Elder Scrolls Mara Novels & Stories

“But we have to go.” Mara reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of cloth. “Take this. It’s a map drawn by my grandfather, who knew these lands better than anyone. It shows the hidden paths, the places where you can find water and shelter, and where the patrols usually go. It won’t keep you safe forever, but it might help.” Elara took it carefully. “Thank you. This means a lot.” “And take this too,” Mara said, handing over a small pouch. “Dried meat, bread, and herbs that will help if you get hurt or tired. You’ll need it.”

“Not using rogues. Not using Aria.” Darius took her hand. “Then we end it. Now.” Elara nodded. “We end it.” --- *War Room – 10:00 AM* The table was covered in maps again, but this time the red X was over House Veyr’s estate, 40 miles east. Mira was there, awake and grim. Elias and Aria were in the corner, 17 and 12, listening. They weren’t being sent away this time. “Lord Marrow has been a problem since before I took the throne,” Elara said. “He wanted it. He thinks I’m too soft, too tied to Darius, too willing to protect ‘outsiders’.”

With the coast clear I squeezed through the gap in the hedge and made my way along the edge of the gardens out of sight and into the forest beyond, this was such a familiar route to me now that I barely had to think about it, but I kept my eyes peeled and my wolf was on alert as always, just in case. Marcus was the man stood waiting today. It was another late drop off and after yesterdays no show I was unsurprised to see him looking disheartened then surprised as his eyes landed on me, but his face quickly showed outrage then worry as he took in the bruises that still marked my face. “Oh, goddess Amara, what did they do to you?” his voice cracked as he stepped close, not paying any attention

Rather than the white eyeballs, this time they were black, and Brandy could sense the presence of something evil when she smirked. "Genua in conspectu tuo regina." They could hear her faint voice beneath the eerie sinister voice of the entity in control, as it spoke. Marcellus felt a sudden pull when his eyes shifted colors red veins popped out from his face. "Marcellus!" Lucille called out when she heard him grunt. "Argh!" He groaned before falling to his knees when his legs caved in. Lyra stared blankly into space with an eerie smile on her face, the strong wind threatened to rip the house apart as it shook on it's hinges.

The lie escaped before I could stop it. “I thought Elara would stay. I thought she’d fight for me—for us. But she didn’t.” That sounded absurd even to my ears Marcus laughed bitterly. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You seriously believed that, after everything you did, she’d stick around? Man, I always thought I was the delusional one in this family, but you’ve clearly taken the crown.”

She looked to be in her early thirties. Long dark hair. Pale skin. Gray eyes. And a thin scar crossed her left eyebrow. My scar. My heart stopped. She smiled at me. “Hello, little star.” I couldn't breathe. Mara whispered, “Elara.” The woman smiled. “Hello, Mother.” Mara's face crumbled. “No.” “You said I died.” “I watched you die.” Elara tilted her head. “You watched a body disappear.” Her smile faded. “You never watched me die.”

But the pull inside me was growing stronger, whispering that the truth was out there, tangled in the shadows of the forest, waiting. A voice called softly through the trees. “Elena.” Mara stepped into the clearing, her dark eyes unreadable beneath the thinning sunlight. She moved with the quiet grace of a wolf herself, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed the seriousness behind her calm. “What is it?” I asked, standing and brushing dirt from my jeans. She hesitated, then said, “The elders are worried.” I frowned. “Worried about what?” Mara took a deep breath. “About the curse.”

my eyes widened. "I was young," Mara said. "Younger than you are now. And I watched a Veyrith woman stand in the middle of everything they sent against her and not fall." Her voice was completely even. "She didn't fight back. She just stood. And then she walked into the forest and she did not come back." I stared at her. "Who was she?" I asked. Mara held my gaze for one long, steady moment. "Her name," Mara said quietly, "was Aelindra Hale."

Elara whispered, “Julian had people.” Halden’s jaw flexed. “Or someone picked up his playbook.” The unit’s speaker crackled. “Mara Kells is a valuable component.” Mara flinched violently, hands curling despite the zip ties. “See?” she sobbed. “See—” Elara grabbed Mara’s face gently, forcing eye contact. “Mara. Listen to me. That patch—if I remove it—will it hurt you?” Mara swallowed, eyes glossy. “I don’t know. But please. I can’t—”

Mara wrinkled the forehead. “Who?” No one answered. That was worse than any explanation. Mara felt her heart beat into her throat. Another knock. Then a sound. A cock. Like something was pulled over the ground. Slow down. Right behind the door. Mara left an unwelcome step back. Noah raised the spear. Elias grabbed a rusty machete that stuck in the sand next to the hut. His Hand trembled easily. Mara saw it. He was prepared. Not on her.