Moon Born

Chapter 40

"I suppose I should. Where are they?"

"I think the ballroom, majesty," the warrior on the

"Okay, then I guess we go there first."

We made our way through the hallways until we reached the massive doors to the room. A space that is supposed to be for celebrations and official business. I guess holding dead bodies was official business.

"Are you ready, ma'am?"

I swallowed hard. Is anyone really ready for this kind of thing?

We can do this.

I glanced over at Diana who was still with me. I wondered if she would be with me forever.

I nodded and the warriors pulled the doors open.

An overpowering stench of rot and death. One of the warriors bent to the side and vomited as I tore a strip of cloth from my shirt and tied it around my face in a feeble attempt to stop the smell from assaulting my nostrils.

"Ma'am, do you need us?"

I shook my head and continued forward. The bodies were lined up in three rows, covered in sheets with dried blood stains.

'Is this a good idea?' Diana asked within my mind.

'Who knows. I mean I already owe the Moriai my soul so who cares at this point?'

'You know you have to pay them, right? There is no avoiding the Moriai.'

'Yeah. I know but I might as well save as many as I can in the meantime.'

Diana stepped back and shook her head. 'I don't think giving up your soul is the right answer.'

'Right answer or not, I already promised so it can't be undone. Right?'

She shrugged her ethereal shoulders and crossed her arms.

This is a big job. These are a lot of people. Should I do them all at once? Or one at a time?

I knelt beside one of the bodies and pulled back the sheet a bit. The lifeless face of a red-headed boy stared up at me.

"Oh, Goddess. Reuben!"

The kitchen boy who made our coffees had slashes across his face, the skin peeling back, revealing the muscle and bone in his face.

I stood before the dead bodies, trying not to vomit, and took a deep breath. I decided to do them all at once. Or at least try to.

"Here goes."

I held my hands up, focusing deep within myself as I had before. The black abyss crept over me, but I fought it this time.

"Nope. Nope. We are not going back to the Moriai. I already know what they want. It's not happening."

"Girl," Clotho called to me.

"You steal," Lachesis shouted.

"More from us," Atropus screeched.

"No," I screamed as the bright blue light shot from my hands as I continued fighting the pull.

I opened my eyes and watched the various blue, green, yellow, and orange souls pour out and into their bodies.

People began to sit up and pull the sheets off. I was afraid for a moment about what they would look like. Would they still be torn to pieces?

"Wh-what happened?" Reuben asked, looking at me.

The slashes on his face were gone.

"You're okay!" I dropped beside him and held him tightly. "Thank Goddess you're okay."