A Whisper to the North

Chapter XL ✠ Pure Offerings

"This was for my daughter Una." Una hissed.

She bent down, grabbed Wilona by the hair, and picked her up off the ground with one arm.

"Ahh!" Wilona screamed in pain.

Una slammed her down on the alter and pressed her hand into Wilona's neck.

"You think you are a Goddess on earth. Oh, Wilona, you are a fool." Una laughed with a dark tone.

"We laugh at you from beyond. You are nothing to us. You do not even exist. You are a speck of dust that floats aimlessly until it lands in someone's eyes to irritate them. You have landed in my eye, and I have had quite enough."

"Who...who are you!?" Wilona screamed as she tried to pull Una's hand away, but her bones splintered more.

"You wanted Rudiobus to come forth, didn't you? He would never. Do you really think he would come forward for an insignificant speck? Do you think he owes you for sacrifice? You have been sacrificing to simple spirits, Wilona. Not Gods, you oaf." Una laughed as she pressed harder into her neck.

"You see, he tells me you wanted to win a war, but you have created a larger war in which you cannot win. You have created a war against me, Arawn, the lord of the Dammed, who oversees the souls denied Christian paradise and who is a master of the hunt, not only in the wild but eternally for souls of the impure, souls like yours." Una laughed maniacally.

Alaric knew this was not Una. Something had taken hold of her at the moment before she was to be gutted.

"Have mercy!" Wilona cried out.

"You didn't have mercy when you killed for nothing. My daughter Una is not like you. She means everything to me, and you mean to take her away. I have guarded Una her entire life. As a child, a rat tried to bite and infect her with the plague. I came as a cat and killed it. When she was a toddler, a man tried to kidnap her. I came like a dog and bit his neck open until he bled to death. When she was a child, her mother tried to get her into the same dark arts as the pendragons. I came as a white wolf, an omen of death to come and as a warning. Your late sister was Una's mother, and You mean to kill your own niece."

Wilona's eyes filled with tears, and she became distraught.

"I was the original pendragon on earth. My decedents have disgraced my name and slandered it. I knew Una's soul was calling me since her birth, and for a good reason. Una has been the only pendragon descendant who has never slandered me, and for this, I am eternally her guide, and you will never win against her. For years, I kept anyone away who would do her harm, and for those that do, I smite them. Una calls it a curse when it is only me guiding her away from the path of true darkness. I am her intuition. I am her visions of the future. If you hurt Una, you hurt me. If you have tried to kill Una, you have tried to kill me. I am her guardian angel from beyond the veil."

"I meant no harm! I did not know she is of my blood!" Wilona cried out.

"You lie, Wilona. You wanted to be the only pendragon left to rule this world. I can read your thoughts. You wish to kill your father after you kill Gareth. Am I not correct? I already told you, you can never win against Una. Your Gods are shit under my boots. They tremble in fear when I approach. Your womb is cursed to weaken this kingdom, but this is a part of Una's kingdom too. Because you have tried to take away my daughter, I will take away your only power to reign." Una laughed as she placed her other hand on Wilona's belly.

"You are unfit to carry this soul. You stole it, the strongest, most valiant soul, and had it put in your womb. I curse your womb black, and the soul of that child will be transferred to Una as soon as she conceives. The vessel here will rot out of your womb, and you will never be able to have another child to curse. This child needs a mother like Una. Your Gods agree with me. Can you not see them? They are surrounding you, laughing. You could see them if you were a true Goddess. If anyone is remotely as close to a Goddess, it is Una Elisedd of Snowdon from the great land of Wealas. You will be her slave now. She will be waking up in a few hours, and I will allow her to kill you. Your spirits can't harm her." Una laughed.