Maren watched Cora take the door of the laundry room down like it was nothing. She stared at the wooden pieces scattered across the ground loudly. Maren stood only a few feet away from her but could feel the heat emanating from Cora's body like she was ready to burst. She knew she had to do something to help her. Thirteen had told her that only they could save the castle. But what did that mean? What part did she have to play in this? Maren wasn't strong or fast. Sure, she could handle herself with a sword, but against Darkspirits like this? She didn't believe she could. Standing in the archway, Maren could feel the pitiful amount of magic flowing through her. She could even feel Cora's magic in front of her dwindling by the second.
Cora moved, quickly putting herself between Harriet and one of the maids. She raised her sword, cornering the infected maid between her blade and the table. The maid gritted her teeth, her eyes wide and fearful but she didn't fight back.
Then as Maren scoured the room for a familiar face, her eyes locked onto her friend.
"Leah!" Maren exclaimed, moving toward her. But her happiness quickly died out.
Leah flinched when she saw her, and Maren instantly knew something was wrong. She huddled at the back of the room with the others like chickens about to be hunted by a wolf. Maren stopped in her tracks, confused by the recoil. She thought Leah would be happy to see her — that they were rescued. But as Maren's eyes moved about the room, she realized what they'd stumbled upon.
The only person in the room that hadn't been infected was Harriet.
Maren's eyes drifted to Leah, searching her body for the worst-case scenario, and then dread dropped in her gut like a cruel brick. Leah's dress had been torn at the skirt. Maren could see the red, agitated torn flesh at her thigh, a bite from an infected.
"Leah…" Maren murmured as her eyes welled with tears. She lifted her gaze back up to her maids', searching for the person she'd known since childhood. Maren felt herself gaze past Leah's eyes, and inside her. It almost felt like she could see the Darkspirit inside — wriggling and desperate — consuming her friend's life force. Maren's chest tightened and she froze in place, unsure of what to do. Saliva pooled in her throat, her taste buds suddenly so sensitive that she could taste the spirits magic in the air. Maren's stomach tightened in a horrible, vicious knot. She was sad. She was terrified. But more than either of those feelings, she was angry. Leah didn't deserve this. None of them did. She was angry at the Darkspirits. Angry at the royals of Forsyth for being greedy and allowing themselves to be tempted by this parasite. But she was angriest with herself. Maren glanced at Cora who shielded Harriet from the infected maid. She saw how her blade trembled between them. Cora was in a tremendous amount of pain. From what, she didn't know. But even still, Cora didn't allow herself to falter. She was doing everything she could to protect the person who served her. And as she saw her friend losing herself before her eyes, Maren knew she had to do something. She lifted her palm, pressing it to the base of her solar plexus and breathed deeply.
It's not over, she thought. Maren could see flickers of her friend still there. I can still do something.
She didn't want to admit it to herself when she saw Cora nearly swallow the Darkspirit. She hadn't wanted to admit it when she saw her friend doubled over in some sort of pain she couldn't fully heal. And when she began to feel it herself, Maren couldn't deny it any longer.
She was sure this — this knife that twisted inside her, that sent water dripping from her mouth like honey spilling from a hive — was because of the Darkspirits. Thirteen's words echoed in her mind.
"In every environment, there are predators and prey."
It struck Maren as odd when she'd made the comparison, but the moment she felt the hunger, she understood what Thirteen had meant. Maren had always wondered why the Starblessed were different from humans — idolized — when she thought they weren't that much different. Maren's magic was hardly anything special and for many years, neither was Cora's. She'd grown up not thinking much of herself, even though everyone told her that they were different. But now, Maren had an idea. A disgusting idea. She hated it. She wanted to toss it to the side and forget about it. But for Leah, she would do anything. She would even make an animal of herself if it meant protecting her friend.
Maren approached Leah, who recoiled, pressing herself closer into the wall.
"No," Leah cried, her body trembling. "Stay away…"
"You don't even know why you're scared of me," Maren responded, her movements more confident than before. "Leah, you're not that far gone. It's just me. Maren."
The other maids scattered to corners of the room, frozen in fear but Leah remained in place. She melted against the wall, falling to her knees.
"Maren…" she whispered, her eyes wide and uncertain.
"Maren be careful!" Cora said. Her tone was fierce, but it was rooted in concern. This Darkspirit proved to be far more overwhelming and underhanded than they'd anticipated. In just a few hours it took over the castle, and Cora, in terms of power, was already at the end of her rope.
"It's okay," Maren said, unsure whether she was speaking to Leah or to Cora. She knelt down beside her friend, reaching for her face. The Starblessed marks around Maren's hands burned, lightly flooding magic through her body as she reached for Leah. That's when Maren knew this was the right choice. Leah winced, pressing herself as far away as possible. Maren didn't know what to do or how Cora pulled the Darkspirit out of the bodies without harming them. But she'd done it like it was the most natural thing in the world. So, she figured, if Cora could do it, so could she. Maren refused to let this monster take her friend away. "Everything is going to be okay."
And as her hand made contact with Leah's cheek, Maren felt a pulse that echoed from the burning mark on her hand, through her body and soul. It was violent but sent shivers through her entire being. And when she blinked, suddenly the world was painted in harsh lines of neon color, and her Starblessed mark burned more vibrantly than ever before.
Everything was painted in color.
Except the spirits.
They weren't even a color Maren could describe as black as night. Black was a color that existed in this world. This creature was darker than void, like an empty space meant to swallow all color and life into its void.
"I see it," she whispered, entranced by the Darkspirit. "I'm going to help you, Leah."
Instinctively, Maren placed her other hand on Leah's cheek. She brushed her friend's lips with her thumb, and Leah's mouth opened in reaction. She thought Leah would recoil, rejecting her, but she knew that the small amount of her friend that was left, trusted her enough to do what seemed to be impossible. Maren held onto that idea like her lifeline. She brought her mouth inches from her friend's, and for a moment, nothing happened. Maren was calm and felt as though she was in a trance. She wondered if perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps she really was useless. But then, she felt the pull. At first, she thought it was her stomach that was in pain. She thought that familiar hunger came from her gut. But at that moment, Maren realized it wasn't her stomach craving food. It was her magic that sent tendrils of pain shooting through her body, begging her to feed. The pull came from within her — strong and impatient — yanking the Darkspirit from Leah's body. Within seconds, the blue light that passed between their mouths turned into hues of purple and red and black. It was the spirit.
And before Maren could do anything — before she could register what was happening — instinct took over.
***
Cora watched as Maren inhaled the spirit ravenously. Her eyes burned with Sapphire flames and suddenly, the dark room was engulfed in her light. The infected maids cried out in fear, cowering in their corners. The maid in front of her had already fallen to her knees, frozen in fear, shielding herself from Maren's light. But Cora couldn't understand why they didn't bask in it. It was unlike anything Cora had ever felt. Her light was like a cool spring breeze under a bright, midday sun — perfect. Suddenly, Cora was overwhelmed by the feeling. The mark in her back burned with a fury she'd never known. She could feel the heat in her body rise but instead of inflicting pain on herself, it ebbed and flowed like waving a hand over a flame. She could feel the heat, but it didn't affect her like before. Her hand, as if suddenly unable to hold it anymore, released her sword. It clattered to the ground as she basked in Maren's light. She could feel the hunger that sent shooting pains through her body begin to disappear. The relief she thought would come from ingesting the spirit before, now came from standing in Maren's light, like it was recharging her.
For a moment, Cora's body, mind and spirit relaxed like a sigh. She'd never felt anything like it in her whole life. Maren's light, and the Darkspirit's power began to absorb into her. Cora stood there, allowing it to fill her. And as soon as the magic began to falter, a single Darkspirit's power unable to sustain both their magic, Maren moved on to the next girl.
Cora knew, as she watched Leah's body go limp, that she had fallen into a deep slumber. Leah was no longer infected.
But Maren wasn't done.
She moved onto the next girl, absorbing the spirit within her. But this time, she didn't need to get close. Maren's light grew so bright that the Darkspirits that lay inside the maids dissolved into nothing but lines of color, flowing seamlessly out of them and into Maren, all at once. And through Maren's healing light, she shared the Darkspirit's magic with Cora.
Cora closed her eyes, allowing the magic to flow through her. And when all the Darkspirits in the room had been swallowed, she reopened her eyes to something she never thought she'd see. Most of Maren's body was enveloped in gleaming Sapphire light, like she was transforming into something else entirely. The glow started at her hands, wrapping more of her as she ingested the Darkspirits. A bright, clear blue emanated from her and sparks of magic like fireworks popped sporadically around her.
Maren approached Cora, who just stared back at her in awe.
"Cora," Maren cooed with a soft expression as she reached her hands out, cupping her face. "You're glowing so beautifully."
Cora looked down to find that she, herself, was also beginning to change. She radiated light as bright and clear as a ruby. She could feel the way it started at her back, where her mark was imprinted, wrapping down her back, and arms, creeping its way past the collar of her shirt. And the sparks she'd seen around Maren, were also sparking around her.
"The Darkspirits," Harriet whispered breathlessly, "they feed your magic. That's what Selma meant."
Harriet's words struck Cora deep, and she turned to face her. It made more sense than anything else. She remembered how Thirteen said that in every environment, there is predator and prey. Humans eat both plants and animals. And since both her and Maren weren't human, but Starblessed, it made sense that they had to feed. It made sense that she didn't feel that insatiable hunger until she finally accessed her powers.
Cora opened her mouth to speak but Harriet interrupted.
"Go," she whispered. Harriet stared up into Cora's eyes, pleading with her. "Go now and heal the castle. I will take care of things here. Go and save us."
Cora hesitated for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't want to heal the castle. It wasn't that she was scared. But for a moment, it was like she couldn't understand Harriet. She had to process what she was saying, as if the language she'd spoken her whole life suddenly didn't make sense to her.
Maren's hand wrapped around Cora's. Cora glowed brighter in reaction to Maren. Her touch was electrifying and wild. Just the feel of Maren's fingers intertwining with her own sent a pulse of ecstasy through her. Cora turned back to Harriet one last time, and nodded, unable to find the words.
Then she turned to Maren, and in a language she didn't recognize, she asked, "How should we do this? We truly let the Darkspirits run rampant in this place. Carbouran will never be the same."
"Hmmm…" Maren hummed thoughtfully, eyes ablaze. She glanced over at the sleeping maids slumped against the walls and Cora instinctively guessed what she was thinking. "Do you remember the story Harriet used to read to us when we were kids? The one where the witch casts a spell on the spindle and when the princess pricks her finger, the whole castle falls into a deep slumber? I have an idea. I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try."
If Maren's magic could put someone to sleep when she fed, then the nightmare in Forsyth could be remembered as nothing but a dream. These people could go about their lives as if nothing happened. That is, if her plan worked. The only problem was it only put the infected to sleep.
Cora smiled, and in unison, her glow shone brighter. In this moment, she didn't care about logic or consequences. She just wanted to feel the moment with Maren. "In this situation, are we the witch or the prince?"
Maren smirked. "Both?"
The two of them gazed at each other, their hearts filled with excitement and hope.
Cora extended her free hand and Maren took it, as if she knew exactly what Cora felt. They could feel their magics flowing between them, pushing and pulling the others in harmony.
Cora moved toward the archway, holding Maren's hands in hers.
And then, in a flash of ruby and sapphire light, they disappeared.