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Demon? “No Mother in the forest In the cave”

“Ah, that Mother I am familiar with the stories You came across her?”

“Yes I killed it”

“Killed her?”

Mara nodded He’d thought about it nearly every day since, especially at night when he was trying to sleep

“One of the first Wane survivors, a relic of sorts There was much to be learned from her It was the irrational fear fro The tales of her killing all those men si infected This was before it was known to be a sexually transifts She called you Mara? Why take the name?”

Mara shrugged He couldn’t think of a way to say it, not without sounding stupid “I saw in its eyes”

“Sahat exactly?”

“She knew my name”

“I am sorry to disappoint, but it is likely she screamed the name of her perceived murderer rather than identify you as the demon of death Perhaps made some association with those eyes of yours” The Shadow rose and walked to the front of the room and climbed the steps

My eyes? He’d been told many times that his eyes looked funny He’d never seen them himself How could he? How could they be so different from everyone else’s? Maybe they are like Silas’s They didn’t look weird, just different “What’s wrong with my eyes?”

The Shadow ran its hand across the black wings on the wall “An unusual colour is all: Grey, that of a demon Or so the old priest’s stories would have you believe Perhaps Mother was of that ti man, you are no demon” The Shadow held out an arm “Over here”

Mara joined the Shadow in front of the wings They were scratched deep in the wall

“Our founders’ worship began upon the discovery of these wings The Wings of Darkness Said to have been cast into the stone by the wings of the goddess of darkness herself Their worship had her shroud the forest in darkness to protect them in a tiave us our purpose” The Shadow turned to face Mara “Enough history for today” It revealed a gold-handled blade in a cover “You will be needing this To Do not disappoint me, Mara”

Mara took the blade “Thank you”