Starwalker | The Alura Trilogy, Book 2 [She-Ra 2018] ✔️

65 | The Bitter Truth

Thankfully, most of the Obtainment Acolytes simply died after the corruption released them. But a few did not.

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Carmen found her lady sitting in the Black Garnet chamber and dropped all the files she'd been sorting. "Shads!" she cried, joining her. "What's goin' on? Where've you been – didja find what you were lookin' for?"

Shads was notably silent. Her shoulders trembled, and she shuddered. A few tears dripped down her face behind her mask.

Carmen shuffled closer to her. "Oh, my lady... why're you so sad? Ain't no need to be upset, y'see. You're home, Li'l Miss Adora'll get to sleep next to ya tonight, and you'll be able to lead us again..."

Shads buried her head in her hands. Then she pulled off her mask and wiped her eyes; Carmen couldn't see her bare face, but to be respectful, she looked away. "Shads... c'mon. Please, tell me what's wrong."

Her lady seized up but refused to oblige. So Carmen swallowed and wrapped her arms around the older woman; it would not do if Hordak called and her lady was cryin' on the floor.

Shads sniffled, returning the hug. "It's nothing," she said softly. "I'm just exhausted. I got trapped inside a labyrinth...almost died..."

"That ain't nothin', my lady," Carmen returned in a low voice. She paused. "Anythin' else happen?" Her lady went quiet again. "I'll sit here and hold ya for as long as ya need," Carmen continued. "Capiche?"

"That would be well." Shads paused. "I was a fool, Carmen. I left you all to pursue stupid, meaningless dreams. Like smoke fading over the horizon..."

Carmen didn't know what Shads was talking about. "My lady...you ain't a fool. But we were so worried 'boutcha. Adora's missed ya for so long. So please...don't leave us again. We need you here, yeah?"

She blushed immediately. Who was she to be giving her lady orders? But Shads gave her a strange look. "No, you don't. You never have..."

"What'cha mean? You're a hell'f a lot smarter than me, not to mention you're Adora's mama. I can't think'f what'll happen if I had to raise both'f 'em for ya."

"That won't be necessary. I'm never leaving this place again." Shads clenched her fists, pulling away and rising. "It's late. We must go back to my quarters – I want to hold Adora tonight."

Carmen leaped to her feet and followed her lady out. But as soon as they exited the room, Shads bumped into Octavia. She flinched back and narrowed her eyes. "Force Captain, why is your eye covered?"

Octavia and Carmen exchanged looks. "I'll tell you later, Commander. We have a mole in the Fright Zone."

"WHAT?" Shads boomed, dark magic pouring from her feet.

"A spy," Octavia repeated. "They're a shifter – we just captured them. It seems Force Captain Beck was a traitor this whole time."

Carmen's heart dropped. No. Tears gathered in her eyes – just because Beck was a shifter didn't mean she was a traitor, right? Right?

"I'm going to kill them," Shads growled. "They must have been a mercenary for the Rebellion, and I will tolerate no one who can be bought with money. Come, Carmen."

They started down the hall; Carmen swallowed, her ears ringing. "My lady?" she asked softly.

"How could you have overlooked such a detail?" Shads snapped. "Why were you such a fool, Carmen? This has compromised the entire Horde!"

The words stung. "I couldn't tell, my lady. She was weird from the get-go, but I ain't the best with those subtle cues. If she was bein' suspicious, I wasn't good at seein' it. I'm sorry..."

Shads grunted, her gait turning into a stomp. "I am sick of this game. They play dumb with me. They tell me they know nothing of who I was, who I am. They want me to join their side. And STILL. THEY. DO. THIS."

She stopped, breathing heavily and rubbing the sides of her head. Carmen rocked back and forth on her feet. "My lady, I think you need to take a breather first. With respect," she added quickly.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because," Carmen said, "she could be useful, yeah? We gotta find out what info she's got on the Rebellion, how much she stole from us..."

Shads sighed roughly. "And what do you presume I will do if I go in now?"

Silence – they both knew the answer.

Finally, her lady slammed her fist into the wall, cradling the injured hand. "Just go. I'll be there once I have regained the composure to interrogate her. My sanity..." Her voice shook. "It's waning. I can feel it go. Please...be swift."

Carmen nodded, going down the hallway. She wouldn't interrogate Beck – her lady was much more competent in that area. But she had questions of a more personal nature to the traitorous shapeshifter.

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Did you know...

- I was very conflicted about this scene because I wasn't sure whether it made sense for Shadow Weaver to care about Adora this late into the story. However, because I'm basing her story off of Endeavor's from My Hero Academia, I figured it was appropriate. Although Endeavor was never a good parent, he was a heck of a lot better when Touya was still alive, and I wanted to draw a parallel here.

Tell me what you think...

- How might Zeka defend herself before Carmen?

- Did Zeka do the right thing in the end by spying on the Horde? Why or why not?