Chapter 411: The Moon Goddess Has No Mercy

Elena moved to kneel in front of Victoria’s chair. She took Victoria’s hands, the ones with black veins running beneath the skin and held them firmly.

"Listen to me," Elena said. "Corruption is not just about what magic you use. It’s about what you do with it. Thalia used her power to hurt people. To control them. To take away their choices. You’re using yours to give Lilith back her life. That is not monstrous. That is love."

"Love that costs Nicholas his life," Victoria said bitterly. "Love that requires an Alpha to die permanently. Love that..." She stopped. "Love that I’m not even sure will work. What if the resurrection fails, Elena? What if Nicholas goes into the Veil and sacrifices himself and Lilith stays dead anyway? What if I corrupted myself and made all these deals and traded all these pieces of myself for nothing?"

"Then we tried," Elena said. "We did everything we could. We crossed every line necessary. And if it fails, if despite everything we sacrifice, Lilith doesn’t come back, then at least we know we didn’t give up. That we fought to the very end."

Victoria felt tears slip down her face.

"I’m so tired," she whispered. "I’m tired of making impossible choices. Tired of sacrificing pieces of myself. Tired of carrying all these secrets and all this guilt. I just want Lilith to wake up. I want Nicholas’s sacrifice to mean something. I want this nightmare to be over."

"It will be," Elena said. "Tomorrow night. One way or another, this ends. Either Lilith comes back or we accept she’s gone. Either way, you can stop carrying this alone."

Victoria wiped her eyes and took a shaky breath.

"There’s something else," Victoria said quietly. "Something I didn’t tell the Alphas."

Elena’s expression grew wary. "What?"

"Thalia is going to demand payment for helping me," Victoria said. "After the resurrection succeeds. After Lilith is alive. Thalia will name her price and I’ll have to pay it."

"What price?" Elena asked.

"I don’t know," Victoria admitted. "She refused to tell me. Said it would be a befitting payment. Said I wouldn’t like it but I would pay it anyway because the alternative is worse."

Elena’s face went pale. "Victoria, you made a deal without knowing the cost?"

"I had no choice!" Victoria said desperately. "Thalia was the only one who could help. The only one who knew how to contact the entity in the Veil. The only one who could teach me what I needed to know. If I had refused to agree to her terms, Lilith would stay dead. Nicholas’s sacrifice would be for nothing. I had to agree."

"What do you think she’ll ask for?" Elena asked carefully.

"I don’t know," Victoria said. "But knowing Thalia, knowing what she wants...." She stopped. "She’s planning something. Something big. Something that involves using Lilith’s pure Morvaine magic for her own purposes. And I’m terrified that when she names her price, it’s going to be something that puts Lilith in danger all over again."

"Then we don’t let her collect," Elena said.

"How?" Victoria asked. "I made a binding deal, Elena. Sealed it with dark magic. If I refuse to pay, the magic will enforce the agreement. It will take what Thalia demands whether I consent or not."

"Then we find a loophole," Elena said. "We outsmart her. We...." She stopped. "We figure it out. Together. After Lilith is alive. After Nicholas’s sacrifice means something. One crisis at a time, Victoria."

Victoria wanted to believe her.

Wanted to think they could somehow outsmart Thalia. Avoid paying whatever terrible price she would demand.

But Victoria had seen the look in Thalia’s black eyes when they made the deal.

Thalia had been planning this for a long time.

Had been waiting for exactly this moment.

And whatever she demanded would be carefully calculated to get her exactly what she wanted.

"Tell me about the resurrection ritual," Elena said, changing the subject. "What do I need to do now that Thalia is involved? How does this work?"

Victoria pulled out the notes she had made in the Underworld. Pages of ritual instructions. Diagrams. Spell components.

"Nicholas goes into the Veil first," Victoria explained. "Thalia will perform the ritual that sends his soul into the space between life and death. He’ll carry this....." She pulled out the glowing red crystal. "....the soul anchor. It will help him find Lilith’s soul. Help him hold onto her."

"And then?" Elena asked.

"Then we work on Lilith’s body," Victoria continued. "You maintain life magic. Keep her heart viable. Keep her organs functional. Keep everything ready to receive her soul. I channel death magic. I reach into the Veil. I grab both souls.....Lilith’s and Nicholas’s, and I pull."

"And Nicholas lets go," Elena said quietly.

"At the last moment," Victoria confirmed. "When Lilith’s soul is almost merged back with her body. When she’s close enough to life that one more pull will bring her all the way back. Nicholas releases his own connection. Sacrifices himself. Pushes Lilith through. And the entity accepts the trade."

"What if he doesn’t let go?" Elena asked. "What if he tries to bring them both back?"

"Then we all fail," Victoria said. "The entity will reject the incomplete trade. Will drag both souls back into the Veil. Will consume them both as punishment for trying to cheat the covenant. Nicholas has to let go. Has to choose death. Has to sacrifice himself cleanly or Lilith dies permanently."

Elena closed her eyes. "May the Moon Goddess have mercy on him."

"The Moon Goddess has no mercy," Victoria said bitterly. "If she did, none of this would be happening."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you afraid?" Elena asked quietly. "That it won’t work?"

"Terrified," Victoria admitted. "I’m afraid Nicholas will sacrifice himself and nothing will happen. I’m afraid Lilith will come back wrong.....damaged somehow, not herself. I’m afraid the ritual will fail at the last second and we’ll lose them both. I’m afraid of...." She stopped. "I’m afraid of so many things I can’t even list them all."