Chapter 4
Txälina
When I returned to my room, the servants were already present, preparing the things needed for the wedding. My hands clenched into fists as I sat before the mirror, with the Queen and Txänuwan standing behind me.
"I can't marry him," I said through gritted teeth.
"Why?"
"You saw what he did at Father's burial," I replied. "He disrespected not only the King but also the moon goddess, Säli."
"He is the King now," she said. "There is nothing we can do to change that. The High Priestess has already crowned him King."
"He is mad," I snapped. "For centuries, the moon goddess has bestowed the royal bloodline with daughters to marry the new Kings. But Mother, I will not marry this King."
"For all your life, you've been told you'll be Queen. You have been prepared for this day. You know that."
"Not to him!" I closed my eyes, suppressing the old memories that threatened to resurface.
I took deep breaths, watching my reflection in the mirror as the servants silently prepared my hair. The Queen said nothing.
After some time, Txänuwan spoke. "Mother, who is Dark Säli?"
The Queen turned to her. "Dark Säli…" the Queen tested the name on her tongue. "She is the moon goddess."
"The moon goddess?" Txänuwan frowned in confusion. "But the moon goddess is called Säli, not Dark Säli."
"Yes."
Txänuwan's brows pinched with confusion. The Queen quickly left the room, clearly unwilling to answer further.
"She is the dark version of the moon goddess," I explained.
Long ago, after the creation of the Werewolves, the moon goddess coexisted with them. She was their protector, guarding them in times of crisis. She granted favour to the faithful and acted as both judge and executioner when they strayed. But over time, while living away from her paradise, Txärwan, in the body of a mortal, a part of her grew corrupted. Her thoughts and manners turned chaotic. Some believed it was the influence of Werewolves and humans, for although other gods coexisted with mortals, they did not dwell among them.
Seeking to rid herself of the corruption, she purged the darkness from her mind and cast it into the depths of the world. Over centuries, that darkness took flesh. It became Säli's other self, her shadow. This version hungered for flesh and blood, fangs sharp as knives. She called herself Dark Säli. In her heart burned only one eternal desire; chaos.
Yet even the depths of the world were not enough for her. Dark Säli hungered for the realm above.
Meanwhile, in Ngäerawa, for the first time in centuries, a newly crowned Prince died, only months after his coronation, under mysterious circumstances. The realm erupted in uproar as factions fought over who should be the next King. Amid the uproar, a young male Werewolf drank the holy water from the Temple, crowning himself King. Strangely, Säli did not strike him dead, and the next day he proclaimed his rule.
A few days into his reign, Txänara, the Alpha female of the Mist Pack, claimed the throne was hers. It had belonged to her brother, and with his death, she insisted it should pass to her as his only sibling. But the laws of Ngäerawa forbade inheritance through family lines. They also stated that no one could claim the throne without passing contests and deadly trials. By law, both Txänara and the self-proclaimed King were wrong.
The realm divided, some supporting Txänara, others the King.
In the war that followed, the Mist Pack initially proved strong. Txänara even captured and killed the King. But opposition to a female ruler grew louder, and the Elders themselves broke Säli's law to place another man on the throne.
This new King was brutal. He slaughtered and imprisoned all who opposed him. Among those captured was Txänara, and before a jeering crowd, she was beheaded. Another war broke out, but without a leader like Txänara, her people fell. The new King won and decreed that the Mist Pack could no longer contest for the throne. They were blacklisted.
He made himself a god, carving his image everywhere. Over the years, he turned the people away from the moon goddess and forced them to worship him, Mäeruvax VII. He ruled through power and blood, ordering the execution of anyone who served Säli. Her priestesses were slaughtered daily. He craved violence, sometimes demanding the massacre of innocents.
From Txärwan, Säli saw this betrayal. Enraged, she unleashed Dark Säli upon the world.
Freed after centuries, Dark Säli devoured as many lives as she could. She looked upon the Werewolves and despised them. She resolved to make them her followers. She turned first to the Mist Pack, who had never been blessed with powers by Säli. Dark Säli granted them dominion over mist and the use of dark magic. They worshipped her daily, but the other packs resisted. They chose death over corruption.
With the King destroyed by Dark Säli, Ngäerawa remained without a ruler for years. The people cried at their private shrines, begging Säli to free them from corruption.
At last, Säli answered. She appeared in a vision to Anäsang, the King's daughter. Säli made a pact with her: Dark Säli could not be killed, for she was part of the moon goddess herself. To end her destruction, Säli struck a pact with Anäsang
The moon goddess bounded Txälina as the key to Dark Säli's prison. She was hidden and only the bloodline of Anäsang could touch it's gate. So long as the bloodline remained unbroken and untarnished, Dark Säli would stay weak in shackles.
For this reason, the bloodline of Anäsang practiced cousins and distant kins marriage to maintain the purity of their bloodline. They believed that if ever the bloodline was tainted by stranger, Dark Säli would rise again.
Txänuwan looked at me with wide, confused eyes after I finished. "But why would Dxülaen build a temple to a goddess no one has worshipped in ages? Why risk Säli's wrath again?"
"Because if he builds temples for Dark Säli and raises her above Säli herself, he would be the most powerful male the realm has ever known. He hungers for power, Nuwan."
Her eyes widened. "Would he kill Säli's priestesses?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "That's why the Elders are trying to talk sense into him. I only hope he realizes his folly and abandons his plans before it's too late."