The High Council came in and sat at their respective chairs. Chancellor Gray shook her head once at our David and I knew. I just knew. I stood up and placed my hands flat onto the bulletproof glass that separated me from the forum; from him. He looked up to me and smiled his usual smile, one that always made me feel like we could face anything. My eyes started to rim with tears that I fought so hard to blink away. They asked all parties to stand, and Chancellor Grimm read the verdict and sentence.
The collective gasp of my family behind me was deafening. Va’lis got up and ran to me. But I pushed him away as I made a mad dash for the forum doors, I knew they would not let me in. The guards came to take Marius away and I heard him speak through our bond, “Lydia, no… don’t do this. Do not break down, be strong. You can be strong without me. You have to be, for the sake of all our family. No… do not cry.” I screamed at his torment and fell to my knees. I yelled for him, “Marius! Marius!!!!” I tried to push the guards out of my way, with all my preternatural force. But they were ancients, much much older than me. They held me back. “Marius!!! Noooo… please I must see him. Please! Marius!!!!” The tears flowed out of my eyes like rivers. “Mariuussss!!!” Va’lis was pacing behind me, his own eyes threatening to flow. He didn’t know what to do for me. My son, our son. He loved us both and we loved him. I heard him yell back, “Lydia my love, it will all be alright. I promise you. I will be with you soon! Please do not cry. I love you eternally.” Seconds that seemed like hours passed and the last thing we heard Marius yell out was, “Val… Les… take care of her.” I screamed again, the pain too unbearable for consciousness. The whole room shook. And then… the doors opened and Lestat appeared, I barely had the strength to look at him, his eyes did not hide the tears that fell from them. He dropped to his knees beside me, and I tried to look through the doors… all I could see was Armand, sitting at his seat completely stunned, immovable. My Marius was gone… I passed out. Last thing I remember was Va’lis scooping me up from behind, “Mother,” was the last thing I heard Va’lis say.
When I woke, we were back in Sosaria. Had I been sleeping that long? I knew they had not yet put my beloved in his tomb, I still felt him. It was actually odd to be able to still feel the bond through so many light-years. Earth was two galaxies away from Sosaria. Usually, even the most ancients cannot establish that bond. But ours wasn’t a bond that had anything to do with our vampirism. Ours was a mortal bond of two souls that were… meant to be. Bianca was asleep next to me. Who had told Mary?!? That was my first thought. Where was she? How was she? Bianca stirred awake. She told me that she had told Flavius, and it was Flavius that broke it to Mary. My second thought was Louis, I couldn’t keep our bond. Not in my current state. He instantly knew I had woken and told Lestat he needed to go. He showed up within 10 minutes. Louis knew what I was thinking. He begged me, utterly begged me, to not break the bond. That having me as his sire is what had made things so much better. That this too would enlighten him and help him. To feel my emotions would help him understand love and loss. But what could I offer him really? Bianca said, “It will not hurt him to keep him bonded. He’s right, this might help him further.” I agreed to keeping the bond. I told Bianca, “Seek out Piper before this evening, she’ll need the comfort.” She nodded.
Just then Flavius walked in almost carrying poor Mary by her waist. Her eyes told me everything. She ran to me, hugged me. Cried. Then I cried. Then Bianca did something that shocked me. She hugged us both and cried too. Louis turned to Flavius and whispered, “Mary will need you more than ever.” Flavius nodded, “I need her just the same. But I need my sire as well.” Louis sighed, “I am not sure Pandora will be strong enough for this. When that separation comes, it will be so tough for her.” Flavius looked to him, “When are they doing it?” “Tonight,” Louis answered. They would entomb Marius in a coffin made of hecatolite and reinforced titanium. They would then lower that box into a container, filling it with liquid concrete. They would then place it upright in their dungeon walls, encasing him further with brick and mortar. Complete isolation; solitary confinement. All bonds would break instantly and there would be nothing but silence and emptiness. They would rig him up with monitors and install a peripherally inserted central catheter into his heart, and only minimally feed him. *sighs* Marius, I will avenge you for all you did was protect our son, his beloved newborn daughter. But right now, for now, I must sleep. I must learn to live without you, without our bond, live with the silence, the emptiness. That will take some time to do.