Mara - The Lady Grief (Completed)

44 Friends and Enemies

A/N  I posted yesterday's chapter a little late, so make sure you read 43 first.

2650 B.C.E., City of Tmari-on-the-Euphrates

Winter, Month of Shabatu, One Year and Eleven Months after Mara's Rebirth

Mara

"Mama, too tight," Poppy's words are muffled into my shoulder.

"Sorry, poppet," I tell her. I have to concentrate to loosen my grasp on her. She blinks curiously at me, fingers in her mouth. She has no idea why I'm holding her so tightly. Or why I'm searching frantically through the bags and clothes that lay scattered in the room.

I've lost my jar of hearts. One of my shades woke me up this morning with a scream of hellfire. It jolted me awake as suddenly as if someone dumped icy water on my head.

I ran to him. To my Basru Captain. To Thane. Only to find that he's missing. I know where he is. He went there, to the First House palace. He walked into the demon's den and I wasn't awake to stop him. I stupidly, foolishly, thought that he was too drunk to really be planning anything last night. Apparently I misjudged the idiot, because he is gone, along with his weapons.

While searching frantically for Thane I realized that Mishu and Momo are missing. Alnue just shrugged when I asked him where they are and my father is stubbornly silent. Then, I started to look for the jar. It's gone.

Thane is gone. Thelios is gone. My Fourth House hearts are missing. Two of my gargoyles are missing. Is it any wonder that I am clenching my daughter to me as if she may disappear, too?

The War District is waking up. I have only a little time to decide if I should look for the hearts back in the temple before I can't sneak through the hedgerow again. Did I leave them there? I could have sworn they were here in the Recondite barracks, but maybe I had them with me when I went to the temple yesterday?

"Mara, breakfast," Postite Banio intterupts my frantic search.

I nod at him absently. I look at Alnue, who is hovering over his stack of rescued scrolls from the temple library. "Is anything missing, Alnue?" I ask softly.

He shakes his head, his ears and tail drooping.

I angrily wipe my tears away. "How did I lose so much?"

Alnue wuffles at me, his round black eyes looking at me with sympathy.

"Mara, come eat," Patriarch Salbin calls out from the hallway.

Eat? Eat what? Neither of my Fated are here to dine on.

I march down to the common room anyway, knowing that Poppy needs to eat, even if my stomach is roiling too much to handle anything more that tea.

I settle in and arrange her in my lap, thanking Postite Banio when he hands us a plate of bread and milk.

"Here, poppet," I help her start on the bread. It's hard; a wartime meal. Nothing can go to waste.

The table is silent for a long moment. I feel eyes on me, but I'm too weary to even look up until I know Poppy is distracted by her meal.

When I finally raise my head I see my table.

I let my gaze travel. My Postites are no longer huddled together at one end of the table to themselves. They are interwoven with the Basru warriors who aren't patrolling and even a few Recondites. Esa is next to Patriarch Salbin and another Recondite.