Morana

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"The price was agreed, and the payment done. The blood of three for the ever flowing. Three lives for the everlasting," the Death Shadows told me and I opened my eyes.

I was on the floor of the living room. The scent of burned flesh lingered, and I felt an ache in my body, but it was that of sore muscles.

"Why in the name of the Goddess did she even come here? What did she hope to achieve?" I heard Astria say.

"It's a shame, really. She was strong," Senalda added on.

"But she clearly didn't know what was best for her," the witch in blue said.

"Clean this up," the Priestess then ordered.

I moved. Slowly, I got up and to my feet. As I looked them over, Marianela was finally in synch with the others. They all stared at me, all color drained from their faces and both their eyes and mouth wide open.

I moved my hands over my pants, as if batting away dust. I was a bit surprised my clothes were intact. That they hadn't been destroyed by the fire. But I guessed it had to be because the fire in itself had been magical. Aimed at burning my body, but nothing else.

"What's the matter?" I asked and tilted my head to the side. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

The Priestess was the first one to gather herself. She closed her mouth and her jaw tensed.

"Senalda," she ordered.

Again Senalda said an incantation and moved her hands. This time, it felt as though everything inside of me burst. It became hard to breathe, and I gasped for air. The taste of metal came into my mouth before I spat out blood. I could also feel liquid drip from my nose and my eyes.

I fell to the floor once more. The blood rushed out of me and I watched as it created a pool. All went dark again.

"The price was agreed, and the payment done. The blood of three for the ever flowing. Three lives for the everlasting."

I didn't stay on the floor at all when I came to this second time. I got to my feet straight away. The pain of sore muscles had increased. I assumed that, though the Death Shadows would revive me over and over again, it took a toll on my body being revived many times in a fast succession. Maybe it would be similar to the magical stamina. That if it kept happening, it would take longer and longer to revive me.

It was completely silent as I stood up again. Their eyes fixated on me, and if they had been shocked before, they were now fearful.

"Is that really the best you got?" I asked.

Senalda reacted first this time. She produced a sword which she plunged into my body. I stood still and just stared down at it. A very plain and normal sword and just what I needed. A weapon to help me deal with the next part of it all.

I placed both my hands around its shaft and pulled it out of my body. Then I looked up at Senalda and leered at her.

"How uncreative," I told her as I fell to my knees again. As death took me a third time.

"The price was agreed, and the payment done. The blood of three for the ever flowing. Three lives for the everlasting."

When I got to my feet again, I made sure to act before any of them had time to. My body hurt enough by then that I knew that dying one more time would potentially be dangerous. And besides, I knew I had scared them enough, and I had been armed as well.

"I can do this all day," I told them, and yawned theatrically. "But it is getting a bit boring."

I moved swiftly. Marianela had gotten forward somewhat, but she was still behind the couch. I stepped up on it and then forced the sword through her body, through her chest, and into her heart.

Her eyes were wide open at my action at first, but then they turned to slits, and I could see her angry thoughts on her face. How she cursed me out in her mind. How she likely felt betrayed after having help me and Alejo only to die at my hands.

I wanted to tell her to not worry, that she wouldn't die, that I had a plan. But instead, I withdrew the sword from her body and jumped back, a bit away from the others, out of reach.

"Marianela!" the Priestess shouted and hurried over to her youngest child as Marianela clutched her gaping wound with one hand and tried to stay upright by holding onto the couch with the other.

The Priestess went around and caught Marianela before she fell. Tears had started to come, tears that she didn't waste on Alejo, but that were instant for her other children.

"What have you done!" the Priestess yelled at me.

Marianela opened her mouth, her lips quivered and blood came out the sides. "Mom," she managed before her eyes closed.

It was, in a certain sense, quite a heartbreaking scene. Had I witnessed it without knowing how the Priestess really was as a person, I would have felt sorry for her. As it was, however, it all made me even more annoyed about the little regard she gave Alejo.

"Are you happy now?!" the Priestess hissed at me. "You've taken my daughter, so are you satisfied?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "You have no one but yourself to blame for this."

"Senalda, Astria. Take care of her!"

I laughed. "Are you still under the misconception that you're able to harm me? Be my guest. Kill me again. I'll just come back. However, I could make you a deal. One I believe would be fair."

"What deal?" the Priestess snapped.

"Never show yourself in front of me again and Marianela will live."

There was a dead silence.

"Do you take us for fools!" the one in blue scoffed.

I smiled and knew who would be next. "Such hurtful words. Do you not trust me? Guess I might as well show my sincerity."

With the sword, I made a cut in my hand. The Shadows had already appeared, without me asking them to. They licked at the blood as it spilled out of my hand. Hummed merrily as they did and vibrated with anticipation.

"The one in blue," I told them while looking straight at the witch.

They sniggered and moved away from me and to the witch, creeped up on her. I watched as her face turned pale, as she tried to back away.

"What are you doing? What's going on!" she screamed as the Shadows moved up her body. When they had covered her completely, she fell to the ground. No wound, no sound, no mess of blood or any sign of harm. But she was clearly dead.

At the same time, Marianela took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She looked around in bewilderment. At her mother, who held her and cried. At her sisters, who were hugging themselves. And at me. I gave her a wink.

"What the fuck did you just do!" the one in red shouted at me before running over to the one in blue.

"I did what I said I would. I made sure Marianela would live. Are you not satisfied with the outcome? I can change it up for you."

And with that, the Shadows were back to my wound. It was as if they read my thoughts and didn't need my orders to know what I wanted.

"The one in red," I said anyway to them and they followed suit.

Just a few seconds later, the one in red died, just like the one in blue had, while the one in blue opened her eyes and came back to life.

"Or is this not what you want neither?" I looked over every single one of them. "Shall we go for Astria instead?"

Astria fell as the one in red came back.

"Or perhaps Senalda is the one that should go." And it was Senalda's turn to die.

I turned my eyes to focus solely on the Priestess. All the hatred I felt for her coursed through me. She was the problem, really. She was the one without regards for others. The rest of them were just a product of her actions.

"Though you were the one that wanted Marianela back. So wouldn't it simply be fair that you are the one to give your life for hers?"

The Shadows followed my orders. The paleness of the Priestess' skin stood out as the darkness of the Shadows engulfed her. When she had fallen, there was dead silence in the room.

Senalda got back to her feet and surveyed the scene. When she saw her mother, tears appeared in her eyes. Then she turned to me. She hugged herself and her whole body seemed to tremble. Quite the contrast to the haughty, prideful air she usually held.

"Bring her back," she said in a shaky voice. "Please, just bring her back."

"What are you willing to give for it?" I asked in a nonchalant voice, without even looking at her.

"An... anything. I'll give anything. Just bring her back."

"Alright. Hmm, let's see. If I take your life instead, she'll probably want you back. So what can I exchange it with?" I put a finger up my face as if I was thinking hard. Then moved them away and snapped them. "I know! And it's perfect. An eye for an eye. Shadows!"

"Yes, Morana," they answered in a chorus.

"Take Senalda's mate bond in exchange for her mother's life."

Senalda gasped and clutched her chest as the Shadows encircled her once more. When they were done, they dispersed, and all light came back to the living room. The Priestess stood up and looked around the room, then heaved a sigh of relief as everyone was alive. That relief disappeared as soon as Senalda spoke though.

"How could you?" she cried. "My... my mate... Do you know what you've done!"

"Are you asking me for sympathy?" I tilted my head. "Then where was yours when my mate died in my arms?"

"He said you weren't mates, so don't come here lying!" Astria snapped.

"You all seem to need to learn a lot more about magic," I sneered. "I did what I promised. Marianela is alive. So time for you to do what I asked in return and scram! Get out of my sight."

I was unreasonable on purpose, asking them to leave their own living room. But I wasn't surprised by the outcome in the slightest. They all were terrified, not knowing exactly what I had done, but knowing I held their lives in my hands. They didn't hesitate as they all scurried out of the room.

Except Marianela.

"You killed me," she stated when we were alone.

"I also brought you back," I answered and looked her over. Her eyes burned as they looked at me, clearly still angry over what I had done. But then she gave me a weak smile and did a movement that looked to be a curtsy. Just that it definitely wasn't a proper one.

"You really are something, Morana. You are the type of person who ought to be a priestess," she said.

"So will you hand this coven over to me?"

"Hardly," she scoffed. "I've given too much for it."

She moved to leave the room, but in the doorway, she stopped and looked back at me.

"He's alive, right? Alejo is still alive?"

"He's alive again," I corrected it.

She nodded. "He's lucky to have you. I hope he knows that. And... Make sure to keep him alive, will you?"

"I most certainly will," I promised. The easiest promise I had ever given.

She nodded again before moving to leave once more.

"I think you'll make a good priestess too," I said after her. She paused for a moment, but didn't turn back to look at me, before continuing to walk away.

When I was alone again, I turned my attention to the Shadows.

"Shadows, take meback to Alejo," I asked them, and they fulfilled my request immediately.