————
The house lords continued to suffer a slow and excruciating death.
The enslaved Dhampir were commanded to bring a new artifact into the hall;
The tree of memories: It was ghastly gray tree with crystal leaves that shimmered silver in weak candlelight.
Rea glanced at me me for the first time since her arrival and pointed a flawless, delicate finger at my forehead.
Then. . . a singular bead of blood drifted through my pores and gravitayed forward slowly until it touched one of the trees leaves.
Rea began to chant. 'I call onto the eternal hallows. Memories of the ancestors!'
Runes etched into the tree — so thin and fine that they were nearly invisible— began to glow a deep golden.
'Why?, I thought we agreed that we would keep this from you?' Hera whispered softly besides me in confusion.
'Whats going on?' I demanded, my eyes meeting hers. 'What are you hiding from me?
'Pain', Hera answered. 'Hatred. A curse that stretches back to the Blood empress herself?'
'And I should not know this?'
'This knowledge will only hurt you.' She replied sadly.
In the meantime the golden light had reached its peak.
An image condensed from the light. It was a scene like the one the Regis orb had showed.
In the golden mist, I saw two battered dhampir women.
They were frantically running like their lives depended on it— racing elegantly through clusters of trees like a pair of wolves.
One of them was holding an infant wrapped in linen. She wore a torn red dress, silver bracelets, and a bow sling across her back like an ancient amazon.
She had a familiar pair of crimson eyes. With a shock, I realized it was Hera.
Running next to her was a beautiful woman in a white bloodstained gown.
I shuddered when the contours of her face became clear to me.
Her features as a Dhampir were stranger — more beautiful, enhanced to perfection. . .
But. . . how could I not remember the face of my mother— Catellyn Quill.
I shuddered as my pupils dilated.
'What's this?' I moaned.
I felt the touch of Hera's pitying gaze as the scene unfurled further.
My mother had stopped running now, and she was staring into the blackness behind them like it owed her something.
'Hera,' she said finally. 'Return my son to the human world. Give him to his father. He will be safe there.
'No, my lady.' Hera argued fiercely. 'And leave you here? At the mercy of the mad king? I will not do this.'
'Hera, listen to me. The council has ruled against me. I have been judged a betrayer. And so my human children are no longer safe.
Running will only paint a target on their backs; we will be found before long.'
'But you are clearly innocenct, I'm sure that in time –''No! Erebus has given into his jealousy. He has convinced the council that my human scion poses great danger— that his is RuttyynBayal. This will not be the last time they succeed in taking him.
Next time, we might not even have the chance to save him.. . And if Erebus finds his father. . .
I won't risk that!'
'No,' Hera said. 'I will not leave you. We will go to my masters place. She would certainly provide sanctuary.
'I couldn't help admiring her tenacity, but my mother only replied her with a sad smile.
'Hera. . . Erebus has always been possessive. And now that he know i gave birth to a son with a human before becoming his queen. . . he is determined to spill blood, and even Hecate cannot hide us forever. And as long as you both shelter me, even you are in danger.'
'But you are the last of the chosen meta bloodlines, my lady. You need to survive. You and your children both.'
Hera's pleas fell on deaf ears. . .for Catellyn continued to stare intently into the darkness around them.'Watch over them for me. Time flows differently in Orcus. Centuries would've passed before my son takes his first steps.
Protect him Hera, keep him safe until Erebus is no more. If one day my daughter takes her fathers throne, you may make him an immortal and bring him here.'
Hera finally stopped arguing. 'You were a good master, my lady. A brave woman. Orcus did not deserve you, and neither did he.'
Then she knelt. 'For as long as I draw breath, no one shall bring to him an early death.-
Catellyns smile grew warmer. She touched Hera's forehead with her fingers in a gesture of affection.
'Goodbye Hera, my retainer, my advisor, and my dearest friend.'
Then she departed. Hera watched her blur through the trees as if her every step away caused her great pain.
Then the frames of the scene shifted, hours passing by in mere moments.
Hera tensed. Even bawling infant quited as if he sensed something, too.
'No!' Hera cried despondently. But even with her godly strength and supernatural speed she could never hope to stop what was happening.
She only had time to rush into a nearby cave before the her surroundings exploded.
Or at least. . .
The shockwaves were so violent the entire golden scene dissolved.
And when it came into focus again, I saw Hera kneeling in ruins, holding the broken form of my mother.
Everything had been ground to dust all around them. The earth rumbled and a grest deluge fell from the skies.
Whatever battle had taken place. . . had been great enough to disturb the natural elements.
The infant child (me) stared at my mother's form uncomprehendingly.
A a humanoid appeared creature appeared behind them,hissing and flapping her leathery wings.
'Erebus!' Hera wailed into the darkness. 'You will not have a good death!'
'Master, we must leave,' the humanoid warned. 'They could still be near.'
Hera trembled with rage. After taking a pitying look at the infant in her arms, she seemed to finally regain control.'Take him, Gregoria,' she told the creature, choking back a sob.
'Find the childs father and return if to him
Then keep vigil over them. Ensure that no dhampir is ever found within a hundred miles of them.'
'As you wish, my master,' Gregoria said. 'And Catellyn's body?'
'Take her as well,' Rea wept. 'Return her to Orcus— Under the cover of night. Leave her in the tomb of her ancestors.'
'Gregoria gently took the young infant from Hera's arms before melting into the darkness, leaving Hera alone in the ruined forest.
'I warned you,' a new voice cooed.
Hera turned. A woman in a dark robe stood over the ashes of a fallen tree. She had long dark amethyst hair and sad eyes. I recognized her from Hera's stoires.
She was the Dhampir that had saved her the night she was burned.
'You couldve stopped this. .' Hera cried. 'You could have saved her!'
'I could not,' the woman said. 'This was preodained. It was written that she would die here. In this place— at this time.'
Her words sent a chill through me. What did she mean?
'I dont understand!' Hera roared. 'Written by who? Ordained by what?!'
Her was clearly agitated but the woman was only ever calm.
'There is much I cannot say. For now all i can tell you is that. . . ' she continued, 'Clan Uttara has previously had only male rulers. And he is the only male half-born heir of the royal bloodline. Erebus would never tolerate his existence.'
'But he was born of the queen when she was mortal. His father is also just a human. He himself is also just an innocent human babe'
'Nevertheless, he is now the last of the chosen meta bloodlines, which makes him dangerous to Erebus. Even if you hide him in the human world, you only delay his destruction. For him to be truly safe, Erebus and his council must perish.'
'Master. . .how much of this did you forsee?
Just how much will you allow?!'
'Fate is a trcky thing,' the woman laughed sadly. 'So much of what i see I cannot change without damaging the cause and effect of our world.'
Hera didn't answer. . .
'Your vision is narrowed by your grief.' The woman soghed. 'But if you could witness the atrocities that transpired across every other permutation of reality, you would be grateful for what has taken place now.'
Crimson fire burned within Rea's eyes, I expected a rageful outburst. Just when I thought she would explode, the flame quieted.
'So what would you have me do now?'. Hera posed powerlessly, her shoulders slumped.
'What do you wish to do?' The woman replied with a smile.
'Obviously. . .to rend Erebus's spine from his core and shove it down his throat. But it seems that simply will do for now. . .
So . . .'
Her voice was stronger now. 'I follow my lady's order.
I'll watch over him until he's ready to assume his rightful place.
The runes on the tree dimmed and the scenee collapsed. I fell to my knees right then and there in the assembly hall, my face white with shock.
——————––
(The first snippet of Mason's history)