lily.

Fear was what kept the war going. Therefore, fear was what Lily would take advantage of. Not that she knew if it was working, she had no one who could tell her what was going on as she moved to the southern beaches of their land.

It felt like an age since she had washed up on the shore after running from Finnigan. It was colder now than it had been then. Was it already approaching another winter? How long did that leave her before the war was supposed to start?

Pulling her eyes away from the distant shapes of Mythanissiam, Lily focused on the caves she had taken shelter in previously. If she was a legend in hiding, she’d probably choose the depths of caves whose entrances flooded every time the tide came in. They were cold, dangerous, and somewhere you’d naturally avoid.

“Lily!” Kiki screeched as she noticed them approaching. “Where have you been?!”

Lily caught the white-footed cat as she launched herself at the fairy. “Sorry,” she started. “We took the long way in order to help spread rumours. Did you replace Axel?”

“Of course. He and Misha have decided to travel together while Quinn is going in a separate direction.” Kiki informed them. “They said they can spread rumours quicker. Quinn is going back to Kita-Utara to try and get Liserli on board too.”

“With the fire I set there, it shouldn’t be too hard to make the rumours say it was intentional and I intended to destroy the high ranked family.” Lily mumbled bitterly at the thought of what she had done.

“Lily…”

“No,” Lily stopped her, catching her own thoughts before they could spiral into voices once more. “I made this choice. This is the most logical idea that we have, we just have to become scary enough to keep the momentum going. I just hope the Morequacor can help us with the Byrnes.”

“Still have no idea what to do with them?”

“I have suggestions…” Savu commented under their breath.

“We’re not actively murdering people.” Lily retorted sternly. “I hate the fact that some are already dead because of me.”

“It would solve the problem.”

“I said, no.” Lily snapped.

Despite the eye roll she received from all the Mokai, they didn’t continue to argue with her. Lily couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to hurt people, let alone kill them. If she did, she was lowering herself to a level she could never live with. It was bad enough that fire and screams haunted her dreams alongside shackles and cruel laughter.

Without waiting for anyone to speak again, Lily started into the cave, keeping Kiki curled in her arms for comfort. Not that the feline minded, after a few moments, her light purrs filled the ever-darkening cavern.

Once far enough inside, Lily created three orbs of light to float alongside them. One in front to see what was coming, and one either side so no one slipped down a hole or got cut by the jagged rocks sticking out from the uneven walls.

The cave path curved upward before delving downward at a steep elevation and for much longer than Lily would have expected.

“We must be completely underground by now.” Kiki whispered, her voice still echoing off the damp walls. “It’s a good thing the path went up first otherwise this would all be underwater.”

“But when the tide is up, our exit will be completely gone and it’s not like food grows here.” Shi supplied.

“Then we’ll have to make sure we aren’t in here so long we run out” Lily commented before pausing mid step and turning to look at the Mokai. “Speaking of, I haven’t seen you all eat anything?”

“We don’t have to eat often.” Shi explained.

“When we do, it’s fresh meat.” Marana continued with an ominous grumble. Lily had the feeling that if they truly got stuck in these caves, the Mokai would have little issue using her for a meal to keep them going until the next low enough tide to leave.

“Noted.” Lily half squeaked, gaining an evil chuckle from Marana. The company Lily found herself in seemed to have evolved darker with each group. Dia and Tanith had been delightfully light. Axel and company had been jaded by the darker sides of life but still optimistic. These Mokai were only here because they had a debt to pay; once that was done, they would go back to their lives filled with the dead.

Lily just hoped she wasn’t one of them.

Though, knowing the path she had chosen, it was becoming increasingly likely she would not survive it.

“Who are you?”

The new voice from the darkness pulled a yelp from Lily. Spinning around on the ball of her foot, she squinted into the darkness past the reach of the orbs. The voice was low, cold, sickly. It gave the feeling of something oozing down your spine, not enough to make you shudder but more than enough to make your entire body tense with anticipation and fear.

She couldn’t see anything.

“I asked, who are you?” The voice was sterner, coming from behind them this time. Turning again, Lily yelled in pain as something flat and heavy connected with her forehead and knocked her onto her back, rocks sticking into her ribs and spine. Her head spun with the force of the strike and soon her chest was compressed by the inescapable pressure of a hoof pushing down on it.

Lily struggled as her ribs began to crack. Kiki and the Mokai were frozen in place and unable to help. The light magic she had been in control of vanished in a heartbeat.

The only light now was coming from that which held her down. A glow of indigo and dark violet shades lit up the cave slightly. The glow came from the mane, tail and wings of the beast. Its flesh appeared to be peeled back in places, revealing bone tendons and tattered muscle within the black coat. Half of its muzzle that drew closer to Lily’s face lacked flesh, leaving areas of the jaw bare for bone and teeth to be seen.

A deafening crack sounded as her first rib gave way, thankfully too low to puncture a lung.

“Stop! I’m here for your help!” She yelled up at the equine face.

The descent of the hoof stopped but the pressure on the broken bone brought tears to Lily’s eyes. Though, it was nothing compared to the pain which came next. Lowering its head, the Morequacor pressed the tip of its jagged and cracked horn to Lily’s forehead.

Lily screamed as her entire body felt like it was taken through flames and sub-zero temperatures and back again. She couldn’t see. Her head was splitting.

Suddenly, light burst behind her eyelids. Images invaded her mind. Memories. It spiralled through her life like pictures in a flip book.

The years she spent trying desperately to keep up despite having no wings. The day she met Kiki and Oscar. The depth the bullying had reached.

Dia’s laughing face. Tanith smirking. Kissing Finnigan. Being bound and having her magic drained. Blood dripping from her wrists as she awaited trial.

Kipar fixing her broken ankle. The book that had been filled with Litihana accounts of history. Finnigan slicing flesh clean off her arm. Being buried under snow. Tanith and Xalina in their own little world, lost in each other’s eyes. The draconians who lost their lives in the raid.

The scroll of offensive spells. Dia’s neck tattooed with failure. The illusions of the plains. The prison. The fire that had burned away the side of her hair for good. Oscar’s grave.

The acts of near torture she had used on Lucretia in her grief. The hand that had sealed around her throat in Kita-Utara.

The fire. The smell of burning flesh she hadn’t been able to register at the time. What was this? Mental torture? She didn’t want to see all of this. Lily wasn’t sure if she was still conscious. Would begging make it stop? Every image brought a fresh wave of pain.

The fire consumed her. It surrounded the faces of those she loved. Their screams were silent but the pain and fear on their faces was unmistakable. Why were they burning? Was it her fault? Had she done this too?

She hadn’t meant to.

She was trying to save them. Seeing their suffering was worse than the pain burning through her brain.

Suddenly, the pain vanished and everything was dark.

“...ly.” That sound was familiar. Though it was distant and dull, it was something that pulled on her consciousness.

“Lily!” Opening her eyes, Lily met Kiki’s green eyes right above her in the dark. Pushing herself up to a seated position, Lily let out a long whine of pain as she went to clutch her ribs. When her fingers connected with skin, she snapped her attention down to herself. Her chest was bound tight with bandages from her satchel, her stomach on show and her shirt missing.

“Turns out, Shi wasn’t lying… they do have human forms.” Lily raised an eyebrow at the haunted tone of voice even if Kiki couldn’t see it. “They kept the skulls…” Kiki whispered.

Behind Lily, laughter sounded out. “The look on your face was gloriously worth it though.” Savu chortled. “Besides, you only need thumbs to tie bandages, a human face wouldn’t be any help.”

“Oh yes, because Lily waking up to a human with a deer skull for a head tying her up wouldn’t just terrify her to death!” Kiki hissed.

“She didn’t wake up.”

“We weren’t tying her up!”

“Ok! Please stop!” Lily called out, raising her hand to her head which throbbed excruciatingly. Taking a few breaths to steady herself, a light dripping noise further into the cavern felt like a hammer knocking against her eardrums. “What happened?”

“We thought it had killed you.” Kiki admitted.

“I examined her past and her mind.” A soft click of hoofs on stone neared, the purple glow from before lighting up the area in an indigo hue. The Morequacor came into view looking just as rotten and ominous as Lily recalled before her head had been invaded with pain. All her life she had thought she knew what nightmares were made of, but, between this and the Mokai who had chosen to journey with her, she realised that nightmares weren’t what you expected.

“You,” The Morequacor addressed Lily. “After everything you’ve been through and everything you’ve seen, you don’t have any hate in you. Not even for Finnigan Byrne.”

“What? Of course, she hates him!” Kiki protested.

“No. She does not.” The way those purple eyes bored into her own, Lily realised what exactly had happened. This creature knew everything about her, what she showed outwardly and what she hid deep inside.

“But he lied to us, betrayed us. Mutilated us! He killed Oscar!” Kiki snarled.

“And yet, if she can save him, Lily will.”

“I don’t want anyone to die, especially not for a story they’ve been brainwashed into believing from childhood.” Lily spoke up. “This war has destroyed so many and the children of the Byrne’s are either too scared to go against them, or they are like everyone else and believe what they have been told all their lives.”

“Lily!” Kiki sighed in exasperation. “We can’t save everyone!”

“Why not?!” Lily snapped. “Why can’t we work out ways to do the best for people rather than just writing them off as lost causes and signing death wishes?! I hate that I’ve already caused deaths! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone in Kita-Utara, I hate that I reacted in a way that destroyed so much. I don’t want to resort to that.”

“And when he comes at you again with spells to slice your flesh off bone?” Kiki hissed, though when Lily remained silent the feline growled lightly. “I get ‘not killing’ as a go to solution, but if it’s kill or be killed you better not choose someone like him over your own life!”

Lily remained silent.

“Lily! Promise me!” Kiki pleaded.

“I can’t…” Lily whispered.

“Idiot!” Kiki spat before flying off further into the cave to get away from the conversation. Lily glanced around and found that the three Mokai were also looking at her with a judgment that clearly screamed they agreed with the feline.

“Perhaps you are foolish,” The Morequacor continued, not seeming the least bit bothered by the mood in the cave. “But, it means you will not abuse the power if I help you.”

Giving up on squinting through the darkness, Lily drew light from afar, pulling the rays through the labyrinth of caverns until they balled together above them all, bathing the cave in a warm yellow-tinged light.

“You’ll help me?” She asked.

“I can offer you a power that will allow you to manipulate the minds of others.” It explained.

“But… I don’t want to manipulate others.”

“Do you have another way to stop the Byrnes?” It deadpanned. “With this power you will be able to manipulate and change their memories, make them forget this spell and what this war is about. You will also be able to make people fear you more than they fear each other. You will be able to create illusions real enough to keep people occupied.”

Lily’s eyes widened at the explanation. That power sounded terrifying, but the Morequacor was right, it would give her the advantage she had been trying to get the whole time.

“If you take this power, it will kill you.” The Morequacor continued. “It may be immediate, it may take years. The power isn’t just magic, it is a parasite of sorts that will eat away at the magic in your body. The more magic you use, the quicker you will lose the ability to do so.”

Silence fell over them as Lily went over the information she was given.

Her life wasn’t as important as the lives of everyone else, even if she didn’t want to die. She really didn’t want to die. She also didn’t want to lose her magic and be powerless. But how could she walk away now? This would give her what she needed to achieve her goals. She would be able to convince the Byrnes to go and start a new and kinder life. She would be able to make witches and fairies begin to see each other as allies rather than enemies. She would be able to make herself into a bigger threat than she really was and would ever be able to be at her age.

Closing her eyes, the images of her loved ones screaming in fire flickered across the darkness of her eyelids. She couldn’t let them suffer. She couldn’t abandon her plan now.

“I didn’t expect to live through this anyway.” Lily finally spoke, opening her eyes to meet the indigo hues of the Morequacor. “How do I accept it?”

“It might kill you straight away.”

Glancing in the direction Kiki had left by, Lily let out a slow breath and nodded. “If it does, I will die trying my best.”

“Sometimes people mistake kindness for naivety and bravery for idiocy.” The Morequacor commented as it stepped toward Lily, each echo of hoof on stone sounding like steps taken towards the gallows. “Hold onto your kindness Lily Rosales, even if everyone hates you, hold onto what you know is good.”

Once more the beast lowered its head toward her and the tip of the horn pressed into her forehead until it punctured the skin.

The pain from before paled in comparison to the feeling that exploded through her body. She could feel the invasion of another being in her blood, her body feeling too small to contain them both. Everything burned. She could feel her skin rupture on her left arm along the scars of her old wounds. Her insides felt like claws were ripping into them to make room for something else, while her tears fell from her cheeks and dripped bloody on the ground.

It was only as her sight began to fade that Kiki made it back to her, slamming into her chest and allowing Lily to cling to her as the pain grew to agony.

Lily doubted in those moments that she would survive, and if she did, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be the same again.