Elianna hesitated, then finally answered, "Häxa."
Mari swallowed. "She does feed off trapped souls."
Elianna nodded, then continued, "Your father succumbed first."
"He didn't... he didn't just ditch us?"
"No, leaving his family nearly killed him, but he is a powerful warlock, and his destiny had always been to fight Häxa. He was ruthless in his preparation for battle. Black magicks, sinister pacts for spells of greater power. He dealt with devils and rogue wizards. Yet still he was unable to smite her."
"And Jillian?"
"Häxa froze your mother when she went to beg for his life. Jillian knew the futility, but she couldn't live without him."
Mari felt like she was choking. No wonder Jillian had always seemed so sad - she'd been missing her husband...
"Druid sabbatical, Elianna?" Her father lived? Her mother hadn't remained away by choice? "How could you not tell me about this?"
"Jillian wanted you to have a normal life for as long as possible."
"Normal? I thought I was unwanted! That they both chose to leave me."
Elianna looked baffled. "But they adored you - surely you remember that?"
Mari pointed an accusing finger at her. "You should have told me about what happened to them!"
"When should I have? When you turned eighteen, should I have said, 'Your parents are frozen in eternal pain and agony - and you can't do a damned thing about it for many years.'? Then wish you luck on your SATs?"
Her parents had loved her. "How do I wake them?"
Elianna glanced away. "You have to kill the one that did this to them."
Häxa was one step down from a goddess, the most powerful sorceress ever to live. "Fate does no' blow her bullets," Bowen had said. He'd been right. Mari was to fight the witches' greatest enemy. She feared the idea, but the fury churning inside her wouldn't be denied. Elianna stared at her eyes, and Mari knew they'd changed.
"I'm going after her. Tell me how to find her."
"You will know how to find her when you are prepared to fight her."
"For once, stop this witchy, mystical bullshit, Elianna! I want to kill her now!"
"You're not ready," Elianna insisted.
"If you think I'll sit around here waiting to turn immortal - "
"That won't matter," Elianna quietly interrupted. "Häxa can turn any living being to dust. Immortality or mortality will make no difference."
"Then do I even have a shot at winning against her?" Mari demanded. "What do the seers say?"
"Anyone who tried to read the battle between Mariketa the Awaited and Häxa... was struck mad. We doubt Häxa has even been able to see this."
"Doesn't matter. I'm still going after her, with or without your help."
"If Häxa defeats you, she will usurp your powers. We can't risk that - or she will become unstoppable."
"I'll figure it out!"
"Your parents are not the only ones in this state. There are thousands more, taken from all Lorekind and accumulated over time. Think of others suffering. You have responsibilities to them as well."
A thousand voices calling to her in her dreams.
"How do I prepare, then?"
"You are a captromancer. You'll use the medium given to you to learn. No longer will you be given hints of information or power. Because you are the Queen of Reflections, knowledge will flow from the mirror straight to your being. You'll learn everything from how to coax fire from water to how to shield yourself from another's magick attacks, deflecting damage."
Mari thought over all Elianna had revealed, struggling to remain calm. "Does Häxa have any weaknesses?"
"It's been reported that her eyesight is poor. Her animal familiars see better than she does."
"Familiars? What kind?"
"Trolls, some kobolds, ravens, and - "
"Ravens?" Mari bit out. When Elianna nodded, Mari said, "Häxa's already been watching me! I saw them in the jungle, and in my dreams. Even just now when I stepped into the mirror, ravens were on the windowsill."
"It makes sense that you've had foresight about her. And I figured she would already be spying on you. But remember, she can't get to you here."
"Were you watching the scene when the fey princess showed up?" Mari asked.
Elianna gave an emphatic nod. "Was I ever."
"Mariah said a sorceress brought her back - it has to be Häxa that's done this. What better way to create misery than to return a male's mate precisely when he's decided to move on." To herself, she thought, What better way to hurt me? First take my parents from me, now separate me from the man I love.
"It's certainly possible. This is how she operates."
"If I actually succeed in killing her, what will happen? Will the world be changed?"
Elianna answered, "Aside from freeing so many souls, your act won't change anything about today. But if Häxa is not stopped now, she will continue to grow more powerful. Soon there will come a time when she will enslave the entire world in misery. Hell will reign on earth."
"But if Häxa's destroyed, what will happen to the balance between her, Hekate, and Hela?"
"This balance might be disrupted already because Häxa is no longer a goddess. And some are saying that Hela isn't as beneficent as she once was."
Mari exhaled a long breath, wondering if she'd have to do battle with Hela one day as well. Had Mari actually dreaded the idea that her career highlights would peak when she was twenty-three? "How do I begin?"