Shadows Of The Alpha Moon

chapter 4

Secrets in the Dark

With just the crackling of the fading fire and the said of the woodland to break the eerie calm, the night enveloped the renegade camp. Arden's whole body was tight as she laid on her blanket. There was no chance of sleep. Just outside the thin canvas of her tent, she could hear the faint voices resonating through the crisp night air.

"She doesn't belong here," said Rogue 1.

The voice was harsh and low, with a hint of annoyance.

Rogue 2: "Kael is keeping her safe." Why?

Arden's breath caught as she moved on the rough ground.

Rogue 1: "He's acting carelessly." She is not and never will be one of us.

She tried to hear more, her fists clenching the blanket's edge.

Rogue 2: "We'll deal with her if she poses a threat."

The voices died away, their sinister tone hanging like smoke in the air. Arden breathed slowly and shakily. Her thoughts raced, and her chest constricted. They see me as a danger.

Rolling onto her side, she gazed at the wall of the tent. Her already strained nerves were teased by the flickering shadows of the fire outside, which danced like restless ghosts.

Another moment of restlessness finally got to her. Arden slid her legs over the edge of the blanket and sat up. As she slipped out of the tent, the chilly air pricked her flesh.

With his back to her, Kael sat by the fire. She knew he was aware of her presence, but he didn't turn as she got closer. He was too purposeful in his silence.

“Can’t sleep?” said Kael.

He seemed almost ethereal as the firelight bounced off his scar. Standing just beyond the warmth of the fire, Arden folded her arms.

"Hard to sleep when half the camp wants me dead," said Arden.

Kael laughed, his voice harsh and low.

"They don't want you dead," said Kael.

At last he looked at her, tilting his head slightly.

"Not yet, anyway," said Kael.

She tightened her jaw.

"That should help me feel better," said Arden.

Kael leaned back and poked a stick into the fire. The air was filled with dancing sparks.

"Trust isn't given here," said Kael. Either you deserve it or you don't.

Reaching over to him, he threw something into the air. Instinctively, Arden's fingers curled around a blade's hilt and grabbed it.

"Let's see if you've earned it," said Kael.

Glancing from the sword to him, she scowled.

"You want me to fight you?" said Arden.

"I want to see what you can do," said Kael.

Under the moonlight, the clearing seemed large and quiet, and the tension between them was evident. With his own sword glinting slightly in his fingers, Kael walked to the other side of the fire. His demeanor was calm yet eager as he gestured toward her.

"You have the first move," said Kael.

Arden paused, the strange weapon weighing heavily in her hand. She clenched her fingers.

Kael: "Are you afraid?"

Something in her was triggered by the term. She lunged without replying.

Kael effortlessly sidestepped her swift movements, his sword deflecting hers with a metallic clang.

Kael: "Clumsy. Try once more.

She changed her position and attacked again, her teeth clenched. This time, Kael countered with a strong swing after blocking her strike and allowing her to drive him back a step. With her heart thumping in her ears, Arden ducked.

"Stop holding back," said Arden.

A little grin formed on Kael's lips.

"I'm not," said Kael.

Her chest burned with frustration. She lunged once again, more quickly. Her blows increased in power, but Kael deflected them all with deft, controlled motions.

Kael: "It's better. However, you continue to hold back.

Arden: "I'm not—"

He twisted his wrist sharply to disarm her before she could continue. Kael stepped forward and grabbed her wrist as her sword clattered to the ground.

He threw her off balance in a single move, causing her to fall to the ground. His weight pressed her shoulders into the earth, pinning her there.

Kael: "You're concealing something," she said quietly.

Arden's heart pounded as she froze.

"What are you afraid of?" asked Kael.

The intensity in his stare caused her chest to clench, even though his voice was low, nearly a whisper. She gazed up at him, his scarred face shadowed by the firelight.

Arden: "Let me go," she said, pushing herself to speak.

At first, Kael remained still. Then he gently let her go and stood, his face inscrutable.

"You're strong," said Kael.

Reaching down, he extended his hand to her. After hesitating, Arden accepted it and allowed him to help her get up.

"But strength isn't enough here," said Kael.

Her fingers shaking, she wiped dirt off her clothing.

"You don't know anything about me," said Arden.

Kael: "Not yet," she said softly.

As he took a step back and slipped his sword into its sheath, his words lingered in the air.

"We'll spar again tomorrow," said Kael. This time, try not to hold back.

She stood by herself in the clearing as he turned and left. The quiet was thicker now, pushing on her flesh.

With her hands wrapped around the sword Kael had given her, Arden sat cross-legged again before the fire. She felt grounded against the swirl of her thoughts by the cool metal of it.

She gazed at the mesmerizing outlines of the flames. Her grasp tightened as her fingers moved over the weapon's hilt.

In me, what did he see? What am I concealing?

Unanswered and unrelenting, the questions swirled in her head.

And then the flames flickered in a sudden blast of wind. Despite the fact that the wind wasn't frigid, Arden shuddered. There was a faint but indisputable weird energy that rippled across the air.

Her breath caught as she closed her eyes. Something within her was awakened by the sensation—a memory, an emotion, an unspeakable presence.

She opened her eyes to find the shadows denser and the firelight becoming dimmer. Her chest heaved with weak gasps, and her pulse pounded.

What's going on with me?

Kael stood in the shadows, watching her. His curiosity had him stuck just out of sight, so he hadn't gone too far.

He noticed the mixture of terror and defiance on her face as she gazed into the flames. He saw how her hands shook when she believed no one was watching.

That odd vibration in the air, as if the forest itself were holding its breath, was something he could feel as well.

Kael gripped his sword tighter. Arden was more than a stranger. She was something different, something he had not yet been able to identify.

But he would learn.

The jungle didn't sleep, but the camp fell into a tense quiet. Arden had good reason to be uneasy. Other eyes watched her in the darkness, unseen but determined.

Her secrets would soon be exposed, and all she had worked so hard to keep safe may be destroyed.