“Aaron,” I call him by his name quietly, though the soldiers are too far away to hear.
“Mm?”
“If it comes to it, promise me you’ll leave me behind. You’ll be able to get through without me.”
He doesn’t answer.
“No,” he finally says in a calm voice. “Who told you we can’t get through them together?”
Morok pulls the bridle and walks on. I follow him but do not abandon my attempts to change his mind.
“There are over a hundred soldiers there!”
“I said no, little Mara.”
“He needs me! Please! Just don’t let them catch you and then, break off our connection so that I can die before he tosses me back into the dungeons. You know that Maras can’t kill themselves,” I continue urgently while Daniel is still out of the earshot.
I’m sure Morok knows that. Suicide is not only a sin for a Mara, but it’s the end. It’s considered a betrayal, an attempt to escape your duty and fate of serving Morana. The Goddess will never take your soul and it will go straight to the Shadow. As much as I’m horrified by the prospect of being locked up in the dark cell again, it’s the lesser evil compared to the Shadow. Morok turns to me and puts his arm around me, pulling me closer.
“Just as I’ve said, Agatha, you know nothing about Moroks. And now you’ve seen my face, you seem to have forgotten that we are feared for being awful monsters. I don’t like reminding the world about it, but Daniel leaves me no choice.”