39. Dancing Lights

There was only darkness and silence now.

Maria held on to Morag as if somehow she could make time stand still. So that the horrible thing she had had to do could be held off.

As long as time did not continue, Morag would not die.

So she saw nothing around her, all the trees and encampment and people were gone.

There were no birds singing. No noise of the wind whistling down the valley. No sound of the river flowing.

Just the two of them suspended in this time.

Maria felt a hand gently touch her cheek.

The hand gently caressed her face moving under her chin and up to her forehead.

She felt the thumb wipe away the tears in her eyes.

A gentle voice reached her ears.

"Maria?" it said.

It sounded familiar but Maria’s mind was still screaming at her about what she had done. About how there must have been a better way, and that she was the worst human being alive for doing such a thing.

"Daughter?" said the voice again. "Come back my sweet. Please?"

"Mother?" asked Maria.

"Yes." came the answer.

Maria opened her eyes.

She was back in the world, still clinging to Morag.

Paul was kneeling just to her left holding Morag’s outstretched hand. His head was close to her’s and they were speaking in low tones.

Around her the remains of Wilmot’s camp could be seen. The men had returned after the fight and were cleaning up. There was a line of the dead men covered with plain white sheets. Others were having their injuries tended to and still others where just cleaning up and packing away the camp.

In front of her, still caressing her face was her mother.

"Mother?" was all she could say.

Her mother smiled.

"Yes dear." she said. "Welcome back. I was afraid I had lost you."

Everything that had happened that day flooded back into Maria’s mind and she began to cry.

Her mother gently wiped away the tears as she let her daughter release her sadness and anger.

Finally Maria could cry no more.

"Oh mother." she said. "Why did it have to be like this? There must have been some other way."

Her mother shook her head.

"Sometimes there are things in life that require a strong person with a strong sense of what needs to be done." she said. "And that person needs the strength to carry out the doing."

She lifted Maria’s face to look her straight in the eyes.

"You are that type of person." she told her. "In your heart you know what must be done. And you can find the strength needed to carry it out."

"If you had not done what you had, many people would have suffered, including myself and Paayl." said a voice in her ear.

She pulled back and turned her head to look at Morag.

"I know." said Maria "But it still hard to accept sometimes. Please forgive me."

Morag laughed.

"You do not need me to forgive you." she said. "I understood the necessity of this."

Maria turned to look at Paul.

"Paul I..."

He held up a hand to stop her.

"Morag has told me all you and she talked about." he said. "She does not hold a grudge against you then neither do I. I have known you long enough to know you do not take things like this lightly. You saved many people from hardship and death if that demon had been let loose. I cannot condemn you for that."

Another bout of tears flowed out of Maria.

Finally when she had calmed down again her mother said.

"I am nearly done here. You must let her go dear, Then we can return home for a bit, if you’d like."

A thought struck Maria.

She looked around the camp site.

Nearby was Eachann and Bowen.

He was still alive.

Maria remembered the reason she was here in the first place. There was one thing left to do.

"Paul." she said. "Will you please bring me the amulet that hangs around Bowen’s neck?"

The three people around her gave her puzzled looks.

"All right." said Paul and stood up to walk over to Bowen.

Not knowing exactly why Paul was walking towards him, Bowen tensed up but did not run.

Her mother watch the proceedings curiously.

Paul walked up to Bowen and without ceremony reached out and ripped the amulet off his neck, breaking the chain as he did so.

"Ow!" cried out Bowen "What did you do that...."

"Oh! there you are." said Death.

Bowen turned to the voice, and recognising her, he turned to run.

He got half a step and fell to the ground dead.

Maria saw the light that was once Bowen disappear into her mother’s hand.

Eachann, who could not see Death as she did not want others to see her, had a look of complete shock on his face.

"You best be off." said Paul to him. "Right now I have other things to take care of. I will let my family know of what happened and they can deal with you."

Eachann said nothing. He just turned and walked away.

Paul rejoined the small group.

"Now dear." said her mother. "You must let go."

"Please wait." said Maria.

Something Paul had said earlier came back to her.

"Mother? May I ask a favour?" she said.

Her mother looked sceptical but only nodded.

"If it is within my powers, yes." she answered.

"I need you to take us somewhere." she told her.

The look on her mother’s face actually made Maria laugh.

And she had felt she would never be able to laugh again.

"It is more beautiful than you had described it." said Morag.

"I’m a fighter, not a poet." said Paul.

The five of them stared up as the lights danced a mad dance in the northern sky.

Maria still held Morag in her arms, with Paul on her left and mother on her right with her arm across Maria’s shoulder hugging her close.

Theodore was on Paul’s shoulder looking mesmerised by the strange lights.

"I promised you one day you would see them." said Paul.

He turned to Maria.

"Thank you. It was kind of you to do this."

"Thank mother." she said. "I could never have gotten you here."

"Thank you My Lady." said Paul.

"Yes." said Morag. "Thank you very much."

Death smiled.

She was not used to people being nice to her.

"You are welcome."

They watched the dancing lights for a while longer. Then Death cleared her throat.

"I must go." was all she said.

Everyone nodded.

Paul said goodbye one last time.

Morag looked at Maria.

"I am glad to have met you, even if it was for a very short time."

"Me too." said Maria.

Death touched Morag’s forehead.

Morag’s eyes closed.

"I will take you back so you may return her to her family." said Death.

Maria felt panicky.

"I cannot meet your family." she told Paul. "They will not understand."

"They will, after I speak with them." said Paul.

The group returned to the city.

Paul did speak with his family. There were many tears and anger, but after a while, people began to understand what had happened. Especially after the other mages and seers where brought in to help explain what had happened.

After the funeral, Paul, Maria and Theodore met outside the city.

It had been a rough time for all of them and they were tired.

Maria still felt awful, and wondered if she would ever fell different.

She looked at Paul.

He smiled at her and reached out and gave her a hug.

"What was that for?" asked Maria a little stunned.

"You looked like you could use it." said Paul.

Maria smiled.

"I did." she said. "Thanks."

"That’s what friends do." he said.

Two portals opened up and the three of them returned home.