In order to save the world from eternal night, Red must find a way to unlock the dormant power of the Sun Goddess running through her veins without killing herself and everyone she loves.
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The Witch of the East wasn't sure when her hair had turned to snakes. They were noisy and moved constantly, tangling and pulling on her scalp as they reached for everyone around her, eager to strike both friend and foe.
She was finding it difficult to tell which was which, truth be told. The Earth Mother had coloured the lens through which she saw the world, and things she thought she knew appeared wonky and distorted, more threatening than they truly were. It had taken an immense effort of will to pry free of her influence long enough to stop Rana's bleeding, though she ran out of time to finish the job. In the end all she could offer was shelter in the midst of the grisly battle, which she afforded with a sweeping hand motion that coaxed a wave of rock to curl over her form, right in the middle of the killing field.
Some of the Earth's most ancient creatures lay in pieces on the floor. Only some Kirin bled in the traditional sense; many were dry inside and crumbled like rock, while others sprouted mushrooms from their severed heads. The Earth Mother mourned them all, for they were her first; the ones she had been most anxious raising, who'd kept her company in the long years before Gretchen came to be.
The Goddess's rage was astronomical. It ate through Gretchen like acid, bubbling in the bottom of her rib cage like hot lava. The witch opened her mouth to let the noxious fumes escape and a swarm of bees poured out instead, wreathing the nearest fellwyrm and stinging it out of the sky. The swelling obscured its features before it even hit the ground, and it died twitching and blind, a cruel departure from the world to match its entry.
Gretchen's finger whipped up as a glimmer of silver caught her eye, driving the Earth Mother to madness. Her whole arm trembled as she fought against the urge to strike Sebastian down; he was doing such an excellent job of fending off anyone who came too close to Rana's unconscious body, protecting her with a fierceness that belied their petty rivalry. "He's my friend," she whispered, a bloody tear rolling down her cheek.
The Earth Mother squeezed Gretchen in a spectral fist. It felt like her organs were going to explode. He is your enemy, she insisted, willing Gretchen to crush him to a pulp.
So far she'd been able to defy the Goddess's influence in little ways; by writing a note to Gordon in her journal, under the pretence of recording vital intelligence for the Kirin. A rescue party had been sent, but she was hapless to stop herself from slaughtering them, as the Earth Mother made a flesh puppet of her body and tugged on all her strings. Gretchen's mind was still her own — though the Goddess's feelings were overwhelming at times, bleeding into hers and amplifying every jealous insecurity she'd ever harboured — as the Earth Mother's domain was the flesh and not the soul, but now she was locked in a direct battle for control of her limbs.
