Losing The Light Of The Moon

The Evil Inside The Past, Part I

Chapter 33: The Evil Inside The Past, Part I

TATIANA

My magic wasn’t the only thing to return as I stepped out of the forest. A vision slowly expelled into my mind revealing events that part of me had anticipated the instant I arrived back in the Forest of the Vines—one that also continued to give me the feeling that while things appeared desperate currently, in the end, Mattias and Guntur would return home—safe. If only I could see how—and when...

Immediately requesting an impromptu meeting with The Council, I had Raven bring Mahan to the entrance of the forest, taking all of them aside to speak privately. After explaining what I saw coming, the exhaustive argument was finally settled—I was going to see Frieda—alone. I did promise them all that if anything went awry, I would notify them immediately so they could quickly arrive to help.

At least I was able to relay to Soren my continued belief that Mattias would be returned safely. I also made sure Umar knew the same before our meeting, hopefully easing both of their minds, if only slightly. Our next step was the hardest, however; informing everyone else of the decision. As there were too many possible decisions that could be made to change the outcome we desired, not all would be revealed to our family, at least for now.

As expected, everyone was displeased when Nicholas told them the news, all of them vehemently pleading with me to reconsider or to at least take one person with me. Jace, Tink, and Horacio were incensed, even after Nicholas assured them that additional guards were being dispatched to ensure my safety should Frieda unexpectedly pose any threat.  Soon after, The Council members left with Raven to update Mattias’ mother, Tuuli, Soren’s youngest daughter, and his father, Samir about Mattias in Soren’s office before everyone made their way back to Crescent Moon to await my return.

I felt horrible for leaving them all in such a distressed state, especially my special trio, leading me to link Constance and Beast to kindly request they take care of my beloved son and sweet girl until I returned and assured everyone once again that all would be well.  I also made my best attempt to distract Horacio in my absence...

Take care of Umar, Celestia, and Caelus while I’m gone, I encouraged him, They need you right now, Horacio.

Stop being so damn stubborn! Even Umar agrees you shouldn’t go alone. Let me come with you, Horacio pleaded again, I’ll stay outside. 

Frieda will know, Horacio, I gently told him, I will be fine, I promise. I’ll be back at Crescent Moon before you know it. Take care of your loved ones.

I’m trying to take care of one of them, but she won’t let me, Horacio quietly pleaded, his tender tone making my heart skip a beat.

Swallowing hard, I sincerely replied, You have taken care of me today, Horacio—protecting me—by my side every step of the way. That—you—mean more to me than you could ever know. But I’m afraid for now, I must go. I will see you when I get back.

Fairy Queen! He urgently blurted out in my head, our eyes locking with one another, lingering for a moment as he worriedly gazed at me before finally saying, I—just—just be careful for me—and make it back quick—please...

Flashing him a warmhearted grin, I looked over at Jace, hoping to comfort my son as well, but his expression continued to be full of his deep concern for me as I lovingly told him, I love you to the moon and back, forever and always. I’ll see you back at Crescent Moon—soon.

To the moon and back, forever and always—I love and adore you, Mother, Jace sweetly replied before bluntly adding, Even when you are infuriatingly headstrong and hardheaded!  Just do me a favor and get the information we need quickly. I want you home safe as soon as possible.

Feeling her distressed gaze on me, I gave him an assuring nod before turning my attention to Tink, who as always, was being supported by Beast. As he stood behind her, holding her tight against him, she nervously bit her lower lip as I flicked my wrist, sending one of her favorite red and blue butterflies to flutter up and land on her nose—a trick that finally brought a slight grin to her face, adoringly telling her, I do love and adore you so, my sweet girl! I’ll see you soon—promise!

You’ve never broken a promise to me, so I believe you, I guess, Tink nervously rang out in my head, before making me softly laugh, Just keep your promise about getting us there quick if you need us, okay? Spell or no spell, I’ll figure out some way to make sure the wicked witch is dead!

Everyone’s eyes were on me as I prepared to go. I smiled warmly before winking at them as I disappeared from the Forest of the Vines—coming to stand in a remote forest in Spirit Walker territory, in front of a large double door entrance to an underground jail, exhaling out a long breath before taking a step forward, readying myself for Frieda...

The Council sent eight additional guards to watch over me, kindly greeting me before the thick wooden doors opened, following behind me as we walked down the long flight of stairs to the hidden underground dungeon where Frieda was being kept in a small cell—the sole prisoner since the day The Council and I brought her here.

The guards stopped at the opening to her hall, leaving me to turn the corner alone as I slowly walked down the hallway leading to Frieda’s cell at the end. Sitting in a broken-down rocking chair in the center of her cell, Frieda awkwardly pulled her long white hair over to the side before bringing her hands down to smooth out her dingy plain black dress—the shackles that kept her magic at bay leaving a thick streak down the middle—as she feebly greeted, “Well, look at you, my tiny little fairy! Still so beautiful, all these years later! You haven’t changed a bit with your beautiful curls and youthful complexion. While I find myself incredibly old and quite jealous of your beautiful soft pink coat and sparkling multi-colored scarf, though I would have thought you’d be wearing your mother’s necklace, instead of the heavy baubles you are currently displaying.”

“Persephone and Frieda asked if they could hold on to Mother and Father’s necklaces for a bit,” I graciously replied, “So, I wore a favorite of mine instead. I do love heavy baubles that add some sparkle!” Holding the small potion bottle up, I smiled, “I also love passing along wisdom, especially the word Believe as you may remember—a word used often in our conversations.”

Her beady black eyes appeared even smaller now as her heavily wrinkled brows hung low above them, but her thin evil grin had not changed at all over the years as she continued in veiled anger, “Mmmmmm, if only you would have believed me and fought for the right side.”

Dropping my head down, I let out an exhaustive laugh before tilting my head back up, proudly boasting, “I did fight for the right side, Frieda. I still fight for the right side, which is why I’m here before you now. Surely you haven’t brought me all the way here to have this argument again. Nothing has changed in my mind, and I don’t enjoy revisiting our past.”

Trying to hide her irritation, Frieda’s mouth turned up into a tight grin as she replied in a forced cordial tone, “Humor me for a moment, if you don’t mind, Tatiana, as I’m quite curious. Have you not learned anything from your experience? I would think you would have considered it a favor to have been forgotten instantly by the ones who were supposed to care so much about you—so easily replaced by your mate and your own son who supposedly loved you more than anything in this world—does that not show you how little you mean to them all?”

Her kind tone changed to one of spite as she sneered, “In all those years without their influence on you, did you ever see how The Council—how all the wolves—how they persecuted us?  Killed us! They have practically wiped out our kind, simply because we are a threat to their overall domination!”

“Still spouting your rhetoric, I see,” I knowingly grinned.

Her voice hardened dramatically as she stood and walked towards me, loudly demanding, “Answer the question!”

“If you are so determined to proceed down this road, fine,” I obligingly returned, “You’re right, Frieda, I had my whole life taken away from me—again. And as it was done all those years ago, it was all taken away by our kind. All the death—all the destruction that has occurred in my life—none of it was ever dealt to me by wolves. All of it has been dealt to me by witches who wish for their own self-serving domination, unable to see what can be done by working alongside wolves—together as one. Something I continued to believe in my many years of forced isolation and hiding from the continued persecution of our kind—what I have always believed, even as a child.”

Taking another step forward, I emphatically continued, “I can tell you with the utmost certainty that working with The Council was and is the best decision I have ever made. And being a Crescent Moon has brought me more joy—more love—than I ever could have imagined! And as far as forgotten and replaced? Once they had their memories restored, my family—the wolves—they immediately began searching for me—all of them, most of all, my son, who I am proud to say is an amazing man and wolf! They were willing to stop at nothing to find me—to find The Power of Three! And if you want further proof, simply go back to earlier today. They surrounded us, willing to fight and protect us at all costs against you, making it very easy for me to want to fight and protect them—until my last breath—always.”

“Your son is a disgusting hybrid mix-breed, and you are a fool, Tatiana,” Frieda weakly laughed out, “You were then, and you are now, ignoring your true calling. But I do find myself curious again—if you feel so strongly about all of this, how is it you were able to forgive Persephone and Reina? They were a part of your destruction and devastation after all—though neither were the sister I desired most.”

“I believe I have appeased your wish for our desired debate enough, so let’s just get to the reason I’m here, if you don’t mind,” I cautiously diverted, “Who is my problematic witch, and do you know where I can find her? I fear time is of the essence, Frieda. If you give me enough information, perhaps I can secure something for you as a reward—though your comments about my son make me think the better of it. In fact, I’m considering destroying your only chair—but I am not going to waste my time rehashing old arguments that neither of us will win.”

Her deeply wrinkled face lit up with a wide grin as she sneered, “And end our visit so soon? I think not. If you want information, I’m afraid you must play along for quite a bit longer, my beautiful little fairy! So, why don’t we get back to my previous question?”

Letting out an exhaustive sigh, I replied, “They were brainwashed by you, Frieda, to get to me. You made them believe our parents were killed by the Howling Winds. You were behind all the devastation and destruction invoked against our family. Once I finally made them see that, it made forgiving my sisters very easy.”

“It was a necessary twist of the truth to help them realize what you have always refused to see,” Frieda laughed out, “They were at least wise in that aspect. Whether you want to admit it or not, in the end, both of your parents lost their lives because of the wolves. The only one who could sway your sisters from continuing to see that truth was their littlest sister and that was only because you saved them from the wolves! You saved them from The Council’s deadly wrath by trading their lives...for mine.”

***************

JACE

We were surprised when Beast was called up to Soren’s office right after Mother left. We were even more surprised when The Council and Raven returned not long after—minus two Crescent Moons...

“Where are Nicholas and Beast?” Gavin curiously asked when they all appeared before us.

They all silently looked at one another before Madeline’s assuring gaze slowly met with mine, giving me the answer that I soon put to words, exhaling out in immense relief, “They’re with Mother, aren’t they?”

Her lips widening into a smile, Madeline resolutely stated, “We protect our own, always, even when they are incredibly stubborn. As Alpha and Leader of The Council, Nicholas has gone to keep an eye on things, and he took Beast with him as an extra precaution. They are secretly at her meeting with Frieda, cloaked by a spell Raven put in place to remain undetected.”

As the enormous weight of worry eased slightly, I ran both my hands up and down my face, exclaiming out in a heavy breath, “Thank you!”

Tink was relieved as well, although a slight bit irked, “I’m glad my big guy is there watching over Auntie but wish I could have gone with them as an extra-extra precaution.”

“I’m afraid with Frieda, we are already taking a huge risk,” Madeline worriedly stated, “I wasn’t sure we should even send Beast.”

Lorenzo assuredly stated, “It is a necessary risk. I just hope Frieda doesn’t discover them—or Tati for that matter...although it is your mother we are talking about, Jace. She will more than likely figure it out and she will not be pleased.”

“Regardless, it is what needed to be done. Frieda always has reasons for everything she does,” Soren uncomfortably stated, “and they are typically both devious and dangerous. It eases my mind to know Nicholas and Beast are there, as does Tati’s vision, although I wish it was clearer.”

“So, Auntie’s vision wasn’t clear?” Tink earnestly asked, “How long are we going to have to wait long before we can go get the boys?”

“I’m afraid at times, visions can be a bit complicated, Tink, and require excruciating patience for all decisions to be made to know exactly how to proceed,” Aunt Reina kindly soothed, “When it is time for everyone to know, they will tell us.” 

“Indeed, we will,” Madeline comfortingly said, “and I’m afraid this will require a bit of patience. For now, all we can do is get back to Crescent Moon and wait for Nicholas, Beast, and Auntie to come home—successful, I hope.”

***********

Luna had set up two large tables with refreshments outside when we arrived home—all anxious as we awaited the return of Nicholas, Beast, and my mother. My heart broke for Celestia, who was understandably devastated—her teary eyes swelled as Umar held her tight, gently rubbing her arm with Horacio on the other side of her trying to calm their youngest son. 

Caelus was furious when he arrived on the field to accompany Umar here, begging his father to be part of the integrated team when we went to retrieve his brother and distraught when he was compassionately, but immediately told no. I was impressed with the young man, who was a year younger than Guntur at seventeen. He was built just like his father and had his fierceness as well—something that I had no doubt would find him in our integrated team one day. 

Umar had informed Celestia and Caelus of Mother’s vision and hopeful assurance that Guntur and Mattias would return home safely, but until they both arrived home, none of us would be at ease. A tense, heavy silence fell over us for quite some time before truths were revealed...

Tink let out a frustrated sigh, staring at her untouched sandwich, “What is taking so long? Beast had to block me. He’s never blocked me. I don’t like it—it doesn’t feel right. Makes me nervous I’m cut off from my big guy. I can’t even eat—you know it’s bad when I can’t eat.”

Carson made his best attempt to lighten Tink’s mood, mockingly replying, “I think the Dark One needs a distraction—she’s without her Beast, which leaves me without my huge extra layer of protection—it could get very ugly for me very quickly!”

Shooting him a warning glare, Tink playfully snapped back, “Although you mean well, don’t provoke the Dark One, Chatterbox! It will be your undoing!”

“Well, as Tatiana does not like to discuss it, perhaps Persephone and Reina can provide a bit of distraction to save Carson while we await their return. Why don’t you tell them about the deviousness of The Chosen, especially when it comes to Tatiana?” Priscilla coolly urged.

“Priscilla—,” Luna softly began, before my aunt stopped her.

“No, Aruna, she’s right,” Aunt Reina reluctantly interrupted, “Considering the fact that our sister has chosen once again to face Frieda alone, though thankfully it is a much safer meeting, I think this is the least Persephone and I can do for her.”

“Reina—” Aunt Persephone solemnly called out before Artem wrapped his arm around her shoulders, lovingly gazing down at her, “She’s right, Persephone. Tati is so protective over you both and especially protective over what she herself endured. It’s time for them to know, especially Jace.”