Corsato sneaked through the night, heading for quercitron's campfire. Perhaps he was the Messiah. Perhaps.
As he approached the red glow of the campfire, he began to sweat. That little fire put out a lot more heat than his own did.
The glowing fire illuminated not one, but two people. Lucresia was sitting next to quercitron. What was she doing there?
Quercitron looked up and smiled at the patch of darkness that hid Corsato.
"Come here," he said.
Corsato got up, and his legs moved him forth. He kneeled before quercitron.
"You will serve me."
Corsato nodded.
"You will give me you soul, yes?"
Corsato's mouth opened, and let the word "yes" out, though he did not recall telling it to.
Quercitron once again smiled, and reached for Corsato's right hand. He extended a finger, with a nail that seemed sharper than human nail should, and carved deeply into Corsato's palm a mark that no human mind invented. Corsato did not scream. His mouth would not open.
"Now, I have other business to attend to," quercitron said as he stood up. "Go back to your own camps."
Lucresia and Corsato obeyed as quercitron walked into the night.
Meanwhile, mith sneaked through another patch of darkness not too far away. The friendly light of Mackay's campfire illuminated rim of the semi-circular depression that sheltered her camp.
Mith crept to the edge, and slowly raised his head above the rim. There she was, with BigFella sitting next to...
There She was. Mith got up and slowly descended the slope. He was vaguely aware of Orakel and CaptainBlicero doing likewise from other points on the rim of the hollow. Mackay smiled at them.
"Welcome," She said. "I have been waiting for you."
She took their hands, one at a time, and bade them sit around the campfire.
"I want your help. The Beast is among us, and it can not be allowed to continue its work. Will you help me?"
CaptainBlicero, mith and Orakel did not hesistate before agreeing. That was what they came here for, after all.
She smiled again. "Thank you," She said. "Now, it is time for you to go back to your own camps and rest until morning."
The four Disciples were reluctant to leave Her presence, but obeyed, and left to rest for the remainder of the night.
Eillid returned to her campfire. Orakel had not even been there! This was stupid. Stupid and pointless. She was cold, and hungry, and miserable, and she was probably going to die, and
"
"
She spun around, but the darkness behind her did not reveal the speaker.
"
"
She drew breath, but she did not have time to scream.
Part of the sun had risen above the horizon, and Mackay decided that it was time to get up. She climbed out of the hollow, and surveyed the piece of ground that had after yesterday's discussions become a rather familiar place. Eillid's remains were not far away.
Mackay closed her eyes. "No," She said. She opened them again.
"I will not allow this." Her voice cut through the air, and roused those who were still sleeping.
Quercitron came strolling from his camp.
"Oh?" he said.
"Indeed not," Mackay replied.
"Then perhaps
" he asked as he shed his human guise.
Mackay looked up at the Beast in front of Her.
"No," She said. "I will not die."
"
So sure? I had heard that you were humble. Perhaps this was not the case.
"
"You Will Begone From This Place," She commanded. "You Will Return To The Pit Where You Belong, And You Will Not Trouble Humanity Further."
"
"
"You Will Begone!" She cried, as the ground opened before her, and embraced the Beast like no other mother would.
"
" the Beast screamed as he disappeared into the earth, which closed after him.
As the sound of his voice died away, Lucresia and Corsato, who had breathlessly been watching the exchange together with the Disciples and Koru, fell to the ground and did not rise. They were dead, though even a close examination revealed no hint of why.
Mackay turned to the others, who awaited Her word.
"It is done," She said.
And so it was.
.
.