Maren stared at Cora, beside herself.
She'd never seen anyone move so fast in her life — not even Lexi.
The moment between Cora sitting beside her and the gory aftermath of the room was a few mere seconds. Maren felt how instant the heat spiked in Cora's body and her odd behavior — but it was more than that.
Cora's pupils dilated, ruby light burning in her eyes.
Her breathing slowed and her body became very still.
It was like everything within her — mind, body and soul — went still. For that single moment, she was consumed with what lay beyond those doors.
And when Maren saw what Cora had done, her gut turned in horror.
"Cora," Maren whispered.
But Cora barely heard her.
She suspended the Darkspirit in the air, inspecting it. Saliva slipped from her lips as she stared at the squirming spirit in her clutches.
Maren jerked her body toward Cora, gripping her by the wrist.
"Stop!" She cried out. "What are you doing!?"
Cora turned back to face her, slowly. She blinked a few times. And then, her pupils returned to normal.
"Maren?" Cora whispered, dazed.
Suddenly, she jerked forward, clutching her stomach as if she'd been shot by an arrow. But nothing had pierced her.
"Urgh…" she groaned. "It burns…"
"What burns?" Maren reacted instantly, releasing her grip on Cora's wrist, inspecting her. "What's wrong?"
"I'm so…" she said through breathless pants. "Ow! My stomach…"
She clutched her stomach, her nails digging into her skin. Maren didn't understand what was wrong. She wanted to ease her pain, but she wasn't sure her magic was enough. Her fists clenched in her lap.
She had to try.
Maren pulled Cora into a sudden hug, and she reached inside herself. She remembered the way Elena had done it in her dreams. The way she felt around for her magic, willing it out of her.
Sapphire light radiated from Maren, encapsulating Cora in a bubble of healing light. It was cool, but not cold. Tiny airborne bubbles, like mist, kissed Cora's skin. Maren could feel the heat within her begin to dwindle down to little more than her regular body heat.
But it was still there, like a live fire that Maren couldn't douse.
And as her magic began to dim, something stirred within herself. A sharp, twisting pain in the center of her gut. Maren winced, but pushed it away.
"Maren…?" Cora whispered, her eyes wide with concern over her sudden expression.
"Princess," Commander Vincent said from behind her.
Maren turned to face him, pulling away from Cora. He gazed at her, expressing clear concern over the situation. Though Cora had fixed the situation, she had acted rashly. One wrong move could have doomed them all.
Maren's eyes flicked to the girl on the floor. A maid from the castle. She looked weak, and sustained multiple bite wounds in areas that could have ended her life had they arrived a moment later.
"Tend to her wounds," Maren commanded. "We'll have to quarantine her."
"Princess," the Commander said again.
Maren met his eyes, full of pain.
"Would it not be better to-"
"No," Maren said quickly, her gaze fierce. "There will be no more senseless death, and especially not by our hand."
"Yes, Princess." He replied, and the men began to tend to the maids' wounds.
Beside her, Maren felt Cora flinch. She pulled her hands out of Maren's, and looked away in shame.
Maren turned back to Cora.
"No, that's not what I-"
"It's alright," Cora said, not meeting her eyes. "You're right. It was senseless. I just suddenly…"
"No," Maren spoke again, grasping Cora's hands in hers. "I was referring to the Darkspirits."
But Cora would not meet Maren's eyes, her shame cutting deeply into her.
"I trust you, Cora," Maren said, but the words felt weak in her mouth. She did trust Cora, but her actions were impulsive. Terribly impulsive. She put herself in harm's way, and went after a creature she'd never encountered in her life. Not only that, Cora didn't hesitate for a moment. She may not have even spared Maren a glance back had she not called her name.
Knowing that terrified her. Not just for her sake, but for Cora's as well.
"But I worry about you just as much," Maren said, fighting the pain that grew with every moment. "Please just promise me you'll include me next time you do something like that."
Cora turned back to face Maren, gazing at her with a wistful expression. But then, she turned away from her.
"It's not as simple as that, Maren," Cora said, her voice dropping just below a whisper, so that only the two of them could hear. She turned back to face her. "All it took was hearing them for every instinct in me to come to life. I felt like….like a starved animal. And what's worse is…"
Cora's gaze dropped.
"What's worse?" Maren asked, urgency in her voice.
Cora shook her head.
"It's nothing. My point is, I couldn't control myself at that moment, and I'm not confident I'll be able to if it happens again. I won't make you a promise I can't keep."
Maren's eyes were wide, her heart pounding in her chest as Twelve's words seemed to whisper in her ear.
…the fate of the ruby princess…
What if this is what she meant? Maren asked herself, horrified as she gazed at Cora, the Darkspirit still clutched in her fist. I didn't take Twelve's words seriously enough. This…this is what she meant. And this is the weakest Darkspirit? If she were to go after something stronger in such a way…
Maren's gut turned in horror.
What if I can't keep up with her? What if I fail her?
Cora moved away from her, and stood but kept Maren's hand tight in hers. Maren followed Cora off the floor and gazed at the maid.
"What are you thinking?" Maren asked, pushing her feelings to the side. "It looks like they went for the most vital parts of her. Which strikes me as odd because the book said they prefer to infect the living and use them as hosts for as long as possible."
Cora analyzed her body, taking everything in. Then, her gaze drifted to the other two.
"Interesting," Cora murmured, narrowing her eyes. She crouched to inspect them further, moving her hands to get a better look.
When she was done, she stood, not taking her eyes off them.
"I have a theory," she said. "But I really hope I'm wrong."
Maren grimaced, "Tell me."
Though she truly did not want to know.
"Both of them had unhealable wounds," Cora began, "and they were doing the same to our poor victim here."
Then, she turned to face Maren.
"What did the book say of their intelligence?" Cora asked.
"Of the Darkspirits?" Maren asked. "Not much of anything, really. Just that they preferred their victims alive, but could infect the living and the dead. It can live inside someone for days and they wouldn't even know they're being controlled."
Cora took in a sharp breath and said, "What if it's smarter than we thought? Look at the bite marks on both of them. This wasn't some crazed feeding spree. The wounds are nearly identical, but made to put one's life to a permanent end."
Maren's eyes widened. "The book did say the dead are easier for it to control than the living."
Cora stared at the bodies in silence, taking in Maren's words.
Then, her expression dimmed, the light in her eyes blazing.
"It's building an army," Cora whispered, dread filling her voice.
Maren swallowed, hard. But something didn't feel right to her.
Why would this creature — only now — create an army? Why did it wait so long to strike?
Maren's skin grew cold.
She didn't know why, but she knew it couldn't be for anything good.