The Sins of the Mother

Welcome to Character Wednesday.

Today, I want to turn our focus to the character who starts it all, yet remains a ghost in the narrative: Margaret Mitchel. For seven years, Liz has seen her mother as a missing person, a victim. But I always knew the truth was far more complex.

Why would a mother make a pact with a dark king, promising her own child as payment?.

The answer, as I've been teasing on social media, is the heart of the tragedy. Margaret’s pact was not an act of greed or a quest for power. It was for protection.

I believe this reframes Margaret completely. She isn't just a victim; she is a tragic, powerful figure who was trapped. The story of The Night Chronicles is not just about a girl looking for her mom, but about a daughter uncovering the history of a powerful witch who was forced to make a deal with one monster to protect her family from another. She was facing a choice between two nightmares, and she chose the one she thought would give her family a chance to survive.

This is what I consider the "sin" of the mother in our story. It's a choice born of desperation and love, but one with devastating consequences that ripple across generations. The pact that was meant to save her family is the very thing that now threatens to destroy what’s left of it.

Is a child responsible for the debts of their parent? Is an inherited destiny a just one?. These are the central moral questions Liz will have to face as she unravels the truth about the powerful, desperate, and ultimately tragic woman she called Mom.

Some debts are never paid,

June Skye