I tilted my head. “But I can’t. If Ryuk cursed you, I don’t know how to?—”
One of their hands reached up, placing it against my chest again.“Light…”
“Mara…”another one whispered, sending a wave of guilt and shame through my body.
"You want me to...killyou?”
“Release us…”
“Rest…”
“We want to rest…”
I sat on my feet, staring at all five of them as I tried to wrap my mind around it. They were no longer themselves, and they hadn’t been for a long time, but… could I truly…
“Please…”
“I don’t know if I can,” I admitted. “I was angry, and I didn’tmeanto kill Mara. I just?—”
“Try…”
They were no more than puppets to Ryuk, too. I understood how that felt. After considering it for a couple of seconds, I dipped my hand into the water between them. Closing my eyes, I sought out the light that blazed in my core. It was a lot easier to find now, and I pulled it to the surface, influencing it with my will.
I don’t know if this is even going to work…
When I opened my eyes, my veins were glowing with light, crawling down my arms until it reached my fingers. Then, it spreadintothe water, illuminating it and sending out slivers of power toward each of the wraiths.So many puppets, I thought to myself, watching the thin strands of light as they connected with the girls.
With every ounce of my intent, I willed it into my light. “No more strings,” I whispered, but my voice came out… different. It was an echo in the wind, and a strong, cold gust pushed my hair forward as bright light shot through each of their eyes. It grew until the light completely consumed their bodies, and suddenly, they were gone.
I gasped, splashing the water around to find any trace of them. “What did I do?! Did it work?! I don’t?—”
“Thank you,”came a whisper frombehind me.
Turning around, I found five women, all bathed in an ethereal white glow. They were beautiful; they wereyoung—possibly even younger than me. The girls wore gowns similar to the one Eowyn had worn when I first met her, and they all held each other’s arms as the girls clung to one another.
“Youwereher handmaidens, weren’t you?” I asked.
They nodded, smiling down at me.
The middle one stepped forward, offering me a hand, and I took it as she helped me to stand. Before I could ask anything else, she hugged me. A strange sense of peace warmed my body as the rest of them joined in the embrace.
“You were never no one,”the middle girl whispered in my ear.“You are salvation, Morrigan.”
“Morrigan!” someone yelled nearby.
Suddenly, the light grew too bright for me to see, and the girls were gone.
I saw Dez jogging down the beach, and he stopped when he saw me.
“Please tell me you weren’t drowning again. Kaiden willkillme if you get hurt again.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I wiped away the single happy tear that had slipped from my eye.
“I just needed some fresh air.” I ran to him, wrapping my hand around his arm. “Let’s get back to the party.”
Together, we walked back toward the castle.
Home, I hummed to myself.We were going home.
